Lesson 1 _Disciples and Scripture _December 28 to January 3, 1rst Quarter 2014--DISCIPLE--December 28 to March 28.

Lesson 1 _Disciples and Scripture _December 28 to January 3, 1rst Quarter 2014--DISCIPLE--December 28 to March 28, 2014. The lesson in verses, with notes, comes after inspiring thoughts and the outlines sometimes of important Bible passages in their context.


AND NOW DISCIPLESHIP TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN


FROM THE AWAKENING AND THE REFORMATION TO THE SANCTUARY (The Residence of God and the Salvation Process from God), WE ARE APPROACHING THE END, WE'RE GOING HOME, TO THE MANSIONS THAT JESUS HAS PREPARED FOR US IN HEAVEN.


Friends,

   Revival will happen this time, and this is the way: If we ask God for that, and if we ask God to give us His Holy Spirit and pray for each other, even for people we're not comfortable with in the church, and pray for our enemies. This is one of the things that God won't refuse. We don't have to be worried about asking God if this is His will, as this is always His will. Let's do His will. As simple as that...

Share with your friends...

  Visit www.sse6.blogspot.com for easy Sabbath School Lessons Resources in English and www.ese9.blogspot.com in French

DISCIPLE


Discipline to Follow the Master

1	Disciples and Scripture • Dec 28 – Jan 3
2	Discipling Through Metaphor • January 4 – 10
3	Discipleship and Prayer • January 11 – 17
Simple Faith and Dependence on the Master 4	Discipling Children • January 18 – 24
5	Discipling the Sick • January 25 – 31
6	Discipling the Ordinary • February 1 – 7
A Great Master For All those Who Have Great Needs 7	Jesus and the Social Outcasts • February 8 – 14
Good News from the Master For All 8	With the Rich and Famous • February 15 – 21
9	Discipling the Powerful • February 22 – 28
10	Discipling the Nations • March 1 – 7
The Master and Ministry 11	Discipling Spiritual Leaders • March 8 – 14
12	The Harvest and Harvesters • March 15 – 21
13	The Cost of Discipleship • March 22 – 28

AND NOW DISCIPLESHIP TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN


FROM THE AWAKENING AND THE REFORMATION TO THE SANCTUARY (The Residence of God and the Salvation Process from God), WE ARE APPROACHING THE END, WE'RE GOING HOME, TO THE MANSIONS THAT JESUS HAS PREPARED FOR US IN HEAVEN.


Friends,

   Revival will happen this time, and this is the way: If we ask God for that, and if we ask God to give us His Holy Spirit and pray for each other, even for people we're not comfortable with in the church, and pray for our enemies. This is one of the things that God won't refuse. We don't have to be worried about asking God if this is His will, as this is always His will. Let's do His will. As simple as that...

Share with your friends...

  Visit www.sse6.blogspot.com for easy Sabbath School Lessons Resources in English and www.ese9.blogspot.com in French

CAN ONE BE IN THE SANCTUARY (The Residence of God and the Salvation from God) WITHOUT AWAKENING AND REFORMATION...AND LIVE?! 

We are quick to sin in many subtle ways, because we are quick to quick pleasure that vanishes quick and leads to death. We need Jesus’ covering to survive after sin, which is atonement by His death; however we need His covering even more before sin to enjoy great, disciplined pleasure that leads to life, Jesus’ life, eternal life. We need to depend on Christ, for everything, in patience and moving faith, we need to be happy always with Him in the many things He has already given us...

May the Holy Spirit lead you to the kingdom of Heaven on earth in dependence on God, enjoy the power and the humility, the serenity and the peace of salvation, and the bliss of eternal life...

Since our sins have been transferred on Jesus' death, let's live in humility and holiness through Jesus' life

Jesus is carrying the guilt for you, let  Him carry it and destroy it by His death and regenerate you by His Life, do not take the guilt back by sinning again.  Feel free to tap into the power of His grace and forgiveness in order to  bear fruits: love , joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control


God took the initiative to get rid of our sins, to forget them, and now that we are forgiven and purified like Isaiah, we are pure and after we cried “Woe is me”, in humility we may cry “Here am I, send me” And we can forgive others the same way and be an example to them and share the Gospel with them...

SPIRITUAL POWERS

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV)4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have DIVINE POWER to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Christ, Our Sacrifice

Humans cannot even imagine how High, Great, Holy and Perfect God is, yet a rich, clean person, wouldn’t even look at unclean and dirty, imagine dirtying oneself by mixing with a dirty environment, and even worst with a dirty person, Yet This One decided not only to mix with those far from His Elevation, but to die for them. WHY? Because Heaven is so Majestic in Its Eternity and so Just and Loving, only Jesus-Christ can bring us to that level of perfection, only God can judge us and find us guilty, and yet pay the guilty price for us, and forgive us, and allow us in under His own merits.

The most wonderful, it’s not just cheap forgiveness, as the price was paid even before the forgiveness, and the forgiveness extended to everyone. You would think that one would forgive and when the forgiveness is accepted, pay the price, The Eternal God paid the price first out of His great love, and then forgave, isn’t Love bigger than Forgiveness, accept the Love, and enjoy the forgiveness, the logic of Love transcends any human logic. Bear fruits in the Love of Jesus and grow in His forgiveness, as you enjoy the fruits that you are bearing together with others by the loving power of His forgiveness. Love bears forgiveness and forgiveness leads to love.

Holy, Holy, Holy is God’s love and Powerful, Wonderful, Fruitful is his forgiveness, fruitful in Holiness. He does it all for you, just don’t refuse, allow His offer of collaboration to change you for the better and collaborate to your salvation and the salvation of others as both depend on each other and go together. Only His Power can clean you up and only the Power of His Sacrifice can bring you into Heaven with His Justice, the Ultimate Loving Justice of God, in the All Knowing Workings of His Holy Spirit.




JESUS LEADING US...

Joshua 5:13–15

The Commander of the Army of the Lord

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, oa Man stood opposite him pwith His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”

14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

And Joshua qfell on his face to the earth and rworshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”

15 Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, s“Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Jesus and the archangel Gabriel appear with power to the prophet Daniel at the end of his prophetic writings to announce the historic events leading to the end

Daniel 10

New King James Version (NKJV)

Vision of the Glorious Man

10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long;^[a] and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. ² In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. ³ I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

⁴ Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris,^{[b] 5} I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! ⁶ His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.
⁷ And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. ⁸ Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. ⁹ Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.

Prophecies Concerning Persia and Greece

¹⁰ Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. ¹¹ And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
¹² Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”
¹⁵ When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. ¹⁶ And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons^[c] of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. ¹⁷ For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me.”
¹⁸ Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. ¹⁹ And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!”
So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
²⁰ Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. ²¹ But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.

Daniel 11

New King James Version (NKJV)

11 “Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.) ² And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. ³ Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. ⁴ And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.

Warring Kings of North and South

⁵ “Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion. ⁶ And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her authority,^[a] and neither he nor his authority^[b] shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times. ⁷ But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail. ⁸ And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their princes^[c] and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North.
⁹ “Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land. ¹⁰ However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife.
¹¹ “And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy. ¹² When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail. ¹³ For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment.
¹⁴ “Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, violent men^[d] of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall. ¹⁵ So the king of the North shall come and build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces^[e] of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist. ¹⁶ But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power.^[f]
17 “He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones^[g] with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him. ¹⁸ After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him. ¹⁹ Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
²⁰ “There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle. ²¹ And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. ²² With the force^[h] of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. ²³ And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. ²⁴ He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.
²⁵ “He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. ²⁶ Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. ²⁷ Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time. ²⁸ While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land.

The Northern King’s Blasphemies

²⁹ “At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. ³⁰ For ships from Cyprus^[i] shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage.
“So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. ³¹ And forces^[j] shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. ³² Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. ³³ And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. ³⁴ Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. ³⁵ And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.
³⁶ “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. ³⁷ He shall regard neither the God^[k] of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. ³⁸ But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. ³⁹ Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.

The Northern King’s Conquests

⁴⁰ “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. ⁴¹ He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. ⁴² He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. ⁴³ He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. ⁴⁴ But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. ⁴⁵ And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

Daniel 12

New King James Version (NKJV)

Prophecy of the End Time

12 “At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered,
Every one who is found written in the book.
² And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
³ Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.

⁴ “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. ⁶ And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?”
⁷ Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
⁸ Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
⁹ And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. ¹⁰ Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
¹¹ “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. ¹² Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
¹³ “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”



JESUS APPEARS TO JOHN IN REVELATION TO TELL HIM ABOUT THE END

Revelation 10

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Mighty Angel with the Little Book

10 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. ² He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. ⁴ Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices,^[a] I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me,^[b] “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

⁵ The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand^[c] to heaven ⁶ and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, THAT THERE SHOULD BE DELAY NO LONGER, ⁷ but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

John Eats the Little Book

⁸ Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”
⁹ So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”
And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
¹⁰ Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. ¹¹ And he^[d] said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”


IN WHICH SANCTUARY DO YOU WORSHIP?

 
REMEMBER...THE SANCTUARY REPRESENTS THE RESIDENCE OF GOD, THE COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE WORK OF JESUS FOR THE SALVATION OF THE HUMAN RACE:

1) THE CREATION IS A SANCTUARY OF GOD THE CREATOR, THUS IS THE SABBATH THAT REMINDS US OF THIS, AS WE ADORE GOD

2) JESUS IN THE EARTHLY SANCTUARY AND IN THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY WITH A PLAN AND A SACRIFICE FOR US, AND IN THE PRAYER OF GRACE, AS WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM AND WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH HIS POWER: Justification by Faith

3) JESUS IN OUR HEART FOR REDEMPTION IS A SANCTUARY AS IS OUR BODY, TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, BOTH HONOR GOD IN OUR BEHAVIOR: The work of Sanctification


4) GOD'S HISTORICAL WORK OF SALVATION IS A SANCTUARY IN THE FAITH, FROM THE MIRACLES OF THE PAST UNTIL THE PROPHECY THAT SUSTAINS US FOR A GLORIOUS FUTURE


5) THE CHURCH IS A SANCTUARY AS IN THE ASSEMBLY OF SAINTS IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND WITH EACH OTHER

6) THE GOSPEL AS PREACHED TO THE ENTIRE WORLD BY CHRISTIANS IS A SANCTUARY, IN THE FIELD OF MISSION, JESUS IS WITH US UNTIL THE END OF THIS WORLD

7) HEAVEN, THE RESIDENCE OF GOD IS THE SANCTUARY WE'RE GOING TO AS IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD ALREADY IN OUR MIND PERFECTED BY THE POWER OF HIS WORD, JESUS-CHRIST

You should worship in all of these sanctuaries, as they are the same and one, they complete each other, and there is not one without the others

 

THIS VIDEO CAN BE SHOWN AT YOUR CHURCHES AS IT IS MORE THAN RELEVANT TO THE LESSONS. BE PATIENT AND WAIT TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS AND ALL THE CONNECTIONS IN ORDER TO APPRECIATE THE POWER AND THE ATTENTION OF GOD, APART FROM THE EXTRAORDINARY IMAGES.

Click on the video at the bottom right for a totally enlarged screen, and connect the sound to powerful headphones and/or quality speakers. Find a Good Time, Be Amazed and Enjoy the Inspiration...PLEASE SHOW THIS VIDEO AT YOUR CHURCHES ON SABBATH AFTERNOON, BELIEVE ME IT WILL BE A HIT. SURELY IT WILL HAVE A BLESSED EFFECT ON THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE CHURCH.  MAY GOD BLESS YOU EVEN MORE AND KEEP YOU IN A FRUITFUL FAITH IN HIM.

Click on the following links and open another tab for these playlists. Listen to sacred music while studying the lesson.

Heritage Singers sing to give glory to God in order to comfort you and strengthen your faith: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgnbF8BcALg&list=PLA6FC3F51B3D3592A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13U7QmSfmcI&list=PL5362507232EC2F63
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ8IRymyYVo&list=PL0B2EC328B1EBB04F

Wintley Phipps sings and gives glory to God in order to exhort you and encourage you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8HffdyLd0c&list=PL1F72C26656C325A9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMF_24cQqT0&list=PLF6E0F80C111634BB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVlAPL901Gk&list=PLA7473A1301242907




FROM THE AWAKENING AND THE REFORMATION TO THE SANCTUARY (The Residence of God and the Salvation Process from God), WE ARE APPROACHING THE END, WE'RE GOING HOME, TO THE MANSIONS THAT JESUS HAS PREPARED FOR US IN HEAVEN.


Friends,

   Revival will happen this time, and this is the way: If we ask God for that, and if we ask God to give us His Holy Spirit and pray for each other, even for people we're not comfortable with in the church, and pray for our enemies. This is one of the things that God won't refuse. We don't have to be worried about asking God if this is His will, as this is always His will. Let's do His will. As simple as that...

Share with your friends...

  Visit www.sse6.blogspot.com for easy Sabbath School Lessons Resources in English and www.ese9.blogspot.com in French

CAN ONE BE IN THE SANCTUARY (The Residence of God and the Salvation from God) WITHOUT AWAKENING AND REFORMATION...AND LIVE?!

We are quick to sin in many subtle ways, because we are quick to quick pleasure that vanishes quick and leads to death. We need Jesus’ covering to survive after sin, which is atonement by His death; however we need His covering even more before sin to enjoy great, discipline pleasure that leads to life, Jesus’ life, eternal life. We need to depend on Christ, for everything, in patience and moving faith, we need to be happy always with Him in the many things He has given us...

May the Holy Spirit lead you to the kingdom of Heaven in dependence on God on earth, enjoy the power and the humility, the serenity and the peace of salvation, and the bliss of eternal life...

Since our sins have been transferred on Jesus' death, let's live in humility and holiness through Jesus' life

Jesus is carrying the guilt for you, let  Him carry it and destroy it by His death and regenerate you by His Life, do not take the guilt back by sinning again.  Feel free to tap into the power of His grace and forgiveness in order to  bear fruits: love , joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control


And that day of atonement comes and all sins go where they belong on Satan's head, after the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and there go all our sufferings, and there comes our Eternal Life. Live the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth before that day where we go live a thousand years up there, and the rest on a purified earth with God Jesus-Christ Holy Spirit living with us in the New Jerusalem. Let go and let God...


God took the initiative to get rid of our sins, to forget them, and now that we are forgiven and purified like Isaiah, we are pure and after we cried “Woe is me”, in humility we may cry “Here am I, send me” And we can forgive others the same way and be an example to them and share the Gospel with them...

 

Christ, Our Sacrifice

Humans cannot even imagine how High, Great, Holy and Perfect God is, yet a rich, clean person, wouldn’t even look at unclean and dirty, imagine dirtying oneself by mixing with a dirty environment, and even worst with a dirty person, Yet This One decided not only to mix with those far from His Elevation, but to die for them. WHY? Because Heaven is so Majestic in Its Eternity and so Just and Loving, only Jesus-Christ can bring us to that level of perfection, only God can judge us and find us guilty, and yet pay the guilty price for us, and forgive us, and allow us in under His own merits.

The most wonderful, it’s not just cheap forgiveness, as the price was paid even before the forgiveness, and the the forgiveness extended to everyone. You would think that one would forgive and when the forgiveness is accepted, pay the price, The Eternal God paid the price first out of His great love, and then forgave, isn’t Love bigger than Forgiveness, accept the Love, and enjoy the forgiveness, the logic of Love transcends any human logic. Bear fruits in the Love of Jesus and grow in His forgiveness, as you enjoy the fruits that you are bearing together with others by the loving power of His forgiveness. Love bears forgiveness and forgiveness leads to love.

Holy, Holy, Holy is God’s love and Powerful, Wonderful, Fruitful is his forgiveness, fruitful in Holiness. He does it all for you, just don’t refuse, allow His offer of collaboration to change you for the better and collaborate to your salvation and the salvation of others as both depend on each other and go together. Only His Power can clean you up and only the Power of His Sacrifice can bring you into Heaven with His Justice, the Ultimate Loving Justice of God, in the All Knowing Workings of His Holy Spirit.

Joshua 5:13–15

The Commander of the Army of the Lord

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, oa Man stood opposite him pwith His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”

14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

And Joshua qfell on his face to the earth and rworshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”

15 Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, s“Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

 


DISCIPLESHIP


Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (John 5:39).


The Heavenly Sanctuary

 “ ‘Then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause’ ” (1 Kings 8:49, NKJV).




Revival and Reformation: Lest we forget!

Sources of Revival

1 Revival: Our Great Need •  Revelation 3:20
2 Prayer: The Heartbeat of Revival •  Matthew 7:11
3 The Word: The Foundation of Revival •  Psalm 119:154 

Fruits of Revival

4 Witness and Service: The Fruit of Revival •  Acts 1:8
5 Obedience: The Fruit of Revival •  2 Corinthians 10:4-5 
6 Confession and Repentance: The Conditions of Revival •  Proverbs 28:13   


UNITY

7 Unity: The Bond of Revival •  Ephesians 4:1-3  


Keeping the Revival Going

8 Discernment: The Safeguard of  Revival •  Psalm 119:159-160
9 Reformation: The Outgrowth of Revival l •  Hebrews 2:11
10 Reformation: The Willingness to Grow and Change   James 4:6


The Miracle of Revival

11 Reformation: Thinking New Thoughts •  Colossians 3:1-2
12 Reformation: Healing Broken Relationships •  Romans 5:10
13 The Promised Revival: God’s Mission Completed  James 5:7-8





The Sanctuary

Purpose of the Sanctuary: Salvation

1 The Heavenly Sanctuary •
2 “Heaven” on Earth •
3 Sacrifices •


The Works of the Sanctuary

4 Lessons From the Sanctuary •
5 Atonement: Purification Offering •
6 The Day of Atonement •


The Central Personality of the Sanctuary
7 Christ, Our Sacrifice •


The Ministry of Jesus-Christ in the Sanctuary

8 Christ, Our Priest •
9 The Pre-Advent Judgment •
10 The Eschatological Day of Atonement •


The Perspective of the Sanctuary and Historical Denouement

11 Our Prophetic Message •
12 The Cosmic Conflict Over God’s Character •
13 Exhortations From the Sanctuary •


IN WHICH SANCTUARY DO YOU WORSHIP?
 
REMEMBER...THE SANCTUARY REPRESENTS THE RESIDENCE OF GOD, THE COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE WORK OF JESUS FOR THE SALVATION OF THE HUMAN RACE:

1) THE CREATION IS A SANCTUARY OF GOD THE CREATOR, THUS IS THE SABBATH THAT REMINDS US OF THIS, AS WE ADORE GOD

2) JESUS IN THE EARTHLY SANCTUARY AND IN THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY WITH A PLAN AND A SACRIFICE FOR US, AND IN THE PRAYER OF GRACE, AS WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM AND WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH HIS POWER: Justification by Faith

3) JESUS IN OUR HEART FOR REDEMPTION IS A SANCTUARY AS IS OUR BODY, TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, BOTH HONOR GOD IN OUR BEHAVIOR: The work of Sanctification


4) GOD'S HISTORICAL WORK OF SALVATION IS A SANCTUARY IN THE FAITH, FROM THE MIRACLES OF THE PAST UNTIL THE PROPHECY THAT SUSTAINS US FOR A GLORIOUS FUTURE


5) THE CHURCH IS A SANCTUARY AS IN THE ASSEMBLY OF SAINTS IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND WITH EACH OTHER

6) THE GOSPEL AS PREACHED TO THE ENTIRE WORLD BY CHRISTIANS IS A SANCTUARY, IN THE FIELD OF MISSION, JESUS IS WITH US UNTIL THE END OF THIS WORLD

7) HEAVEN, THE RESIDENCE OF GOD IS THE SANCTUARY WE'RE GOING TO AS IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD ALREADY IN OUR MIND PERFECTED BY THE POWER OF HIS WORD, JESUS-CHRIST

You should worship in all of these sanctuaries, as they are the same and one, they complete each other, and there is not one without the others


DISCIPLE


Discipline to Follow the Master

1	Disciples and Scripture • Dec 28 – Jan 3
2	Discipling Through Metaphor • January 4 – 10
3	Discipleship and Prayer • January 11 – 17
Simple Faith and Dependence on the Master 4	Discipling Children • January 18 – 24
5	Discipling the Sick • January 25 – 31
6	Discipling the Ordinary • February 1 – 7
A Great Master For All those Who Have Great Needs 7	Jesus and the Social Outcasts • February 8 – 14
Good News from the Master For All 8	With the Rich and Famous • February 15 – 21
9	Discipling the Powerful • February 22 – 28
10	Discipling the Nations • March 1 – 7
The Master and Ministry 11	Discipling Spiritual Leaders • March 8 – 14
12	The Harvest and Harvesters • March 15 – 21
13	The Cost of Discipleship • March 22 – 28

www.cqbiblestudy.org

Evidence A Power Struggle

Nathan M. Jones

Matt. 5:17–20

tuesday DECEMBER 31

Raindrops clung to my coat as I settled into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition. The engine roared to life, then settled into a quiet purr. I was about to take my first trip to town in my new car. Life was good. That is until the engine sputtered and died. As I repeatedly turned the key, a choking feeling rose in my throat. Clearly the battery was drained of life. Why had the car died so suddenly? A mechanic discovered that two parts in the alternator were not connecting. The solution was to simply touch the gas pedal after starting the car.

Jesus Christ is the connection in our spiritual “alternator.”

What does Matthew 5:17–20 have in common with my car trouble? Imagine that our spiritual experience is like a fine-tuned engine. We start the car and everything seems fine, but the current isn’t flowing. When the battery drains, the engine quits, leaving us in need of a spiritual jumpstart. Thankfully, the Master Mechanic has an answer. It’s the same one He gave the scribes and Pharisees. This text shows us the importance of Scripture and the law. But divorced from the context of Jesus Christ, the Scriptures have no life of their own. They cannot give us eternal life.
Jesus made a point of upholding the Law and Prophets, but He said that our righteousness needs to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. They kept the law so well that no one could out-do them. As far as the righteousness that is in the law, they were blameless. But there is only one kind of righteousness that can “exceed” that of the scribes and Pharisees. That righteousness is the righteousness of Christ.
Imagine these words spoken in love to us today. “ ‘You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me’ ” (John 5:39, NKJV).
Yes. Jesus Christ is the connection in our spiritual “alternator” that allows His life-giving current to flow from heaven to our hearts. Without this current, our spiritual battery drains. He did not come to remove a single part of the “engine” that is His law. Instead, He came to complete it with His life-giving power.
REACT
1. How can the concept of Christ as the power in the Word affect your personal devotions?
2. Think of three ways a relationship with Jesus helps you in understanding the Bible.

How-to Sharing Scripture Through Jesus

Anna Bartlett

Acts 3:11–24

wednesday JANUARY 1

If you are like me, you probably know someone who lives to give Bible studies and nurture new Christians. Although you respect and are amazed by this person, you don’t think giving Bible studies is your thing. That’s fine. The body of Christ has many members, each with different talents. As a whole, however, our mission as Jesus’ disciples is to represent God’s character as revealed in Scripture.

When opportunities arise, make a difference.

Most of us know that the Bereans got bonus points for verifying Paul’s claims about the Messiah with the Old Testament Scriptures (Acts 17:11), and Jesus used Scripture to preach and to teach. But how do we, as modern disciples, use the Bible to disciple others? The story of Peter, John, and the lame beggar in Acts 3 tells us.
Be proactive. Many Christians are apathetic. They go to church, but that’s about it. Peter and John show us what happens when we take our religion seriously. At the beginning of Acts 3, they are going to the temple to pray. They had personally spent time with Jesus, but they continued to study Scripture and commune with God. Before we can disciple others, we must be proactive disciples ourselves by daily spending time with God in His Word.
Change lives. As proactive Christians, we have the opportunity to change lives. When the beggar asked for help, Peter and John didn’t ignore him. Instead, they impacted his life forever. Be alert to people in need. Pray for God to bring people into your life whom you can help. Sometimes it’s as simple as cheering someone up. Other times it involves more work, but your actions can impact those individuals forever. When opportunities arise, make a difference.
Share Jesus. When lives are changed, people ask questions. After healing the lame man, Peter and John shared the story of Jesus—who He was and how He fulfilled Scripture. This reflects back to being proactive. If we don’t study the Bible, we can’t share it with others. When people see the difference you make in their lives and the lives of others, they will ask why. You’ve already shared Jesus by your actions. Now share Him as revealed in Scripture.
REACT
1. When was the last time you told someone about Jesus?
2. What keeps you from daily studying Scripture?
3. What can you do this week to prepare yourself to share Jesus through Scripture?




http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/14a/helps/lesshp01.html


Lesson& References Index 

Lesson 1 – December 21, 2013 – January 3, 2014

Disciples and Scripture

(All Bible texts are in the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated)

Sabbath Afternoon

Memory text: John 5:39

39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

Sunday - Jesus and the Bible

Luke 4:16-30

1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit intothe wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship theLord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’
11 and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

Luke 4:16-21

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Matthew 21:42

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvellous in our eyes’?

Matthew 22:44

44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’?

Luke 4:16-30

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’” 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Monday –  The Authority of Scripture

Matthew 5:17-20

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceedsthe righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 12:3-8

3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Matthew 15:3-11

3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

John 10:34-37

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;

John 17:14-19

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Luke 24:44

44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”

Tuesday – Public Proclamation

Matthew 5:17-39

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceedsthe righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a causeshall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old,‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and castit from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

Ellen G. White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 6.

Chapter 2 – The Beautitudes

“He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”—Matthew 5:2, 3.
As something strange and new, these words fall upon the ears of the wondering multitude. Such teaching is contrary to all they have ever heard from priest or rabbi. They see in it nothing to flatter their pride or to feed their ambitious hopes. But there is about this new Teacher a power that holds them spellbound. The sweetness of divine love flows from His very presence as the fragrance from a flower. . . . All feel instinctively that here is One who reads the secrets of the soul, yet who comes near to them with tender compassion.  Their hearts open to Him, and, as they listen, the Holy Spirit unfolds to them something of the meaning of that lesson which humanity in all ages so needs to learn.
In the days of Christ the religious leaders of the people felt that they were rich in spiritual treasure. The prayer of the Pharisee, “God, I thank Thee, that I am not as the rest of men” (Luke 18:11 , R.V.), expressed the feeling of his class and, to a great degree, of the whole nation. But in the throng that surrounded Jesus there were some who had a sense of their spiritual poverty. When in the miraculous draft of fishes the divine power of Christ was revealed, Peter fell at the Saviour’s feet, exclaiming, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8); so in the multitude gathered upon the mount there were souls who, in the presence of His purity, felt that they were “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17); and they longed for “the grace of God that bringeth salvation” (Titus 2:11). In these souls, Christ’s words of greeting awakened hope; they saw that their lives were under the benediction of God.
Jesus had presented the cup of blessing to those who felt that they were “rich, and increased with goods” (Revelation 3:17), and had need of nothing, and they had turned with scorn from the gracious gift. He who feels whole, who thinks that he is reasonably good, and is contented with his condition, does not seek to become a partaker of the grace and righteousness of Christ. Pride feels no need, and so it closes the heart against Christ and the infinite blessings He came to give. There is no room for Jesus in the heart of such a person. Those who are rich and honorable in their own eyes do not ask in faith, and receive the blessing of God. They feel that they are full, therefore they go away empty. Those who know that they cannot possibly save themselves, or of themselves do any righteous action, are the ones who appreciate the help that Christ can bestow. They are the poor in spirit, whom He declares to be blessed.
Whom Christ pardons, He first makes penitent, and it is the office of the Holy Spirit to convince of sin. Those whose hearts have been moved by the convicting Spirit of God see that there is nothing good in themselves. They see that all they have ever done is mingled with self and sin. Like the poor publican, they stand afar off, not daring to lift up so much as their eyes to heaven, and cry, “God, be merciful to me the sinner.” Luke 18:13 , R.V., margin. And they are blessed. There is forgiveness for the penitent; for Christ is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. God’s promise is: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”” A new heart also will I give you.... And I will put My Spirit within you.” Isaiah 1:18;Ezekiel 36:26, 27.
Of the poor in spirit Jesus says, “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This kingdom is not, as Christ’s hearers had hoped, a temporal and earthly dominion. Christ was opening to men the spiritual kingdom of His love, His grace, His righteousness. The ensign of the Messiah’s reign is distinguished by the likeness of the Son of man. His subjects are the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted for righteousness’ sake. The kingdom of heaven is theirs. Though not yet fully accomplished, the work is begun in them which will make them “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” Colossians 1:12.
All who have a sense of their deep soul poverty, who feel that they have nothing good in themselves, may find righteousness and strength by looking unto Jesus. He says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden.” Matthew 11:28. He bids you exchange your poverty for the riches of His grace. We are not worthy of God’s love, but Christ, our surety, is worthy, and is abundantly able to save all who shall come unto Him. Whatever may have been your past experience, however discouraging your present circumstances, if you will come to Jesus just as you are, weak, helpless, and despairing, our compassionate Saviour will meet you a great way off, and will throw about you His arms of love and His robe of righteousness. He presents us to the Father clothed in the white raiment of His own character. He pleads before God in our behalf, saying: I have taken the sinner’s place. Look not upon this wayward child, but look on Me. Does Satan plead loudly against our souls, accusing of sin, and claiming us as his prey, the blood of Christ pleads with greater power.
“Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength.... In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.” Isaiah 45:24, 25.

Wednesday - Personal Ministry

John 13:18-20

18 “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I amHe. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

Luke 10:25-28

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lordyour God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

Luke 24:13-32

13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation isthis that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
19 And He said to them, “What things?”
So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of thosewho were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 795-801.

The Walk to Emmaus

Late in the afternoon of the day of the resurrection, two of the disciples were on their way to Emmaus, a little town eight miles from Jerusalem. These disciples had had no prominent place in Christ’s work, but they were earnest believers in Him. They had come to the city to keep the Passover, and were greatly perplexed by the events that had recently taken place. They had heard the news of the morning in regard to the removal of Christ’s body from the tomb, and also the report of the women who had seen the angels and had met Jesus. They were now returning to their homes to meditate and pray. Sadly they pursued their evening walk, talking over the scenes of the trial and the crucifixion. Never before had they been so utterly disheartened. Hopeless and faithless, they were walking in the shadow of the cross.
They had not advanced far on their journey when they were joined by a stranger, but they were so absorbed in their gloom and disappointment that they did not observe him closely. They continued their conversation, expressing the thoughts of their hearts. They were reasoning in regard to the lessons that Christ had given, which they seemed unable to comprehend. As they talked of the events that had taken place, Jesus longed to comfort them. He had seen their grief; He understood the conflicting, perplexing ideas that brought to their minds the thought, Can this Man, who suffered Himself to be so humiliated, be the Christ? Their grief could not be restrained, and they wept. Jesus knew that their hearts were bound up with Him in love, and He longed to wipe away their tears, and fill them with joy and gladness. But He must first give them lessons they would never forget.
“He said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto Him, Art Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?” They told Him of their disappointment in regard to their Master, “which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people;” but “the chief priests and our rulers,” they said, “delivered Him to be condemned to death, and have crucified Him.” With hearts sore with disappointment, and with quivering lips, they added, “We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.”
Strange that the disciples did not remember Christ’s words, and realize that He had foretold the events which had come to pass! They did not realize that the last part of His disclosure would be just as verily fulfilled as the first part, that the third day He would rise again. This was the part they should have remembered. The priests and rulers did not forget this. On the day “that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.” Matthew 27:62, 63. But the disciples did not remember these words.
“Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?” The disciples wondered who this stranger could be, that He should penetrate to their very souls, and speak with such earnestness, tenderness, and sympathy, and with such hopefulness. For the first time since Christ’s betrayal, they began to feel hopeful. Often they looked earnestly at their companion, and thought that His words were just the words that Christ would have spoken. They were filled with amazement, and their hearts began to throb with joyful expectation.
Beginning at Moses, the very Alpha of Bible history, Christ expounded in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Had He first made Himself known to them, their hearts would have been satisfied. In the fullness of their joy they would have hungered for nothing more. But it was necessary for them to understand the witness borne to Him by the types and prophecies of the Old Testament. Upon these their faith must be established. Christ performed no miracle to convince them, but it was His first work to explain the Scriptures. They had looked upon His death as the destruction of all their hopes. Now He showed from the prophets that this was the very strongest evidence for their faith.
In teaching these disciples, Jesus showed the importance of the Old Testament as a witness to His mission.  Many professed Christians now discard the Old Testament, claiming that it is no longer of any use. But such is not Christ's teaching. So highly did He value it that at one time He said, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." Luke 16:31.
It is the voice of Christ that speaks through patriarchs and prophets, from the days of Adam even to the closing scenes of time. The Saviour is revealed in the Old Testament as clearly as in the New. It is the light from the prophetic past that brings out the life of Christ and the teachings of the New Testament with clearness and beauty. The miracles of Christ are a proof of His divinity; but a stronger proof that He is the world's Redeemer is found in comparing the prophecies of the Old Testament with the history of the New.
Reasoning from prophecy, Christ gave His disciples a correct idea of what He was to be in humanity. Their expectation of a Messiah who was to take His throne and kingly power in accordance with the desires of men had been misleading. It would interfere with a correct apprehension of His descent from the highest to the lowest position that could be occupied. Christ desired that the ideas of His disciples might be pure and true in every specification. They must understand as far as possible in regard to the cup of suffering that had been apportioned to Him. He showed them that the awful conflict which they could not yet comprehend was the fulfillment of the covenant made before the foundation of the world was laid. Christ must die, as every transgressor of the law must die if he continues in sin. All this was to be, but it was not to end in defeat, but in glorious, eternal victory. Jesus told them that every effort must be made to save the world from sin. His followers must live as He lived, and work as He worked, with intense, persevering effort.
Thus Christ discoursed to His disciples, opening their minds that they might understand the Scriptures. The disciples were weary, but the conversation did not flag. Words of life and assurance fell from the Saviour's lips. But still their eyes were holden. As He told them of the overthrow of Jerusalem, they looked upon the doomed city with weeping. But little did they yet suspect who their traveling companion was. They did not think that the subject of their conversation was walking by their side; for Christ referred to Himself as though He were another person. They thought that He was one of those who had been in attendance at the great feast, and who was now returning to his home. He walked as carefully as they over the rough stones, now and then halting with them for a little rest. Thus they proceeded along the mountainous road, while the One who was soon to take His position at God's right hand, and who could say, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth," walked beside them. Matt. 28:18.
During the journey the sun had gone down, and before the travelers reached their place of rest, the laborers in the fields had left their work. As the disciples were about to enter their home, the stranger appeared as though He would continue His journey. But the disciples felt drawn to Him. Their souls hungered to hear more from Him. "Abide with us," they said. He did not seem to accept the invitation, but they pressed it upon Him, urging, "It is toward evening, and the day is far spent." Christ yielded to this entreaty and "went in to tarry with them."
Had the disciples failed to press their invitation, they would not have known that their traveling companion was the risen Lord. Christ never forces His company upon anyone. He interests Himself in those who need Him. Gladly will He enter the humblest home, and cheer the lowliest heart. But if men are too indifferent to think of the heavenly Guest, or ask Him to abide with them, He passes on. Thus many meet with great loss. They do not know Christ any more than did the disciples as He walked with them by the way.
The simple evening meal of bread is soon prepared. It is placed before the guest, who has taken His seat at the head of the table. Now He puts forth His hands to bless the food. The disciples start back in astonishment. Their companion spreads forth His hands in exactly the same way as their Master used to do. They look again, and lo, they see in His hands the print of nails. Both exclaim at once, It is the Lord Jesus! He has risen from the dead!
They rise to cast themselves at His feet and worship Him, but He has vanished out of their sight. They look at the place which had been occupied by One whose body had lately lain in the grave, and say to each other, "Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?"
But with this great news to communicate they cannot sit and talk. Their weariness and hunger are gone. They leave their meal untasted, and full of joy immediately set out again on the same path by which they came, hurrying to tell the tidings to the disciples in the city. In some parts the road is not safe, but they climb over the steep places, slipping on the smooth rocks. They do not see, they do not know, that they have the protection of Him who has traveled the road with them. With their pilgrim staff in hand, they press on, desiring to go faster than they dare. They lose their track, but find it again. Sometimes running, sometimes stumbling, they press forward, their unseen Companion close beside them all the way.
The night is dark, but the Sun of Righteousness is shining upon them. Their hearts leap for joy. They seem to be in a new world. Christ is a living Saviour. They no longer mourn over Him as dead. Christ is risen--over and over again they repeat it. This is the message they are carrying to the sorrowing ones. They must tell them the wonderful story of the walk to Emmaus. They must tell who joined them by the way. They carry the greatest message ever given to the world, a message of glad tidings upon which the hopes of the human family for time and for eternity depend.

Luke 24:32

32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

Thursday – The Next Generation

Matthew 12:15-21

15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
18 “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel nor cry out,
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
21 And in His name Gentiles will trust.”

Mark 1:1-3

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the Prophets:
“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.”
3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’”

Acts 1:16-20

16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; 17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”
18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. 19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
‘Let his dwelling place be desolate,
And let no one live in it’;
and,
‘Let another take his office.’

Acts 3:22-24

22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.

Romans 10:10-11

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

Read Acts 15

Friday – Further Study

Ellen G. White, Education, pp. 189-192.

Bible Teaching and Study

One of the chief causes of mental inefficiency and moral weakness is the lack of concentration for worthy ends. We pride ourselves on the wide distribution of literature; but the multiplication of books, even books that in themselves are not harmful, may be a positive evil. With the immense tide of printed matter constantly pouring from the press, old and young form the habit of reading hastily and superficially, and the mind loses its power of connected and vigorous thought. Furthermore, a large share of the periodicals and books that, like the frogs of Egypt, are overspreading the land, are not merely commonplace, idle, and enervating, but unclean and degrading. Their effect is not merely to intoxicate and ruin the mind, but to corrupt and destroy the soul. The mind, the heart, that is indolent, aimless, falls an easy prey to evil. It is on diseased, lifeless organisms that fungus roots. It is the idle mind that is Satan's workshop. Let the mind be directed to high and holy ideals, let the life have a noble aim, an absorbing purpose, and evil finds little foothold.
Let the youth, then, be taught to give close study to the word of God. Received into the soul, it will prove a mighty barricade against temptation. "Thy word," the psalmist declares, "have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." "By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer." Psalms 119:11; 17:4.
The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with scripture. The student should learn to view the word as a whole, and to see the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme, of God's original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of redemption. He should understand the nature of the two principles that are contending for supremacy, and should learn to trace their working through the records of history and prophecy, to the great consummation. He should see how this controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life he himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found.
Every part of the Bible is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. The Old Testament no less than the New should receive attention. As we study the Old Testament we shall find living springs bubbling up where the careless reader discerns only a desert.
The book of Revelation, in connection with the book of Daniel, especially demands study. Let every God-fearing teacher consider how most clearly to comprehend and to present the gospel that our Saviour came in person to make known to His servant John--"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass." Revelation 1:1. None should become discouraged in the study of the Revelation because of its apparently mystical symbols. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not." James 1:5.
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." Revelation 1:3.
When a real love for the Bible is awakened, and the student begins to realize how vast is the field and how precious its treasure, he will desire to seize upon every opportunity for acquainting himself with God's word. Its study will be restricted to no special time or place. And this continuous study is one of the best means of cultivating a love for the Scriptures. Let the student keep his Bible always with him. As you have opportunity, read a text and meditate upon it. While walking the streets, waiting at a railway station, waiting to meet an engagement, improve the opportunity to gain some precious thought from the treasure house of truth.
The great motive powers of the soul are faith, hope, and love; and it is to these that Bible study, rightly pursued, appeals. The outward beauty of the Bible, the beauty of imagery and expression, is but the setting, as it were, for its real treasure--the beauty of holiness. In its record of the men who walked with God, we may catch glimpses of His glory. In the One "altogether lovely" we behold Him, of whom all beauty of earth and heaven is but a dim reflection. "I, if I be lifted up," He said, "will draw all men unto Me." John 12:32. As the student of the Bible beholds the Redeemer, there is awakened in the soul the mysterious power of faith, adoration, and love. Upon the vision of Christ the gaze is fixed, and the beholder grows into the likeness of that which he adores. The words of the apostle Paul become the language of the soul: "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: . . . that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings." Philippians 3:8-10.
The springs of heavenly peace and joy unsealed in the soul by the words of Inspiration will become a mighty river of influence to bless all who come within its reach. Let the youth of today, the youth who are growing up with the Bible in their hands, become the recipients and the channels of its life-giving energy, and what streams of blessing would flow forth to the world!--influences of whose power to heal and comfort we can scarcely conceive --rivers of living water, fountains "springing up unto everlasting life."

Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages, pp. 795-801

The Walk to Emmaus

See Wednesday

Ellen G.White, The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 221-224.

After leaving Philippi, Paul and Silas made their way to Thessalonica. Here they were given the privilege of addressing large congregations in the Jewish synagogue. Their appearance bore evidence of the shameful treatment they had recently received, and necessitated an explanation of what had taken place. This they made without exalting themselves, but magnified the One who had wrought their deliverance. {AA 221.1} In preaching to the Thessalonians, Paul appealed to the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. Christ in His ministry had opened the minds of His disciples to these prophecies; “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Luke 24:27. Peter in preaching Christ had produced his evidence from the Old Testament. Stephen had pursued the same course. And Paul also in his ministry appealed to the scriptures foretelling the birth, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. By the inspired testimony of Moses and the prophets he clearly proved the identity of Jesus of Nazareth with the Messiah and showed that from the days of Adam it was the voice of Christ which had been speaking through patriarchs and prophets.
Plain and specific prophecies had been given regarding the appearance of the Promised One. To Adam was given an assurance of the coming of the Redeemer. The sentence pronounced on Satan, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15), was to our first parents a promise of the redemption to be wrought out through Christ.
To Abraham was given the promise that of his line the Saviour of the world should come: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” “He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16.
Moses, near the close of his work as a leader and teacher of Israel, plainly prophesied of the Messiah to come. “The Lord thy God,” he declared to the assembled hosts of Israel, “will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken.” And Moses assured the Israelites that God Himself had revealed this to him while in Mount Horeb, saying, “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him.” Deuteronomy 18:15, 18.
The Messiah was to be of the royal line, for in the prophecy uttered by Jacob the Lord said, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.” Genesis 49:10.
Isaiah prophesied: “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” “Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for He hath glorified thee.” Isaiah 11:1; 55:3-5. {AA 223.2} Jeremiah also bore witness of the coming Redeemer as a Prince of the house of David: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.” And again: “Thus saith the Lord: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.” Jeremiah 23:5, 6; 33:17, 18.
Even the birthplace of the Messiah was foretold: “Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2.
The work that the Saviour was to do on the earth had been fully outlined: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord.” The One thus anointed was “to preach good tidings unto the meek; ... to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” Isaiah 11:2, 3; 61:1-3.
“Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law.” Isaiah 42:1-4.