Discipleship and Prayer

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Lesson 2 _Discipling Through Metaphor _January 4 to January 10, 1rst Quarter 2014--

Lesson 2 _Discipling Through Metaphor _January 4 to January 10, 1rst Quarter 2014--DISCIPLESHIP--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

Logos Follow and Fish

Beverly Henry

Matt. 5:13–16; 13:1–3, 10–17; 28:18–20; Mark 4:3–8, 14–22; Luke 16:19–31; John 6:1–14

Monday JANUARY 6

The Commission (Matt. 28:18–20)
Christ gave the Great Commission to “teach all nations.” We must reflect His image and use the techniques He demonstrated. The Greek word didaskalos means one “who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man”1 The word parable comes from the Greek parabole, meaning “comparison or analogy.”2 Jesus taught with parables and stories to illustrate spiritual truths necessary for discipling, salvation, justification, and sanctification. These parables and stories made it easier for His hearers to understand.

If you follow, you must fish!

The Audience (Matt. 13:1–3; John 6:1–14)
Jesus had a mixed multitude whether the crowds followed Him throughout the various provinces and villages, or joined the throngs wanting to hear Him as He taught and healed. His “congregation,” both in the synagogue and on the grassy slopes of the countryside, consisted of lawyers, doctors, tax collectors, scribes, and Pharisees. The crowds also included farmers and fishermen, women and children, rich and poor, believers and nonbelievers. Jesus needed an easily understood method of communication. Parables served that purpose.

Many Stories, One Lesson (Matt. 13:10–17)
In Matthew 13:10–17, Jesus gives the rationale for His use of parables. We should disciple persons by using His methods. The setting of His ministry included agricultural areas and lakeshores. He told stories about a farmer sowing seed (Mark 4:1–9), weeds growing among good grain (Matt. 13:18–30, 36–43), treasure in a field (Matt. 13:44), a mustard seed (Mark 4:30–32), a fishermen sorting fish (Matt. 13:47–50), and a man seeking treasure and pearls (Matt. 13:45, 46). These parables were easily understood. Many of them refered to simple everyday things, such as a woman baking bread (Luke 13:20, 21), a man knocking on his neighbor’s door at night (Luke 11:5–8), and a father giving good gifts (Luke 11:11–13). “Yet they deal with major religious themes, such as the growth of the Kingdom of God, the importance of prayer, and the meaning of love.”3

Discipling Others (Mark 4:3–8, 14–22)
In order to disciple individuals, one must understand the message that God is giving and rely on Him for the spreading of that message. “Let it be observed, that to hear, to understand, and to bring forth fruit, are the three grand evidences of a genuine believer. He who does not hear the word of wisdom cannot understand what makes for his peace; and he who does not understand what the Gospel requires him to be and to perform, cannot bring forth fruit; and he who is not fruitful, very fruitful, cannot be a disciple of Christ; and he who is not Christ’s disciple cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”4

It is necessary, urgent, and imperative for us to disciple others (Matt. 28:18–20). We must follow and uplift Christ, help others to know Him by reflecting His image, then extend the call to others through our commitment, training, and mentoring. We must be willing to serve and to become imitators of Christ. In order to effectively disciple others, our effective Christian contact with those whom we disciple must show a lifetime of spiritual growth. We must always be growing in Him. We must become friends with others and witness to them (2 Tim. 2:2). We must allow our lives and teachings to transform others.

The “Aha” Moment (Mark 4:3–20; Luke 16:19–31)
Our teaching must show God’s salvation of the human race as explained in the following parables—the sower (Mark 4:3–20); the lost sheep (Luke 15:3–7); the lost coin (Luke 15:8–10); and the lost son (Luke 15:11–32). Justification is epitomized in these parables: the two sons (Matt. 21:28–32) and the great supper (Luke 14:15–24). Sanctification is demonstrated in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31).

Catch the Fire (Matt. 5:13–16)
Christ’s disciples learned about the gospel from the Master Teacher. He “employed” them to disseminate the gospel to others by mingling with them (Mark 9:50; Luke 10:1, 2; Col. 4:6). We must do the same. We are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste it is useless (Matt. 5:13). In order for it to work, yeast is used in proportion to the dough (Matt. 13:33). Likewise, as we seek to disciple others, we must become active in their lives. Salt and yeast by themselves are inactive, but once they come in contact with food, a difference can be tasted and seen. In the same manner, Christians should influence the lives of unbelievers in significantly spiritual ways. Learn the doctrine of the gospel. Teach it to others. Be the light. Live by faith. Spread the word. Disciple others. Ignite the world. If you follow, you must fish!

1. Biblestudytools.com, http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/didaskalos.html (accessed November 12, 2012).
2. Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/parable?s=t (accessed November 12, 2012).
3. Wikipedia.org, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parables_of_Jesus (accessed November 12, 2012).
4. Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary, vol. 5 (New York: 1833), p. 129.



www.ssnet.org

Tuesday January 7

Agricultural Analogies

Read Matthew 13:1-30. What was Jesus teaching His audience about discipleship? What lessons can modern Christians derive from these metaphors?

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Christ’s parable of the sower is familiar to many readers. The setting for the story was commonplace for an agrarian society, something to which Jesus’ listeners could easily relate. The connection with discipleship is obvious. Essentially Jesus is challenging His listeners to evaluate their standing as disciples. Rather than confronting each individual specifically, He speaks through parables, inviting disciples to confront themselves. Looking into their soul’s mirror, they can evaluate their materialistic tendencies, review their capacity for perseverance, analyze their worldly entanglements, and choose the lifestyle of uncompromising discipleship.

At the same time, true discipleship places judgment (condemnation) in the hands of the Master, not those of the disciple. Human discernment is incomplete, human knowledge partial. God alone possesses faultless understanding. Jesus warns, too, that satanic infiltration does happen. Disciples cannot surrender their judgment (discernment) to other professed believers because these believers may be weeds not wheat. Both grow together until harvest time.

In Christ’s parable teaching the same principle is seen as in His own mission to the world. That we might become acquainted with His divine character and life, Christ took our nature and dwelt among us. Divinity was revealed in humanity; the invisible glory in the visible human form. Men could learn of the unknown through the known; heavenly things were revealed through the earthly.-Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 17.

 

In the parable of the sower, Jesus talked about the deceitfulness of riches. What was He talking about? How can riches deceive even those who don’t have them?

http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/14a/helps/lesshp02.html

Lesson& References Index

Lesson 2 – January 4  – January 10

Discipling Through Metaphor

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

Sabbath Afternoon

Memory text: Matthew 13:34-35

34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

Sunday - Old Testament Examples

2 Samuel 12:1-7

1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

Isaiah 28:24-28

24 Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow?
Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?
25 When he has leveled its surface,
Does he not sow the black cummin
And scatter the cummin,
Plant the wheat in rows,
The barley in the appointed place,
And the spelt in its place?
26 For He instructs him in right judgment,
His God teaches him.
27 For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
Nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cummin;
But the black cummin is beaten out with a stick,
And the cummin with a rod.
28 Bread flour must be ground;Therefore he does not thresh it forever,
Break it with his cartwheel,
Or crush it with his horsemen.

Jeremiah 13:12-14

12 “Therefore you shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Every bottle shall be filled with wine.”’
And they will say to you, ‘Do we not certainly know that every bottle will be filled with wine?’
13 “Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land—even the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with drunkenness! 14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together,” says the LORD. “I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy, but will destroy them.”’”

Ezekiel 15:1-7

1 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?3 Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on? 4 Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work? 5 Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?
6 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem;7 and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them.

Monday –  Architectural Wisdom

Matthew 7:24-27

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Luke 14:27-33

27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Tuesday – Agricultural Analogies

Read Matthew 13

Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 17-19

Teaching in Parables

In Christ’s parable teaching the same principle is seen as in His own mission to the world. That we might become acquainted with His divine character and life, Christ took our nature and dwelt among us. Divinity was revealed in humanity; the invisible glory in the visible human form. Men could learn of the unknown through the known; heavenly things were revealed through the earthly.  God was made manifest in the likeness of men. So it was in Christ's teaching: the unknown was illustrated by the known; divine truths by earthly things with which the people were most familiar.
The Scripture says, "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; . . . that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." Matt. 13:34, 35. Natural things were the medium for the spiritual; the things of nature and the life-experience of His hearers were connected with the truths of the written word. Leading thus from the natural to the spiritual kingdom, Christ's parables are links in the chain of truth that unites man with God, and earth with heaven.
In His teaching from nature, Christ was speaking of the things which His own hands had made, and which had qualities and powers that He Himself had imparted. In their original perfection all created things were an expression of the thought of God. To Adam and Eve in their Eden home nature was full of the knowledge of God, teeming with divine instruction. Wisdom spoke to the eye and was received into the heart; for they communed with God in His created works. As soon as the holy pair transgressed the law of the Most High, the brightness from the face of God departed from the face of nature. The earth is now marred and defiled by sin. Yet even in its blighted state much that is beautiful remains. God's object lessons are not obliterated; rightly understood, nature speaks of her Creator.
In the days of Christ these lessons had been lost sight of. Men had well-nigh ceased to discern God in His works. The sinfulness of humanity had cast a pall over the fair face of creation; and instead of manifesting God, His works became a barrier that concealed Him. Men "worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator." Thus the heathen "became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." Rom. 1:25, 21. So in Israel, man's teaching had been put in the place of God's. Not only the things of nature, but the sacrificial service and the Scriptures themselves--all given to reveal God--were so perverted that they became the means of concealing Him.
Christ sought to remove that which obscured the truth. The veil that sin has cast over the face of nature, He came to draw aside, bringing to view the spiritual glory that all things were created to reflect. His words placed the teachings of nature as well as of the Bible in a new aspect, and made them a new revelation.
Jesus plucked the beautiful lily, and placed it in the hands of children and youth; and as they looked into His own youthful face, fresh with the sunlight of His Father's countenance, He gave the lesson, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow [in the simplicity of natural beauty]; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Then followed the sweet assurance and the important lesson, "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

Wednesday - The Revolutionary’s War

Matthew 21:28-32

28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘Igo, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

Luke 14:16-24

16 Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’”

Luke 20:9-19

9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 10 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.12 And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ 14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”
And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”
17 Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone’?
18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
19 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people —for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 296-7.

The Church of Today

The parable of the vineyard applies not alone to the Jewish nation. It has a lesson for us. The church in this generation has been endowed by God with great privileges and blessings, and He expects corresponding returns.
We have been redeemed by a costly ransom. Only by the greatness of this ransom can we conceive of its results. On this earth, the earth whose soil has been moistened by the tears and blood of the Son of God, are to be brought forth the precious fruits of Paradise. In the lives of God's people the truths of His word are to reveal their glory and excellence. Through His people Christ is to manifest His character and the principles of His kingdom.
Satan seeks to counterwork the work of God, and he is constantly urging men to accept his principles. He represents the chosen people of God as a deluded people. He is an accuser of the brethren, and his accusing power is employed against those who work righteousness. The Lord desires through His people to answer Satan's charges by showing the results of obedience to right principles.
These principles are to be manifest in the individual Christian, in the family, in the church, and in every institution established for God's service. All are to be symbols of what can be done for the world. They are to be types of the saving power of the truths of the gospel. All are agencies in the fulfillment of God's great purpose for the human race.
The Jewish leaders looked with pride upon their magnificent temple, and the imposing rites of their religious service; but justice, mercy, and the love of God were lacking. The glory of the temple, the splendor of their service, could not recommend them to God; for that which alone is of value in His sight they did not offer. They did not bring Him the sacrifice of a humble and contrite spirit. It is when the vital principles of the kingdom of God are lost that ceremonies become multitudinous and extravagant.

Thursday – Christ’s Creative Legacy

Romans 7:1-6

1 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? 2 For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

James 2:2

2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,

James 1:10

10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.

James 3:4

4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.

Read Acts 10

Revelation 12:13

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.

Acts 10:9-16

9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

James 3:3-12

3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Revelation 12:7-17

7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 18:9-20

9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’
11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’
19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’
20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

Revelation 19:11-16

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

Friday – Further Study

Read Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 17-27.

Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 20-24

So wide was Christ's view of truth, so extended His teaching, that every phase of nature was employed in illustrating truth. The scenes upon which the eye daily rests were all connected with some spiritual truth, so that nature is clothed with the parables of the Master.
In the earlier part of His ministry, Christ had spoken to the people in words so plain that all His hearers might have grasped truths which would make them wise unto salvation. But in many hearts the truth had taken no root, and it had been quickly caught away. "Therefore speak I to them in parables." He said; "because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. . . . For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed." Matt. 13:13-15.
Jesus desired to awaken inquiry. He sought to arouse the careless, and impress truth upon the heart. Parable teaching was popular, and commanded the respect and attention, not only of the Jews, but of the people of other nations. No more effective method of instruction could He have employed. If His hearers had desired a knowledge of divine things, they might have understood His words; for He was always willing to explain them to the honest inquirer.
Again, Christ had truths to present which the people were unprepared to accept or even to understand. For this reason also He taught them in parables. By connecting His teaching with the scenes of life, experience, or nature, He secured their attention and impressed their hearts. Afterward, as they looked upon the objects that illustrated His lessons, they recalled the words of the divine Teacher. To minds that were open to the Holy Spirit, the significance of the Saviour's teaching unfolded more and more. Mysteries grew clear, and that which had been hard to grasp became evident.
Jesus sought an avenue to every heart. By using a variety of illustrations, He not only presented truth in its different phases, but appealed to the different hearers. Their interest was aroused by figures drawn from the surroundings of their daily life. None who listened to the Saviour could feel that they were neglected or forgotten. The humblest, the most sinful, heard in His teaching a voice that spoke to them in sympathy and tenderness.
And He had another reason for teaching in parables. Among the multitudes that gathered about Him, there were priests and rabbis, scribes and elders, Herodians and rulers, world-loving, bigoted, ambitious men, who desired above all things to find some accusation against Him. Their spies followed His steps day after day, to catch from His lips something that would cause His condemnation, and forever silence the One who seemed to draw the world after Him. The Saviour understood the character of these men, and He presented truth in such a way that they could find nothing by which to bring His case before the Sanhedrim. In parables He rebuked the hypocrisy and wicked works of those who occupied high positions, and in figurative language clothed truth of so cutting a character that had it been spoken in direct denunciation, they would not have listened to His words, and would speedily have put an end to His ministry. But while He evaded the spies, He made truth so clear that error was manifested, and the honest in heart were profited by His lessons. Divine wisdom, infinite grace, were made plain by the things of God's creation. Through nature and the experiences of life, men were taught of God. "The invisible things of Him since the creation of the world," were "perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity." Rom. 1:20, R. V.
In the Saviour's parable teaching is an indication of what constitutes the true "higher education." Christ might have opened to men the deepest truths of science. He might have unlocked mysteries which have required many centuries of toil and study to penetrate. He might have made suggestions in scientific lines that would have afforded food for thought and stimulus for invention to the close of time. But He did not do this. He said nothing to gratify curiosity, or to satisfy man's ambition by opening doors to worldly greatness. In all His teaching, Christ brought the mind of man in contact with the Infinite Mind. He did not direct the people to study men's theories about God, His word, or His works. He taught them to behold Him as manifested in His works, in His word, and by His providences.
Christ did not deal in abstract theories, but in that which is essential to the development of character, that which will enlarge man's capacity for knowing God, and increase his efficiency to do good. He spoke to men of those truths that relate to the conduct of life, and that take hold upon eternity.
It was Christ who directed the education of Israel. Concerning the commandments and ordinances of the Lord He said, "Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." Deut. 6:7-9. In His own teaching, Jesus showed how this command is to be fulfilled--how the laws and principles of God's kingdom can be so presented as to reveal their beauty and preciousness. When the Lord was training Israel to be the special representatives of Himself, He gave them homes among the hills and valleys. In their home life and their religious service they were brought in constant contact with nature and with the word of God. So Christ taught His disciples by the lake, on the mountainside, in the fields and groves, where they could look upon the things of nature by which He illustrated His teachings. And as they learned of Christ, they put their knowledge to use by co-operating with Him in His work.

Luke 16:19-31

19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house,28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”