Sabbath: Escape From the World’s Ways
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Read for This Week’s Study: Ps. 119:11; Eph. 6:18; Rom. 8:5-6; Heb. 11:1-6; 1 Kings 3:14; Ezek. 36:26-27.
Memory Text: “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. . . . He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage” (Proverbs 11:4, Proverbs 11:28, NKJV).
Though Satan failed with Jesus, he has succeeded with everyone else. He will continue to do so unless we fight in the armor and power of God, who alone offers us the freedom from the lure of the world.
Thus, we must focus our attention on our heavenly Provider. David realized true value in this life when he wrote, “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Ps. 34:10, NIV). Solomon recognized that wisdom and understanding were more valuable than silver and gold (Prov. 3:13-14). True happiness and right living come from turning our eyes from the possessions we own and looking to the living Christ, who owns us.
Our only hope to escape the allure of the world is a vital and successful relationship with Jesus. This week, we will study the elements of that relationship, and how crucial it is for our own spiritual success to recognize the power behind the mask of the world and see the importance of Christ as the real reason for living.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 27.
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When God's Love motivates our thoughts and feelings we are capable of walking through life without stumbling over temptations that happen in our way. The perfect robe of Christ's Righteousness is on us as long as God's Love is the motivation of our thoughts and feelings.
We cannot manufacture this robe out of fig leaves or filthy rags, but we can open the door of the heart to God's Spirit. Jesus promises He will come in when we hear His voice and open to Him.
In the parable of Jesus where he mentions "The Wedding Garment," Jesus indicates in His parable also that there were both "Good and Bad," in the reception hall, Matthew 22:9-12, yet only the one not wearing "The Wedding Garment," was cast out. Nothing is said in the parable about the one that was cast out as being either good or bad but just simply that he was not wearing the proper garment for the wedding. I have problems when I hear about that our thoughts and feelings need to be motivated by God's love before the robe of his righteousness is placed on us. It comes across as if we have to somehow be righteous firstT before God then decides to place that robe of righteousness on us.
Phil, the motivation of God's Love IS the robe of His Righteousness.
The robe of Christ's Righteousness is not a covering of bad people to make it ok to be bad. Rather, it represents Christ's Righteousness working in our lives even though we have been bad and His blood has blotted out the bad in our lives to make us white as snow.
It does not represent bad people that don't change their lives because they have the magical robe of Jesus to get them into Heaven with a selfish heart to continue their evil for eternity in paradise.
EGW mentions in COL that the wedding feast represents the uniting of humanity with Divinity. I think the Holy Spirit is the representative of the Godhead that gives the thoughts and feelings of God to us to accomplish this unity. The Righteousness of Christ in our lives is the natural result of this Supernatural relationship.
God has chosen to give this to us. It is up to us to choose to receive this amazing gift--to walk in the newness of supernatural Love which motivates us. It's a dynamic choice that extends to every moment and issue of our lives. This is the "Robe" at the marriage feast. We choose it or we loose it.
Hi Pete
In order to understand where you are coming from, can you explain what you see as the bottom line difference that 'determines'/distinguishes a person who ends up saved versus one who doesn't?
In relation to the memory text, Ezekiel:7.19 also say:
They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing. Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the LORD's wrath. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin.
The lesson says "True happiness and right living come from turning our eyes from the possessions we own and looking to the living Christ, who owns us". Why does the lesson feel the need to state that God "owns us"? Does God want us to be reminded of that? Is that the motivation God wants us to come to him under?
Phil, i don't think God wants us to think of ourselves as slaves to someone who "owns" us. I think he wants us to think of Him as someone who Loves us and is One who has our best good in His heart and who is all-powerful and rich in the things that really count and eager to bestow these things on us when it is safe for us to receive them.
This is why He wants us to live up to the standard that is produced by His perfect Love in our hearts so His gifts will benefit us and not destroy us.
I think it is important to realize that there more valuable things than money in our lives and we should let God motivate us to see those most valuable things as desirable more than money and stuff. This will help us to be satisfied with the things God gives us and to truly enjoy life the way His Love designs it for us--fulfilled in service to those we can truly help.
Though Satan failed to lure Jesus into the love of material world,he has succeeded to lure everyone else. It doesn't matter which pocket Satan has put you as far as you are in one of his clothes. Think about the devil worshippers. Satan has succeeded to snare our young people. There are Illuminati,masonic and devil worshippers in our schools and churches today. When was the last time you heard a sermon or a song about our enemy,satan? Satan has changed to an angel of light and very few seem to notice it.
Satan snares us not so much by "Illuminati, masonic and devil worshippers" but by our own desires. The easiest person to lie to and flatter is yourself.
True, the devil didn't make me sin. I chose to sin because I was selfishly motivated, and these others link up with the devil for the same reason--selfishness is the motivation.
This leads all to separate from our source of life which is all about true Love. Our destruction is the natural result.
Even good things in the possession of a selfish person will be destructive.
By realising that He own us then we have nothing to bost we literally have nothing at all let us just surrender our hearts to the owner who both created and redeemed us
Folks, the Devil is simply a Master of Deception since he turned against his Creator in the distant ages - The God Head. Just as any worldly skilled Marketer, Lucifer is involved in sophisticated marketing techniques of presenting his product called SIN in ways that will attract existing and potential buyers to get and use that product. So my take on this week's lesson is that we are in this big world market with a given choice of whether to get lured to the devil's product [SIN] which is so sweet in the short term or escape from this market and choose the Product called Love from Christ. It is this battle that we must address and bearing in mind that each choice we make has lasting consequences. AMEN