Lesson 7 November 11 - 17
Memory Text: (Prov 11:3 ) The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
"Scripture from the NEW KINGS JAMES VERSION" Copyright © 1982: Used by permission
Sabbath Afternoon
(1 John 1:5 NKJV) This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
(James 1:17 NKJV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
(1 Cor 10:13 NKJV) No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
What a lifework was that of these noble Hebrews! As they bade farewell to their childhood home, how little did they dream of their high destiny! Faithful and steadfast, they yielded themselves to the divine guiding, so that through them God could fulfill His purpose. {Ed 57.1}
The same mighty truths that were revealed through these men, God desires to reveal through the youth and the children of today. The history of Joseph and Daniel is an illustration of what He will do for those who yield themselves to Him and with the whole heart seek to accomplish His purpose. {Ed 57.2}
The greatest want of the world is the want of men-- men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. {Ed 57.3}
But such a character is not the result of accident; it is not due to special favors or endowments of Providence. A noble character is the result of self-discipline, of the subjection of the lower to the higher nature--the surrender of self for the service of love to God and man. {Ed 57.4}
The youth need to be impressed with the truth that their endowments are not their own. Strength, time, intellect, are but lent treasures. They belong to God, and it should be the resolve of every youth to put them to the highest use. He is a branch, from which God expects (p. 58) fruit; a steward, whose capital must yield increase; a light, to illuminate the world's darkness. {Ed 57.5}
(Prov 29:2 NKJV) When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
(Prov 20:8 NKJV) A king who sits on the throne of judgment Scatters all evil with his eyes.
(Prov 11:17 NKJV) The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
(Prov 21:15 NKJV) It is a joy for the just to do justice, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.
(Prov 20:17 NKJV) Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
Sunday
The King-The Model For His People, Part, 1
(Prov 29:2 NKJV) When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
Again the strife as to which should be greatest seemed about to be renewed, when Jesus, calling them to Him, said to the indignant disciples, "Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you." {DA 550.1}
In the kingdoms of the world, position meant self-aggrandizement. The people were supposed to exist for the benefit of the ruling classes. Influence, wealth, education, were so many means of gaining control of the masses for the use of the leaders. The higher classes were to think, decide, enjoy, and rule; the lower were to obey and serve. Religion, like all things else, was a matter of authority. The people were expected to believe and practice as their superiors directed. The right of man as man, to think and act for himself, was wholly unrecognized. {DA 550.2}
Christ was establishing a kingdom on different principles. He called men, not to authority, but to service, the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak. Power, position, talent, education, placed their possessor under the greater obligation to serve his fellows. To even the lowliest of Christ's disciples it is said, "All things are for your sakes." 2 Cor. 4:15. {DA 550.3}
"The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." Among His disciples Christ was in every sense a caretaker, a burden bearer. He shared their poverty, He practiced self-denial on their account, He went before them to smooth the more difficult places, and soon He would consummate His work on earth by laying down His life. The principle on which Christ acted is to actuate the members of the church which is His body. The plan and ground of salvation is love. In the kingdom of Christ those are greatest who follow the example He has given, and act as shepherds of His flock. {DA 550.4}
The words of Paul reveal the true dignity and honor of the Christian life: "Though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all," "not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." 1 Cor. 9:19; 10:33. {DA 550.5}
In matters of conscience the soul must be left untrammeled. No one is to control another's mind, to judge for another, or to prescribe his duty. God gives to every soul freedom to think, and to follow his own convictions. "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God." No one has a right to merge his own individuality in that of another. In all matters where principle is involved, "let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." Rom. 14:12, 5. In Christ's kingdom there is no lordly (p. 551) oppression, no compulsion of manner. The angels of heaven do not come to the earth to rule, and to exact homage, but as messengers of mercy, to co-operate with men in uplifting humanity. {DA 550.6}
(Prov 20:28 NKJV) Mercy and truth preserve the king, And by lovingkindness he upholds his throne.
(Psa 85:9-10 NKJV) Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land. {10} Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.
(John 3:16 NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(John 3:36 NKJV) "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1072
It is the mingling of judgment and mercy that makes salvation full and complete. It is the blending of the two that leads us, as we view the world's Redeemer and the law of Jehovah, to exclaim, "Thy gentleness hath made me great." We know that the gospel is a perfect and complete system, revealing the immutability of the law of God. It inspires the heart with hope, and with love for God. Mercy invites us to enter through the gates into the city of God, and justice is sacrificed to accord to every obedient soul full privileges as a member of the royal family, a child of the heavenly King. {6BC 1072.1}
If we were defective in character, we could not pass the gates that mercy has opened to the obedient; for justice stands at the entrance, and demands holiness, purity, in all who would see God. Were justice extinct, and were it possible for divine mercy to open the gates to the whole race, irrespective of character, there would be a worse condition of disaffection and rebellion in heaven than before Satan was expelled. The peace, happiness, and harmony of heaven would be broken up. The change from earth to heaven will not change men's characters; the happiness of the redeemed in heaven results from the characters formed in this life, after the image of Christ. The saints in heaven will first have been saints on earth. {6BC 1072.2}
The salvation that Christ made such a sacrifice to gain for man, is that which is alone of value, that which saves from sin--the cause of all the misery and woe in our world. Mercy extended to the sinner is constantly drawing him to Jesus. If he responds, coming in penitence with confession, in faith laying hold of the hope set before him in the gospel, God will not despise the broken and contrite heart. Thus the law of God is not weakened, but the power of sin is broken, and the scepter of mercy is extended to the penitent sinner (Letter 1f, 1890). {6BC 1072.3}
24-28 (see EGW on Gal. 2:16; 1 Thess. 4:3). Speculations About Righteousness by Faith.--Many commit the error of trying to define minutely the fine points of distinction between justification and sanctification. Into the definitions of these two terms they often bring their own ideas and speculations. Why try to be more minute than is Inspiration on the vital question of righteousness by faith? Why try to work out every minute point, as if the salvation of the soul depended upon all having exactly your understanding of this matter? All cannot see in the same line of vision (MS 21, 1891). {6BC 1072.4}
God's Standard Has Not Changed.-- The gospel of good news was not to be interpreted as allowing men to live in continued rebellion against God by transgressing His just and holy law. Why cannot those who claim to understand the Scriptures, see that God's requirement under grace is just the same He made in Eden-- perfect obedience to His law. In the judgment, God will ask those who profess to be Christians, Why did you claim to believe in My Son, and continue to transgress My law? Who required this at your hands--to trample upon My rules of righteousness? "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." The gospel of the New Testament is not the Old Testament standard lowered to meet the sinner and save him in his sins. God requires of all His subjects obedience, entire obedience to all His commandments. He demands now as ever perfect righteousness as the only title to heaven. Christ is our hope and our refuge. His righteousness is imputed only to the obedient. Let us accept it through faith, that the Father shall find in us no sin. But those who have trampled on the holy law will have no right to claim that righteousness. O that we might view the immensity of the plan of salvation as obedient children to all God's requirements, believing that we have peace (p. 1073) with God through Jesus Christ, our atoning sacrifice (RH Sept. 21, 1886)! {6BC 1072.8}
Monday
The King-The Model For His People, Part 2
(Prov 20:8 NKJV) A king who sits on the throne of judgment Scatters all evil with his eyes.
(Prov 25:2 NKJV) It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
(Prov 25:4-5 NKJV) Take away the dross from silver, And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. {5} Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.
(Prov 29:14 NKJV) The king who judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever.
(Prov 31:8-9 NKJV) Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. {9} Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
(Mat 3:12 NKJV) "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
(Eph 2:4-5 NKJV) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, {5} even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
(Mat 7:1-5 NKJV) "Judge not, that you be not judged. {2} "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. {3} "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? {4} "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? {5} "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
(1 Cor 5:12 NKJV) For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
(1 Cor 6:2-3 NKJV) Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? {3} Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
(Rom 13:1-4 NKJV) Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. {2} Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. {3} For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. {4} For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
(Prov 29:12 NKJV) If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked.
(1 Ki 22:1 - 53 NKJV) Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel. {2} Then it came to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel. {3} And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?"
{1 Ki 22:4-53} So he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses." {5} Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the LORD today." {6} Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?" So they said, "Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king." {7} And Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of Him?" {8} So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say such things!" {9} Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!" {10} The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. {11} Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, "Thus says the LORD: 'With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.'" {12} And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the king's hand." {13} Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement." {14} And Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak." {15} Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?" And he answered him, "Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king!" {16} So the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?" {17} Then he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.'" {18} And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?" {19} Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. {20} "And the LORD said, 'Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?' So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. {21} "Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, 'I will persuade him.' {22} "The LORD said to him, 'In what way?' So he said, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And the LORD said, 'You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.' {23} "Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you." {24} Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, "Which way did the spirit from the LORD go from me to speak to you?" {25} And Micaiah said, "Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!" {26} So the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son; {27} "and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace."' " {28} But Micaiah said, "If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Take heed, all you people!" {29} So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. {30} And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. {31} Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel." {32} So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel!" Therefore they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. {33} And it happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. {34} Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded." {35} The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot. {36} Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army, saying, "Every man to his city, and every man to his own country!" {37} So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.
{1 Ki 22:38-53} Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken. {39} Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, the ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? {40} So Ahab rested with his fathers. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place. {41} Jehoshaphat the son of Asa had become king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. {42} Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. {43} And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. {44} Also Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. {45} Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the might that he showed, and how he made war, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? {46} And the rest of the perverted persons, who remained in the days of his father Asa, he banished from the land. {47} There was then no king in Edom, only a deputy of the king. {48} Jehoshaphat made merchant ships to go to Ophir for gold; but they never sailed, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber. {49} Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat would not. {50} And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his father. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place. {51} Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel. {52} He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; {53} for he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.
(Prov 16:10 NKJV) Divination is on the lips of the king; His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
(Prov 16:12-13 NKJV) It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For a throne is established by righteousness. {13} Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks what is right.
(Prov 18:5 NKJV) It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
(Prov 24:23-25 NKJV) These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. {24} He who says to the wicked, "You are righteous," Him the people will curse; Nations will abhor him. {25} But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will come upon them.
(Prov 31:3-5 NKJV) Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings. {4} It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; {5} Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
Tuesday
Mercy Or Revenge
(Prov 21:21 NKJV) He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness and honor.
(Prov 11:17 NKJV) The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
(Psa 145:9 NKJV) The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.
(Prov 12:10 NKJV) A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
(Prov 24:17-20 NKJV) Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; {18} Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. {19} Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; {20} For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
(1 John 3:14 NRSV) We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death.
(1 John 3:14 NKJV) We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
(Prov 25:21-22 NRSV) If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; {22} for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the LORD will reward you.
(Prov 25:21-22 NKJV) If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; {22} For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you.
The fact that we are under so great obligation to Christ places us under the most sacred obligation to those whom He died to redeem. We are to manifest toward them the same sympathy, the same tender compassion and unselfish love, which Christ has manifested toward us. Selfish ambition, desire for supremacy, will die when Christ takes possession of the affections. {5T 170.1}
Our Saviour taught His disciples to pray: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." A great blessing is here asked upon conditions. We ourselves state these conditions. We ask that the mercy of God toward us may be measured by the mercy which we extend to others. Christ declares that this is the rule by which the Lord will deal with us. "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Wonderful terms! but how little are they understood or heeded. One of the most common sins, and one that is attended with most pernicious results, is the indulgence of an unforgiving spirit. How many will cherish animosity or revenge and then bow before God and ask to be forgiven as they forgive. Surely they can have no true sense of the import of this prayer or they would not dare to take it upon their lips. We are dependent upon the pardoning mercy of God every day and every hour; how then can we cherish bitterness and malice toward our fellow sinners! If, in all their daily intercourse, Christians would carry out the principles of this prayer, what a blessed change would be wrought in the church and in the world! This would be the most (p. 171) convincing testimony that could be given to the reality of Bible religion. {5T 170.2}
Wednesday
Justice Or Injustice
(Prov 4:18 NKJV) But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
(Prov 9:9 NKJV) Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
(Prov 10:20 NKJV) The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; The heart of the wicked is worth little.
(Prov 20:7 NKJV) The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.
(Isa 51:1 NKJV) "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
(Isa 51:7 NKJV) "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults.
(Rom 8:9-10 NKJV) But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. {10} And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
(Rom 10:6-10 NKJV) But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down from above) {7} or, " 'Who will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). {8} But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): {9} that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. {10} For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(Prov 29:10 NKJV) The bloodthirsty hate the blameless, But the upright seek his well-being.
(Prov 29:27 NKJV) An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.
(Prov 11:5-7 NKJV) The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. {6} The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust. {7} When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of the unjust perishes.
(Prov 28:8-10 NKJV) One who increases his possessions by usury and extortion Gathers it for him who will pity the poor. {9} One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. {10} Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way, He himself will fall into his own pit; But the blameless will inherit good.
(Prov 17:15 NIV) Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-- the LORD detests them both.
(Prov 17:15 NKJV) He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.
(Exo 23:7 NKJV) "Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.
(Rom 3:10-19 NKJV) As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; {11} There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. {12} They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." {13} "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; {14} "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." {15} "Their feet are swift to shed blood; {16} Destruction and misery are in their ways; {17} And the way of peace they have not known." {18} "There is no fear of God before their eyes." {19} Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
(Rom 4:5 NRSV) But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
(Rom 4:5 NKJV) But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
(1 Tim 1:9 NKJV) knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
(1 Pet 3:7 NKJV) Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
(Rom 6:17-18 NKJV) But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. {18} And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
(Rom 8:3-4 NKJV) For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, {4} that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
(Rom 8:9-10 NKJV) But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. {10} And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
(Rev 22:11 NKJV) "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still."
(1 Th 4:16-18 NKJV) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. {17} Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. {18} Therefore comfort one another with these words.
(2 Th 1:7-10 NKJV) and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, {8} in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. {9} These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, {10} when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
Thursday
Honesty Or Deceit?
(Prov 11:18 NKJV) The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.
(Prov 12:5 NKJV) The thoughts of the righteous are right, But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
(Prov 12:20 NKJV) Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.
(Prov 10:10 NKJV) He who winks with the eye causes trouble, But a prating fool will fall.
(Prov 17:23 NKJV) A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice.
(Prov 29:24 NKJV) Whoever is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He swears to tell the truth, but reveals nothing.
The Ministry of Healing, p. 498
Some have no firmness of character. Their plans and purposes have no definite form and consistency. They are of but little practical use in the world. This weakness, indecision, and inefficiency should be overcome. There is in true Christian character an indomitableness that cannot be molded or subdued by adverse circumstances. We must have moral backbone, an integrity that cannot be flattered, bribed, or terrified. {MH 498.1}
God desires us to make use of every opportunity for securing a preparation for His work. He expects us to put all our energies into its performance and to keep our hearts alive to its sacredness and its fearful responsibilities. {MH 498.2}
Many who are qualified to do excellent work accomplish little because they attempt little. Thousands pass through life as if they had no great object for which to live, no high standard to reach. One reason for this is the low estimate which they place upon themselves. Christ paid an infinite price for us, and according to the price paid He desires us to value ourselves. {MH 498.3}
Be not satisfied with reaching a low standard. We are not what we might be, or what it is God's will that we should be. God has given us reasoning powers, not to remain inactive, or to be perverted to earthly and sordid pursuits, but that they may be developed to the utmost, refined, sanctified, ennobled, and used in advancing the interests of His kingdom. {MH 498.4}
None should consent to be mere machines, run by another man's mind. God has given us ability, to think and to act, and it is by acting with carefulness, looking to Him for wisdom (p. 499) that you will become capable of bearing burdens. Stand in your God-given personality. Be no other person's shadow. Expect that the Lord will work in and by and through you. {MH 498.5}
(Prov 10:3 NKJV) The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked.
(Prov 10:24-25 NKJV) The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted. {25} When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
(Prov 10:28-30 NKJV) The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish. {29} The way of the LORD is strength for the upright, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity. {30} The righteous will never be removed, But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.
Friday
(Num 16:15 NKJV) Then Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, "Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them."
(1 Sam 12:1-4 NKJV) Now Samuel said to all Israel: "Indeed I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. {2} "And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. {3} "Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you." {4} And they said, "You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man's hand."
(2 Sam 18:9-12 NKJV) Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on. {10} Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, "I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!" {11} So Joab said to the man who told him, "You just saw him! And why did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt." {12} But the man said to Joab, "Though I were to receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king's son. For in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, 'Beware lest anyone touch the young man Absalom!'
(1 Ki 13:1-10 NKJV) And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. {2} Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, "O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you.'" {3} And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out." {4} So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Arrest him!" Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. {5} The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. {6} Then the king answered and said to the man of God, "Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him, and became as before. {7} Then the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward." {8} But the man of God said to the king, "If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. {9} "For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.'" {10} So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.
(2 Ki 5:1-16 NKJV) Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. {2} And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife. {3} Then she said to her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy."
{2 Ki 5:4-16} And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel." {5} Then the king of Syria said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. {6} Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. {7} And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me."
{2 Ki 5:8-16} So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." {9} Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha's house. {10} And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean." {11} But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, "Indeed, I said to myself, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.' {12} "Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. {13} And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" {14} So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. {15} And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, "Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant." {16} But he said, "As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing." And he urged him to take it, but he refused.
Education, pp. 51 - 69(not included with lesson help)
You are now sowing seed in the great field of life, and that which you now sow you will one day reap. Every thought of your mind, every emotion of your soul, every word of your tongue, every act you perform, is seed that will bear fruit for good or evil. The reaping time is not far distant. All our works are passing in review before God. All our actions and the motives which prompted them are to be open for the inspection of angels and of God. {4T 63.1}
As far as possible, you should come into harmony with your brethren and sisters. You should surrender yourselves to God and cease to manifest sternness and a disposition to find fault. You should yield your own spirit and take in its place the spirit of the dear Saviour. Reach up and grasp His hand, that the touch may electrify you and charge you with the sweet properties of His own matchless character. You may open your hearts to His love, and let His power transform you and His grace be your strength. Then will you have a powerful influence for good. Your moral strength will be equal to the closest test of character. Your integrity will be pure and sanctified. Then will your light break forth as the morning. {4T 63.2}
You both need to come more into sympathy with other minds. Christ is our example; He identified Himself with suffering humanity; He made the necessities of others a consideration of His own. When His brethren suffered, He suffered with them. Any slight or neglect of His disciples is the same as if done to Christ Himself. Thus He says: "I was anhungered, and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink." {4T 63.3}
Dear brother and sister, you should seek for more harmonious characters. The absence of one essential qualification may render the rest almost inefficient. The principles you profess should be carried into every thought, word, and act. Self should be crucified and the entire being made subordinate to the Lord. {4T 63.4}
The church is greatly deficient in love and humanity. (p. 64) Some preserve a cold, chilling reserve, an iron dignity, that repels those who are brought within their influence. This spirit is contagious; it creates an atmosphere that is withering to good impulses and good resolves; it chokes the natural current of human sympathy, cordiality, and love; and under its influence people become constrained, and their social and generous attributes are destroyed for want of exercise. Not only is the spiritual health affected, but the physical health suffers by this unnatural depression. The gloom and chill of this unsocial atmosphere is reflected upon the countenance. The faces of those who are benevolent and sympathetic will shine with the luster of true goodness, while those who do not cherish kindly thoughts and unselfish motives express in their faces the sentiments cherished in their hearts. {4T 63.5}
(Prov 4:18 NKJV) But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
(Prov 10:28 NKJV) The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish.
(Joel 3:16 NKJV) The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.
(Gal 5:5 NKJV) For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
(Eph 2:12-13 NKJV) that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. {13} But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
(Col 1:27 NKJV) To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
(1 Th 5:8 NKJV) But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
(1 Tim 1:1 NKJV) Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,
(Titus 1:2 NKJV) in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,
(Titus 2:13 NKJV) looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,