Author Topic: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 4--1st Quarter 2020--From Furnace to Palace  (Read 1708 times)

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Wally

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Lesson 4 January 18-24





From Furnace to Palace



Commentary in Navy                  Inspiration in Maroon








So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 4--1st Quarter 2020--From Furnace to Palace
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2020, 10:57:16 PM »
Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Daniel 3, Rev. 13:11-18, Exod. 20:3-6, Deut. 6:4, 1 Cor. 15:12-26, Hebrews 11.

Memory Text: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king.” Daniel 3:17.

“Thus these youth, imbued with the Holy Spirit, declare to the whole nation their faith, that He whom they worshiped is the only true and living God.

Amen! And they witness to us today. They did not fear death. And, because they were faithful, especially in such a great crisis, they were tremendous witnesses to the power of grace to keep us faithful.

This demonstration of their own faith was the most eloquent presentation of their principles. In order to impress idolaters with the power and greatness of the living God, His servants must reveal their own reverence for God. They must make it manifest that He is the only object of their honor and worship, and that no consideration, not even the preservation of life itself, can induce them to make the least concession to idolatry. These lessons have a direct and vital bearing upon our experience in these last days”. — Ellen G. White, In Heavenly Places, p. 149.
While facing the threat of death because of the issue of worship might seem a thing of some pre-scientific and superstitious age, Scripture reveals that at the end of time, when the world has greatly “advanced”, something similar will unfold, but on a worldwide scale. Thus, from the study of this story, we get insights into the issues that, according to Scripture, God’s faithful will face.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 25.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 4--1st Quarter 2020--From Furnace to Palace
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2020, 06:08:59 AM »
Sunday          January 19

The Golden Image

Read Daniel 3:1-7.

 3:1   Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height [was] threescore cubits, [and] the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 
 3:2   Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 
 3:3   Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 
 3:4   Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 
 3:5   [That] at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 
 3:6   And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 
 3:7   Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down [and] worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 


What likely motivates the king to make this statue?

Pride.


Some time elapsed between the dream and the construction of the image. Nonetheless, it seems that the king can no longer forget the dream and the fact that Babylon is doomed to be replaced by other powers. Not satisfied with being only the head of gold, the king wants to be represented by an entire image of gold in order to communicate to his subjects that his kingdom will endure throughout history.

This attitude of pride calls to mind the builders of the Tower of Babel, who, in their arrogance, attempt to challenge God Himself. No less arrogant is Nebuchadnezzar here. He has accomplished much as ruler of Babylon, and he cannot live with the idea that his kingdom will eventually pass away. Thus, in an effort at his own self-exaltation, he builds an image to evoke his power and thereby assess the loyalty of his subjects. Although it may not be clear whether the image is intended to represent the king or a deity, we should keep in mind that in antiquity the lines separating politics from religion were often blurred, if they existed at all.

We should remember, too, that Nebuchadnezzar has had two opportunities to get acquainted with the true God. First, he tests the young Hebrews and finds them ten times wiser than the other sages of Babylon. Then, after all other experts have failed to remind him of his dream, Daniel reports to him the thoughts of his mind, the dream, and its interpretation. Finally, the king recognizes the superiority of the God of Daniel. But surprisingly enough, those previous theology lessons do not prevent Nebuchadnezzar from reverting back to idolatry. Why? Most likely, pride. Sinful human beings resist acknowledging the fact that their material and intellectual accomplishments are vanity and are doomed to disappear. We may at times act like little “Nebuchadnezzars” as we pay too much attention to our accomplishments and forget how meaningless they can be in the face of eternity.

How can we learn not to fall, even in very subtle ways, into the same trap that Nebuchadnezzar does?

The answer is the same as to how can we learn to not fall (sin)? We are wholly dependent upon Christ to keep us from sinning. We need to first given Him the whole heart, then we need to maintain our experience in order to keep from sin.

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 4--1st Quarter 2020--From Furnace to Palace
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2020, 06:41:05 AM »
Monday         January 20

The Call to Worship


Read Daniel 3:8-15 and Revelation 13:11-18.

 3:8   Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 
 3:9   They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 
 3:10   Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image: 
 3:11   And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, [that] he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 
 3:12   There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 
 3:13   Then Nebuchadnezzar in [his] rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 
 3:14   Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, [Is it] true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 
 3:15   Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; [well]: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who [is] that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 

 13:11   And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 
 13:12   And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 
 13:13   And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 
 13:14   And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 
 13:15   And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 
 13:16   And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 
 13:17   And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 
 13:18   Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six. 


What parallels can we see between what happens in Daniel’s time and what will happen in the future?

There will be, and even now is, a false religion that is tempting God's chosen church to turn from truth to false worship. Her name is Babylon conveying the truth that her religion is confused, and deceptive. The "wine" of Babylon has come into God's church and is leading many away from God and His truth. And, the nation God has used to take freedom to the world no longer is a "lamb", but speaks as a "dragon" and is lending her power to creating an image to the beast.


The image of gold standing on the plain of Dura, whose name in Akkadian means “walled place”, gives the impression of a vast sanctuary. As if it were not enough, the furnace nearby can well evoke an altar. Babylonian music is to be part of the liturgy. Seven types of musical instruments are listed, as if to convey the completeness and effectiveness of the adoration protocol.

Today, we are bombarded from every side by calls to adopt new lifestyles, new ideologies, and to abandon our commitment to the authority of God as expressed in His Word and to surrender our allegiance to contemporary successors of the Babylonian empire. The allure of the world at times seems overwhelming, but we should remind ourselves that our ultimate allegiance belongs to the Creator God.

According to the prophetic calendar, we are living in the last days of earth’s history. Revelation 13 announces that the inhabitants of the earth will be called to worship the image of the beast. That entity will cause “all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads” (Rev. 13:16, NKJV).

Six categories of people are said to give allegiance to the image of the beast: “small and great, rich and poor, free and slave”. The number of the beast, which is 666, also emphasizes six. This shows that the image erected by Nebuchadnezzar is just an illustration of what the eschatological Babylon will do in the last days (see Dan. 3:1 for the imagery of six and sixty). Therefore, we do well to pay close attention to what transpires in this narrative and how God sovereignly directs the affairs of the world.

Worship isn’t just bowing down before something or someone and openly professing ultimate allegiance. What are other ways, much more subtle ways, that we can end up worshiping something other than our Lord?

Like the Jews, we too also have been blinded by Satan's sophistries. As a people today we are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." How is it that we do not know this? Or understand that this is an unconverted state?


3:14   And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 
 3:15   I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 
 3:16   So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 
 3:17   Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
 3:18   I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 
 3:19   As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 
 3:20   Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 


Jesus tells us to "repent." Unrepented known sins keep professing Christians out of heaven.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 4--1st Quarter 2020--From Furnace to Palace
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2020, 07:30:11 AM »
Tuesday          January 21

The Test of Fire


For the three Hebrews, the image worship imposed by the king is a blatant counterfeit of the temple worship in Jerusalem, which they experienced in their earlier years. Although they hold offices in the empire and are loyal to the king, their allegiance to God sets a limit on their human loyalty. They are certainly willing to continue to serve the king as faithful administrators; however, they cannot join the ceremony.

Why not? What does the Bible say about bowing down? From the Book of Exodus:

  20:3   Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 
 20:4   Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: 
 20:5   Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me; 
 20:6   And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 


Read Exodus 20:3-6 and Deuteronomy 6:4.

 6:4   Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD: 
 6:5   And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 


If we love God supremely with the whole heart, then we will not serve other God's or idols such as fashion, cars, houses, food, or people. Yet, what do we see in God's church today? Are there idols being worshiped? Where do we spend our money, time, and talent?


What do these texts convey that surely influenced the stand these men took?

Did they love God above all else in this world? Their words and their actions revealed that they did.


Following the instructions issued by the king, all the people at the sound of the musical instruments bow and worship the golden image. Only the three — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego — dare to disobey the king. Immediately, some Babylonians bring the matter to the king’s attention. The accusers seek to enrage the king by saying: (1) it was the king himself who put these three young men over the province of Babylon; (2) the Jewish men do not serve the gods of the king; and (3) they do not worship the gold image that the king had set up (Dan. 3:12). But in spite of his fury against them, the king offers the three men a second chance. The king is willing to repeat the whole procedure so that these men can retract their position and worship the image. Should they refuse, they will be thrown into the fiery furnace. And Nebuchadnezzar closes his appeal with a most arrogant claim: “And who is that god that shall deliver you from my hands?” (Dan. 3:15).

Endowed with supernatural courage, they respond to the king: “If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Dan. 3:17, 18.

Though they know their God can deliver them, they do not have the guarantee that He will. Nevertheless, they refuse to obey the king’s command, even knowing that they could be burned alive. Where do we get that kind of faith?

It is "saving faith" that comes by knowing our God. Knowing Him so that we love Him with all we have and all we are. When we behold His wonderful love for us while we were yet sinners (grace), our hearts are purified and we are empowered to keep all of His commands. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. The Holy Spirit takes possession of the heart and brings with Him all of the fruits of the Spirit, not one will be missing. The young men looked beyond what they could see with their eyes and beheld God's grace and the future world where there is no evil.

Do we have this living saving faith? If not, we may have it. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Why? Because the Word is a revelation of our God. The Word was made flesh. Jesus is the living revelation of the Word. He is the manifestation of the character of our heavenly Father. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our lives will reveal victory over sin.

It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour each day contemplating the life of Christ. As we consider the sufferings of Jesus as He hung upon the cross, sacred emotions will fill our hearts so that we will want to serve Him with all of our strength. It is by beholding His glory that we are transformed into His image (2 Cor. 3:18.) He will impart to us His righteousness. It will not cover unconfessed or unforsaken sin, but it will be revealed in our obedience to all we know to be true. This we may have today if we will give the whole heart to Jesus. Let us love God with the whole heart and hasten the soon coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 4--1st Quarter 2020--From Furnace to Palace
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2020, 07:48:10 AM »
Wednesday         January 22

The Fourth Man

Read Daniel 3:19-27.

 3:19   Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: [therefore] he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 
 3:20   And he commanded the most mighty men that [were] in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, [and] to cast [them] into the burning fiery furnace. 
 3:21   Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their [other] garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 
 3:22   Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 
 3:23   And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 
 3:24   Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, [and] spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 
 3:25   He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 
 3:26   Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, [and] spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come [hither]. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 
 3:27   And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 


What happens? Who is the other person in the fire?

Having thrown the faithful Hebrews into the fire, Nebuchadnezzar is puzzled to perceive the presence of a fourth person inside the furnace. To the best of his knowledge, the king identifies the fourth figure as “the Son of God” (Dan. 3:25).

The king cannot say much more, but we do know who that fourth person is. He appears to Abraham before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, wrestles with Jacob beside the brook Jabbok, and reveals Himself to Moses in a burning bush. He is Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnate form, coming to show that God stands with His people in their troubles.

Ellen G. White says, “But the Lord did not forget His own. As His witnesses were cast into the furnace, the Saviour revealed Himself to them in person, and together they walked in the midst of the fire. In the presence of the Lord of heat and cold, the flames lost their power to consume”. — Prophets and Kings, pp. 508, 509.

As God says in Isaiah, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” Isa. 43:2.

Though we love stories like these, they do raise the question about others who are not miraculously delivered from persecution for their faith. Those men surely know the experience of Isaiah and Zechariah, who are put to death by impious kings. All through sacred history, even to our day, faithful Christians have endured terrible suffering that ended for them, at least here, not in a miraculous deliverance but in a painful death. Here is one case in which the faithful receive a miraculous deliverance but, as we know, such things don’t usually happen.

These miracles happen every day, we just do not recognize that it is God who saves, or that the miracle happened. How many are saved from disasters unknown? Often poor souls think modern medicine saved them from death, when it fact it was God who performed a miracle. As we look back over our lives, how many times do we now see that God preserved us, when then we did not know it was God who was working in our lives to afford us time to learn of Him?


On the other hand, what is the miraculous deliverance that all of God’s faithful people will have, regardless of their fate here? (See 1 Cor. 15:12-26).

All who will be saved will be the beneficiaries of God's grace which is the greatest of all His miracles. It was easy for God to create sinless Adam, but it is not possible for God by Himself to recreate sinners into saints. It is His greatest miracle, but it requires an effort on our part. What is our part? We must learn of Him who gave all that we might be transformed. We must love God with all of our heart, all of our strength, all of our mind, and all of our soul.

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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  • Posts: 44591
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 4--1st Quarter 2020--From Furnace to Palace
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2020, 08:36:02 AM »
Friday         January 24

Further Thought: “Important are the lessons to be learned from the experience of the Hebrew youth on the plain of Dura. In this our day, many of God’s servants, though innocent of wrongdoing, will be given over to suffer humiliation and abuse at the hands of those who, inspired by Satan, are filled with envy and religious bigotry. Especially will the wrath of man be aroused against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment; and at last a universal decree will denounce these as deserving of death.

The season of distress before God’s people will call for a faith that will not falter. His children must make it manifest that He is the only object of their worship, and that no consideration, not even that of life itself, can induce them to make the least concession to false worship. To the loyal heart the commands of sinful, finite men will sink into insignificance beside the word of the eternal God. Truth will be obeyed though the result be imprisonment or exile or death”. — Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 512, 513.

"Truth will be obeyed." What truth? All truth. If we offend in one point, we offend in all. Do we understand this today? Do we ignore those truths we do not like? If so, then we have violated all truths that we understand. Why? Because we are to obey from the heart. It is the intent of the heart that God looks at. If the heart is not fully surrendered to God, then all we do is infected with self. Saul kept the commandments, he was blameless. But, he was a selfish sinner and thus, he kept none of them for the right reason. So it was with the rich young ruler. He said he had kept them all. But, in fact he was not converted, thus self was alive and well. His obedience was for self, not for God. He was unwilling to give all to God, thus he offended in all points.



Discussion Questions:[/b][/i]

    Read 1 Peter 1:3-9.

 1:3   Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 
 1:4   To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 
 1:5   Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 
 1:6   Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 
 1:7   That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 
 1:8   Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see [him] not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 
 1:9   Receiving the end of your faith, [even] the salvation of [your] souls. 


Why does God rescue some and not others from suffering? Or is the answer to questions like this something that we just aren’t going to get now?

We may not understand all  we see, but we may understand the underlying principles. All will suffer in this life if they truly are converted. But, God measures the trials and He has promised we shall not be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Cor. 10:13). That promise is a conditional promise. It does not apply to all in the world, or even to all in the church. What is the condition of the promise.

Why does God allow suffering to come to those who love Him supremely? Share the answer from Scripture.


In cases where miraculous deliverances don’t occur, why do we need to trust in God’s goodness despite such disappointments?

The Bible tells us that "all" things work together for good to those who love God supremely. Do all things mean all things even when things are bad, or even bring death? Does anything that happens in this world, happen  because God allows it? Why then does God allow bad things to happen to "good" people? Or even little children? We above all who have ever lived on this Earth have been given the answer. Share from Scripture why God allows such things to happen that cause even the very elect to suffer greatly. Remember that there is a time of trouble such as never was coming to all who love God supremely and are living after probation closes. And, they will not have a Mediator. Why does God allow this great suffering when all who are righteous will remain righteous, and all who are filthy will remain filthy?


    If this incident had ended with the death of the Hebrew men in the fiery furnace, what lessons could we take away from it still?

God leaves us in this world after we are converted, at least most of us. The thief on the cross was an exception. He did not have to suffer in this world long after he was converted. So, why the suffering when God could just lay us to rest and alleviate all the suffering for those who are saved? What comes from the suffering and death of those who love God supremely? Share with your Sabbath School class from Scripture the blessings that come to us and to God when we suffer.


    From our understanding of last-day events, what will be the issue, the outward sign, that will show whom we worship? What should this tell us now about how important the Sabbath really is?

    Read Luke 16:10.

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 

How do Christ’s words here help us understand what it means truly to live by faith?

Either we are converted and love God supremely or we are not and do not. Many think of they keep the the ten commandments outwardly, they deserve heaven. But, they err. God wants the whole heart. We cannot keep the ten commandments if we cannot follow the least truths we understand. Either we are filled with the Holy Spirit, or we are not. Either we love God more than self or we do not.  Matthew tells us:

 7:16   Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 
 7:17   Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 
 7:18   A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 
 7:19   Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
 7:20   Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 


    Read again Daniel 3:15, when Nebuchadnezzar says, “Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” How would you answer that question?

Let him answer the question. Nebuchadnezzar said it was the Son of God He saw in the furnace. The Most High God. He is the creator God who allowed His innocent Son to come to this dark spot in the universe a helpless baby subject the weakness of humanity to fight the battle of life as we must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss! Such love! What a God we serve!!
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.