Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

“Come!”The invitation is offered to us again, today: “Come.”Read the following passages and notice His invitation for you to come to Him: Matt. 11:28-30, Isa. 55:1-3, John 6:44.The Holy Spirit wants to draw you to Jesus today. Jesus invites you to come to Him, to abide in Him today, and every day, until He comes. When you respond and come to Him, when your heart is soft and your mind surrendered, you will feel peace because you know that, even if you die, He will raise you up, no matter how unworthy you may feel, on the last day of this earth. Jesus said, “Who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37, NKJV).We should sense the urgency to work with the Holy Spirit to call others to come into a saving relationship with Jesus. “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17, NKJV).The invitation is free, offered as a gift of grace. When we accept Him into our life and love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength (Deut. 6:5), our life here and in the future will be changed forever.Even as Jesus invites us to come to Him, the last words in the Bible promise this: “Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (emphasis added, Rev. 22:20, NKJV).How quickly? From our perspective, as soon as we close our eyes in death, the next thing we know will be the return of Christ. Considering how quickly our lives pass, that’s how quickly Jesus is coming back for us. Perhaps our first thought at the resurrection will be “Wow, Lord, Your coming was soon after all!”Truly, now we see but faintly, as in a mirror. But then we’ll see Him face-to-face. Don’t grow weary in waiting. Keep this desire alive, ever before you, in faith and in trust in the love and goodness of God. Lord Jesus, please come!Pray right now for the faith to endure, for the faith to allow you to surrender wholly and completely to the One who died for you and is coming back quickly for you, too.

The Bride👰🏻‍♀️While exiled on the island of Patmos, the disciple John was given a vision of what it will be like when we are reunited with God for eternity.Read Revelation 21:9-11. What analogy was given, and why do you think it was used?The bride is beautiful, and on her wedding day, everyone wants to see her. A wedding day is a turning point of a new life together for the bride and groom, and this will also be true of our relationship with God upon His return.Jesus has been preparing a place for us (John 14:1-3), a beautiful place that is too amazing to describe. In fact, “human language is inadequate to describe the reward of the righteous. It will be known only to those who behold it. No finite mind can comprehend the glory of the Paradise of God.”--Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 675.Although we cannot really comprehend what the new heaven and new earth will be like, God shows John a vision of this place so that we look forward to the “wedding” that will soon happen. Indeed, we’re invited to “set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2, NKJV).God is carefully preparing for this event, and He doesn’t want this “wedding” to catch us by surprise (see Matt. 22:1-14, Matt. 25:1-13).The universe is the congregation that will see this event take place, and we are some of the central figures in this story. We will join with the “bride,” this city that Jesus will take us to at His second coming. Interestingly, God’s people (the saints) are also called the bride (see Rev. 19:7, NASB), perhaps because they are in “the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2, NKJV).This beautiful description of the Holy City shows that there is an intimate connection between God’s people and the city, because both are called “the bride.” The Bible reveals a detailed description of “the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is the capital and representative of the kingdom, [and] is called ‘the bride, the Lamb’swife.”--Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 426.Read Revelation 21:9-27. Why is this so hard for us now to imagine? How do we even begin to wrap our minds around what is promised to us here?

Living TodayWhen we look around, we see the world heaving and groaning, and the signs that Jesus told us about are playing out before our eyes. Wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against other nations, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and persecution (Matt. 24:6-11) are happening all around us and seem only to be intensifying as time rolls on. Yes, we live in serious times--times when we need an abiding relationship with God.We are told, “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Pet. 4:7, NKJV). If so then, even more so now is the time to fortify and strengthen your personal relationship with God. And regardless of how long time lasts, our individual lives are always short, no matter how long we live. “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:13-14, NKJV). We know how true that warning is. You who are reading these words now might not be alive before the day is out. This is part of the sad reality of living in a fallen world. How crucial, then, is it to make sure of our relationship with God and always to live in awareness of our need of Him and His saving grace?Psalm 80 offers a beautiful appeal to God. Read the chapter and, in particular, consider verses 1-3, 14-17, 18, 19, and put the word “me” where it says “us.” Regardless of how different the time, place, and context of this psalm, in what ways can you personally relate to it?We all need revival in our lives. It’s so easy to get complacent or even to be forgetful of what God has done and is doing for you. What faithful believer, even if struggling, could not pray something like this: “Cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” (Ps. 80:19, NKJV)? When you accept what Jesus has done for you, when you know that your sins have been forgiven and that you are covered by His perfect righteousness, credited to you by faith, you can know that you are saved in Him.How do you understand what it means for God “to shine” His face on you, especially in the context of knowing that His righteousness alone saves you?

Further Thought: “Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to God unless he has unselfish love for his brother. But we can never come into possession of this spirit by trying to love others. What is needed is the love of Christ in the heart. When self is merged in Christ, love springs forth spontaneously.”--Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 384. “Those who are most actively employed in doing with interested fidelity their work to win souls to Jesus Christ, are the best developed in spirituality and devotion.”--Ellen G. White, Evangelism, p. 356. “Strength to resist evil is best gained by aggressive service.”--Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 105. “In order to enter into His joy--the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice--we must participate in His labors for their redemption.”--Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 142. “Those who reject the privilege of fellowship with Christ in service, reject the only training that imparts a fitness for participation with Him in His glory.”--Ellen G. White, Education, p. 264.Discussion Questions:Why is love so foundational and essential for any kind of effective witnessing?When have you found this to be true: that soul winning is linked to a personal and vibrant walk with God?Is there a baseline or basic understanding that is needed to share God with others? If so, what might this be?When it comes to giving a Bible study to a nonbeliever, where would you begin? What is your initial focus: proving certain doctrines or inviting someone to know Jesus?Sing or listen to the words from the hymn “Redeemed!” (The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, no. 338) and reflect on the ways you are proclaiming it.Summary: When God’s love and His living, powerful Word fill our daily lives, we will be compelled to love and share Him with those around us. We should be prayerful, thoughtful, and intentional about witnessing, believing that His Word, which goes forth from His mouth, shall not return to Him void, but it shall accomplish what He pleases, and it shall prosper in the things for which He sent it (Isa. 55:11).

A Wandering ChildMany know firsthand the pain and heartache of having a child who--despite the strong, spiritual home they were raised in--has chosen to walk away from a relationship with the Lord.Ephraim, as part of God’s chosen nation, strayed from the Lord. What do Hosea 4:17 and Hosea 7 tell us about the sins of Ephraim?Furthermore, we read that Rachel, the grandmother of Ephraim, metaphorically weeps because Ephraim has walked away from a relationship with the Lord (Jer. 31:15). The Lord responds to her great sadness with these words in Jeremiah 31:16-17: “Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the LORD, that your children shall come back to their own border” (NKJV).Instead of weeping over her wayward child, Rachel is told to have hope. What else does Jeremiah tell us? Read Jeremiah 31:18-19.Through Ephraim’s story, we learn that there is always hope because God doesn’t give up. Although God rebukes His wayward people time and time again, God’s compassion never fails, and His message in this chapter continues (see Jer. 31:20).We might feel great pain, frustration, and discouragement, or even speak negatively of those who are close to us who have walked away from a relationship with God. Yet God reminds us here that He has not forgotten the wayward child --not at all! God’s thoughts for such a person are not fleeting but instead are heartfelt and sincere. In fact, God says that His heart yearns for such individuals. He longs for them to return to Him, and His mercy is great.How does knowing that this is God’s response to Rachel’s pain over Ephraim’s waywardness make you feel about those you know who have walked away from a relationship with the Lord? How does this challenge or encourage you?

Unforced but With PowerHave you ever wondered how Jesus maintained the motivation to labor, heal, comfort, preach, and teach so many people day after day? We’re told that “when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matt. 9:36, NKJV). It was Jesus’ love and compassion toward humankind that drove His labor. In a similar way, God’s love in us should compel us to feel the burden of leading souls to Him and to His truth (2 Cor. 5:14).Have you ever looked at the faces of strangers in a crowd and thought ahead to eternity, to wonder if they know Jesus? Have you ever felt what can only be the love of God in you toward a stranger in need? God’s love in us compels us to feel the burden of leading souls to Him. Jeremiah expressed this when he said, “His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not” (Jer. 20:9, NKJV).However, when we share God with others, we should never try to force someone to accept God or His Bible truth. Coercion goes against the very heart of God’s character. God didn’t force Adam and Eve to stay away from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16-17). He didn’t force people into the ark to be saved from the Flood (Gen. 7:1). He didn’t force the Israelites to remain in their covenant with Him (Deut. 4:29-31). Instead, He met their needs (Matt. 4:23-25) and then invited them to follow Him. Jesus never forced anyone to follow Him or His truth, but He never gives up on us (Matt. 23:37).As we witness, our approach should always mirror Jesus’ approach. Ellen G. White says, “It is no part of Christ’s mission to compel men to receive Him. It is Satan, and men actuated by his spirit, that seek to compel the conscience…. There can be no more conclusive evidence that we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our work, or who act contrary to our ideas.”--The Desire of Ages, p. 487.We must allow ourselves to be a conduit for God’s service. We live in a world that hates the truth, but that reality shouldn’t prevent us from sharing it in thoughtful, loving ways. Remember that it’s often our own personal testimony that will carry the most weight, particularly in the early stages of witnessing (Rev. 12:11).Read 2 Peter 3:18. In what ways are you growing in grace and knowledge? How is this evident in your interactions with those around you?

Sufficient GraceWhen we feel the weight of our sin and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to the foot of the cross, we should ask for God’s forgiveness, knowing that “the LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Ps. 103:8, NKJV). This same verse was spoken by God Himself (Exod. 34:6) after His chosen nation had grieved Him.Read Exodus 34:1-10. What crucial truth is found here?The fact that the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy is also the very reason Jesus died on the cross--so that our relationship with God could be made right again.It’s when we are willing to acknowledge and confess our sin; when we say, O, Lord, here I am again … “Be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13, NKJV), that Jesus--who has already been working in us and for us with the Holy Spirit before we even call out to Him--sees the weight and takes it from us. Our burdens are lifted at Calvary, and Jesus is surely very near when we come to Him and, even before, seeks us as the Good Shepherd and stands at the door and knocks (Rev. 3:20). Let’s not stay away from the Cross, looking at God from a distance. Let’s run to Jesus and exchange our sins and burdens for His righteousness (Zech. 3:4).Slowly read the following verses. Write in your own words what they tell you about God’s grace toward you: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23, NKJV).“But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:20-21, NKJV).“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8, NKJV).

Holy Spirit PromptingsAs he thought about the distance between himself and his wife, he knew that he had been wrong. He’d been unkind and harsh and had said some things he’d regretted. Yet his next thought was Didn’t she deserve it, even a little bit?Is this thought process familiar to you? It’s easy to flip from a sense of remorse to a justification of our thoughts and actions. It’s not always easy to say “I’m sorry …” when we have done wrong, yet this is so essential to rebuilding or strengthening any relationship.The same is true of us and God. The Holy Spirit often prompts our minds to think about the sins that we commit. Our hearts are moved because of these promptings, but it can be easy to push away that still, small voice as we justify why we acted a certain way. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to “convict the world of sin” (John 16:8, NKJV). What an incredible gift from God (Luke 11:13), for how we need such convictions to repair the distance that can creep into our walk with Him!Read Hosea 6. What specifically do you notice here about how God describes Himself in His appeal for repentance?Consider the role of the Holy Spirit in the process of grafting us back onto the Vine (John 15:4). “We often sorrow because our evil deeds bring unpleasant consequences to ourselves; but this is not repentance. Real sorrow for sin is the result of the working of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reveals the ingratitude of the heart that has slighted and grieved the Saviour, and brings us in contrition to the foot of the cross. By every sin Jesus is wounded afresh; … we mourn for the sins that have brought anguish upon Him. Such mourning will lead to the renunciation of sin.”--Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 300.The truth is, we can’t grow in our relationship with God when chosen and cherished sin stands between us and Him. We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God, but we can--and should--repent of our sins when the Holy Spirit brings them into our minds (Eph. 4:30).When did you last hear a rebuke or a call to repentance? How did you respond? Spend some time right now in prayer, asking God to soften your heart and open your ears to His voice in His Word this week.