The theme hymn for this quarter’s studies “On Death, Dying and the FUTURE HOPE” is 
Hymn 214 – We Have This Hope.

The studies we have completed so far are reverberating in 
Hymn 203 – This Is The Threefold Truth and will do through to the end of this quarter.

Contrary to the worldwide view of the Bible, we ask 
Give Me The Bible – Hymn 272. Sabbath afternoon concludes with encouraging us “to be guided by the Holy Spirit with the purpose of being ready for Christ’s glorious appearing: 
Hymn 269 – Come, Holy Spirit.

Sunday gives us many pointers on how we may be like Jesus, our Model: 
Hymn 310 – I Would Draw Nearer to Jesus so 
I Would Be Like Jesus – Hymn 311 and Hymn 492 – Like Jesus. We may then be able to sing 
We Praise Thee With Our Minds – Hymn 642 to complete Sunday’s study time.

The last statement on Monday tells us “we should trust in God”: 
Hymn 510 – If You But Trust in God to Guide You.

Once again we may sing 
Hymn 311 – I Would Be Like Jesus (Tuesday). It is that 
Faith Is The Victory – Hymn 608 and 
All To Jesus I Surrender – Hymn 309 that we may work towards seeing The Mind of Christ.

To have The Guidance of the Spirit, we may sing heartily and yet prayerfully 
Hymn 269 – Come, Holy Spirit or 
Hymn 672 – Spirit Of The Living God as we ask daily for this guidance. 
Lead Me Lord – Hymn 691, please.

As ‘Tis Almost Time For the Lord To Come – Hymn 212, I want to be ready for the breaking of the day (verse 4). We are to be “pressing on ahead in faith” (Thursday) as is in 
Hymn 625 – Higher Ground (verse 1).

On Friday, Ellen G White says “The Lord is coming” as does 
Hymn 200 – The Lord Is Coming. Further down in the reading of the day, we are then encouraged to be cheerful as we wait for Jesus to come: 
Hymn 440 – How Cheering Is The Christian’s Hope and 
Hymn 494 – We Would See Jesus because 
In A Little While We’re Going Home – Hymn 626.

Today we look forward to Jesus coming again. Oh, what a day that will be 
When We All Get To Heaven – Hymn 633 because 
That Glorious Day Is Coming – Hymn 209.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Amen!(0)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/12-the-biblical-worldview-singing-with-inspiration/

Key Thought: Through Sunday sacredness and the immortality of the soul Satan will bring the world under his deceptions, while the everlasting gospel of truth will be going to the whole world.
December 17, 2022

1. Have a volunteer read I Corinthians 3:16,17; 6:19,20.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. How does understanding our bodies are the temple of God help us improve our lifestyles?
3. Personal Application: Why is it important to follow the health message? What does that have to do with salvation? Share your thoughts..
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “I just love tattoos. I want to have one on my arm to honor my brother who died. What do you think?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read I Corinthians 2:16, Psalm 24:2,3; Colossians 3:2.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What does it mean to have the mind of Christ?
3. Personal Application: What would your life be like if you didn’t have sinful thoughts? How can we have that experience? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “How can I not be discouraged when I look at my life compared to how Christ lived? What can I do to keep from being discouraged and yet not self-deceived enough to think that I don’t need to improve?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Acts 8:4-24..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. Why did Simon want the gifts of the Spirit and why did he want to buy them?
3. Personal Application: Why don’t we see the gifts of the Spirit manifested in the church more often thtn we do? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “I went to a Charismatic church and people were full of the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit. It reallt made me feel alive. It made me realize that God accepts me as I am and I don’t need to change my lifestyle.” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read 2 Peter 3:14, I John 3:1-3.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What is the difference between preparing ourselves for the second coming and being ready for the second coming?
3. Personal Application: How can you be ready if Jesus returned today or tomorrow? Is there anything you would change if He were returning next week? Share your thoughts?
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

Amen!(0)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/12-the-biblical-worldview-teaching-plan/

I would like to begin this by saying I am surprised at the lies and deceptions the world is falling for today. The truth is so plain and clear. and it seems the enemy makes man fall with such little effort. Like all the serpent had to say was, “You shall not surely die,” and just like that, Eve was sold. The serpent’s lie had no foundation or evidence, but it was exactly what Eve wanted to hear, and that  was all that mattered. I would like to say that I marvel at the world being so easily deceived today, but what about me? Have I told myself lies in order to make sin appear right in my own eyes? I am ashamed to say, “Yes, I have.” What makes me think other people rationalize away sin until it is right in their own eyes? What makes me think others know the truth but willfully try to fool themselves? It’s because that is exactly what I have done, and I am a part of the web of humanity. 

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. Romans 2:1 NLT

I love studying my Bible near the bay or gulf in the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

I just watched a video on Youtube, trying to tell me why the Sabbath is no longer important. The arguments were so weak, and yet most of the world falls for these arguments because that is exactly what they want to hear. The problem is not deception as much as it is a lack of love for the truth. When we don’t have a love for truth, not much deception is needed to get us to fall. Not much deception was needed for Eve to fall. All the serpent had to say was, “You won’t die.” He did not give any evidence. Lies don’t need evidence in order to deceive. They just need to be what we want to hear. That makes them compelling enough. The serpent told Eve she would be like God, which totally ignored the fact she was already created in God’s image. Eve failed such a simple test with such simple lies. 

That’s what makes sin sting so hard when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. We knew better. We weren’t really deceived by the serpent as much as we were deceived by our own creative thinking, twisting things around in our mind until we deceived ourselves into thinking sin is right. After all, we are good Christians. We would never sin intentionally, right? That’s why it is so important to twist thing around in our mind so that we deceive ourselves into thinking wrong is right. Then we can sin ignorantly, right? Wrong! Paul just told us in Romans 2:1 we have no excuse. We can’t claim ignorance when we fool ourselves. 

Well, Paul does concede that Eve was deceived, but Adam was not. 

And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. 1 Timothy 2:14 NLT 

So we have Eve deceived without much effort, while Adam was not deceived at all. When I read this passage yesterday, at first I thought I was going to have a real sermon here about Adam claiming to be deceived when he was not really deceived. But when I compared this passage with Genesis 3, I found Adam never even claimed to be deceived. 

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Genesis 3:12 NLT 

Adam suggests he was tempted, but he was never deceived. Adam, not being deceived, had to rationalize and twist his thinking to make eating the fruit seem logical, even though it was contrary to God’s Word. Eve was deceived, but her thinking was not far behind Adam’s. God never says, “It’s really my fault, I should have warned you better.” He never says, “I should not have allowed the serpent to lie to you. It was too great a deception.” No, the test was simple, and God’s Word was plain and simple. It only became complicated when Adam and Eve wanted to disobey. They had to rationalize and twist their own thinking around to make it complicated and confusing so they could now sin “ignorantly.” After all, no one wants to sin intentionally. That’s why it’s so important that we fool ourselves first. 

If Adam was not deceived, why did he allow himself to sin? Why did he fool himself into thinking disobedience was a good idea? Paul, who told Timothy that Adam was not deceived, also gives Timothy the reason why Adam allowed himself to sin. 

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NLT 

Adam was not deceived by the serpent. He intentionally fooled himself, which when you intentionally fool yourself, you are not really fooled at all. We reason within ourselves until we hear exactly what we want to hear. Anti-Sabbath and Anti-Adventist Youtube videos are not deceiving or fooling anyone. People are deceiving and fooling themselves, because they want to be deceived. God’s Word is clear. The law is clear. It only gets complicated when we want to make it complicated so that sin appears “right.” We only fall for lies and deceptions after we reject the truth. “They follow their own desires and will look for teacher who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” We are not deceived and then reject the truth. We reject the truth and then are deceived. What the world needs is a love for truth, and then everyone will stop deceiving themselves. What I need is a love for truth and then I will stop deceiving myself. 

Here is what is so amazing about God’s grace. Adam was not deceived, and God still gave him grace. Adam sinned willfully and intentionally, and God still forgave him! Grace is no license for sin, yet God’s grace can forgive and transform the most vile and blatant sinner. God did not forgive Adam because he had a good excuse. He had no excuse, and God still forgave him. Those who listen to blatant lies on Youtube videos have no excuse. I have no excuse.  Paul tells us in Romans 2:1 that we are all without excuse. Romans 3:23 tells us we all have sinned. Romans 3:24 tells us we all are justified freely by God’s grace. 

My prayer for 2023 is that we all will fall in love with the truth. Only a love for truth will keep us from being deceived. Only a love for the truth will keep us from fooling ourselves into sin and rebellion against God and His law. 

Amen!(1)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/pray-to-have-a-love-for-the-truth/

Some people believe that by changing the environment the individual will be transformed. Definitely, we should avoid places and circumstances that can make us more vulnerable to temptation (Psalm 1:1, Proverbs 5:1-8). But our problem with temptation and sin can be solved only by the transformation of our own hearts (or minds). Christ touched the core of the issue when He stated, “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come — sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” (Mark 7:21-22, NIV). This means that our minds need to be transformed in order for our behavior to be changed.

Read the following texts: 1 Corinthians 2:16; Psalms 24:3-4; Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8; and Colossians 3:2. What does it mean to have the “mind of Christ”?

Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com

The Lord had promised that under the “new covenant” He would put His law in the minds of His people and write it on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-33, compare with Hebrews 8:8-10, Hebrews 10:16). It is no surprise, then, that in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ broadened and deepened the meaning of God’s commandments to the level of thoughts and intentions (see Matthew 5:17-48). So, we can gain victory over temptation only by God’s transforming grace and, at the level of thoughts and intentions, we should claim that promise so that we can stop sinful thoughts.

We will always have sinful natures until Jesus comes. But if we are in Christ, we are fully covered by His righteousness. Although we are not yet perfect, we are considered already perfect in Him (Philippians 3:12-15). “When we are united to Christ, we have the mind of Christ. Purity and love shine forth in the character, meekness and truth control the life. The very expression of the countenance is changed. Christ abiding in the soul exerts a transforming power, and the outward aspect bears witness to the peace and joy that reign within.” — Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 337.

Only by a daily surrender, a daily death to self, a daily determined effort, by faith, to be obedient to Jesus can we have this kind of transformation in our lives.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Amen!(2)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/tuesday-mind-of-christ/

The dualistic theory of a mortal body with an immortal soul has generated various theories about the human body. For example, for ancient Greek philosophers, the human body was the prison of the soul, which was liberated by death. In an echo of this pagan concept, many Christians today believe that the body is the temporal housing of the immortal soul, which will be reintegrated with the body at the resurrection. By contrast, pantheists make the human body divine; they believe that God and the universe are one and the same. For them, all things are God and the human body is part of the one single integrated and universal divine substance. Surrounded by conflicting theories on the subject, we must stand firm on what the Bible teaches regarding the nature of humanity.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20,  and 1 Corinthians 10:31. How can the understanding that our bodies are “the temple of God” and “the temple of the Holy Spirit” positively influence our lifestyle?

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

Both Adam and Eve were created in God’s own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), which was reflected not only in their character but also in their physical aspect. Because that image was marred and even hidden by the presence of sin, the work of redemption is to restore human beings to their original condition, including their physical health, to the degree possible for beings unable to partake of the tree of life.

This restoration is a lifetime process that will be completed only at Christ’s second coming, when the corruptible puts on incorruption and the mortal becomes immortal (1 Corinthians 15:53-54).

The apostle John wrote to his friend Gaius, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul” (3 John 1: 2, NRSV).

If we recognize that a human being is an indivisible entity, and that religion embraces all aspects of human life, then we should consider our physical health also as a religious duty. We should be guided by the inspired principle, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NKJV). But remember that we still live in a world where good people can do their best and yet suffer the consequences of a sinful human nature and a sinful environment. So, we should trust in God and do our best, and we leave the results with God.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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