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Sermon Outline

Three Cosmic Messages

“ ‘Fear God and Give Glory to Him’ ”

Lesson #4 for April 22, 2023

Scriptures: Revelation 14;Genesis 22:12; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Colossians 3:1-2; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

  1. Earlier, we suggested that Revelation 14 is God’s response to Satan’s challenge in Revelation 13. Look at the following verses.

Revelation 14:12: This calls for endurance on the part of God’s people, those who obey God’s commandments and are faithful to Jesus.—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed.,Revelation 14:12). New York: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible].†‡

Revelation 13:10: “Whoever is meant to be captured will surely be captured; whoever is meant to be killed by the sword will surely be killed by the sword. This calls for endurance and faith on the part of God’s people.”?Good News Bible.*

  1. Which do you think will require greater faith and endurance, Satan’s challenges in Revelation 13? Or, God’s response in Revelation 14?

[From the Bible study guide=BSG:] Danish author Søren Kierkegaard told a parable about the end time. It went something like this:

A fire broke out backstage in a big theater. A clown, who had been part of the performance, came out to warn the audience: “Get out; the place is on fire!” The audience thought it was just a big joke, part of the show, that’s all, and just applauded. He repeated the warning: “Get out! Get out!” But the more emphatically he warned them, the greater the applause. For Kierkegaard, that is how the world is going to end; that is, to the general applause of wits who believe it’s a joke.

The end of the world, and events leading up to it, are, as we know, no joke. The world faces the most serious crisis since the Flood.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sabbath Afternoon, April 15.†‡§

  1. Note these words from2 Peter 3:10.

2 Peter 3:10: But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that Day the heavens will disappear with a shrill noise, the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed, and the earth with everything in it will vanish.?Good News Bible.* [If we knew when the thief was coming, we would be prepared!]

  1. God’s government is based entirely on love. He does not want to frighten people; He wants them to love Him. But, when one is talking about something as serious as the end of the world, how do you get people to take you seriously without scaring them?
  2. Since the beginning of our church’s history, Seventh-day Adventists have claimed that the three angels’ messages or three cosmic messages are our message for the world. They are to be carried to everyone—to every part of the world.
  3. Wouldn’t that suggest that we believe that Revelation 12-14 are supposed to be God’s final, urgent, eternal warning in preparation for Jesus’s second coming?
  4. So, what doesRevelation 14:7 mean, saying that we are to honor God or fear Him?

Revelation 14:7: Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.—The Holy Bible: King James Version.* (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version.Revelation 14:7). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Revelation 14:7: He said in a loud voice, “Honour [sic] God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!”?Good News Bible.*

  1. The word fear in the Bible is used in many ways. It can mean anything from abject terror all the way to honor, respect, and reverence. Look at these passages to see some ways in which the word has been used in the Bible.

Genesis 22:12: “Don’t hurt the boy or do anything to him,” he said. “Now I know that you honour [sic] [fear] and obey God, because you have not kept back your only son from him.”?Good News Bible.*†‡

Psalm 89:7: You are feared in the council of the holy ones; and all of them stand in awe of you.?Good News Bible.*

Proverbs 2:5: If you do, you will know what it means to fear the LORD and you will succeed in learning about God.?Good News Bible.*

Ephesians 5:21: Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.—King James Version.*

  1. It is interesting to compare God’s request that we love Him and respect Him with Satan’s challenges inIsaiah 14:13-14.

Isaiah 14:13-14: 13 “You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble. 14You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty.”?Good News Bible.* [This is described as the mystery of iniquity.]

  1. Instead, it is the attitude of Christ, who, though “being in the form of God ... humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:6,8, NKJV*) This is described as the mystery of Godliness.

Philippians 2:6-8: 6 He [Christ Jesus] always had the nature of God,

but he did not think that by force he should try to remain equal with God.

7 Instead of this, of his own free will he gave up all he had,

and took the nature of a servant.

He became like a human being

and appeared in human likeness.

8 He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death—his death on the cross.?Good News Bible.*

  1. Since we are talking about the great controversy, how would you describe that in a few words?

[BSG:] The essence of the great controversy revolves around submission to God. Lucifer was self-centered. He refused to submit to any authority except his own. Rather than submit to the One upon the throne, Lucifer desired to rule from the throne. Put simply, to fear God is to place Him first in our thinking. It is to renounce our self-centeredness and pride and to live a life wholly for Him.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sunday, April 16.†‡

  1. The great controversy is the conflict between God and Satan over who is telling us the truth: God or Satan. God whose very nature is love vs. Satan whose very nature is selfishness. Satan does everything he can to convince humans that God is like Satan really is: Selfish, abusive, and unloving.
  2. Could you explain to an individual why it is important to fear the Lord? Can you do it without misrepresenting God?
  3. There are many passages in Scripture that suggests that to fear God means to obey him. For example, seeDeuteronomy 6:2; Psalm 119:73-74; andEcclesiastes 12:13-14. How do you understandEphesians 2:8-10?
  4. If the law no longer has power to condemn, does that negate the necessity to obey it?

Ephesians 2:8-10: 8-9For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. 10God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.?Good News Bible.*

  1. Our Bible study guide suggests that “the gospel sets us free from the law’s condemnation, not from our responsibility to obey it.”
  2. So, where does grace fit into this picture?

[BSG:] Grace not only delivers us from the guilt of our past, but it also empowers us to live godly, obedient lives in the present....

There are some people who have the strange idea that salvation by grace somehow negates the law of God or minimizes the necessity for obedience. They believe that any talk about obedience is legalism. They have declared, “All I want is Jesus.” The question is, which Jesus? A Jesus of our own making, or the Jesus of Scripture? The Christ of Scripture never leads us to downplay His law, which is the transcript of His character. The Christ of Scripture never leads us to minimize the doctrines of the Bible, which reveal more clearly who He is and His plan for this world.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Monday, April 17.†‡

[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] The law of love is the foundation of God’s government, and the service of love the only service acceptable to heaven. God has granted freedom of will to all, endowed men with capacity to appreciate his character, and therefore with ability to love him and to choose his service. So long as created beings worshiped God they were in harmony throughout the universe. While love to God was supreme, love to others abounded. As there was no transgression of the law, which is the transcript of God’s character, no note of discord jarred the celestial harmonies.—Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times,* February 13, 1893, par. 1.†‡

[EGW:] Christ offers Himself and all He has, His glory, His character, to the service of those who return to their loyalty and keep the law of God. This is their only hope. Christ says definitely, I came not to destroy the law. It is a transcript of God’s character, and I came to carry out its every specification. I came to vindicate it by living it in human nature, giving an example of perfect obedience.—Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times,* June 13, 1900, par. 7.†‡

  1. In view of God’s love for all of us as spelled out inJohn 3:16, how do we explain this?

Matthew 10:28: [Jesus said:] “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”—New King James Version.* [Does this help us understand what it means to fear God?]

  1. Is God threatening us that He can destroy us completely in hell?

[BSG:] In an age of consumerism, when secular values have made self the center, heaven’s appeal is to turn from the tyranny of self-centeredness and the bondage of self-inflated importance to place God at the center of our lives. For some, money is the center of their lives. For others, it is pleasure or power. For some, it may be sports, music, or entertainment. Revelation’s message is a clarion call to fear, respect, and honor God as life’s true Center.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, April 18.

  1. How should we respond to the following advice?

Matthew 6:33: “Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things.”?Good News Bible.*

Colossians 3:1-2: 1You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right-hand side of God. 2Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth.?Good News Bible.*

  1. It should be clear to anyone with a modicum of understanding of the Scriptures that the central issue in the great controversy is over controlling people’s minds.

[BSG:] The final battle in the great controversy is between good and evil for control of our thoughts. The apostle Paul gives us this admonition: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5, NKJV). The mind is the citadel of our being. It is the wellspring of our actions. The word “let” means to allow or to choose. It speaks of a volitional act of the will. The choice to have the mind of Christ is the choice to allow Jesus to shape our thinking by filling our minds with the things of eternity. Our actions reveal where our thinking process is. To fear God is to make Him first in our lives.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, April 18.†‡§

Philippians 2:5: The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had.?Good News Bible.*

[BSG:] Think about how easy, in one sense, it is to control your thoughts, at least when you are conscious that you need to control them. Often, the problem is that unless we make a conscious effort to dwell on the right things, the “things above, not . . . things on the earth” (Col. 3:2, NKJV), our minds, fallen and sinful as they are, will naturally tend toward the base things, the things of the world. Hence, we need to, as Paul said, purposely and deliberately choose, using the sacred gift of free will, to dwell on the heavenly things.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, April 18.†‡§

  1. In the western world as well as in much of the rest of the world, advertising agencies are doing everything they can to get our attention and distract us from focusing on God.
  2. So, what kind of people would we be if we followed the advice that Paul gave us about living Christlike lives?

Philippians 4:8: In conclusion, my brothers and sisters, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable [sic].?Good News Bible.*

  1. A careful look at the use of the word glory in the Bible in passages such as “give glory to God” (Revelation 14:7) shows us that, very often, this phrase is used in the context of judgment.

Joshua 7:19: Joshua said to him, “My son, tell the truth here before the LORD, the God of Israel, and confess. Tell me now what you have done. Don’t try to hide it from me.”?Good News Bible.*

1 Samuel 6:5: [The priests of the Philistines said:] “You must make these models of the tumours [sic] and of the mice that are ravaging your country, and you must give honour [sic] to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will stop punishing you, your gods, and your land.?Good News Bible.*†‡

Jeremiah 13:15-16: 15 People of Israel, the LORD has spoken!

Be humble and listen to him.

16 Honour [sic] the LORD, your God,

before he brings darkness,

and you stumble on the mountains;

before he turns into deep darkness

the light you hoped for.?Good News Bible.*†‡

Malachi 2:2: “You must honour [sic] me by what you do. If you will not listen to what I say, then I will bring a curse on you. I will put a curse on the things you receive for your support. In fact, I have already put a curse on them, because you do not take my command seriously.”?Good News Bible.*†‡

  1. However, before we get to the point of God’s judgment, how does giving glory to God impact our lives on a day-by-day basis?

1 Corinthians 3:16-17: 16 Surely you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you! 17So if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you yourselves are his temple.?Good News Bible.*

1 Corinthians 6:19-20: 19Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; 20he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God’s glory.?Good News Bible.*

1 Corinthians 10:31: Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God’s glory.?Good News Bible.*

  1. What would it mean to give glory to God in our diet? Our dress? Entertainment? Even our interaction with others?
  2. Paul made a very interesting statement inRomans 12:1-2.

Romans 12:1-2: 1So then, my brothers and sisters, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer. 2Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.?Good News Bible.*

  1. What could it mean to be a living sacrifice to God? Paul was not talking about sacrifices being slaughtered on an altar, but rather, a living sacrifice. The Greek word in Romans 12 is somata. The expression reasonable service in the King James Version would be much better translated as an act of intelligent worship, or an act of spiritual worship.
  2. Are we prepared to give glory to God in our minds? Our bodies? And our emotions?
  3. Some of this may sound rather daunting. Is it possible for human beings to live as is being suggested? What assistance do we need when trying to live the lives of overcomers?
  4. Revelation uses the word overcomers many times.
  5. After readingRevelation 14:12, notice these words from the Bible study guide.

[BSG:] We can overcome because He overcame. We can be victorious because He was victorious. We can triumph over temptation because He triumphed over temptation.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Thursday, April 19.

[EGW:] If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us. Therefore, Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are.”Hebrews 4:15. He endured every trial to which we are subject. And He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As man, He met temptation, and overcame in the strength given Him from God. He says, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.”Psalm 40:8. As He went about doing good, and healing all who were afflicted by Satan, He made plain to men the character of God’s law and the nature of His service. His life testifies that it is possible for us also to obey the law of God.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 24.2.†‡ [Amazing!]

[EGW:] He did not employ His divine power to lessen His burdens or to lighten His toil.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 72.3.†‡

  1. How do you understand these words fromHebrews 4:14-16 andHebrews 7:25?

Hebrews 4:14-16: 14 Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great High Priest who has gone into the very presence of God—Jesus, the Son of God. 15Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. 16Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.?Good News Bible.*

Hebrews 7:25: And so he is able, now and always, to save those who come to God through him, because he lives for ever [sic] to plead with God for them.?Good News Bible.*

Hebrews 7:25: Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.—King James Version.*

  1. Do these passages suggest that Jesus understands us better than the Father does because for a while Jesus was here on this earth and suffered temptations as we do?
  2. Would you consider yourself an overcomer? If not, what things in your life need to be overcome? God promises:

Revelation 21:7: “Those who win the victory will receive this from me: I will be their God, and they will be my children.”?Good News Bible.*

[BSG:] “We can summarize the force of the expression ‘fear God’ in Revelation as God’s final call to humanity to choose Him as their glorious and majestic God, . . . who will be victorious over the forces of evil that oppose Him and His plan for the human race (cf. [Rev.] 14:9–11). This fear does not manifest itself, at least not for now (cf., [Rev.] 6:14–17), in terror and trembling, but in joyous and loving submission to God’s law and to His exclusive worship. No other power should be acknowledged as worthy of such devotion and loyalty. In fact, there are no other options, because what shows itself on the horizon of the cosmic conflict as possibilities are actions of demonic powers destined to extinction (Revelation 16:13, 14; 17:14; 20:11–15).”—Ángel Manuel Rodríguez, “The Closing of the Cosmic Conflict: Role of the Three Angels’ Messages,” unpublished manuscript, p. 27.—[as quoted in Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Friday, April 21]. [Brackets and content in brackets in the paragraph are in the source.]

  1. Try to imagine how powerful God is. Through the amazing new Hubble and James Webb telescopes, we are repeatedly discovering how immense the universe is. What does it mean to you to suggest that God created all those worlds and all those galaxies? Do you feel comfortable realizing that He is going to be our Judge? Remember that God the Father worked through Jesus Christ in the creation process.
  2. Only God can make the necessary changes in our lives; however, because He always honors our freedom, He will never work with our minds unless we invite Him.
  3. Notice these words from Ellen White.

[EGW:] It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” “The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”Job 14:4; Romans 8:7. Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ* 18.1.†‡ [How does He do this?]

  1. If we are Seventh-day Adventists and claim to be a part of God’s end-time people, how do you think we should understand the challenge of the three angels’ messages? Do we have a collective responsibility in the church to fulfill those commands? Do we also have an individual responsibility in fulfilling those commands?
  2. Would you agree that giving glory to God refers to how we live? Wouldn’t that impact every aspect of our lives? Do we glorify God in the way we eat and drink and what we take into our minds from all external sources?

[BSG:] InJohn 13:17, He states, “ ‘If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them’ ” (NKJV). A life wrapped up in self is a very small package. Being locked in the prison of our own self-centered behavior is a miserable way to live. Knowing Christ, obeying Christ, and living for something bigger than ourselves brings life’s greatest joy. The One who made us has designed us to live, really live, for the delights of His kingdom.Psalm 16:11 puts it this way: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (NKJV).

The SDA Bible Commentary makes this insightful observation regarding the expression “fear God” inRevelation 14:7: “The message to fear God is especially timely in the period represented by the preaching of this angel, for men are worshipping gods of materialism and pleasure and many others of their own devising.”—Volume 7, p. 827.

“A series of studies . . . published in the journal Motivation and Emotion [T. Kasser et al., “Changes in Materialism, Changes in Psychological Well-being: Evidence From Three Longitudinal Studies and an Intervention Experiment,” Motivation and Emotion 38 (2014), pp. 1-22] showed that as people become more materialistic, their sense of well-being and purpose is reduced and if they become less materialistic, it rises. While materialism is good for the economy, fueling growth, it can have a negative impact on a personal level, leading to anxiety and depression. Consumerism can also damage relationships, communities, and the environment.”—Kirstie Pursey, “How Consumerism and Materialism of Modern Society Make Us Unhappy, Lonely, and Unconfident,” https://www.learning-mind.com/consumerism-and-materialism-unhappy/.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 52-53.†‡§ [The brackets and the content in brackets in the paragraph are in the Bible study guide.]

  1. Does it seem possible to you that committing oneself completely to doing God’s will for our lives could bring happiness?

[EGW:] All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 668.3.†‡

[BSG:] To “give glory” to God means to honor God in our lifestyle. Giving God glory involves the recognition that we are ambassadors for Christ. We are the light of the world—the salt of the earth. The word used for “glory” inRevelation 14:7 is doxa. This word is used regularly in the New Testament. It may have two distinct meanings. The first meaning indicates honor, fame, or recognition. In this sense, to give God glory would mean to give Him the honor or recognition He deserves. Rightly so, for He created us. He redeems us. Daily He sustains our lives, and He is coming again for us. At the same time, there is another aspect of the word doxa that is often overlooked. In some instances, in the New Testament, doxa can signify brightness or glorious appearance. According to the apostle Paul, the glory of God shone forth in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). “As this glory of God revealed in Christ shines forth from the gospel into the heart and mind of the believer, it transforms him into ‘light in the Lord’ (Eph. 5:8). Thus ‘we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory’ (2 Cor. 3:18).”—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 503. To embody this twofold meaning, honoring God and guarding His reputation while letting the brightness of His glory shine through our lives, ought to be the goal of each Christian.—Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 53-54.†‡§

  1. A young girl that was accustomed to worshiping in a large cathedral with stained glass windows showing scenes from the life of Christ and the early disciples was asked the question, “What is a saint?” She thought for a moment and said that “a saint is someone that the light shines through!”
  2. How much is included in giving glory to God? Does that include caring for our bodies which He has given us? Can we violate His principles of health and still give glory to God?
  3. Do we recognize that our bodies are the dwelling place of the Spirit of God?

[BSG:] Our bodies become the dwelling place of the Spirit of God. This tenancy is indeed an awesome thought: the Third Person of the Godhead takes residence in the lives of believers. Thus, to defile our bodies and willingly violate the laws of health is to dishonor our Maker. We are Christ’s because He created us and has redeemed us.

There is another reason it is vitally important to God that we give Him glory in our health practices. Spirituality and health are closely aligned. The Holy Spirit communicates with us through the spiritual faculties of our brains. If the brain is nourished by a poor quality of blood because of poor health habits, we will be less capable of discerning the voice of the Holy Spirit. Our understanding of the plan of salvation and Bible truth will be obscured and compromised. If we are destroying our bodies because of our willful neglect of our health, our witness to the world certainly will not be one that gives God glory. This principle applies not only to our health habits but also to the things we watch on television and read in magazines and books, the content that occupies us on the internet [sic], and a host of other lifestyle practices.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 54.

[EGW:] Physical inaction lessens not only mental but moral power. The brain nerves that connect with the whole system are the medium through which heaven communicates with man and affects the inmost life. Whatever hinders the circulation of the electric current in the nervous system, thus weakening the vital powers and lessening mental susceptibility, makes it more difficult to arouse the moral nature.—Ellen G. White, Education* 209.2.†‡ [1903]

  1. God is calling us to live a happy, God-centered life, giving Him glory in all that we do. This challenges us to prepare ourselves and prepare others for the soon coming of Jesus.
  2. Something to think about:

[BSG:] Several years ago, Pastor Mark Finley was helping an older woman quit smoking. They studied the Bible together, counseled, and prayed together, but nothing seemed to work. She just did not have the motivation to quit smoking. In fact, she enjoyed smoking and only half-heartedly desired to quit. One day when Pastor Finley visited this elderly grandmother, she had a big smile on her face and exclaimed, “Pastor Finley, I quit, I quit! I haven’t smoked for a number of days!” Eager to discover what made the change, the pastor asked, “What motivated you?” She simply responded, “My little seven-year-old granddaughter.” She explained, “One evening I was sitting in my favorite chair, smoking away, and my granddaughter climbed up on my lap and said, ‘Grandma, when I get big, I want to smoke just like you.’ That was it, pastor. I quit for her sake.”

If a grandma can quit smoking for her granddaughter’s sake, can we not, by the grace of God and the power of His Spirit, give up any habit not in harmony with His will for Christ’s sake? The devil says that it is impossible to overcome our evil habits and sinful tendencies. Jesus says, “ ‘To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life. . . . Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life’ ” (Rev. 2:710, NKJV). Jesus promises us the strength to be victorious in the battle with evil.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 55.‡§

©2023, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. Bold type is added. Brackets and content in brackets are added. §Italic type is in the source.                                                                                    Info@theox.org

Last Modified: April 7, 2023