2023-Q1-L12

2023-Q1-L12: Rewards of Faithfulness

Read for This Week’s Study: Heb. 11:6, Isa. 62:11, Rom. 6:23, John 14:1-3, Revelation 21, Matt. 25:20-23, Rom. 8:16-18.

Memory Text: “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord’ ” (Matthew 25:21, NKJV).

Alternate memory text: Hebrews 11:6 (ESV): 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Notes

Adam, Eve and Jesus were the only ones who had a choice to not sin.

We need a remedy and we cannot cure ourselves. We need God's power.

There is a sense in which you work for you salvation, but you never actually earn it.

God's children already own what they're working for.

Relationships on this earth are not merely transactional. If they were, then I have a lot to lose by interacting with others, given that people are always on the take. Rarely are they loving and unselfishly giving. It takes work to give.

The only thing that pleases God is faith. It is by faith that we are saved.

Yet, it is faith that results in a particular conduct. By faith Noah built an ark. By faith Abraham left his home. By faith Moses left Egyptian life.

A woman may wear a dress, but wearing a dress does not make you a woman.

Faith results in good works, but good works does not mean you have faith.

You can't say you have faith without works.

In the garden of Eden, the serpent started his temptations with doubt. If the serpent could cause Eve to doubt, then he could cause Eve to fall.

Eternal life is the new dispensation. Doing good is pointless if this life is all we have.

But a son of God has eternal life now. He believes his reward is already given. We live with the belief that death is only a sleep. The wicked are alive but they are in truth, dead. It's just a matter of time before they figure it out.

At the Second Coming, eternal life will be manifest. Right now, it is a promise that we believe.

Hinsdale

3 Dimensions of the Rewards of Faithfulness

1. Material. Example: John 6. Feeding of the 5,000.

The people wanted Jesus to be king not for Jesus' mission and God's cause, but for themselves. It was an entirely selfish reason.

John 6:26: Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

Material rewards are good in and of themselves, but that is not enough.

He who feeds the poor feeds three: The poor, God, and me.

Proverbs 19:17: Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

2. Spiritual.

John 6:27: Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.

John 6:35: Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

3. Eternal.

John 6:67-68: So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,

Daniel 7:18: But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.

John Piper: The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God. . . . If we don't want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel.

SUNDAY. Reward for Faithfulness

Scripture

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV): 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Revelation 22:12 (ESV): 12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.

Isaiah 40:10 (ESV): 10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

Isaiah 62:11 (ESV): 11 Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion,“Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.”

Matthew 5:11–12 (ESV): 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Hebrews 12:1–2 (ESV): 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Romans 11:6 (NKJV): 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

The reward from God to His faithful children is unique and, like many spiritual things, may be beyond our finite understanding. “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.

Being rewarded for faithfulness, however, is not the same as salvation by works. Who among us, or among any of the characters in the Bible, had works good enough to give them any merit before God? None, of course. That’s the whole point of the cross. If we could have saved ourselves by works, Jesus never would have gone to the cross. Instead, it must be by grace.

Notes

The lesson presents the What but not the How. Yes, we are saved by Grace through Faith.

Terms: Grace, Faith, and Works.

1 Corinthians 15:10: But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

Ephesians 2:1-10: And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Grace enables us to work, given that we are created ("reborn") for good works.

Five solas: Christians are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone.

MONDAY. Everlasting Life

Scripture

Romans 6:23 (ESV): 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16–17 (ESV): 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 14:1–3 (ESV): 14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

From the lesson: As human beings (and whether we like it or not), an eternity awaits us. And according to the Bible, this eternity will come in one of two manifestations, at least for each of us individually: either eternal life or eternal death. That’s it. No middle ground. No straddling, a bit of one side or another. Instead, it is one (life) or the other (death). This truly is a case of all or nothing.

Notes

Immortality.

Romans 2:6-7: He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;

Hymn #21: Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

1 Timothy 6:13-16: I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before[d] Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

John 5:25-30: Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. 30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

ST July 15, 1897, par. 2: Christ came to communicate the life of God to humanity. He declared, “I live by the Father,” my life and his being one. “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.”

HM June 1, 1897, Art. A, par. 11: "God has sent his Son to communicate his own life to humanity.

TUESDAY. The New Jerusalem

From the lesson: The biblical description of the New Jerusalem is what Abraham saw by faith. “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). The New Jerusalem is God’s masterpiece, built for those who love Him and keep His commandments. The New Jerusalem will be the home of God’s faithful children in heaven during the millennium and, afterward, on the new earth for eternity. There is good news for those of us who don’t like packing or moving. God takes care of everything. John says he saw the city. “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2, NKJV).

Notes

Heaven and Earth made new. No sea.

God with us. We dwell with God.

No sickness and death.

Travels

Never thirst.

No sin.

WEDNESDAY. The Settling of Accounts

Scripture

Matthew 24:3 (ESV): 3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 25:14–19 (ESV): 14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

Matthew 25:20–23 (ESV): 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

“I was shown that the parable of the talents has not been fully understood. This important lesson was given to the disciples for the benefit of Christians living in the last days. And these talents do not represent merely the ability to preach and instruct from the word of God. The parable applies to the temporal means which God has entrusted to His people.” — Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 197.

Notes

COL 328.2: The special gifts of the Spirit are not the only talents represented in the parable. It includes all gifts and endowments, whether original or acquired, natural or spiritual. All are to be employed in Christ's service. In becoming His disciples, we surrender ourselves to Him with all that we are and have. These gifts He returns to us purified and ennobled, to be used for His glory in blessing our fellow men.

COL 331.1: But Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected.

COL 331.2: Let no one say, I cannot remedy my defects of character. If you come to this decision, you will certainly fail of obtaining everlasting life. The impossibility lies in your own will. If you will not, then you can not overcome. The real difficulty arises from the corruption of an unsanctified heart, and an unwillingness to submit to the control of God.

COL 331.3: Many whom God has qualified to do excellent work accomplish very little, because they attempt little. Thousands pass through life as if they had no definite object for which to live, no standard to reach. Such will obtain a reward proportionate to their works.

COL 332.1: Be ambitious, for the Master's glory, to cultivate every grace of character. In every phase of your character building you are to please God. This you may do; for Enoch pleased Him though living in a degenerate age. And there are Enochs in this our day.

THURSDAY. Eyes on the Prize

Scripture

Philippians 3:8-11: Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:12-16: Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Romans 8:16–18 (ESV): 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

1 Timothy 6:6–12 (ESV): 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4:6–8 (ESV): 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

FRIDAY. Further Thought:

APPENDIX

"In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived" (DA 530.3).

DA 21.2: All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father's life flows out to all; through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all. And thus through Christ the circuit of beneficence is complete, representing the character of the great Giver, the law of life.

While DA 530.3 says that "in Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived," yet this same life (from the Father) is given to all who believe in Christ as their personal Savior, as seen below:

1SM 296.2: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). It is not physical life that is here specified, but immortality, the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the Life-giver, takes it again. Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. “I lay it down of myself” (John 10:18), He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as his personal Saviour. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). This is the open fountain of life for the world.

Jesus was not just telling Martha that her brother would rise again, at that very moment, but he extended the concept to include eternal life—i.e. immortality. This life, original, unborrowed, underived, we can receive by faith in Christ. Thus, this quality of life, apart from the power to bestow it, is identical whether it is ingenerate as in the case of the Father, inherited [begotten] by the Son, or conferred as a conditional, permanent gift to God's children. Consider these quotes from EGW:

ST June 17, 1897, par. 14: If man will cooperate with God by returning willingly to his loyalty, and obeying the commandments, God will receive him as a son. Through the provision Christ has made by taking the punishment due to man, we may be reinstated in God's favor, being made partakers of the divine nature. If we repent of our transgression, and receive Christ as the Life-giver, our personal Saviour, we become one with him, and our will is brought into harmony with the divine will. We become partakers of the life of Christ, which is eternal. We derive immortality from God by receiving the life of Christ for in Christ dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. This life is the mystical union and cooperation of the divine with the human.

23LtMs, Ms 92, 1908, par.40: What a song that will be when the ransomed of the Lord meet at the gate of the holy city, which is thrown back on its glittering hinges, and the nations that have kept His word—His commandments—enter <into the city, the crown of the overcomer is placed upon their heads,> and the golden harps are placed in their hands! All heaven is filled with rich music, and with songs of praise to the Lamb. Saved, everlastingly saved, in the kingdom of glory! To have a life that measures with the life of God—that is the reward. Just think of it! “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.]

The Thrill of the Chase (TTOTC)

Forrest Fenn. Hidden treasure is somewhere to be found within the highlighted region of the Rocky Mountains.

Jack Stuef: I don't want to ruin this treasure hunt by saying it was made for an English major, but it's based on a close read of a text. I mean, that's what it is. It's having the correct interpretation of a poem. I understood him by reading his words, and listening to him talk over and over and over and over again.

To "know" God

Love is relational. The creation of the "we" (the "us").

Love is not transactional, wanting something for giving something. Giving without expecting anything in return.

Two sides to love. The vertical and the horizontal.

Relationships

Vertical Horizontal Principle

1. One Yahweh 6. Not murder Devotion to Yahweh and man (who is in God's image); singleness of purpose

2. No idols 7. Not adultery Sacred relationships to the exclusion of others (concept of duality: greater/lesser)

3. Carry the Name 8. Not steal Guard God's worthiness and man's worth

4. Keep the Sabbath 9. Not lie Creation of "hosts"; creation of community

5. Honor parents 10. Not covet Called by God to be unique and authentic