Lesson 3: Singing A New Song In Times Of Suffering. Hope Sabbath School

[Music] [Applause] welcome to hope sabbath school an in-depth interactive study of the word of god i'm so glad you joined us today we're engaging on a series of studies suffering and trials we're not looking for suffering or trials but learning how we can sing a new song in times of suffering and i'm excited that you can be with us so welcome to hope sabbath school and welcome to the team and you can see that i'm excited today and the reason that i'm excited is because trisha lee is going to be teaching today trisha it's great to have you back we are so happy to see so many team teachers stepping up and inspiring young adults around the world to start classes you know you can use the same outline we have in our study just go to hopetv.org hope ss you can download the outline make copies give it to everyone in your class it's a wonderful way to share the word of god so we're excited that trisha lee can lead our study today we're also excited to have some of our remote team members with us sabine good to have you again from british columbia canada glad you're here shaina great to have you back from connecticut here in the u.s and gladys good to have you from maryland here in the u.s as one of our remote team members always great to have you with us to have you too wherever you're joining us from we'd love to hear from you you can just write to us at sshope hopetv.org and tell us where you're studying from and how the word of god is blessing your heart here's just a few emails one from my home country of the united kingdom and it says thank you for leading out so enthusiastically in hope sabbath school traditionally that's for you today right such a blessing keep up the good work may god continue to bless this excellent ministry amen 200 countries around the world god is blessing in remarkable ways we're glad you're part of our hope sabbath school family here's a note from leroy in kenya he says i was reading the bible study guide and wanted a different angle to it a youtube search and boom i stumbled on hope sabbasco well we've got a lot i don't know 70 000 watching on youtube we're glad that you're part of our hope sabba school family leroy thanks for writing to us from kenya here's a note from a donor in the state of georgia in the u.s and the donor says i'm so glad your broadcast is on every sabbath i watch it on friday evening every program is very good but i love breath of life with with the pastor and hope sabba school very much thank you and continue to carry the good news around the whole world and a donation of 525 dollars amen thank you donor from georgia for being part of the miracle you know you say well my five dollars my ten dollars my thousand dollars listen it's it's being part of the miracle investing in the kingdom of god and thank you you can go to hope tv.org hope ss there's a little donate button you just click on it and you can be part of the miracle one last note from ann in the state of new york in the u.s and anne writes and says hi hope savage school she got the wave i just want to let you know that my mother who passed away last june and i enjoyed watching and learning so much more about jesus on hope sabbath school well ann i hope you continue to watch even now my mom enjoyed watching the team how they discussed the bible in great depth her favorite person was jason miller well jason could you give anna wave i know her mom is sleeping in jesus till the resurrection but uh you know what it is we don't want to be seen but we want jesus to be seen right praise god may god continue to use the team to bring his word to the troubled world amen well you're right anne it is a troubled world we're talking in the series about sufferings and trials but tricia lee is going to lead us in a study today on learning to sing a new song even in the midst of suffering but before she does we've got our theme song to sing oh i forgot to tell you didn't i we've got a gift for you during this series the first time we've ever offered a collection of 12 songs called songs of hope one of them is the theme song from isaiah 41 10. fear not fry them with you if you'd like that collection of twelve scripture songs which will give you hope during times of trial just go to our website hopetv.org hope ss click on the free gift button in the middle of the screen and you can download that collection of songs right now let's sing our theme song together fear not for i am with you be not dismayed fear not for i am with you be not dismayed for i am your god i will strengthen you yes i will help you i will uphold you with my righteous right hand clear not for i am with you be not dismayed fear not for i am with you be not dismayed for i am your god i will strengthen [Music] with my righteous right hand [Music] i will uphold you with my righteous right hand what an awesome promise fear not the lord says i am with you and i know traditionally he'll be with us as we study today let's bow our heads in prayer heavenly father thank you so much that you are with us through our trials and our sufferings help us as we study this word and as we learn how to sing new songs despite our difficulties we face we thank you lord for your word in christ's name we pray amen amen we are continuing a study on the theme of suffering but we're going to talk about and discuss how can we sing a new song despite the dark things that we experience we're going to begin our study in the book of exodus exodus chapter 15 and we're going to read a song that the children of israel sang we're going to talk a bit about that a song that they sang after experiencing the dark trial of slavery and the dark trial of escaping from that the deliverance that they experience i'm going to ask jason if you would please read for us exodus chapter 15 verses 1 through 5. all right i have the new king james version here exodus chapter 15 verses 1 through 5 says then moses and the children of israel sang this song to the lord and spoke saying i will sing to the lord for he has triumphed gloriously the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea the lord is my strength and song and he has become my salvation he is my god and i will praise him my father's god and i will exalt him the lord is a man of war the lord is his name pharaoh's chariots and his army he has cast into the sea his chosen captains are also drowned in the red sea the depths have covered them they sank to the bottom like a stone now if you were unfamiliar with the story of what happened the beginning of this song tells us some of what happened the children of israel being delivered from bondage were pursued by pharaoh and his army and they were delivered from that and that army was destroyed in the process but a question about the song that they're singing how would you describe this song if you had to describe this song how would you describe it so far john first thing that stands out to me is it gives god all the praise and the glory yes so it is a joyful song this is not a song that seems very sorrowful this is a song of praise a song of celebration sabina i also think of the word triumph so i see them singing with their hearts rejoicing from the triumph that god has granted them yes amen amen how do we know that this is a new song how do we know this is a new song that they have never sang before not a trick question gladys they are they are retelling what god had just done so obviously they did not know it before it was something that just happened so they're singing about okay they're just explaining what happened to them travis well i'm just gonna say they're just talking about the horse and rider being thrown into the sea and the generals and the pharaoh well that just happened so they weren't singing about something in the future it's not a prophecy um it's just a song of adoration to god jason well yeah before this the pharaoh and his chariots in his army were the ones who oppressed them something has drastically changed very quickly at this story it's a new song because this is new deliverance prior to this song they were in captive they were not free to worship god not free to sing songs like this let's keep reading so it's a song of praise exuberance triumph let's continue in verses 6 through 10 i will ask nicole to continue with verses 6 through 10 still in exodus chapter 15. and the new international version says your right hand lord was majestic in power your right hand lord shattered the enemy in the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you you unleashed your burning anger it consumed them like stubble by the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up the surging water stood up like a wall the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea the enemy boasted i will pursue i will overtake them i will divide the spoils i will gorge myself on them i will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them but you blew with your breath and the sea covered them they sank like lead in the mighty waters amen amen notice here they're not singing oh how lucky we are they're not they are singing praise to god verse six your right hand o lord has become glorious in power they are giving honor and glory and credit to the only one who could have done this deliverance for them let's keep reading verses 11 through 13 i will ask nisha to continue on for us and i'm reading from the new king james version who is like you o lord among the gods who is like you glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders you stretched out your right hand the earth swallowed them you and your mercy have led forth the people whom you have redeemed you have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation amen it's interesting that this celebration has become an opportunity for worship for praise this dark trial has become an opportunity for worship now quick question instead of singing this song of praise and worship what are some of the options what what could they have been doing at this time any thoughts they could have been counting all the loot that they took out of egypt yes because they they actually dispossessed the land but but i wanted to note also just really hit me trishally it's not a song about the lord it's actually a song to the lord yes you lord it's like they're singing to god yes it's a beautiful picture it's beautiful it's beautiful any other thoughts what could they have been doing nisha they could have been thinking about all the things that are uncertain to come now that they're in their new state okay sabine maybe they could have been praising themselves you know and how smart and special they are because they had made it through the sea and forgetting about bring bringing praise to god but just maybe bring praise to moses and their leaders and for themselves jason they could be kind of passed out exhausted because they've been through a tiring time and they could just be like okay i'm tired thank you god now i'm gonna have rest yeah yeah travis well just kind of adding on to what sabina said is they weren't boasting um and oh we had faith in god or you know because actually they didn't um and but god led them anyway right and so that i think that that was really important you know look at my faithfulness that wasn't there wasn't that it was like god you delivered us when we were in trouble yes yes they also could have been speaking uh negatively or you know about their captors the song could have been completely different oh those terrible egyptians yeah they're so this that that that but they did not allow that darkness they experienced to overtake them instead like pastor said they turned their focus to the one who delivered them from it nisha you made a point that that they are looking forward to what they're going to face they can look forward to what they face next let's keep reading verses 14 through 16 and we'll see some of that john would you please read those verses for us yes in reading from the new king james version it says the people will hear and be afraid sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of philistia then the cities of edom will be dismayed the mighty men of moab trembling will take hold of them all the inhabitants of canaan will melt away fear and dread will fall on them by the greatness of your arm they will be as still as a stone till your people pass over o lord till the people pass over whom you have purchased and jason will you finish verses 17 through but my pleasure and i'm reading from the new king james version and the bible says you will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance in the place o lord which you have made for your own dwelling the sanctuary oh lord which your hands have established verse 18 the the lord shall reign forever and ever for the horses of pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemans into the sea and the lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them but the children of israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea amen amen so this was not going to be their only trial that they faced right there they start to mention that people will hear why do they mention the inhabitants of edom or the those of philistia why are they mentioning the inhabitants of canaan anyone know why they're mentioning these people jason well these are the people in the land that god is giving them god is going to give them this land but these people are there so there's going to be a little bit of something that has to happen in relationship to these people in order for them to take the land so this song they are singing to god they are acknowledging his mighty power and delivering them from their enemies but in hope and faith looking forward to what he will do for them as they encounter future trials future struggles travis i was just really impressed that they understood the plan of salvation because in verse 16 it says till the people pass over whom you had purchased they realized that they were god's prized possession and purchased of course we learned later on in the new testament that were purchased by the blood of jesus right and i think wow that's really important that they understood that they were that they were bought with a price that is so profound travis considering that they were being bought and sold if you were as slaves in egypt but that what the claim that god had on their life superseded all of that praise god thank you for that insight sabina and trisha i'm also impressed here to know what is said on verse 18 that they were recognizing not only that god was going to bless them in face of potential trials they were about to encounter right as they proceeded to canaan but they also are acknowledging that god their lord was going to reign and shall reign forever and ever so that experience that miracle they had just gone through was not only enough to feed them into their immediate response to what just had happened and to what they were facing but they were also acknowledging god's power for eternity which is very impressive especially if we consider what's going to take place right after this event thank you so much i'm going to ask shayna to continue reading for us verses 20 and 21 and we're going to see how the song continues how this song of praise continues i will be reading genesis 15 verses 20 and 21 from the new king james version then miriam the prophetess the sister of aaron took the timbrel in her hand and all the woman went out after her with timbrels and dances and miriam answered them sing to the lord for he has triumphed gloriously the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea amen anything strike you about miriam's response [Music] nisha i i think in addition to the singing now you see musical instruments are coming out there's dancing um all uh just spurred by the joy that they feel from what the lord has just delivered them from that word joy it's it's not mentioned but it makes you think there must be joy here for instruments and dancing to take place truly god is turning their sorrow into joy travis i was just thinking that it was almost like a a huge celebration where they just stopped and said let's just take the day and just praise the lord because i can imagine all the you know ten well hundreds of thousands of people dancing and singing before the lord it might it must have been quite a sight to see jason and you also have someone else uh involved in leadership here you have miriam who is called a prophetess sister of moses so it's not just moses now other people are are taking part in leading out the worship in praise to god also i think it's very nice that miriam as she celebrates and she praises god she's also influencing other people too that she's bringing along so i see the effect the ripple effect of when you bring praise to god when we celebrate him that can be contagious it can be contagious praise god you know there are uh sayings that you know negativity can bring about negativity but here we're seeing that negativity god is turning it into something beautiful praise worship a testimony a witness um faith and hope in the lives of his people reminding them that though they were once bought and sold that their lives are of great value and worth to him we're going to keep reading because as we mentioned there are more tests and trials more times of darkness more sufferings that these people have to face on their journey to the promised land and we're going to see different opportunities that they have to continue singing a new song um in spite so let's continue in exodus chapter 15. i'm going to ask jason if you would read verses 22 and 23. yes i will and i'm reading again from the new king james version the bible says so moses brought israel from the red sea then they went out into the wilderness of sure and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water now when they came to moriah they could not drink the water of mirai for they were for they were bitter therefore the name of it was called mirai all right so what's the trial here a bit of water okay bitter water what else they found the bitter water after three days three days of being thirsty thirsty they are thirsty and so it's dying yes you can't go in the desert for for many days uh without water so it's like we could have died in the sea and of course they're not singing there praise the lord he's going to deliver us right now that they're they're singing an old song which is we're going to die out here in the world it might seem like something trivial to run out of water especially if you live in a place where it flows freely or you can just turn on a faucet or go down to the street and buy a bottle purchase a bottle but they were in jeopardy of their lives were in jeopardy travis i actually don't think that their lives were in jeopardy yet because they had canisters and they were just by the red sea so there's water so i'm certain they just didn't take if those three days journey they didn't leave the sea without water okay so i'm thinking maybe they're looking ahead to what might be because god always provided and i don't remember the reading that they were actually dying okay okay different perspective what's interesting here is that three days journey do you think they'd forgotten this song they were they were singing they sang a new tune now they sang a new tune do you think anybody was still singing that song humming it around you know while they're looking for water or sipping the bitter was anyone still singing that song we have to believe there's always a remedy yeah always maybe someone is yeah that that chooses to believe but it's kind of like the 12 spies and 10 have a negative report it seems that the the the crowd is going with a negative song the overwhelming majority it would seem here has forgotten that song or is choosing not to sing it or for whatever reason is allowing this trial to overshadow the great deliverance that god just wrought for them john and tricially i can't imagine something more dashing of hopes than to be dying of thirst and then coming to water that is impossible to drink and so that which they thought would satisfy is incapable of doing it and uh it throws them into great desperation what does god do let us look in verse keep reading in verse 24 uh jason will you continue reading for us all right and i'll be reading from the new king james version and the bible says and the people complained against moses saying what shall we drink so he cried out to the lord and the lord showed him a tree when he cast it into the waters the waters were made sweet there he made a statue and an ordinance for them and there he tested them amen amen so the bitter water becomes didn't say it becomes heal becomes sweet sweet i've had water that's you know tasted nice before but i'm not sure if i've ever tasted sweet water but it must have been very refreshing another miracle from the lord was it the tree that did something was there some chemistry in the bark or the leaves the roots you shake them and then was there something about this particular tree that may have made this water turn sweet and he thought nisha you're shaking your head no it definitely uh the only reason that tree allowed the water to become sweet was because god god's power was in that tree and allowed that miracle to be shown um it was not the tree itself god was rescuing them from this situation jason and it's true sometimes god can work through science and can work through chemistry and like when we take substances to help our bodies but there's nothing here that indicates that the tree was anything special so it's clear god works sometimes through miracles that can't always just be explained by science faster sometimes fiscally it's just being obedient to what god asked you to do there was no science behind stretching a rod out over the sea and then opening up it wasn't it was just doing what god asked them doing what god asked them to do let's keep reading because they're going to face another thirsty trial another trial involving water and involving thirst um let's go over to exodus chapter 17 exodus chapter 17 i'm gonna ask gladys if you would please read for us verses one two and three sure i'm reading from the new international version exodus 17 verses one two three the whole israelite community set out from the desert of sin traveling from place to place as the lure commanded they camped at refereeing but there was no water for the people to drink so they quarreled with moses and said give us water to drink moses replied why do you quarrel with me why do you put the lord to the test but the people were thirsty for water there and they grumbled against moses they say what do you bring us up out of egypt to make us in our children and livestock die of thirst now does it see thank you does it seem as though what what's happening did they forget that god rescued them when they were thirsty did they forget that god um rescued them through the sea and and and saved them from from um destruction what do you think is happening here travis so i was just thinking about this i was reading the story and i thought to myself 400 years of captivity not allowed to worship god they had been disconnected for a long time this is the beginning of a new journey for them and so i started to have a little compassion on them i started to think you know what and so was god slowly you know teaching them that he would lead them this is the beginning of a brand new journey just like it is for many maybe you just now have have joined with jesus and said will you be my shepherd you know you learn through different trials to to to trust jesus and so i thought i need to have compassion on them because i probably might have been complaining as well you know i and i had been removed for a long time you know from from god thank you thank you great point nicole i would just add that it's also a reflection of our relationship with god because even today you know the fourth commandment says to remember it's not because we're going to forget that the sabbath is what it is because god knows who we are and we have a tendency as human beings to forget not that he's done for us but in the moment we sometimes put aside what he's done because we're chad we're faced with new challenges and so i would just say that it reflects in the moment our relationship with god and how much we believe that he is who he says he is okay sabine trisha you know it takes some time and experiencing walking with god for you to soon find out that his timing is not the same as ours much of our walk with god needs to really be in faith you know that you trust still even when you don't see things happening and that you can keep singing and praising him even throughout those difficult times and when you are not seeing immediate response that god he is not out of his throne stopping to send his blessing or anything like that that he's still going to pour upon us his love and it's interesting that these people if you look at the song they were singing a song that was talking a lot about water so if we get back to this something that they had made was talking about how the water had been you know swallowing their enemies so it's very interesting to me that right immediately it was water what they were craving for and thirsting for but yes their relationship was probably still too not enough for them to understand god's work interesting insights i'm gladys you know many times we know something about god here but we don't accept it here so until that connects and we really understand you know that we have that relationship with god and we practice it then it is very difficult to to really accept um you know remember from the past what god had done and applied to the present so there has to be that connection between you know that relationship with god to know really know not only by word but that he will do what he said he will do amen amen jason i want to add with what gladys said here uh intellectually i think it's clear it's not that they forgot because in the chapter before this even they have bread from heaven they've had sweet water they've had sweet bread so god is clearly taking care of them physically and it's not that they've forgotten but again it's somehow just only an intellectual they haven't quite made it an experiential yet as gladys was kind of saying nisha you know i don't think they forgot the past i do think based on the song that we read in chapter 15 that they forgot what the future hold held for them otherwise they would not have thought about dying because god has promised them land god has promised them all these things there's no way he's going to allow them to die of thirst and that i think is what they forgot in the present moment it's interesting travis you said that you you are not quick to be harsh because we could easily be in the crowd also complaining um it's interesting because i think about times in my own life where god delivers me from one situation i face a whole new situation and it's as if oh lord what will you do now and so sometimes even with the experience of god in one situation you know the lord heals our body um from disease but then when our job is threatened for keeping the sabbath all of a sudden as if we're right back in a panic and like you mentioned god is working he's patient with us he's patient with us bringing us to a point where we can trust him in all circumstances in all situations in you know the ups and the downs travis so i'm thinking too this whole story is really a parallel to the plan of salvation you know the baptism or the red sea symbols baptism in the giving of the law and the introduction of the sabbath and the and the going through the temptation and then to the promised land and so i think i find a lot of encouragement through here is that through through these people is that okay i might get discouraged but i can look to see where god keeps and continues to lead them and i can actually find hope that god will lead and and as was mentioned that the destination is what i'm looking for god's word never fails and he's promised to take us to his holy mountain or to a land flowing with milk and honey or heaven or you know that's the promise and so we need to stay the course and trust him because his word is sure all the way through now because you brought up parallels to salvation we are going to go now to the new testament where paul shares some insights about this we're going to look at first corinthians chapter 10 verses 1 through 4. first corinthians chapter 10 verses 1 through 4 and i am going to ask john if he would read those verses for us and we're going to see what we can learn about the experience and the trials that they had in the desert and what we can glean for our own spiritual journey first corinthians chapter 10 1-4 again the new king james says moreover brethren i do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud all passed through the sea all were baptized into moses in the cloud and in the sea all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was christ amen what do we think that paul means here with he's keeping spiritual spiritual they really were in the desert physically they really were hungry and thirsty physically they really passed through the red sea uh physically what is paul uh speaking to where he's talking about this spiritual drink and the spiritual rock what is he what is he describing um for us or what are we to learn from this any idea john right this in the text it says that christ himself was there at every turn of experience he was there so in their physical suffering their god was with them right okay travis i think the whole thing just points to jesus right he's the living water he's the bread of life i mean he's he's all of this and it sums it up in verse 4 that that the rock was christ but he was all of it he was there through the whole thing is he also telling us that in our physical sufferings there is opportunity for salvation there is opportunity for spiritual growth there is opportunity for us to be drawn closer to god that god can work through our negative times though we are not just saved in the good times but we can be saved and experience the salvation of god in the rough times gladys i think that during the difficult times that's when you really demonstrate that relationship that you really have that like jason said it goes from intellectual knowledge to to experiential knowledge when you really apply the word of god that when god says i will never forsake you i will never leave you it's only through difficult times that you get to experience that and then you can sing about it because you have lived it so that's why when you go to church the hymns sound different they feel different because you have experience that that is true about god amen thank you pastor help us understand some more so i i think it might be good for us to read exodus 17 verses four through six okay because you know they didn't know what was going to happen in fact moses didn't even know but moses cries out to the lord and i i think you know learning to sing a new song involves a daily calling out to the lord to give us the song to sing but you we read from first corinthians but i think it might be good to go back to exodus 17 verses 4 to 6. john would you read those verses for us exodus 17 4-6 new king james says so moses cried out to the lord saying what shall i do with these people they're almost ready to stone me and the lord said to moses go on before the people and take with you some of the elders of israel also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river and go behold i will stand before you there on the rock and horeb and you shall strike the rock and water will come out of it that the people may drink and moses did so in the sight of the elders of israel okay thank you thank you putting this together with first corinthians travis you mentioned that jesus was with them yeah that's what paul was telling us that god was there with them providing for their thirst providing for their needs that their physical deliverance had spiritual significance as well because god was delivering them not just from the thirst of death but also because he wanted them to be able to worship and trust him as well you know what's interesting when we think about drinking spiritual drink and eating spiritual food these are all things that help us to do what grow they help us to live exist grow thrive and just like they were going through these trials and being delivered and going through new trials and being delivered and getting more bread and more water and more spiritual bread and more spiritual water they were growing in that journey like you mentioned they were new to this growing in that journey i don't know if anyone that would welcome trials or welcome suffering but god can work in those hard times to grow us he can work in those hard times to mature us so that at the end of the trial we can come out a little stronger a little better for that shayna i was just when you were saying that we eat the spiritual food and we drink the spiritual drink and god himself said he was standing there on that rock that day i was thinking of when jesus said i am your bread and i am your your life your water of life and how this event with the children of israel literally foreshadows jesus and all that he would ultimately do for all of us not only that physical israel but also for us spiritual israel amen thank you so much nisha i and and i'm really glad shaina said what she said um when this was uh being mentioned i also in in john 4 um uh christ talks to the samaritan woman or the woman of the well and he says whoever drinks of this water will thirst again but whoever drinks of the water that i shall give will never thirst and and that's the you know christ is the rock from whomever drinks that that water will never thirst amen amen now this is wonderful news this is for anyone that's experiencing a hard trial that god is with you that he can rescue and grow you through this grow us through these trials but you have to wonder if god can and will deliver why do we have to experience this in the first place why can we not hop to the other side bypass it all together why not just spare us the suffering and allow us to just go about our happy lives our happy days loving and praising and singing why does he not just skip along and fast forward and help us avoid these trials and struggles john you had said something very interesting about maturity through trials and what we just read here where god said i will stand before you and to strike the rock tells me that when jesus was stricken in isaiah 53 it says he was stricken and smitten by god that this was this is some a symbol almost of christ himself suffering to be able to pour out the blessings and if i look at my sufferings as a sharing in what god has suffered or a fellowship in his sufferings it changes my perspective travis i think it's important to remember that we're born with the sinful nature you know you have a a young child you do you're not going to have to teach it to hit another child over the head with a baby rattle or whatever you will just do that right oh my i mean but kids just do that and then you know by nature and so because we have this fallen nature and we are in the middle of this great controversy um god brings us to trials to refine us so that we trust him you know and um if if everything was just good and glorious you know we would be self-confident we would you know and we actually see that the children is will get into the promised land and they're like oh look what we have and pretty soon they're an apostasy and so god allows them to be taken into captivity then they trust in the lord and they trust his word again and in fact ezra 9 or nehemiah chapter 9 you read that it's just go they fall and god redeems it they fall and go it's just like this this up and down thing and so sometimes you have to face trials to learn to trust in god because we have a sinful nature okay nicole i would also say that you know our ultimate goal is heaven and god has said he will not have sin rise again and so we weren't in this situation where we can't we have to get the vision we hate sin and we hate suffering we hate trials and i think that he puts these things in our life so he so we know that we don't want this to happen to us again and so we're almost learning i want to be in a place where righteousness reigns forever shayna so we have a personal we believe in a personal god and the fact that he trials were not a part of his plan from the beginning when he made adam and eve he did not want us to experience giles but when we go through these trials and he proves himself as the most consistent god who will deliver us and be with us and hold us through these trials every single time our relationships with him should just become stronger and stronger and stronger through each and every child and and that just shows how intentional he is um and how much how amazing he is and and that he'll allow the trials just so he could have this stronger bond with us wow wow sabine i also think it's very important that we factor factoring the great controversy between no good and evil god and the devil that is taking place because there is various instances in the bible including for instance in the book of job where we see that god he not always get what he wants you know there is events that show us in the bible that there are certain boundaries also by which god needs to abide in this uh world and the ways that we are living so even i'm thinking when daniel was it i'm not sure right now the chapter but daniel he makes a prayer and the bible says that there is some time in which before god is able to you know reach out to him he immediately responds the prayer but it takes some time for for daniel to see the result and the outcome of that prayer because there was some fight happening in heavenly places so i also think that sometimes as far as your question goes you know why is it that sometimes god will not immediately respond maybe he already responded but there are things happening within those boundaries of this conflict that we don't see but god is already working in the response that we need we just need to be patient thank you um shane you said something about god wants a personal walk with he works with us individually and intentionally and it was never his intention that we'd suffer um we will never experience the same trials i will not experience the same dark times as you nisha or as you travis or as you nicole or as you jason and you will not experience the same dark times that i experience and none of these are things that god wanted for us or you know in the original plan but i love that you mentioned shayna that he works with us individually like a student like a good teacher he knows how to work with us through those dark times so that we are not broken but that we can be built up in him and if that means that as you mentioned sabina it might take a little longer or that we have to experience a bit more than we might have wanted to it can be worth it in the end it can be so but you know what encourages me when i think about this question why does he not just you know snap the finger and allow us to bypass is that he himself did not do that when jesus was here on this earth he took no shortcuts he was tempted in all points like we all are and he overcame and he experienced all of these things so that he could be a faithful high priest a faithful mediator and a faithful comforter for all of us let's turn to the book of matthew and we are going to read some of what our lord experienced because he had his own time of dark trial and suffering i am going to ask nicole if you would read for us matthew chapter 4 verses 1 through 11 and we will see the dark trial that our lord himself experienced matthew 4 1-11 the new international version says then jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil after fasting 40 days and 40 nights he was hungry the tempter came to him and said if you are the son of god tell these stones to become bread jesus answered it is written man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of god then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple if you are the son of god he said throw yourself down for it is written he will command his angels concerning you and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against the stone jesus answered him it is also written do not put the lord your god to the test again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor all this i will give you he said if you bow down and worship me jesus said to him away from me satan for it is written worship the lord your god and serve him only then the devil left him and the angels came and attended to him amen amen a dark trial there should be no question this was a dark trial for a number of reasons one he's literally encounting encountering the prince of darkness himself he is in a battle with satan and if that's not dark then i'm not sure what else is but this is darkness in uh his face um some have asked well you know jesus is god so this wasn't much of a temptation for him because he's divine but we know and we can understand from reading this passage that he experienced this as a man because it says he was hungry and we know that god does not get hungry he allowed himself to suffer and experience this great trial and temptation to face the devil at a point of extreme um deprivation and weakness um and he overcame he quoted scripture the word of god was his power the word of god was the tool that he used to send the enemy packing to send the enemy away to withstand this great time of suffering and trial but i want to ask you a question there is not it's not recorded here in scripture that jesus left this experience singing it's not re it's not recorded what he said to the angels when they came and ministered unto him but if we could imagine if you can imagine with me that jesus had a new song to sing what do you think he might have been singing what do you think his song of praise would have been coming out of this experience this grueling dark experience in the desert any any ideas no right or wrong i no right or wrong answers psalm 103 comes to my mind bless the lord and my soul and all that's within me bless his holy name and traditionally i think a really important lesson for all of us he didn't learn the words to the song at that time he had hidden the words in his heart before yeah and the holy spirit brought that to his remembrance to give him that new song to sing in the time of suffering yes so he that's a lesson for us amen travis i think there's an uh thank you derek i think that's so important and i think there's a real valuable lesson that we can take from this especially in the sufferings of jesus and that is satan tried to get him to doubt that he was the son of god and the last thing he tried to get him to do was promise him um prosperity in a sense you know and um that's what satan is going to do to us it's it's important that we know his avenue how he attacks he's going to try to get us to doubt that we're children of god and he's also going to promise us things that he can't give us and i think that's so important to remember that we can look at what jesus did quote scripture i am a son of god i am a child of god and your promise is satan they don't hold water but god's promises are sure amen nicole i lost my thought okay if you let us know and we'll come back nisha i'm thinking both of satan and just people on earth you know i think one thing that annoys the enemy the most of whoever is trying to oppress someone else is someone who cannot be conquered and someone who cannot be broken and that's exactly what christ shows here is that no matter what you do i will not be broken and why and pastor eric mentioned some 103 also in psalm 119 satan is also caught trying to get god to sin should jesus to sin and the the word says thy word have i hid in my heart that i might not sin against you amen and so um you know you will not be broken or conquered by satan through trials and temptations if you hide god's word in your heart and use that as your strength amen you know the question or the point that pastor ray is saying he didn't learn the song he didn't learn the scriptures in that moment we know that he knew scriptures when he was a boy going to the temple with his parents uh his earthly guardians it reminds me as a as a new mom that you know my child is going to face all kinds of things that i might not be i won't i won't be there for all of it but what can i give him that will keep him through that what can i do for him hide the word of god in his heart and he will have to hide the word of god in his own heart let's turn over to colossians chapter 3 verse 15 through 17. i'm going to ask jason if you'd read that for us and we're going to read and hear some encouragement from paul about this we're going to go to colossians chapter 3 verses 15 through 17 we're hiding god's word in our heart so that we can have the preparation necessary to face these dark um trials all right colossians chapter 3 verse 15 to 17 yes right and the bible says and let the peace of god rule in your hearts to which also you were called in one body and be thankful let the word of christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the lord in verse 17 and whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the lord jesus giving thanks to god the father through him i love this because you know in preparing for this i was thinking to myself about seeing a new song and i thought about what about all the people who don't like singing what about people who just you know don't really carry tunes so well or you know or they'd rather not you know sing in public or or or sing out loud and i love that you know it says sing with grace in your hearts you don't have to sing a new song out loud by all means i know that you know god will appreciate it right even if your neighbor doesn't but we can sing new songs in our hearts it's a mindset it is a heart condition it's a state of mind that even though i'm experiencing something grueling and and terrible and dark that in my heart like you said nisha i won't be broken in my heart i have hidden god's word and that can't be taken from me just because of the physical uh uh trials that i am going through let's look over at first peter there's more encouragement that more counsel that we have and this time from from the apostle peter let's look at first peter chapter one we're going to read verses three through nine and i'm going to ask gladys to read those verses for us first peter chapter one verses three through nine i'm reading from the new international version first peter chapter 1 verses 3 to 9. praise be to the god and father of our lord jesus christ in his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of jesus christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade this inheritance is kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by god's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time in all this you greatly rejoice though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials these have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire may result in praise glory and honor when jesus christ is revealed though you have not seen him you love him and even though you do not see him now you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy for you are receiving the end result of your faith the salvation of your souls amen what's beautiful about this scripture is that we're reminded that our trials are temporary that jesus is keeping us and i love that we've mentioned that throughout this study that what we're experiencing that's temporal or physical does not have to mean the destruction of our soul god is keeping us he will save us from these from these experiences um if you had a friend experiencing a dark time what encouragement would you give that individual nicole i think you just said it it's that this is temporary i mean going through something you're in it but if you just know that there is another side to that to that struggle it gives you encouragement that i'm going to get through this and god is with you no matter what you're going through no matter what you're facing god is holding your hand as you walk through this dark time and so i would probably say that to a friend travis i think share some words of promise uh with him that god and give god an opportunity to to come through on his word if you know if you never share that promise with them and claim that promise with them then god won't have the opportunity as much to to come through i'm so glad that we don't have to experience our hard times on our own that god is with us and that he can turn our suffering into joy and that he can teach us to sing new songs for ourselves for others to be a witness um and i'm so glad you studied with me and i hope that this has been encouraging for you as it's been encouraging for me thank you so much lee yeah we've got a new song one song i like is i've been redeemed by the blood of the lamb amen but i want to encourage you during times of ease to learn the songs during the times when things are not falling on your head hide the word in your heart so that when the time of suffering or trial comes the holy spirit will bring that word to your remembrance and you will sing a song of deliverance and praise to god let's pray father in heaven we thank you that no matter what trial we face that you can give us a new song to sing and help us not to forget that song in fact help us to sing it even in the midst of the trial knowing that you are a strong deliverer and that you will be with us always even to the end of the age in jesus name amen amen well thanks for joining us for hope sabbath school you say pastor i'm going through a trial now well sing a song of god's deliverance praise him and see him work in a miraculous way and then don't keep the good news to yourself go out and be a blessing to those around you [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Hope Sabbath School - Official

Views: 29,648

Keywords: sabbath school, hope sabbath school, sabbath school lessons, bible, derek morris sermons, derek morris, christianity, hopesabbathschool, seventh-day adventist, sabbath school lesson, jesus christ, bible study, hope channel, hopechannel, suffering, suffering and trials, jesus, bible teaching, bible prophecy

Id: sykwhNvrcRc

Length: 59min 0sec (3540 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 10 2022