8. Free to Rest - August 14-20
Sabbath afternoon: Introduction
The lot of people in our generation had encountered new challenges of sickness and diseases which are new and many have died of Covid 19. Jesus in His early ministry had the same scenario. His heart had been touch in compassion to those ill people suffering and needs healing and rest.
Inspiration declares, One of the great objects of our Health Institute is to direct sin-sick souls to the Great Physician, the true healing Fountain, and call their attention to the necessity of reform from a religious standpoint, that they no longer violate the law of God by sinful indulgences. If the moral sensibilities of invalids can be aroused and they see that they are sinning against their Creator by bringing sickness upon themselves and by the indulgence of appetite and debasing passions, when they leave the Health Institute they will not leave their principles behind, but will take them with them and be genuine health reformers at home. If the moral sensibilities are aroused, patients will have a determination to carry out their convictions of conscience; and if they see the truth they will obey it. They will have true, noble independence to practice the truths to which they assent. And if the mind is at peace with God, the bodily conditions will be more favorable. {3T 170.2}
In this week’s SSLesson, we’ll dive into the principles of healing Jesus wanted His people to exercise and it will explore the eternal rest from pain, illnesses, suffering and even death.
Outline of the Study
Sunday: Healing Rest (Free from Sin: The Paralytic and His Friends) Mark. 2:1-4
The Causes of Sickness – Mark 2:5-12
Monday: Root Treatment (Liberation from Guilt)
Tuesday: Running Away (Free from Discouragement: Elijah the Tishbite) 1Kings 19:1-5
The Causes of Discouragement
Wednesday: Too Tired to Run (Desperation) – 1Kings 18:36, 37
Thursday: Rest and More (Get Up and Keep Going)
Friday: Further Thought
Prayer Thought
The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin; it means taking away our sins, and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit. It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God. It means a heart emptied of self, and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ. When Christ reigns in the soul, there is purity, freedom from sin. The glory, the fullness, the completeness of the gospel plan is fulfilled in the life. The acceptance of the Saviour brings a glow of perfect peace, perfect love, perfect assurance. The beauty and fragrance of the character of Christ revealed in the life testifies that God has indeed sent His Son into the world to be its Saviour. {COL 419.6}
Memory Verse
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1, NKJV).
Words of Assurance
“In the daily life you will meet with sudden surprises, disappointments, and temptations. What saith the word? "Resist the devil," by firm reliance upon God, "and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you." "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me." Look unto Jesus at all times and in all places, offering a silent prayer from a sincere heart that you may know how to do His will. Then when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard for you against the enemy. ." {AH 214.2}
Sunday: Healing Rest (Free from Sin: The Paralytic and His Friends) Mark. 2:1-4
“Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.” (Mark 2:3)
Questions to Ponder
In our previous lesson we’ve learned that the only rest that we are assured of is in Christ. But why we are still restless?
1. Were there any life-threatening lifestyles in our life that caught us up by surprise?
2. Was it the vaccine, drug or diet that causes our suffering now?
3. Do you believe that your suffering now is a consequence of your violation to health laws?
There’s still hope my dear brothers and sisters!
“We are placed on vantage ground by the redeeming power of Jesus Christ, to obtain freedom from the bondage of sin which was wrought by the fall of Adam.” {HP 192.2}
True Meaning of Sin and Freedom from It
The apostle gives us the true definition of sin. "Sin is the transgression of the law." The largest class of Christ's professed ambassadors are blind guides. They lead the people away from the path of safety by representing the requirements and prohibitions of the ancient law of Jehovah as arbitrary and severe. They give the sinner license to overstep the limits of God's law. In this they are like the great adversary of souls, opening before them a life of freedom in violation of God's commandments. With this lawless freedom the basis of moral responsibility is gone. {Con 75.2}
Triumph Over Sin
They open before the sinner a wide door to follow the promptings of the carnal heart, and violate the law of God--especially the seventh commandment. Those who speak these great swelling words of vanity, and who triumph in their freedom in sin, promise those whom they deceive the enjoyment of freedom in a course of rebellion against the revealed will of God. These deluded souls are themselves in the veriest bondage to Satan and are controlled by his power, and yet promising liberty to those who will dare to follow the same course of sin that they themselves have chosen. {Con 90.3}
Free from the Law of Sin and Death
Every soul that refuses to give himself to God is under the control of another power. He is not his own. He may talk of freedom, but he is in the most abject slavery. He is not allowed to see the beauty of truth, for his mind is under the control of Satan. While he flatters himself that he is following the dictates of his own judgment, he obeys the will of the prince of darkness. Christ came to break the shackles of sin-slavery from the soul. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" sets us "free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2. {DA 466.3}
No Compulsion but Expulsion of Sin
In the work of redemption there is no compulsion. No external force is employed. Under the influence of the Spirit of God, man is left free to choose whom he will serve. In the change that takes place when the soul surrenders to Christ, there is the highest sense of freedom. The expulsion of sin is the act of the soul itself. True, we have no power to free ourselves from Satan's control; but when we desire to be set free from sin, and in our great need cry out for a power out of and above ourselves, the powers of the soul are imbued with the divine energy of the Holy Spirit, and they obey the dictates of the will in fulfilling the will of God. {DA 466.4}
Healing Rest has its final and eternal fulfillment, for a deeper study please visit this site below:
The Cleansing Fountain and the Mighty River of Ezek. 13 and Ezek. 47
https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/22-the-cleansing-fountain-and-the-mighty-river
Consider the following
The causes of sickness are violation of God’s Health Laws
This man lived a sinful life that led him to an incurable paralysis. The cause of many illnesses is the transgression of God’s laws, especially those related to health.
However, we should not be limited to this statement in relation to sickness. Sin has been causing sickness since the beginning. For example, people who have never smoked may also suffer from lung cancer. Why? Because evil is ruling our world.
The paralytic man was suffering because of his own sin, but he found two helpers. His friends cared for him, and his Savior was always willing to give rest to those who need it.
Monday: Root Treatment – (Liberation from Guilt)
“When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you.’” (Mark 2:5)
Liberation Possible Only in Christ
The only condition upon which the freedom of man is possible is that of becoming one with Christ. "The truth shall make you free;" and Christ is the truth. Sin can triumph only by enfeebling the mind, and destroying the liberty of the soul. Subjection to God is restoration to one's self,--to the true glory and dignity of man. The divine law, to which we are brought into subjection, is "the law of liberty." James 2:12. {DA 466.5}
Jesus, Our Substitute
Jesus, our Substitute, consented to bear for man the penalty of the law transgressed. He clothed His divinity with humanity and thus became the Son of man, a Saviour and Redeemer. The very fact of the death of God's dear Son to redeem man shows the immutability of the divine law. How easily, from the transgressor's standpoint, could God have abolished His law, thus providing a way whereby men could be saved and Christ remain in heaven! The doctrine which teaches freedom, through grace, to break the law is a fatal delusion. Every transgressor of God's law is a sinner, and none can be sanctified while living in known sin. {FW 30.3}
The Redemption of the Purchased Possession
God’s original purpose in the creation of the earth is fulfilled as it is made the eternal abode of the redeemed. “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.” The time has come to which holy men have looked with longing since the flaming sword barred the first pair from Eden—the time for “the redemption of the purchased possession.” The earth originally given to man as his kingdom, betrayed by him into the hands of Satan, and so long held by the mighty foe, has been brought back by the great plan of redemption. {Hvn 15.3}
Our Advocate is Life-Giver
“In praying for the sick […] our prayers should include this thought: ‘Lord, Thou knowest every secret of the soul. Thou art acquainted with these persons. Jesus, their Advocate, gave His life for them. His love for them is greater than ours can possibly be. If, therefore, it is for Thy glory and the good of the afflicted ones, we ask, in the name of Jesus, that they may be restored to health. If it be not Thy will that they may be restored, we ask that Thy grace may comfort and Thy presence sustain them in their sufferings.’”
E. G. W. (Gospel Workers, p. 217)
Consider the following
Jesus attacked the root cause of the issue. Paralysis was just a symptom. The true cause was within. The paralytic needed to be forgiven and liberated from guilt.
He found forgiveness and the spiritual rest that he longed for. Then, his illness would be just a bearable annoyance.
Our Savior is always willing to give us rest in the shelter of His love, grace, and forgiveness. Even amidst our suffering.
Tuesday: Running Away (Free from Discouragement: Elijah the Tishbite) 1Kings 19:1-5
“And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.” (1 Kings 19:3)
Doing God’s Work Willingly and Firmly
Who is ready at the call of Providence to renounce cherished plans and familiar associations? Who will accept new duties and enter untried fields, doing God's work with firm and willing hearts, for Christ's sake counting His losses again? He who will do this has the faith of Abraham, and will share with him that "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," with which "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared."--Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 126, 127. {ChS 181.4}
Causes of Discouragement will Flee Away
Much depends on the unceasing activity of those who are true and loyal; and for this reason Satan puts forth every possible effort to thwart the divine purpose to be wrought out through the obedient. He causes some to lose sight of their high and holy mission, and to become satisfied with the pleasures of this life. He leads them to settle down at ease, or, for the sake of greater worldly advantages, to remove from places where they might be a power for good. Others he causes to flee in discouragement from duty, because of opposition or persecution. But all such are regarded by Heaven with tenderest pity. To every child of God whose voice the enemy of souls had succeeded in silencing, the question is addressed, "What doest thou here?" I commissioned you to go into all the world and preach the gospel, to prepare a people for the day of God. Why are you here? Who sent you?--Prophets and Kings, pp. 171, 172. {ChS 182.1}
Families to Widen the Sphere of their Influence
Of families, as of individuals, the question is asked, "What doest thou here?" In many churches there are families well instructed in the truths of God's Word, who might widen the sphere of their influence by moving to places in need of the ministry they are capable of giving.--Prophets and Kings, p. 172. {ChS 182.2}
Wives Avoid to Speak Discontentment and Discouragement
I was shown the life of Christ. When his self-denial and sacrifice is compared with the trials and sufferings of the wives of some of our ministers, it causes anything which they may call sacrifice to sink into insignificance. If the minister's wife speaks words of discontent and discouragement, the influence upon the husband is disheartening, and tends to cripple him in his labor, especially if his success depends upon surrounding influences. Must the minister of God in such cases be crippled or torn from his field of labor to gratify the feelings of his wife, which arise from an unwillingness to yield inclination to duty? The wife should conform her wishes and pleasures to duty, and give up her selfish feelings for the sake of Christ and the truth. Satan has had much to do with controlling the labors of the ministers, through the influence of selfish, ease-loving companions. {GW92 211.2}
Consider the following
He panicked when Jezebel threatened him. He fled away aimlessly in fear.
Lack of faith? No, his faith was still strong (1K. 19:10). He had been subject to strong pressure, and the death decree broke him.
He could not think clearly in that situation. He needed rest but did not know where or how to find it. He just fled.
There is an important lesson here. We must not judge those who get discouraged or depressed. We should encourage them and listen to them.
Wednesday: Too Tired to Run (Desperation) 1Kings 18:36, 37
“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!’” (1 Kings 19:4)
Negative, Doubt and Distrust
Temptations will arise [among some] to cause distrust of God and to question His love. . . . They become traitors, rebels against God, and accept the temptations of him whom they choose as their leader. They become a medium for Satan, a channel through which he communicates to other minds the doubts and infidelity with which he has imbued them.—Letter 3, 1897. {CTr 202.7}
Poverty was, they thought, the greatest obstacle to the advancement of the work. Their words were more negative than positive, expressing little faith, hope, or courage. All admitted that the field was a hard one to be worked with so little means and so few workers. Then the teacher said that these were not the most disheartening features; the most weighty difficulty is that unless imbued with the Spirit of God, you will be inclined to allow your natural temperament to shape the work, and will leave Jesus out of the conflict. You have neglected to cherish love for one another, and it has not been strengthening in the heart.
Criticism is the school that some have been educated in.
1. Who are feeling a burden to come into perfect unity?
2. Who will deny self, and make any and every sacrifice to his own ideas and preferences, that he may be in harmony with his brethren?
3. It is the lack of the grace of the Holy Spirit which makes the professed followers of Christ so decided and unyielding, so determined to please themselves. {GCB, February 25, 1895 par. 4}
Put On the Whole Armor of God
The enemy is continually working through half-converted men and women, leading them to speak words of discouragement, and to stand always on the negative side. Men of activity and clear thought, of spiritual and physical soundness, are needed,--men who can act as leaders and directors; men of wisdom, who, when a crisis comes, will stand boldly in the front ranks, presenting to the enemy an unbroken line of defense. {ST, May 10, 1905 par. 3}
Those who proclaim the truth for this time must put on the whole armor of God, that they may stand bravely at their post, in the face of detraction and falsehood, resisting the enemy with the weapon that Christ used,--"It is written." {ST, May 10, 1905 par. 4}
Consider the following
Elijah surrendered to negative thoughts. He reflected on the consequences of his escape and began to worry things about: “Maybe I’ve thrown my reformation overboard, maybe I’ve disappointed God, maybe… maybe I’d be better off dead.”
However, he had finally stopped fleeing and began to think more clearly. His prayer was short (1K. 19:4), but that was the chance for God to intervene.
Sometimes we may not feel God, or we may think we are unworthy. Nevertheless, God is always by our side, looking at us with love and tenderness.
Thursday: Rest and More (Get Up and Keep Going)
“Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’” (1 Kings 19:5)
Tested and Tried but didn’t Die
How did God look upon His suffering servant? Did He forsake him because despondency and despair had seized him? Oh, no. Elijah was prostrated with discouragement. All day had he toiled without food. When he guided the chariot of Ahab, running before it to the gate of the city, he was strong of courage. He had high hopes that Israel as a nation would return to their allegiance to God and be reinstated in His favor. But the reaction which frequently follows elevation of faith and marked and glorious success, was pressing upon Elijah. He was exalted to Pisgah's top, to be humiliated to the lowliest valley in faith and feeling. But God's eye was still upon His servant. He loved him no less when he felt brokenhearted and forsaken of God and man than when, in answer to his prayer, fire flashed from heaven illuminating Carmel. {3T 290.3}
Troubled and Discouraged but Strengthened by God
Elijah should have trusted in God who had warned him when to flee, and where to find an asylum from the hatred of Jezebel, secure from the diligent search of Ahab. The Lord had not warned him, at this time, to flee. He had not waited for the Lord to speak to him. He moved rashly. God would have shielded his servant, and would have given him another signal victory in Israel, in sending his judgments upon Jezebel, had he waited with faith and patience. {RH, October 7, 1873 par. 12}
Weary and prostrate, Elijah sat down to rest. He was discouraged, and felt like murmuring. He said, "Now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." He feels that life is no more desirable. He expected, after the signal display of God's power in the presence of Israel, that they would be true and faithful to God. He expected that Jezebel would no longer have influence over the mind of Ahab, and that there would be a general revolution in the kingdom of Israel. When the threatening message which has come from Jezebel is delivered to him, he forgets that God is the same all-powerful and pitiful God that he was when he prayed to him for fire from Heaven, and it came, and for rain, and it came. God had granted every request; yet Elijah is a fugitive, far from the homes of men, and wishing never to look upon man again. {RH, October 7, 1873 par. 13}
Present Help in Time of Need
Then the Lord manifests himself to Elijah, showing him that quiet trust, and firm reliance upon him, will ever find him a present help in time of need. {RH, October 7, 1873 par. 17}
The servant of God may have courage, knowing that he has a pitying Heavenly Father who reads the motives and understands the purposes of the soul. Those who stand in the front of the conflict, who are reined up by the Spirit of God to do a special work for him, will frequently feel the reaction, when the pressure is removed, and despondency may press them hard, and shake the most heroic faith, and weaken the most steadfast minds. God understands all our weaknesses. He can pity and love when the hearts of men may be as hard as flint. To wait patiently and trust in God when everything looks dark, is the lesson his servants must learn more fully. God will not fail them in integrity.
Consider the following
Elijah needed physical rest (to eat and to sleep) before having spiritual rest. Then he was ready to meet God.
God made him reflect and led him. He assigned him new tasks in the serenity of a peaceful still small voice (1K. 19:11-18).
His life did not end under a broom tree. He would make fire rain from heaven, look for the 7,000 that were longing for a spiritual reformation at Israel, and even make new friends. His story ended with a ride straight to Heaven on a fire chariot!
The darker our lives seem, the more we need to come to God to find rest.
Friday: Meditation
You may look upon your plans as perfect, but God may see that it is essential for you to suffer disappointment in order that your plans may be brought into harmony with His plan. His way is always the right way. He seeth and knoweth all things. We do not always see as He sees. . . . {HP 120.6}
Take your stand on the word of God. Whatever may occur, hold fast the beginning of your confidence firm unto the end. {HP 120.7}
Questions to Ponder
1. How do we deal with a depress member of our family, friend, church or community?
2. Do you believe that intercessory prayer is essential when this situation occur?
3. What great lesson or principle that you can glean from the story of the paralytic man?
4. In your family, church or community, what could be the best procedure you can do for those who are depressed and discouraged.
5. Faith as principle, if you’re depressed, worried, discouraged or in any negative feelings, does these mean that you’re lack of faith?
From the Pen of Inspiration
“Into the experience of all there come times of keen disappointment and utter discouragement—days when sorrow is the portion, and it is hard to believe that God is still the kind benefactor of His earthborn children; days when troubles harass the soul, till death seems preferable to life. It is then that many lose their hold on God and are brought into the slavery of doubt, the bondage of unbelief. Could we at such times discern with spiritual insight the meaning of God’s providences we should see angels seeking to save us from ourselves, striving to plant our feet upon a foundation more firm than the everlasting hills, and new faith, new life, would spring into being.” E. G. W. (Prophets and Kings, cp. 12, p. 162)