6. Struggling With all Energy - July 30-August 5

Sabbath afternoon

Prayer Thought

Now Satan prepares for a last mighty struggle for the supremacy. While deprived of his power and cut off from his work of deception, the prince of evil was miserable and dejected; but as the wicked dead are raised and he sees the vast multitudes upon his side, his hopes revive, and he determines not to yield the great controversy. He will marshal all the armies of the lost under his banner and through them endeavor to execute his plans. The wicked are Satan's captives. In rejecting Christ they have accepted the rule of the rebel leader. They are ready to receive his suggestions and to do his bidding. Yet, true to his early cunning, he does not acknowledge himself to be Satan. He claims to be the prince who is the rightful owner of the world and whose inheritance has been unlawfully wrested from him. He represents himself to his deluded subjects as a redeemer, assuring them that his power has brought them forth from their graves and that he is about to rescue them from the most cruel tyranny. The presence of Christ having been removed, Satan works wonders to support his claims. He makes the weak strong and inspires all with his own spirit and energy. He proposes to lead them against the camp of the saints and to take possession of the City of God. With fiendish exultation, he points to the unnumbered millions who have been raised from the dead and declares that as their leader he is well able to overthrow the city and regain his throne and his kingdom. {DD 53.1}

Memory Text

"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." Colossians 1:29

Please visit this link for the Memory Verses Songs {click or copy-paste to your browser} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7crArH6rmc

This week's SS Lesson will describe how the Holy Spirit works to inspire, guide, and lead the penitent someone who is willing to participate in the plan of redemption and restoration. Cooperation that exists between human beings and the divine intelligence which pursues the will of God on the earth also includes the struggle within to achieve such a noble end of God's great plan of salvation.

Outline of the Study

The Role of the Holy Spirit

Sunday: The Spirit of Truth (The work of the Holy Spirit) - John 16:5-15

The Role of Free Will

Monday: The Divine-Human Combination (Struggling with the strength of Christ) - Col. 1:28, 29; Deut. 4:4; Luke 13:24; 1Cor. 9:25; Heb. 12:4

Tuesday: The Disciplined Will (Feelings and will) - Jer. 17:9; Gen. 3:6; 2Sam. 11:2-4; Gal. 2:11, 12; 1Pet. 1:13

The Role of Commitment

Wednesday: Making Radical Commitment - Mat. 5:29, 30

Thursday: The Need to Persevere (Persevering) - Gen 32; 27; 28; Gen. 32:26

Friday: The Further Study and Meditation

The Role of the Holy Spirit

Sunday: The Spirit of Truth (The work of the Holy Spirit) - John 16:5-15

“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;” (John 16:13)

Anchor on the Solid Rock by Obedience to All the Truth

The truth revealed here is of great importance to the church just now because of the foretold danger which God's people are soon to meet. It calls for decided action on the part of the believers to separate themselves from all worldlings and worldliness; to anchor themselves on the Solid Rock by obedience to all the truth known to this denomination, if we must escape the great ruin. "The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it." Micah 6:9. {SR1: 5.2}

Prophetic Truth has been revealed through the Power of God

Analysis of ancient and modern history, both sacred and secular, prove that sealed, or prophetic truth has never been revealed through the educational system of the world, or by the wisdom of man, but only by the power of God. If anything is true, it is this one thing. Said Jesus: "When He, the Spirit of Truth, is Come, He will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13.) Christ plainly declares, that we are led into truth, not by wisdom of man but by the Spirit of God. Not into some truth, but in all truth. When God reveals truth, He is able to lead His servants in all truth, and does not allow such instruments to mix His truth with error. Though they may not understand all, yet the message they bear is the truth and nothing but the truth. Therefore, such truths are originally revealed by inspiration only. When the time divinely appointed is fulfilled, then God calls servants of His own choice, and by the Spirit of Truth reveals a portion of His Word to them. Usually in the form of a message which they must first bear to the church. {SR2: 12.3}

Spirit in a Message is the Only Medium to Awaken the Conscience

One of the gifts for the church in the Christian dispensation, is "prophets." "And he gave some, apostles; and some prophets." (Eph. 4:11.) Paul, again declares of the Scriptures in his time and afterwards: "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit." (Eph. 3:5.) When the truth of the Scriptures is presented by God's servants, "the letter" can be understood by all who study it; but the same spirit is required to seal, change the heart, and direct the steps in newness of life. This transforming power is granted only as the receiver of the truth humbly repents from sin, renounces the world and accepts Christ. When such a message is presented, those who oppose the messenger and resist the truth, reject the Spirit, and sin against Him. The Spirit in a message is the only medium to awaken the conscience. When rebelled against, the sinner cuts himself off from the channel through which God communicates. "Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." (Matt. 12:31, 32.) {SR2: 13.3}

Consider the Following

Can God transform someone immediately? Yes. Does He? Usually He doesn’t. Why?

Transforming our character is the work of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18):

(1) He convinces us that we have sinned, but He doesn’t force us to repent.

(2) He convinces us of God’s nature, but He doesn’t force us to believe in Him.

(3) He convinces us of true doctrine, but He doesn’t force us to accept it.

Satan and his angels were not forced to believe in God’s kindness and love. Adam and Eve were not forced to not sin. We must choose to repent and to obey God for His power to transform us.

The Role of Free Will

Monday: The Divine-Human Combination (Struggling with the strength of Christ) - Col. 1:28, 29; Deut. 4:4; Luke 13:24; 1Cor. 9:25; Heb. 12:4

Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. (Col. 1:29)

God's Command is Limitless - His Working Worketh in me Mightily

Paul never forgot the responsibility resting on him as a minister of Christ, or that if souls were lost through unfaithfulness on his part, God would hold him accountable. "Whereof I am made a minister," he declared of the gospel, "according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily." Colossians 1:25-29. These words present before the worker for Christ a high attainment, yet this attainment all can reach who, putting themselves under the control of the Great Teacher, learn daily in the school of Christ. The power at God's command is limitless, and the minister who in his great need shuts himself in with the Lord may be assured that he will receive that which will be to his hearers a savor of life unto life. {AA 368.3}

Unity to God's Will and Work in Co-Operation with Him

The only hope for us if we would overcome is to unite our will to God's will and work in co-operation with Him, hour by hour and day by day. We cannot retain self and yet enter the kingdom of God. If we ever attain unto holiness, it will be through the renunciation of self and the reception of the mind of Christ. Pride and self-sufficiency must be crucified. Are we willing to pay the price required of us? Are we willing to have our will brought into perfect conformity to the will of God? Until we are willing, the transforming grace of God cannot be manifest upon us. The warfare which we are to wage is the "good fight of faith." "I also labor," said the apostle Paul, "striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily." Colossians 1:29. {MB 143.3}

Wondrous combination of man and God

He might have helped His human nature to withstand the inroads of disease by pouring from His divine nature vitality and undecaying vigor to the human. But He humbled Himself to man's nature. He did this that the Scripture might be fulfilled; and the plan was entered into by the Son of God, knowing all the steps in His humiliation, that He must descend to make an expiation for the sins of a condemned, groaning world. What humility was this! It amazed angels. The tongue can never describe it; the imagination cannot take it in. The eternal Word consented to be made flesh! God became man! It was a wonderful humility. {5BC 1127.2}

Consider the Following

Paul had a work to do (Colossians 1:28). He had to put a lot of effort (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). He struggled every day to be ready for that work (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).

However, he knew that all his effort was useless as long as he relied on his own strength only. He could only be useful and effective if he worked “with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” (Colossians 1:29)

This works the same in everything we do. We shouldn’t expect God to do everything, or to be victorious by our own means only.

Through the Virtues of Christ Humanity, We're Qualified

The nature of Christ was a combination of the divine and the human. Having all the attributes of God, He also represented the excellencies of humanity and showed that all who believe in Christ as their personal Saviour will perfect a character after Christ's likeness, and be qualified to become laborers together with God. By precept and example He uplifts those who are depraved, for through the virtues of Jesus Christ he has become the son of God. His life is like Christ's life, his work is like Christ's work, and he will not fail nor be discouraged, because he is vitalized by the Spirit and power of Jesus Christ. {14MR 83.1}

Tuesday: The Disciplined Will (Feelings and will) - Jer. 17:9; Gen. 3:6; 2Sam. 11:2-4; Gal. 2:11, 12; 1Pet. 1:13

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Freedom of Choice, Disciplined, Organized Mind Essential

Freedom of choice is given to every soul, but after a man has enlisted, he is required to be as true as steel, come life or come death.--Manuscript 7 1/2, 1900. Disciplined, Organized Mind Essential.--Those who teach the Word should not shun mental discipline. Every worker, or company of workers, should by persevering effort establish such rules and regulations as will lead to the formation of correct habits of thought and action. Such a training is necessary not only for the young men but for the older workers, in order that their ministry may be free from mistakes, and their sermons be clear, accurate, and convincing. {Ev 648.2}

Masters in Science of Christianity

There is a science of Christianity to be mastered--a science as much deeper, broader, higher, than any human science as the heavens are higher than the earth. The mind is to be disciplined, educated, trained; for we are to do service for God in ways that are not in harmony with inborn inclination. There are hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil that must be overcome. Our hearts must be educated to become steadfast in God. We are to form habits of thought that will enable us to resist temptation. By a life of holy endeavor and firm adherence to the right the children of God are to seal their destiny. . . . {HP 26.4}

Free to Act Out the Grace Bestowed as Members of Christ's Body

Many commit themselves to a course that insults the Spirit of God, and that in the face of the convictions of conscience. They make a free choice of the wrong side. They rebel against God. Mercy is despised, and justice defied. They become spiritually palsied, not because they cannot submit to God, but because they will not. Their feet are set in the way of the froward, and they have no desire to turn back. {RH, June 4, 1901 par. 13}

The worker who daily subordinates his will to the will of Christ will be educated away from such an idea. He will practice the virtues of Christ's character in all meekness and lowliness of mind; and this will give to those whom his ministration is supposed to benefit the precious freedom of the liberty of the children of God. They will be free to act out the grace bestowed upon them that all may understand the precious privileges which the saints possess as members of the body of Christ. {ChL 35.1}

Consider the Following

Many times, we make decisions according to our feelings without analyzing if they are reasonable and right.

Recall Bible stories of people making this type of decisions: Eve (Genesis 3:6), David (2 Samuel 11:2-4), Peter (Galatians 2:11-12). Which were the consequences of those decisions?

Our feelings are not enough to make right decisions. Peter advised us to use “minds that are alert and fully sober” (1 Peter 1:13). Our decisions must be governed by our minds and not our feelings.

The Role of Commitment

Wednesday: Making Radical Commitment - Mat. 5:29, 30

“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:29)

The Spirit of God Embraces the Whole Man

The work of the Spirit of God in a man is not a work that unfits him for the common duties of ordinary life. There is not to be one religion for business and another religion for the church. The work of the Spirit of God embraces the whole man, soul, body, and spirit. If the Word of God is cherished as an abiding principle in the heart, and held fast under all and every circumstance, man is brought, with his entrusted capabilities, under [subjection] to the Lord Jesus Christ. His undivided powers, even his thoughts, are brought into captivity to Christ. This is true sanctification. All the parts of the experience blend in complete harmony. He is "wanting in nothing." He does not keep part to himself, to do with just as he pleases. . . . "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, the whole body shall be full of light." This says, "thine eye," not some other person's eye. The rich experience that it is our privilege to have, we lose when we expect someone else to do our seeing for us and guide us in our spiritual experience as if we were blind. We must have a single eye to God's glory, a single and persistent purpose to leave self and the preferences of others out of the question. . . . {HP 190.4}

Sanctification-Total Commitment

The sanctification set forth in the Scriptures embraces the entire being--spirit, soul, and body. Paul prayed for the Thessalonians that their "whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Again he writes to believers: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God" (Romans 12:1). In the time of ancient Israel every offering brought as a sacrifice to God was carefully examined. If any defect was discovered in the animal presented, it was refused; for God had commanded that the offering be "without blemish." So Christians are bidden to present their bodies, "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God." In order to do this, all their powers must be preserved in the best possible condition. Every practice that weakens physical or mental strength unfits man for the service of his Creator. {NL 17.2}

Jesus Requires Wholehearted Commitment

The Lord is testing and proving you. He has counseled, admonished, and entreated. All these solemn admonitions will either make the church better or decidedly worse. The oftener the Lord speaks to correct or counsel, and you disregard His voice, the more disposed will you be to reject it again and again, till God says: “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. . . . Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me; for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” {BLJ 196.2}

Consider the Following

Radical action is necessary not because God has made the Christian life difficult, but because we and our culture have drifted so far away from God’s plans for us.

We’re called to firmly stand by God’s and truth’s side (Joshua 1:7). We’re called to make a covenant with our eyes, our desires, and our thoughts, to avoid sinning (Job 31:1).

We should deny ourselves (Luke 9:23). Every right decision will become a step forward to make the next right decision more easily.

If we have wandered, crucibles may be God’s call to make a radical decision and come back to Him.

Thursday: The Need to Persevere (Persevering) - Gen 32; 27; 28; Gen. 32:26

“be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;” (Proverbs 23:17)

Earnest. Steadfast and Persistent in Prayer

But many have not a living faith. This is why they do not see more of the power of God. Their weakness is the result of their unbelief. They have more faith in their own working than in the working of God for them. They take themselves into their own keeping. They plan and devise, but pray little, and have little real trust in God. They think they have faith, but it is only the impulse of the moment. Failing to realize their own need, or God's willingness to give, they do not persevere in keeping their requests before the Lord. Our prayers are to be as earnest and persistent as was the petition of the needy friend who asked for the loaves at midnight. The more earnestly and steadfastly we ask, the closer will be our spiritual union with Christ. We shall receive increased blessings because we have increased faith. {COL 146.1}

Persevere in Asking for Help

Let us show perfect trust in our Leader. Let us seek wisdom from the Fountain of wisdom. In every perplexing or trying situation, let God's people agree as touching the thing they desire, and then let them unite in offering prayer to God, and persevere in asking for the help they need. We are to acknowledge God in all our counsel, and when we ask of Him, we are to believe that we receive the very blessings sought.--Undated Manuscript 112. {3SM 301.1}

Seek Thorough Heartwork and Transformation

Oh, be earnest! be zealous and persevering in the work. Watch unto prayer. Cultivate humility and meekness. This will meet the approval of God. Hide yourself in Jesus; let self-love and self-pride be sacrificed, and you, my son, be fitting with a rich Christian experience, to be of use in any position that God may require you to occupy. Seek for thorough heartwork. A surface work will not stand the test of the judgment. Seek for thorough transformation from the world. Let not your hands be stained, your heart spotted, your character sullied, by its corruptions. Keep distinct. God calls: 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.' 'Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' {1T 662.3}

Consider the Following

In struggling for mastery, even overcoming temptations and trials, how can you fully surrender to God's will?

Cooperating with God and making thoughtful decisions are not just occasional acts. We must persevere.

Jacob went through a great crisis. He feared his brother. He needed to be sure of God’s protection. He prayed, but someone fought with him (Genesis 32:24). He didn’t abandon the fight even after being wounded by the angel (Genesis 32:25). He didn’t quit even after his strength faded.

We must cling to God every day as Jacob clung to the angel in his pain and desperation: “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (Genesis 32:26)

Friday: The Further Study and Meditation

Reveal God's Love--We must not strive to mold people to our own ideas and inclinations and practices. By unselfish, consecrated lives, through the power of the Holy Spirit working on our minds, we are to reveal, not our own ways and wills, but the power of the love of Him who gave Himself for us that we should be drawn out of and away from our own traits of character to the perfection of Christ's character. He died that we should cultivate the attributes of his character, and elevate, purify and gladden the hearts and lives of others.--Letter 2, 1898, pp. 1, 2 (Mar. 17, 1898, to Leading Men in Our Churches). {ChL 36.1}

Questions to Ponder

1. In facing crucible, what's the role of our free will in making decisions? How can we avoid our feeling overrule God's will for us?

2. Do we expect that when we pray for the transformation of our character, changes will come instantaneously or it's a process? What does the role of the Holy Spirit in us, then?

3. When the Spirit of Truth comes to you, what's the basis of your reaction: emotion, free will (choice) or living faith in His voice speaking through His written/spoken words?

4. Based on Monday's lesson, what experiences that struggle brings exhaustion on our being vulnerable to loss sight of God's will for us? How then, can we overcome and make right choices, if our hearts and will fails to grasp?

5. What were the results of our wrong choices and how they will be corrected? Can you cite some examples of people who had made choices based on their feelings and not on God's word?

6. What special character traits of God's people in the past who had responded positively to the crucibles made them great?

7. Based on the passage above, {ChL 36.1}, how could you achieve such noble traits of character? Is it possible in this life amidst the wickedness of the church and the world?

From the Pen of Inspiration

“I saw evil angels contending for souls, and angels of God resisting them […] But it is not the work of good angels to control minds against the will of the individuals. If they yield to the enemy, and make no effort to resist him, then the angels of God can do but little more […] Jesus will not commission holy angels to extricate those who make no effort to help themselves.” E. G. W. (Messages for Young People, cp. 10, p. 52)

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