Sabbath Afternoon - March 23, 2024

Scripture Reading for the Week:
Psalms 27:14; Romans 8:18-25; Psalms 131:1-3; Matthew 18:3; Psalms 126:1-6; Psalms 92:1-15; Mark 16:1-8; 2 Peter 1:19. 


Meditation Thought:
We all desire immediate and direct answers to our prayers, and are tempted to become discouraged when the answer is delayed or comes in an unlooked-for form. But God is too wise and good to answer our prayers always at just the time and in just the manner we desire. He will do more and better for us than to accomplish all our wishes. And because we can trust His wisdom and love, we should not ask Him to concede to our will, but should seek to enter into and accomplish His purpose. Our desires and interests should be lost in His will. These experiences that test faith are for our benefit. By them it is made manifest whether our faith is true and sincere, resting on the word of God alone, or whether depending on circumstances, it is uncertain and changeable. Faith is strengthened by exercise. We must let patience have its perfect work, remembering that there are precious promises in the Scriptures for those who wait upon the Lord. {CCh 305.5} 


Memory Text:

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalms 27:14). 


This week's SSLesson will describe the fundamentals of waiting on the Lord in different situations as one of the unique characteristics of the Last True church. It includes our preparation and expectation for the coming great and dreadful day of the Lord. 


Study Outline:

Sunday - March 24, 2024

The Call of Waiting - Wait on the Lord

Psalms 27:14; Psalms 37:7; Psalms 37:9; Psalms 37:34; Psalms 39:7; Psalms 40:1; Psalms 69:6; Galatians 5:5; Romans 8:18-25; Acts 1:4-8.  


Monday - March 25, 2024

Peace of a Weaned Child - Wait with Humility (Psalm 131)

Psalms 131:1-3; Psalms 123:1-2; John 4:34; Hebrews 5:12-14; Matthew 18:3. 


Tuesday - March 26, 2024

Bringing in the Sheaves -  Wait in Difficult Times (Psalm 126)

Psalms 126:1-6; Isaiah 29:7-8; Psalms 126:1-6; Deuteronomy 11:14; Deuteronomy 28:12; Exodus 34:22; Exodus 34:26; Amos 9:13-15; Matthew 9:37.  

     

Wednesday - March 27, 2024

Waiting in God's Sabbath Rest -  Wait for Redemption (Psalm 92)

Psalms 92:1-15; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Exodus 40:15; 1 Samuel 10:1; Exodus 29:2; Leviticus 2:4-5; Romans 12:1; Hebrews 4:1-10.      


Thursday - March 28, 2024

Joy Comes in the Morning - Wait for the Glorious Morning (Psalm 143)

Psalms 5:3; 30:5; 49:14; 59:16; 92:2; 119:147; 130:5-6; 143:1-12, 2 Peter 1:19;  Mark 16:1-8.  


Friday - March 29, 2024

Insights and Further Study

From the Pen of Inspiration


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Sunday - March 24, 2024

The Call of Waiting - Wait on the Lord

Psalms 27:14; Psalms 37:7; Psalms 37:9; Psalms 37:34; Psalms 39:7; Psalms 40:1; Psalms 69:6; Galatians 5:5; Romans 8:18-25; Acts 1:4-8.  

“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7)


The Danger of Getting Impatient 

I think that unless we are constantly looking to the Lord for instruction, we are in danger of getting impatient as did Saul, when Samuel did not come at the expected time. Saul began to fret about the delay, and decided to move independently of Samuel. He rushed into the performance of a work that God had not given him to do. We have need to wait on the Lord, and learn what He wants of us. It will not amount to anything to make duties for ourselves, and to be full of our own schemes and plans.  {9MR 342.2}  


Essentials to Fortify the Soul  

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord" (Psalm 27:14). "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord" (Lamentations 3:26). There are those who work all day and far into the night to do what it seems to them needs to be done. The Lord looks pitifully upon these weary, heavy-laden burden-bearers, and says to them, "Come unto me, . . . and I will give you rest. . . . For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30) (letter 83).  {LHU 263.5} 

Our life is to be hid with Christ in God; and if it is thus hidden, in His hands it will be converted into a lamp which will shed upon the world a bright and steady light. . . . But though time is short, and there is a great work to be done, the Lord is not pleased to have us so prolong our seasons of activity that there will not be time for periods of rest, for the study of the Bible, and for communion with God. All this is essential to fortify the soul, to place us in a position where we shall receive wisdom from God to employ our talents in the Master's service to the highest account (Youth's Instructor, Feb. 3, 1898). {LHU 263.6} 

 

Consider the Following

❖ Our life is full of small or big waits. We wait for the birth of a baby, the result of an exam, the cure of an illness...
❖ However, waiting on the Lord is a positive waiting. Waiting on God will surely result in a happy life, free from sin.
❖ But this wait implies perseverance. The wait is long, but we must not succumb to despair (Hab. 2:3).
❖ We do not wait alone. All Creation eagerly awaits our deliverance (Rom. 8:18-25). It is not a passive wait, but an active one. We must long for it, and strive to retain it (Ps. 63:1; 27:14). 


Monday - March 25, 2024

Peace of a Weaned Child - Wait with Humility (Psalm 131)

Psalms 131:1-3; Psalms 123:1-2; John 4:34; Hebrews 5:12-14; Matthew 18:3. 

“My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore” (Psalm 131)


Put your Entire Trust in Jesus, He is our Only Hope

By pressing upon the soul the idea that God is displeased with us, Satan tries to torture us into unbelief. But we are to "rejoice in the Lord alway" [1 Peter 1:6-9 quoted]. The Lord Jesus is our only hope. He is your hope, and I am commissioned in His name to ask you to put your entire trust in Him [Isaiah 57:15, quoted.]  {12MR 37.2} 

Although God is so high and holy, and though His glory and majesty fills the heavens, yet He looks with pitying tenderness upon all that tremble at His word. These are the contrite ones. They may feel that they can scarcely hope in His mercy, yet they are the special objects of His care and love. [Isaiah 57:18; 54:3-5, quoted.]  {12MR 37.3} 


Dwell Upon His Power to Save 

 I want to say, my sister, you need not cast away your confidence. Poor, trembling soul, rest in the promises of God. In so doing, the enemy's fetters will be broken, his suggestions will be powerless. Heed not the whisperings of the enemy. Go free, oppressed soul. Be of good courage. Say to your poor, desponding heart: "Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." I know that God loves you. Put your trust in Him. Think not of those things which bring sadness and distress; turn from every disagreeable thought and think of precious Jesus. Dwell upon His power to save, His undying, matchless love for you, even you. I know that the Lord loves you. If you cannot rely upon your own faith, rely upon the faith of others. We believe and hope for you. God accepts our faith in your behalf.  {2T 319.2}  


Consider the Following

❖ David, the author of Psalm 131, was anointed as a future king when he was a humble shepherd. He defeated a giant, won a thousand battles, and was finally acclaimed as king over Israel.
❖ Despite his gradual rise, David retained his humility. He did not attempt to take for himself honors that God had not given him, even when circumstances seemed favorable (1 Sam. 24:6).
❖ He felt like a “weaned child” before the Lord. Spontaneous weaning occurs in a child between 2 and 7 years old. Aware of his weakness and ignorance, the child still seeks the tender arms of his mother to find comfort and protection in them.
❖ Likewise, we are invited to be like that little child, waiting confidently and humbly in the eternal arms of our Father (Mt. 18:3; Deut . 33:27; Ps. 131:3). 


Tuesday - March 26, 2024

Bringing in the Sheaves -  Wait in Difficult Times (Psalm 126)

Psalms 126:1-6; Isaiah 29:7-8; Psalms 126:1-6; Deuteronomy 11:14; Deuteronomy 28:12; Exodus 34:22; Exodus 34:26; Amos 9:13-15; Matthew 9:37. 

“When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream” (Psalm 126:1)


Providence and Revelation Will Guide

If you watch and wait and pray, Providence and revelation will guide you through all the perplexities that you will meet, so that you will not fail nor become discouraged. Time will outline the beauty and grandeur of Heaven's plan. It is difficult for human minds to comprehend that God in His providence is working for the world through a feeble instrument. To know God in the working out of His providence is true science. There is much knowledge among men, but to see the designs of heavenly wisdom in times of necessity, to see the simplicity of God's plan revealing His justice and goodness and love, and searching out the hearts of men--this many fail to do. His plan seems too wonderful for them to accept, and thus they fail to be benefited. But Providence is still in our world, working among those who are grasping for the truth. These will recognize the hand of God. But His word will not be revered by those who trust in their own wisdom.--Letter 348, 1906, p. 6. (To G. I. Butler, Oct. 30, 1906.)  {11MR 348.1}  


The Work of God-Fearing Minister

The minister is not only to warn men, but to "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine." On every hand there are openings for the work of the God-fearing minister; and he who deals faithfully, as one who must give an account, is a laborer together with God. He is sowing seeds of eternal truth, and though he may bear a burdened heart, and send up prayers with supplication and tears, he will come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.  {RH, April 24, 1888 par. 5}  


God will Be with You, Go Forth in Faith

God calls for workers to enter the whitening harvest field. Shall we wait because the treasury is exhausted, because there is scarcely sufficient to sustain the workers now in the field? Go forth in faith, and God will be with you. The promise is: "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Psalm 126:6.  {7T 23.2} 


Consider the Following

❖ The context in which Psalm 126 was written is very uninspiring: Israel was held captive in Babylon, while Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed.
❖ However, the psalmist sings: “ The Lord has done great things for us; we will be glad” (Ps. 126:3).
❖ Happy in captivity? Joyful in pain? Can we be joyful today in a world held captive by sin?
❖ Yes, happy. Happy because we do not look at the current suffering. Our gaze turns back to observe the great things that God has done.
❖ Then, we will look to the future with joy. When Jesus comes, weeping will turn to rejoicing (Ps. 126:6). “We will be like those who dream” (Ps. 126:1). 


Wednesday - March 27, 2024

Waiting in God's Sabbath Rest -  Wait for Redemption (Psalm 92)

Psalms 92:1-15; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Exodus 40:15; 1 Samuel 10:1; Exodus 29:2; Leviticus 2:4-5; Romans 12:1; Hebrews 4:1-10. 

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Psalm 92:12)


Be Ready and Waiting for God's Order

We are to be ready and waiting for the orders of God. Nations will be stirred to their very center. Support will be withdrawn from those who proclaim God's only standard of righteousness, the only sure test of character. And all who will not bow to the decrees of the national councils and obey the national laws to exalt the sabbath instituted by the man of sin to the disregard of God's holy day, will feel, not the oppressive power of popery alone, but of the Protestant world, the image of the beast.  {12MR 324.2}  


The True Israel of God are Sabbath Keepers

And I saw that if God had changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day, He would have changed the writing of the Sabbath commandment, written on the tables of stone, which are now in the ark in the most holy place of the temple in heaven; and it would read thus: The first day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. But I saw that it read the same as when written on the tables of stone by the finger of God, and delivered to Moses on Sinai. "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God's dear, waiting saints.  {EW 33.1}  


Faith Rests Upon Evidence

The word of the Lord, spoken through His servants, is received by many with questionings and fears. And many will defer their obedience to the warning and reproofs given, waiting till every shadow of uncertainty is removed from their minds. The unbelief that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to the evidence that God is pleased to give. He requires of His people faith that rests upon the weight of evidence, not upon perfect knowledge. Those followers of Christ who accept the light that God sends them must obey the voice of God speaking to them when there are many other voices crying out against it. It requires discernment to distinguish the voice of God.--3T 258 (1873).  {2MCP 535.2}  


Nations Shall Bw in Joyful Worship to God and the Lamb

In the beginning the Father and the Son had rested upon the Sabbath after Their work of creation. When "the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them" (Genesis 2:1), the Creator and all heavenly beings rejoiced in contemplation of the glorious scene. "The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Job 38:7. Now Jesus rested from the work of redemption; and though there was grief among those who loved Him on earth, yet there was joy in heaven. Glorious to the eyes of heavenly beings was the promise of the future. A restored creation, a redeemed race, that having conquered sin could never fall,--this, the result to flow from Christ's completed work, God and angels saw. With this scene the day upon which Jesus rested is forever linked. For "His work is perfect;" and "whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever." Deuteronomy 32:4; Ecclesiastes 3:14. When there shall be a "restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21), the creation Sabbath, the day on which Jesus lay at rest in Joseph's tomb, will still be a day of rest and rejoicing. Heaven and earth will unite in praise, as "from one Sabbath to another" (Isaiah 66:23) the nations of the saved shall bow in joyful worship to God and the Lamb.  {DA 769.2}  


Consider the Following

❖ In the superscription of Psalm 92 we can read: “Song for the Sabbath.” We can find in it the two aspects of the Sabbath: Creation and Redemption.
❖ We rejoice in the contemplation of what God has created (Ps. 92:4-5). But many do not accept the Creator, nor the redemption He offers (Ps. 92:6-7).
❖ Those of us who accept the Savior will be created anew. Like palm trees, we will flourish, we will bear fruit, we will be vigorous (Ps. 92:12-14).
❖ Every Saturday we renew our hope in two ways: — We are “anointed” (Psalm 92:10). A special word is used here referring to the oil that is mixed with the sacrifice ( Lev . 2:5). We are a sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1). — We share our hope with others (Psalm 92:15). 


Thursday - March 28, 2024

Joy Comes in the Morning - Wait for the Glorious Morning

Psalms 5:3; 30:5; 49:14; 59:16; 92:2; 119:147; 130:5-6; 143:1-12, 2 Peter 1:19;  Mark 16:1-8.  

“‘In My Voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to you, and I will look up”            (Psalm 5:3)


Future Glory - Fragrant Life and Power to Perfect Christian Character

True Christianity diffuses love through the whole being. It touches every vital part—the brain, the heart, the helping hands, the feet—enabling us to stand firmly where God requires us to stand, lest the lame be turned out of the way. The contemplation of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us will make the life fragrant and give power to perfect a Christian experience. {BLJ 335.5} 

We can, we can, reveal the likeness of our divine Lord. We can know the science of spiritual life. We can glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits, which are His. Christ has shown us what we may accomplish through cooperation with Him. “Abide in me,” He says, “and I in you.”—Review and Herald, Apr. 4, 1912. {BLJ 335.6} 


In the Kingdom of God, Faithful Dead will be Resurrected to Take the Work Again

The battle cry is sounding along the line. Let every soldier of the cross push to the front, not in self-sufficiency, but in meekness and lowliness, and with firm faith in God. Your work, my work, will not cease with this life. For a little while we may rest in the grave, but, when the call comes, we shall, in the kingdom of God, take up our work once more. {7T 17.4} 

Please check the following links for further study:

Meat In Due Season - 6. The Establishment of the Kingdom of Glory (google.com) 

Meat In Due Season - Discourses on Pre-Millennial Kingdom (google.com) 

Meat In Due Season - The Final Display of God's Power and Glory (google.com) 


Consider the Following

❖ The morning will end the night of despair and anguish (Ps. 130:5-6; 30:5b).
❖ Peter encourages us to trust in God's Word to guide us until the morning dawns (2 Pet. 1:19). But when will morning come?
❖ Jesus is “the bright and morning star” (Rev. 22:16). When He comes, “There will be no more night there; and they have no need of the light of a lamp, nor of the light of the sun, for the Lord God will enlighten them” (Rev. 22:5). The wait is worth it. 


Friday - March 29, 2024

Insights and Further Study

He that loveth God supremely will not because of that love his parents or other relatives less. The love of Christ leads His disciples to carry out the will and ways of God expressed in the wills of His servants that are dead, waiting for the morning of the resurrection. Our capital, entrusted of God, is not to be recklessly signed away to men and women who would serve themselves and not the Lord. "He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." This caution is not designed to lead us to disregard relatives or friends, yet the test comes to every soul, Will you receive Christ and acknowledge Him as your Redeemer.  {GH, December 1, 1901 par. 5}  


Questions to Ponder


From the Pen of Inspiration

“We are looking for the second coming of Christ. Our hope of His soon appearing in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory fills our hearts with joy. When the Saviour comes, those who are prepared to meet Him will exclaim, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation” [Isa. 25:9] […]

A crown of life that fadeth not away is reserved in heaven for the redeemed, who in heaven will be kings and priests unto God. This is the hope set before us. What a hope it is! Oh, that everyone may be ready for Christ's coming! God grant that you may be overcomers!” EGW (Sermons and Talks V.2, Chapter 24, page 179 )