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Sabbath Bible Lessons

Worship in Awe and Reverence

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Lesson 12 Sabbath, September 22, 2012

Humility, Loyalty, Respect

“Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king” (1 Peter 2:17).

“Be polite to God and to one another. Remember that He wants you to have the best of manners, that you may glorify Him before the world.”—Sons and Daughters of God, p. 315.

Suggested Readings:   Testimonies, vol. 4, pp. 16-20
  Ibid., vol. 6, pp. 394–401

Sunday September 16

1. REVIVING AN ANCIENT PRINCIPLE

a. Explain the way we are to treat God’s aged servants—and why. Proverbs 16:31; Numbers 12:1–10; 2 Kings 2:22–24.

“Reverence should be shown for God’s representatives—for ministers, teachers, and parents who are called to speak and act in His stead. In the respect shown to them He is honored.”—Education, p. 244.

“Parents mourn over the hardness of heart in their children and the difficulty in arousing their moral sensibility to answer to the claims of God. But the books of heavenly record trace with unerring pen the true cause. The parents were unconverted. They were not in harmony with heaven or with heaven’s work. Their low, common ideas of the sacredness of the ministry and of the sanctuary of God were woven into the education of their children. . . .

“Parents, be careful what example and what ideas you give your children. Their minds are plastic, and impressions are easily made. In regard to the service of the sanctuary, if the speaker has a blemish, be afraid to mention it. Talk only of the good work he is doing, of the good ideas he presented, which you should heed as coming through God’s agent. It may be readily seen why children are so little impressed with the ministry of the word and why they have so little reverence for the house of God. Their education has been defective in this respect.”—Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 497, 498.


Monday September 17

2. DIVINELY INSPIRED LOYALTY

a. How did David exemplify amazing loyalty even towards King Saul, who fully intended to kill him? 1 Samuel 24:4–6; 26:8, 9. What was the result? 1 Samuel 24:16–19; 26:21–25.

“[1 Samuel 26:21, 22 quoted.] . . . This second instance of David’s respect for his sovereign’s life made a still deeper impression upon the mind of Saul and brought from him a more humble acknowledgment of his fault. He was astonished and subdued at the manifestation of such kindness.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 671, 672.

b. In what ways are we to manifest deep appreciation for the body of Christ? 1 Timothy 5:17–19; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 4:8, 9; 5:5.

“Many do not realize the sacredness of church relationship and are loath to submit to restraint and discipline. Their course of action shows that they exalt their own judgment above that of the united church, and they are not careful to guard themselves lest they encourage a spirit of opposition to its voice. Those who hold responsible positions in the church may have faults in common with other people and may err in their decisions; but notwithstanding this, the church of Christ on earth has given to them an authority that cannot be lightly esteemed. Christ, after His resurrection, delegated power unto His church, saying: ‘Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained’ (John 20:23).

“Church relationship is not to be lightly canceled; yet when the path of some professed followers of Christ is crossed, or when their voice has not the controlling influence which they think it deserves, they will threaten to leave the church. True, in leaving the church they would themselves be the greatest sufferers; for in withdrawing beyond the pale of its influence, they subject themselves to the full temptations of the world.

“Every believer should be wholehearted in his attachment to the church. Its prosperity should be his first interest, and unless he feels under sacred obligations to make his connection with the church a benefit to it in preference to himself, it can do far better without him.”—Testimonies, vol. 4, pp. 17, 18.


Tuesday September 18

3. THE TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES

a. What appeal did the apostle Paul make to Philemon concerning his wayward servant? Philemon 15, 16. What principles can employers learn from this? Matthew 5:7; Philippians 2:4; Colossians 4:1.

“Have you, who have hired help, let your light shine to your workmen, that they, too, may be laborers together with God? God has given you precious privileges and advantages in sending you the light of His truth, and you are to improve these blessings, and let others share your mercies.”—Reflecting Christ, p. 206.

b. What can we learn from the counsel given regarding the employment of helpers in the institutional restaurants?

“Our restaurant managers are to work for the salvation of the employees. They are not to overwork, placing themselves where they have neither strength nor inclination to help the workers spiritually. They are to devote their best powers to instructing their employees in spiritual lines, explaining the Scriptures to them, and praying with them and for them.”—Manuscript Releases, vol. 4, p. 285.

“With every restaurant there should be connected a man and his wife who can act as guardians of the helpers, a man and woman who love the Saviour and the souls for whom He died, and who keep the way of the Lord.

“The young women should be under the care of a wise, judicious matron, a woman who is thoroughly converted, who will carefully guard the workers, especially the younger ones.

“The workers are to feel that they have a home. They are God’s helping hand, and they are to be treated as carefully and tenderly as Christ declared that the little child whom He set in the midst of His disciples was to be treated. ‘Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me,’ He said, ‘it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.’ ‘Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven’ (Matthew 18:6, 10). The care that should be given to these employees is one of the reasons in favor of having in a large city several small restaurants instead of one large one.”—Testimonies, vol. 7, pp. 118, 119.


Wednesday September 19

4. EMPLOYERS AND CIVIL AUTHORITIES

a. How does Scripture teach us to respect all types of masters and employers? Colossians 3:22, 23; 1 Timothy 6:1, 2; 1 Peter 2:18–20.

“Be faithful in deal, thorough in labor, ever bearing in mind that it is not your employer’s eye alone that is to inspect your work, but that the eye of God is upon all the transactions of your life. Angels of God are viewing your work, and it should be a part of your religion to have every piece of work marked with truth and faithfulness.”—Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 78.

b. How do the manners of the ungodly present a sharp contrast to the proper Christian attitude toward civil authorities and laws? Jude 8; 1 Peter 2:13, 14, 17; Romans 13:1, 2.

“It is not wise to find fault continually with what is done by the rulers of government. It is not our work to attack individuals or institutions. We should exercise great care lest we be understood as putting ourselves in opposition to the civil authorities. . . .

“We should not work in a manner that will mark us out as seeming to advocate treason. We should weed out from our writings and utterances every expression that, taken by itself, could be so misrepresented as to make it appear antagonistic to law and order. . . .

“The time will come when unguarded expressions of a denunciatory character, that have been carelessly spoken or written by our brethren, will be used by our enemies to condemn us. These will not be used merely to condemn those who made the statements, but will be charged upon the whole body of Adventists. Our accusers will say that on such and such a day one of our responsible men said thus and so against the administration of the laws of this government. Many will be astonished to see how many things have been cherished and remembered that will give point to the arguments of our adversaries. Many will be surprised to hear their own words strained into a meaning that they did not intend them to have. Then let our workers be careful to speak guardedly at all times and under all circumstances. Let all beware lest by reckless expressions they bring on a time of trouble before the great crisis which is to try men’s souls.”—Ibid., vol. 6, pp. 394, 395.


Thursday September 20

5. AN EXEMPLARY ATTITUDE

a. Against what attitudes are we warned—even in our treatment of those whom we think are in the darkness of error? Ecclesiastes 7:9.

“There are some who indulge in levity, sarcasm, and even mockery toward those who differ with them.”—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 108.

“Some persons speak in a harsh, uncourteous manner, that wounds the feelings of others, and then they justify themselves by saying, ‘It is my way; I always tell just what I think’; and they exalt this wicked trait of character as a virtue. . . .

“That unkind word should be left unspoken, that selfish disregard for the happiness of others should give place to sympathy and thoughtfulness.”—Our High Calling, p. 229.

b. What is the right attitude? 1 Thessalonians 5:14, 15; 2 Timothy 2:24–26.

“Let us pray, not only for ourselves, but for those who have hurt us and are continuing to hurt us.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E.G. White Comments], vol. 3, p. 1141.

c. Describe Christ’s attitude toward His persecutors. Matthew 5:44, 45; Luke 23:34. What was His attitude toward the devil? Jude 9.

“[Hanging on the cross], the Saviour made no murmur of complaint. . . . No curses were called down upon the soldiers who were handling Him so roughly. No vengeance was invoked upon the priests and rulers, who were gloating over the accomplishment of their purpose. Christ pitied them.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 744.


Friday September 21

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What does reverence for the church body and its leaders entail?

2. What can we learn from the attitude of David toward Saul?

3. Explain the serious responsibilities of Christians in the workplace.

4. How should we avoid appearing antagonistic against authority?

5. What can we learn from the attitude of Jesus on the cross?

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