<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Jonathan Martin

Lessons on Faith for the Time of Trouble

I did not think this year would come so quickly.

When Addison was asking me to speak this morning, I thought, what in the world should I speak about?

And at the time I was reading through The Great Controversy.

How many of you guys took up the challenge in summer to read through The Great Controversy again?

How many of you guys finished reading through The Great Controversy?

So if you haven't, there's still time, okay?

But while I was reading through it, I came upon a subject in the chapter on the time of trouble that really got me thinking.

I know some of you are thinking, Oh no, Jonathan, it's the new year.

We need something happy and cheerful, the time of trouble of all things.

But there is something very hopeful about it.

So I'm gonna tell you what I'm gonna tell you about today.

We're gonna start with the time of trouble.

Look at a passage that she wrote there that has had some misunderstanding, I feel, in the past.

And then focus on faith, a lesson of faith and lesson of sanctification and how it applies to us this year.

I'm trying to get with the times here, not have everything written out.

So I'm gonna start off by reading a passage from Christ's object lesson.

Many people who have come and heard powerful messages about sanctification and living Christ's life have heard this passage read before.

And it says, when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he put it in the sickle because the harvest has come.

Now, Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of himself in his church.

When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in his people, then he will come to claim them as his own.

I think many of us can recite that from heart and have had that burning desire to have Christ's character perfectly represented inside of us.

I was reading this passage in the Time of Trouble that got me thinking.

It's on page 622 and she makes this mention that how people are going through the time of Jacob's trouble, their great distress and anguish, Satan is pressing fierce temptations upon him, fierce delusions.

While Satan seeks to destroy this class, God will send his angels to comfort and protect them in a time of peril.

The assaults of Satan are fierce and determined.

His delusions are terrible, but the Lord's eye is upon his people, and his ears listen to their cries.

The flames of the furnace seem about to consume them, but the refiner will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire.

God's love for his children during the period of their severest trial is as strong and tender as in the days of their sonny's prosperity." Now, listen carefully to the next part.

Now, friends, I don't know about you, but I always, when I read the passage in Christ's object lessons, I thought, Lord, we're gonna have to be perfect before anything happens here.

But after reading this passage in Great Controversy, you realize that the thing that will bring about this final revelation of Christ's image is the time of trouble, this final test, this final preparation time.

Now what in this world does this have to do with faith?

Moving forward, the next paragraph says, the season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger.

A faith that will not faint though severely tried.

Let those words sink into your mind for a second.

She goes on to say that the period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time.

Now speaking of Jacob, she said that he prevailed because he was persevering and determined.

All who will lay hold of God's promises as he did and be as earnest and persevering as he was will succeed as he succeeded.

She talks about wrestling with God, of how at this time, when waves of despair which no language can express sweep over the suppliant, how few cling with unyielding faith to the promises of God.

So we have here a characterization of faith.

This is a faith that can withstand weariness, delay, hunger, unimaginable sorrow sweeping over our soul by still clinging to God.

I can still raise my hand for 6 more months.

Now for those of you who have been away from school for a while, I just want you to think back.

But then as the weeks go by, what you thought you had a whole month to prepare, and now it becomes 72 hours.

And you're like, oh my goodness, I'm not ready.

Or you have a project that needs to be proposed to prepare to defend what you've been working on for the past 6 months of your life, okay?

You've got 1 day, 5 hours, 1 hour, 5 minutes, okay?

Don't raise your hands if you can sympathize with this, all right?

You go through it, you deliver it, you pass, and you go, whew, I'm never doing that again until 6 months later, okay?

I'd like to present to you, though, that this is the most severe test that will ever come.

And she mentions something very sobering here.

Those who exercise but little faith now are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience.

If you are not exercising faith now, exercising little faith, you are at high risk of falling.

But she makes this very, well, I'll read it.

And even if they endure the test, okay, so there's hope.

Even if they endure the test, they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in the time of trouble because they have never made it a habit to trust in God.

Friends, I don't know about you, but I don't want to have any more time of trouble than I need, okay?

I just need the minimum to burn off the rust and to reveal the image of Christ in me.

She goes on to say, The lessons of faith which they have neglected, they will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement.

We should now acquaint ourselves with God by what?

For the rest of this talk, we're going to examine a few things about what I feel are 3 fundamental lessons on faith and how we can start practicing our spiritual muscles to prepare for this time.

This will kind of segue into why we need to have faith.

Speaking of Jesus, our high priest, he says, "'Now while our great high priest "'is making the atonement for us, "'we should seek to become perfect in Christ.

Not even by a thought could our Savior be brought to yield to the power of temptation.

Now note this, Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold.

Some sinful desire is cherished by means of which his temptations assert their power.

But of Christ, it is declared of himself, the prince of this world comes and hath nothing in me.

Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory.

He had kept his father's commandments, there was no sin in him that Satan could use to his advantage.

Back to Menu

Lessons on Faith for the Time of Trouble

Transcript

Sponsor

Recorded

Related

The Ignition

48m

The Health Message

Exercise: Health in Movement

1h 3m

Is Perfection Possible?

45m

Restoration 2006: Prepare Me

Cardiology of Commitment: The Heart of the Matter

58m

Not Arriving, Striving

19m

A Clean Slate

40m

Plenary

Our Soul-Winning Bottleneck

52m

Star Falls

01 Star Falls

1h 8m

Growth

45m

GYC 2012 Morning Devotional

Redefining Culture

54m

Not by Might... Nor Technique

44m

Jonathon Cherne Weekend

Enjoying Peace Before the Storm?

56m

Sound Doctrine