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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Anthony Baca

Take Heed

Most gracious Heavenly Father, we come before you on this morning to thank you for being the great God that you are.

We thank you for your character that you seek day by day to continue to express and to give us deeper revelations of that by beholding it we might become changed and impacted in our day-to-day lives and therefore reflected to those around us.

We invite your presence to remain with us for I know that you have been here this morning.

We ask for the gift of understanding and a wisdom that as we open up your word this morning that it would not be in vain, but that the Spirit would individually impress each person, including my own heart, with the truths and your words that you would have us to hear this morning.

Put your words in my mouth, Lord, and I pray that thy name be glorified.

Today's topic under discussion, if I had to give it a title, it would be titled, Take Heed.

And we're going to open up our Bibles to the book of 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy chapter 4, and we're going to look at verse 16.

1 Timothy, we're going to look at chapter 4 and verse 16.

Today we're going to start with a Bible study, look briefly at some Adventist history, and then close with a quote and a verse.

So that'll be the outline of this morning's talk.

We're going to 1 Timothy chapter 4, we're going to start in verse 16.

I still hear the leaves of the tree of life rustling, so we'll wait.

And in a moment I'm going to attempt to write on the whiteboard.

If it is too small, feel free to let me know it is too small.

I'm not used to such big rooms and so I don't have the best perception of what it should be.

So if it's too small let me know and I can write bigger when I do write on the board.

Alright, 1st Timothy chapter 4 we're going to verse 16.

The Bible reads, take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine.

Continue in them, for in doing this thou shall both save thyself and them that hear thee." Now I want to read it from the American Standard Version.

It says, take heed to yourself and to your teaching.

Hold to that, for by so doing, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

When I read this verse, the very first 2 words, they rouse me to action.

There's something that you need to examine.

You know, ever since the October 22, 1844, we've been living in very special times, have we not?

Very special times that call for us to examine oneself.

To know where are we at individually and personally with our walk with God.

But notice it says take heed unto yourself and to the what?

Specifically, and as I like how the ASV puts it as it's implied in the original, take heed unto your doctrine.

Has God ever given you a special burden when you're studying the Bible?

Have you ever had that special devotional time when you're just praying to God, open up His Word, and He just speaks so clearly from His Word, and you have a burden to share that message with someone else, amen?

I know many of us have had that experience, and if not, it's going to happen if you spend time in the Word of God and in prayer, for God desires to teach us individually and personally for ourselves.

Notice it says, take heed or pay attention to the teaching that God has given you, because if you do this, who will be saved?

You know, 1 thing I've noticed and it can very easily happen, it's happened to friends of mine in ministry, that you learn the doctrine, you learn the teachings, and you teach them well and people give their hearts to Jesus, but because of neglect of examining oneself and searching a where they are with their walk with God and teaching others they themselves are lost.

Or they throw away that which they once had.

How sad would it be to be outside the walls of New Jerusalem looking in seeing all those that were saved because of what you had taught, but you yourself were on the outside because you did not take heed to that which you were teaching.

So this morning we're going to talk about examining oneself, but not only paying attention and examining our own selves.

But the message that we have as a people, not just teaching it to others, but specifically examining it for ourselves.

Because if God has given it to us, yes, it is to share with others, but more importantly is also that He has given it for ourselves.

Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 13.

2 Corinthians, we're looking at chapter 13, and we're going to look at the 5th verse.

Do you see in this verse the importance of examining oneself?

That we we need to examine ourselves and notice what he says, know you not who?

How interesting it is that sometimes we can know what everyone else needs to hear from the Word of God, but we don't take time to examine who?

And to see what do I need to hear from the Word of God.

We see here in this text that it says to examine yourselves and to prove your own selves unless you be disqualified.

So there is a lot of weight and a lot of import put on the emphasis of the necessity of examining oneself.

And notice here, What is the problem if we don't examine ourselves?

And if we don't know ourselves, guess who we are?

Revelation chapter 3 is a passage I'm sure that you have looked at many times in this room.

Revelation chapter 3, looking at verse 17, the message to the Laodiceans.

What is the problem with the Laodicean Church?

Notice the problem with the Laodicean Church.

You know, if you've studied the 7 churches, I teach the Revelation class.

It's a powerful gospel that God has given us.

But when you look at the churches in the book of Revelation, chapter 2 and 3, You notice that there were some doctrinal issues weren't there.

You have the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.

You have the doctrines and the teachings of Balaam.

And you see doctrinal issues throughout the 7 churches after the Church of Ephesus.

But in the Church of Laodicea, do we see doctrinal issues as the key fundamental problem with the Church of Laodicea?

Notice what it says in verse 17, because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have what?

And knowest not that thou art wretched, miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

What was the problem with Laodicean church?

Was it that they were poor, blind, and naked?

Was that the key problem with the church?

Could you imagine walking around thinking that you're clothed but yet you're naked?

So imagine this church is walking around, thinking, look at me, I'm increased with goods, I'm rich, I don't need anything.

And you're looking at them and you're like, you're actually naked and you're pretty miserable and you're poor too.

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Take Heed

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