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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Benjamin Ng

The Starless Crown

Good morning Happy Sabbath It's good to be here and good to see the church is growing bigger with every week that goes by and every month that goes by This morning I would like for you to turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Revelation.

But while you're turning there, or as you're there already, I just ask for you to bow your heads once more with me for a word of prayer.

Gracious loving Father, Lord, we're so thankful that you brought us to this place of worship this morning.

And Father, as we spend this next few minutes to look at your word, please send the Holy Spirit That he may lead us and guide us into all truth Father as we open the word, please open our hearts and our minds that we may first Have the knowledge to know what is truth and with wisdom know how to apply it So bless us this morning.

I pray in Jesus name Amen The book of Revelation chapter 14 and starting with verse 6 a Most familiar passage to most of us here, I'm sure but 1 that can never be preached dry Revelation chapter 14 and starting with verse 6 The Bible says and I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven Having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth to every nation and kindred and tongue and people saying with a loud voice fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment is come and Worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters Here my friends is the first angels message And for those that have heard me preach in the past, I looked at the message of fear God the last time I was with you.

And just to recap very quickly, the first time the word fear God or feareth God is ever mentioned in the Bible is in relation to the story of Abraham and We looked at how Abraham had implicit trust in the Word of God He didn't doubt God's word when God told him, Abraham, offer your only son whom thou lovest upon a mountain which I will show you.

And Abraham of course went up and he took his son with a few servants and went to mount moriah there to sacrifice his son and as abraham had the knife stretched forth god sent an angel and said now I know that you fear me implicit trust in the Word of God despite all outward appearance.

But let's recap very quickly some few texts that may be quite familiar to some of you here.

Let's go a little deeper this morning and see what fear of God means.

I'm not going to spend too much time on these verses because I want to build a platform of understanding that will help us to gear our direction for the message this morning.

What else does the word fear God mean and Moses said unto the people fear not for God is come to prove you that his fear may be before you that you want Sin not and so Here according to Exodus just after Moses receives the 10 Commandments He said fear not for God is come to prove you that his fear may be before your faces that ye sin not so what does it mean to fear god it means to not sin and what is the definition of sin friends first john 3 4 is what transgression of the law and so as a result of person that doesn't send is not breaking the law they have no claim or death has no claim upon them.

Job chapter 1 and verse 1, the Bible says, There was a man in the land of us whose name was Job and that man was what?

Perfect and upright and 1 that feared God and is streweth evil so friends in order to fear God You must have implicit trust in the Word of God and that you obey Without asking or questioning and as a result, you're not breaking the 10 Commandments as a result.

You're living a perfect life So This is a high claim at the very beginning of the first angels message for everybody that proclaims it We need to live a perfect and righteous life.

Another familiar text, nothing new that most of you I'm sure are hearing.

This is not new for the first time, so I'm sure people that, especially that haven't hope, right?

Psalms 119 verse 172, the Bible says, "'My tongue shall speak of thy word, "'for all thy commandments are, " what?

So friends, as a result, if you're not sinning, you're obeying the law of God and that law is righteousness, which is imputed to those that obey.

So certainly a person that knows how to fear God is number 1 not sinning is having faith in God and they're living a perfect and righteous life but let me ask you this question friends what's the purpose of a perfect and upright life righteous life what's that all about Is it that God desires us to be perfect and that's it here on this earth?

What does it mean in the context of why God and the whole Bible, Why is God asking us to be righteous?

Why is He asking us to obey the 10 Commandments?

Yes, we know the 10 Commandments is a transcript of the law of God, but there's gotta be a greater purpose behind all this.

For many people in their quest for seeking a perfect life, study the Bible and they see things out of there and they read the spirit of prophecy and they tell them, go live in the country, go eat a vegetarian diet, and they do these things.

And then they shut that door, shut their little cave, and live their perfect, righteous life.

Come with me Come with me to Psalms 111 verse 10.

The Bible says, Once again a familiar text to most of us if not all of us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of what?

Wisdom and A good understanding have all they that do his commandments his praise endureth forever according to Psalms 111 what does it mean to fear God friends what does it mean to fear God Keep his commandments and as a result when you fear God, what do you have?

Now okay, we say, oh if you keep the commandments, you'll help you with your school.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

But in the context of what God is trying to communicate here to us, let me ask you that question on top of what is the purpose of living a perfect righteous life?

People like Solomon, years later when God granted him that wisdom, he used it for his own selfish purpose.

But God did not give him wisdom for that reason What do we need wisdom for?

Let's go to Proverbs chapter 11 What do we need this righteous life for, friends?

The Bible says, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and He that what?

Winner souls is wise What do we need righteousness for what do we need faith for what do we need wisdom for we need it to insult That is why God asked us to fear God And as a result we are able to give glory to Him What do we need wisdom for To bring people to the foot of the cross We need wisdom We need tact We need all these things that are sent from above to help our brothers and sisters around us.

Not to know how to build the temple, for the blueprint was already laid before him by his father David.

God gave him wisdom so that people like Sheba, the queen of Sheba, came to ask him of all his wisdom and he said, not even the half was told of me what you are and throughout this time if during Solomon's time friend if God had if Solomon had really fulfilled the plan of why God gave him wisdom, we would not be here today.

For the purpose of God through Israel was that this nation would grow and grow and grow, that it would encompass the whole world.

But what did Solomon and all the Israelites and the Jews back then do?

Because they wanted to live a righteous and perfect life.

There's nothing wrong with the quest of living that righteous and perfect life, but it must be used in the right way.

I've been going through the councils on foods and diets, diets and foods.

I never read this book right through before.

It's always been used as a compilation book for me but this is 1 quote that I want to read to you councils and I some foods struck home very clearly to me in the method of how and why we need wisdom in order to reach and win souls.

In the context of diet, but I believe that can be implied in many other aspects of our Christian walk, especially in Adventism.

Sister White writes here, many of the views held by Seventh-day Adventists differ widely from those held by the world in general.

Those who advocate an unpopular truth should, above all others, number 1, seek to be consistent in their own life Okay What sort of truth?

Unpopular so number 1 we need to seek to be consistent But then it says listen up they should not try to see how different they can be from others.

But we're told by Sister White that we should not try to see how different we can be from others, but how near they can come to those whom they wish to influence, that they may help them to the positions they themselves so highly prize.

Such a course will commend the truths they hold.

God has given us a high standard, but we should try to see how close we can come to those that don't believe in the same things we do.

That the truths that we hold may be commendable to them.

But too many times, especially in these circles where we hear about the diet reform and and the health reform and and all These sorts of reforms that are out there and we say oh, this is Good news And we start to do them But like the Israelites of all we have this wisdom that God gave us and we begin to build brick walls up around us Not realizing that with the truth that we have Somehow with wisdom we need to see how close part of me I'm coming too close, how close we can be to those who don't believe the same truth set out.

That means we don't stand back with a finger pointing at them all their sins but instead we come close.

It takes wisdom to know how to live a perfect and righteous life.

Daniel chapter 12 and verse 3 the Bible says and they that be what?

Wise Who are those that are wise they that what?

Fear God They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.

If Daniel does not give us a clearer understanding of the outputs of what studying the book of Daniel should be, that as a result when we study Daniel, it may possibly what?

And as a result, we're called wise people.

And as a result, when we turn many to righteousness, we become as what?

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The Starless Crown

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