WORSHIP THE CREATOR
May 19th – 25th, 2018
MEMORY TEXT: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” Revelation 14:6
SABBATH AFTERNOON: Present truth is the truth applicable to a present time (1 Pet. 1:12). The “present truth” to the fallen pair was that a Savior would come through her (Gen. 3:15). Over the ages, this promise was re-echoed to Abraham (Gen. 18:18) and was later fulfilled (Mark 10:45). God’s “last message of warning and mercy is to enlighten” us about His return—this is our “present truth” (Rev. 14:6-12).
SUNDAY: The gospel is a “universal blessing, pouring forth its treasures on” all. The first angel’s message is a statement of universal truth—hence, can be called “the Great Commission”. It’s to be shared to the whole world (Rev. 14:6; Matt. 24:14, 28:19). Sin is universal, hence, the gospel must also be universal. “Every nation” has sinned and needs Jesus to be saved (Gal. 3:22).
MONDAY: The heirs of God are sinners who have “washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”. In themselves they are faulty, and “have nothing to offer” like the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42). Jesus did not rebuke him (Matt. 5:20; 27:44). Only the grace of God can “obtain for us a passport into heaven”. The gospel is “everlasting”, it has power to give us eternal life.
TUESDAY: Embedded in the “everlasting gospel” is godly fear. “The life in which the fear of the Lord is cherished will” glorify God. Thus, fearing God and glorifying Him are linked to each other. This is the “present truth” to be carried to all. Those who “fear” God obeys His “command to the very letter”. This fear leads us to Christ (Gen. 22:12; Exod. 20:20; Job 1:9; Eccles. 12:13, Matt. 5:16).
WEDNESDAY: “The Lord alone is the judge of man’s work, and He will give to each his just reward” (Rev. 14:7). In Him, justice and mercy “have kissed each other”. Thus, although we’ve “all sinned” and have to die, God is able to save us like the thief on the cross. Yet, we are saved not by our merits, but by the merits of Christ imputed on us (Matt. 12:36; Eccl. 12:14; Rom. 2:6, 8:1; 1 Cor. 4:5, 6:11; 5T, p. 471).
THURSDAY: The first angel bids us to spread the gospel to the world and “fear God and give glory to Him”because God is our Creator (Rev. 14:6, 7). By constant worship, we learn to depend on God. The Sabbath reminds us of our Creator—God. The issue of worship is crucial, those who receives the mark of the beast and obey the false Sabbath instead of the Creator’s rest day shall face God’s wrath (Rev. 14:8-11).
PREPARATION DAY: The call to worship the Creator in Revelation 14:7 and the call to obey the Sabbath in Exodus 20:11 are linked to each other. Author John Baldwin posit that, God’s deliberate listing of some of His created things specifically “fountains of water” is for a purpose. It points us to the flood in Noah’s time to remind us about God’s justice and mercy. Hence, we ought to keep in mind a pending end time.
Discussion Questions
📌 Isaiah 53:6 reads: “All we like sheep have gone astray.” The word in Hebrew used in this text for “all of us” is cullanu. In the same text, Isaiah says that the Lord laid upon Jesus “the iniquity of us all.” The word for “us all” here, too, is cullanu. How does this show us that no matter how great the sin problem is, the solution to it is more than sufficient to solve it?
📌 What other lessons can we learn from the story of the thief on the cross? Suppose the thief received a pardon and was brought down from the cross and survived. How different a life do you think he would have lived? What does that answer tell us about the power of Christ to change our lives?
Credits/Edits
Source: Brother Steve Lawrence (SDA, Bermuda)
Format: Edited for presentation and to reflect KJV
