q4 yav

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 88, 89

“‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures

upon earth.’ Matthew 6:19.

“Treasure laid up on earth will not endure; thieves break through and steal;

moth and rust corrupt; fire and storm sweep away your possessions. And

„where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.‟ Treasure laid up on

the earth will engross the mind to the exclusion of heavenly things.

“The love of money was the ruling passion in the Jewish age. Worldliness

usurped the place of God and religion in the soul. So it is now. Avaricious

greed for wealth exerts such a fascinating, bewitching influence over the life

that it results in perverting the nobility and corrupting the humanity of men

until they are drowned in perdition. The service of Satan is full of care,

perplexity, and wearing labor, and the treasure men toil to accumulate on

earth is only for a season.

“Jesus said, „Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth

nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for

where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.‟

“The instruction is to „lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.‟ It is for

your own interest to secure heavenly riches. These alone, of all that you

possess, are really yours. The treasure laid up in heaven is imperishable. No

fire or flood can destroy it, no thief despoil it, no moth or rust corrupt it; for

it is in the keeping of God.

“This treasure, which Christ esteems as precious above all estimate, is „the

riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.‟ Ephesians 1:18. The

disciples of Christ are called His jewels, His precious and peculiar treasure.

He says, „They shall be as the stones of a crown.‟ „I will make a man more

precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.‟

Zechariah 9:16; Isaiah 13:12. Christ looks upon His people in their purity

and perfection as the reward of all His sufferings, His humiliation, and His

Sabbath Afternoon | Today‟s Reading

Authentic Worship | Lesson 4 | October 23, 2010

What’s He Worth to You

love, and the supplement of His glory—Christ, the great Center, from whom

radiates all glory.”

1. Highlight the paragraph that begins, “The instruction is to „lay up for. . . .‟”

2. Highlight the sentence that begins, “The service of Satan. . . .”

3. Highlight the sentence that begins, “The disciples of Christ are called His jewels. . . .”

Psalm 100:2, 3 (New King James Version)

“Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

Psalm 96:9 (Amplified Bible) “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; tremble before and

reverently fear Him, all the earth.”

Psalm 95:6, 7 (English Standard Version)

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

For he is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”

WHAT’S HE WORTH TO YOU?

Every once in a while, adults feel the need to really clean the house. Much thought is put into what should be kept and what should be thrown out. And

then there is almost always a yard sale for the unwanted items that are just too good to throw away.

Recently, that whole scenario was played out at my house. My wife made quick work of a few closets upstairs and pointed to several boxes that

needed to be taken out to be sold at the yard sale. “Just put them in the garage, and I‟ll get them ready to sell,” she said

rather nonchalantly.

While she is a precious and wonderful bride, she is a terrible actress, and her casual way of instructing me to take the boxes out caused me to

become suspicious. “What‟s in the boxes that she does not want me to discover?” I mused to

myself.

She noticed my suspicion and quickly said, “If you don‟t have anything else to do, I could think of a few. . . .”

Sensing the ultimatum, I wisely chose to carry the boxes downstairs to the garage.

When I was alone with the boxes, I opened one of them and rummaged through the contents. Overall, I was pleased to see the items in the box on

their way out. On the bottom, however, was my green sweatshirt I have had since college. Fifteen years that sweatshirt accompanied me through

football seasons and work bees, mission trips and vacations. Clearly, it had seen better days, but that was exactly the point—it had been with me as a

faithful friend through the best and worst of times. “Why would she hide this at the bottom of the box?” I wondered. It was a

conspiracy. What was extremely valuable to me was seen as trash to be discarded by my wife. I was keeping this and was willing to fight for it. I

took the price tag off the sweatshirt and stomped back into the house ready for war.

Sad to say, I lost the battle for the sweatshirt. It seems that my love for my wife is greater than my love for a dingy old worn-out sweatshirt. My

reaction shows, though, that what we value is extremely personal. The stories, the experiences, the memories of our lives are all tied up in simple symbols, and some of those symbols are as old as an old sweatshirt.

Kneeling in prayer may seem old-fashioned and out of place to some today, but why? Returning tithe and giving to the work of the church might seem

like less of a priority to many today than it did 100 years ago. Why? Listening to a preacher teach from God‟s Word may seem almost irrelevant to people in our fast-paced world. Why would that be? What happens to us

that makes it hard to worship our God?—Pastor Troy.

1. According to “Today‟s Reading,” what are you worth to Jesus?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

2. Why is it important for us to “lay up treasures in heaven”?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

3. What is important about worshiping God?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

4. What does it mean to you to worship?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Steps to Christ, pp. 70, 71 “A life in Christ is a life of restfulness. There may be no ecstasy of feeling,

but there should be an abiding, peaceful trust. Your hope is not in yourself;

it is in Christ. Your weakness is united to His strength, your ignorance to His

wisdom, your frailty to His enduring might. So you are not to look to

yourself, not to let the mind dwell upon self, but look to Christ. Let the mind

dwell upon His love, upon the beauty, the perfection, of His character.

Christ in His self-denial, Christ in His humiliation, Christ in His purity and

holiness, Christ in His matchless love --this is the subject for the soul's

contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon

Him, that you are to be transformed into His likeness.

“Jesus says, „Abide in Me.‟ These words convey the idea of rest, stability,

confidence. Again He invites, „Come unto Me, . . . and I will give you rest.‟

Matthew 11:28. The words of the psalmist express the same thought: „Rest

in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.‟ And Isaiah gives the assurance, „In

quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.‟ Psalm 37:7; Isaiah

Sunday | Today‟s Reading

30:15. This rest is not found in inactivity; for in the Saviour's invitation the

promise of rest is united with the call to labor: „Take My yoke upon you: . . .

and ye shall find rest.‟ Matthew 11:29. The heart that rests most fully upon

Christ will be most earnest and active in labor for Him.

“When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the source

of strength and life. Hence it is Satan's constant effort to keep the attention

diverted from the Saviour and thus prevent the union and communion of

the soul with Christ. The pleasures of the world, life's cares and perplexities

and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own faults and imperfections--to

any or all of these he will seek to divert the mind. Do not be misled by his

devices. Many who are really conscientious, and who desire to live for God,

he too often leads to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses, and thus

by separating them from Christ he hopes to gain the victory. We should not

make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be

saved. All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength. Commit

the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus.

Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt; dismiss your fears. Say with the

apostle Paul, „I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I

now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me,

and gave Himself for me.‟ Galatians 2:20. Rest in God. He is able to keep

that which you have committed to Him. If you will leave yourself in His

hands, He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has

loved you.”

1. Highlight the paragraph that begins, “A life in Christ is a life of

restfulness.”

2. Highlight the sentence that begins, “This rest is not found in

inactivity. . . .”

3. Highlight the sentence that begins, “The heart that rests most fully

upon Christ. . . .”

4. Highlight the paragraph that discusses Satan‟s constant effort to keep

the attention diverted from Jesus. It also discusses how Satan will cause conscientious people to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses.

Hebrews 12:28, 29 (New International Version) “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us

be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our

„God is a consuming fire.‟”

HERE’S WHAT I THINK

Kurt had been coming to worship in the same church for years. It seemed so lifeless and ordinary that he had a hard time staying focused or even

paying the slightest attention to what was happening. Then some changes occurred. The service exploded with new life. New instruments. New songs. New people. But after a year he found himself slipping out of church again.

He found himself becoming disengaged and bored. What do you think is missing? What could he do to change his dilemma? What is the problem,

and how would you encourage him to remedy it? Go to http://guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your answers. Your thoughts

and feelings may seem clearer to you when you write them down, so we‟ve provided space for you here as well. You may also wish to share them with

your class later. Be up-front and honest. ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, No. 386

“The incense of true worship, which should have been offered to God, has

been mingled with the worship of self. In the place of lifting their thoughts to God, in the place of learning to know Him better, men deny Him in their lives. Their attention is taken up with objects that conceal God from their

view.

“Thus it is with the great majority of religionists. God calls for sincere heart-worship. The door to light and an intelligent knowledge of the truth is open to every sincere worker for God. In order for worship to be acceptable,

it must be offered in faith and hope, and the life must be in harmony with

Monday | Today‟s Reading

it. God requires the devotion of heart, mind, soul, and strength. Our noblest powers are to be used to do Him homage. Our thoughts are to be

conformed to His will; our affections sanctified to His service.”

What It Means to Worship

Find the hidden words within the grid of letters.

G N I Y A R P P G P M R E C G E N A P P L Y I N G U U O O N

T N I I D A T H I F S Z M M I N Z O V F I S S H T I A I M P

W O B I R O T W C H C W G U L N O I T T E O O A J E D P N E T K R T L O S L E L W R E I H

R W V S A P V L T W I C M T O E A E L H R V E D B N V U Y J

S U O S C I E F D E T V I F N P V G N I S P N R G I V I N G E Q V Q I A X E E A H U S D G

C L H A U R V U L V W W C A R T E R F T E A D U L A T I O N

U P L Z R G N I H C A E R P Y

adulation fellowship love preaching sing

applying giving music respect teaching community helping praise reverence veneration

devotion living praying serving worship

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 90

“Where the treasure is, there the heart will be. In every effort to benefit

others, we benefit ourselves. He who gives money or time for spreading the

gospel enlists his own interest and prayers for the work, and for the souls to

be reached through it; his affections go out to others, and he is stimulated

to greater devotion to God, that he may be enabled to do them the greatest

good.

“And at the final day, when the wealth of earth shall perish, he who has laid

up treasure in heaven will behold that which his life has gained. If we have

given heed to the words of Christ, then, as we gather around the great

Tuesday | Today‟s Reading

white throne, we shall see souls who have been saved through our agency,

and shall know that one has saved others, and these still others—a large

company brought into the haven of rest as the result of our labors, there to

lay their crowns at Jesus' feet, and praise Him through the ceaseless ages

of eternity.”

1. Highlight the paragraph that begins, “Where the treasure is. . . .”

2. Underline the sentence that begins, “And at the final day, when the

wealth of earth shall perish. . . .”

Counsels on Stewardship, p.178

“God's blessing upon that sincere offering has made it the source of great

results.

“The widow's mite has been like a tiny stream flowing down through the

ages, widening and deepening in its course, and contributing in a thousand

directions to the extension of the truth and the relief of the needy. The

influence of that small gift has acted and reacted upon thousands of hearts

in every age and in every country. As the result, unnumbered gifts have

flowed into the treasury of the Lord from the liberal, self-denying poor. And

again, her example has stimulated to good works thousands of ease-loving,

selfish, and doubting ones, and their gifts also have gone to swell the value

of her offering.”

SO WHAT?

Most of the time when Jesus addresses the issue of worship, the subject of money comes up. Not music. Not style. Not how long the service lasts.

Money. What a peculiar thing! The Scripture is clear about tithes and offerings. The tithe (one-tenth of your income) is to be returned to the storehouse (the church) for the work of God‟s kingdom around the world.

Our offerings (additional gifts beyond the tithe) are given to support the local church and its mission in the community.

While the Scripture is clear about what to do and how much to give, Jesus made it personal. The Saviour makes it a matter of the heart. Jesus

maintained that you can tell a lot about a person‟s heart by the nature of his or her gift. Giving joyfully with a heart of praise is worship. Even giving

in such a way that you live differently says something about which kingdom

you are going to stick your neck out for. Remember the widow who gave abundantly out of her poverty? Jesus didn‟t make a scene over the number

of coins she dropped in the plate. He numbered the size of her heart and counted her generosity and rebuked the elite for showing off the pounds of

cash they popped in the offering plate. The heart of the giver is what God sees. A girl is saving all her extra money

to go on a short-term mission trip for a few weeks. A dad drives an old car so other things are possible for his church. A family decides to forgo their

holiday to keep a young boy in church school. A college student sells his guitar to buy Bibles for a church across the globe. In addition to the songs and the prayers, we can tell what God is worth to people by the way they

give in worship.

1. Why do you think money is such a big worship issue?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

2. What was it about the “widow‟s mite” that has gotten so much

attention throughout the ages?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

3. Isn‟t it just as good to offer God our time as an offering? Do we really

need to give Him money? Explain.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

4. What about us tells other people how much we love God?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Match the phrase with the text.

A. _______ “Let us hold unswervingly. . .”

B. _______ “Let the peace of Christ. . .”

C. _______ “So he made a whip out of cords.”

D. _______ “Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”

Wednesday | Today‟s Reading

E. _______ “They broke bread in their homes and ate together.”.

F. _______ “There were no needy persons among them.”

G. _______ “Suddenly there was a great earthquake.”

H. _______ “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father.”

I. ________ “The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he

healed them.”

1. Isaiah 29:13 (NIV)

2. John 2:13-17 (NIV)

3. Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

4. Acts 4:31-37 (NIV)

5. Acts 16:22-26 (KGV)

6. Matthew 21:12-14 (NIV)

7. Ephesians 5:15-20 (KGV)

8. Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)

9. Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV)

Read Mark 10:17-21 in a version of your choice.

Steps to Christ, pp. 72-74 “When Christ took human nature upon Him, He bound humanity to Himself

by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power save the choice of

man himself. Satan will constantly present allurements to induce us to

break this tie—to choose to separate ourselves from Christ. Here is where

we need to watch, to strive, to pray, that nothing may entice us to choose

another master; for we are always free to do this. But let us keep our eyes

fixed upon Christ, and He will preserve us. Looking unto Jesus, we are safe.

Nothing can pluck us out of His hand. In constantly beholding Him, we „are

changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of

the Lord.‟ 2 Corinthians 3:18.

“It was thus that the early disciples gained their likeness to the dear

Saviour. When those disciples heard the words of Jesus, they felt their need

of Him. They sought, they found, they followed Him. They were with Him in

the house, at the table, in the closet, in the field. They were with Him as

Thursday | Today‟s Reading

pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from His lips lessons of holy truth.

They looked to Him, as servants to their master, to learn their duty. Those

disciples were men „subject to like passions as we are.‟ James 5:17. They

had the same battle with sin to fight. They needed the same grace, in order

to live a holy life.

“Even John, the beloved disciple, the one who most fully reflected the

likeness of the Saviour, did not naturally possess that loveliness of

character. He was not only self-assertive and ambitious for honor, but

impetuous, and resentful under injuries. But as the character of the Divine

One was manifested to him, he saw his own deficiency and was humbled by

the knowledge. The strength and patience, the power and tenderness, the

majesty and meekness, that he beheld in the daily life of the Son of God,

filled his soul with admiration and love. Day by day his heart was drawn out

toward Christ, until he lost sight of self in love for his Master. His resentful,

ambitious temper was yielded to the molding power of Christ. The

regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit renewed his heart. The power of

the love of Christ wrought a transformation of character. This is the sure

result of union with Jesus. When Christ abides in the heart, the whole

nature is transformed. Christ's Spirit, His love, softens the heart, subdues

the soul, and raises the thoughts and desires toward God and heaven.

“When Christ ascended to heaven, the sense of His presence was still with

His followers. It was a personal presence, full of love and light. Jesus, the

Saviour, who had walked and talked and prayed with them, who had

spoken hope and comfort to their hearts, had, while the message of peace

was still upon His lips, been taken up from them into heaven, and the tones

of His voice had come back to them, as the cloud of angels received Him—

„Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.‟ Matthew 28:20.

He had ascended to heaven in the form of humanity. They knew that He

was before the throne of God, their Friend and Saviour still; that His

sympathies were unchanged; that He was still identified with suffering

humanity. He was presenting before God the merits of His own precious

blood, showing His wounded hands and feet, in remembrance of the price

He had paid for His redeemed. They knew that He had ascended to heaven

to prepare places for them, and that He would come again and take them to

Himself.

“As they met together after the ascension they were eager to present their

requests to the Father in the name of Jesus. In solemn awe they bowed in

prayer, repeating the assurance, „Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My

name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask,

and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.‟ John 16:23, 24.”

1. Highlight the paragraph that states, “Satan will constantly present allurements to induce us to break this tie. . . .”

2. Highlight the sentence that states, “When Christ abides in the heart, the whole nature is transformed. Christ‟s Spirit, His love. . . .”

3. Highlight the paragraph that states, “In solemn awe they bowed in

prayer. . . .”

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME? Sometimes picturing the face of the Father is an important thing to do in worship. For God, it is about seeing you face to face. Watch parents with

their children—they look them right in the eye. The rich young ruler came to Jesus looking for a shortcut to the kingdom. The Bible says, “Jesus

looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21, NIV). Even though the ruler walked away from Jesus, the Lord never took His loving eyes off him. Everyone who leaves the house of God without looking into His face is loved

the same way. It has to be painful for the Father when His children resist His attention or ignore His presence. But He loves them the same.

Worship is a moment to look God right in the face and listen to Him. It is a

time when everyone can sing and praise God for all that He is worth to them. Sometimes just being there quietly is enough to see Him face to face. Either way, it is not magical. Like every other exercise, it requires little

steps taken regularly. Try it. If you forget or get distracted, or even get bored, don‟t get down on yourself. Get back into focus, and find a way to

tell God what you think of Him. The promise is that you will walk away a different person because of it.

1. What is worship?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

2. Do we have to go to church to worship? Explain.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

3. Does just being at church mean that we are worshiping? Explain.

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

4. What things are “acts of worship”? In other words, what do we do

that means we are worshiping God?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

5. How does worship let us look right in the face of God and listen?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

6. What can you do to keep from becoming distracted or bored with

worship?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

7. How can you worship and walk away a different person?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Read Exodus 20:1-17 in the New International Version.

1. Are the Ten Commandments just laws or are they also a way that

God uses to teach us to worship Him? Explain? _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

2. Which parts of the Ten Commandments are specifically about

Friday | Today‟s Reading

worship?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The parts of the worship service that are most meaningful to me are:

Least Most

Music and Singing 1 2 3 4 5

Fellowship and Community 1 2 3 4 5

Praying 1 2 3 4 5

Preaching/Teaching 1 2 3 4 5

Giving 1 2 3 4 5

Serving and Helping 1 2 3 4 5

Applying and Living 1 2 3 4 5

As you look at the results of this inventory, think of some ways you can get more out of the parts of worship you respond the least to now.

1. What parts of worship do you like the least? Why?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

2. What parts of worship do you enjoy the most? Why?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

3. What are some ways you might be able to get more out of worship?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________