Brand New

November 6, 2016 Background Scripture: Revelation 21:1 – 8 Lesson Passage: Revelation 21:1 – 8 I love to tell the story of how I learned how to study mathematics effectively. After reading the text carefully to try to understand any new concepts, I would proceed to analyze the example problems given in the chapter. I would practice working the example problems to see if I could determine which steps to take to arrive at the same answer in the book. The real test of whether I understood the new concepts came when I would venture to the end of the chapter and attempt to solve the odd-numbered problems. The odd-numbered problems were the key to mastering new mathematical concepts! What made them key was the fact that the answers to the odd-numbered problems were given in the back of the text book. Now how convenient was that? I could practice the new concepts with full assurance because I could determine if I got it right by referring to the section in the back of the text book to compare my solution to the answer in the book. If I could work all of the odd-numbered problems correctly, then I knew that I understood the concepts in the chapter and was ready to tackle the even-numbered problems which were usually the homework—or quiz. Over the next month, our Sunday School lessons come from the last two chapters of the book of Revelations. Much of what I have learned about mathematics applies to the Bible as well. There are answers in the back of the book! The Bible provides insight into the person of God and the spiritual condition of mankind. This insight lets us know that we have spiritual issues that only God can solve. The more we understand about ourselves and the more we learn about God, the more we see how desperate our situation is. We have problems that have eternal consequences. God offers to help us overcome all of our problems and He extends to us eternal life. It is easy to forget this when we are faced with the constant barrage of trials and tribulations of life. Sometimes we feel a sense of despair and wonder if there really is hope for us. That’s a good time to take a look at what’s in the back of “the book”. In today’s lesson, God is disclosing how He is going to fulfill His promise to destroy this old corrupt world along with sin. Everything that causes trials and tribulations today will be destroyed. God is going to make everything brand new. With this understanding we can face the trials of today because we can be assured that they are all temporary. We are reminded of this assurance by referring to the back of the book. When we look at today’s problems alongside the promises of God, we should be able to come up with the same solutions found in the back of the book. Then we will know that we understand the spiritual concepts that Jesus taught about the kingdom of God. We should also beware to not become too attached to the old things of this world seeing that they are under the condemnation of God. If you doubt that, refer to the back of the book. Robert C. Hudson September 28, 2016

Model of Endurance

October 30, 2016 Background Scripture: Hebrews 12 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 12:1 – 13 Long distance runners are noted for their remarkable endurance. As a result of their training, they are able to push their bodies to perform over great distances for an extended amount of time. They train for a very long time to establish a pace that gives them competition level performance. They understand that their challenge is distance and they must be prepared to push their bodies for an extended time to achieve the desired distance. Unlike sprinters, they do not take off quickly only to realize that a burst of speed is not sustainable for a long distance. They begin at a moderate pace with the intent to finish the race. These techniques have been tried and proven over thousands of years dating back to the ancient games. In those ancient games, athletes from many places competed before the cheering crowd. This appears to be the example the author had in mind when he talked about living the Christian life. He used the many heroes and heroines of faith as a great cloud of witnesses cheering on Christians who are pressing through life as ambassadors for Christ. The emphasis on patience, or endurance, is indicative of the type of race Christian living and service are compared to. This is not a sprint that requires a great burst of energy that soon fizzles out. This is a long distance contest and therefore patience and pace become paramount to success. The other reference seems to point to the practice of the ancient athletes competing in the nude. Anything that could possibly slow them down, hold them back, or restrict freedom of movement was removed so that it would be a true competition of human ability. In the text, the author encourages Christians to lay aside any weight—such as sin—that could so easily become a hindrance to our endurance and ability to finish the race without being disqualified. Jesus is our supreme example and motivation. What he did is far greater than any of us are called to do and he finished his race superbly. He overcame all obstacles he encountered. Jesus overcame much hostility that challenged his endurance and this should serve as encouragement to us. Part of our Christian training involves being disciplined by some challenges in life. We should look at some of life challenges as discipline imposed by the Lord as a demonstration of his love towards us. God’s discipline allows us to share his holiness when we endure it as His children. Our endurance becomes an evident sign of our spiritual maturity. With maturity comes the knowledge that discipline makes us better. We learn this when we are disciplined in the flesh by our parents and then grow up and reflect on our childhood. This text admonishes us to consider that God, our Heavenly Father, is far greater than our human parents and His discipline provides far more benefits for us. As we run this Christian race, we are called to run with endurance. Robert C. Hudson September 17, 2016