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Lesson 6 February 3-9
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Heb. 11:8-12; Rom. 4:13, 18-21; Matt. 6:24; Heb. 9:14; 1 John 5:2, 3; Luke 16:10-12.
Memory Text: “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1, 2, NKJV).
Stewards are known by their brand, or their distinctive mark, just as retailers are known by their logos or brand name. In fact, many people have become famous by turning themselves into a marketable brand.
A Christian steward’s brand, or mark, is a reflection of Christ’s love through the relationship that he or she has with Him. When we live and practice the traits of Christ, our lives will reveal our brand. Our brand is His brand; our identity is blended with His (1 Cor. 6:17).
This week we look at identifying character traits of God’s stewards that make up their brand name. These traits inspire us to look for Jesus’ return and to do the work entrusted to us as faithful stewards of His truth. Each characteristic describes a deepening relationship we can have with the One who came to seek and save the lost. The more these qualities are studied, the deeper they will be ingrained in our lives. God’s character of love, in all its dynamics, will become our brand and have an influence on every aspect of our lives, today and eternally.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 10.
Sunday February 4
“Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2, NKJV). To fight and win “the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12, NKJV) is crucial for a faithful steward. “Faithful” is what God is and what we are to become through Him working in us. Being faithful means staying true to what we know is right, especially in the heat of spiritual battles.
Spiritual conflicts between right and wrong, good and evil, will surely come. They are part of the fight of faith. The decision that marks stewards in every situation is the choice to be faithful. If you love wealth, be sure to remain faithful to God and what He says about the dangers of the love of money. If you crave fame, remain faithful to what the Word of God says about humility. If you struggle with lustful thoughts, remain faithful to the promises of holiness. If you want power, remain faithful to what God says about being a servant of all. The choice to be faithful or unfaithful is often made in a split second, even if the consequences can be eternal.
Read Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19, and Romans 4:13, 18-21. What do these verses teach us about being faithful?
In Hebrew “faithful” means to trust. The same Hebrew root gives us the word “amen,” and it really means to be “solid” or “firm.” Faithfulness means we have been tested and tried, and have remained firmly committed to God’s plan.
Preparing to speak before the emperor, the Reformer Martin Luther “read the word of God, looked over his writings, and sought to draw up his reply in a suitable form. . . . He drew near the holy Scriptures . . . and with emotion placed his left hand on the sacred volume, and raising his right toward heaven, swore to remain faithful to the gospel, and freely to confess his faith, even should he seal his testimony with his blood.” - J. H. Merle d’Aubigné, History of the Reformation (New York: The American Tract Society, 1846), vol. 2, book 7, p. 260.
Read Revelation 2:10. What should the words about being “faithful unto death” mean to us in our everyday walk with the Lord?
Monday February 5
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24, NKJV). What does this text teach us about the supreme importance of loyalty to God?
Knowing that God’s name means “jealous” (Exod. 34:14) should give us a clarion call for loyalty. Loyalty to a “jealous” God is loyalty in love. In the fight of faith, loyalty helps define who we are and encourages us to stay in the battle.
Our loyalty is important to God (1 Kings 8:61). It is not a contract that tries to foresee every contingency; nor is it just a list of rules. It is, rather, the visible expression of our personal beliefs, faith, and commitment.
Read 1 Chronicles 28:9. What does this text teach us about the importance of loyalty?
Where there is loyalty, however, there is the possibility of betrayal. Loyalty, like love, must be freely offered, or it’s not true loyalty. In war, sometimes frontline troops are forced to stay and fight; otherwise, their officers would have them shot. These men might do their duty, but it isn’t necessarily out of loyalty. That’s not the kind of loyalty God asks of us.
Look at Job. He did not foresee the catastrophic events that would destroy his family, possessions, and health. He could have given up trust, love, and commitment, but his loyalty to God was an unwavering choice of morality. Honest and unafraid to praise God publicly, he uttered the famous words “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15, NKJV). His fidelity in the face of disaster is the essence of loyalty, and it illustrates loyal stewards at their finest.
Ask yourself: How loyal am I to the Lord, who died for me? In what ways could I better reveal that loyalty?
Tuesday February 6
There are many precious things that we can possess. Health, love, friends, a great family - these all are blessings. But perhaps one of the most important of all is a clear conscience.
Read Hebrews 10:19-22 and 1 Timothy 4:1, 2. What does it mean to have an “evil conscience” and a “conscience seared with a hot iron”?
Our conscience functions as an internal monitor of our outward lives. A conscience needs to attach itself to a high and perfect standard: God’s law. God wrote His law on the heart of Adam, but sin almost obliterated it - not just in him but in his descendants. Only fragments of the law remained. “[Gentiles] show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness” (Rom. 2:15, NIV). Jesus succeeds where Adam failed because God’s law was “within [His] heart” (Ps. 40:8, NKJV).
What does Paul say is our only solution to a bad conscience? See Heb. 9:14.
“The cobwebbed closet of conscience is to be entered. The windows of the soul are to be closed earthward and thrown wide open heavenward that the bright beams of the Sun of righteousness may have free access. . . . The mind is to be kept clear and pure that it may distinguish between good and evil.” - Ellen G. White, Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, pp. 327, 328. When God’s law has been inscribed on the heart of the believer (Heb. 8:10), and the believer by faith seeks to follow that law, a clear conscience is the likely result.
If you have ever struggled under the strain of a guilty conscience, you know how terrible it can be, how it can be a continuous presence, never giving you relief. How can focusing on Jesus, and His death on the cross for you and your sin, help free you from the curse of a guilty conscience?
Wednesday February 7
Abel obediently knelt at his altar, holding the lamb offering as God commanded. Cain, on the other hand, furiously knelt at his altar holding the fruit. Both brought offerings, yet only one brother had been obedient to God’s command. The slain lamb was accepted, but the produce from the ground was rejected. Both brothers understood the meaning and instructions regarding the offering of sacrifices, but only one obeyed what the Lord had commanded (Gen. 4:1-5).
“The death of Abel was in consequence of Cain’s refusing to accept God’s plan in the school of obedience, to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, typified by the sacrificial offerings pointing to Christ. Cain refused the shedding of blood, which symbolized the blood of Christ to be shed for the world.” - Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1109.
Obedience starts in the mind. It involves the delicate process of mentally accepting the responsibility of carrying out commands from a higher authority. Obedience stems from a relationship with an authority figure and the willingness to obey that figure. In the case of our relationship to God, our obedience is a voluntary, loving action that molds our behavior to moral obligations. Obedience to God must be as specific as He directs, and not only as we think or desire it should be. The case of Cain is a perfect example of someone doing his own thing instead of doing what God asks.
Read 1 John 5:2, 3 and Romans 1:5; 10:16, 17. What do these texts teach us about what obedience means to the Christian, who is saved by faith without the deeds of the law?
We don’t obey to be saved; we obey because we already are saved. Obedience is the practical statement of a moral faith. Samuel told Saul, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22, NKJV).
What did Samuel mean by “to obey is better than sacrifice”? What should that tell us as Christians that could help us not fall into the false gospel of cheap grace?
Thursday February 8
Read Luke 16:10-12. What does this teach us about being trustworthy? Why is this trait so important for a faithful steward?
This principle of trustworthiness is seen all through the Bible. For example, in one story four chief Levite gatekeepers were entrusted to protect the Old Testament sanctuary at night. They were to guard the rooms full of treasure and to hold the keys to open the doors every morning (1 Chron. 9:26, 27). They were given this task because they were deemed trustworthy.
Being trustworthy is a characteristic of a good steward. This means that trustworthy stewards understand the deep significance of their role; they understand that God is trustworthy, and they will aim to be the same (Deut. 32:4, 1 Kings 8:56).
Trustworthiness implies a mature set of character traits. It is the highest level of character and competence that a person can achieve in the eyes of observers. Reflecting God’s character means you will do what you say you will do, regardless of circumstances or people who press you to do otherwise (2 Kings 12:15).
Daniel was considered trustworthy by the monarchs of two world kingdoms. His reputation throughout his life as a trustworthy counselor who fearlessly delivered wisdom and truth to kings was in direct opposition to that of the court soothsayers and magicians. Trustworthiness is the crown jewel of ethics; it puts your moral principles on display in their purest form. This quality in a steward does not appear overnight but comes over time by being faithful in even the little things.
Others notice our trustworthiness. They respect us and depend on us because they know we are not easily swayed by opinions, fads, or flattery. Being trustworthy is thus a demonstration of character performance in every responsibility played out on earth, the proving ground for heaven. “We are to be faithful, trustworthy subjects of the kingdom of Christ, that those who are worldly-wise may have a true representation of the riches, the goodness, the mercy, the tenderness, and the courtesy of the citizens of the kingdom of God.” - Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 190.
Think about someone whom you know personally who is trustworthy. What can you learn from that person that would help you be more trustworthy as well?
Friday February 9
Further Thought: Another mark of a good steward is individual accountability.
“It has ever been the design of Satan to draw the minds of the people from Jesus to man, and to destroy individual accountability. Satan failed in his design when he tempted the Son of God; but he succeeded better when he came to fallen man. Christianity became corrupted.” - Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 213.
With Christ at the center of our being, we are open to His guidance. As a result, our faith, loyalty, obedience, clear conscience, trustworthiness, and individual accountability will be revealed in our lives. Thus, as stewards, we are made complete in the hands of God (Ps. 139:23, 24).
Individual accountability is an essential biblical principle. While on earth, Jesus was individually accountable to the Father (John 8:28). We are accountable for every idle word (Matt. 12:36). “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required” (Luke 12:48, NKJV). The biggest threat to individual accountability, though, is the tendency to transfer our responsibilities to someone else. “Let it be borne in mind that it is not our own property which is entrusted to us for investment. If it were, we might claim discretionary power; we might shift our responsibility upon others, and leave our stewardship with them. But this cannot be, because the Lord has made us individually His stewards.” - Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 177.
Ahmet felt a strange impression to look for a Seventh-day Adventist church in a major Middle Eastern city where Adventists are not allowed to witness in public or distribute literature door to door.
Ahmet, who was visiting his ill father, had never met an Adventist, visited an Adventist church, or heard of Adventist beliefs.
“The impression came again and again”, said Ahmet, a former Muslim who had converted to Christianity four years earlier.
Following the impression, he set off in search of the church. Little did he know that only 30 Adventists are known to live in the city of 10 million people.
Adventist Mission is not identifying the city or Ahmet by his real name to safeguard the Adventist work in the region.
Finally, Ahmet found the Adventist church, stepped into the entrance area, and knocked on the inner door. He was met with silence.
“Nobody was there except Ellen White books”, Ahmet said.
Local church members had placed a bookrack with free literature inside the church entrance, an area that is not considered a public space legally and therefore is available for witnessing. Ahmet felt convicted to pick up “The Victory of Love”, a book containing several chapters of “The Great Controversy” by Adventist Church co-founder Ellen White.
Returning to his father’s home, Ahmet wondered whether the Spirit of the Lord had led him to the church. When he finished reading the book three days later, he concluded that White’s words were in harmony with the Bible. He found contact information on the last page of the book and asked for more information. Soon he received a copy of White’s book “Patriarchs and Prophets.” After that he read “The Great Controversy”, “Acts of the Apostles”, “Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing”, and his favorite, “The Desire of Ages.”
After reading those books, Ahmet decided to become an Adventist, and today wants everyone to know about Ellen White.
“I will tell everyone: Ellen White is a prophet of God”, he said.
Even more, Ahmet said he wants to share the clearer picture of God’s love that he has learned in those books. He is working to reach out to people from his country who have never heard the gospel.
Ahmet’s story has encouraged local church leaders to maintain their efforts to share White’s writings.
“We need to do all we can to share the treasure we have”, said Rick McEdward, president of the Middle East and North Africa Union.
Chanmin Chung is communication coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Union.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org
All Rights Reserved. No part of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide may be edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
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