♪ theme music ♪
(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.
Well, we're coming to the end
of an amazing series on The Psalms,
these inspired Scripture songs
we have been studying for this series.
And if you've missed any,
go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess.
You can watch the entire series,
or go to our YouTube channel;
they're all there; you can watch.
We've been on a journey, learning
about the powerful, inspired messages
of these Scripture songs.
Today, a vitally important topic,
Waiting on the Lord, both now
and as we wait for His glorious appearing.
So, glad you're here, welcome
to Hope Sabbath School.
And welcome to the team,
good to see you again.
Give a wave to all
of our Hope Sabbath School members
around the world.
We're just glad that we can be together.
We've got some remote team members.
Heide, great to have you back with us,
glad you're here today.
Leeah, always good to have you,
glad you're with us today.
And, Travis, good to see you.
I'm just so thankful
for our remote team members;
they add something to our discussion,
but you are also an important part
of our discussion,
and that's why your emails to us
are so important.
Write to us at sshope@hopetv.org.
You make an important decision
or you have an insight to share
from your study of the Word,
we want to hear from you.
So, remember that email address,
sshope@hopetv.org, and we'll
look forward to hearing from you.
We're always happy when we get emails.
Here's one from James in Namibia
in former German West Africa.
James writes and says, "My family and I
appreciate most the fact
that the class studies
are biblically based."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "This enables us
to confidently share messages of truth
with our neighbors."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Yes! You're part
of the miracle, James.
Thank you for writing to us.
He concludes, well, he says,
"James and Family from Namibia."
We're glad that you wrote to us
and thank you for sharing the truths
that you're learning.
Here is a note from Julia in New York,
actually Long Island, New York,
"Hello, Hope Sabbath School."
(Team) Hello.
(Derek) I think they say that
so they'll get the wave.
"My name's Julia from Long Island.
I've been watching Hope Sabbath School
since 2019, and I love
the interactive Bible study.
I love you all, and those testimonies
have been an inspiration
and encouragement to me."
Well, Julia, you'll hear
some testimonies today
that will be a blessing, I'm sure,
but thank you for pointing that out.
"I have shared the link for the program
with other families."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Right? "Thanks so much
for your ministry.
I'm glad I was able to contribute
to Hope Sabbath School.
Let's continue to pray and share
the truth with the world.
May God bless you as you
continue to be a blessing
all over the world, Julia."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Well, Julia, thank you
for taking the time to write to us
from Long Island,
there in the state of New York.
We're happy you're part
of our Hope Sabbath School family.
Here's a little hand-written note
from Washington State,
that's in the northwest part
of the United States,
and a donor couple write, and they say,
"Your Bible study class
and all other programs
are such a huge blessing to us.
The Lord is blessing you mightily.
God bless you all."
That's a lot of blessings, isn't it?
And a gift of 200 dollars
to bless the ministry.
Thank you, you know who you are,
thank you for writing to us
from Washington State.
We're all part of a great miracle,
all working together, and your gift
means a great deal.
If you want to be part
of this miracle, you say, "Derek,
could I do a little something each month?"
or maybe, "Someone just gave me
an inheritance," or, "I have something,"
like someone said, "My saving account
keeps getting bigger,
and I'd like to help," go to our website,
hopetv.org/hopess,
click on the Donate button,
or get an address and write us a note.
Let us know how you're blessed
through a study of God's Word.
Thank you for all you do.
One last note, from As in Mali.
Where's Mali, anybody know?
Yes, Lilica, it's close to home, isn't it?
You're from Guinea-Bissau.
Where is Mali in connection
to where you live?
(Lilica) So, it's just east of my country.
(Derek) Toward the center
of the great continent of Africa, right?
(Lilica) Yes...
(Derek) Well, As writes and he says,
"Hope Sabbath School is an opportunity
for all of us to study the truth
of God's Word together.
It comes back to the love
of God through Jesus,
manifested by the Holy Spirit
changing our hearts."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) That was a good summary, wasn't it?
"I appreciate that the lessons
do not stray from the Bible."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) By the way, Mali
is predominantly non-Christian, right?
(Lilica) Muslim.
(Derek) "The discussions are clear,
simple, and honest.
We can study like the Bereans
who searched the Scriptures daily
to see if those things were so.
What a blessing, thank you."
Well, thank you, As, for writing to us
from the country of Mali,
not too far from Lilica's home country
of Guinea-Bissau.
We're thankful that God's calling people
from every nation, kindred, tongue
and people, am I right?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) And we are just so happy
that you wrote to us.
And we'd like to hear from you.
You say, "Well, I wrote five years ago."
Write to us again: sshope@hopetv.org.
Let us know how your life, your family
is being blessed
by an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God,
how you've been blessed
and are blessing others
as you share what you have learned.
Well, this is the last opportunity for you
to get a beautiful collection
of Trilogy Scripture Songs
from the Psalms; there are six of them,
and the theme song, Psalm 105,
"Oh, Give Thanks to the Lord,"
is one of them.
All you have to do
to get your free collection
is to go to our website:
hopetv.org/hopess.
You say, "I don't have a pen."
Well, take a picture of the screen:
hopetv.org/hopess.
Go to the website, click
on the Free Gift tab, and it will
let you know how you can
download that collection
of six Trilogy Scripture Songs,
including our theme song for this series.
And I love this theme song,
"Oh, Give Thanks to the Lord."
I'm singing it in my sleep, and I want
to invite you to sing it with us just now.
♪ music ♪
(Derek) Let's pray together.
Father in Heaven, we want to call
upon Your name just now
and give You thanks that You are
a great and awesome God.
We want to thank You
for this series on The Psalms,
these inspired Scripture songs
preserved for our blessing.
And today, as we conclude our series
with the theme of Waiting on the Lord,
I pray by Your Spirit You would teach us
what that means and the blessings
that come when we wait on You.
I thank You, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) We're going to begin our study
in Psalm 27, and, Nancy, if you would read
the last two verses
of that psalm, Psalm 27:13,14.
We are introduced to a concept
which we want to study further,
and that is Waiting on the Lord.
(Nancy) I'm reading from the NASB,
New American Standard Bible:
(Derek) Alright, that translation,
"Wait for the Lord,"
some other translations, "Wait
on the Lord," but there's
this idea of waiting.
We want to explore that.
By the way, just a note
to our Hope Sabbath School members
around the world, that's one
of the six Scripture songs
that's on the free collection
that you can download for this series,
Trilogy Scripture Songs from the Psalms,
is Psalm 27 that we just read.
That's one of my favorites.
But let's go, Stephanie, to Psalm 37,
and I'm going to ask you to read
three verses from that psalm,
beginning with verse 7, verse 9
and verse 34, and let's hear
this theme again, and maybe we'll learn
a little more about what it means
to Wait on the Lord.
(Stephanie) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, verse 7:
Verse 9:
Verse 34:
(Derek) Alright, and now I want
to hyperspace to Isaiah the prophet.
He lived about 300 years
after the psalmist David.
And I'm going to ask Leeah if you'd read
from Isaiah, chapter 40.
We've moved out of the Psalms here,
but we'll see this as a common theme
in the Scriptures, a beautiful passage
in Isaiah 40, verses 28 to 31.
(Leeah) Sure, I'll be reading
from the English Standard Version,
Isaiah 40, verses 28 through 31:
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Anybody else love
that promise besides me?
Isn't that a beautiful....
Someone's raising their hand
in Mali, maybe, or in the Philippines
saying, "Derek,
I love that promise."
So, having heard this theme repeated,
wait for or wait on the Lord, can someone
tell me what that means?
Yes, Heide, what do you think it means?
It's not just talking
about, like, passively waiting around, right?
(Heide) No, and if we can, I would like
to go to one of my favorite verses
in the Bible; it's Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6.
(Derek) Okay, and then you'll answer
the question of what it means
to wait on the Lord, right?
Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6.
And what translation of the Bible
are you reading from today?
(Heide) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
So, in my opinion, part of waiting
on the Lord is living in submission to Him
and living in His will and learning
to make that a part of everything
that I do, even if it's a simple thing,
how I dress - is this
according to His will?
What I'm eating - is this
according to His will?
What I do - is this according to His will?
What I say - is this
according to His will?
It's doing things God's way
versus man's way.
(Derek) Well, thank you, Heide,
for pointing that out.
So, you're quoting from Proverbs there,
and the idea of, acknowledge Him,
and He will direct your path,
that's part of the waiting
that you're talking about.
Travis, you want to add to that?
What does it mean to you?
From hearing the Scripture now,
not just a personal opinion,
but from the Scriptures, what does it mean
to wait on the Lord?
(Travis) Well, Derek, I agree
with what she just said, but again, I want
to share a story from the Bible
of an individual who literally had
to wait on the Lord, if you don't mind.
That is Daniel, chapter 10.
(Derek) Okay, just tell it to us
in your own words.
(Travis) Okay, in Daniel, chapter 10,
Daniel has fainted; this time prophecy
has boggled his mind.
He doesn't know how to process it.
He doesn't understand it,
and he fasts for 21 days.
And then Gabriel the angel comes to him,
and he says, "We heard you,"
basically, "We heard you, but there is
a battle behind the scenes
that I've been involved with,
and it's taken 21 days
to complete this battle,
and now I've come to answer your prayer."
So, it wasn't that God
hadn't heard Daniel's prayer,
but I think waiting on the Lord,
we have to realize there's a cosmic battle
behind the scenes.
We don't know what's going on,
and God has to operate
within the free will of each human person,
so it has to be in His time.
He knows the beginning from the end.
We can trust that our prayers are heard.
And the story of Daniel shows me not only
that I can trust, but that they'll
be answered as well.
(Derek) Powerful, thank you
for sharing that Bible story.
I want to give you an opportunity to share
a time, a season of your life.
Well, let's talk about Jesus first,
because even Jesus had to learn
to wait on the Lord.
If we believe what Travis just said,
and it's certainly biblical,
Jesus was in the middle
of a great cosmic battle, right?
So, where do you see, in the life of Jesus
from His birth, growing up in Nazareth,
where do you see Him demonstrating,
John, waiting on the Lord?
(John) We see Jesus at the age of 12
in the temple, and then there's no record
of what happens until the age of 30.
(Derek) Eighteen years.
(John) And the only kind of words
that kind of show us what was happening
is the Bible says Jesus "grew
in wisdom and stature
and in favor with God and man."
That waiting period,
that's what Jesus was doing.
(Derek) And there's one other phrase
there, I think, in Luke
that says He was obedient to His parents.
But that's a long wait,
because if we understand
from Scripture, He said,
"I must be about My Father's business,"
at age 12, He's beginning to understand,
isn't He, but He waits until the Father
says, "Now is the time." Jason?
(Jason) Yeah, I was thinking
about Jesus' first miracle at the wedding
when He told His mother,
"My time has not come yet."
So, Jesus understood that there was
a time, you know, in God's eyes,
for things to be taking place.
And I believe that's the understanding
that we need, too.
As Jesus explained,
that basically the timing
has to do with everything
when it comes to God.
(Derek) And if we read that story
in John, chapter 2, I'm thinking
that Jesus probably said, "Father, is this
really the time?" and the Father said,
"Yes, now is the time,"
not just because Mother asked, right,
but, "Now is the time.
I do nothing of My own will,
but the will of Him who sent Me." Pedro.
(Pedro) I see Jesus' baptism experience.
After His baptism, He was taken
by the Spirit to the desert.
Now, Jesus was there for 40 days,
and He was being led by the Spirit;
all His life was led by the Spirit.
And we look into the aspect of waiting.
Some people ask, "What was the purpose
for [Jesus] to be 40 days fasting in the desert?"
And sometimes we ask why we're going
through desert times in our lives,
and how is the Holy Spirit guiding us,
and the Bible gives an example of Jesus.
Even Jesus had to wait.
(Derek) He was there in the wilderness.
The beautiful biography, The Desire
of Ages, says, "He was contemplating
His mission," so He's praying,
listening to His Father.
Now, you mentioned that we may go
through those times of waiting, too,
so I want to ask a question,
maybe of one of our remote team members,
whichever one wants to raise their hand,
a time when you had to learn
to wait on the Lord, when you had to learn
to just, well, like Heide said,
in all your ways acknowledge Him
and kind of wait for Him
to direct your path,
anyone have a testimony to share?
I'm looking at the remotes; I'm not seeing
a hand, but I see Puia's hand.
Puia, tell us a time when you
had to learn, this idea
is not just waiting around, right,
but being attentive to God,
asking Him to direct your steps.
(Puia) I would say it's a constant lesson
that God is still teaching me every day,
to wait on Him because we live
in a day and age where we want
everything right away, right?
We go through fast food,
we want a fast internet speed,
and it's hard to wait on getting results
when you go through a test,
or when you go through an examination.
But looking at the Scripture, there is
so much wisdom in learning to be patient,
learning to wait on God,
especially in the context
of Psalm 37 we read earlier,
in the face of evildoers, in the face
of so much suffering in this world.
I believe the lesson that God
is teaching me is to trust that there is
a timing that God will step in.
(Derek) Yes. Tendi, a time
when you had to learn to wait on the Lord.
(Tendi) Yes, I had to learn to wait
on the Lord in the context of marriage.
I waited 14 years to get married.
(Derek) Fourteen years.
(Tendi) Yes, I had been studying
courtship and marriage, the way
God wants it to be,
and it was exhausting, the wait.
There was a lot of prayer
that went into it,
but the moment, on the fourteenth year,
I gave God my heart, and I asked Him
to find me a husband, so He did that
at the fourteenth year.
(Derek) So, I don't know when
the first year was; I'm guessing
the first year of the fourteen was
when you felt like you wanted
a life companion who would
love you and love God.
So, kind of, "I'm ready for that,"
and you waited 14 years because you
didn't want to just marry any man that walked by.
(Tendi) That's right.
(Derek) You wanted to wait
for the person God had in mind for you.
(Tendi) God's choice...
(Derek) We're going to get a lot
of emails about that, because someone
might write, maybe you'll write and say,
"Pastor Derek, I wish I had done that.
I wish I had waited on the Lord
and let Him lead."
That's very practical, Tendi.
Thanks for sharing.
Travis, waiting, a time when God
maybe taught you what it means
to wait on the Lord.
(Travis) Derek, that's exactly what comes
to my mind, is that was
a lesson that I learned.
And many have heard, and I'm not going
to tell the story again right now
of the cell phone call, you know,
you and I had been involved in
when God miraculously dialed a phone.
But what I did learn from that
was, I was on fire.
I had just learned about God's goodness,
and I just wanted to go
and do these things,
and I fell flat on my face, kind of,
in a sense, spiritually.
And I realized, now looking back,
that God knew that I had
some things personally that needed
to be taken care of,
that I wasn't ready to get involved,
at least to the point where I
wanted to be involved.
And I had some life lessons to learn.
And through a series of events,
He taught me that it's all in His timing;
it's not in my timing.
Even though I desired to just go,
He was saying, "Wait, I have
to get you ready," and that was
really an important lesson for me.
(Derek) Powerful. Stephanie, I'm going
to ask you to go with us to Psalm 131,
because one of the things
that we need to learn
is to be at peace while we wait.
Yeah, we may wait 18 years like Jesus did,
from 12 to 30, 14 years like Tendi did
in her testimony.
Someone might say, "Pastor Derek,
I've waiting half my lifetime."
How do we learn to be at peace?
What insight do we get from the psalmist
in Psalm 131, verses 1 to 3?
(Stephanie) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) Alright, I'm going to ask Nancy
a question because I've met
some of your beautiful children.
So, what's the difference
between a nursing child
and a weaned child, first?
And then, when a weaned child comes,
what is that saying, and what can we learn
from that about waiting on the Lord?
(Nancy) Yeah, well, I had three boys,
and I remember the process
of them becoming weaned.
And I think what it's talking about here
is that you're going to trust that, well,
I'll say the child at some point
is no longer nursing, and they decide
that they're going to trust
that their mother will provide them
with the food that they need in the way
that she's going to do it.
And they're okay with it,
and they feel at peace with that.
And so, that's what God wants us to do,
is to trust that He's going
to provide for us at the time
He's going to provide for us.
(Derek) So even though when that little one,
depending on how old they are
when they stop nursing, is now weaned,
did any of your boys still come
and snuggle with momma?
(Nancy) Of course, yes.
(Derek) Right, what's happening
at that moment, would you say,
and what could we learn from that
about this attitude of resting
or waiting at peace in the Lord?
(Nancy) Well, because they know
that you still love them, and they
still feel security and peace
in just snuggling with you.
But they're growing, and so they are
no longer going to be nursed by you.
You're going to feed them
in a different way, but you
still love them and provide for them.
(Derek) So, Heide, I know you've got
a couple of...they're not little anymore,
are they, Heide?
But when one of your children comes
just to spend time with you, are they
stressed out that you might not feed them
for the next week?
I mean, are they really anxious that they
might be evicted from their bedroom?
(Heide) No, not at all.
As a matter of fact, they say
that when a mother nurses a child,
it releases a hormone
that bonds them for life.
And in the same way, I think God,
when we come to Him, and we cast
our cares upon Him, and we learn
to fully surrender to Him, I think
it bonds us in this way that you come now.
And like you said, Nancy's boys
will still come to her lap,
and my children will come to my lap,
and some of the teen members
may not have children, but you have
your mother, and you remember
what it's like to go to your mother's lap.
It's this place of safety, of no fear,
of peace, and that's what God is saying
He wants to have with us,
what He does have already if we come.
(Derek) We want to move on
to another section; we could stay there.
By the way, I don't want dads
to feel left out either, because I know
that a weaned child can come
and snuggle with dad, too right?
And, Pedro, I know you have
a beautiful little girl, Bianca; she knows
she's safe to come and rest,
and at the right time, papa
will provide for her, right?
But there is, as we continue our study
about Waiting on the Lord, there is
the idea of working while we wait.
So it's not waiting around
in idleness, right?
It's not waiting around in inactivity.
It's that waiting in the Lord,
resting in Him, yes, you know,
the beautiful image
of resting in His arms.
That's so beautiful, isn't it?
But, Puia, could you read for us
Psalm 126, verses 5 and 6?
And then we'll go
to the teaching of Jesus.
What is the special mission
that God gives to all of His children
while we learn to wait upon the Lord?
(Puia) Yes, I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
Psalm 126, verses 5 and 6:
(Derek) So, put that
into, kind of, practical language for us, Puia.
What does God want us to be doing
while we're learning to rest in Him,
to wait on the Lord, to, in all our ways,
let Him direct our path?
(Puia) I believe when it talks
about sowing, that's sharing
the good news of Jesus,
planting seeds in the hearts of people,
while we wait for that hope
of the soon return of Jesus,
to be in the work
of sharing the good news.
(Derek) Alright, we know waiting
on the Lord is not inactivity.
It involves action, right?
So, Puia has said, well, it's
the precious seed that we're sowing
with the promise, what?
What does it say, Heide?
The promise that we'll come again
with what kind of attitude?
In verse 6, I don't know
how that is in your Bible.
We'll "come again..."?
"...with rejoicing, bringing our sheaves."
(Heide) I was thinking
of what you say at the end
of each Hope Sabbath School lesson
where you say,
"Don't just keep it to yourselves;
go out and be a blessing to others."
So, that's what I hear here.
You have been blessed; now, literally,
go and share that same thing
so that others can also be blessed.
(Derek) You know, Jesus uses
that same metaphor of the harvest
when He's speaking to His followers.
And, Lilica, could you find
Matthew for us, chapter 9 and verse 37?
And let's see the instruction.
You might say, "Well, that was
just the 12," but He actually gave
the same direction to the 70 who represent
all of the children of Noah, actually.
What instruction does Jesus give
in Matthew 9 and verse 37?
(Lilica) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
Matthew 9, verse 37:
(Derek) And would you read on now
in verse 38 for us?
(Lilica) Of course:
(Derek) Okay so, back, Puia,
to your comment earlier,
if the harvest is great,
what does that mean?
We've got Psalm 126, you read,
what does it mean
that the harvest is great?
(Puia) There are a lot of people
who are waiting to hear the gospel,
the good news of Jesus.
(Derek) Okay, they're waiting to hear,
but the challenge, Travis,
the challenge is that the laborers
are few, and why is that?
If we're not supposed to sit around idly -
you know, some people, it looks like
they're just trying to stay out of trouble
until Jesus comes,
but actually that's the best way
to get into trouble, isn't it?
You've told me in your testimony, "If you
want to see God work in miraculous ways,
get involved in His work," right?
Get involved in mission.
Why are the laborers few, Travis?
(Travis) You know, Derek, I think,
and I don't want to speak for everybody
or try to point out anyone's issues, but I
believe that we've become distracted.
I think it's interesting, in John,
chapter 4, Jesus says something similar.
He says, "You say there are four months
and then come the harvest, but I tell you,
lift up your eyes and look
because the fields are already white
for the harvest."
I think the instruction of Jesus
is to look because He was using
the fields, and it generally takes
about three to four months
for any crop to grow,
whether it's beans or corn.
And so, when the disciples looked out
over the field, they're like,
"Actually, we're just planting.
There's nothing to harvest."
But Jesus is saying to them,
"It may not look like there's a harvest,
but there's a harvest."
So maybe some of the problem
is we don't even think there's a harvest
in the area, but Jesus says there is.
We need to be intentional about looking
and praying for that harvest opportunity.
(Derek) Thank you, Travis.
You used the word "distraction."
John, I'm going to ask you to read for us
the passage that Travis alluded to
in John, chapter 4,
beginning with verse 34.
It's a beautiful passage about Jesus
interacting with someone
that His disciples don't
even want to talk to,
but God is going to use this woman
at the well to impact a whole city.
But let's look at what Jesus said.
Travis alluded to it
in his earlier comment.
(John) John, chapter 4, verses 34 to 38,
from the English Standard Version, it says:
(Derek) What is the outcome, Pedro,
when we join the Lord
of the harvest in this work?
We're not just waiting around, right?
Fully surrendered to Him, enjoying
the beauty of His presence, right,
like a weaned child with its parent,
but what do we experience when we join
the Lord of the harvest...?
(Pedro) Joy, I went back to the Psalms.
We experience joy in the Lord.
It is the most amazing thing
to see someone accepting
Jesus in their life.
And I can share, for myself,
I'm addicted to Bible studies...
(Derek) Not just your own Bible study,
you're saying, but sharing with others?
(Pedro) Studying with someone.
I tell people, I don't give Bible studies, I study the Bible with them
because there is something always
for me there that God is convicting me of
because I'm still growing in Christ.
But looking into this aspect here,
many people say, "The Bible says that,
but why is it not happening?"
And I have a little garden in my backyard,
and with some plants I have to use
a little cutter to make sure I get
the vegetables out of it.
And the other ones I have to use my hand.
Maybe we need to ask God, "Can You use me
as the right tool?" or make ourselves
available to be the right tool,
because we always want to do the same way
for different people.
He says no; God says,
"Let Me work through you."
There are different ways
that we can [share] Christ,
but the best way is Christ's method.
(Derek) So, I'm going to pause and ask
if there's someone that has
a joyful testimony of joining the Lord
in His harvest work.
And we're not all going to hold
a big series of meetings, right?
There are lots of ways that we
can share the love of God with someone.
John, tell us a time you experienced joy,
not just waiting around, right,
but waiting on the Lord
and working while you wait.
(John) There was a lady
who grew up in the church, but left
the church during the teenage years
and went through some difficult times
because of an accident.
But she was shopping at Giant's,
and she came across the church that was
right next to the shopping complex,
and she walked into the church.
And so, long story short,
I introduced myself to her; a friend and I
began studying with her,
and she eventually got baptized.
And then I will never forget
what she told me on the day
she was baptized.
She said, "I am here because of you."
Of course, it was the Holy Spirit...
(Derek) But God gives the people, right?
(John) And that was so meaningful to me.
(Derek) And how did you feel?
(John) Joyful.
(Derek) Right. We rejoice.
The sower and the reaper rejoice together.
Puia, can you think
of a joyful experience?
(Puia) Recently we had a revival
camp meeting in Pennsylvania
with a youth group from the church.
And my heart was very burdened
looking at our young people of the church.
Many of them seemed disinterested.
They came just because their parents
asked them to come.
But I asked the Lord, I said,
"God, I cannot bear this burden.
You have to do something here."
And as we labored together
with our other team, the youth leaders,
and as we studied the Bible,
at the end of the meeting, the youth
started sharing their testimonies
and how the messages landed.
One of them came to me and said,
"Pastor, I got what you were
trying to say; thank you
for sharing that with me."
And when you see the lightbulbs
coming into their eyes, and, you know,
you see the wheels turning in their heads
when they're starting to understand,
"Oh, this is how God wants
to reveal Himself to us," there is
no better feeling in the world
than knowing that God is using you
to bring people to Him.
(Derek) So, for those of you
sitting on the front row, Puia was
smiling while he was saying that, right?
Leeah, I want to ask you a question,
then I'll come to Nancy.
Leeah, you've shared in various programs
that you lead worship music, right?
You sing; that's a gift God's given you.
Can you think of a time when you
were working while you wait, so to speak?
You were using your gift, leading music,
and you saw God work, and it
brought joy to your heart?
(Leeah) Yeah, in fact there are
many instances of that.
I was leading worship a few weeks ago,
and it was a song I didn't know very well.
It was a song I wasn't quite confident in,
and I wasn't quite sure that it was
actually resonating with people.
So, I tried my best.
You know, I asked the Lord
to strengthen me, to produce
some sort of message.
And I saw a man in the back of the church,
the only person in the sanctuary
who had his arms raised in worship.
And I was so thankful
that in my moment of inadequacy,
it seemed to land with someone.
There have been many times
that I have been singing
for different events or whatever,
and there is almost a darkness.
It almost seems too hard to do,
like there's a spiritual darkness
that happens, and it almost becomes
physically difficult to sing praises
to the Lord, but God has
always helped me overcome that.
And there are always people that are
blessed through the gift of music,
so I'm grateful for that.
(Derek) So that reminds us
of the Great Controversy.
And by the way, in a previous study
John led, this raising hands
is really worshiping God,
isn't it, honoring God.
And one person in the back, a man,
God was speaking to him
through that music, and, Leeah, I saw
by your smile that you experienced joy.
Oh, excuse me, Nancy first and then Tendi.
(Nancy) So, this has to do with waiting
on the Lord and then also God
turning things around for us.
My husband was building a fence
for around our house.
This was when our kids were younger.
And there was this one piece
that maybe was from that desk to here
that needed to be filled in,
so he had a post there.
He talked to the neighbor because we
wanted to connect to the neighbor's fence,
and we just needed to connect
from our post to theirs,
and then we're done
because my kids wanted to have a dog.
So, my husband went
and talked to the neighbor,
and he said, "Sure, no problem."
Unbeknownst to us, his wife
didn't want that to happen,
and so we couldn't finish.
So eventually we started praying about it,
and so we just, like, every day
we're going to pray about it.
And so, my husband was praying,
"Oh, please change the heart
of our neighbor's wife;
it's for our kids..."
And I even went over there
and talked to her, and, no,
she wasn't having it.
And I'm like, "What is the problem?"
We kept praying and praying.
And then, as I went over and talked
to her again, I realized,
"Oh, they have needs; let's pray."
So, it changed us,
then we started praying
about what needs they had,
what concerns they had.
And it totally changed...instead...
(Derek) So, waiting on the Lord
to direct your path changed the way
you were thinking about the situation.
(Nancy) And then my husband
starting praying that God
would bring her to our house to talk
about the situation, and I'm like,
"How is He going to answer that?!"
It happened; she came to our house
to tell us that it was okay.
(Derek) So, God is good.
But He changed the way you thought.
(Nancy) Yes!
(Derek) That was very practical.
I never thought of waiting on the Lord
and fences and dogs.
I mean, pretty practical, right,
about learning to wait.
Thank you for sharing that. Tendi.
(Tendi) So, growing up, I was
a very shy person, and I had a good voice,
but at my home church I was considered
one of the background singers.
When I moved to the U.S., I asked the Lord
to give me a voice where I could
minister for Him, but I was still shy.
The first solo I sang was
at our wedding (with Scott)
as my vows to him.
And ever since then, I have been singing
in a way that people come to me and say
they have been touched.
They have been moved,
that I should sing more often.
So, I just want to praise God...
(Derek) That's courageous to have
the first solo at your wedding, right?
Well, we want to move on
to actually something that's in the title
of our program, Hope Sabbath School,
because the Sabbath is a time when we can
rest in the Lord while we wait.
And I want to look at two verses
that may be very familiar to some
but not to others.
Jason, if you could read Mark,
chapter 2, for us, and verse 28.
Jesus is speaking.
(Jason) Right, and I'm reading
from the New King James Version,
and the Bible says:
(Derek) Now, someone maybe is watching
Hope Sabbath School,
maybe you're watching, and you say,
"I don't know this Hope Sabbath/Sunday School,"
you know, "I don't know the word Sabbath."
So, it's like a Sunday School, but Sabbath
is actually found
throughout all the Scripture.
I still remember one gentleman
who actually came here
watching Hope Sabbath School,
and he said, "I started reading the Bible,
and it's like Sabbath, Sabbath,
Sabbath, Sabbath, Sabbath," right?
Where in the commandments
is this conversation about the Sabbath?
Heide, can you...There are
ten commandments, right?
We know we shouldn't kill,
we shouldn't steal,
we shouldn't commit adultery.
Where is that commandment
that speaks about the Sabbath,
and interestingly the first word
in that commandment is rather significant.
Would you read...?
(Heide) So, yeah, absolutely, so it's
in the fourth commandment.
And it's kind of like right in the center,
in the core of the Ten Commandments,
and I will gladly read it; I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
and it's Exodus 20, verses 8 through 11.
And the first word, which you asked, is "remember":
(Derek) Now, some people think
Sabbath day of rest means
you sleep all day, but that's not
what it talks about, right?
We want to go to worship.
We rest in the Lord in the worship,
but Jesus also taught that it's good
to do good on the Sabbath.
So, I have a practical question.
Raise your hand.
The practical question is, how do I know
when this work is something
that should wait for Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
or when it's something that would be good
to do on the Sabbath
because it's good to do good?
How do I distinguish, anybody,
between what should wait for another day
and what would be good to do
on the Sabbath? Pedro?
(Pedro) I look into the principle of the Bible.
Jesus shows the aspect of need for others,
you know, if I'm doing anything for others
on the Sabbath, it's a good rule of saying
this is good to do on the Sabbath.
Now, you ask us, can I
do this in a few days?
Can I plan ahead on this?
It says, yes, you should plan things ahead
so you can spend time
[worshiping] with others and Scripture
and spending time with the Lord.
But if you have an emergency,
as Jesus comes to the Pharisee and says,
you know, if you have an [ox] that is
stuck [in a ditch], would you
just not do anything?
And I can share that one time
I was out at the church, and there was
this member who had a car problem.
He forgot his key inside the car running.
Now, we had to run to get a tool
to open his door so he could go back home
and obviously not have the car
running all day in the parking lot.
(Derek) So, you would see that,
like the ox stuck in the ditch.
Jesus also used that when He
talked about healing someone
on the Sabbath, right?
Because it's good to do...?
(Derek, Team) Good.
(Derek) ...on the Sabbath, right,
so there was a distinction.
Someone else. Lilica, how do we distinguish?
There might be a time when God says,
"Lilica, do it now. Do it today.
It's Sabbath, but it's good
to do this good thing."
(Lilica) Well, the Lord
does not contradict Himself,
and He that gave the Law gave
the principles or ways,
as we have mentioned.
He said what to do
or not do on the Sabbath.
Of course, it's not everything,
but we have general principles to follow.
And in case of doubt, we can
always go to Him and say, "Lord,
I want to honor You.
I really have this desire of honoring You.
What do You say?"
(Derek) Alright, so I could ask.
I came home from church, actually, Pedro,
and someone next door was sitting
with the hood of his car
(we call that a bonnet in England,
so I had to remember to get it right),
but the hood of his car open,
and he was looking in.
Now, you have to know that most people,
especially us men, even if we know nothing
about the engine, we still look
inside there, hoping we can find some help.
Well, I just came home from church,
and he was next door -
a Christian gentleman -
next door, he was looking, and I
went over to him, and I said,
"Michael, what's the problem?"
He said, "My battery is dead."
And I said to him, "Well, I have
jumper cables right here in my car.
I'm happy to just hook them up for you."
And he said, "Oh, I wasn't going to ask
because I know it's your Sabbath."
And I said, "Well, Jesus said,
'It's good to do good.'"
Now, if he had said, "Would you help me,"
you know, "paint my car,"
or, "do some body work where I
just dented the side of my car," right,
but maybe he needed to do something.
But I like what Lilica said, and that is,
we can pray and say, "God,
is this something that I could say,
'I'll come by on Monday,'
or is it something
that I should do today?"
Did anyone want to share a testimony?
Because we want to, certainly, rest
in the Lord on the Sabbath, but we
also can work while we wait?
Can you share a time when you were
resting in the Lord on the Sabbath,
but you were also involved
in serving others in a meaningful way?
Anybody? I want to give an opportunity.
Heide, I see you waving over there.
A time that was meaningful to you,
and you say, "Well, going to church
is wonderful, singing hymns is wonderful,
praying is wonderful, but doing good
in Jesus' name on the Sabbath
is also wonderful," share your story.
(Heide) So, I went to a church
where on one Sabbath of the month
they would go and they would feed
the homeless, and that entailed
a lot of work because we actually went
to an area that was
a ways from our church.
And we had to take tables, chairs.
We had to preplan the meal
and prepare the meal and bring
plates and utensils and all the things.
But once a month we would go,
and we would do that,
and we would talk with them,
mingle with them while we served the food
and while they ate.
And sometimes we would eat with them.
And that was something that we did
where I would feel happy
because I like going to church, and Jesus
gave that example very clearly, that that's something
we do on the Sabbath.
But I also like, you know, to get outside
of the four walls of the church.
He called us to go, and I liked that,
because it was a way that we could go,
and we could minister to others.
On another occasion, I remember
that we went door to door, inviting
families to a fun event our church
was going to have,
but at every house we would also ask,
"Can we pray for you?
Is there something we can
pray about for you?"
And I was really surprised that all
these people just started opening up,
even people you wouldn't have thought
would have opened up.
They would be like, "Oh, yes, pray
for my family," "Pray for my sibling,"
"Pray for my child."
And I remember feeling just so satisfied
at the end of that day and that event,
coming back and having prayed for people.
(Derek) Beautiful, joy, joy.
Well, I want to go to our last section
and a verse, Nancy, I'd like you
to read for us in Psalm 30 and verse 5,
because while we're waiting,
we're also waiting, in some ways,
in a valley of tears, aren't we?
We're waiting in a place where there is
still this great battle
between good and evil.
But there is a hopeful word the psalmist gives
in Psalm 30 and verse 5.
(Nancy) I'm reading
from the New American Standard Bible, and it reads:
(Derek) I like that translation. Lilica?
(Lilica) So, I have six points that I took
from these lessons
that we have been learning,
that waiting is excruciating.
It's painful, depending on how much
you desire that thing.
And that we have the desire
of doing things our own way,
but in the waiting, it's so precious
because God takes that time to make us
do self-examination.
(Derek) While waiting.
(Lilica) While we're waiting, it's a time
of self-examination and preparation.
So, it's so important,
but we don't want it
because we want what we want.
And in that time, as we go to God,
as a child goes to the mother
during weaning, it's a time when we learn
to trust His promises
and rely on Him to rest on Him
and have that faithful assurance
that the One who promised is faithful.
One day the joy will come.
(Derek) So, what' Lilica's says here,
sometimes the waiting can be excruciating,
but the promise of joy coming
in the morning, back to the text
that you just read, is that talking
about tomorrow morning?
Is that talking about sometime in the future?
Or, Puia, is it talking about...Let's say
you just lost a loved one,
how does joy come in the morning?
Is it talking
about that great resurrection morning?
What do you think the text
is referring to here?
(Puia) I believe in the biblical sense, it's talking
about that ultimate resurrection morning
when God is going to re-create everything.
And in the context of what we
have been studying, I believe
waiting on the Lord can be trusting
in advance what will only make sense
when we look back
from that point in the future.
(Derek) So, Lilica's pointing out
that that waiting can be very painful,
excruciating even, but let's talk
about losing a loved one.
Someone here, or someone watching,
you've lost a loved one.
It's painful, it's excruciating, to use
the word that Lilica used,
but how does your grieving...
Is there anyone here
who has lost a loved one?
John, how does our grieving,
painful as it is, differ from those
who've not learned to wait on the Lord?
(John) I was close to my grandfather,
but then he passed away.
He did not believe in Bible truths,
but on his deathbed he told us
that if he ever were to walk again,
he would be baptized.
And so those were his parting words,
and so we have that hope that we will
see him the resurrection morning.
(Derek) So, the loss was still painful,
but you believe that joy
comes in the morning, right?
Anybody else have a testimony?
Because we live in a world
where there is pain,
where we experience loss.
Could joy come earlier
than the great resurrection day
when Jesus comes?
(Team) Yes.
(Derek) Certainly so, right?
You experience a loss of some kind,
but joy comes in the morning? Pedro.
(Pedro) I can relate with John.
I lost my grandma during the pandemic.
I was unable to get back to Brazil,
and she was the one who raised me,
was a very dear person...
(Derek) And you weren't able to travel back.
(Pedro) And there were a lot
of restrictions during that time,
so I would not have been able
to even see her in the hospital
or even anything in that nature, you know,
having that last-minute experience.
I was able to talk to her on FaceTime
a week prior to that event.
Now, looking forward to that, I have hope
in the resurrection by Christ.
I know that she had Jesus in her heart.
And that's why I labor to share the gospel
because I won't only see Jesus,
but I want to focus and also take time
to see my grandma
when the resurrection day happens.
So, I want to disburse my energy,
not mourning for her but to say
I'm looking forward and express my energy...
(Derek) ...still grieve, but you
want to focus on helping
others to be ready.
I like the translation, not only joy
comes in the morning but "a shout of joy,"
New American Standard Bible,
"A shout of joy comes in the morning."
Can you imagine, can you imagine
on that great day?
But God may give you joy
tomorrow morning, too, if you learn
to wait, to rest in Him, as we've studied.
But that great day, what a shout of joy
when we are not only with Jesus,
but with those we love and those
we've shared the gospel with who have
chosen to let Jesus save them
and be part of His eternal kingdom.
Let's pray that we can experience
that joy today and look forward
to that future joy.
Father in Heaven, You want us
to rest in You now, to wait on You now,
to trust in You now, but You also give us
joy for the present and the future.
May we rejoice in the joy
that only comes from You.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Thanks for joining us
for this series on The Psalms,
practical lessons as we live
in this troubled world,
but what a joy we have in Jesus.
Go out and share that good news
with those around you.
♪ theme music ♪