A SUMMARY OF LESSON 12/ 3rd Qtr, September 10-16, 2022
by Don Leo M. Garilva, DMin
DYING LIKE A SEED
Memory Text
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; . . . but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
John 12:24, NKJV
INTRODUCTION:
Jesus’ picture of a KERNEL of wheat DYING is a fascinating ANALOGY of ourSUBMISSION to GOD’S WILL. FIRST, there is the FALLING. SECOND, there is theWAITING. And THIRD, there is the DYING. We will see HOW the ANALOGY of theKERNEL of wheat APPLIES to our own LIFE.
Here are the THREE POINTS that SUMMARIZE our lesson this week:
1. DYING AND SUBMITTING (SUNDAY & MONDAY)
CONTEMPORARY CULTURE urges us all to DEMAND and ASSERT our RIGHTS. All this is GOOD and OFTEN is the WAY it should be. But as with JESUS, the GOD’S WILL may be for us to GIVE UP our rights FREELY in order to SERVE the FATHER in ways that WILL MAKE an eternal IMPACT for GOD’S KINGDOM. This PROCESS of SUBMITTINGmay be DIFFICULT and UNCOMFORTABLE, creating the CONDITIONS of a CRUCIBLE.In order to be in a POSITION to SAVE US, JESUS gave up HIS EQUALITY with the FATHER and moved to EARTH in the FORM and LIMITATIONS of a HUMAN BEING (PHIL. 2:6, 7).
In ROM. 12:1, 2, PAUL is describing HOW we can know GOD’S WILL. He makes anIMPORTANT POINT: if you WANT to KNOW what GOD’S WILL is, you have toSACRIFICE FIRST. PAUL WRITES that we will be ABLE to “TEST and APPROVE what GOD’S WILL is” (ROM. 12:2, NIV) when the FOLLOWING things HAPPEN: (1) We have a TRUE UNDERSTANDING of “GOD’S MERCY” for us (ROM. 12:1, NIV). (2) We OFFER OURSELVES as LIVING SACRIFICES to God (ROM. 12:1). (3) Our MINDS areRENEWED (ROM. 12:2). It is ONLY the RENEWED MIND that TRULY canUNDERSTAND GOD’S WILL. But this RENEWAL hinges on our DEATH to SELF first. It was NOT ENOUGH that CHRIST simply SUFFERED for us—HE had to DIE. WhenAREAS of our LIVES are NOT completely DEAD to self, GOD permits CRUCIBLES to bring them to OUR ATTENTION.
2. DYING AND LISTENING (TUESDAY)
1 SAMUEL 2:12-3:18 describes the STORY of ELI and his TWO WICKED SONS who DIDN’T LISTEN to the LORD and a LITTLE BOY who DID. Though there were STRONG WARNINGS from GOD, those who NEEDED to CHANGE their course DIDN’T. ELI’S SONS had OTHER THINGS on their MINDS than the THINGS of GOD. And even when ELI, after HEARING what GOD WANTED, SPOKE to HIS SONS, he DIDN’T seem to DO anything else. And HIS SONS were obviously NOT READY to SUBMIT the DETAILS ofTHEIR LIVES to God’s will. What a CONTRAST to the young SAMUEL!
3. DYING AND RELYING (WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY)
The STORY of SAUL describes his STEPS to SELF-RELIANCE and the TRAGEDY thatQUICKLY FOLLOWS. SAMUEL anointed SAUL as GOD’S KING (1 SAM. 10:1). Then heGAVE SAUL specific INSTRUCTIONS (1 SAM. 10:8), but SAUL DISOBEYED. There areTHREE STEPS that led SAUL down the ROAD to SELF-RELIANCE so soon after having been MADE KING (1 SAM. 13:1-14). The PROBLEM is that NONE of the STEPS were that BAD in themselves. Yet, they CONTAINED the SEEDS of TRAGEDY because they were each TAKEN INDEPENDENTLY of God.
Notice the ORDER in which SAUL’S FALL occurred: (1) SAUL said, “I SAW” (NIV)—theSCATTERING of his TROOPS and SAMUEL’S ABSENCE (1 SAM. 13:11). SAUL wasUNDER PRESSURE, and he EVALUATED with his OWN EYES what was HAPPENING. (2) SAUL moved from “I SAW” to “I SAID”—that the PHILISTINES would CONQUERthem (1 SAM. 13:12, NKJV). What HE SAW with his OWN EYES shaped what HE SAIDabout the situation. (3) SAUL moved from “I SAID” to “I FELT”—compelled to OFFER SACRIFICE (1 SAM. 13:12, NKJV). What SAUL THOUGHT now SHAPED his FEELING.He RELIED on his own HUMAN EYESIGHT, which led him TO RELY on his own HUMAN THINKING, which led him TO RELY on his own HUMAN FEELINGS. And then HE ACTEDon these FEELINGS.
On the other hand, ZECHARIAH the prophet HELPS US to FOCUS on what REALLY MATTERS when we are TEMPTED to use SUBSTITUTES. After MANY YEARS away, theEXILES had finally RETURNED from BABYLON and immediately began to REBUILD the TEMPLE. But there was an INCREDIBLE AMOUNT of OPPOSITION to this (EZRA 4-6).So, ZECHARIAH came with this MESSAGE of encouragement to ZERUBBABEL, who was LEADING the work (ZECH. 4:6). GOD did NOT PREVENT the OPPOSITION to theTEMPLE or spare ZERUBBABEL from the STRESS of dealing with it. This indicates that GOD will NOT ALWAYS protect us from OPPOSITION. But when OPPOSITION comes, GOD may USE it as a CRUCIBLE to TEACH US to RELY on HIM.
CONCLUSION:
SUBMISSION to GOD’S WILL comes as we DIE to our DESIRES and AMBITIONS. We cannot LIVE for GOD without becoming SACRIFICES and LIVING in OPENNESS to GOD’S VOICE. We must RECOGNIZE the DANGERS of RELYING on OURSELVES and on SUBSTITUTES for GOD’S WORD and POWER. As SUBMISSION to GOD’S WILL is at the HEART of a CHRISTLIKE LIFE, GOD may allow CRUCIBLES to TEACH usDEPENDENCE on HIM.
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Don Leo M Garilva, DMin
Mountain View College
8709 Valencia City, Bukidnon
Philippines
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