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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Nicholas Droze

Rest and Relationship

I live on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii.

It's been a little chilly and I just love it.

We had a big humid wave, if you want to call it that, and it's like walking through a cloud with heat.

I'm very grateful to Christian and Shalina.

They've been so welcoming as well as the Nelson family.

And what a blessing it is to be Adventist and have family all over the world, right?

I mean, that's 1 very special part about our community.

Before I go any further, let me say a word of prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for this beautiful Sabbath morning.

And I just pray first and foremost that you would forgive each 1 of us, especially myself, for our sins and our shortcomings.

Father, I pray that you would hide me behind the cross and that you would speak for me and through me or else we have all wasted our time.

Thank you so much for all that you do for us.

Open our hearts and our minds to you and you alone.

We pray and ask these things in the precious name of your son, Jesus Christ, amen.

There once was a crow who was completely satisfied with his life until the day that he saw a swan.

And he thought to himself, this swan is so bright, and I am so dull.

Surely this must be the happiest bird in the world." So he flies down to the swan and he asks him, Mr.

Swan, I couldn't help but noticing how magnificently white your feathers were, and I was thinking to myself that, surely, you must be the happiest bird in the world.

And the swan replies, I too thought that I was the happiest bird in the world, until I saw the parrot.

You see, I am magnificently white, but the parrot has 2 beautiful colors.

So the crow flies in search of the parrot.

Parrot, I couldn't help but noticing your 2 beautiful colors, and I was thinking to myself that you must be the happiest bird in the world.

And the parrot replies, I too thought that I was the happiest bird in the world until I saw the peacock.

You see I do have 2 beautiful colors but the peacock has multiple colors.

So the crow flies in search of the peacock, and he finds 1 at the nearby zoo.

And he sees hundreds of people taking pictures of the peacock, and he waits until they all leave.

Peacock, I couldn't help but noticing that you have a magnificent array of colors, and I was thinking to myself that surely you, you, must be the happiest bird in the world." And the peacock replies, I too thought that I was the happiest and most beautiful bird in the world, but because of my beauty, it has landed me in this cage.

And for the last several weeks, I've been analyzing every cage in every corner of the zoo, and I noticed that the only bird not in the cage is the crow.

So for the last few days, I've been thinking to myself, If I was a crow, surely I would be the happiest bird in the world.

You know, I like this story because it describes human nature.

As humans, it's easy for us to become discontented or unsatisfied.

We observe the state of others around us and pick out some attributes of their experience that we think would allow us to be happy should we have it.

As if it would push us towards a utopia we have created in our minds.

Just like the crow looked to the peacock, so we too look to those who, by the world's estimation, have everything we could ever want.

And yet, if we could peer into their lives more deeply, we would likely find some form of discontentment.

So why is it that humans find themselves so discontented?

Other than Christ, which human would you say is or was the most blessed ever?

You know, everybody has an answer for a different reason.

When he had a perfect physical stature, a perfect environment, a perfect companion, handcrafted from God himself, A sharp and vigorous mind with perfect recall.

The argument could be made that Adam was the most blessed man in human history.

So Adam, as the most blessed man in human history, what would you say was his most important and valuable blessing?

Some aspect of his beautiful environment maybe?

His perfect physical constitution with all the blessings bestowed upon Adam, there was 1 blessing he possessed that stood above them all.

For by this blessing, he was able to properly enjoy every other." The blessing of a clean heart.

You see, after Adam sinned, his conscience was marred.

He lost his cleanliness of heart, and as a result, he lost his ability to enjoy every other blessing.

Even his most prized possession, Eve, he could no longer enjoy and even sought to cast the blame upon her.

If the most blessed man in all of human history couldn't enjoy the blessings around him in the absence of a clean heart, do we think that our experience will be any different?

Truly a clean heart is our most valuable asset, for we can see without it, nothing else will truly bring contentment.

You know, people, ourselves, we dwell heavily upon the things that we wish God would give to us.

But without a clean heart, like Adam, we could never enjoy it.

Even if God were to give us the world, we would not be able to find a single place to rest within it.

Open with me, if you will, to Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis chapter 3, and we're going to be looking at verses 8 through 10.

Genesis chapter 3, looking at verses 8 through 10.

Verse 8 reads, and they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, Where art thou?

And he said, Adam, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself.

Scripture also tells us to keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." Out of the heart spring forth the issues of life, Proverbs 4.23.

We're also told in Mark 8.36, for what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

We're told that In Adam's sinless state, in his sinless state, man held joyful communion with him, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

But after sin, He could no longer find joy in holiness, and he sought to hide from the very presence of God.

Such is still the condition of the unrenewed heart.

It is not in harmony with God, and finds no joy in communion with him.

The sinner could not be happy in God's presence.

He would shrink from the companionship of holy angels.

Could he be permitted to enter heaven in that condition, it would have no joy for him there.

It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken.

Our hearts are evil and we cannot change them.

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?

The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless.

They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart.

There must be a power working from within, a new life from above before men can be changed from sin to holiness.

His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul and attract it to God, to holiness.

The Savior said, accept a man be born from above.

Unless he shall receive a new heart, new desires, purposes, and motives leading to a new life, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

When we stop to contemplate the mission of Christ, his life and sacrifice for humanity goes beyond just forgiving us for our sins.

It was Christ's mission to reestablish the heart so that it could experience the joys of holiness and the bliss of heaven.

A heart that could rest in his presence, being in perfect accord with his law.

And thus it is written, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

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