v

Matthew 7:13, 14 (Contemporary English Version)

“Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that

leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate. But the gate to

life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few

people find it.”

Messages to Young People, p. 131

“There is a remedy for the sin-sick soul. That remedy is in Jesus. Precious Saviour!

His grace is sufficient for the weakest; and the strongest must also have His grace

or perish.”

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 138

"‘Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life." Matthew 7:14.

“In the time of Christ the people of Palestine lived in walled towns, which were

mostly situated upon hills or mountains. The gates, which were closed at sunset,

were approached by steep, rocky roads, and the traveler journeying homeward at

the close of the day often had to press his way in eager haste up the difficult ascent

in order to reach the gate before nightfall. The loiterer was left without.

“The narrow, upward road leading to home and rest furnished Jesus with an

impressive figure of the Christian way. The path which I have set before you, He

said, is narrow; the gate is difficult of entrance; for the golden rule excludes all

pride and self-seeking. There is, indeed, a wider road; but its end is destruction. If

you would climb the path of spiritual life, you must constantly ascend; for it is an

upward way. You must go with the few; for the multitude will choose the downward

path.

“In the road to death the whole race may go, with all their worldliness, all their

selfishness, all their pride, dishonesty, and moral debasement. There is room for

every man's opinions and doctrines, space to follow his inclinations, to do whatever

his self-love may dictate. In order to go in the path that leads to destruction, there

is no need of searching for the way; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad, and

the feet naturally turn into the path that ends in death.

“But the way to life is narrow and the entrance strait.”

1. In the first paragraph, a gate is mentioned, where is it?

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Sabbath Afternoon | Today’s Reading

Living in the Here and Now: Solid Ground | Lesson 12 | March 23, 2013

Second Opinions

2. When were the gates closed, and what type of road lead to the gate?

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3. Matthew 7:14, Jesus used these gates and paths in His teaching. What was

He illustrating?

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4. What type of road did Jesus say is the road to destruction?

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5. What type of road did Jesus say is the road leading to life?

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SECOND OPINIONS

While traveling around the world, John and his wife, Anne, were camping in a

country far from home when John was bitten by a snake. Not knowing what kind of

snake it was or what the bite’s effects might be, John and Anne jumped in to their

jeep and headed for the nearest town, where a doctor examined John’s red,

swollen, angry-looking snakebite wound.

“You were bitten by the most dangerous snake in this part of the country.” The

doctor said, “And the bite is fatal. Without treatment, you have less than an hour to

live.”

“Is there any treatment?” Anne asked, frantic to save her husband’s life.

“Yes, you’re very fortunate that I have a small amount of the antidote here in my

clinic,” the doctor said, filling the syringe.

“Wait a second,” John said. “You’re saying this antidote of yours is the only cure for

the snakebite venom?”

“The only known cure, sir,” the doctor said.

“Hurry up and give him the needle!” Anne insisted.

“No, I want to think about this,” John said. “I think it’s pretty narrow-minded of you

to insist this is the only treatment available. What if I want to try something

different? I don’t like needles. I like herbal remedies. Maybe there’s an herb I can

take? Or, I’d like to try doing some exercises to see if those would make it better.”

“We must hurry, sir,” the doctor said. “Already the poison is spreading through

your bloodstream. I repeat, this antidote is the only cure.”

“John, just let him give you the needle,” Anne begged.

“I’m really not sure about this,” John said. “There’s always more than one way to

approach a situation. I think we need to explore other options rather than just

taking his word for it that there’s only one cure.”

In real life, this situation would be unthinkable. In a life-or-death situation, most

people would accept the doctor’s word that there’s only one available treatment.

But many people reject the message that there’s only one way to eternal

salvation—through Jesus—and only one guide to living life—the Bible. How is God’s

truth like the snakebite antidote? How is it different? Is a person who rejects God’s

“treatment” behaving as foolishly as John did in this story?

Romans 3:22-24 (Contemporary English Version)

“God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus

Christ. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God treats us much

better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets

us free from our sins.

“God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so that by faith in

him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right

to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts

people who have faith in Jesus.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (New King James Version)

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be

lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient

to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-

control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure

rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And

from such people turn away!”

Romans 12:8-10 (Contemporary English Version)

“If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should

be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we

should do it cheerfully. Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is

evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and

sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.”

HERE’S WHAT I THINK

Your friend Tiffany is one of the nicest people you know. She’s always cheerful and

Sunday | Today’s Reading

pleasant, she’s kind to everyone, she likes to get involved in activities that will

make the world a better place, like raising money for the homeless or starting a

recycling program. You ask if she’d like to come to church with you, but she says,

“I believe Jesus was a good man, but I don’t think He was God. I think God is in all

of us; God is whatever you want Him to be. And I don’t think I’m a sinner, so why

do I need to be saved?”

Does Tiffany need Jesus? How do you respond to her beliefs? Is there a way to

share your beliefs that would be meaningful to her?

Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and

honest. Say what you think. The lines below are provided as an alternative to

posting. You may wish to record your thoughts and share them with your class

later.

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Standing on Solid Ground

Decode the message by finding and inserting the substitute letters.

Monday | Today’s Reading

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 139

“If you cling to any besetting sin you will find the way too narrow for you to enter.

Your own ways, your own will, your evil habits and practices, must be given up if

you would keep the way of the Lord. He who would serve Christ cannot follow the

world's opinions or meet the world's standard. Heaven's path is too narrow for rank

and riches to ride in state, too narrow for the play of self-centered ambition, too

steep and rugged for lovers of ease to climb. Toil, patience, self-sacrifice, reproach,

poverty, the contradiction of sinners against Himself, was the portion of Christ, and

it must be our portion, if we ever enter the Paradise of God.

“Yet do not therefore conclude that the upward path is the hard and the downward

road the easy way. All along the road that leads to death there are pains and

penalties, there are sorrows and disappointments, there are warnings not to go on.

God's love has made it hard for the heedless and headstrong to destroy

themselves. It is true that Satan's path is made to appear attractive, but it is all a

deception; in the way of evil there are bitter remorse and cankering care. We may

think it pleasant to follow pride and worldly ambition, but the end is pain and

sorrow. Selfish plans may present flattering promises and hold out the hope of

enjoyment, but we shall find that our happiness is poisoned and our life embittered

by hopes that center in self. In the downward road the gateway may be bright with

flowers, but thorns are in the path. The light of hope which shines from its entrance

Tuesday | Today’s Reading

fades into the darkness of despair, and the soul who follows that path descends

into the shadows of unending night.”

1. What must be given up “if you would keep the way of the Lord”?

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2. What is heaven’s path like?

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3. Is the upward path hard and the downward road easy? Explain.

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4. Highlight the sentence that starts, “It is true that Satan’s path is made to

appear attractive. . .”

5. The downward road may look bright with flowers; however, what might you

find in the path?

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6. What verse tells us to turn away from evil people?

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Hebrews 12:1-3 (New King James Version)

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let

us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with

endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher

of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising

the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you

become weary and discouraged in your souls.”

1 Timothy 4:3 (The Message)

“These liars have lied so well and for so long that they've lost their capacity for

truth.”

Psalm 119:9, 10 (The Message)

“How can a young person live a clean life?

By carefully reading the map of your Word.

I'm single-minded in pursuit of you;

don't let me miss the road signs you've posted.”

Titus 1:15 (New International Version)

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not

believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.”

SO WHAT?

When your grandparents were teens, most people around them probably believed

that the Bible set the standard for what was right and wrong, even if they didn’t

follow it themselves! We live in a different world. More and more people today

believe the truth is something that comes from inside you. People question the

authority of the Bible and of God, and look to other sources or to themselves for

truth. A lot of the old standards of right and wrong don’t seem to apply anymore.

How do you make decisions about what’s right and wrong when it seems there are

more choices than ever before?

Though we need to respect others who make different choices, as Christian young

people we still need to stand firm on the Bible as our authority. It doesn’t change.

Basing your beliefs and our actions on God’s Word will give you solid ground to

stand on in a world where everything seems to be changing so fast, it’s almost

impossible to keep up with it.

Many Bible verses have been used in your lesson this week. To help you

review the verses for the week, look through your lesson and answer the questions

below:

1. What Bible verses tell about the straight and narrow way?

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2. What Bible verses tell about the gift God gave us?

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Wednesday | Today’s Reading

3. What Bible verse tells us not to cast our pearls before hogs? What does that

mean?

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4. What Bible verse mentions liars? What is it talking about?

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5. What verse talks about being pure?

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6. What verse talks about being clean?

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7. What verses tell you to follow God’s voice?

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8. What verses tell you to trust in God?

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9. What verse tells you to seek God first?

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10. What verse says God does not want anyone to perish?

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Choose your favorite verse and memorize it! Record the text here.

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Proverbs 3:5, 6 (The Message)

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don't try to figure out everything on your own.

Thursday | Today’s Reading

Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he's the one who will keep you on track.”

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 140, 141

“‘The way of transgressors is hard,’ but wisdom's ‘ways are ways of pleasantness

and all her paths are peace.’ Proverbs 13:15; 3:17. Every act of obedience to

Christ, every act of self-denial for His sake, every trial well endured, every victory

gained over temptation, is a step in the march to the glory of final victory. If we

take Christ for our guide, He will lead us safely. The veriest sinner need not miss

his way. Not one trembling seeker need fail of walking in pure and holy light.

Though the path is so narrow, so holy that sin cannot be tolerated therein, yet

access has been secured for all, and not one doubting, trembling soul need say,

"God cares nought for me."

“The road may be rough and the ascent steep; there may be pitfalls upon the right

hand and upon the left; we may have to endure toil in our journey; when weary,

when longing for rest, we may have to toil on; when faint, we may have to fight;

when discouraged, we must still hope; but with Christ as our guide we shall not fail

of reaching the desired haven at last. Christ Himself has trodden the rough way

before us and has smoothed the path for our feet.

“And all the way up the steep road leading to eternal life are well-springs of joy to

refresh the weary. Those who walk in wisdom's ways are, even in tribulation,

exceeding joyful; for He whom their soul loveth, walks, invisible, beside them. At

each upward step they discern more distinctly the touch of His hand; at every step

brighter gleamings of glory from the Unseen fall upon their path; and their songs of

praise, reaching ever a higher note, ascend to join the songs of angels before the

throne. "The path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, that shineth more and

more unto the perfect day." Proverbs 4:18, R.V., margin.

1. What do you feel the following sentence means? “The road may be rough

and the assent steep; there may be pitfalls upon the right hand and upon

the left; we may have to endure toil in our journey; when weary, when

longing for rest, we may have to toil on; when faint, we may have to fight

when discouraged we must still hope; but with Christ as our guide we shall

not fail of reaching the desired haven at last.”

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2. Highlight the paragraph that starts, “And all the way up the steep road . . .”

3. What is the above paragraph trying to tell us?

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Matthew 7:5, 6 (Amplified Bible)

“You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will

see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother's eye.

“Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw

your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and

tear you in pieces.”

1 Corinthians 10:12-14 (New International Version)

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation

has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let

you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also

provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

2 Peter 3:9 (New International Version)

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is

patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to

repentance.”

Matthew 6:33 (New International Version)

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given

to you as well.”

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

You face choices every day. Whom do you trust to give you guidance with those

choices? Your inner “gut feeling”? Your friends? The media—TV, movies, music?

Your parents? Your church?

While all those factors will influence you, it’s important to have one authority that

backs up all the others, one that doesn’t change with the latest trends. You’ll hear

many people today saying that there’s no such thing as “absolute truth.” What’s

right for me may not be right for you. While this can certainly be true in matters of

personal taste (the green striped biking shorts may be OK for you, but not for

me!), in matters of faith and morality, you need a solid foundation. That can only

be found in God’s Word, the Bible.

What about friends who don’t believe in the Bible as God’s World? Is it “true for

you, but not true for them”? No, the Bible is for everyone. But that doesn’t mean

we shove it down the throats of those who don’t believe. We live in a world today

that offers more diversity in terms of people’s beliefs and cultures than ever before.

In a world like this, we need to respect others and remember that they have the

same right to their beliefs as we do to ours—while at the same time keeping our

feet firmly planted on what we do believe.

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 142, 143

“The divine Spirit works through the faculties and powers given to man. Our

energies are required to co-operate with God.

“The victory is not won without much earnest prayer, without the humbling of self

at every step. Our will is not to be forced into co-operation with divine agencies,

but it must be voluntarily submitted. Were it possible to force upon you with a

hundredfold greater intensity the influence of the Spirit of God, it would not make

you a Christian, a fit subject for heaven. The stronghold of Satan would not be

broken. The will must be placed on the side of God's will. You are not able, of

yourself, to bring your purposes and desires and inclinations into submission to the

will of God; but if you are ‘willing to be made willing,’ God will accomplish the work

for you, even ‘casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself

against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the

obedience of Christ.’ 2 Corinthians 10:5. Then you will ‘work out your own salvation

with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of

His good pleasure.’ Philippians 2:12, 13.

“But many are attracted by the beauty of Christ and the glory of heaven, who yet

shrink from the conditions by which alone these can become their own. There are

many in the broad way who are not fully satisfied with the path in which they walk.

They long to break from the slavery of sin, and in their own strength they seek to

make a stand against their sinful practices. They look toward the narrow way and

the strait gate; but selfish pleasure, love of the world, pride, unsanctified ambition,

place a barrier between them and the Saviour. To renounce their own will, their

chosen objects of affection or pursuit, requires a sacrifice at which they hesitate

and falter and turn back. Many ‘will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.’ Luke

13:24. They desire the good, they make some effort to obtain it; but they do not

choose it; they have not a settled purpose to secure it at the cost of all things.

“The only hope for us if we would overcome is to unite our will to God's will and

work in co-operation with Him, hour by hour and day by day. We cannot retain self

and yet enter the kingdom of God. If we ever attain unto holiness, it will be through

the renunciation of self and the reception of the mind of Christ. Pride and self-

sufficiency must be crucified. Are we willing to pay the price required of us? Are we

willing to have our will brought into perfect conformity to the will of God? Until we

are willing, the transforming grace of God cannot be manifest upon us.”

1. Our reading today states that, “The victory is not won without . . .” What is

Friday | Today’s Reading

this paragraph talking about?

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2. What is the only thing that can be done to make you a Christian?

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3. How can God accomplish the work for you?

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4. Why will “many seek to enter in but shall not be able”?

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5. What s our only hope?

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Our High Calling, p. 88

“For every class of temptations there is a remedy. We are not left to ourselves to

fight the battle against self and our sinful natures in our own finite strength. Jesus

is a mighty helper, a never-failing support. . . . None need fail or become

discouraged, when such ample provision has been made for us.”

HOW DOES IT WORK?

In the center large circle, write a few words or draw a picture to represent a

question or problem in your life right now. Then, in the smaller circles, draw stick

figures to illustrate parents, friends, teachers, etc. Next to each figure, write briefly

what you think that person would say about your question or problem.

In the medium-sized circle (in the first row), write what God’s Word has to say

about your question or problem (you may need to look up some Bible verses).

Draw a line from that circle to the “problem” circle, and then compare what’s

written there to what you think others would have to say. Are the voices of

important people in your life giving you the same advice God’s Word gives you, or

are they leading you in different directions?

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Monday verse: Proverbs 3:5, Message.

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Bible texts credited to Amplified are from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament copyright © 1965, 1987 by

Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament copyright © 1958, 1987 by The Lockman

Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations identified CEV are from the Contemporary English Version. Copyright © American

Bible Society 1991, 1995. Used by permission.

Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by

Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Texts credited to Message are from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001,

2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.