San Marino City SDA Church

25/05/2026

Doug Batchelor

25/05/2026

Good morning 👆🏼

25/05/2026

𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟗: 𝐒𝐈𝐍, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐖
𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐆𝐎𝐃
𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑮𝒐𝒅

𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒, 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐓, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐈𝐍. 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐉𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓? 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝟗:𝟒𝟐-𝟒𝟖.

A healthy relationship with God doesn’t drift into maturity on its own. It grows when barriers are removed—especially the subtle ones we don’t always notice in ourselves. Scripture repeatedly shows that spiritual failure rarely starts with a dramatic moment. It starts with attitudes of the heart: pride, hidden sin, judgment of others, and unchecked anger.

Paul gives a blunt warning in 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” In other words, overconfidence is dangerous. One of the first barriers to a strong walk with God is self-reliance—the quiet belief that “I’ve got this.” Samson’s story fits this pattern. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.

Jesus then addresses another barrier in Matthew 6:2—religious pride. 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬. When faith becomes a performance for others, the heart shifts away from God and toward human approval. That kind of spirituality looks strong on the outside but is hollow inside. Jesus calls us back to quiet sincerity and humility.

In Matthew 5:28–29, Jesus confronts something even more internal: lust. He doesn’t treat sin as harmless thoughts that don’t matter. He treats it as something serious enough to cut off at the source. His strong language—“𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭”—is not about physical harm, but about urgency. If something feeds sin, it has to go. No negotiation. No compromise.

Then in Matthew 7:1–2, Jesus warns against a critical, judgmental spirit. It is easy to become sharp toward others while excusing ourselves. But judgment belongs to God, not us (1 Corinthians 4:5). When we take that role for ourselves, we damage relationships and harden our own hearts in the process

Jesus goes further in Matthew 5:44, calling us to love enemies, pray for those who hurt us, and bless those who mistreat us. This is one of the clearest tests of spiritual maturity. Hatred—whether open or quietly held—creates distance between us and God. But prayer for enemies changes something inside us. It breaks bitterness and reorders the heart.

Even anger, Jesus says in Matthew 5:22, can become spiritually destructive when it is held unjustly. Many people justify anger as “normal,” but Jesus points to its deeper effect: it shapes the heart and fractures fellowship with God and others.

All of this connects to Jesus’ warning in Mark 9:42–48 about anything that causes us to stumble. His repeated imagery of cutting off a hand, foot, or eye emphasizes decisive action. The message is clear: do not tolerate anything that consistently leads you into sin. Spiritual growth requires spiritual surgery—removing influences, habits, or attitudes that keep pulling you away from God.

Taken together, these passages show a consistent truth: barriers to God are often internal, not external. Pride, hidden sin, judgment, anger, and unchecked desires slowly weaken the soul. And the longer they remain, the harder they are to confront.

But there is also hope here. Jesus doesn’t expose these issues to shame us—He exposes them to heal us. Every warning is an invitation to deeper freedom. God is not asking for perfection before relationship. He is calling for honesty, surrender, and willingness to change.

The real question is not just “What is wrong in my life?” but “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐦 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞?”

24/05/2026

𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟗: 𝐒𝐈𝐍, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐖
𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝟐𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒
𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒌: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒔𝒐𝒏

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐒𝐎𝐍’𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐉𝐔𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝟏𝟒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐉𝐔𝐃𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝟏𝟔:𝟏, 𝟒, 𝟏𝟔, 𝟏𝟕. Although called by God for a specific purpose, Samson served God while giving in to temptation. What does the outcome of his life teach us?

Samson’s story is one of the most tragic and relatable stories in the Bible. God called him before he was even born to deliver Israel from the Philistines (Judges 13:5). He was gifted with supernatural strength, set apart for a holy purpose, and empowered by God’s Spirit. Yet despite all of that, Samson continually played with temptation.

In Judges 14, Samson desired a Philistine woman even though his parents warned him against it. Instead of guarding his heart, he followed his impulses. Later, in Judges 16:1, Samson went to Gaza and visited a pr******te. Then in Judges 16:4, he fell in love with Delilah, a woman who would eventually betray him. Verse 16 says that Delilah “pressed him daily with her words.” Samson kept entertaining danger instead of fleeing from it. Finally, in verse 17, he revealed the secret connected to his Nazarite vow, and his strength left him.

Samson’s downfall did not happen in a single moment. It happened little by little. He kept assuming he could flirt with sin and still remain spiritually strong. He thought God’s calling would protect him from the consequences of compromise. But eventually, the temptations he played with overcame him.

That is a warning for all of us.

Many believers love God sincerely yet still struggle with recurring temptations. Some struggle with lust, anger, pride, bitterness, dishonesty, addictions, laziness, envy, or worldly distractions. Like Samson, people often think, “I can handle this,” or “This won’t affect me spiritually.” But sin slowly weakens the soul long before the damage becomes obvious.

One of the saddest verses in Samson’s story is Judges 16:20: “But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.” Sin can dull spiritual awareness. A person can become so used to compromise that they no longer realize how weak they have become.

Yet Samson’s story is not only about failure. It is also about grace.

At the end of his life, blinded and humbled, Samson finally cried out to God again (Judges 16:28). Though he suffered consequences, God still heard his prayer. Hebrews 11 even lists Samson among people of faith. That should encourage anyone who feels defeated by temptation. Failure does not have to be the end of your story.

So what are you struggling with right now?

Maybe there is a temptation you keep returning to. Maybe there is a habit you hide from others. Maybe you feel spiritually weak, inconsistent, or ashamed. The answer is not to trust your own strength more. Samson already tried that. The answer is to stay close to God daily and let His Word reshape your mind and heart.

The Word of God helps us by exposing temptation before it destroys us. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Jesus Himself fought temptation by quoting Scripture in the wilderness (Matthew 4). God’s Word reminds us who we are, warns us when we drift, and gives strength when our flesh feels weak.

When temptation comes, do not merely ask, “How close can I get without falling?” Instead ask, “How close can I stay to Christ?”

God does not expect you to win spiritual battles alone. He invites you to depend on Him. The same God who restored Samson can restore you. Your weakness is not greater than His grace.

23/05/2026

Happy Sabbath!

No matter how heavy life may seem, never lose hope and never give up. The same God who carried you through yesterday remains faithful today, and He will never leave you tomorrow.

Even in the silence, He is still working. Even in your weakness, His presence is near. When the Israelites stood before the sea with nowhere to go, God made a way where there seemed to be none. That same God is still leading your life today.

Rest in the assurance that your life is safely held in His hands. Keep holding on. Keep praying. Keep hoping. God is still in control.

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡!

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” —Hebrews 11:1

May we be reminded that true faith is trusting God even when the path is unclear. Faith holds on to His promises, waits patiently for His timing, and believes that He is always working for our good.

May this Sabbath strengthen your confidence in God, deepen your walk with Him, and fill your heart with peace, hope, and assurance in Christ.

Have a blessed and faith-filled Sabbath!

22/05/2026

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡!

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” —Hebrews 11:1

May we be reminded that true faith is trusting God even when the path is unclear. Faith holds on to His promises, waits patiently for His timing, and believes that He is always working for our good.

May this Sabbath strengthen your confidence in God, deepen your walk with Him, and fill your heart with peace, hope, and assurance in Christ.

Have a blessed and faith-filled Sabbath!