A Legacy of Virtue and Honor to God and His Word
By Frank Hasel
My grandfather, Franz Hasel, was an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister in Germany. Against his will, he was drafted into the army during World War II. Because my grandfather wanted to honor God’s commandments, including “thou shalt not kill,” he requested to serve in the medical corps and refused to use a weapon. But his request was not granted. Instead, he was placed into another unit as a unit clerk on the front lines. However, he took his conviction not to kill so seriously that he carried a wooden gun in his holster for the duration of the war. Although he thought he might die many times, God miraculously protected my grandfather time and time again. His inspiring story can be read in the book A Thousand Shall Fall.
My grandfather often told us a story that is not included in A Thousand Shall Fall. It’s a story that while serving in Russia, far from home, his unit was assigned to search through the houses of every village that the Germans had captured on their advance into Russia. They were ordered to search for resistance fighters, who would hide inside homes and attack the advancing German troops. They were told to immediately and indiscriminately shoot every person they found hiding.
One day, as my grandfather was carefully searching a house, he had a feeling that something was unusual. When he entered a particular room, he found it empty but still had an impression that something was suspicious. When he looked under the bed, he saw a young man staring right at him. My grandfather knew that if he exposed this young man, the young man would definitely be shot. They locked eyes for a split second that seemed like an eternity. Then my grandfather got up, left the room, and did not report what he had seen. He had pity on this young man and spared his life.
Several weeks later, my grandfather was assigned to patrol an important railway track. His duty was to make sure that no resistance fighters bombed the tracks. He was watching alone when a group of Russian Cossacks rapidly charged at him on their horses. There was no way to escape. He braced himself for death, believing they would surely kill him.
The group quickly encircled him, but my grandfather was shocked when he saw the face of their leading commander. It was the same young man he had seen hiding under the bed in that empty house. They immediately recognized each other. The young Cossack commander pointed his gun at my grandfather and signaled to him, “I could kill you now,” he indicated, “but you were kind enough to save my life. So, I will spare your life!” Then he ordered his men to ride on.
In God’s providence, the life of my grandfather was once again spared. His loving-kindness to that man and his faithfulness to God was returned to him. I’m so thankful for the virtuous life and the example of faithfulness and loving-kindness my grandfather left behind. This legacy can be ours as well.
There is something peculiar about faithfulness. Although you can be a little bit famous or a little bit rich, you cannot be a little bit faithful. Faithfulness has something exclusive about it that demands undivided attention. Either you are faithful 100 percent, or you are unfaithful. If you are faithful 95 percent, you are not faithful but unfaithful. Faithfulness requires total commitment to Jesus as Lord of our life. God wants our undivided loyalty and full, complete dedication.
In the Old Testament, we read the story of Daniel, who was thrown into the lions’ den because he was not willing to compromise his faith in God. When Daniel distinguished himself as a wise, dependable leader for the king, his enemies became envious and looked for ways to accuse him of wrongdoing. “But they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful” (Daniel 6:4, NASB). My hope is that our enemies (if we have any) and our friends, and all those who have been watching our lives will discover the same about us! May we be people who are known for the genuine loving-kindness we gently extend to others, and may we be respected for our faithfulness in the daily things we do. Like Daniel, may we trust God to take care of us as we are faithful to His will. No matter what the future holds, let us be Christians who honor Jesus as Lord, and who are faithful to God and His living Word, no matter the cost.
Frank M. Hazel, PhD, is a theologian, speaker, and author. He works as Associate Director of the Biblical Research Institute at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist. Frank has shared his story of Grief, Grace, and Gratitude on It is Written, 3ABN, and HopeTV. The story shared in this week’s devotional can be found in his book Living for God: Reclaiming the Joy of Christian Virtue” (Pacific Press, 2020).
Honor Jesus as Lord | Study
Welcome to another lesson in the Back to the Altar | 100 Days of Prayer revival series!
What a powerful testimony we’ve just heard about honor to God and His Word. It’s important to recognize that Franz Hasel did not instantly become a spiritual superhero when faced with the conflicts of World War II. The spiritual fortitude, strength, kindness, and courage that he displayed in the face of conflict came from his personal decisions to honor Jesus as LORD, long before the war started. The reality is that he had already made a thousand decisions over the years to honor Jesus as Lord in the little details of daily life. So, when the big test came, when he was pushed to the front lines of battle, and when he faced life and death decisions, his loyalty to God was already decided.
“It is not a conclusive evidence that a man is a Christian because he manifests spiritual ecstasy under extraordinary circumstances. Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love” (Acts of the Apostles, p. 51).
In this week’s revival study, we are going to study what it means to honor Jesus as Lord. However, before we get started with this study, let’s watch this short video testimony, that gives us a little review from last week and also shows how we can start honoring Jesus as Lord, TODAY.
What spoke to your heart most through the testimony that Pastor Don just shared? Write down your thoughts.
1. Heart Connect
Now let’s do a fun activity for a moment. Stand up, right now, right where you are!
As you stand to your feet, think about one specific place in the world where you have physically stood—a place where you found yourself in total and complete AWE. Perhaps it was standing before a huge powerful waterfall, like Victoria Falls located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Perhaps it was watching the sun set in a blaze of glory. Maybe it was when you stood at the altar on your wedding day. Think of that specific place! Think of how you felt in that moment.
Now, let’s look to Scripture. Think about how Elijah must have felt when he came before king Ahab, the mighty king and ruler of Israel, in Ahab’s royal palace.
Read/Reflect on 1 Kings 17:1 – As you read this passage, ask yourself, “Where is Elijah standing in this story?”
Let’s watch this short “Elijah Revival Moment” and see if there’s more to the story than first caught our eye.
What “Ahab” is in your life right now that might be distracting you from being in AWE of the True King of Heaven? What “Ahab” might be keeping you from having unrushed time in God’s presence every day?
2. Honoring Jesus with Your Time
Read/Reflect on Mark 1:35 and Isaiah 50:4 – What difference would it make if you gave Jesus your alarm clock and allowed Him to awaken you each morning, on His timetable, so you could have unrushed undistracted time standing/kneeling in His presence?
While Jesus lived on earth, did He also yield to an authority higher than Himself? Isaiah 50:4 tells us that He did. If we look at the context of the passage (see Isaiah 50:6), we discover that this is actually a Messianic prophecy about the life of Jesus. The Father in Heaven is the One who promised to awaken His Son, Jesus, morning by morning during Jesus’ time on earth.
What does God’s Word tell us specifically about Jesus as Lord?
Read/Reflect on Matthew 28:18 and Philippians 2:5-11 – What do these passages tell us about the authority and Lordship that Jesus received from His Father?
Jesus Himself proclaimed that all authority had been given to Him in heaven and in earth.
While Jesus humbled Himself and was obedient to death on the cross, God exalted Jesus to His right hand and gave Him a name above all names. At Jesus’ name, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess Him as Lord.
It’s easy to honor Jesus as our SAVIOR. He’s forgiven us, washed us clean, and given us the gift of eternal life. Because of this we love to sing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!” But singing, “I surrender all,” is often a bit harder, because we struggle to honor Jesus as LORD.
3. Honoring Jesus with Your Choices
The Bible tells us that everyone in the universe will soon bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. So, why do we not bow to His Lordship today? Why is it so difficult to honor Jesus as Lord of our daily choices?
Watch the following fun video illustration to help make this concept more practical.
Let’s practice the prayer of surrender that Pastor Don just shared in the video.
Get on your knees wherever you are and pray the following prayer, using your hands to show what you are surrendering, as we just saw illustrated.
• Dear Jesus, I give You all that I am (hands running from your head towards your heart)
• I give You all I have (hold both your hands out palms facing up)
• I give You my attitude (touch your forehead with both hands)
• And I give You my electronics (with one hand, hold up your phone symbolizing the surrender of your electronics to Jesus)
Think of how powerfully our lives would change if we prayed this prayer of surrender (and lived this prayer of surrender) each and every day!
Before we close, let’s look at two more powerful Scripture passages.
Read/Reflect on Ezekiel 36:26-27 and Colossians 1:27-28 – Can Jesus change the things in our hearts that we cannot change? What is the secret to victory as believers?
The answer is a whole-hearted “YES!” to the first question. Jesus is The Master Heart Surgeon. He is able to change thoughts and attitudes and heal scars in our heart and mind that we can never change ourselves. That’s why the secret to victory for the Christian is contained in two three-word phrases found in Colossians 1:27-28. They are “Christ IN you” and “perfect IN Christ.” This is our key!
Remember: It is not about working harder to overcome our sins and evil tendencies. The key to our success is learning to abide IN Christ and allowing Christ Himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to abide IN us.
“God desires to manifest through you the holiness, the benevolence, the compassion, of His own character. Yet the Saviour does not bid the disciples labor to bear fruit. He tells them to abide in Him. ‘If ye abide in Me,’ He says, ‘and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.’ It is through the Word that Christ abides in His followers… You live ‘by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4. The life of Christ in you produces the same fruits as in Him. Living in Christ, adhering to Christ, supported by Christ, drawing nourishment from Christ, you bear fruit after the similitude of Christ” (Desire of Ages, p. 677, emphasis added).
If you feel discouraged or overwhelmed by the attacks of the enemy in your life, you will love this last powerful video illustration.
No matter what you are facing right now, remember, Jesus is your Champion. And He is ready to win for you!
4. Personal Practical Application
As you go through this coming week, here are three practical heart challenges:
• 1st Challenge: Honor Jesus as Lord, before you go to sleep each night, by asking Jesus to wake you up each morning to have unrushed time with Him. Get up when He calls.
• 2nd Challenge: Honor Jesus as Lord by starting each day with the following prayer of surrender: Dear Jesus, I give You all that I am. I give You all that have. I give You my attitude and my electronics.
• 3rd Challenge: Abide in Jesus! Daily be in AWE of God and His Word. Don’t be distracted by the many “Ahabs” in your life. If you start to feel overwhelmed or anxious claim the following Bible promises: Phil. 2:13, Phil. 4:13, John 14:15-20, Eph. 3:14-21.
Now it’s time to pray!
Honor Jesus as Lord | Prayer Focus
Promises to Claim as You Pray
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” 1 John 5:14
“The rainbow round about the throne is an assurance that God is true, that in Him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning… When we come to him confessing our unworthiness and sin, He has pledged Himself to give heed to our cry. The honor of His throne is staked for the fulfillment of His word unto us.” Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 148
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” 2 Chron. 16:9
Prayer Focus for Week 5
1. AWAKE: Pray that honoring Jesus as Lord would become a living reality for your life. Pray that Jesus would wake you up each morning to have unrushed time with Him in His Word and in prayer. (Claim Isaiah 50:4)
2. SURRENDER: Pray the following prayer of surrender as you start the Sabbath: “Dear Jesus, I give You all that I am. I give You all that have. I give You my attitude and my electronics.” Live this prayer of surrender daily! (Claim Philippians 2:9-11)
3. ABIDE: Pray to abide in Jesus each and every day by immersing yourself in the living Word. Rather than trying to produce the fruit of the Spirit, pray that the Prince of Peace, through the power of the Holy Spirit, would abide in you. (Claim John 15:5)
4. BE IN AWE: Pray that God would help you be in complete AWE of Him, His Word, and His mighty power as you go through this week. Pray that you would have no spirit of awe for the “Ahabs” the enemy might bring across your path. (Claim Romans 8:31)
5. EXPERIENCE: Pray that we would, in the prayer room at GC session, have an “Upper Room experience” as the disciples had at Pentecost. Pray that all pride and things of self would be put away as we seek unity in Christ. (Claim Acts 2:1-2)
6. HONOR: Pray that every conversation, every message, every concert, every song, every worship service, every business meeting, every decision made during the General Conference session, would be for the glory and honor of God. (Claim Psalm 115:1)
7. STAND: Pray that we, individually and collectively as a church, would stand for Bible truth and honor God, no matter the cost. (Claim 1 Corinthians 16:13)
Download This Week 5 – Honor Jesus as Lord
Download Week 4 – Come to Jesus as You Are
Download Week 3 – What It Means to Be a Disciple