The Hidden Ingredient that Brings Peace

“ ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’ ”  Matthew 11:28–30

Why are people troubled, heavy-laden? Why is there no rest for their spirit? The Bible tells us very clearly what the problem is.

“ ‘There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked.’ ” Isaiah 48:22

“But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” Isaiah 57:20

“The way of peace they have not known.” Romans 3:17

The wicked live like a troubled sea and they are unable to find peace and rest. They may search for it, but they do not find it.

Someone might say, “Oh, I’m not wicked; this doesn’t apply to me.” But are we sure? How can we be sure? We may think we are not wicked, but how does the Bible define wickedness?

David tells us that: “Indignation has taken hold of me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law.” Psalm 119:53 Forsaking or breaking the law of God is sin. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4. So those who break the law of God are called the wicked.

To those who have forsaken His law, the Lord Himself says, “If a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.” Ezekiel 18:21

On the other hand, if a person does not turn from His sins, if he continues to forsake and break the law, the Bible says he is a wicked person and he practices wickedness or lawlessness.

So, just how much of the world is wicked?

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” 1 John 5:19

“There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3:10

If the Lord does not come—because of the wickedness in this world—to redeem His children, the world would eventually self-destruct. The Bible says very clearly that wickedness will ultimately destroy itself and all sinners. “Wickedness overthrows the sinner.” Proverbs 13:6

All pagan religions teach that man must, in some way, pay a price for his wickedness to finally have peace in his spirit. This is the reason people lie on beds of spikes or walk on hot coals, climb stairs on their knees or beat themselves with whips, sacrifice animals and even children in the name of the gods of wood and stone who cannot see nor hear.

Perfect Peace

The Bible tells me something completely different regarding how the price for my wickedness is to be paid. “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Verses 23, 24

Justification is a gift from God. I might think that I can pay the price for my sins, but that price is eternal death. So, if I want to live, then someone else must pay the price for me—and that is what Jesus did on the cross. “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” Verses 27, 28

This does not mean the law is done away with. “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” Verse 31. “If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven. And whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.’ ” Romans 4:2–8

Contrary to what all the false religions in the world teach—that is all the pagan and non-Christian religions in the world—the Bible and the Christian religion teaches that having the wickedness and sin taken out of our lives, is by a gift—a miracle—of God. That gift is through the God-man, Christ Jesus, who offered Himself as a sacrifice to purify me from my sins, to take them completely out of my life (1 Corinthians 15:3).

What happens when I put my faith and trust in Him, and surrender my life to Him? “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1. Friends, God wants to give you peace.

God’s peace will give you rest in your spirit. So many people cannot sleep at night. They are restless and fatigued because the wicked are like a troubled sea. They simply cannot rest because there is no real peace in their lives. They search. They try. They fill their lives with all sorts of exciting pleasures. They immerse themselves in the many different things that the world has to offer, but as long as they are breaking the law of God, they will not find the peace and rest for their soul that every human being in his or her deepest consciousness really wants. Do you want peace and rest in your mind and soul? There is only one Person who can give it to you.

The book of Acts tells us that Peter had that perfect peace:

“Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

“Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying ‘Arise quickly!’ and his chains fell off his hands.

“Then the angel said to him, ‘Gird yourself and tie on your sandals’; and so he did. And he said to him, ‘Put on your garment and follow me.’

“So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

“When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

“And when Peter had come to himself, he said, ‘Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.’ ” Acts 12:5–11

If you were sentenced to be executed tomorrow, would you peacefully sleep all night tonight? Peter had, in his mind and heart, the perfect peace and rest that God gives, even if it meant dying tomorrow. If you surrender your life and everything you have to Him, you can have that same peace. Just as God delivered Peter from prison and his jailers, God will deliver you from the prison house of sin; He will remove your guilt, and give you His peace.

But more than justification, more than giving you peace and rest from the guilt of your past sins, God wants to change your life. He wants to give you the power, through the Holy Spirit, to live a new life. This is the process of being born again—the receiving of the Holy Spirit inside to change our sinful desires and replace them with the desire to only do the will of God. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Romans 6:1, 2

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Verse 6. In giving your life to Christ, surrendering completely to Him, you are set free from the bondage of sin.

“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. … For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Verses 11, 12, 14

Not under the law? Sin has no dominion over you? A person might think that they do not need to keep the law. But is that what Paul is saying?

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourself slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. …

“But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Verses 15–18; 22, 23

If I am walking after the Spirit, then I am no longer under condemnation because the Holy Spirit works a miracle of righteousness in my life, enabling me to keep God’s law. “The righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:4

However, there are people who say they cannot keep God’s law, and Paul tells us why. “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Verses 5, 6

If I am spiritually minded, if the Holy Spirit has come into my life, if I have been born again, if I walk after the Spirit and not after the lusts and desires of my sinful nature, then I will have peace. In fact, it is the only way to have peace. But if I am not converted, if I am carnally minded, if I am living according to the flesh, then I am breaking the law of God and will never find peace unless I determine to allow the Holy Spirit into my life. That is what the Bible says. Why?

“The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” Verse 7. The carnal mind is unconverted and is not subject to the law of God. It cannot obey because it does not want to obey. So if someone says, “I cannot obey the law of God,” they are telling the truth, and it is pointless to argue with them.

When the Holy Spirit comes into your life, He will make it possible for you to do what you were not able to do before you were born again. In fact, this is the acid test as to whether or not a person is truly converted or not.

Am I a Christian—Christlike—in my life or is it just a name I claim? Have I really been born again? Do I live according to the law of God? Is God’s peace and His gift of eternal life really mine? If the Holy Spirit is in my life, I cannot go on living a life of sin, because as soon as I break the law of God, I quench the Spirit’s voice in my conscience. The Holy Spirit cannot lead and direct and guide my life anymore if I continue in sin, because I have gone directly contrary to what He is impressing upon my mind. I will have no peace because, as long as I remain unconverted, I have no hope for salvation. (Read carefully Romans 8:1–14.)

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “ ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’ ” John 3:5

When you are born of the Holy Spirit, Paul says the Spirit gives you the power to keep the law of God. “That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:4

He continues, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die [you will not have eternal life]; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Verses 8–13

Notice that the Holy Spirit gives me the power to turn away from my sinful nature and to live according to the law of God.

False Peace

There are millions of people in the world today who believe that they are going to heaven. Because they have a form of godliness—they call themselves Christians, go to church, do good deeds, make donations, pay tithe—they believe that they have met the requirements for heaven. And surely, the Scriptures tell us that all these things will be part of the life fully surrendered to the in-working of the Holy Spirit. But friends, a checklist of tasks will not see us through to heaven. While they may outwardly appear to be Christians, it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, giving them the power to put to death the deeds of the body and to live according to the law of God, that they, and we, have the hope of eternal life with Jesus Christ, the Father, and all the host of heaven. If we are not living according to the law of God, then we have proof that the Holy Spirit is not in control of our lives. The power of godliness is the power to change lives, and only the Holy Spirit can do this for us.

Paul said that a person who receives the Holy Spirit will find peace. The Bible predicts that in the last days there will be multitudes of people who will have a false peace. They will think that they are saved when they are not. They will have a form of godliness, but will deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5).

A Movement for Peace

In the last days, there will be a great international peace movement that will be based on false promises.

“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.

“Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

“But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.” Micah 4:1–5

“… Everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree,” walking in the name of his god—not in the name of the God of Jacob.

Other scriptures regarding this false religious peace movement can be found in Isaiah and Revelation. Paul says, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3

Why will they not escape? They are spreading a peace and safety message, but this message is not based on obedience to the law of God, but rather on a lie of the antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2). The antichrist spreads the idea that you can be saved while you are breaking the law of God. But remember, breaking the law of God is sin (1 John 3:4).

God Will Have a People

The Bible also predicts that God will have a people. They are clearly defined in the book of Revelation as being those who keep His commandments—those who are obedient to His law. “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12

There is no true, lasting peace without the power that the Holy Spirit gives you to keep God’s law in your life. Do you want peace? Do you want to be part of God’s faithful remnant people, to be a part of the saints who in the last days will join with those who have gone before, to be taken out of this world when Jesus returns?

The choice is yours, friend. The world lies in wickedness and becomes more wicked with each passing day. But there will be a people who keep God’s commandments, and He is returning to take them out of this world to live with Him forever. To be among that people, you must, today, surrender your life, heart, and soul to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and accept the Holy Spirit into your heart to be transformed into the image of Christ.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at 316-788-5559.

Confession. When?

Let’s begin with the big question: How are a person’s sins forgiven?

The basic principle regarding the forgiveness of sins is that to be forgiven, we must be willing to forgive (Matthew 6:14, 15).

Say someone has done a terrible thing against me, and I decide that it is just so awful that there is no way I can forgive them. I might say, “You don’t understand how bad this was. I just can’t forgive them.”

Jesus left us an example so that we would know what to do under such a circumstance. After the soldiers had driven the nails through His hands and feet, after they had raised the cross to savagely drop into the hole prepared for it, did Jesus say, “This is just too much. I cannot possibly forgive them for this, the crown of thorns, the torture and humiliation. I just can’t.”?

No. With tears streaming down His bloodied face, His body consumed with pain, His heart crying out for each and every person who stood beneath the cross as well as those throughout all time, He pleaded, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Regardless of how bad the hurts, the wrongs, and the harm that our fellow humans may do to us or we may do to them, I am confident that we will experience nothing in this world that is worse than what Jesus experienced in His life—in the judgment hall, as He watched Peter’s betrayal, and as He hung on Calvary’s cross—suspended between heaven and earth to pay a price we could not pay. And yet, He pled for the souls of the very ones who rejected Him and caused Him so much pain.

So, to be forgiven, we must be willing to forgive those who have wronged us no matter how serious the wrong may be. But we also must repent from our own sins if we want to be forgiven.

The Jews believed that if something disastrous happened to a person, it meant that he was a terrible sinner and God had sent this disastrous thing as punishment for his sins. Even today, a person might be sick with cancer and someone will say, “I wonder what they did wrong?” This belief is recorded in John 9. We find the story of a man blind from birth, and when the disciples saw the man, they asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Verse 2. But Jesus’ response, found in verse 3, was clear: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” Consider what Jesus’ words imply. The man was blind his entire life until the day came when Jesus gave him sight, and in doing so, the glory of God was revealed to, in, and through him—a wonderful thought to consider.

We see this same principle in the book of Job. The Lord tried to teach the human race through the story of Job not to assume someone is a terrible sinner just because some disaster happened to them. We read in Job that the Lord called him, “blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.” Job 1:1

The Lord gave Satan the opportunity to bring all kinds of hardships, disasters, and sorrow to Job, and when Job’s friends came to “comfort” him, the theme of their conversation was, “Job, you must have been or done something very bad, otherwise these terrible tragedies would not have befallen you.” But the Lord said that Job was a righteous man and none of these troubles came because he was a great sinner.

We find a similar circumstance in Luke 13. The Jews were wondering about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus’ response was, “ ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.’ ” Verses 2, 3

Or what of the 18 who died when the tower in Siloam fell and killed them. “ ‘Do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’ ” Verses 4, 5

Jesus is saying, “If you want to be saved, you must repent.”

“Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19

In Acts 26, we find Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus. In his speech to King Agrippa, he said, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God and do works befitting repentance.” Verses 19, 20. Everywhere Paul went, he preached the need for repentance.

Speaking to the people in Athens, Paul says, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30

Repentance is to be sorry for sin, so sorry that we will quit sinning. Repentance requires sorrow for sin, but it also requires a turning away from it. If I lie, then I must be sorry for the lie, I must go to those I lied to and tell the truth and make amends, I must confess to God and ask for forgiveness for the lie, and then I must not lie again.

The English word repentance is derived from the Greek word metanoia (verb=metanoew). The word is formed from two words meta which means “after” or “change” and noew which means “to think” suggesting the meaning “afterthought” or “a change of mind.” Before repentance we think that sin is wonderful, but after repentance the mind is changed so that we can see just how terrible sin is.

Repentance is the first step in having our sins forgiven, but what leads us to repent? “Or do you despise the riches or the goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4. How does the goodness of God lead us to repentance? “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:3. When a person goes to the cross, he or she is able to see what sin is really like, to see what it really does. It took the death of Jesus to save us from sin, our sin.

Have you spent any time thinking about Jesus on the cross, thinking about what it meant that He was willing to and why He did go? As you ponder it, see it in your mind’s eye—the beating, the crown of thorns, the nails piercing His feet and hands, the blood flowing down His body—your mind begins to change; sin doesn’t seem so wonderful when you stand at the foot of the cross, when you gaze up at your crucified Lord, when you hear Him say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This is where the conversion of men’s hearts and minds takes place. Here is where we see the true heinousness of sin.

How can man’s natural love for sin be taken out of his heart and replaced with a sanctified hatred for it? “The preaching of the cross is to us that are saved the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18. To those who are lost, the cross is foolishness. But to the saved, it is the power of God to change lives so that repentance can take place.

“No repentance is genuine that does not work reformation.” The Desire of Ages, 555. Genuine repentance means living a life of righteousness rather than one of sinfulness, and results in a reformation in the life. Sorrow for sin cannot be forced, but if you will spend time in your devotions at the cross, your mind and life, your opinions and feelings about sin, and all sinful behavior will be changed. “The cross speaks life, and not death, to the soul that believes in Jesus. Welcome the precious life-giving rays that shine from the cross of Calvary.” In Heavenly Places, 52

The next step in genuine repentance is confession. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. We all need mercy, but we will not be given mercy until we first confess and forsake our sins.

“Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

What a wonderful promise! God stands behind every promise that He has made. Our problem is not that God does not forgive. The problem is that we do not confess. Without confession, there is no forgiveness.

When I became a minister, I preached for many years, but did not preach on confession. I thought that it was so simple, everybody knew it. I had learned 1 John 1:9 when I was a child and have known it for as long as I can remember. And I thought that other Christians knew it, too, so I never preached about it.

But after a number of years, I began to realize that there were people who had been Christians, Seventh-day Adventists, for many years, who had never confessed their sins. They felt that because they had been Christians for so long, they just didn’t need to do it anymore.

I knew a man, not that long ago, who had been a Christian for over 50 years. He and a relative had a very sharp difference of opinion on something and it resulted in some not-so-kind words between them. The man thought that maybe he ought to confess it, but instead he said, “Well, I guess I just won’t be able to go to heaven, because I can’t confess it.” This man would rather risk eternal life than to confess a sin. How many Christians are there in the world today who are willing to leave their sins unconfessed and lose eternal life?

The Bible and Inspiration explain in great detail how important it is to confess our sins if we want to be forgiven. Remember, without forgiveness we will not reach heaven, and we cannot be forgiven if we do not confess our sins.

Let me start with a quotation from an article on child training. I have often wondered if one of the reasons adult Christians find it so difficult to confess their sins is because they were not taught as children to do it.

“Children are to be taught to be respectful to their parents and to one another. Thus they learn to be respectful to God. They are to be taught to appreciate the abilities God has given them, and to remember that Christ’s love for them calls for the surrender of all to Him. They are to be taught to do right because it is right; to control self, to be kind, loving, and gentle; to forget self in the effort to help others.

“Parents, do all in your power to keep disagreements out of the home circle. If the children quarrel remind them that God has said, ‘Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.’ Teach them never to let the sun go down on angry feelings or sin unconfessed.” The Signs of the Times, April 23, 1902

What wonderful counsel! Never to let the sun go down on our anger without confession. Every day, as the sun begins its descent below the skyline, we should all ask ourselves the question, “Have I sinned against anyone today that I need to confess?” This is a principle that we should early teach our children.

“At eventide when the children would gather together before going to bed, we would talk over the happenings of the day. Possibly during the day one of the children had said, ‘Mother, someone has done thus and so to me.’ I had replied that when we all come together in the evening, we could talk it over. When evening came, they had all had time for reflection, and they did not feel inclined to bring charges against one another. They would say, ‘Mother, I have done thus and so,’ and the tears would start from their eyes, as they would add, ‘I feel as though I would like to have you ask the Lord to forgive me. I believe He will.’ And then we would bow in prayer, and confess the sins of the day, and pray for forgiveness.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 7, 270. This was Mrs. White’s practice with her children. This is how to raise a child to be a Christian.

We should never go to bed and go to sleep with an unconfessed sin. What if I have a sin that I have left unconfessed for months, maybe even years? What if it is a very serious sin? The good news of the gospel is that big and little sins alike can be forgiven. Whatever sin is in your life, Jesus wants to forgive it and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

The following is an excerpt from a letter Mrs. White wrote to a woman who had been living as a mistress, living in the sin of adultery, for a long time.

“I again address you not to fail in this time which is the crisis of your life, to take the only right course left for you to take. The stronghold of sin is in the will. Put your will on God’s side of the question; place yourself no longer in the position of a sinner, a harlot. You may not see clearly how you will obtain deliverance from the sins which have been cherished and strengthened with repetition. The only way is to confess your sins, forsake them, and believe that Jesus will pardon you.

“Your deliverance is to be found in Christ, and in Him alone. Your temper and your pride must die, and Christ live in you, else you are still in the bondage of sin and iniquity. You must humble your heart before God, and Jesus will pity and save you. …

“You have been living in adultery so long that sin does not appear heinous to you. You love sin. If now you want to leave sin, you must forever renounce it. … You must not hide or excuse your sins, but you must arise and make haste to confess your sins, and save your soul by seeking the forgiveness of your sins.” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 140, 141

This is a letter written to an old man in a similar circumstance. “The sands of your life are nearly run out, and now if you will come to God just as you are, without one plea but that He has died to save the chiefest of sinners, you will find pardon, even in this the eleventh hour. Man must cooperate with God. Christ did not die to have the power to cover transgression unrepented of and unconfessed. Not all sins are to be confessed publicly, but some are to be confessed alone to God and the parties that have been injured.” Ibid., 133

Ministers find it difficult to confess their sins because they are supposed to be “men of the cloth.” People don’t think of them as sinners. Therefore, they don’t think of themselves as sinners either.

This statement is from a letter written to the General Conference Committee and the Medical Missionary Board on August 11, 1902. “Dear Brethren: A wonderful work could have been done for the vast company gathered in Battle Creek at the General Conference of 1901, if the leaders of our work had taken themselves in hand. Had thorough work been done at this conference; had there been, as God designed there should be, a breaking up of the fallow ground of the heart by the men who had been bearing responsibilities; had they, in humility of soul, led out in the work of confession and consecration, giving evidence that they received the counsels and warnings sent by the Lord to correct their mistakes, there would have been [one] of the greatest revivals that there has been since the day of Pentecost.

“But the work that all heaven was waiting to do as soon as men prepared the way was not done. For the leaders in the work closed and bolted the door against the Spirit’s entrance. There was a stopping short of entire surrender to God. Hearts that might have been purified from error were strengthened in wrongdoing. The doors were barred against the heavenly current that would have swept away all evil. Men left their sins unconfessed. They built themselves up in their wrongdoing and said to the Spirit of God, ‘Go thy way for this time; when I have a more convenient season, I will call for thee.’

“The Lord calls for the close self-examination to be made now that was not made at the last General Conference when He was waiting to be gracious. The present is our sowing time for eternity. We must reap the fruit of the evil seed we sow, unless we repent the sowing, and ask for forgiveness for the mistakes we have made.” The Kress Collection, 95

“Those who, given opportunity to repent and reform, pass over the ground without humbling the hearts before God, without doing faithful work in putting away that which He reproves, will become hardened against the council of the Lord Jesus.” Battle Creek Letters (1928), 56

“If a brother does you a wrong, you are not to retaliate by doing him a wrong. If you have done him a wrong, you must go to him, and ask him to forgive you. You must not let an injury to your brother remain unrepented of, and unforgiven, for even one night.” The Review and Herald, August 14, 1888

It doesn’t matter who you are or what your position is, if you have made mistakes, if you have sinned, those sins must be confessed. As soon as it is brought to your knowledge that you have done something wrong, the heart must be humbled, and you must confess it, or you will be lost. Unconfessed sin is unforgiven sin.

When the devil sinned, he tried to justify himself. When Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to justify themselves. This is common among the unrepentant. Mistakes are made and rather than repent, the natural human tendency is to justify, with a prideful heart seeking to prove itself right. But genuine repentance does not seek to justify sin; instead, with a humbled heart, it confesses its mistakes. This is one of the primary ways you can know if you have truly repented or not.

“There are those who are supposed to be excellent men, but they have some flaw in their character which, under special temptation becomes as a dead fly in the ointment. The whole character will be perverted by one unconfessed sin.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 190

All excuses for sin are in vain and they will be in vain in the Day of Judgment. To be saved, we must have a Christlike character, but if we have one unconfessed sin, our whole character will be perverted, unfit for heaven.

“What souls are there here who will have their sins unforgiven and their names blotted out of the book of life? We do not know what we are doing. If we have unclean hands we cannot enter heaven.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 158. There is only one way that we are able to enter heaven—if we make a full and complete confession of all our sins.

“All sin unrepented of and unconfessed, will remain upon the books of record. It will not be blotted out. It will not go beforehand to Judgment, to be canceled by the atoning blood of Jesus. The accumulated sins of every individual will be written with absolute accuracy and the penetrating light of God’s law will try every secret of darkness. …

“The day of final settlements is just before us.” The Review and Herald, March 27, 1888

Some might say that we should love people, have compassion for people, that we shouldn’t be too hard on people. If they confess, it could cause a lot of trouble in their home or work or school, so we shouldn’t push them to do something that would cause trouble and unhappiness in their lives.

We all will have to face the Day of Judgment. The truth is, unconfessed, unforsaken sins will not be forgiven, they will not be blotted out of heaven’s books of record, so we must confess our wrongdoings now, or we, along with all the wicked of the world, will confess them before the universe at the end of the millennium.

“… Errors and unconfessed sins stand registered in heaven and will not be blotted out until [we comply] with the instructions, the directions in the word of God: ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.’ ” Testimonies, Vol. 4, 241

When I was 19 years old, I heard an elderly minister preach about when he became a Christian. Before he became a Christian, he had been a traveling salesman. He worked a specific region of the United States. On many occasions, he had lied in order to help sell his product.

He went through his records and began writing letters of confession to his customers. When he was finished, he had written 726 letters, but his conscience was clear.

Can you imagine it, going to bed tonight, closing your eyes, and falling asleep with a clear conscience? You cannot comprehend how hard it is to confess until you decide to do it. It takes backbone, but it is wonderful when it is done and you know that your conscience is clear.

“Whatever the character of your sin, confess it. If it is against God only, confess only to Him. If you have wronged or offended others, confess also to them, and the blessing of the Lord will rest upon you. In this way you die to self, and Christ is formed within. Thus you may establish yourself in the confidence of your brethren, and may be a help and blessing to them.” The Review and Herald, December 16, 1890

We have two choices: confession or cover up. For those who find it difficult to confess, the Holy Spirit will bring back to us, again and again, our sins and errors until we confess.

“If when the Lord reveals your errors you do not repent or make confession, His providence will bring you over the ground again and again. You will be left to make mistakes of a similar character, you will continue to lack wisdom, and will call sin righteousness, and righteousness sin. The multitude of deceptions that will prevail in these last days will encircle you, and you will change leaders, and not know that you have done so. …

“The Lord reads every secret of the heart. He knows all things. You may now close the book of your remembrance, in order to escape confessing your sins: but when the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, you cannot close them. The recording angel has testified that which is true. All that you have tried to conceal and forget is registered, and will be read to you when it is too late for wrongs to be righted. Then you will be overwhelmed with despair. O, it is a terrible thing that so many are trifling with eternal interests, closing the heart against any course of action which shall involve confession!” Ibid.

The question must now be asked, “Are there any sins you still must confess?” If the answer is yes, then begin now, for your soul is in peril. Whatever the Lord brings to your remembrance, confess it and your record will be clean, and when Jesus comes, your garment of character will be spotless and you will be able to go home with Him.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

The Biggest Lie

Smoking is not bad for you. Cigarettes are good for your health (cigarette manufacturers said cigarettes were no more addictive than Twinkies or tea even after studies proved the link between smoking and cancer).1

We only want to provide defensive weapons to Cuba (said the Soviet Union, but they really intended to plant nuclear missiles on the island).3

The Piltdown Man is the evolutionary missing link (Decades later it was proven to be an orangutan jaw grafted onto a human skull).2

Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (a lie that launched the Iraq War costing $2.4 trillion, and thousands of American and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives).1

There is no famine or actual starvation, nor is there likely to be (Known as the 1932 Holodomor, Stalin’s effort to wipe out private farms in Ukraine resulting in the starvation deaths of three to four million people).1

You can keep your insurance and your doctor (Misleading statement regarding the Affordable Care Act).6

The Fox Sisters and mysterious knockings (In 1848, three teenage sisters perpetrated a hoax which resulted in the creation of modern-day spiritualism.)7

I cannot tell a lie (a story made up by George Washington’s biographer).3

Nobody intends to build a wall (said Walter Ulbricht, former leader of East Germany, two months before they built the Berlin Wall).3

The Jews are the enemy of all classes of German society (propaganda that led to the deaths of more than 6,000,000 Jews).2

Anna Anderson was Anastasia Romanov (DNA testing has proven that Anastasia was killed with her family in 1918.)3

If you swallow a watermelon seed, a plant will grow inside you (There’s not enough oxygen in the gastrointestinal tract for it to germinate, and science says it’s impossible).4

If you swallow chewing gum, it will stay in your stomach for months, even years, and cause stomach problems (gum moves through the digestive system just like any other food).4

The Earth is flat (a belief put forth by the Catholic monk Cosmas and propagated by the Catholic Church. First Copernicus and then Galileo challenged the belief stating that the earth is round—it is actually an oblate spheroid, not exactly round. Galileo was branded a heretic and sent to the Inquisition, but was later cleared.)5

The theory of the “big lie” states that no matter how big the lie is—or more precisely, because it is so big—people will believe it if you repeat it enough. This is extremely prevalent today in the media, politics, education, religion, pretty much every facet of life.

Throughout the history of man there has been one lie after another that too often has resulted in division, suffering, oppression, and death.

But there is one lie—the biggest lie of all—that alone has brought so much devastation to individual lives, to nations, and to nature.

“Thou shall not surely die.”

Satan’s lie to Eve was one of misrepresentation. “You won’t die.” And because once she’d eaten from the fruit and didn’t drop dead on the spot, she chose to believe that Satan must be telling the truth and that God had lied. And that is the biggest tragedy of this lie—unbelief in God and, ultimately, disobedience—a tragedy that has affected the entire world and everything that is in it.

But when God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree or they would die, He meant something else entirely. Physical death would come as a consequence of sin and their disobedience, but the greater issue was how man would be changed. He would no longer be perfect, pure, and innocent, and his nature became selfish, corrupt, and desperately wicked. This new nature would be the driving force that would cause almost all of mankind, throughout all this world’s history, to not only die here, but to die for all eternity.

Satan intended that man would sin and then eat of the tree of life, thereby becoming immortal sinners. But God prevented this by casting Adam and Eve out of Eden and setting angels to guard the entrance to the garden and the way to the tree of life.

“I am bidden to warn all who make untruthful statements that they are serving him who has been a liar from the beginning. Let us be on our guard against untruthfulness, which grows upon him who practices it. I say to all, Make truth your girdle. Be true to your faith. Put away all prevarication and exaggeration. Never make a false statement. For the sake of your own soul and the souls of others, be true in your utterances. Never speak or act a lie. Truth alone will bear to be repeated. A firm adherence to truth is essential to the formation of Christian character. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.’

“He who utters untruths sells his soul in a cheap market. His falsehoods may seem to serve in emergencies. He may make business advancement because he gains by falsehood what he could not gain by fair dealing. But he finally reaches the place where he can trust no one. Himself a falsifier, he has no confidence in the word of others.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 20, 31

Man thinks of lies in degrees and argues that there can be acceptable justification to lie.

We may chuckle at the scenario when the wife asks her husband if her dress flatters her figure and his response is that she looks beautiful, when in fact, the dress does not compliment her at all. He might feel that if he tells her the truth, her feelings would be hurt, and it is admirable that a husband does not wish to hurt his wife. But how do you think she will feel if she goes out in the dress, and a friend tells her it’s not her best look? She will realize that her husband lied to her, causing her to question if there is real trust in their relationship, and then she is hurt just the same and perhaps even more.

Someone might argue that in this world where sin causes so many bad things to happen, that maybe it’s okay in some situations to lie—to save a life, or to steal to help their own or another’s circumstances, to spare a hurt, to provide hope to a dying patient, to obtain a better position, to get a better job, to hide a past indiscretion, to rule the world.

The thing about lying—or violating any of God’s law—is that it becomes easier, once we’ve done it, to find a justifiable reason to do it again and again and … you see where it leads; because that’s our nature. True love, for both God and our fellow man, will, with tenderness and compassion, always tell the truth, because to do otherwise carries eternal consequences for others as well as for ourselves. God does not intend for us to break His law to do something that seems right.

“Never speak a lie.” Medical Ministry, 38

“Let us never, by a word or act, or by silence, testify to a lie. If all, under every circumstance, would speak the truth when the truth ought to be spoken, what a different world this would be.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 20, 30

“He [Jesus] teaches that the exact truth should be the law of speech.” Sons and Daughters of God, 64

“Never was there a time when truth and righteousness should be so highly exalted by those who are in God’s service as the present.” The Paulson Collection of Ellen G. White Letters, 256

“When a falsehood is uttered, the heavenly angels turn away in sorrow, grieved that Christ’s heritage should so dishonor Him. One falsehood spoken prepares the way for another. The Lord desires all to adhere strictly to the truth, to be straightforward in every transaction. Never tell a lie, because thus you hurt your own soul, and disgrace yourself in your own eyes.” The Review and Herald, January 12, 1911

“Truthfulness and integrity are attributes of God, and he who possesses these qualities possesses a power that is invincible.

“Never prevaricate; never tell an untruth in precept or in example. … Be straight and undeviating. Even a slight prevarication should not be allowed.

“The Saviour has a deep contempt for all deception. …

“Lying lips are an abomination to Him. He declares that into the holy city ‘there shall in no wise enter … anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.’ ” My Life Today, 331

I do not find, in either Scripture or the Spirit of Prophecy, that we are given the instruction “Do not lie, except … .” We are safe only as we hold fast to the belief that it is better to keep, in all respects, the law of God, no matter the circumstances.

“God requires us to be faithful in the smallest details of life—to guard our words, our spirit, and our actions. To do this, we need to acquire perfect self-control, and this will demand of us constant, ceaseless watchfulness. …

“… Study the Guide Book, and with a serious mind seek to know its requirements, and to do them—should they make practical its injunctions—what a transformation would there be in the conduct and conversation! . . . Every relation in life, every position of responsibility, every affection and habit, every emotion of the mind, is to be brought to the great standard of righteousness, the commandments of God, which are exceeding broad. We must have simplicity of heart that we may understand, and willingness of mind to practice, all the teachings of God’s word.” Sons and Daughters of God, 285

Sources:

1 saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/05/8-historys-destructive-lies

2 history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/10-biggest-lies-in-history

3 factinate.com/things/45-true-facts-biggest-lies-history

4 theimpactnews.com/tilt/2021/03/10-biggest-lies-in-history

5 solarmythology.com/galileo/flatearth

6 politifact.com/obama-like-health-care-keep

7 history.com/news/ghost-hoax-spiritualism-fox-sisters

Judy Rebarchek is the managing editor of the LandMarks magazine. She may be contacted by email at: judyrebarchek@stepstolife.org

Our Violent World

The subject of the growing and increasing violence all over the world today is dealt with extensively in Bible prophecy. For example, Paul writes: “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!” 2 Timothy 3:1–5. Paul continues that evil men and seducers will become worse and worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves.

In reading about the condition of the world in the days of Noah as described in Genesis 6:11, we find that “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”

Jesus described the last days of this world to His disciples, saying, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:37–39. Violence was prevalent all over the world in the days of Noah.

The world also was a violent place during the time of the city of Sodom. The Bible records the following account of sexual assault in the days of Sodom:

“Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, ‘Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.’ And they said, ‘No, but we will spend the night in the open square.’ But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

“Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.’ So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, ‘Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.’ And they said, ‘Stand back!’ Then they said, ‘This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.’ So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.” Genesis 19:1–11.

The next day, God sent fire from heaven and Sodom and Gomorrah were burned to the ground.

Jesus talked about Sodom, too. “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” Luke 17:28–30

The day and age we live in is as violent and sinful as it was before the flood and again at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Statistics show that in 2021, 2.55 million acts of violence were committed in the United States. Let’s look at some of the causes of violence today in America.

Substance abuse—the use of mind-altering drugs—is one of the main causes. There are several reasons why drug use is associated with violent behavior.

First of all, drugs, such as alcohol, have the effect of anesthetizing the higher control centers in the brain, damaging a person’s ability to make calm, rational judgments. Roughly 50 percent of the victims and perpetrators of assault violence are under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol is also strongly associated with domestic violence.

A second reason that the use of mind-altering drugs is associated with violence is because addicts commit crimes to obtain money to buy the drugs.

Third, confrontations occur among those who are involved in the manufacture, sale, and distribution of these drugs, because millions or even billions of dollars are involved.

The Bible strictly prohibits the use of mind-altering drugs for pleasure. There are many texts in both the Old and New Testaments that address the use of alcohol and drugs, but let’s look at just two.

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” Proverbs 20:1

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

The Greek word asotia, which is the word translated as “excess” or “dissipation,” depending on which version of the Bible a person is reading, means “unsavedness, wastefulness, wantonness, profligacy, or prodigality.”

The King James Version translates asotia as “excess,” but this Greek word has never meant “excess.” The New King James Version translates asotia as “dissipation” and is a much more accurate translation of the word. Paul is saying that if a person drinks wine and other alcoholic beverages, then he can do so to the point of wantonness and becoming utterly corrupted, beyond all hope, beyond saving. Harsh, but true words.

The Greek Lexicon translates the word nepho as “to be sober.” But it also can be translated “not intoxicated” or “to abstain from wine.” People seem to get stuck on the word drunk and in so doing, they excuse themselves from the consequences found in the Bible.

Someone will say, “I don’t intend to get falling-down drunk. I’m not going to commit a mortal sin. I’m just going to get a little buzzed.” The tragic last words, I’m sure, of every man and woman who is now addicted to alcohol and whose lives and those of their families have been ruined. It may be true that one man can drink a couple of drinks and go home. But too many in this world drink until they are unable to function normally.

Alcohol is absorbed very rapidly into the blood stream, so from the very first swallow, you are a little bit drunk, and with each subsequent swallow, you become increasingly drunk. A drinker may only have had two or three sips, but even this limited amount of alcohol consumption will have a damaging effect on the judgment center of the brain, and affect his ability to make sound judgments. Those who choose to drink liberally until they are in a completely drunken state will be unable to think clearly, see clearly, or to control their bodies.

The Bible says that the drunkard will not inherit the kingdom. Drunkard can be translated as “drinker.” It is not necessary for a person to drink to excess to be prohibited from entering the kingdom. Choosing to be a drinker when God has given the admonition not to drink alcoholic beverages, has made drinking no less of an idol to the “casual” drinker than it would be to the drunkard.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19–21

As with any sin, the first step—that first drink—starts a person down a path that makes it easier to continue to drink. We really have no idea, from one person to the next, how much a person can drink before they are drunk and no longer in control of their faculties and bodies.

If you want to go to heaven, then drinking alcoholic beverages, according to these verses, is a sin that needs to be repented of and forsaken. In heaven, there are no drinking establishments nor liquor stores, and there will be no drunkards. If you are really serious about having eternal life, you will give up those things which the Bible expressly prohibits and ask the Lord to show you the truth and how to live it.

If all the peoples of the world would live as Christ lived, there would be a natural decrease in violence in society.

Another cause of the increase in the violence that we see today is the result of the callous disregard for human life to a degree that we have never before seen. Seemingly normal, sane people are participating in extreme acts of violence. Why?

There is a Bible principle that can clearly explain this tremendous increase in crime, and it is this: It is a law of the human mind that by beholding, by looking at something or allowing something to have a continual influence over our minds, we become changed into the image, into the character likeness, of that which we behold (see Patriarchs and Prophets, 91).

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

But what happens if what we are looking at—consuming, listening to, reading, following—is not the glory of the Lord?

All around us, the world is filled with sinful enticements. The most attractive, alluring forms can be found in the entertainment industry—television, radio, movies, music, social media, internet, to name a few. We see God’s law broken in sinful acts of violence performed in movies and television programs—shootings, stabbings, physical assaults, sexual abuse, kidnapping. Actors and actresses “pretending” to be people and things they are not, using the Lord’s name in vain, smoking, drinking, immodestly dressed, and promoting adultery, fornication, and promiscuity. We cannot hear the voice of the Holy Spirit while listening to music with its rhythm that so disturbs the natural cadence of the body, throwing the central nervous system into chaos as the artist also spews violent words describing murder, bigotry, abuse, drug and alcohol use, promiscuity, and other sinful acts.

Fewer than 15 percent of American homes had a television in 1950. By 1990, 93 percent of American homes had a television set. Within that period, the annual number of murders in America increased from 7,942 to 21,860. The murder rate more than doubled.

Consider what happens to infants and small children who are unable to judge whom they should look to as a role model. Research today shows that watching television, especially violent scenes, is most dangerous to the very young. Infants at 14 months of age will imitate behaviors they see on television.

American children today, ages two to five years, are watching over 27 hours of television per week. Remember, they cannot distinguish between fact and fantasy, even when they are being coached. Television exposure has been demonstrated to significantly increase children’s aggressiveness by 160 percent in two years, according to one study.

A 1982 report found that, as a result of watching television on a regular basis, children “may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others.” It also found that it made the children more fearful of the world around them.

A review performed in 2010 found that youth, ages 12–17, who play video games, exhibited “increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and decreased empathy and prosocial behavior.”

What, then, does television do to teenagers? Here are the results:

  1. decreased interest in reading;
  2. decreased interest in learning;
  3. development of poor health habits;
  4. development of poor or immoral attitudes;
  5. increased sexual activity, with the first sexual encounter occurring at a younger age.

A study done in 2002 regarding the causal link between TV and aggressive behavior found: “Even after making statistical allowances for factors such as psychiatric disorders, economic status, and prior violent acts, … they found that those who watched one to three hours of TV per day were about 60% more likely to get in a serious fight, threaten someone, or use a weapon to commit a crime than those who watched less than an hour a day. More than three hours of TV more than doubled the risk.”

Tragically, extensively watching violence on television, children become numb to the horror of violence. They begin to accept violence as a way to solve problems. They will imitate the violence they see on television and will identify with the television characters. Television has a powerful influence in developing children’s value systems and shaping their behavior.

It has been estimated that the evil effects of television viewing are responsible for half of the current number of homicides, rapes, and assaults in the United States. If we did not have television in our society, we could expect that we would be having at least 10,000 fewer homicides, 70,000 fewer rapes, and 700,000 fewer injurious assaults every year.

A study was conducted from 1977–1979, with 557 participating six to ten-year-old children from five countries. Its purpose was to examine the “longitudinal relationship between early exposure to TV violence and adult aggressive behavior for both males and females.” A follow-up study was conducted in the late 1990s involving 329 of the original participants who were, at that time, between the ages of 20–25. So, what did this study find? When exposed to TV violence in early childhood, aggressive behavior was predicted in both males and females and the test subjects identified with the aggressive TV characters. Research indicates that although exposure to media violence may have short-term effects on adults, its negative impact on children is long-lasting.

The internet and social media are just as addictive as television. Violence and pornography are available 24/7 on the worldwide web. People troll these medias in search of victims on a day-to-day basis, to rape, rob, or kidnap. Child pornography is readily available on the internet.

Games involving war, murder, robbery, as well as games that simply take up your time—time that could be spent in Bible study, witnessing, and prayer—are prevalent.

Sources: washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1993/04/17/is-tv-to-blame-for-violence; apa.org/topics/video-games/violence-harmful-effects; drugabusestatistics.org/drug-related-crime-statistics; aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for Families/FFF-Guide/Children and TV Violence; science.org/content/article/does-tv-make-us-violent; apa.org/pi/prevent-violence/resources/tv-violence

Friend, it is a law of the human mind that by beholding we will be changed. We cannot escape it. Our Creator made us that way. What we behold, what we look at, goes into our minds and is stored in our memory banks. The sum total of what we have been watching becomes part of our characters.

The Bible has a great deal to say about what we should and should not listen to and watch.

“The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure.” Isaiah 33:14–16

Isaiah is speaking about the last days, the days in which we are living right now. He describes a people who will escape the terrible trouble that is coming upon this world and be saved. Unlike most of the people who will profess to be Christians yet will be breaking God’s law because they still find pleasure in sin, these people will be living a righteous life in harmony with God’s law. (See 1 John 3 and 1 John 5.)

If I am to be delivered in the last days, I must be living a righteous life. This includes removing anything that I might see or hear that would influence me away from this righteous life, anything that would cause me to speak words or do things that would make my profession a lie. God holds me, and you, responsible for what we see, where we go, and what we listen to. We must be as soldiers guarding the avenues to the soul—our eyes, ears, and mouth. We must choose to do what is right at all times. We cannot blame someone else because they have the television or radio on. If we are not vigilant about what we allow ourselves to come into contact with, then we will have to answer to the Lord in the day of judgment for what we have done.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28

“Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.” Psalm 119:133

“I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” Psalm 101:3, first part

If you are addicted to alcohol, you cannot go to the places where it is sold or even hang out with the people you used to drink with, if you want to remain free from it. In the same way, if you are addicted to television, the internet, or social media, the only way you are going to get free from them is to get that television out of your house, remove access to the internet and social media platforms from your phone and computers.

If you are looking at sin, if you are listening to sin, you will not be found guiltless in the day of judgment.

Philippians 4:8 tells us where our focus should be, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble [uplifting or honorable], whatever things are just [not sinful], whatever things are pure [pure in dress and language], whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Friend, no one will see Jesus if they lack holiness of character. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14

Many people today spend too much time filling their minds and hearts with the attractions and enticements of this world and so little time in God’s word. And John tells us what will happen to these people when they continue to reject the pleading of the Holy Spirit.

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” John 12:40

He, meaning God, is looking for a people who study His word, obey His commandments, come to Him often in prayer, and who seek a transformation of character that will bring them face to face with Jesus and the Father on a soon-to-dawn morning. But for those who prefer the things of this world, continually rejecting His offer of salvation, He will harden their hearts, and the Spirit will leave them alone with their idols.

What decisions are you making? Each decision that you make right now will determine your eternal destiny. Are you seeking a righteous and holy life, obeying His commandments, keeping your mind pure and holy, filled with His word, and your body free from defilement? Make the right decision today.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Joy and Happiness, or Purgatory

Are you happy? Do you have joy in your heart? A true Christian should be one of the happiest people in the world. “The happiest people in the world are those who trust in Jesus and gladly do His bidding.” Our Father Cares, 146

But if we, as Christians, are not happy, we should be asking, “What’s the matter with our religion?” We may have left many worldly things behind, but still have failed to acquire that which is spiritually necessary to take their place. We are not happy because we lack true Christianity.

Do you know why you were created? Too many people do not know the answer to that question, but Inspiration tells us that the human race was created for a special purpose.

“How great the love of God is! God made the world to enlarge heaven. He desired a larger family.” The Review and Herald, June 25, 1908

“Man was created to glorify his Maker.” The Signs of the Times, April 17, 1901

“He [God] desired that the earth should be filled with joy and peace. He created man for happiness, and He longs to fill human hearts with the peace of heaven.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 290

Man was created to glorify God and to experience happiness and the peace of heaven.

Even the framers of the Declaration of Independence were not ignorant when they determined that everyone has the right to engage in the pursuit of happiness. How then can happiness be successfully pursued? The religion of Christ produces the greatest joy that human beings can experience.

“Wherever the religion of Christ works, it will brighten and sweeten every detail of life with more than an earthly joy and a higher than earthly peace.” Sons and Daughters of God, 176

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11. “When Adam and Eve were placed in the beautiful garden, they had everything for their happiness which they could desire.” The Story of Redemption, 24

Adam and Eve, while living in the garden of Eden, knew that God was the source of their joy and happiness. Fallen men are deceived on this point. They believe that Adam’s joy was in Eve and Eve’s joy was in Adam, that they were happy to be with each other; but they knew that all joy and happiness was found in God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

So, if we do not have happiness, the fault must be with our religion. So where do we go to find the greatest happiness?

“We must fall upon the Rock and be broken … . Self must be dethroned, pride must be humbled, if we would know the glory of the spiritual kingdom. …

“In the light of the Saviour’s life, the hearts of all … are revealed. … The gift of Christ reveals the Father’s heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are ‘thoughts of peace, and not of evil.’ Jeremiah 29:11. It declares that while God’s hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.” The Desire of Ages, 57

Our greatest happiness will be the result of a love relationship with Jesus, our Creator and the true source of joy and happiness. It was through their relationship with the Father and Son and obedience to His law that Adam and Eve were to know happiness. Likewise, if we are connected to Him, we will have true joy and happiness.

“The law of God is the standard of character; it is the expression of the character of God Himself. It was given to Adam and Eve in Eden. God planted for them this beautiful garden, and supplied their every want. Was it too much to ask them to respond to all His love and care by obedience to His righteous law, which, if kept, would have secured to them happiness, peace, and joy forever?” The Bible Echo, July 29, 1895

However, if we do not have a love relationship with Jesus, then we will not know happiness.

“The sacrifice demanded by their transgression revealed to Adam and Eve the sacred character of the law of God; and they saw, as they had never seen before, the guilt of sin and its dire results. In their remorse and anguish, they pleaded that the penalty might not fall upon Him whose love had been the source of all their joy; rather let it descend upon them and their posterity.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 66

The world is filled with emptiness. Evil multiplies and in a vain attempt for relief from the emptiness and wickedness of this world and our own hearts, people search desperately for happiness. But the devil keeps them totally occupied with the things of this world. Some seek relief in a bottle, drug or other degenerative amusement.

The people of this world have a God-sized hole in their hearts and are trying to find happiness by filling it with the excitement that worldly things offer. But being excited is not the same thing as being happy.

To be truly happy, you need to know the Source of happiness and something about heaven. Mrs. White writes, “It was heaven to be in His [Jesus’] presence.” The Ministry of Healing, 18. Heaven is wherever Jesus is. Jesus perfectly fills that God-sized hole everyone keeps trying to fill, and when we allow Him into our hearts, then we have heaven here on earth, genuine happiness in our hearts. We think of heaven as a place somewhere up there, in outer space, and that is true. But what makes it heaven is that Jesus is there.

Until the disciples met Jesus they thought the same thing about heaven, just a place somewhere up in the sky. But after Jesus ascended to heaven, “What a source of joy to the disciples to know that they had such a Friend in heaven to plead in their behalf! Through the visible ascension of Christ all their views and contemplation of heaven are changed. Their minds had formerly dwelt upon it as a region of unlimited space, tenanted by spirits without substance. Now heaven was connected with the thought of Jesus, whom they had loved and reverenced above all others, with whom they had conversed and journeyed, whom they had handled, even in His resurrected body, who had spoken hope and comfort to their hearts, and who, while the words were upon His lips, had been taken up before their eyes, the tones of His voice coming back to them as the cloudy chariot of angels received Him: ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’

“Heaven could no longer appear to them as an indefinite, incomprehensible space, filled with intangible spirits. They now looked upon it as their future home, where mansions were being prepared for them by their loving Redeemer. Prayer was clothed with a new interest, since it was a communion with their Saviour. With new and thrilling emotions and a firm confidence that their prayer would be answered, they gathered in the upper chamber to offer their petitions and to claim the promise of the Saviour, who had said, ‘Ask, and ye shall receive.’ ” Heaven, 67, 68

Heaven was real because Jesus is real, and Jesus is there.

Now the disciples had a gospel to proclaim—the good news of Jesus Christ. They talked about Jesus all the time, so much so that the people began to call them Christians. They preached about Christ in human form. They called Him a Man of sorrows and told about His humiliation and how He had been taken by wicked hands and crucified. They told how He had been raised from the dead, and how they had seen Him ascend into heaven. They said that He is in the presence of God as man’s advocate, and that He is coming again with power and great glory to take His people out of this world and to the place He is preparing for them. The gospel that they preached turned the world upside down, and it has never been the same since that time.

The disciples now understood what Adam and Eve had known at the beginning. Jesus is the real source of joy and happiness.

The Bible describes Jesus as “Chief among ten thousand” Song of Solomon 5:10, last part, and as “altogether lovely,” Verse 16. He is the Source of all true pleasure and satisfaction, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, the Author of every blessing, He is the Remedy for sin, and He is the One in whom our hope of eternal life is centered.

The reason why so many people are unhappy today is because they do not have a connection with the source of true happiness. Not only do people have a fuzzy idea today about Jesus, their Lord and Saviour, they also have an indistinct and deluded idea about God the Father.

“Many conceive of the Christian’s God as a being whose attribute is stern justice—one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. The Creator has been pictured as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgment upon them. In the minds of thousands, love and sympathy and tenderness are associated with the character of Christ, while God is regarded as the law-giver, inflexible, arbitrary, devoid of sympathy for the beings He has made.

“Never was there a greater error. Nature and revelation alike testify of God’s love. It is from Him that we receive every good gift. He is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. …

“God made man perfect and holy and happy; and the fair earth, as it came from the Creator’s hand, bore no blight of decay nor shadow of the curse. It is transgression of God’s law that has brought woe and death. … God cursed the ground for man’s sake. … The trials that make his life one of toil and care, were appointed for his good, as a part of the training needful in God’s plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation.” Bible Training School, November 1, 1908

Satan has worked tirelessly to create in man a fuzzy idea of who Jesus is and delude them about the character of God. He has put his own attributes upon God so that people are unable to distinguish between God’s character and Satan’s character. They see God as being uncaring, judgmental, and strict, believing instead, though without realizing it, that the devil is their benefactor because he tells them they can do whatever they please.

It is possible for every human being to have greater joy in their life than anything that the devil can give, and it is astonishing that there are so few Christians who have a clear understanding of this. “Whoever succors the poor, or sympathizes with the afflicted and oppressed, or befriends the orphan, is brought into closer relationship with the pitying Saviour. He who is the source of all blessing, has granted to men the privilege of becoming partakers of the divine nature, and in their turn, of diffusing blessings to their fellowmen. This is the highest honor, the greatest joy, which it is possible for God to bestow upon men. Those who thus become participants in labors of love are brought nearest to their Redeemer.” The Home Missionary, July 1, 1891

When your life becomes involved and centered in helping and blessing others, you will experience the greatest joy. If you are not involved in blessing your fellow man, then you will not experience God’s greatest joy. “He who refuses to become a laborer together with God, the man who for the sake of selfish indulgence ignores the wants of his fellowmen, is withholding from himself the richest blessings that God could give him.” Ibid.

Before sin entered the world, there was no unhappiness in the garden of Eden. Literally translated, the word Eden means “garden of delight, garden of bliss.”  There was constant joy, constant happiness. However, as a consequence of sin, many people are dissatisfied. All dissatisfaction and unhappiness is a result of sin, which has created so many troubles and problems to deal with today.

But in spite of sin, God wanted to show His people that if they would follow Him, they would have satisfaction and peace.

“In the arrangements for the education of the chosen people it is made manifest that a life centered in God is a life of completeness. Every want He has implanted, He provides to satisfy; every faculty imparted, He seeks to develop.” Education, 41

Because of sin, it may appear that some never find satisfaction or happiness, or that they struggle with some terrible sin or disease or loss. The Bible tells us that even if we choose to follow Jesus Christ, as a consequence of sin, we may lose or have to sacrifice things. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” Matthew 19:29. No matter what we are willing to sacrifice in this world to follow Jesus, He promises that we will be rewarded a hundredfold and gain eternal life.

“Whatever crosses they [God’s people] have been called to bear, whatever losses they have sustained, whatever persecution they have suffered, even to the loss of their temporal life, the children of God are amply recompensed.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 180

The reason that so many people are sad and discouraged is because they do not know Jesus nor the Father. “The life in which the fear of the Lord is cherished will not be a life of sadness and gloom. It is the absence of Christ that makes the countenance sad, and the life a pilgrimage of sighs.” Ibid., 162

“When the light of heaven shines upon the human agent, his countenance will express the joy of the Lord within. It is the absence of Christ from the soul that makes people sad and of a doubtful mind.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, 1144

Jesus told His disciples that He would be going away, and that they would be really sorrowful, but that He would return and their hearts would rejoice and they would experience joy that no one would be able to take from them.

There are many troubles and trials that we will go through in this world, but we can find joy in thinking about the future happiness that God has planned for us. A time is coming when all sorrow and sighing will cease. All disappointment and grief will be gone. In their place, we will experience joy, gladness and happiness beyond anything we can imagine now.

“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:10. Where is this place where we will no longer have to live in the dark, sinful world? Heaven—the place where Jesus is.

Our education for heaven occurs primarily in the home school. Unfortunately, too many homes are filled with sadness and little happiness.

“There must be no angry words spoken in the home, no seeds of coarse [rude], common talk sown in your children’s hearts, or they will have no confidence in you when you speak in meeting. God help us to have the peace of Christ in our hearts, that we may teach our children the way of life and peace! We may have a little heaven to go to heaven in, if Christ breathes upon us His Holy Spirit.” The Review and Herald, April 21, 1891

If my home is less like heaven and more like purgatory, a place of suffering and misery, will everyone in my home go to heaven? No. But if Christ breathes the Holy Spirit upon me and my family members, our home will become like heaven.

“Parents, make your home a little heaven on earth. You can do this, if you so choose. You can make home so pleasant and cheerful that it will be the most attractive place on earth to your children. Let them receive all the blessings of the household. You can so relate yourselves to God that His Spirit will abide in your home. Come close to the bleeding side of the Man of Calvary. Those who are partakers with Him in His sufferings will at last be partakers with Him in His glory.” Manuscript 77, 1902

“We must let Christ into our hearts and homes if we would walk in the light. Home should be made all that the name implies. It should be a little heaven upon the earth, a place where the affections are cultivated instead of being studiously repressed.” The Review and Herald, June 22, 1886

In heaven, the angels are companions to one another, their love for each other is often expressed, freely and openly. Today, there are many so-called Christians who claim to be ready for heaven, but in their homes love and affection are not freely, openly expressed.

Someone may say, Well, I just don’t love my spouse anymore. If that is your problem, then you don’t know Jesus. If you receive the Holy Spirit, the Lord will put love in your heart for the people in your family. But if you do not have love for the people in your family, then you must go to the Lord and ask to be converted, to receive the Holy Spirit, and to be changed, with a new heart. Without love for our family, which shows that we do not love God, we will not go to heaven. There are Adventists all over the country who have sad, unhappy homes, who are playing religion, pretending to be Christians, but who are not ready for Jesus to come.

If we receive the Holy Spirit, our homes will be filled with affection and sympathy, with love freely and openly expressed, making them a little heaven to go to while here on this earth. Is this how it is in your home?

“Our happiness depends upon this cultivation of love, sympathy, and polite courtesy to one another. The reason why there are so many hard-hearted men and women in our world, is because true affection has been regarded as weakness, and has been discouraged and repressed. The better part of the nature of those of this class was perverted and dwarfed in childhood; and unless rays of divine light can melt away their coldness and hard-hearted selfishness, the happiness of such is buried forever.” Ibid.

“If we would have tender hearts, such as Jesus had when He was upon the earth, and sanctified sympathy, such as the angels have for sinful mortals, we must cultivate the sympathies of childhood, which are simplicity itself. Then we shall be refined, elevated, and directed by heavenly principles.” Ibid.

If our homes are not happy, that is absolute proof that not everyone in our home is ready to go to heaven. If you look at your home and it appears to be more like purgatory than heaven, then go to God and ask Him to send the Holy Spirit to convert you and your family. “Unless rays of divine light can melt away their coldness and hard-hearted selfishness, the happiness of such is buried forever.” Ibid.

Do you know Jesus? Are you trying to copy His character in your home with your loved ones so that your home will become a happy place? Go to God. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12, last part

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

The Righteousness of Christ

“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

Hebrews 2:17, 18

The above scripture makes it very plain that Jesus suffered temptations during His life on earth. We are given a hint of just how severe those temptations were in the following passage:

“Christ alone had experience in all the sorrows and temptations that befall human beings. Never another of woman born was so fiercely beset by temptation; never another bore so heavy a burden of the world’s sin and pain. Never was there another whose sympathies were so broad or so tender. A sharer in all the experiences of humanity, He could feel not only for, but with, every burdened and tempted and struggling one.” Education, 78

In Hebrews 4, Paul reaffirms the fact of Christ’s temptations: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Verse 15

The fact that He was tempted, yet without sin, tells us two things: (1) although He was tempted, by exercising self-denial, He did not yield to those temptations; and (2) being tempted is not a sin.

“When man was lost, the Son of God said, I will redeem him, I will become his surety and substitute. He laid aside His royal robes, clothed His divinity with humanity, stepped down from the royal throne, that He might reach the very depth of human woe and temptation, lift up our fallen natures, and make it possible for us to be overcomers—the sons of God, the heirs of the eternal kingdom. Shall we then allow any consideration of earth to turn us away from the path of truth? Shall we not challenge every doctrine and theory, and put it to the test of God’s word?” The Review and Herald, July 17, 1888

Note the final sentence in that passage: “Shall we not challenge every doctrine and theory, and put it to the test of God’s word?”

Anytime we believe that error is being preached, we have a responsibility to the speaker, to those who heard, and to ourselves to “put it to the test of God’s word” and bring the results of our study forward. Satan’s efforts to promote error are only going to become more and more subtle as time passes. Every soul must be on guard against the spreading of falsehoods. Our prayer should be for the Holy Spirit to give us discernment to recognize error, even in its most subtle form, and when we determine that error has been presented, we must act to correct it.

There are several important points to consider in the previous passage from The Review and Herald:

Although Christ “laid aside His royal robes,” He did not give up His divinity.

Although He maintained His divinity, He clothed it with humanity.

He did, however, step down from the royal throne.

Although all of this is part of the mystery of godliness, we have been given some degree of insight into what this passage means:

“Christ pleased not Himself, but took upon Him the form of a servant. He left the royal courts [stepped down from the royal throne], and clothed His divinity with humanity, that by His own example He might teach us how we may be exalted to the position of sons and daughters in the royal family, children of the heavenly King. But what are the conditions upon which we may obtain this great blessing?” Thankfully, Inspiration not only asks that question, but answers it as well—and answers it by quoting scripture. “ ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters’ [2 Corinthians 6:17, 18].” Christian Education, 179

We can only “come out from among them and be separate” if we are willing to deny self and to practice the humility and self-sacrifice that Christ so selflessly exemplified in His own life.

“In His lessons of instruction to His disciples, Jesus taught them that His kingdom is not a worldly kingdom, where all are striving for the highest position; but He gave them lessons in humility and self-sacrifice for the good of others. His humility did not consist in a low estimate of His own character and qualifications, but in adapting Himself to fallen humanity, in order to raise them up with Him to a higher life. Yet how few see anything attractive in the humility of Christ! Worldlings are constantly striving to exalt themselves one above another; but Jesus, the Son of God, humbled Himself in order to uplift man.” Ibid.

In the following texts, we find one indisputable example of Christ’s self-sacrifice:

“And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.’ ” Matthew 27:39–42

To blaspheme someone means to curse or swear or issue oaths at and against them. So, here is the King of the universe, blood running from His head, His back pressed against the rough-cut lumber of the cross, His pierced hands and feet, witnessing those He came to save, curse and swear at Him, demanding that He save Himself, the one thing He could not do if they were to be saved.

This incredible scene is recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels. Commenting on the record in Mark, Inspiration writes the following:

“ ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save’ (Mark 15:31). It is because Christ would not save Himself that the sinner has any hope of pardon or favor with God. If, in His undertaking to save the sinner Christ had failed or become discouraged, the last hope of every son and daughter of Adam would have been at an end. The entire life of Christ was one of self-denial and self-sacrifice; and the reason that there are so few stalwart Christians is because of their self-indulgence and self-pleasing in the place of self-denial and self-sacrifice.” This Day With God, 236

Now let’s consider the contrast between what Christ did when He clothed His divinity with humanity and what He promised to do for us.

“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, ‘Take away the filthy garments from him.’ And to him He said, ‘See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.’ And I said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.” Zechariah 3:3–5

The Angel does not merely cover our filthy garments—our character flaws—He removes them.

Job recognized the significance of this act and, while doing so, acknowledged his own role in achieving sanctification. In his defense of the accusations thrown at him by his three “miserable counselors,” he said, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.” Job 29:14

Inspiration also acknowledges the role we must play in Selected Messages, Book 1, 52:

“If those whose errors are pointed out make confession of their wrongdoing, the spell of the enemy may be broken. If they will repent and forsake their sins, God is faithful and just to forgive their sins, and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer, will remove the filthy garments from them, give them change of raiment, and set a fair miter upon their head. But so long as they refuse to turn from iniquity they cannot develop a character that will stand in the great day of judgment.”

There are three requirements necessary to be eligible for that change of raiment:

  1. Confession of sin
  2. Repentance of sin
  3. Forsaking of sin

Developing the character that will stand in the great day of judgment is explained to some degree—and a bit subtly—in Revelation 19:8: “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” These righteous acts are what are necessary as we strive to develop a character that will stand in the great day of judgment. And notably, these righteous acts can only be accomplished through faith in our Redeemer. Faith in His merits is the only thing that can add righteousness to our acts.

In Isaiah 61:10, 11, we are given a wonderful promise regarding this incredible change of character that the Lord will bring about as we cooperate with Him in developing righteousness:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”

Let us claim the promises in God’s word and cooperate with Him as we practice the self-denial exemplified in the life of Christ.

[Emphasis supplied.]

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org

What is in Your Bag?

How often have you packed for a trip and included more than you needed and maybe forgot what you needed most?

In this life, if we are to be children of God, we must, by His power, rid ourselves of our worldly baggage. Pride, selfishness, fear, impatience, passion (including appetite and anger)—so many things that we carry around with us every day. But as we give up, or lay off, these things, what is necessary for us to have in our heavenly suitcase for this worldly journey that will take us to, and follow us into, eternal life?

“God has called His people to glory and virtue, and these will be manifest in the lives of all who are truly connected with Him. Having become partakers of the heavenly gift, they are to go on unto perfection, being ‘kept by the power of God through faith’ (1 Peter 1:5).” Reflecting Christ, 313

We are told in the Spirit of Prophecy that Christ is ready to hear, ready to render assistance, that “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, faith, and charity are the elements of the Christian character. …

“As you receive the Spirit of Christ and grow, you will bring forth fruit [Galatians 5:20–25]. These graces increase faith, deepen conviction, and love is made perfect.” As a result, you will “more and more reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely. …

“This fruit can never perish, but will produce after its kind a harvest unto eternal life.” Sons and Daughters of God, 32

“It is the glory of God to give His virtue to His children. He desires to see men and women reaching the highest standard; and when by faith they lay hold of the power of Christ, when they plead His unfailing promises, and claim them as their own, when with an importunity [perseverance] that will not be denied they seek for the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be made complete in Him.” The Acts of the Apostles, 529–530

“A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this world to the next. Those who are under the instruction of Christ in this world will take every divine attainment with them to the heavenly mansions.” Child Guidance, 161

The Bible tells us in Matthew 5:48 that God wants us to be as perfect in our sphere as He is in His. What does this mean? “The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness. There is opened before us a path of constant advancement. We have an object to gain, a standard to reach, that includes everything good and pure and noble and elevated. There should be continual striving and constant progress onward and upward toward perfection of character.” Testimonies, Vol. 8, 64

Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Matthew 16:24–25

“It is love of selfish ease, love of pleasure, your self-esteem, self-exaltation that prevents you from learning the precious life lessons in the school of Christ. It is the Christian’s duty not to permit surroundings and circumstances to mold him; but to live above surroundings, fashioning his character according to the divine Model. … We are to surrender the will, the heart, to God, and become acquainted with Christ. We must deny self, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. Not one of us can reach heaven, save by the narrow, cross-bearing way. But how many wear the cross as an ornament of the person, but fail to bear the cross in practical, everyday life?” The Review and Herald, September 22, 1891

We read above that we are to have a character formed “in the divine likeness.” But how do we achieve that? We are given this guidance, “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5–11

“We have a part to act in this work. Let none think that men and women are going to be taken to heaven without engaging in the struggle here below. We have a battle to fight, a victory to gain. God says to us, ‘Work out your own salvation.’ How? ‘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). God works, and man works. … Thus only can we be partakers of the divine nature.” In Heavenly Places, 59

So, we are told that there will be a struggle that we must engage in, “a battle to fight, a victory to gain.” I think we all know what this entails. It is by the process of sanctification that we are made ready to spend eternity with Christ. We must strive daily with our nature to resist the natural desires of the sinful heart as well as those cultivated desires acquired over a lifetime of sin. It is only by keeping God’s commandments that it truly can be known that we love Him. Jesus Himself said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). And God does not leave us alone in this work, in fact, there is no victory without Him, for “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6).

“Sanctification is the work, not of a day or of a year, but of a lifetime. The struggle for conquest over self, for holiness and heaven, is a lifelong struggle. … Paul’s sanctification was the result of a constant conflict with self. He said, ‘I die daily’ (1 Corinthians 15:31). … It is by unceasing endeavor that we maintain the victory over the temptations of Satan. Christian integrity must be sought with resistless energy, and maintained with a resolute fixedness of purpose. …

“Man, in the work of saving of the soul, is wholly dependent upon God. …

“The Spirit of God does not propose to do our part, either in the willing or the doing. … As soon as we incline our will to harmonize with God’s will, the grace of Christ stands ready to cooperate with the human agent; but it will not be the substitute to do our work independent of our resolving and decidedly acting. … It is only the human agent accepting the light, arousing the energies of the will, realizing and acknowledging that which he knows is righteousness and truth, and thus cooperating with the heavenly ministrations appointed of God in the saving of the soul.” In Heavenly Places, 26, 27

“Your obedience to God’s commandments will prove your right to an inheritance with the saints in light. All who would reach this standard of character, will have to employ the means that God has provided to this end. If you would inherit the rest that remaineth for the children of God, you must become a co-laborer with God. You are elected to wear the yoke of Christ,—to bear His burden, to lift His cross. You are to be diligent ‘to make your calling and election sure.’ Search the Scriptures, and you will see that not a son or a daughter of Adam is elected to be saved in disobedience to God’s law. The world makes void the law of God; but Christians are chosen to sanctification through obedience to the truth. They are elected to bear the cross, if they would wear the crown.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 125

Friends, if we are to make a successful journey to heaven, we must allow the Holy Spirit to complete the work of conversion in our lives. We must submit our will to God and seek only to do His will. We must confess and repent and rely upon the grace and power that He provides daily. It is through His Spirit that we are made able to do that which He asks us to do. We must pray and study His word and obey His commandments. As a result, the fruit of the Spirit will be manifest in our lives. And as we continue on from justification through sanctification, taking up our cross and following after Christ, the remaining attributes of a true Christian will grow in our lives: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. Love for God enough to always do as He asks and love enough for our fellow man that through us they can see the love of a God who gave His life so that they could be saved. These are the things that must be in our heavenly bag.

“Remember that it was your sins that made the cross necessary. When you accepted Christ as your Saviour you pledged yourself to unite with Him in bearing the cross. For life and for death you are bound up with Him, a part of the great plan of redemption.” Lift Him Up, 58

“The transforming power of Christ’s grace molds the one who gives himself to God’s service. Imbued with the Spirit of the Redeemer, he is ready to deny self, ready to take up the cross, ready to make any sacrifice for the Master.

“The cross … is to be lifted and borne without a murmur or complaint. In the act of raising it, you will find that it raises you. You will find it alive with mercy, compassion, and pitying love.” Sons and Daughters of God, 245

The Key to Overcoming

Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Matthew 16:24

Ellen White’s book Confrontation deals in great detail not only with the wilderness temptations of Christ, it also explains how Christ came off victorious as Satan used every means imaginable in his efforts to cause Him to fail in His mission, and shows how Christ’s success in resisting and overcoming can be ours.

In the wilderness, we know that Christ’s victories were gained through “Thus saith the Lord.” And of course, that is how we are to gain the victory over temptation as well.

However, it is clear from the details presented in this book that Christ did more than quote scripture in His constant confrontations with the enemy—He continually denied self.

In His assumed humanity, Christ faced the same temptations we face. “Appetite and passion, the love of the world, and presumptuous sins were the great branches of evil out of which every species of crime, violence, and corruption grew.” Op. cit., 47

That being the case, we can quickly and easily recognize that by overcoming those three temptations—also referred to in inspired writings as the world, the flesh, and the devil and in John’s first epistle as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—by gaining the victory in these three critical areas, we are well advanced on the narrow way to the kingdom of glory.

There is no temptation faced by man that is as severe as the temptations Christ endured after forty days of fasting.

It is important to remember that not only during His wilderness trial but throughout His life, “He did not for a single moment doubt His heavenly Father’s love, although He was bowed down with inexpressible anguish. Satan’s temptations, though skillfully devised, did not move the integrity of God’s dear Son. His abiding confidence in His Father could not be shaken.” Op. cit., 41

If we are to come off victorious, we must have that same abiding confidence, a confidence that will give us the victory in every daily trial.

On page 43, is this interesting statement: “Although Christ was suffering the keenest pangs of hunger, He withstood the temptation. He repulsed Satan with the same scripture He had given Moses to repeat to rebellious Israel when their diet was restricted and they were clamoring for flesh meats in the wilderness, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ In this declaration, and also by His example, Christ would show man that hunger for temporal food was not the greatest calamity that could befall him.”

Think about that final sentence for a moment. Although Christ quoted the words that He had instructed Moses to give to the children of Israel when they were murmuring and complaining about their diet, Inspiration says that this statement applies to a much broader area than just temporal food. When we are living by “every word” of God, the application goes well beyond mere hunger for temporal food.

To get a broader understanding of our challenge to overcome appetite, we need to analyze a sentence from pages 50 and 51: “Our Saviour fasted nearly six weeks that He might gain for man the victory upon the point of appetite. How can professed Christians with enlightened consciences, and with Christ before them as their pattern, yield to the indulgence of those appetites which have an enervating influence upon the mind and body? It is a painful fact that habits of self-gratification at the expense of health and moral power are at the present time holding a large share of the Christian world in the bonds of slavery.”

Let’s break down that passage a little. Notice that it states, “… yield to the indulgence of those appetites,” plural.

We commonly think of appetite in terms of a desire for temporal food. However, the dictionary defines appetite as “a strong desire or liking for something, a craving.” Thus in its broadest application, our appetites include food, certainly, but also a craving for any number of things, such as fashion, conspicuous consumption in all its varied forms, preeminence, power, wealth. A hard look in a mirror will reveal more than just the wrinkles we have acquired as we have aged—especially in the mirror of God’s law.

Another word in that passage we need to understand is enervating. It might initially be assumed that it means energizing. However, it means just the opposite: “to cause [someone] to feel drained of energy or vitality; to weaken.”

With this understanding, let’s rephrase the rhetorical question asked in the passage quoted from pages 50 and 51: How can professed Christians yield to the indulgence of cravings that deplete the mind and body of energy?

In order to enable us to resist those cravings, Christ left heaven. There is a wonderful explanation of the victory He gained for us by leaving heaven and how it can be ours.

“Because man fallen could not overcome Satan with his human strength, Christ came from the royal courts of heaven to help him with His human and divine strength combined. Christ knew that Adam in Eden with his superior advantages might have withstood the temptations of Satan and conquered him. He also knew that it was not possible for man out of Eden, separated from the light and love of God since the fall, to resist the temptations of Satan in his own strength. In order to bring hope to man, and save him from complete ruin, He humbled Himself to take man’s nature, that with His divine power combined with the human He might reach man where he is. He obtained for the fallen sons and daughters of Adam that strength which it is impossible for them to gain for themselves, that in His name they might overcome the temptations of Satan.” Op. cit., 45

It is abundantly and encouragingly clear from this paragraph that we are entirely dependent on Christ for the ultimate victory.

On page 57, in the section entitled “Christian Temperance,” we find much guidance regarding temperance versus intemperance. The initial paragraphs are especially powerful.

“God gives man no permission to violate the laws of his being. But man, through yielding to Satan’s temptations to indulge intemperance, brings the higher faculties in subjection to the animal appetites and passions, and when these gain the ascendancy, man, who was created a little lower than the angels—with faculties susceptible of the highest cultivation—surrenders to the control of Satan. And he gains easy access to those who are in bondage to appetite. Through intemperance, some sacrifice one half, and others two thirds, of their physical, mental, and moral powers, and become playthings for the enemy.

“Those who would have clear minds to discern Satan’s devices must have their physical appetites under the control of reason and conscience. The moral and vigorous action of the higher powers of the mind are essential to the perfection of Christian character, and the strength or the weakness of the mind has very much to do with our usefulness in this world and with our final salvation. The ignorance that has prevailed in regard to God’s law in our physical nature is deplorable. Intemperance of any kind is a violation of the laws of our being.”

“The great enemy knows that if appetite and passion predominate, the health of body and strength of intellect are sacrificed upon the altar of self-gratification, and man is brought to speedy ruin. If enlightened intellect holds the reins, controlling the animal propensities and keeping them in subjection to the moral powers, Satan well knows that his power to overcome with his temptations is very small.” Op. cit., 58

“Sin drove man from paradise; and sin was the cause of the removal of paradise from the earth. In consequence of transgression of God’s law, Adam lost paradise. In obedience to the Father’s law, and through faith in the atoning blood of His Son, paradise may be regained.” Op. cit., 15

“The indulgence [of appetite] … counteracts the force of truth, and weakens moral power to resist and overcome temptation. …

“The adversary of souls is working in these last days with greater power than ever before, to accomplish the ruin of man through the indulgence of appetite and passions. … Unnatural desires for these indulgences are not controlled by reason or judgment.” Op. cit., 60

“Men and women indulge appetite at the expense of health and their powers of intellect, so that they cannot appreciate the plan of salvation. What appreciation can such have of the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, and of the victory He gained upon the point of appetite. It is impossible for them to have exalted views of God, and to realize the claims of His law.” Op. cit., 62

Note well this sentence: “The scene of trial with Christ in the wilderness was the foundation of the plan of salvation, and gives to fallen man the key whereby he, in Christ’s name, may overcome.” Op. cit., 63

Now contemplate this question: After being presented with all of this wonderful light from the pen of Ellen White, what is the foundation of the plan of salvation and the key whereby we, in Christ’s name, may overcome? That foundation and that key is nothing other than self-denial.

Throughout His life, Christ manifested self-denial to perfection. If you think back through the details we are given of His daily confrontations, His perfect self-denial gave Him the victory every time.

He could indeed have turned the stones to bread to satisfy His hunger. He could have given Satan evidence of His heavenly Father’s loving watchcare by jumping from the top of the temple. He could have accepted all the kingdoms of the world offered Him by Satan (though in truth, they were already His, even after they had fallen under the sway of the enemy). He could have wiped the bloody sweat from His brow in the garden of Gethsemane and returned to His heavenly throne. He could have come down from the cross when taunted to do so by His enemies.

But to our eternal benefit, He denied self at every opportunity. By emulating His selflessness, His self-denial, we, too, can be victorious.

Op. cit. – all quotations are taken from the source first identified – Confrontation

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org

The Importance of Preparedness

May 31, 1889, was just another day in Pennsylvania, but by the time the day was over, the worst flood of the 19th century had occurred and 2,209 people had perished, 1,600 homes had been destroyed, and the property damage price tag topped $17 million (almost $374 million today). Because of selfishness, greed, and negligence, necessary preparation was not made to prevent an event that they all knew could happen. They had been warned, but the warning was ignored.

Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is located about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh in a valley on a flood plain at the fork of the Little Conemaugh and Stonycreek Rivers. As the city grew, it narrowed the river banks to gain building space. This combined with heavy annual rains had resulted in increased flooding in the area.

In 1889, Johnstown was a steel manufacturing town with a population of 30,000 people mostly of German and Welsh descent. The town had prospered since its founding in 1800 in part due to the Cambria Iron Works that had opened there in the 1850s.

The South Fork Dam was built on the Little Conemaugh River, 14 miles upstream from Johnstown. The dam was 931 feet by 72 feet and the largest man-made, earthen (dirt and rock) dam in the U.S. It was originally built as part of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal system, but by 1889 the reservoir behind the dam had been abandoned and the canal system had become obsolete with the introduction in the 1850s of the Pennsylvania Railroad as a means of transporting goods. As the canal system was no longer used, maintenance on the dam was neglected.

There was a fear for some time that the dam would break, but, storm after storm, it had held and soon it became something of a joke around Johnstown. People became complacent.

The dam and abandoned reservoir were sold to a group of Pittsburgh speculators. They modified the dam to accommodate a road and to add a fish screen in the spillway. It was believed that these alterations increased the vulnerability of the dam. In addition, a system of relief pipes and valves, part of the original dam, had been sold for scrap and never replaced, preventing the lowering of the level of the lake in an emergency. Around Lake Conemaugh, 450 feet above Johnstown, these speculators had built the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, consisting of cabins and its clubhouse along the banks of the lake.

On May 28, a low-pressure area had formed over Nebraska and Kansas and by the time it had made its way to Pennsylvania on May 30, it was considered the heaviest rainfall event in recorded U.S. history. It was estimated that six to ten inches of rain had fallen over the area in a 24-hour period. During the night creeks had become torrents. Telegraph lines were downed and rail lines had been washed away. By daybreak, the Conemaugh River that ran through Johnstown would soon overwhelm its banks.

On the morning of May 31, the president of the Club realized that the water had nearly crested the dam and he quickly assembled a group of men who worked desperately to save the face of the dam. Others attempted digging a ditch along the side of the dam in an effort to prevent the water from overtopping the dam, but the effort failed.

A messenger was sent to the nearby town of South Fork to warn Johnstown of the now inevitable disaster. But the message was never given to the authorities of Johnstown. The dam had always held. This would be just another false alarm.

The situation in Johnstown had drastically worsened. Water from Lake Conemaugh had risen as much as ten feet into the streets. Many people were trapped in their homes.

About 2:50 in the afternoon, the water breached the South Fork dam and moments later the dam collapsed. The flood reached the town of South Fork first, but the town was built on higher ground and most of the people simply sought refuge in the surrounding hills. Property damage was minimal and four people died.

It stalled, momentarily, at the Conemaugh Viaduct, a 78-foot high railroad bridge. Seven minutes later the viaduct collapsed and the flood resumed its course, only now it had gained a renewed energy. It hit the small town of Mineral Point, one mile below the viaduct and wiped out the town down to the bedrock. Sixteen people died.

The village of East Conemaugh was hit by a mass of debris described as “a huge hill rolling over and over.” Here trains were picked up by the surging waters and carried along. At least 50 people died.

When the water hit the town of Woodvale, it destroyed the Cambria Iron Works, sweeping up railroad cars and barbed wire. Of Woodvale’s 1,100 residents, 314 died. Boilers exploded when the water hit the Gautier Wire Works. The resulting black smoke was seen by the people of Johnstown. Miles of barbed wire became entangled in the debris heading for Johnstown.

Fifty-seven minutes after the dam collapsed, the flood hit Johnstown. Twenty million tons of water (almost 4 billion gallons) had traveled through the narrowed valley and now hit the town at 40 miles per hour, with a wave reaching 60 feet high and a roar “like thunder” that could be heard for miles.

Caught unaware, people tried to run for high ground, but most were engulfed in the surging floodwater, crushed by the debris or helplessly entangled in barbed wire and drowned. Those who managed to make it into their attic or onto their roof, or were able to stay afloat on the debris, waited hours for help to come.

The debris began to build up downstream against the Stone Bridge, an old, but substantial, arched bridge, that carried the Pennsylvania Railroad across the Conemaugh River, ultimately covering 30 acres and reaching 70 feet high. Tragically, a fire broke out in this enormous pile of debris, and at least 80 people who had survived the initial wave, lost their lives in the inferno. The fire burned for three days; it took three months to remove all the debris mainly because of the amount of barbed wire entangled in the wreckage, but dynamite did the trick.

Many of those who died were never identified, hundreds were missing and never found; some bodies were found months later. The cleanup operation took five years before Johnstown had fully recovered.

Sources: johnstownpa.com/History/hist19.html; history.com/this-day-in-history/the-Johnstown-flood; Wikipedia/Johnstown Flood

Terrible things are coming, and if we are not prepared, ready and waiting, then we will be overcome and lost.

“To us has been given the message of Christ’s soon coming. …

“Are we preparing for this great event? Are we preparing to meet the Saviour in peace, or are we absorbed in worldly business and pleasure? In the judgment, the question will not be, What profession did you make? but, What have you done for Me? What fruit have you borne to My glory? Now is the time to prepare for the coming King. …

“At infinite cost a fountain has been prepared for our cleansing. If we now wash our robes of character at this fountain, God will give us a place in the mansions that are being prepared for those who love Him.” The Signs of the Times, November 22, 1905

“We are living in an evil age. The perils of the last days thicken around us. … Should it be necessary that the terrors of the day of God be held before us in order to compel us to right action?” The Faith I Live By, 350

Peace and Trust in Adversity

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Isaiah 26:3

“We should then enjoy a rest of soul to which many have long been strangers.” Steps to Christ, 86

This peaceful, trusting rest is a gradual experience, like much of the growth in the Christian life. While we may have certain times along the way when, with sudden moving of the Spirit of God, we seem to be borne upward all at once, as in an elevator, much of the Christian life is simply an experience of gradually climbing up. And oh, what a glorious vision as the spiritual elevation increases! I’m sure that many have experienced this. Yet, dear friends, I think there is a deeper experience in this matter of peace and rest and joy in the Lord than any of us have yet had.

We find this peace and rest in utter resignation to the will of God and a simple trust that God is getting His will done. In other words, it is accepting what God sends from hour to hour and from moment to moment, walking in the path of His providence. It is then that we can enjoy this rest for souls that we have not known before. As children of the King, it is our privilege to be supremely happy, for we have so much for which to be thankful.

Sadly, many, even in the Christian experience, go through weary years of struggle. It is necessary for us to struggle with sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil, but too many are struggling with God, a bit afraid of Him, anxious lest He should fail to remember something or perhaps afraid that He will do something. But the truth is, we can have full confidence in God, and as a consequence, all this struggling can cease.

“God cares for everything and sustains everything that He has created. He who upholds the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity, at the same time cares for the wants of the little brown sparrow that sings its humble song without fear.” Ibid. Just so, God cares for us. I heard a proverb once, “If the birds knew how poor they were, they wouldn’t sing.” But I would like to revise that: “If we knew how rich we are, we would sing like the birds.” God cares for them, and this is what they sing about. God cares for us, and we should sing in thanksgiving just as they do.

“When men go forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor man gathers his children about the scanty board, each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice. There is no smile that He does not mark.

“If we would but fully believe this, all undue anxieties would be dismissed. Our lives would not be so filled with disappointment as now; for everything, whether great or small, would be left in the hands of God, who is not perplexed by the multiplicity of cares, or overwhelmed by their weight. We should then enjoy a rest of soul to which many have long been strangers.” Ibid.

Jacob’s sons had come back from Egypt to tell their father that the lord of Pharaoh’s house had put Simeon in prison. The lord had said that unless they brought the younger man, Benjamin, back, they couldn’t have any more grain. Jacob said, “Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.” Genesis 42:36

Jacob was a great struggler. Even though years before he had fought with the Lord at the brook Jabbok and his name was changed to Israel, prince with God, he still had some things to learn. You may be able to look back and see where you have wrestled with God and secured the victory over sin, but still have things to learn. Jacob finally learned that all those things were not against him. He learned, as did Paul, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God.” Romans 8:28

God is caring for the birds and for the great worlds and stars, and He is working all things together for you. If we believe that He is watching and noticing and controlling everything, we will dismiss our anxieties and find rest in Him.

But we do not have to wait to have peace and rest. We do not have to wait on anybody or anything. Right now we can believe two things: that God is looking after us, and that He is able and willing to carry out His will.

If we are really selfish and not converted and yet pray, we are probably praying for selfish and even wicked things. Somewhere along the line, our selfishness gets to be more refined, more cultured, and a bit more religious. When we reach that point, then we pray about what we think God’s will is. We are not interested in asking God to show us His will, but are more interested in telling Him what we think His will should be, according to our way of thinking.

God wants us to commit to Him not only our sins, not only our selfish desire for our own way, but He wants us to commit to Him our desires, purposes, plans, and hopes about His work here on this earth. And then He wants us to believe that He will accomplish it.

Someone may say, “Well, what is the purpose of prayer then?” The purpose of prayer is to develop and strengthen the belief that God is looking after us and that He is able and willing to carry out His will. The very fact that so few arrive at it proves that there is plenty of need for more praying. The purpose of prayer is not to get God to do your way, to apprise Him of something He is ignorant of, or to remind Him of something He forgot. Prayer is not meant to make God more interested in us or His work or to make Him more enthusiastic about getting it done.

We are to be settled, in our inmost hearts, on two things: that all we want is God’s will, and we are sure He is going to get it done. We tell Him so, and it makes us happy, and it makes Him happy. Then prayer has accomplished its purpose.

“Human nature is ever struggling for expression, ready for contest.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 15. We can express that trait of character just as much in arguing about the mark of the beast as we can about politics. We can express it in arguing about health or dress reform just as easily as we can other issues.

Peter was a fighter, but he wanted to fight for Jesus. He had a sword, and he used it. Did it make Peter happy? No. It made him very unhappy and frustrated and disappointed because Jesus didn’t seem to appreciate it. In fact, Jesus told him to put his sword away. For three and a half years, Jesus had been trying to tell Peter and the other disciples His purpose in coming to this world, but Peter didn’t understand. So Jesus said, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” Matthew 26:53, 54

The Father had given Jesus a cup to drink from, one that included a mob and Jesus’ being arrested. The people didn’t have to do these things, but it had all been arranged and allowed by the Father. Peter didn’t understand that. He thought he had to stop all that by fighting, and when Jesus reproved him, he didn’t know what to do. He was miserable. Before long, he was cursing and swearing and denying that he knew the Lord. And the truth is, Peter didn’t know Jesus; not in the way he needed to. But we can be thankful that it wasn’t long before he realized who Jesus was and what He had done for all of mankind.

Peter never used a sword again. He never even raised his hand to strike anybody. He learned this lesson: “Human nature is ever struggling … ready for contest; but he who learns of Christ is emptied of self, of pride, of love of supremacy, and there is silence in the soul. Self is yielded to the disposal of the Holy Spirit. Then we are not anxious to have the highest place. We have no ambition to crowd and elbow ourselves into notice; but we feel that our highest place is at the feet of our Saviour.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 15. The highest place is at the feet of Jesus, and we look to Him, for a hand to lead, a voice to guide.

Jesus stood meek and calm as he was bound by the mob. This action was not inspired by God, but it was part of God’s plan for Jesus. And that is why Jesus told Peter, “The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

The mob was cruel and that was only the beginning. Jesus went through trial after trial, test after test. “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” Isaiah 50:4–6

Inspired by the devil, they whipped Jesus’ back twice with a scourge made of leather with metal braided into the strips. With every stroke, the blood ran down His back. They pulled out the hair of His beard, they cursed at Him and spat in His face. They forced a crown of thorns upon His brow and then they killed Him. What was His attitude? Submission. He did not fight back, nor run away. He did not say, “I do not have to do this. I will return to My Father.”

No, Jesus was working out God’s plan according to His schedule. Like Isaac at Mount Moriah, Jesus placed Himself, according to God’s schedule, upon the altar of God’s plan. And that is what God wants us to do every day, every hour. Jesus and Isaac were able to submit without reservation to God’s plan because they had learned in the school of little things, which then prepared them to submit to the weightier things.

We often imagine, as did Peter, that when we are brought before the courts or meet the howling mobs, we will be strong enough to stand firm. But instead, we might find that we are not ready to meet the mob at all, and surely not ready to lay it all on the altar of God’s plan.

God, in His mercy lets us face daily tests, petty annoyances, and disappointments so that we can learn to relate ourselves to those things as He does, not by being frustrated or irritated or restless, but by looking up to God and saying, “Dear Lord, I know that through it all and in it all, You are working out Your will. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”

“If we lack faith where we are when difficulties present themselves, we would lack faith in any place.

“Our greatest need is faith in God. When we look on the dark side, we lose our hold on the Lord God of Israel. As the heart is opened to fears and conjectures, the path of progress is hedged up by unbelief. Let us never feel that God has forsaken His work.

“There must be less talking unbelief, less imagining that this one and that one is hedging up the way. Go forward in faith; trust the Lord to prepare the way for His work. Then you will find rest in Christ.” Testimonies, Vol. 7, 211, 212

It is possible to hedge up the way, as we work in God’s service, by dwelling on the dark, doleful, and discouraging things in the world, and I know there are times when things must be dealt with, but Mrs. White is saying that we should not dwell on unbelief.

I will never forget when a dear friend and I spent the night in prayer over something we were deeply burdened about in the work of God. We felt that someone was hedging up God’s work and we prayed that God would either change this person’s heart or remove him. That night we prayed long enough to discover that a change was needed, but instead it needed to be made in my heart and my friend’s heart.

Friends, there is nothing more sorrowful to see than hearts perplexed and burdened under their own criticisms and faultfindings. They are suspicious of this one or that one. “More love is needed, more frankness, less suspicion, less evil thinking. We need to be less ready to blame and accuse. It is this that is so offensive to God. The heart needs to be softened and subdued by love.” Ibid., 212

“The many problems that are now mysterious you may solve for yourselves by continued trust in God.” Ibid.

Problems can be solved, if we will but commit them to God. However, when you do that, do not be surprised if God lets something happen that is not what you would choose. It may be that you will rise from an earnest season of prayer and tell God that you are willing to bear anything, but then someone spits in your face. Would you think God heard your prayer? Perhaps this was part of the test and trial that God has designed to build and solidify your character.

Remember Sister White’s dream where she and her husband were walking to a place, both weak and worn, depressed and distressed, sick and worn out. They came to a stream, and Elder White plunged into the stream. There was a spring down in there. He came up with a glass filled with that water. He plunged down again and came up drinking it. Sister White said he looked radiant and buoyant and full of health and vitality, but she wondered why he gave none to her. He told her, “All who drink this must plunge for themselves.” It might seem like a good idea for someone else to pour heavenly peace into your soul, but there are two things you must settle for yourself, in your own heart: God loves you enough to take care of you, and it suits you to have Him do it.

That includes God allowing bad things, hard things, cruel things, disappointing things to happen to you. It’s all part of God’s plan for you, and while you won’t like those hard or bad things, you will like for God to bring these trials to you because you know He loves you better than you love yourself, and you know that He does not allow one bit of it unless it is for your good. God is looking for those today who will reveal that settled peace, that sweet love.

Dear ones, you can never have this sweet peace if you hold back from fully surrendering all to God. When you settle in your heart to be willing to be anything or nothing, when you settle in your heart that God shall have His way in your life, then the sweet peace of Christ will take your heart. And even your prayers can breathe peace.

In the lions’ den, Daniel did the sleeping. In the palace, Darius did the worrying. Daniel didn’t ask God to keep Him out of the lions’ den. He submitted himself to God’s will. He slept because he was perfectly willing to be eaten by the lions if it was God’s will and time for him to be eaten.

The three worthies were able to stand on the Plain of Dura, not asking that God would keep them out of the furnace, but rather to give them the strength to be burned alive if that was His will for their lives. They stood firm and were thrown into the fire, but they were not burned; not even the smell of smoke was on their clothing. But more importantly, God gave them a clear sign that it was not His plan for them to die there that day. He walked with them in the fire and preserved their lives, a living witness to all present and on into the future.

Oh friends, I want to learn the lessons of peace and trust in adversity. It is a sweet school. I don’t want my way, not even in God’s work. I want God to work out His way in my life and service to Him.

“My stubborn will at last is yielded;

I would be Thine, and Thine alone;

And this the prayer my lips are bringing,

‘Lord, let in me Thy will be done.’

 

“Thy precious will, O conqu’ring Saviour,

Doth now embrace and compass me;

All discords hushed, my peace a river,

My soul, a prisoned bird set free.

 

“Shut in with Thee, Oh Lord, forever,

My wayward feet no more to roam;

What pow’r from Thee my soul can sever?

The center of God’s will, my home.

 

“Sweet will of God, still fold me closer,

Till I am wholly lost in Thee.”

Mrs. C. H. (Lelia) Morris, 1900