Salvation

Accustomed to Hardship

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I will begin by sharing with you a vision that Ellen White had, which is recorded in Testimonies, vol. 2, 594–597.

“While at Battle Creek in August, 1868, I dreamed of being with a large body of people. A portion of this assembly started out prepared to journey. We had heavily loaded wagons. As we journeyed, the road seemed to ascend. On one side of this road was a deep precipice; on the other was a high, smooth, white wall, like the hard finish upon plastered rooms.

“As we journeyed on, the road grew narrower and steeper. In some places it seemed so very narrow that we concluded that we could no longer travel with the loaded wagons. We then loosed them from the horses, took a portion of the luggage from the wagons and placed it upon the horses, and journeyed on horseback.

“As we progressed, the path still continued to grow narrow. We were obliged to press close to the wall, to save ourselves from falling off the narrow road down the steep precipice. As we did this, the luggage on the horses pressed against the wall and caused us to sway toward the precipice. We feared that we should fall and be dashed in pieces on the rocks. We then cut the luggage from the horses, and it fell over the precipice. We continued on horseback, greatly fearing, as we came to the narrower places in the road, that we should lose our balance and fall. At such times a hand seemed to take the bridle and guide us over the perilous way.

“As the path grew more narrow, we decided that we could no longer go with safety on horseback, and we left the horses and went on foot, in single file, one following in the footsteps of another. At this point, small cords were let down from the top of the pure white wall; these we eagerly grasped, to aid us in keeping our balance upon the path. As we traveled, the cord moved along with us. The path finally became so narrow that we concluded that we could travel more safely without our shoes, so we slipped them from out feet and went on some distance without them. Soon it was decided that we could travel more safely without our stockings; these were removed, and we journeyed on with bare feet.

“We then thought of those who had not accustomed themselves to privations and hardships. Where were such now? They were not in the company. At every change some were left behind, and those only remained who had accustomed themselves to endure hardships. The privations of the way only make these more eager to press on to the end.”

I want you to notice something. At every change some were left behind, and those only remained who had accustomed themselves to endure hardships. Where were those who had not accustomed themselves to hardship? They were not in the company. That is such an all-inclusive statement. No one is going to be in the company who has not accustomed themselves to hardship. Are you accustomed to hardship?

Paul gives two qualifying characteristics for brethren. “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity [love] of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer.” II Thessalonians 1:3–5.

Notice that the believers of Thessalonica had faith and love, but they had these character traits because they had patiently endured persecutions and tribulations. You see, there is a purpose for what happens to us in life. “Our heavenly Father does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. He has His purpose in the whirlwind and the storm, in the fire and in the flood. The Lord permits calamities to come to His people to save them from greater danger. . . . He works through natural causes to lead His people to remember that He has not forgotten them, but that He desires them to forsake the way which, if they were permitted to follow unchecked and unreproved, would lead them into great peril.

“Trials come to us all to lead us to investigate our hearts, to see if they are purified from all that defiles. Constantly the Lord is working for our present and eternal good. . . . If His Word is not followed in all humility and meekness, He brings to them experiences which, if rightly received, will help to prepare them for the work to be done in His name. God desires to reveal His power in a marked manner through the lives of His people.” The Upward Look, 65.

When the travelers left the horses, what happened to some who were on the path? They stayed right there. They said, “This is enough. We are not going any further.” This was not the first time that some had stayed behind. When they left the wagons, some stayed. Yet, some of those who withstood the first test turned back when they cut the luggage off. Even some of those who continued on when they got off of the horses stayed behind when the path became too narrow to continue with their shoes on. You see, there is more than one test in the Christian walk.

Why did the Lord not tell them at the beginning of the journey, “Do not worry with the horses and the wagons? You will not be able to take the luggage; and, in fact, you will not be able to wear your shoes and socks on the journey”? Why did He not do that? He knows the frailty of human nature, and He is merciful. He takes us with all of our baggage, if we have a heart to follow Him, and helps us to grow in our experience.

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.” II Corinthians 4:6–8. Commenting on this verse, Ellen White says, “Christ commissions us to shine as lights in the world, by reflecting the light of God as seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

“Who among us is doing this? Are our lives all aglow with this wondrous light? God expects every one of us to reflect His image to the world. We have been led on step by step to make advancement. We have walked and worked by faith, and we need to discipline ourselves to endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.” This Day With God, 65.

Even though we are perplexed, friends, we are not even distressed or in despair, because we have a heavenly Father who has caused light to shine out of the darkness onto our pathway. As His light shines upon us, it fills our hearts with thankfulness for what He has done for us; and we are willing to do anything for Him. No matter how narrow the pathway is, we would not want to be anywhere else.

Did you notice that even among those who had begun the trip, there were some who at each narrowing of the path did not go on? Sometimes, friends, we are going to have to endure some trials; but we must continue to press up the path. “But this doing the duty of a soldier means work. It is not always just such work as we would choose. Outward inconveniences, difficulties, and trials have to be borne by the soldier of Jesus. There is a constant warfare to be maintained against the evils and inclinations of our own natural hearts.” Youth’s Instructor, December 22, 1886.

Are there things in your life that you have allowed to go on for years? Things that you know you should be changing? Friends, the Christian experience does not just happen accidentally. It takes work. Everything must be laid on the altar.

“We must not pick and choose the work most agreeable to us; for we are Christ’s soldiers, under His discipline, and we are not to study our own pleasure. We might fight the battles of the Lord manfully. We have enemies to conquer that would gain the control of all our powers. Self-will in us must die; Christ’s will alone must be obeyed. The soldier in Christ’s army must learn to endure hardness, deny self, take up the cross, and follow where his Captain leads the way.” Ibid.

Our heavenly Father wants to do something with us. He wants to make a spectacle of us to the whole world. He knows how entangled we are with this world, so instead of revealing everything to us at once, in His great love, He leads us step by step. Are you willing to stay on the path no matter what the Lord asks you to do, even if it is to sacrifice life itself? He has something so mighty, so great, that He wants to accomplish in each of us, that as we look back on the path of this life, we would have it no other way than the way that He directed.

“Our danger of falling from the pathway increased. We pressed close to the white wall, yet could not place our feet fully upon the path, for it was too narrow. We then suspended nearly our whole weight upon the cords, exclaiming: ‘We have hold from above! We have hold from above!’ The same words were uttered by all the company in the narrow pathway. As we heard the sounds of mirth and revelry that seemed to come from the abyss below, we shuddered. We heard the profane oath, the vulgar jest, and low, vile songs.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 595.

The time is coming when there are going to be some steep places in the path that require work. In preparation for that time, I want to accustom myself to hardship.

“I noticed that the beautiful white wall was stained with blood. It caused a feeling of regret to see the wall thus stained. This feeling, however, lasted but for a moment, as I soon thought that it was all as it should be. Those who are following after will know that others have passed the narrow, difficult way before them, and will conclude that if others were able to pursue their onward course, they can do the same.” Ibid., 596.

There are those who have gone before, and we are to walk as they have walked. There is nothing that we are called upon to endure that has not been endured by those before us. “As the shepherd goes before his sheep, himself first encountering the perils of the way, so does Jesus with His people. ‘When He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them.’ The way to heaven is consecrated by the Saviour’s footprints. The path may be steep and rugged, but Jesus has traveled that way; His feet have pressed down the cruel thorns, to make the pathway easier for us. Every burden that we are called to bear He Himself has borne.

“Though now He has ascended to the presence of God, and shares the throne of the universe, Jesus has lost none of His compassionate nature. Today the same tender, sympathizing heart is open to all the woes of humanity. Today the hand that was pierced is reached forth to bless more abundantly His people that are in the world.” The Desire of Ages, 480.

And so, while our feet are aching and sore and bruised, His feet have gone before ours, smoothing the way and pressing down the cruel thorns, so the pathway is not as difficult for us. Is not that encouraging?

“At length we came to a large chasm, at which our path ended. There was nothing now to guide the feet, nothing upon which to rest them. Our whole reliance must be upon the cords, which had increased in size until they were as large as our bodies. Here we were for a time thrown into perplexity and distress. We inquired in fearful whispers: ‘To what is the cord attached?’ My husband was just before me. Large drops of sweat were falling from his brow, the veins in his neck and temples were increased to double their usual size, and suppressed, agonizing groans came from his lips. The sweat was dropping from my face, and I felt such anguish as I had never felt before. A fearful struggle was before us. Should we fail here, all the difficulties of our journey had been experienced for nought.

“Before us, on the other side of the chasm, was a beautiful field of green grass, about six inches high. I could not see the sun; but bright, soft beams of light, resembling fine gold and silver, were resting upon this field. Nothing I had seen upon earth could compare in beauty and glory with this field. But could we succeed in reaching it? was the anxious inquiry. Should the cord break, we must perish. Again, in whispered anguish, the words were breathed: ‘What holds the cord?’ For a moment we hesitated to venture. Then we exclaimed: ‘Our only hope is to trust wholly to the cord. It has been our dependence all the difficult way. It will not fail us now.’ Still we were hesitating and distressed. The words were then spoken: ‘God holds the cord. We need not fear.’ These words were then repeated by those behind us, accompanied with: ‘He will not fail us now. He has brought us thus far in safety.’

“My husband then swung himself over the fearful abyss into the beautiful field beyond. I immediately followed. And, oh, what a sense of relief and gratitude to God we felt! I heard voices raised in triumphant praise to God. I was happy, perfectly happy.” Ibid., 596, 597.
I am so glad that the prophet of the Lord does not leave us with the picture of them falling off of the path. In God’s Word we are assured, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13.

“The heirs of God have come from garrets, from hovels, from dungeons, from scaffolds, from mountains, from deserts, from caves of the earth, from the caverns of the sea. On earth they were ‘destitute, afflicted, tormented.’ Millions went down to the grave loaded with infamy because they steadfastly refused to yield to the deceptive claims of Satan. By human tribunals they were adjudged the vilest of criminals. But now “God is judge Himself.’ Psalm 50:6. Now the decisions of earth are reversed. ‘The rebuke of His people shall He take away.’ Isaiah 25:8. ‘They shall call them, The Holy people, The redeemed of the Lord.’ He hath appointed ‘to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.’ Isaiah 62:12; 61:3. They are no longer feeble, afflicted, scattered, and oppressed. Henceforth they are to ever be with the Lord. They stand before the throne clad in richer robes than the most honored of the earth have ever worn. They are crowned with diadems more glorious than were ever placed upon the brow of earthly monarchs. The days of pain and weeping are forever ended. The King of Glory has wiped the tears from all faces; every cause of grief has been removed. Amid the waving of palm branches they pour forth a song of praise, clear, sweet, and harmonious; every voice takes up the strain, until the anthem swells through the vaults of heaven: ‘Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.’” The Great Controversy, 650.

Amen.

Worse Sinner Than I Am

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The apostle Paul describes the whole purpose for Jesus Christ to come to this world. It is found in I Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” He came to save sinners.

The Bible says, in Romans 3:23, that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” It is a fact that we are all sinners and it was for sinners that Jesus came to this world to save. Sinners need a Saviour, but one of the anomalies about the human race is that even though we recognize that we need to be saved, sometimes we have trouble recognizing that others, whom we consider much worse sinners than we are, also need saving grace. I am thankful that God does not take exception. He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:4. This includes the people that I think are worse sinners than I am. God is no respecter of persons.

Luke 15:1, 2 says, “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained [they found fault], saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them.’ ” In the Jewish society, people were catalogued—which people were the worst sinners? Tax collectors were considered the worst for they hired out to the Romans to collect taxes from fellow Jews. A woman who became a harlot or prostitute was considered as low as a woman could go. Shocked that Jesus would associate with what they considered the dredge of society they said, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” This was a smear tactic against Jesus’ character, implying that He condoned sin.

Let’s think this through. The only way a sinner can be saved is if somebody comes in contact with that person and shows them the way of salvation. This was the sole purpose of Jesus. “He pitched His tent by the side of the tents of men, that He might dwell among us, and make us familiar with His divine character and life.” The Desire of Ages, 23.

We cannot help sinners to be saved if we are not willing to come in contact with them. There are many Christians today that say they want the sinners to be saved, but if you are to bring one of these sinners to church, their attitude changes.

Several years ago, a relative of mine was working with a missionary outreach project in the San Francisco, California, area. It was the time of the hippy movement, and San Francisco was the hub where young people from all over the United States rejected the middle class of their parents and went to San Francisco and lived on the street in a communal type lifestyle. It was actually a very demoralizing development that happened in America during that time. My relative came in contact with many of these people, praying with them and giving them books like Steps to Christ. She found that some of the hippies were becoming disenchanted with the lifestyle and wanted something different, so she decided to invite them to church. Dressed in their blue jeans and so different than the rest of the congregation in their suits and ties, they were invited to sit in the back row. Recognizing that they were not accepted there, they soon became discouraged and left. People tend to segregate into groups and tend not to accept people of other social groups that are so different than their own. Jesus got into trouble with the Pharisees because He was different; He accepted people from the “wrong” social group.

He was not exclusive and accepted people from all races, all social groups, all backgrounds. It did not matter to Jesus what their sin problem was. The only question He asked was, “Do you want to be saved; would you like to be clean?” That attitude was so foreign to the leaders that they could not accept it. They found fault saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Jesus received them and ate with the people that were considered so sinful that they could not be saved, but Jesus saved them.

Unfortunately, not very many of the religious leaders were saved. Ironically, a study of the Bible shows that the people who human beings believed would be saved, end up not being saved, and those that we think it impossible to be saved are the ones that end up being saved. It was that way in Jesus’ day. Jesus said, “ ‘Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said to Him, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.’ ” Matthew 21:31.

Jesus received sinners and ate with them. John the Baptist did. Are you willing to do the same and offer them the gift of salvation?

After He was criticized because He received sinners and ate with them, Jesus told them three of the most familiar stories in the gospels. We are going to look at the third one that begins in Luke 15:11, 12. “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.”

Notice, the younger of his two sons said to his father, “Father, I don’t want to wait until you die to get my inheritance. I want it now.” The first thing we see in this story is the impatience of sin. “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together.” Verse 13. The father divided to his sons his livelihood and the younger son gathered his things together, anxious to get ready to go on a trip. In the selfishness of his sin he gathered it all together, not so he could help somebody but because he wanted to have a good time.

If your life consists in serving yourself, the devil is satisfied knowing that you belong to his kingdom and not to Jesus Christ. Nobody that serves himself belongs to Jesus Christ. “He [Jesus] died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” II Corinthians 5:15.

A born again Christian lives for the One that died for him or her, but this young man set out to do all that pleased himself without regard to his father or his family. We see in the story the selfishness of sin.

Luke 15:13 continues, He “journeyed to a far country.” He separated from his father’s house. Separation is the result of sin. First there is the impatience of sin, the selfishness of sin that results in the separation of sin. But not only did the son journey to a far country, but he “wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” This is sometimes translated as riotous living, or a very literal translation of the Greek word would be wasteful living. Now we see the wastefulness of sin. This young man was worth a lot of money, but because of riotous living he wasted his substance.

God understands when a young man or young woman goes into sin. They waste their manhood or womanhood. This young man wasted his money. He wasted his time and also he wasted his opportunities. Have you been wasting your life?

We usually think of waste in terms of money. He was wasting his money, but not just that, he was wasting his manhood, his self-respect, his time and his life. Notice what it says in Isaiah 52:3: “For thus says the Lord: ‘You have sold yourselves for nothing. And you shall be redeemed without money.’ ” You just wasted it all. Nothing is much more frustrating to a person who is a good manager, whether it be of time or money, than to have to deal with somebody else who is a waster. Much of the trouble in this world today is because of waste in some area.

“But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want.” Luke 15:14. I call this the dissatisfaction of sin. The young man was now in want. No longer was he satisfied, and the thrilling life he lived had ended. This is what always happens to a person that is living in sin. There will always come a time when what they thought was exciting and pleasurable, what they thought was having a good time no longer satisfies.

The pleasures of sin are always temporary. Fortunately for some, they get this figured out ahead of time before they make bad choices. In Hebrews 11:25, talking about Moses, it says, He chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” for a season or, in other words, to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin. Though he could have enjoyed the luxuries of the Egyptian palace, Moses esteemed “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” Verse 26.

Well, the time had come that the younger son was no longer satisfied with his life, and he needed a solution to his problem. “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” Luke 15:15. He now experienced the degradation of sin. In the Jewish culture there was no lower place you could go than to feed swine. It was the worst job imaginable.

It was not sinful, but it was just considered the worst, most degrading job you could have. This illustrates the degradation of sin. “And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.” Verse 16. I call this the destitution of sin. A young man with such a future leaves the comfort of his father’s home and now is destitute; he is as low as he can go, and nobody gives him anything.

A destitute person has nothing. He has no food, no clothing, no shelter, no transportation—he has nothing! That person is destitute.

On that first step, when he first started experiencing the selfishness of sin, he thought that his life would be wonderful. He longed for the freedom he would have once he could separate from his father’s house with its perceived restrictions. With his inheritance of a considerable amount of money, he thought he was having a good time experiencing the wastefulness of sin. But then, when the money ran out and his partying friends left, he experienced the degradation of sin, and now the destitution that follows.

He reached the bottom of the pit and there was no place lower to go. This is a pathetic place to end up, but sadly it is not uncommon to find a person in this experience. Often God has to allow them go really low before He can get their attention. Some have landed in prison or in the hospital. Others went bankrupt before God was able to get their attention.

Finally, unlike some other people’s experiences, the story of the prodigal son has a happy ending. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’ ” Verses 17–19. He finally decided it was time to go home, back to his father’s house. Before he might have thought that the father’s house was full of hypocrites, something that I hear all the time. “I’m not going to go to church; the church is full of hypocrites!”

Just like hospitals are made for the sick people that want to be well, the church was made for the sinners that want to have salvation. The church is not a club just for the people that are already holy. The church is a hospital for sinners that need to be saved.

So this broken young man decided that it was time that he would go back home. The church is home. Don’t let anybody tell you that it is not important whether you belong to the church or not. When Jesus comes back to this world, He’s coming to get His church. Revelation 19 is very clear on that point. Jesus is coming to get His church; He is not coming for anybody else.

The delinquent son decided to go home. In order to arise and go to his father, he had to leave his harlots and his whiskey in the far country. Don’t get mixed up about that. He could not bring his harlots and his whiskey home with him. Friend, if you want to go home, you have to be willing to leave your sinful life in the far country. The Father is waiting for you to come home, but He’s not going to accept you with the harlots and the whiskey; it must be left behind. If you want to live in sin, you will have to stay outside the father’s house.

But this boy decided that he would leave all that in the far country, and he came home with the confession of his sins. “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” Verse 20. Do you realize that there is Somebody that wants you to come home? Your Father in heaven is watching, just like that father was watching the road every day. We know he was anxiously watching the road, because the Bible says he saw his son when he was a long ways away.

I once had a physiology teacher in graduate school who told us that if you love somebody, you can recognize the person you love from a greater distance than you can recognize anybody else. The father loved that prodigal son, so when he saw him a long way off, he recognized him, even though he was in rags and looked nothing at all like when he left. The father’s love recognized him, “That’s my boy!”

He did not wait for him to get home and get himself cleaned up, but he ran to meet him on the road. Friend, there’s Somebody that wants you back home. The father ran to him and embraced him. He let him know how glad he was to have his son back home. By the way, this is how sinners should be treated when they come into an Adventist church; they should recognize immediately from our conduct toward them that we are glad they are home.

And so, he poured out his confession: “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ” Verse 21. He recognized and confessed that he had sinned. Those who want to be accepted at home need to have this spirit of confession, because “He who covers his sins [or attempts to cover them] will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13.

He confessed, “I have sinned, I am no more worthy to be called your son.” This is a wonderful story because it says in verse 22 of Luke 15, “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.’ ” The rings worn in those days were the things they used to sign documents. By this act the father was giving to his son permission once more to have access to the family checking account.

Verses 23 and 24 continue, “ ‘And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.” O, friend, if you are in the far country and have not come home yet, it says your condition is lost. If you are living in sin, you are lost. If you are living a prodigal life, you are lost. If you don’t belong to God’s children, you are lost. But do not despair; you do not need to stay lost, you can come home. And when you come home, the Father is going to put His arm around you and welcome you and give you full fellowship with the family.

But there is a sadder part to this story. It says in verses 25–27, “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ ”

The older brother in this story represents the first-born. This is very interesting. When you study sociology, you learn that the first-born child is always the more conservative. The first-born is the one that tends to emulate and imitate his parents and is often the one that becomes more successful in this society and in this world. What happened in this family follows the exact same pattern that happens still today. You can read it for yourself in The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman, (Revell, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009). There is decided difference between the first-born, and the second-born, and youngest.

The first-born had never left the father’s house. This man was lost in church. The far country is not the only place you could be lost. You could be lost in church. However, nobody knows you are lost, because you do all the right things. He was so confident. Look at the conversation he and his father had together: “He was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.’ ” Verses 28, 29.

I have never done anything wrong. I always pay my tithe. I always do what’s right. I never steal. And yet you don’t treat me as nice as you treat my younger brother who went out and wasted your living. Notice what it says in verse 30: “But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.”

I am sorry to tell you, friends, the spirit of the older brother is rife in the church today when somebody in the church wants to help one of the prodigal sons that is coming home. One of the reasons there are so many prodigal sons that never get back home is because there are too many older brothers in the church. The prodigal does not feel comfortable; they are not accepted, and everybody is thinking about their past whereas the father was going to give this younger boy a chance for the future.

This is really a loaded story. Where do I fit in? Where do you fit in? Are you unhappy if persons in the church decide to really put themselves out to help somebody that is living in sin to win them back? Are you unhappy if somebody that has made some terrible mistakes in his/her life receives something that you don’t receive? Do you get unhappy because the prodigal son is treated too well? I am talking here about a common problem in the church today. We need to ask the Lord to help us to be converted, so that the Father can bring His prodigal children back home.

There are many prodigal sons that God cannot bring home into our churches because they would get discouraged and go right back out because of the coldness of the older brothers in the church. Look at verses 31 and 32: “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”

Here we see, at the end of the story, one brother is saved and there is still one brother that is lost. But for the brother that is lost, for the Pharisee in the church, the Father wants to save him too. The Father wants to save the Pharisees as well as the prodigals.

But friend, can I be saved if I’m not happy when somebody else is saved? Can I be saved if I’m not happy when somebody else gets something that I don’t think they deserve, when everything I have is something that I don’t deserve? The last verses give heaven’s most touching appeal to the Pharisees of all ages. Phariseeism is human nature applied to religion. It is common throughout the religious world today. It is common in the Adventist church.

There are prodigal sons that need to be saved. And if they are going to be saved, we need to pray that we will be converted and that we will have the attitude of the father toward them so the Lord can bring them to His home. Ask the Lord that we be converted. As you read this story, think it through and ask the Lord to help you understand where you fit in.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

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

James White Collection, One Hundred Infidels Converted

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With the 1st of January, 1838, William Miller commenced a second course of lectures at Lansingburgh, New York, in compliance with the urgent request of the Baptist Church in that place, and of E. B. Crandall, their pastor. The lectures continued nine days, and were listened to by crowded and attentive audiences. The result also was most heart cheering. Infidelity had several strongholds in that neighborhood, and many of that class attended his lectures, and were greatly affected by them. In a letter dated on the 25th of that month, two weeks after the close of the lectures, a gentleman of that place writes to Mr. Miller:

“I have never witnessed so powerful an effect in any place as in this, on all who heard. I am of the opinion that not less than one hundred persons who held infidel sentiments are brought to believe the Bible. Infidelity is dumb in this place, as if frightened, and converts are many.”

Testimony of One Converted

 

The following testimony of one who was converted from infidelity during these lectures is copied from the Boston Investigator (an infidel paper) of January, 1845.

“Mr. Editor: I was a warm supporter of the views of Abner Kneeland, attended his lectures and protracted dances, disbelieved in Divine revelation and a future existence, and fully accorded with Mr. Kneeland’s views of religion. Having read every work of note that I could obtain, and having heard many lectures opposed to God and the Bible, I considered myself prepared to overthrow the Christian faith, and feared no argument that could be brought from the Bible. With these feelings, I attended a full course of Mr. Miller’s lectures. He gave rules of interpretation, and pledged himself to prove his position. I approved of his rules,—to which I refer you,—and the result was, he established the fact that the Bible is what it purports to be—the Word of God—to my mind, beyond a doubt; and I have taken it as the man of my counsel. I notice your doubts of the truth of the statement in relation to hundreds of infidels being converted under the preaching of Mr. Miller. This may possibly be owing to your never having given Mr. Miller a candid and thorough hearing. He is a man mighty in the Scriptures, and has done terrible execution in the ranks of the ‘King’s enemies,’ with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. I am personally acquainted with nearly one hundred who held to similar views with Abner Kneeland, who were converted under the preaching of Mr. Miller; and we did not yield the point without a struggle, nor without due consideration. Each and every prop and refuge of infidelity and unbelief was swept by the truth of the Almighty as chaff is driven by the wind. Yet we parted with them much as a man parts with a diseased tooth. We tried to cure and keep it there, and when made to know that the root and foundation was rotten, it was painful to part with; but we rejoiced and felt better after the separation; for there is balm in Gilead—there is a Physician there.”

The Last Interview

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There was a small Seventh-day Adventist Church in North Dakota years ago that was located not far away from where I lived. One by one the members either moved away or died until there was only one man left. He was in his 80s, an interesting man who shared many stories about the past and was still operating his own farm. The time came when my wife and I were going to move, but we had planned to return in a couple of years. Becoming close friends with the man, I assured him that as soon as I returned from California, I would come and see him again. He said that would not happen because he would not be there. Believing him to be in very good health and still farming full time, I did not understand his reasoning. Many a person has had the last conversation with another without realizing it would be their last. We visited and had prayer together, and as it turned out, he knew the future a lot better than I did, for I never saw him again.

If you knew that the communication you were having would be the last, what would you say? My wife had a relative who, during the Civil War, was captured. He was told that he would be shot the next morning at sunrise. Whatever he had to say to his family or friends or anyone else would have to be communicated that night. What would you write to them? The time came in the life of Jesus when He would have the last interview with His disciples. The apostle John thought that this last interview was so important that he took five chapters in the gospel of John to record what Jesus said to His disciples on that occasion. (See John 13–17.)

life

  1. Never Alone – The first thing that I would say to my children is, “Even when I am gone, you are not going to be alone.” This is one of the major topics Jesus covered in His last interview with His disciples. Read it in John 14:16–24. Jesus said, “I am making a request to My Father, and He will send you the Holy Spirit Who will stay with you forever.” Jesus had just told them that He was going to leave, and they were terrified, as is a child when they find out that their parent is dying. Jesus said to them, “Do not let your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house there are many permanent dwellings. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will prepare a place for you, and I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1–3 literal translation. He said, “Believe Me, trust in Me, and you will not be left alone.”

In the book, The Desire of Ages, 669, 670, Ellen White comments on these words of Jesus promising His disciples that they would not be left alone. “At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.” That is just wonderful news. You may lose your parent, spouse or best friend, but there is Somebody you will never lose and you will not be alone. Jesus said, “I am going, but you are not going to be alone.”

He is going to be with you forever. It is wonderful to know that whoever you may lose in this world, if circumstances separate you from every earthly friend and you feel helpless and alone and the future looks dark and perplexing, if you will pray and ask for it, Jesus will send His Holy Spirit to be right beside you to support you and to comfort and help you, and you need never be alone. God’s children will never be deprived of the Holy Spirit.

  1. Assurance of Salvation – Do you know for sure that your name is in the Book of Life? How can you be sure? The Bible makes it very clear, in Revelation 20, that you cannot have eternal life unless your name is in the Book of Life. Many Christians do not have this assurance. If it is not there, then you need to do something today so that it is.

In Luke 10, after the 70 disciples returned from their missionary work, Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Verses 18–20. The people whose names were written in heaven were involved in evangelism.

I noticed in my Bible studies that every time it referred to somebody whose name was in the book, it was somebody who was involved in helping somebody else to be saved. Someone who is saved will always be convicted to help others. Paul speaks of some women whose names were in the book. He said, “And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.” Philippians 4:3. These women who were Paul’s fellow workers, laboring with him in the gospel, are going to have eternal life, and if you go to heaven, you will meet these people. They did what they could to help their fellow men to be saved. When you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour from sin and as the Lord of your life and have been baptized into the church, then at that time, your name is registered in the Book of Life. But this does not guarantee salvation, as your name could be taken out at any time. John the revelator tells us what to do so that our names will not be taken out. “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5. To be retained in the Book of Life, you must be an overcomer.

Another text, found in Revelation 21:27, describes the type of people who will not enter the New Jerusalem, the Holy City: “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

To find out what things defile, go to the book of Leviticus. You will need to read the context, but you will see the conclusions. “Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you.” Leviticus 18:24–26. The Israelites were not even to allow a stranger, a person who was not a believer in the true God or an Israelite, to do these things in the land of Israel, “(for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God.” Verses 27–30.

Today, particularly in the western world, by what we watch on television, videos and Internet, we are doing the very things that we were commanded not to do in this chapter, and then we wonder why there is so much crime. Leviticus 19:31 says, “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” Young people are fascinated by and play all kinds of satanic games that defile. God said, “You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things and therefore I abhor them. But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, Who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.” Leviticus 20:22–26.

Notice that you can be defiled by what you eat, what you are looking at, what you are listening to and in what you are participating. Read the law of Moses. To be defiled is to be unclean. In Leviticus 22:32, it says, “You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you [makes you holy].”

Nothing that is defiled, unclean or profane will enter the Holy City. Nothing that makes abomination will enter there. We are told some of the abominations in Proverbs 6:16–19: “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”

The condition of those entering the Holy City are clear, and those who want their names to remain in the Book of Life will not be engaging in any of these things that are described as an abomination. Lying has been mentioned as one of the things that God hates. Those who have entrance into God’s Holy City will overcome all guile; that is, all deceit. One of the characteristics of the 144,000 is that they have no deceit.

“The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.” Zephaniah 3:13.

We need to pray and plead for help because it is impossible for a human being to always tell the exact truth without the aid and direction of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not tell a lie, and if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will be able to always be honest.

  1. Secure Your Name in the Book of Life – Those whose names are not written in the book will have an eternal separation from those who are saved. If your name is in the book, it does not matter whether you live or die, because when Jesus returns, you will be together again.
  2. Knowing Where Jesus is Now – Another important thing to discuss in our last interview is, “Where is Jesus now?” I am well aware of the fact about what Seventh-day Adventists have been taught since the 1940s, and I believe that Jesus is ministering for the remnant and the whole world in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. Can Jesus be in more than one place at a time? While talking to Nicodemus, Jesus said that no one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (See John 3:13.) Jesus was in Judea at the time and speaks about the “Son of man Who is,” that is present tense, “in heaven.” Jesus is now ministering for us in heaven, but that is not the only place where He is. Ellen White wrote this on August 2, 1900: “God had a church when Adam and Eve and Abel accepted and hailed with joy the good news that Jesus was their Redeemer. These realized as fully then as we realize now the promise of the presence of God in their midst.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 4, 293. So, when Adam and Eve and Abel met together outside the Garden of Eden, they realized the presence of God in their midst—the Lord was right with them. Some may say that we are not talking about Jesus, but God the Father. She continues, “Whenever Enoch found one or two who were willing to hear the message he had for them, Jesus joined with them in their worship of God. In Enoch’s day there were some among the wicked inhabitants of earth who believed. The Lord never yet has left His faithful few without His presence nor the world without a witness.” Ibid.

Jesus joined those who came to worship Him. If I were leaving this place or this life, I would want people to know that it is important to meet with God’s people to worship on the Sabbath day to be where Jesus is present.

  1. A New Commandment – In Jesus’ last interview, He had so much on His mind. One of the first things He told His disciples was that He was going away, but He was going to give them a new commandment—to love one another as He had loved them. This was before He had gone to the cross, and they just did not realize what He meant when He said that by this all men will know that you are disciples to Me if you have love for one another (John 13:35).

We have the most wonderful truth in the world, but it does not have the impact on people that it should, because we do not love one another as Jesus loved us. If we did, the gospel would have a force and impact that we cannot imagine. This world is a cruel, cold, dark and awful place. There are people in this world that have never seen the love of Jesus. If they saw it, they would immediately want it. Jesus is depending upon His followers to show this love to the world.

One of the huge problems is that we say we love somebody when we do not love them at all, because we do not know what love is. People confuse sexual passion with love, and that is as far different as the east is from the west. Let’s see what the Bible says about love. “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:10. There are many people who believe they are Christians, but who do not know that they are children of the devil. Remember when the disciples went to Jesus and said these Samaritans are not even inviting You home, so if You want us to, we will call down fire from heaven on these people and burn them up. Jesus had given these disciples power to work miracles. Ellen White says they were shocked when they saw the expression on His face, and they were even more shocked when He opened His mouth and said, “You don’t know what spirit you are of” (Luke 9:55). They were of the spirit of the devil, but since they were followers of Jesus, they thought everything was fine. In The Desire of Ages, 487, Ellen White said, “There can be no more conclusive evidence that we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our work, or who act contrary to our ideas.”

How do you feel toward those people who do not appreciate what you do or act contrary to what you think they ought to do? If you want to hurt them, then there is no more conclusive evidence than that you have the spirit of Satan. No church that tries to destroy another church is really a Christian church but has the spirit of the devil. Many professed Christians of all denominations will be shocked to hear Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from Me.” Matthew 7:23.

It is impossible to have the spirit of the devil and have your name retained in the Book of Life. Our theme is Christ is love, Christ is forgiveness and Christ is purity. John says, in I John 3:3, “Every man who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (literal translation). No one will go into the Holy City that is not pure. The Bible says there is nobody in the world that is pure and that nobody can bring something pure out of something that is impure (Job 14:4). This requirement is impossible for us on our own merits, and that is why Jesus had to die on the cross. The Bible says it is essential to receive a new heart and a new spirit and the old man has to be crucified, because it is hopeless. Jesus said to Nicodemus that unless you are born from above, unless you receive a new heart and a new spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. If you have received a new heart and a new spirit, you cannot remain pure if you stay connected with an organization, including a church organization, that is in open sin. There will be people in the last days who have a form of godliness and deny the power of it. Paul says to turn away from those people (II Timothy 3:5). By remaining with them, you will become like them. Paul tells us, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather rebuke them.” Ephesians 5:11. If you have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, you will become like them.

  1. Are You a Member of the True Church – If I were having my last interview, I would want to ask, Are you a member of the true church? Many may say yes, but that is not always true. There is a wonderful promise, but it is only for certain people. “Speaking to His church Christ said, ‘Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Matthew 18:19, 20).” Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, 164.

You and I have the most wonderful privilege, the privilege of reading special testimonies given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the people that are living in the last days. In these testimonies the Holy Spirit opens things up to our eyes, just like putting a magnifying glass on the Bible so you can see exactly what it is saying. Ellen White continues, “The professing Christian who is not a Christian in practice, is not included in this promise. It is only when the voice of the church becomes the voice of Christ, that the promise can be received in its fullness.” Ibid.

Jesus says when two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there (Matthew 18:20). He is speaking to His church. But then He says that there are some Christians who are not included in this promise. They are the Christians who profess Christianity but they are not Christian in practice. A Christian in practice is a person who is living a Christlike life. There are many people who claim to be Christian, but they do not love their neighbor. The more you love somebody, the more it will change how you treat him/her.

I was always astonished at the stories I read in the history books about Christians. My brother was reading about some Christian ministers, who got together over a thousand years ago near Constantinople, and were arguing about doctrinal issues. Before the meeting was over, they were all in a big fist fight with each other. What does it matter who is right or wrong if you are in a fist fight? Someday the things that people fight about now they will wonder why in the world they ever fought about that.

The great need in Christianity today is to learn how to get along with others. The reason we don’t get along is because we do not love each other like we should. We need to pray that we will be converted, that we will have love in our heart for others, and that we be not Christians in name only but that we practice the principles of the Christian religion so we may become Christlike in character. We want our names to be retained in the Book of Life, so we will be ready to meet our Lord when He comes.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

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

Weighed in the Balance and Found Wanting

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Someday, every one of us is going to be on this world for the last day of our life. Every day that we live should be a day that we live in reference to that fact, because whether we live until Jesus returns, or die first, there will come a day when our destiny is fixed for eternity and there will be nothing that we can do to change it.

There is a story of a man facing judgment. It was Belshazzar’s last day on this earth, and we are told that he was giving a party. “They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, and iron, wood and stone.” Daniel 5:4. Have you ever read the text in the Bible that says, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth”? Ecclesiastes 7:4. “In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.” Daniel 5:5, 6. Commenting on this verse, Ellen White tells us that, “When God makes men fear, they cannot hide the intensity of their terror.” The Youth’s Instructor, May 19, 1898.

So, Belshazzar called in all of the wise men, those that understand science and philosophy, that they might tell him the meaning of the writing; but they could not do so. “The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, ‘Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.’” Daniel 5:7. Philosophy and science have their proper place, but learning and education will not save you on your last day on earth unless you know the God of heaven.

The queen mother then came to Belshazzar and said, “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.” Verses 11, 12.

So Daniel came in and gave the interpretation of the handwriting that was on the wall. He began by reviewing with him the providence of God in the life of Nebuchadnezzar.

“But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this, And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven.” Verses 20–23. By his actions, Belshazzar had despised the God of heaven.

“The fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written. And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of each word. MENE; God has numbered your kingdom and finished it.” Verses 24–16.

The time is going to come when we will be in this world for our last day, and our character is going to be put into that balance. Though there are stories in the Bible about people who were going in a certain direction who came to a point late in their life when they decided to reverse their direction, those cares are few in number.

“Many are quieting a troubled conscience with the thought that they can change a course of evil when they choose; that they can trifle with the invitations of mercy, and yet be again and again impressed. They think that after doing despite to the Spirit of grace, after casting their influence on the side of Satan, in a moment of terrible extremity they can change their course. But this is not so easily done. The experience, the education of a lifetime, has so thoroughly molded the character that few then desire to receive the image of Jesus.” Steps to Christ, 33.

The judgment is the heart of the message that God has given to Seventh-day Adventists. Our whole message has to do with judgment, because we are living in the end times when the judgment is taking place.

When, in the judgment, we are weighed in God’s balances; every detail of our character will be examined. “God weighs every man in the balances of the sanctuary. In one scale is placed His perfect, unchangeable law, demanding perfect obedience. If in the other there are years of forgetfulness, of rebellion, of self-pleasing, with no repentance, no confession, no effort to do right, God says, “‘Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.’” Youth’s Instructor, July 31, 1902.

None of us can weigh out unless someone takes away our guilt and in its place supplies us with the righteous fulfillment of the Law. That is what the gospel is all about.

We are living in a time when people have become unconcerned about this judgment. They believe that they can live in any way that they please and that it is sufficient to just say, “Lord, I am confessing my sins,” and their sins will be forgiven. But as we just read, if there has been no repentance and no effort to do right, God will say, “No, you are not going to weigh out.”

“A decree went forth to slay the saints, which caused them to cry day and night for deliverance. This was the time of Jacob’s trouble. Then all the saints cried out with anguish of spirit, and were delivered by the voice of God. The 144,000 triumphed. Their faces were lighted up with the glory of God. Then I was shown a company who were howling in agony.” Early Writings, 36.

What were they howling and in agony about? “On their garments [that is, their garments of character] was written in large characters, ‘Thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting.’ I asked who this company were. The angel said, ‘These are they who have once kept the Sabbath and have given it up.’” Ibid., 37.

Now when the national Sunday Law is passed, there is going to be a multitude who are going to give up the Sabbath in order to obtain food and clothing. When that temptation comes to you, I hope that you will remember this reference in this story.

“I heard them cry with a loud voice, ‘We have believed in Thy coming, and taught it with energy.’ And while they were speaking, their eyes would fall upon their garments and see the writing, and then they would wail aloud. I saw that they had drunk of the deep waters, and fouled the residue with their feet—trodden the Sabbath underfoot—and that was why they were weighed in the balance and found wanting.” Ibid.

Sin is the transgression of the Law. When your time comes to be weighed, the Law is going to be on the other side of the balances. The Law demands perfect obedience, and therefore, if you are going to weigh out, you must be diligent and say, “Lord, help me by Your grace to get all sin out of my life now.” That is one of the great problems for a lot of people in our generation. You think this over, relative to some people that you know, and you will realize that many of them plan to get sin out of their lives at some future time; but not now. It has been estimated that there are three million Seventh-day Adventists in the United States. There are not, however, three million Seventh-day Adventists in church every Sabbath. Where are these people? They know our message, and they profess their belief in it; but they are not living it.

Let me share some statements with you. “Since Jesus has made such an infinite sacrifice for us, how cruel it is that we should remain indifferent. Individually, we have cost the life of the Son of God, and He desires us to walk out by living faith, believing in Him with all the heart. He would have you bring the truth of God into the inner sanctuary [that is, your mind], to soften and subdue the soul; for when Christ is dwelling in your heart by faith, you will love those for whom He died. Suppose that the trump of God should sound tonight, who is ready to respond with gladness? How many of you would cry, “Oh, stay the chariot wheels; I am not ready”? Of how many would it be written, as it was written of Belshazzar, “Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting”? To be wanting in that day is to be wanting forever; for when Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, we must be all ready to be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Your only safety is in coming to Christ, and ceasing from sin this very moment.” Signs of the Times, August 29, 1892. Do you see what it means to come up to the last day and be wanting? Our only safety is in coming to Christ and ceasing from sin this moment.

If you decide that you are going to quit some sin in your life tomorrow, you have, at the same time, decided that you are still going to do it today. Now, if you decide that you are going to sin today, can Jesus be your Lord and Saviour today? No, He cannot. You have placed yourself outside of the vale of mercy; and if you should die today, you are lost.

“It is possible to be a partial, formal believer, and yet be found wanting and lose eternal life. It is possible to practice some of the Bible injunctions and be regarded as a Christian, and yet perish because you lack qualifications essential to Christian character. If you neglect or treat with indifference the warnings that God has given, if you cherish or excuse sin, you are sealing your soul’s destiny. You will be weighed in the balance and found wanting. Grace, peace, and pardon will be forever withdrawn; Jesus will have passed by, never again to come within reach of your prayers and entreaties.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 405.

Friends, this is serious business. Are you praying every day and saying, “Lord, please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Give me any rebuke I need, just do not take Your Holy Spirit from me”?

I find that there are many people who have a lot of questions about counsel and believe that in whatever we do, we should follow counsel. The Bible does say that in a multitude of counsel there is safety. We do need to move in harmony with counsel, but we also need to remember that from whomever we are receiving counsel, it does not matter who it is, unless that person is giving evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in their life, we cannot depend on their counsel.

“I might say much more, but have not the strength today. You are already confused by men whose counsel is erratic. If you will come out from these men and be separate, you will be in a much better position to advance the work. There is no safety in following the counsel of men who are not vivified by the Holy Spirit, but must be reformed, else they will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, and found wanting.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 50.

Someday, though, we do not know when, we are going to be placed in the balances. The weight of our character, when put in the balance, will be determined by the motives that caused us to act. If we do not have the love of Jesus in our heart, we may be doing the right things, but we will not weigh out.

“God is weighing our characters, our conduct, and our motives in the balances of the sanctuary. It will be a fearful thing to be pronounced wanting in love and obedience by our Redeemer, who died upon the cross to draw our hearts unto Him. God has bestowed upon us great and precious gifts. He has given us light and a knowledge of His will, so that we need not err or walk in darkness. To be weighed in the balance and found wanting in the day of final settlement and rewards will be a fearful thing, a terrible mistake which can never be corrected.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 370.

“When this church is weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, it is found wanting, having left its first love. The True Witness declares, ‘I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and has found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name’s sake has laboured, and hast not fainted.’ [Revelation 2:2, 3.] Notwithstanding all this, the church is found wanting. What is the fatal deficiency?—‘Thou hast left thy first love.’ Is not this our case? Our doctrines may be correct; we may hate false doctrine, and may not receive those who are not true to principle; we may labor with untiring energy; but even this is not sufficient. What is our motive? Why are we called upon to repent?—‘Thou hast left thy first love.’” Selected Messages, Book 1, 370.

You see, if you do not have the love of Jesus in your heart, you can be doing the right thing, but fail to weigh out. The people in the Ephesian church were not heretics. In fact, those who professed to be apostles, but whom they found were not, they cast out. Their doctrines were right and they hated error, but that is not enough. There will come a time when you will be weighed, and doctrines alone are not enough. If you do not have the love of Jesus inside, you will be wanting; you will be lacking.

“You may manifest great zeal in missionary effort, and yet because it is corrupted with selfishness, and it is nought in the sight of God; for it is a tainted, corrupted offering. Unless the door of the heart is open to Jesus, unless He occupies the soul temple, unless the heart is imbued with His divine attributes, human actions when weighed in the heavenly balances, will be pronounced ‘Wanting.’” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 961.

Oh friends, each one of us is coming to our last day in this world, and each one of us is going to be weighed in the balances. Are you getting ready? Do you have the love of Jesus inside? His meekness, His lowliness? Are you obedient to Him; do your thoughts, words, and the tone of your voice reveal that fact? If you want to make a covenant with the Lord and say, “Lord, I am choosing to lay aside everything that would not be in harmony with Your will; I pray that You will fill my heart and mind with Your Holy Spirit and change them,” I invite you to kneel, right where you are, and ask the Lord to give you this experience right now.

Lord, Is It I ?

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“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” Revelation 14:9. This warning is not restricted in its application. It applies to any individual, church, or group of individuals who worships the beast and who receives his mark. I would like you to consider with me the question: “Lord, is it I?”

As the disciples were seated around the table eating the last meal they would all share together, they were sorrowful. Earlier in the day there had been strife among them as to who would be the greatest; and now, absorbed in their own conflicting thoughts, they were suddenly startled to hear Jesus addressing them with the words, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray Me.” John 13:21. He then added, “But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with Me on the table.” Luke 22:21

“At these words amazement and consternation seized them. They could not comprehend how any one of them could deal treacherously with their divine Teacher. For what cause could they betray Him? and to whom? Whose heart could give birth to such a design? Surely not one of the favored twelve, who had been privileged above all others to hear His teachings, who had shared His wonderful love, and for whom He had shown such great regard by bringing them into close communion with Himself!” The Desire of Ages, 654. But as they reasoned thus, they remembered how true His sayings had been in the past, and fear and self-distrust seized their hearts. Matthew gives this graphic description: “They were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I?” Matthew 26:22

As each of the disciples searched the faces of his companions, “with the most painful emotion, one after another inquired, ‘Lord, is it I?’ But Judas sat silent.” The Desire of Ages, 654

Friends, the question that comes to each one of us is, Whom are you worshipping today? Are you worshipping self? If this is the case, you are preparing yourself to receive the mark of the beast. There are only two voices to which we can listen. One is the voice of God speaking to us in His Ten Commandments; and the other is the voice of Satan, seeking to lead us to place anything else first in our lives.

Finally, John asked the question, ” ‘Lord, who is it?’ And Jesus answered, ‘He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of Him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed; it had been good for that man if he had not been born.’. . . And now the silence of Judas drew all eyes to him.” Ibid. Amid the confusion of all the questioning, Judas did not hear what Jesus had said. He missed it. “But now, to escape the scrutiny of the disciples, he asked as they had done, ‘Master, is it I?’ Jesus solemnly replied, ‘Thou hast said.’

“In surprise and confusion at the exposure of his purpose, Judas rose hastily to leave the room. ‘Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. . . . He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.’ Night it was to the traitor as he turned away from Christ into the outer darkness.” Ibid.

This brings us to one of the most important questions in the Scriptures. “Who can understand his errors?” Psalm 19:12. Human nature can so readily detect the errors in others, but it is with great difficulty that we see our own.

Let us consider what it was that led to Judas’s downfall.

“Judas was highly regarded by the disciples, and had great influence over them. He himself had a high opinion of his own qualifications, and looked upon his brethren as greatly inferior to him in judgment and ability.” The Desire of Ages, 717

In comparing himself to the other disciples, Judas was led to have a far greater appreciation for his own condition than was warranted; and it led to a false experience. Friends, if we are looking at and comparing ourselves to anyone other than our perfect Example, we will be deceived as to our real condition. The human heart is “deceitful above all things.” Jeremiah 17:9

The Spirit of Prophecy, speaking of Judas, uses the term “false disciple.” The prayer of our hearts must be, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me.” Psalm 139:23, 24

Judas felt the satisfaction that always comes in working for others, and while he might have developed an unselfish spirit in ministering to them, he did not. Blinded by his own selfish desires, Judas never allowed that light to penetrate his own soul, revealing the deformity of his own heart. (See The Desire of Ages, 718.) He knew the truth, but a knowledge of the truth that is kept out of the inner soul will never save anyone. Here is the seriousness of looking to one another. Unless the Lord reveals to us our true condition, we will come to a false experience just as Judas did. “When sin has deadened the moral perceptions, the wrongdoer does not discern the defects of his character nor realize the enormity of the evil he has committed; and unless he yields to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit he remains in partial blindness to his sin. His confessions are not sincere and in earnest. To every acknowledgment of his guilt he adds an apology in excuse of his course, declaring that if it had not been for certain circumstances he would not have done this or that for which he is reproved.” Steps to Christ, 40. The spirit of self-justification is a human tendency which has been exhibited in every son and daughter of Adam. For this reason, we need to plead with the Lord, “Is it I?”

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22, 23. A partial blindness is worse than complete blindness because when you are partially blind, you think for sure that you can see.

“Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.” Isaiah 50:11. You see, friends, we can, of our ownselves, generate what we believe to be light. “But when the light from Christ shines into our souls, we shall see how impure we are; we shall discern the selfishness of motive, the enmity against God, that has defiled every act of life. . . . One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects of the human character. . . . The sinner’s acts of disloyalty in making void the law of God, are exposed to his sight. . . . He loathes himself as he views the pure, spotless character of Christ.” Steps to Christ, 28, 29

Many come to depend on an experience they have had in the past, but this will lead us to a false experience. “When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.” Ezekiel 33:13. God is no respecter of persons, and of the highest and most exalted man is required the same obedience and repentance as that of the lowest. No one can disregard the least commandment of God and excuse it because of his temperament or on the basis of his position of the work that God has called him to do. We must overcome.

There is another aspect of the false experience that we need to guard against. Just as there is a false security that comes with comparing ourselves with others, there is also a false humility that leads to a false confession. True confession is not just coming and saying, “I am sorry for everything. You know, I am just sorry.” That is not true confession.

Until we have humbled our hearts before God in acknowledgment of our guilt, we have not fulfilled the first condition of acceptance. “True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.” Steps to Christ, 38 [Emphasis supplied]

There is a confession that is unacceptable to God. “Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation. There must be decided changes in the life; everything offensive to God must be put away. This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin.” Ibid., 39. You see, true confession does not say, I know I did this wrong, but I was really pressured that day and. . . No, if we are doing that, if our confession is not accompanied by a change in our life, we are still partially blind, and we need to pray for the light of God to flow into our soul.

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge!” 2 Corinthians 7:10, 11

Are you praying for this godly sorrow, which is the true sorrow for sin? It says in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” Friends, this is the greatest gift that you can ask for. When you receive it, it will cause your heart to be broken over sin.

Great care needs to be exercised that you do not try to judge either your own, or someone else’s sincerity. Appearance can be very deceiving. Judas had a good appearance.

“Had Judas died before his last journey to Jerusalem he would have been regarded as a man worthy of a place among the twelve, and one who would be greatly missed.” Desire of Ages, 716.

Not all proper-appearing conduct finds its basis in a true experience. “It is true that there may be an outward correctness of deportment without the renewing power of Christ. The love of influence and the desire for the esteem of others may produce a well-ordered life. Self-respect may lead us to avoid the appearance of evil. A selfish heart may perform generous actions.” Steps to Christ, 58

Clearly, it is possible to do the right things for all of the wrong reasons. If we are looking to others to determine our standing, we will then certainly be deceived. A selfish heart may perform generous actions. Here, then, is the question: By what means can we determine whose side we are on?

“Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our best energies?” Ibid. These are the test questions. What are you talking about? Are you justifying yourself? Are you talking about the failings of others? Are you looking to one another and either getting depressed because you do not think you are as good, or being like Judas and getting elated because you think you are better? Who has the heart? What do you think about during the day? “If we are Christ’s, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things.” Ibid.

Before we will be able to give the third angel’s message to the world with power, this message must have accomplished its work in our own hearts. We must each humbly ask the question, “Lord, is it I?”

The End

What Goes Around Comes Around

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For over one hundred years, Seventh-day Adventists have known that the time is coming when all who refuse the mark of the beast will be faced with a death decree. But friends, there are going to be many Seventh-day Adventists who will never reach the point where their life is threatened. Without realizing it, their minds will have already come under the control of Satan long before the crisis arrives.

The first method of mind control that we looked at was the attempt to change the terminology. Change the terminology and you will change the way a person things about the subject. As an example, we showed how rebuke has been called criticism, thereby changing the way people relate to it.

The second method is actually more deceptive than the first. In this method, the same words are used; but they are given a different meaning. Has anyone ever asked you, “Do you believe that the church is going through?” Well, of course you believe that; but the real question is, Who and what is this church that is going through?

There have been some Historic Adventist preachers who have made statements like, I don’t believe in sarcasm.” Now that sounds like a very pious thing to say. In Webster’s dictionary, 1828, it says that sarcasm is an expression that is uttered with some degree of scorn or contempt. Accordingly, a Christian will never, ever utter a sarcastic word.

I am bringing this up because when you get to studying cybernetic warfare, you find that eventually a person goes contrary to the direct command of Jesus in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” In this same chapter, Jesus also said, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Verses 16–20. Therefore, on the basis of the Word of God, we can check the fruit, which is a person’s words and actions; but we do not have authority to say what motives they may have had in speaking those words.

Let me give you an example. “And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is mediating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.’ So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.” I Kings 18:27–29. In twentieth century English, that is sarcastic speech; but I do not have the authority to say whether Elijah had the feeling of contempt in his heart toward these people. That is God’s prerogative, and that is one of the problems that you run into when you start changing definitions of words. Eventually you get to assigning motives to other people.

To the person lacking spiritual vision, it appears that the agents of God and those of Satan are doing the same work. Because of God’s agents rebuke and reprove, sometimes with severity, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this reproof and rebuke is interpreted by unconverted hearts to have been given from the same motives that they themselves feel when making such remarks. You see, we judge things on the basis of our own motives and heart and experience. That is why the Bible says, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” And so it is that the person who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, speaks the words of God in reproof and rebuke finds his words interpreted as sarcasm, faultfinding, criticism, and condemning.

Many years ago there was a life insurance salesman in the United States by the name of Vash Young. He wrote a book entitled The Go-Giver. In this gook he wrote about a number of his experiences. One of the conclusions that he came to was that the average human being makes about 85% of his decisions on any subject based upon his feelings or emotions; but he needs about 15% of logic and reason to justify that feeling or emotion. Now cybernetic warfare, when we say changing the terminology of the word involves communicating an emotional picture to a person’s imagination which influences that person’s decisions and get his sympathy in a desired direction. Often this desired direction can be completely contrary to the facts.

Suppose that you invited my daughter and me to come along with you for a ride and a picnic in the mountains. However, when the time comes, I notice that there are not enough seat belts to go around and, in addition, that your car does not have very good tires. Rather than hurt your feelings by referring to the poor condition of your car, I just tell you that I have decided that I would rather not go. Suppose, then, that a couple of days later a friend of yours calls me on the telephone after talking to you and tells me that you informed him that I boycotted your picnic and he was wondering why I would do anything so traitorous as this.

Ellen White says that, “It is a fact widely ignored, though never without danger, that error rarely appears for what it really is. It is by mingling with or attaching itself to truth that it gains acceptance.” Education, 230, 231. Very often these mind control techniques are a perversion of something that actually is true. Is it true that I did not go on the picnic? Yes. But how has my decision been described? It has been described by words that have a very powerful, negative, emotional connotation. I receive letters all of the time in which this technique is used.

Deuteronomy 6:6–9 says, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” What is the principle here? If you really want to learn something, you expose your mind to it over and over again.

Experts in mind control techniques understand this principle. Did you now that this principle of repeating something over and over again is one of the main principles upon which all propaganda is based? When you hear something you immediately have to do one of two things. You have to decide whether to accept it or to resist it. It does not matter whether the information is true or false; if it is repeated often enough and you are not resisting it, you will believe it. That is the way the human mind is made, and the devil knows it.

When you hear a minister speaking, do you believe what he has to say on the basis of the Word of God, or because he has said it? Not too long ago I received some videos. The person doing the speaking would consider himself an Historic Adventist preacher. I did not have the time to watch them, so I asked a relative of mine to watch them for me and tell me what he heard. It was reported to me that on these videos, the minister made a particular statement. I asked my relative if the person speaking had shown that statement to be true from the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy? “No,” he replied, “he didn’t prove it, but he repeated it 12 times throughout that video.”

If you are not asking the questions, “Is this substantiated in the Word of God?” and resisting everything that is not, after something is repeated 12 times you are going to believe what you are told. You will probably write me a letter or call me on the telephone and tell me about it. It happens all of the time.

This same principle also applies to the speaker. Something repeated over and over again, even if it is not true, eventually becomes truth to the one speaking it, until he will believe it so thoroughly that no one can convince him otherwise. In the effort to get other people to think a certain way, you will influence yourself.

Ellen White tells us that in the last great crisis, “Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority.” The Great Controversy, 592.

Of what law are you an enemy? Well, you are an enemy of the Sunday law, obviously, so you are an enemy of order. In our society, does that send a strong, emotional message that will turn people against you? It certainly does! When this type of information is broadcast on radio and television, you will find that people will accept it; and immediately their emotions will be stirred to a white-hot heat. If you have already experienced, in a degree, this sort of thing, the Lord has just allowed it to take place in your life to harden you up and get your ready for the real attack that is coming.

Let me tell you, friends, we are living in the time when the vast majority of the people in this world are going to be subject to mind control without realizing it is taking place. They will believe that they are about to enter the most wonderful period of human existence that there has ever been. (See The Great Controversy, 588, 589.)

How are you going to escape this? Only by being grounded on the foundation of God’s government—love to God and love for your fellow man. These are the two fundamental principles. If these principles are not in your heart and in mine, if you are not manifesting them in your family or where you work or with the people you associate with, you are not going to make it. I used to naively think that studying the Bible so that I would know the truth would be sufficient; but I want to tell you that unless the truth about Jesus and the love of Jesus has taken possession of your heart, all of the theoretical knowledge is not going to hold you in the battle we are entering.

“That which distinguishes the character and conduct of Christians from all others is the principle of holy, Christlike love, which works in the heart with its purifying influence. The true Christian will work the works of Christ in giving expression in deeds of love one to another. With this living, abiding, working principle in life and in character, no one can resemble the world. If you know the character and works of Christ, you will know the disposition and conduct of Christians. Christ hated evil so much that sin and evil met a strong rebuke from His lips and from His example. While He hated sin, He loved the sinner. . . .

“How much greater strength you might have had as sons and daughters of God had you loved God supremely and your neighbor as you love yourself. How much higher ground you might stand upon if you had been following on to know more and more of the truth and gathering more and more divine light to shine forth in good works to all around you.

“Your works are not pleasing to God but pleasing to the enemy.

“You have lessons to learn in the school of Christ before you will be fitted for heaven. Your self, your ways, your sharp traits of character make you unskillful in dealing with minds and hearts. . . . If you allow yourselves to be dictatorial, accusing, and judging your brethren, and with unsanctified hearts and unholy tempers seeking to mend their wrongs, you do unskillful work and drive souls away from the service of Christ. . . .

“You must take hold of God with one hand while with the other hand, in love, you lay hold upon the erring and the sinner and draw them to Jesus. Pray with them, weep with them, feel for their souls, love them, and never let go of them. This is the love Jesus has expressed for you. You must ever strive for unity and forbearance and love. Never draw apart, but press together, binding heart to heart and making supplications in the Spirit. Then the power of God will work in your midst and many souls will be brought to the truth through your influence.” Manuscript 32, 1887.

Now, friends, I believe in missionary work with all of my heart, and I believe in proclaiming the gospel and the Three Angels’ Messages; but if we are going to get the kind of results that God wants us to have, we must love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind and our neighbor as ourself. It may take a great deal of prayer to know what Jesus would do in the situation in which you find yourself right now, but ask the Lord to teach you how and what to do.

There was a Bulgarian pastor who was taken captive by the Communists. They tried again and again to break him down, but they could not. He said that during the 13 or 14 years that he was in a prison camp, his captors considered him the number one enemy because what he represented would destroy their system. In telling his experience of being beaten and tortured, he said that he noticed that many of the soldiers who were administering this torture became just like animals. At the very time that these people were losing all human feelings and emotions, among some of the prisoners an amazing thing took place. There would be men who, because their jaws had been broken as a result of their beatings, could not take a piece of bread and eat it. Some of their fellow prisoners would take the bread and break it up into small pieces and put in into these injured prisoner’s mouths so that they could get some nourishment. As the torturers were becoming satanic in their nature, there were prisoners who were becoming godlike.

I want to tell you, friends, in the midst of the great crisis that we are entering right now, there is going to be a world full of people who will be like the devil in human flesh. But in the midst of all of this horror, there are going to be some people who will become and exact reflection of the character of Jesus Christ. And, friends, if you live until the end, it is going to be one way or the other with each of you. The only way that you are going to survive is if you have the love of Jesus in your hearts—you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind—and you have love for your fellow man so that nobody can induce you for anything to do something to hurt or harm one of your fellow men because you love others with all of your heart. If you have that love in your heart, they will not be able to break you down. This is the only thing, friends, that will hold you.

Useless … Unless Broken

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“And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Matthew 21:44

To illustrate the truth of this text, we are going to study a little from the life of Judas; Judas, a man whose very name invokes loathing and antipathy with just a passing mention. A man that, rather than fall on the Rock and be broken, had the Rock fall on him and was ground to powder. But, do you know that Judas loved Jesus? Did you know that in Jesus’ teaching Judas recognized a superiority to all other teachings he had heard? Did you know that he desired to be with Jesus and to be changed by him? Did you know that Judas hoped, by connecting himself with Jesus, that he could experience this change of heart? If these things are true, and we will discover from Inspiration that they are, what went wrong, terribly, irrevocably, and eternally wrong? We are going to look at The Desire of Ages, to assist us in answering these questions. In finding answers to these questions, consider seriously this tragic account and learn a lesson through this sad history, such that we choose a different course and be spared the dreadful end that befell Judas on account of his choices.

In The Desire of Ages, beginning with page 716, it says, “The history of Judas presents the sad ending of a life that might have been honored of God. Had Judas died before his last journey to Jerusalem he would have been regarded as a man worthy of a place among the twelve, and one who would be greatly missed.” Judas was loved. He was respected. He led an outwardly exemplary life. He looked good. He had wonderful talents and characteristics. He did not appear the demon we often picture him in our minds. He had compassion on the poor and on the suffering. He worked miracles. However, because of these outward characteristics, the reality of his character was not seen. “The abhorrence which has followed him through the centuries would not have existed but for the attributes revealed at the close of his history. But it was for a purpose that his character was laid open to the world. It was to be a warning to all who, like him, should betray sacred trusts.” Ibid. So God had a very powerful purpose in preserving this sad narrative. Let’s pay close attention that God’s purpose of instruction for us may not be in vain.

We join the story shortly before Passover. Judas had already covenanted to betray the Saviour. “A little before the Passover, Judas had renewed his contract with the priests to deliver Jesus into their hands. Then it was arranged that the Saviour should be taken at one of His resorts for meditation and prayer. Since the feast at the house of Simon, Judas had had opportunity to reflect upon the deed which he had covenanted to perform, but his purpose was unchanged. For thirty pieces of silver—the price of a slave—he sold the Lord of glory to ignominy and death.” Ibid. By the way, Simon, the host of that feast, was also Simon the leper, healed by Jesus, rescued from a horrendous disease and a terrible death, and from the loathing and banishment from society. He was restored, by Jesus, to his family, his friends, to health, to respectability, and … to his son Judas. Yes, it seems that Judas the betrayer was the son of Simon the leper. Yet it was this Healer, this benefactor that Judas had already covenanted to betray.

We wonder, stunned, how could he have done this wicked and dastardly deed? But dear friends, before we become too smug, too self-assured, and before we continue our lesson, I would like to share one sentence for your consideration and thought. It is taken from The Acts of the Apostles, 312, and is a very powerful, yet frightening statement. And in this one sentence we see the root cause of Judas’ demise. If we are honest with ourselves, this sentence will cause us some earnest heart searching. It says, “One sin cherished is sufficient to work degradation of character.” Is there any sin that you cherish or hang on to? “One sin cherished is sufficient to work degradation of character.” And my friends, the result will be every bit as dreadful as was the result for Judas. But this degradation does not happen all at once. Consider this, also from The Desire of Ages.

“Judas had naturally a strong love for money; but he had not always been corrupt enough to do such a deed as this. He had fostered the evil spirit of avarice until it had become the ruling motive of his life. The love of mammon overbalanced his love for Christ. Through becoming the slave of one vice he gave himself to Satan, to be driven to any lengths in sin.” The Desire of Ages, 716.

One vice is all it took. One vice first allowed to be retained, then fostered, then cherished places us under the control of Satan to “be driven [by him] to any lengths in sin.”

But as we just saw, Judas had not always been corrupt enough to betray His Lord. We read, “Judas had joined the disciples when multitudes were following Christ. The Saviour’s teaching moved their hearts as they hung entranced upon His words, spoken in the synagogue, by the seaside, upon the mount. Judas saw the sick, the lame, the blind, flock to Jesus from the towns and cities. He saw the dying laid at His feet. He witnessed the Saviour’s mighty works in healing the sick, casting out devils, and raising the dead. He felt in his own person the evidence of Christ’s power. He recognized the teaching of Christ as superior to all that he had ever heard. He loved the Great Teacher, and desired to be with Him. He felt a desire to be changed in character and life, and he hoped to experience this through connecting himself with Jesus.” Ibid., 716, 717.

Let’s review what we have learned so far. This to me is astonishing.

  1. He felt in his own person the evidence of Christ’s power.
  2. He recognized the teaching of Christ as superior to all he had ever heard.
  3. He loved Jesus.
  4. He desired to be with Him.
  5. He felt a desire to be changed in character and life.
  6. He hoped to experience this through connecting himself with Jesus.

Does this not sound like a converted man? Or at the very least, he was in the process of being converted? So what happened? What changed this process and caused his downfall?

“The Saviour did not repulse Judas. He gave him a place among the twelve. He trusted him to do the work of an evangelist. He endowed him with power to heal the sick and to cast out devils. But (and here is the crux of the issue) Judas did not come to the point of surrendering himself fully to Christ. He did not give up his worldly ambition or his love of money. While he accepted the position of a minister of Christ, he did not bring himself under the divine molding.” [Emphasis added.] Ibid., 717.

Oh, if we are to avoid the same dreadful fate as that of Judas, we must surrender fully to Christ. Do you understand the seriousness of this? “One sin cherished …” Is there a sin that plagues you, a sin that may be in your heart of hearts, though you may not consciously recognize the fact, is there a sin that you just can’t quite surrender to God? Well, if that is the case in any of our lives, we had better listen very carefully to what follows or we will end up like Judas. Because as we continue, we find that it was this lack of complete surrender that led Judas to betray His Lord. And that same result will also be ours if we follow the path, the choice of Judas. The next few paragraphs detail the characteristics Judas either retained or acquired because of his lack of a full surrender. These characteristics were directly opposite of those wonderful characteristics we just read about that were in him. Because of his lack of full surrender Judas

  1. Had a high opinion of his own qualifications
  2. Looked upon his brethren as greatly inferior to him in judgment and ability
  3. Regarded himself as an honor to the cause
  4. Was blinded to his own weakness of character
  5. Indulged his covetous disposition
  6. His heart was open to unbelief (note: was he in unbelief? No, his heart was simply open to unbelief)
  7. He was questioning if there might be some other reason for Jesus’ power and miracles
  8. He was afraid his own hopes and ambitions would be disappointed

Going back to The Acts of the Apostles, to the quote we previously read, the beginning of the paragraph reads, “In the epistle to the Hebrews is pointed out the single-hearted purpose that should characterize the Christian’s race for eternal life: ‘Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith’ (Hebrews 12:1, 2). Envy, malice, evil thinking, evil speaking, covetousness—[are these not the very characteristics that Judas chose to retain?] these are weights that the Christian must lay aside if he would run successfully the race for immortality. Every habit or practice that leads into sin and brings dishonor upon Christ must be put away, whatever the sacrifice. The blessing of heaven cannot attend any man in violating the eternal principles of right. One sin cherished is sufficient to work degradation of character and to mislead others.” The Acts of the Apostles, 312. Can we doubt the truth of these words?

There is a similar statement found in The Desire of Ages that says, “Any habit or practice that would lead into sin, and bring dishonor upon Christ, would better be put away, whatever the sacrifice. That which dishonors God cannot benefit the soul. The blessing of heaven cannot attend any man in violating the eternal principles of right. And one sin cherished is sufficient to work the degradation of the character, and to mislead others.” [Emphasis added.] Ibid., 439. If you read just a few more paragraphs you would see the potent truth of these words about misleading others. I would suggest you read pages 719, 720 of The Desire of Ages.

But then the quote continues, “If the foot or the hand would be cut off, or even the eye would be plucked out, to save the body from death, how much more earnest should we be to put away sin, that brings death to the soul!” The Desire of Ages, 439.

Oh my friends, Judas lost his earthly relationship with Jesus, he lost all that he had so fondly cherished of this world, the power, the position, and the prestige, and he lost the earth to come—because he did not fully surrender to Jesus.

I would like to expand on this thought with a quote from Selected Messages, Book 1, 327. “We are to surrender our hearts to God, that He may renew and sanctify us, and fit us for His heavenly court. We are not to wait for some special time, but today we are to give ourselves to Him, refusing to be the servants of sin. Do you imagine you can leave off sin a little at a time? Oh, leave the accursed thing at once! Hate the things that Christ hates, love the things that Christ loves. Has He not by His death and suffering made provision for your cleansing from sin? When we begin to realize that we are sinners, and fall on the Rock to be broken, the everlasting arms are placed about us, and we are brought close to the heart of Jesus. Then we shall be charmed with His loveliness, and disgusted with our own righteousness. We need to come close to the foot of the cross. The more we humble ourselves there, the more exalted will God’s love appear. The grace and righteousness of Christ will not avail for him who feels whole, for him who thinks he is reasonably good, who is contented with his own condition. There is no room for Christ in the heart of him who does not realize his need of divine light and aid.”

“But you say, ‘This surrender of all my idols will break my heart.’ This giving up of all for God is represented by your falling upon the Rock and being broken. Then give up all for Him; for unless you are broken, you are worthless.” Ibid., 329.

Was Judas useful to Jesus? That almost seems like a blasphemous question, but we must think carefully about these things. Ultimately, Judas enacted the most dastardly deed that could be done on this earth. He betrayed His Lord. Why, because he did not fully surrender himself to Jesus. To make a full surrender we must recognize our need. We must be broken. Did Judas consider himself in need? Did he consider himself broken? No. Therefore, was he useful to God? No, absolutely not. He was less than useful. But if he had allowed himself to be broken, to fall on the Rock, he would have been useful to Jesus.

Today, each one of us has a choice. Will we fall on the Rock and be broken? Will we become broken that we might be of use to our Lord? Or will we choose to cherish some sin, however small, and repeat the history of Judas, and reap degradation, ignominy and ruin? The choice is yours. Today my friends, whatever the sacrifice, whatever the cost, surrender fully to Jesus.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

The New Covenant is for You

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The new covenant is the foundation of the Christian faith. In Patriarchs and Prophets, 371, we are told what this covenant is: “simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law.” God has revealed to us other names or descriptions that we may identify this same covenant:

“The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden, when after the fall there was given a divine promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. To all men this covenant offered pardon and the assisting grace of God for future obedience through faith in Christ. It also promised them eternal life on condition of fidelity to God’s law. Thus the patriarchs received the hope of salvation.

“This same covenant was renewed to Abraham in the promise, ‘In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed’ (Genesis 22:18). This promise pointed to Christ. So Abraham understood it (see Galatians 3:8, 16), and he trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It was this faith that was accounted unto him for righteousness. The covenant with Abraham also maintained the authority of God’s law. … And the Lord declared to him, I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee’ (Genesis 17:7).” Ibid., 370.

“The Abrahamic covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ, and it is called the “second,” or “new,” covenant.” Ibid., 371. This was the same covenant given to Adam.

Ephesians 3:11 states: “According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The same is noted in The Signs of the Times April 25, 1892, which says, “Therefore redemption was not an afterthought—a plan formulated after the fall of Adam—but an eternal purpose to be wrought out for the blessing not only of this atom of a world but for the good of all the worlds which God has created.”

In The Signs of the Times, June 21, 1899, and August 22, 1900, it is called the “irrevocable covenant” and in Revelation 14:6 it is called the eternal or everlasting gospel.

Please note the number of terms used in the following quote:

“The terms of this oneness between God and man in the great covenant of redemption were arranged with Christ from all eternity. The covenant of grace was revealed to the patriarchs. The covenant made with Abraham four hundred and thirty years before the law was spoken on Sinai was a covenant confirmed by God in Christ, the very same gospel which is preached to us. ‘The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham’ (Galatians 3:8). The covenant of grace is not a new truth, for it existed in the mind of God from all eternity. This is why it is called the everlasting covenant. The plan of redemption was not conceived after the fall of man to cure the dreadful evil; the apostle Paul speaks of the gospel, the preaching of Jesus Christ, as ‘the revelation of the mystery, which hath been kept in silence through times eternal’ (Romans 16:25).” The Signs of the Times, August 24, 1891.

The new covenant was instituted, or activated by the Son of God

“The Son of God, heaven’s glorious Commander, was touched with pity for the fallen race. His heart was moved with infinite compassion as the woes of the lost world rose up before Him. But divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be redeemed. The broken law of God demanded the life of the sinner. In all the universe there was but one who could, in behalf of man, satisfy its claims. Since the divine law is as sacred as God Himself, only one equal with God could make atonement for its transgression. None but Christ could redeem fallen man from the curse of the law and bring him again into harmony with Heaven. Christ would take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin—sin so offensive to a holy God that it must separate the Father and His Son. Christ would reach to the depths of misery to rescue the ruined race.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 63.

It was a struggle for God the Father to provide the New Covenant

“Before the Father He pleaded in the sinner’s behalf, while the host of heaven awaited the result with an intensity of interest that words cannot express. Long continued was that mysterious communing—‘the counsel of peace’ (Zechariah 6:13) for the fallen sons of men. The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Revelation 13:8); yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield up His Son to die for the guilty race. But ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16). Oh, the mystery of redemption! the love of God for a world that did not love Him! Who can know the depths of that love which ‘passeth knowledge’ (Ephesians 3:19)? Through endless ages immortal minds, seeking to comprehend the mystery of that incomprehensible love, will wonder and adore.” Ibid., 63, 64.

Here is how it works:

“God was to be manifest in Christ, ‘reconciling the world unto Himself’ (II Corinthians 5:19). Man had become so degraded by sin that it was impossible for him, in himself, to come into harmony with Him whose nature is purity and goodness. But Christ, after having redeemed man from the condemnation of the law, could impart divine power to unite with human effort. Thus by repentance toward God and faith in Christ the fallen children of Adam might once more become ‘sons of God’ (I John 3:2).” Ibid., 64.

The new covenant is “simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law.”

What was the purpose of the sacrificial system?

“The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer. They were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death. To Adam, the offering of the first sacrifice was a most painful ceremony. His hand must be raised to take life, which only God could give. It was the first time he had ever witnessed death, and he knew that had he been obedient to God, there would have been no death of man or beast. As he slew the innocent victim, he trembled at the thought that his sin must shed the blood of the spotless Lamb of God. This scene gave him a deeper and more vivid sense of the greatness of his transgression, which nothing but the death of God’s dear Son could expiate. And he marveled at the infinite goodness that would give such a ransom to save the guilty.” Ibid., 68.

Requirements to provide the new covenant

“The plan by which alone man’s salvation could be secured,

  1. involved all heaven in its infinite sacrifice.
  2. The angels … saw that man’s salvation must cost their loved Commander unutterable woe.
  3. “He must descend from heaven’s purity and peace, its joy and glory and immortal life, and come in contact with the degradation of earth, to endure its sorrow, shame, and death.
  4. He was to stand between the sinner and the penalty of sin; yet few would receive Him as the Son of God.
  5. He would leave His high position as the Majesty of heaven, appear upon earth and humble Himself as a man, and by His own experience become acquainted with the sorrows and temptations which man would have to endure.
  6. All this would be necessary in order that He might be able to succor them that should be tempted (Hebrews 2:18).
  7. When His mission as a teacher should be ended, He must be delivered into the hands of wicked men and be subjected to every insult and torture that Satan could inspire them to inflict.
  8. He must die the cruelest of deaths, lifted up between the heavens and the earth as a guilty sinner.
  9. He must pass long hours of agony so terrible that angels could not look upon it, but would veil their faces from the sight.
  10. He must endure anguish of soul, the hiding of His Father’s face, while the guilt of transgression—the weight of the sins of the whole world—should be upon Him.” Ibid., 64.

Those who will accept the terms will be given access to the kingdom of glory for eternity. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us.” I John 3:1.

To keep before the minds of the people the sacrifice of the Lamb of God to redeem them the system of sacrifices was introduced to Adam. “The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer. They were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death. To Adam, the offering of the first sacrifice was a most painful ceremony. His hand must be raised to take life, which only God could give. It was the first time he had ever witnessed death, and he knew that had he been obedient to God, there would have been no death of man or beast. As he slew the innocent victim, he trembled at the thought that his sin must shed the blood of the spotless Lamb of God. This scene gave him a deeper and more vivid sense of the greatness of his transgression, which nothing but the death of God’s dear Son could expiate.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 68.

From the offering of this first sacrifice, all of the patriarchs trusted in the promise of the covenant. Enoch had entered into the terms of the new covenant and he was translated. All who abide by the terms of the new covenant as Enoch did will have the privilege of going to the New Jerusalem to be with Him. Noah in faith built an altar to offer sacrifice after the flood.

Abraham was instructed to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Through Abraham we get a glimpse of the agony and suffering of God the Father. In Isaac we see the willingness of Christ to be the sacrifice required. Like Abraham, Jacob gathered his family for the morning and evening sacrifice.

It was through the system of sacrifices that the patriarchs kept the promises of the new covenant before the people through the centuries. During the years Israel was in bondage in Egypt the sacrifices were neglected and the knowledge of the new covenant faded away in the minds of the people. The first thing God did when Israel camped at Mount Sinai was to renew the covenant with the people. See Exodus 19:3–8 and the following:

“Soon after the encampment at Sinai, Moses was called up into the mountain to meet with God. Alone he climbed the steep and rugged path, and drew near to the cloud that marked the place of Jehovah’s presence. Israel was now to be taken into a close and peculiar relation to the Most High—to be incorporated as a church and a nation under the government of God. The message to Moses for the people was:

“ ‘Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine: and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation (Exodus 19:4–6).

“Moses returned to the camp, and having summoned the elders of Israel, he repeated to them the divine message. Their answer was, ‘All that the Lord hath spoken we will do’ (Exodus 19:8). Thus they entered into a solemn covenant with God, pledging themselves to accept Him as their ruler, by which they became, in a special sense, the subjects of His authority.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 303.

The new covenant is for you just as it was for Israel at Mount Sinai. Jesus wants to make you a citizen of that Holy nation in the kingdom of glory.

Israel was now no longer a patriarchal family but more the size of a small nation. While they camped at Mt. Sinai, God replaced the patriarchal family altar with a sanctuary building. The services were also greatly expanded at this time. Moses was given complete instructions for the construction of the sanctuary after the pattern of the sanctuary in heaven. Exodus 25:8 and 9 states: “Then have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” [Emphasis added.] That new covenant has a sanctuary in heaven and Paul says in Hebrews 8:1, 2, “The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.”

The Great Controversy page 413 says, “Here is revealed the sanctuary of the new covenant. The sanctuary of the first covenant was pitched by man, built by Moses; this is pitched by the Lord, not by man. In that sanctuary the earthly priests performed their service; in this, Christ, our great High Priest, ministers at God’s right hand. One sanctuary was on earth, the other is in heaven.”

The sanctuary on earth was a copy of the new covenant sanctuary in heaven. “The term ‘sanctuary,’ as used in the Bible, refers, first, to the tabernacle built by Moses, as a pattern of heavenly things; and, secondly, to the ‘true tabernacle’ in heaven, to which the earthly sanctuary pointed.

“At the death of Christ the typical service ended. The ‘true tabernacle’ in heaven is the sanctuary of the new covenant.” Ibid., 417.

For four thousand years the people showed their faith in the new covenant through the sacrifice of the lamb without blemish. Thus the faith of the Israelites in a Redeemer to come to ratify the new covenant was kept alive for 4000 years through the sacrificial system.

At the first advent of Christ major changes took place in the administration of the new covenant and the sanctuary services. One of the first things Jesus did when He began His ministry was to direct the minds of the people to His sacrifice and the opening of the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven.

“In the cleansing of the temple, Jesus was announcing His mission as the Messiah, and entering upon His work. … From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator. Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. … In cleansing the temple from the world’s buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin.” The Desire of Ages, 161.

At the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus made it very clear as to the purpose of His mission on earth. His objective was to free men from sin so that He could bring them into harmony with the divine will and place them where they could obey the law of God. Jesus wanted to inform the people that the services in the sanctuary on earth would end when He died on the cross. He desired them to understand that as soon as the new covenant was ratified with His blood, which was shed on the cross, He would open the holy place in the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven. It would be in the holy place of the sanctuary of the new covenant that for eighteen centuries Jesus ministered on behalf of His people. “The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father.” The Great Controversy, 421. This is the truth that He tried to teach them from the very beginning of His ministry.

“Now when they asked for a sign, He answered them by a parable, showing that He read their malice, and saw to what lengths it would lead them. ‘Destroy this temple,’ He said, ‘and in three days I will raise it up’ (John 2:19).” Ibid., 164.

In The Desire of Ages it says that Jesus had both temples in mind when He made this declaration: the temple of His body and the temple building.

“In these words His meaning was twofold. He referred not only to the destruction of the Jewish temple and worship, but to His own death—the destruction of the temple of His body.” Ibid.

In this statement, Christ was directing the minds of all to the opening of the new covenant sanctuary in heaven. First He was calling their attention to His sacrifice to ratify the new covenant; He was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Connected with His death was the destruction of the sanctuary on earth.

“The entire plan of sacrificial worship was a foreshadowing of the Saviour’s death to redeem the world. There would be no efficacy in these offerings when the great event toward which they had pointed for ages was consummated.

“Since the whole ritual economy was symbolical of Christ, it had no value apart from Him. When the Jews sealed their rejection of Christ by delivering Him to death, they rejected all that gave significance to the temple and its services. … In putting Christ to death, the Jews virtually destroyed their temple. When Christ was crucified, the inner veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, signifying that the great final sacrifice had been made, and that the system of sacrificial offerings was forever at an end.” Ibid., 165.

When Jesus died on the cross, both the temple of His body and the temple building were destroyed, just as He stated at the first cleansing of the temple.

At this point a major change was made in the way the new covenant was to be administered for the fallen race. The fact that Jesus raised the temple of His body on the first day of the week, three days after He was crucified is well known by all Christians today. One of the greatest celebrations of the Christian church is Easter in honor of His resurrection, but few Christians understand how he raised the temple building on the third day, the same day that he rose from the grave. We see no celebrations in the Christian church in recognition of this grand event in which all heaven celebrated. The Bible tells us that as soon as Jesus raised the temple of His body He ascended to heaven to open the holy place of the sanctuary in heaven. John 20:17 says, “Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Jesus ascended the third day following His death to confirm with His Father the ratification of the new covenant. The Desire of Ages, page 790 says,

“Jesus refused to receive the homage of His people until He had the assurance that His sacrifice was accepted by the Father. He ascended to the heavenly courts, and from God Himself heard the assurance that His atonement for the sins of men had been ample, that through His blood all might gain eternal life. The Father ratified the covenant made with Christ, that He would receive repentant and obedient men, and would love them even as He loves His Son.”

Jesus had to return to earth the same day because the disciples failed to understand why Jesus died on the cross. They had lost sight of the new covenant promise to bring them back into harmony with the Divine will and to place them where they could obey the law of God. What should have been a time of great rejoicing and praising God and Christ for ratifying the new covenant for their redemption was a time of sorrow and discouragement because they were walking in the shadow of the cross. On the way to Emmaus Jesus explained to the disciples that His death on the cross was to ratify the new covenant with His blood so He could begin His work as our High Priest in the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven.

Forty days later, Jesus ascended again to heaven to be inaugurated as our High Priest in the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven. No longer did the repentant sinner need to place his hands on the head of the lamb and confess his sin and then slay the animal so his sin could be transferred to the sanctuary. He could now go directly to Jesus, the slain Lamb of God, in the holy place of the sanctuary in heaven.

Everything in heaven was ready for the return of Jesus. Revelation 5:6 states: “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.” Jesus had just arrived from His ascension. The Desire of Ages, pages 833 and 834 gives us a detailed description of His arrival in heaven.

“All heaven was waiting to welcome the Saviour to the celestial courts. As He ascended, He led the way, and the multitude of captives set free at His resurrection followed. The heavenly host, with shouts and acclamations of praise and celestial song, attended the joyous train. …

“There is the throne, and around it the rainbow of promise. There are cherubim and seraphim. The commanders of the angel hosts, the sons of God, the representatives of the unfallen worlds, are assembled. …, all are there to welcome the Redeemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph and to glorify their King.”

Then Jesus interrupts the celebration. In The Desire of Ages, page 834, we are told:

“But He waves them back. Not yet; He cannot now receive the coronet of glory and the royal robe. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph; He presents to God the wave sheaf, those raised with Him as representatives of that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming. … Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled. When upon the cross He cried out, ‘It is finished,’ He addressed the Father. The compact had been fully carried out. Now He declares: Father, it is finished. I have done Thy will, O My God. I have completed the work of redemption. If Thy justice is satisfied, ‘I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am’ (John 19:30; 17:24).

“The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ’s toiling, struggling ones on earth are ‘accepted in the Beloved’ (Ephesians 1:6). … The Father’s arms encircle His Son, and the word is given, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him’ (Hebrews 1:6).”

The entire universe then begins the celebration of the ratification of the new covenant for the lost race. The celebration is described in The Desire of Ages, 834.

“With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of life. The angel host prostrate themselves before Him, while the glad shout fills all the courts of heaven, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing’ (Revelation 5:12).

“Songs of triumph mingle with the music from angel harps, till heaven seems to overflow with joy and praise. Love has conquered. The lost is found. Heaven rings with voices in lofty strains proclaiming, ‘Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever’ (Revelation 5:13).”

And the Holy Spirit confirms the inauguration on the day of Pentecost as told in The Acts of the Apostles, 38.

“When Christ passed within the heavenly gates, He was enthroned amidst the adoration of the angels. As soon as this ceremony was completed, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in rich currents, and Christ was indeed glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from all eternity. The Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven’s communication that the Redeemer’s inauguration was accomplished. According to His promise He had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to His followers as a token that He had, as priest and king, received all authority in heaven and on earth, and was the Anointed One over His people.”

All of this activity is so you can have eternal life and have the privilege one day to sit with Christ on His throne. This covenant is for you.

For the next 1800 years Jesus ministered in the holy place of the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven. The Great Controversy, page 421 tells us, “For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record.”

With the proclamation of the first angel’s message and Daniel 8:14, the final work in the completion of the new covenant began in Heaven. The first angel’s message was given to preach the eternal gospel (the new covenant) to the world and to announce the beginning of the investigative phase of the judgment, which began on October 22, 1844. Two more phases of the judgment follow, one during the millennium, and the other after the end of the millennium. These three phases of the judgment complete the last event of the new covenant.

One of the first things Jesus did after entering the most holy place was to dispatch the third angel with his message to the world. This message is found in Revelation 14:9–12. Verse 12 says, “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” These people have accepted the new covenant. They are keeping the ten commandments. Early Writings, page 254–256 tells us, “As the ministration of Jesus closed in the holy place, and He passed into the holiest, and stood before the ark containing the law of God, He sent another mighty angel with a third message to the world. … The third angel closes his message thus: ‘Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus’ (Revelation 14:6). As he repeated these words, he pointed to the heavenly sanctuary. The minds of all who embrace this message are directed to the most holy place, where Jesus stands before the ark, making His final intercession for all those for whom mercy still lingers. …

“I saw the third angel pointing upward, showing the disappointed ones the way to the holiest of the heavenly sanctuary. As they by faith enter the most holy, they find Jesus, and hope and joy spring up anew.

“It was represented to me that the remnant followed Jesus into the most holy place and beheld the ark and the mercy seat, and were captivated with their glory.”

“… the third angel was pointing them to the most holy place, and those who had had an experience in the past messages were pointing them the way to the heavenly sanctuary. Many saw the perfect chain of truth in the angels’ messages, and gladly received them in their order, and followed Jesus by faith into the heavenly sanctuary. These messages were represented to me as an anchor to the people of God. Those who understand and receive them will be kept from being swept away by the many delusions of Satan.” Ibid., 256.

The wise virgins understood this message. The Great Controversy, page 427 says, “In the parable it was those that had oil in their vessels with their lamps that went in to the marriage. Those who, with a knowledge of the truth from the Scriptures, had also the Spirit and grace of God, and who, in the night of their bitter trial, had patiently waited, searching the Bible for clearer light—these saw the truth concerning the sanctuary in heaven and the Saviour’s change in ministration, and by faith they followed Him in His work in the sanctuary above. And all who through the testimony of the Scriptures accept the same truths, following Christ by faith as He enters in before God to perform the last work of mediation, and at its close to receive His kingdom—all these are represented as going in to the marriage.”

This urgent counsel is given:

“Those who would share the benefits of the Saviour’s mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God. The precious hours, instead of being given to pleasure, to display, or to gain seeking, should be devoted to an earnest, prayerful study of the word of truth. The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment [part of the new covenant] should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill. …

“All who have received the light upon these subjects are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has committed to them. The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ’s work in behalf of men. It concerns every soul living upon the earth. It opens to view the plan of redemption, bringing us down to the very close of time and revealing the triumphant issue of the contest between righteousness and sin. It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects and be able to give an answer to everyone that asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them.” Ibid., 488.

Most important: “The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, ‘whither the forerunner is for us entered.’ (Hebrews 6:20). … The salvation of man is accomplished at an infinite expense to heaven; … Jesus has opened the way to the Father’s throne, and through His mediation the sincere desire of all who come to Him in faith may be presented before God.” Ibid., 489.

This new covenant is for you.

[All emphasis supplied.]

Maurice Hoppe is Director of the Steps to Life training programs and a member of the Steps to Life Board. The Training Program for Ministers and Church Leaders is a correspondence course that prepares individuals to serve as pastors or Bible workers. Preparing for the Final Conflict is a correspondence course for the laity. Both of these courses teach present truth that will be an anchor for the soul during the storm of opposition and persecution just ahead. He and his wife also have a correspondence course offered through Revelation Ministry. He may be contacted at: mauricehoppe@stepstolife.org.

If you Believe-Then Follow

by

Many of the most famous people who have ever lived were not at all popular among their contemporaries during their lifetime. Abraham Lincoln received only forty percent of the popular vote in 1860. The apostle Paul was despised and considered a teacher of dangerous doctrines by both the pagans and the Jews. Even many Christians had an intense dislike for him.

Why were so many people in New Testament times, all over the Roman Empire, so upset with Paul and his teachings? Interestingly, one of the prominent reasons that many people, Jews and Christians alike, were upset with him was because of his teaching about how a person is saved. What he taught is recorded in his letter in Romans 4:1–5. He says, “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For 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.”

Paul clearly states that a man is not saved by his own works. Salvation comes through grace alone, through faith, and not by means of money or by any effort on his part.

In the early church there were leaders, as there have been in all ages since then, who asked what would motivate people to do what is right. Notice what Paul said about that in Ephesians 2:8, 9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Salvation comes as a free gift from God when you exercise faith in Jesus Christ. That is what the apostle Paul told the Philippian jailor in Acts 16 when he came and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ ” Acts 16:30, 31.

Salvation is not complicated; it’s very simple.

If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. Sometimes people say that they believe in Jesus Christ but they really do not know what that demands. In the New Testament, the words “to believe,” or “to have faith” mean that you believe something strongly enough to make a commitment. To “believe” in Jesus Christ therefore means that you believe in Him to the extent that you acknowledge Him to be your Lord and act accordingly. Notice what Jesus said about that in Luke 6:46. Jesus asked the following question to the Jewish people. He said, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?”

When you believe in Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life, you will choose to follow Him. At that time you will receive salvation as a gift of the grace of God. It will not be because of anything that you do or that you deserve. Over and over again the apostle Paul taught this in his letters. Notice what he said in Galatians 2:16 when speaking to a group of churches in what we call Turkey today that had gone into apostasy. He said, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”

Paul taught that salvation came through grace alone when faith is exercised and when you believe in Christ as your Lord and Saviour. There are millions of Christians, even today, that do not believe this. Notice what Paul wrote to a young minister in Titus 3:3–5. He said, “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”

He emphatically taught that you cannot be saved by going through any manner of religious rituals. The Jews tried that. Expanding on the writings of Moses they added all manner of religious rituals and customs. There were so many rules and regulations that it was almost impossible for anybody to keep them all. Paul wrote that nobody can be saved because he goes through a certain religious rite or exercise.

Some may believe that being baptized saves them. Baptism, like other religious rituals, is a symbolic act. If all you have is the symbol, but do not understand what is symbolized, then you do not have the reality. That was the problem with the Jewish religion. Every sacrificed animal was a symbol of the promised Messiah to come Who would offer His life for the sins of the world. Unfortunately, they lost sight of the reality and rejected the Messiah. They continued with the sacrificial services, even though once Christ had come they had lost their meaning. In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, in the 10th chapter, he wrote that animal sacrifices cannot take away your sins or provide salvation (Hebrews 10:4). It is only the blood of Jesus Christ that can take away sins and enable us to enter by faith “the Holiest” (verse 19) where our sins are forgiven.

What about baptism and circumcision?

In Colossians 2:11 Paul addresses that. He wrote, “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” Circumcision and baptism are both symbols. Circumcision is a symbol of cutting away sin in your life. Baptism is a symbol of washing away the sins from your life. If you go through the symbol, but never have the experience that is symbolized, then you can have no assurance of salvation.

Notice 1 Corinthians 12:13, where Paul said, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” Here he talks about being baptized by the Holy Spirit. There will not be any person who is truly baptized with the Holy Spirit that will not be in the kingdom of heaven. But there will be millions of people who have been baptized with water that will not be in the kingdom of heaven because they merely had the symbol, but were never baptized by the Spirit. In fact, on the Day of Pentecost, it says in Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ ” The whole purpose of baptism was to receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19:2–6 records a time when Paul met some men who had been baptized by John but had not received the Holy Spirit: “He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said to them, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ So they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Then Paul said, ‘John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” A baptism of repentance is not enough. You need to receive the Holy Spirit. Have you received the Holy Spirit?

Baptism is a symbol of dying to the old life and rising to walk in newness of life. It is a symbol of being baptized by the Holy Spirit, receiving the new birth so that you have a new heart, a new spirit and a new mind. It was for this reason that many Jews and others did not like what the apostle taught because they wanted a religion where you had to do something to be saved. Paul taught the opposite: you cannot be saved by doing anything yourself. Salvation is a gift by grace through faith alone to all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and choose to follow Him. But this was not the only reason the people were unhappy with Paul.

The Futility of Pagan Religion

Throughout his letters and preaching he showed the worthlessness of pagan philosophy, which made the pagans very unhappy with him. He opposed the philosophers when he spoke to them in Athens, as recorded in the 17th book of Acts. It says, “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

“Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

“Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter.’ ” Acts 17:22–32.

He pointed out that the true God is the One that made the heavens and earth, that He is Lord of all of it, and that He is not worshiped by replacing Him with things that you can make. The pagans did not like this teaching of the apostle Paul because, as you can see in the 19th chapter of Acts, they realized that if the apostle Paul’s teachings were accepted, the income that they made from their idolatrous religion would end. They were loath to lose that money.

The apostle wrote about this again in Romans 1. He explained the worthlessness, the futility of pagan philosophy. Notice what he said: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things.

“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

“For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:20–32.

The pagans did not like Paul’s teachings because it revealed that their way of life was futile, worthless, and even worthy of death. He exposed the futility of pagan philosophy over and over again in his letters. The pagans were upset with him because he explained that their way of life was empty and did not lead to life everlasting or salvation, but was worthless because it rejected the wisdom of the Creator.

The Jews Reject Paul’s Teachings

Although there were many pagan people, idolatrous people, who were unhappy with the apostle Paul as is documented in the book of Acts, the people that caused him the most trouble were the Jews. Why were they so upset with what he taught? The Jews, who had the Old Testament, believed themselves to be the greatest religionists in the world. Yet they too hated Paul because he exposed their heresies. He said, “You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,’ as it is written. For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” Romans 2:23–29.

Over and over again the apostle Paul dwelt on this matter. It is not whether or not you go through outward rituals, performing outward religious symbols, or keep certain religious observances that makes the difference. What makes the difference is whether or not you have been changed on the inside.

Jesus also reprimanded the Jewish people about this same experience. He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. … first clean the inside … that the outside of them may be clean also.” Matthew 23:25, 26.

Paul effectually told the Jews that all of their religion was worthless if it was just a matter of outward action and their hearts had not been changed. In Romans 9:6–8, he said, “But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’ That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” The Jews considered that simply because they were Jews, they were assured of salvation, but Paul told them that they were mistaken and that some of them were not even part of Israel.

Notice that for a person to be part of spiritual Israel he must be born again. It is the inward spiritual experience that determines a man’s destiny. When the heart is changed, it will be seen in his actions, but trying to change the outside when the heart is corrupt will not result in any lasting change. This is the doctrine that Paul taught the Jews that the majority rejected. Religion must involve a change of heart and not just a change in outward appearances.

The ceremonies that were given to Moses to instruct the children of Israel, had their time and place, but once Christ had fulfilled His mission they had lost their purpose and became empty forms. In Galatians 6:15, Paul says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”

Paul Teaches the New Birth Experience

Have you been born again? Has your heart been made new? Remember, a birth creates a new being. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Most Assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5. Have you allowed Jesus to create a new heart in you? If you have, you are a new person and what happens on the outside will reflect the new heart. You will hate the things you once loved and love the things that you once hated.

When you study the life of the apostle Paul, one of the most unbelievable things that stands out is that it was not only the pagans or the Jews who rejected his theology, but it was even many of the Christians who thought he was a teacher of dangerous doctrines. There are many Christians even today who do not understand that Paul clearly taught the importance of the new birth, even though it occurs in one form or another throughout his writings (see Ephesians 1:4, II Corinthians 7:1 and Colossians 3:1–3). Over and over again, the apostle taught that it was necessary to “follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.

Paul taught that only those who were sanctified; in other words, only those who were living a holy life, would receive the gift of salvation. Now we are not holy, and we cannot make ourselves holy, for only God can make any person holy, but God has promised to make His children holy. He has promised His children that if they would follow Him, and follow His instructions, He would make them holy. That is what the new birth is about also, changing a person’s heart so that they live a different life. Paul says in Romans 7 that the law is holy, just and good (verse 12). The person who is a holy person will be keeping the principles of the law, the Ten Commandments.

Friend, do you have that essential ingredient to obtain the gift of salvation? Has the Holy Spirit made you new? Has the Holy Spirit given you a new heart? Are you living a new life because you have been made clean and holy on the inside? If not, ask the Lord to give it to you, so that you may be changed inside, and be made ready to receive the gift of salvation and eternal life when Jesus returns.

“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:22.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

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