Salvation

The Gospel in the Great Controversy

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There are many who say, “I have heard this message before;” but I ask, “Why has it not changed you? Where are you spiritually?” In The Great Controversy, the chapter called “The Snares of Satan,” Satan does not care whether you are praying, studying or attending church so long as you remain in an indifferent, careless state. While Jesus is in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary ministering on our behalf, we have the opportunity to repent and be cleansed of our sins. It is during this time that Satan wants us to remain careless and indifferent. The time is very short. Many are hearing message after message and are being convicted but not being changed. Many will say that the message was so powerful and I am so convicted; I see my sin and I am going to get it right. After a few days, however, they return to the same condition as before the conviction.

Martin Luther and John Wesley had similar experiences in which they began to study the Word and had a desire to surrender but did not know how. As a result, they failed many times until they had an understanding of righteousness by faith and came to a point where they had to make a choice and count the cost. This is the experience of many Christians today.

In John 6:25–29, it says, “And when they had found Him on the other side of the sea, they said unto Him, Rabbi, when camest Thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.”

He goes on to say, “And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Verse 40. “No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Verse 44. Jesus said, “I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. This is that bread which came down from heaven.” Verses 48–58.

This group of disciples came to Christ after He had performed the miracle of the loaves and the people were filled. They came seeking another miracle and asked in verse 28, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” They were basically asking: “What can I do to secure my own salvation?” They wanted to know what work they could do to inherit heaven. Jesus was trying to tell them that there was nothing they could do. He said, “I am that bread that came down from heaven. Unless you eat of My flesh and drink of My blood you have no life in you. Those who eat of My flesh and drink of My blood, those are the ones that will be resurrected on the last day.”

To eat of the flesh and drink of the blood of Christ means to behold Him—to study the life of Jesus Christ and to live out that which you are reading. By beholding you become changed. Many of these individuals that heard what He said decided that it was too difficult to do these things and they left. Though they were called His disciples, they followed Him no more. Here was a crossroads. Jesus looked upon the few that remained and asked, “Are you going to leave as well?” They responded, “Lord where would we go?” (See John 6:67, 68.)

Each must make a decision. Each, as studying the word of God and seeing those things that are required of us, must sacrifice to drink of His blood. In the place of spending time with Him throughout the day, many would rather do a work or suffer punishment in a vain attempt to inherit eternal life.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a man that was very earnest and desired to know of God. As he began to read the Bible he became convicted.

“An earnest desire to be free from sin and to find peace with God led him at last to enter a cloister and devote himself to a monastic life. Here he was required to perform the lowest drudgery and to beg from house to house. He was at an age when respect and appreciation are most eagerly craved, and these menial offices were deeply mortifying to his natural feelings; but he patiently endured this humiliation, believing that it was necessary because of his sins.” The Great Controversy, 123.

He was trying to do a work in order to inherit salvation himself, but God was working with him.

“Every moment that could be spared from his daily duties he employed in study, robbing himself of sleep and grudging even the time spent at his scanty meals. Above everything else he delighted in the study of God’s word.” Ibid.

These things are examples for us. Everything that Luther experienced, we are going to experience. Luther’s experience needs to be ours. He delighted in the study of God’s word.

“He had found a Bible chained to the convent wall, and to this he often repaired. As his convictions of sin deepened, he sought by his own works to obtain pardon and peace. He led a most rigorous life, endeavoring by fasting, vigils, and scourgings to subdue the evils of his nature, from which the monastic life had brought no release. He shrank from no sacrifice by which he might attain to that purity of heart which would enable him to stand approved before God. ‘I was indeed a pious monk,’ he afterward said, ‘and followed the rules of my order more strictly than I can express. If ever monk could obtain heaven by his monkish works, I should certainly have been entitled to it. … If it had continued much longer, I should have carried my mortifications even to death.’ … As the result of this painful discipline he lost strength and suffered from fainting spasms, from the effects of which he never fully recovered. But with all his efforts his burdened soul found no relief. He was at last driven to the verge of despair.” Ibid.

Until Luther began to understand that it is by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ that one is fitted to accept the free gift of salvation, he did everything he could to secure his salvation. If he had stopped searching before that, he would have been lost, but he continued to search.

“When it appeared to Luther that all was lost, God raised up a friend and helper for him.” Ibid.

Pray for spiritual friends to walk with you! Do not be discouraged—whatever your situation. There are times God will allow things to happen in your life; you may experience discouragement, bitterness and trial so that you can see your need of Jesus Christ. Many do not see their need. If you are not searching and agonizing, what can He do for you?

God raised up a helper for Luther. “The pious Staupitz opened the word of God to Luther’s mind and bade him look away from himself, cease the contemplation of infinite punishment for the violation of God’s law, and look to Jesus, his sin-pardoning Saviour. ‘Instead of torturing yourself on account of your sins, throw yourself into the Redeemer’s arms. Trust in Him, in the righteousness of His life, in the atonement of His death. … Listen to the Son of God. He became man to give you the assurance of divine favor.’ ‘Love Him who first loved you.’ … Thus spoke this messenger of mercy. His words made a deep impression upon Luther’s mind. After many a struggle with long-cherished errors, he was enabled to grasp the truth, and peace came to his troubled soul.” Ibid., 123, 124.

Luther found the peace that God offers. Many are searching today but cannot find it because they are constantly looking at their sins and do not believe that Jesus pardons them personally. Focus on today and pray that God will give you His Holy Spirit and grace for today because you cannot do a work of a lifetime in one day. Do not focus on yourself. Look to Christ daily. Do not allow Satan to make you feel that you are not worthy. God came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

“To a friend of the Reformation Luther wrote: ‘We cannot attain to the understanding of Scripture either by study or by the intellect. Your first duty is to begin by prayer. Entreat the Lord to grant you, of His great mercy, the true understanding of His word. There is no other interpreter of the word of God than the Author of this word, as He Himself has said, “They shall be all taught of God.” Hope for nothing from your own labors, from your own understanding: trust solely in God, and in the influence of His Spirit. Believe this on the word of a man who has had experience.’ ” The Great Controversy, 132.

We are not to trust in intellect or human wisdom but in God. You need to believe that He will guide you into all truth. Ezekiel 36:25–27 says, “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them.”

His judgments are His law. He wants to put in us His character. The Holy Spirit will cause us to walk in His statutes. God will write His law upon our hearts and that will cause us to walk in His ways. It was not until Luther had this understanding that he was truly converted.

“The Reformation did not, as many suppose, end with Luther. It is to be continued to the close of this world’s history. Luther had a great work to do in reflecting to others the light which God had permitted to shine upon him; yet he did not receive all the light which was to be given to the world. From that time to this, new light has been continually shining upon the Scriptures, and new truths have been constantly unfolding.” Ibid., 148, 149.

Luther did not have all the light—he had a small understanding. We have so much light with so many books yet many would rather read other literature. There is no excuse for those who have not read the Conflict Series or have not studied The Great Controversy. The messages they did not have then we have now. We need to be putting these principles into practice.

“From the secret place of prayer came the power that shook the world in the Great Reformation. There, with holy calmness, the servants of the Lord set their feet upon the rock of His promises. During the struggle at Augsburg, Luther ‘did not pass a day without devoting three hours at least to prayer, and they were hours selected from those the most favorable to study.’ In the privacy of his chamber he was heard to pour out his soul before God in words ‘full of adoration, fear, and hope, as when one speaks to a friend.’ ‘I know that Thou art our Father and our God,’ he said, ‘and that Thou wilt scatter the persecutors of Thy children; for Thou art Thyself endangered with us. All this matter is Thine, and it is only by Thy constraint that we have put our hands to it. Defend us, then, O Father!’ …” The Great Controversy, 210. [Emphasis added.]

There is no excuse for us to neglect prayer and study. We need to agonize over souls. The most polished instrument that Satan can use is an individual who is not converted, who does not pray, but appears to be a Christian. There are similar experiences like those disciples who left Christ after He said that the only way for salvation was to eat and to drink of Him. Those who stayed still struggled. They came to a full understanding when the Holy Spirit came and then they could teach others. In Acts 2:37 we see the response to their teaching: “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” There it is again, “what shall we do?” Verses 38, 39: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

This is not just for them but for us. We need to fall on the Rock and be broken—we need to agonize even if we do not feel like it. Go to God and ask to be led to the Rock. If you have never experienced falling on the Rock and being broken, you will never experience repentance. You will never be converted and when Jesus comes, you will be lost.

John Wesley

Wesley had the same experience:

“Wesley and his associates were led to see that true religion is seated in the heart, and that God’s law extends to the thoughts as well as to the words and actions. Convinced of the necessity of holiness of heart, as well as correctness of outward deportment, they set out in earnest upon a new life. By the most diligent and prayerful efforts they endeavored to subdue the evils of the natural heart. They lived a life of self-denial, charity, and humiliation, observing with great rigor and exactness every measure which they thought could be helpful to them in obtaining what they most desired—that holiness which could secure the favor of God. But they did not obtain the object which they sought. In vain were their endeavors to free themselves from the condemnation of sin or to break its power. It was the same struggle which Luther had experienced in his cell at Erfurt. It was the same question which had tortured his soul—‘How should man be just before God?’ Job 9:2.” The Great Controversy, 254. [Emphasis added.]

This was the same experience that Luther had. Wesley had seen the righteousness of Christ and wanted to be holy.

“John and Charles Wesley, after being ordained to the ministry, were sent on a mission to America. On board the ship was a company of Moravians. Violent storms were encountered on the passage, and John Wesley, brought face to face with death, felt that he had not the assurance of peace with God. The Germans, on the contrary, manifested a calmness and trust to which he was a stranger. …

“In the midst of the psalm wherewith their service began, the sea broke over, split the mainsail in pieces, covered the ship, and poured in between the decks as if the great deep had already swallowed us up. A terrible screaming began among the English. The Germans calmly sang on. I asked one of them afterwards, ‘Were you not afraid?’ He answered, ‘I thank God, no.’ I asked, ‘But were not your women and children afraid?’ He replied mildly, ‘No; our women and children are not afraid to die.’—Whitehead, Life of the Rev. John Wesley, page 10.” Ibid., 254, 255.

These were individuals believing they are about to die. Some were singing with the peace of God in their hearts while others were screaming. When you come face to face with death, at that time you will know that you are right with God or not. Life is short. Are you hid with Christ in God? John Wesley realized that he did not have the faith in God that he had witnessed among the Moravians.

“On his return to England, Wesley, under the instruction of a Moravian preacher, arrived at a clearer understanding of Bible faith. He was convinced that he must renounce all dependence upon his own works for salvation and must trust wholly to ‘the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). At a meeting of the Moravian society in London a statement was read from Luther, describing the change which the Spirit of God works in the heart of the believer. As Wesley listened, faith was kindled in his soul. ‘I felt my heart strangely warmed,’ he says. ‘I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation: and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.’ ” Ibid., 255, 256.

He finally began to understand Bible faith and to know what it means to “behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” He now understood that it was not by looking to yourself or anything you can do but it is by faith in Jesus. With that faith abiding in you, obedience will become the fruit. You will love others because this is the result of abiding in Christ and spending time with Him.

“Through long years of wearisome and comfortless striving—years of rigorous self-denial, of reproach and humiliation—Wesley had steadfastly adhered to his one purpose of seeking God. Now he had found Him; and he found that the grace which he had toiled to win by prayers and fasts, by almsdeeds and self-abnegation, was a gift, ‘without money and without price.’

“Once established in the faith of Christ, his whole soul burned with the desire to spread everywhere a knowledge of the glorious gospel of God’s free grace.” Ibid., 256.

Once Wesley had a personal experience with God, he had the desire to share, and that must be your desire. You must have a true burden for souls. Do you understand what it means to cry between the porch and the altar?

“He continued his strict and self-denying life, not now as the ground, but the result of faith; not the root, but the fruit of holiness. The grace of God in Christ is the foundation of the Christian’s hope, and that grace will be manifested in obedience. Wesley’s life was devoted to the preaching of the great truths which he had received—justification through faith in the atoning blood of Christ, and the renewing power of the Holy Spirit upon the heart, bringing forth fruit in a life conformed to the example of Christ.” Ibid., 256. [Emphasis added.]

Jesus prayed all night because He had a love and a burden for souls. Wesley’s whole life changed because it was now being led by the Holy Spirit to a similar burden. We must understand that Christianity includes that burden and that love. When we really begin to understand the work going on in the heavenly sanctuary, God will give us new motives, new thoughts, new feelings. When we are in Christ we have become new.

“Wesley declared the perfect harmony of the law and the gospel. ‘There is, therefore, the closest connection that can be conceived, between the law and the gospel. On the one hand, the law continually makes way for, and points us to, the gospel; on the other, the gospel continually leads us to a more exact fulfilling of the law. The law, for instance, requires us to love God, to love our neighbor, to be meek, humble, or holy. We feel that we are not sufficient for these things; yea, that “with man this is impossible” (Matthew 19:26); but we see a promise of God to give us that love, and to make us humble, meek, and holy: we lay hold of this gospel, of these glad tidings; it is done unto us according to our faith; and “the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us” (Romans 8:4), through faith which is in Christ Jesus.’ ” The Great Controversy, 263.

The law and the gospel are one. The law will show you your sins but it is not a remedy for your sins. It will convict but not convert. The law will point you to the gospel, which is Jesus Christ, and He will save you. His law will be fulfilled in us.

In many churches the law has been done away with—made void. When there is no law being upheld, no sin being shown, you cannot see Christ or the cross, or that the law cannot be fulfilled in us. Many want to feel good and not hear about sin. They want to be happy in their sinful condition, feeling that they are saved. The majority of Christianity believes that the law cannot be kept. This is a sad condition.

Many think that by going to church on Sabbath, wearing a long skirt, not eating meat, doing devotions, they are justified.

Galatians 2:16 says, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

“To those who urged that ‘the preaching of the gospel answers all the ends of the law,’ Wesley replied: ‘This we utterly deny. It does not answer the very first end of the law, namely, the convincing men of sin, the awakening those who are still asleep on the brink of hell.’ The apostle Paul declares that ‘by the law is the knowledge of sin’ (Romans 3:20); ‘and not until man is convicted of sin, will he truly feel his need of the atoning blood of Christ. … ‘They that be whole,’ as our Lord Himself observes, ‘need not a physician, but they that are sick’ (Matthew 9:12). It is absurd, therefore, to offer a physician to them that are whole, or that at least imagine themselves so to be. You are first to convince them that they are sick; otherwise they will not thank you for your labor. It is equally absurd to offer Christ to them whose heart is whole, having never yet been broken.” Ibid., 264.

You need to show people that they have a need and are not ready to meet Christ; otherwise they will not accept your message because they think that they are good and have no need of Jesus. In Isaiah 50:4 it says, “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.”

“At the close of his long life of more than fourscore years—above half a century spent in itinerant ministry—his [Wesley’s] avowed adherents numbered more than half a million souls. But the multitude that through his labors had been lifted from the ruin and degradation of sin to a higher and a purer life, and the number who by his teaching had attained to a deeper and richer experience, will never be known till the whole family of the redeemed shall be gathered into the kingdom of God. His life presents a lesson of priceless worth to every Christian. Would that the faith and humility, the untiring zeal, self-sacrifice, and devotion of this servant of Christ might be reflected in the churches of today!” The Great Controversy, 264.

One man, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was able to win at least half a million souls to Jesus Christ!

We are at the last moment of earth’s history. Is it your experience right now that you are literally agonizing and praying for yourself and for others? The more we see what the condition of ourselves and God’s people are in, the more our time will be spent in prayer instead of looking for a fun church and fun things to do. Whatever you are doing you may incorporate God’s word, His Spirit of Prophecy, into your mind by listening to tapes or reading. Many get so caught up on social media and every other time-consuming habit that it cancels out the seed that God has placed within you and has no opportunity to germinate.

Ellen White said: “I had a dream once in which I saw a large company gathered together, and suddenly the heavens gathered blackness, the thunder rolled, the lightning flashed, and a voice louder than the heaviest peals of thunder, sounded through the heavens and the earth, saying, ‘It is done.’ Part of the company, with pallid faces, sprang forward with a wail of agony, crying out, ‘O, I am not ready.’ The question was asked, ‘Why are you not ready? Why have you not improved the opportunities I graciously gave you?’ I awoke with the cry ringing in my ears, ‘I am not ready; I am unsaved—lost! lost! eternally lost!’ ” The Youth’s Instructor, July 21, 1892.

Everyone will be speechless. There will be no excuses in that day. There were times when Ellen White said they were so burdened that they would pray for hours and hours until they felt in their soul that their burden was lifted and the peace of God came upon them. We need to know how to agonize as Jacob did. God is graciously allowing us this time. Probation is extended for you.

Luther and Wesley had to search until God showed them the way. Behold God, our loving Redeemer. Spend time with Him before time runs out.

Maria Cofer and her husband, John, have established a digital media company to create and promote video media teaching the unique message of Adventism using social media such as Facebook and YouTube. They are currently engaged in establishing training schools under the name, The Schools of the Prophets for the youth. She may be contacted via gospelofhealth.org.

Clothes of Character

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One of the saddest chapters in the Bible is the third chapter of Genesis where it is recorded that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ So he said, ‘I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ And He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?’ ” Genesis 3:7–11.

It was customary for the Lord to meet with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. They knew He was coming and though He had created them, they were embarrassed to be seen naked by Him. So they took fig leaves and sewed them together. Some Bible translations describe the garments they made as aprons. They presented themselves wearing their fig leaf garments. However, God did not accept the way they were dressed.

There are some styles of clothing that are unacceptable to God. Often signs are seen outside churches that say, “Come as You Are.” God does call sinners to come, but He never leaves them in their initial state. Today, this “come as you are” is often interpreted that it does not matter how we present ourselves to have an audience with the King of kings. If you were invited to meet with the President of the United States, you would not come just as you are. It is a disgrace to the Christian religion to give less respect to the Creator of the heavens and the earth than we do to important people in this world. God called our first parents out, but notice what He did: “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21. God did not accept the way they were dressed and provided for them another type of clothing. One of the main problems with the way they were clothed was there was not enough of it and that is one of the main problems with modern dress.

Ever since that time, mankind has realized his natural nakedness of soul and has attempted to do something to cover it up. Fig leaves don’t work. There is nothing that you and I can make that will cover our spiritual nakedness. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments clothing is presented as representative of character. Matthew 22:11–14 describes the result of somebody who was not dressed properly. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.’ ” When Jesus uses the expression, “… there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” referring to the Day of Judgment, He is not talking about the infidels and agnostics, the atheists and the unbelievers. He is referring to the people who believed they would be saved, but when the end comes, they find out that they are not. The garment here referred to is not made of linen, wool, or cotton but is a symbol of character.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:26, 27, “That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” He speaks here of the garment of character that needs to be washed and cleansed.

In Revelation 3:14–18, it says, “To the angel of the church of the Laodicians write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God; I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew [vomit] you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, having become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” ’ ”

This church thinks it has everything, but the Lord says it does not know its real spiritual condition of wretchedness and nakedness. The people in this church are self-confident. They think they are ready to go to heaven but are warned there is something missing; they are naked and in need of a garment of covering.

When people are physically naked, they know they are naked, but they can be unaware of their spiritual nakedness and think everything is all right.

Revelation 19:7, 8 says, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” The fine linen represents righteousness. All who desire to go to the marriage supper described in Revelation 19 must have on the wedding garment, representing the righteousness of the saints. The Bible says that we don’t have any righteousness. So what are we going to do? There is only One Who is righteous, and He invites us to come to Him for a change of clothing.

Remember the man who went to the wedding without the wedding garment. He remained in his citizen’s dress and was refused entry. Like other Bible writers, Isaiah also uses clothing as a symbol of character. “We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6. We are in desperate need of a change of clothing.

The main subject in Zechariah 3 is the need of taking off the filthy garments. It is this change of clothing or the wedding garment that Christ wants to give. Isaiah says, “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments.” Isaiah 52:1. Those beautiful garments are the wedding garments, the righteousness of Christ.

In Revelation 16 is described seven last plagues that are to be poured out in this world before Jesus returns. In the middle of the sixth plague a pronouncement is made from heaven. “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” Revelation 16:15.

If you are planning to put on the wedding garment, you must not continue in sin. Ellen White states, “Every soul that continues in sin in the face of the light now shining upon our pathway, will be blinded and accept the delusions of Satan. We are now nearing the close of this world’s history.” The Review and Herald, March 19, 1895. Paul makes it very clear in II Thessalonians 2:1–12 that at the end, God is going to send strong delusion to people who did not receive the love of the truth and had pleasure in unrighteousness. All unrighteousness is sin (I John 5:17), and sin is the transgression of the law (I John 3:4).

In the end of time, all those who have pleasure in breaking God’s law will be deceived. Jesus is not the minister of sin (Galatians 2:17). Many Christians plan to give up all of their darling sins in the future, but not just yet. That is to be in an extremely dangerous situation, for some who are holding on to some treasured sin die before they give it up.

Time is short. Waste no more time; go to the Lord and say, Lord, I want to be rid of my sins; help me to stop sinning and clothe me in Your garment of righteousness. Some may believe there are so many sins in their life that there is not enough time between now and when Jesus comes to be rid of them. Don’t worry. Just make a full commitment to Jesus today and no matter your besetting sins—the things that hold you in bondage—the Lord wants to set you free. But He can only do that when you make a total commitment to Him.

We are living in a time when everyone is being weighed in the balance. After the birth of Samuel, Hannah prayed, “Talk no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” I Samuel 2:3. God weighs actions and the motives that determine the weight of the action. Daniel told Belshazzar, “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting.” Daniel 5:27. What balances were those? They were God’s balances.

God has a temple where Jesus is ministering right now as your High Priest. In that temple are balances. I do not know how to describe it other than the way that inspired writers have written about it. Both Daniel and Hannah talked about God weighing actions.

Ellen White wrote, “Every character is to be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary; if the moral character and spiritual advancement do not correspond with the opportunities and blessings, ‘wanting’ is written against the name.” The Review and Herald, March 19, 1895. Are you ready to be weighed in the heavenly scales?

In order to measure up and be found acceptable, a person’s character must be transformed by the Holy Spirit. We are counseled to study the Scriptures. In writing to Timothy, Paul said, “It will make you wise unto salvation” (II Timothy 3:15). In The Review and Herald, March 19, 1895, Ellen White wrote, “All who claim to be children of God should seek daily to understand why they believe by searching the Scriptures for themselves.” Do you know why you believe what you believe? There are many people today who cannot explain to you what they believe and why they believe it. “The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church is looked forward to as in the future; but it is the privilege of the church to have it now. Seek for it, pray for it, believe for it. We must have it, and Heaven is waiting to bestow it.” Ibid. The Lord wants you to receive the Holy Spirit and be changed in character. Are you doing your part?

What is involved in putting on the wedding garment? In I Samuel 15, the Lord had blessed Saul with a great military victory, but the Lord had told him to kill everything, including the cattle. Saul did not obey. When he returned the prophet said, “What is this? I hear all these cattle out here.” Saul said to him, “We brought those things back to sacrifice to the Lord. We’re going to have a big worship service.” Verses 14, 15, literal translation.

Millions of Christians today, like Saul, are worshiping God in a way that He does not accept. Why? The answer can be found in verses 22, 23: “Then Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice … For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.’ ” It is better to obey than to be religious. There are people who go through all kinds of religious rituals and ceremonies, and the Lord says, “I don’t accept that. You are disobedient.” The Lord did not reject Saul the first time he was deliberately disobedient. He gave him more than one chance. Obedience is crucial to being able to wear the wedding garment.

In Numbers 14 we are told about some people that did not enter the Promised Land. Canaan was a symbol of the heavenly Canaan. In Numbers 14:21–23 it is recorded that God said, “ ‘… but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord—because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.’ ”

Notice, this did not happen after they had rejected the Lord over disobedience once, or twice, or even three times. The Lord said that they “have put Me to the test now these ten times.” They had a wrong spirit. But notice verse 24: “ ‘But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land.’ ” What kind of a spirit do you have? Will you follow the Lord wherever He takes you, or are you half-hearted?

When God speaks, do you, like Samuel, say, “Speak Lord, your servant hears” (I Samuel 3, literal translation). Whatever you say, I will do it. Or do you resist the Holy Spirit? Do you want to put on the wedding garment? Do you have an intense desire to cover your spiritual nakedness with the robe of Christ’s righteousness? All of our own righteousness is filthy rags. Writing to Seventh-day Adventists, Ellen White said, “We are far, far from being Christians, which is to be Christlike.” Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers, No. 6 (1896), 24.

Today, just as it was in the time of Christ, there are many people who claim to be Christians and know Bible truth whose minds are actually under the control of Satan. The same thing happened to the religious leaders in Jesus’ time. He said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44.

The root of the devil’s problem is pride and selfishness. Therefore if I have pride and selfishness, then the devil is in control of my mind. I’m not putting the wedding garment on. In Upward Look, 51, we are told: “Today as in Christ’s day, Satan rules the minds of many. … Selfishness has perverted principles, selfishness has confused the senses and clouded the judgment. …

“If men would only give up their spirit of resistance to the Holy Spirit, the spirit which has long been leavening their religious experience, God’s Spirit would address itself to their hearts. It would convince of sin.”

Notice, the first work of the Holy Spirit is to convict of sin (see John 16:8). If you are not convicted of your sin, it is evident that you do not have the Holy Spirit. Pray that the Lord will convict you of your sins.

“God’s Spirit would address itself to their hearts. It would convince of sin. What a work! But the Holy Spirit has been insulted and light has been rejected.” Ibid., 51. This is called the early rain of the Holy Spirit. The Bible predicts in both the Old and New Testaments that just before Jesus comes again there is going to be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon this world such as has never been. It is referred to as the latter rain. If you have the experience of the early rain you will receive the beautiful garment—a Christlike character. However, if you do not have this experience, when the latter rain falls, you will not be ready for it and will not receive it. “We may be sure that when the Holy Spirit is poured out those who did not receive and appreciate the early rain will not see or understand the value of the latter rain.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 399.

This is a subject that I personally talk about to the Lord privately. I plead with Him that I will be aware of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Paul simplifies this when writing about being ready for Jesus to come in Colossians 1–4. He says there are some things that must be put on and other things that must be put off. The filthy rags of our own righteousness must be put off and the robe of Christ’s righteousness must be put on. “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5.

He then continues to say there are some things you need to put on. “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Colossians 3:12–15.

Have your garments been changed in preparation for Jesus to come? With all the strife and disunity amongst the believers today, it is obvious that Paul’s instruction in Colossians 3 has not been studied and understood. Families are fractured and churches are fragmented. These problems would disappear with a change of garment.

We pray that we might receive the Holy Spirit, and though that is an appropriate prayer, God cannot pour out the latter rain upon His people until certain conditions are fulfilled. Those conditions are so plain that Ellen White writes that a child will be able to understand. “Unless this converting power shall go through our churches, unless the revival of the Spirit of God shall come, all their profession will never make the members of the church Christians. There are sinners in Zion who need to repent of sins that have been cherished as precious treasures.” The Review and Herald, February 7, 1957.

If the Holy Spirit is speaking to you right now telling you that there is some sin in your life that you are not willing to put aside, it is to give you an opportunity to choose to be saved. But you cannot be saved as long as you cling to that darling sin. There are people who refuse to quit sinning because they enjoy it. They look at sinful things that they should be avoiding—on television, videos, DVDs or the Internet. They listen to and read sinful things and get so much enjoyment out of this “entertainment” that they refuse to give it up. They enjoy the pleasures of sin, but keep in mind, those pleasures are always temporary.

Ellen White wrote, “Until these sins are seen, and thrust from the soul, until every faulty, unlovely trait of character is transformed by the Spirit’s influence, God cannot manifest Himself in power.” Ibid. That is why we rarely see the powerful working of the Holy Spirit among us today because, “God cannot manifest Himself in power.”

The reason the outpouring of the Holy Spirit did not occur until the Day of Pentecost was that the disciples were not ready for it until they had been transformed by the Spirit’s influence. God wants to pour out His Holy Spirit on His people now, but He cannot, “Until every faulty, unlovely trait of character is transformed by the Spirit’s influence.” Ibid.

When the Holy Spirit works in the life, by His grace and power, every faulty, unlovely trait of character is going to be expelled. That is what is involved in putting on the wedding garment, the beautiful garments that Isaiah talks about in Isaiah 52. There will be no unlovely traits of character in heaven to risk a repeat of the misery of this world’s history.

“Are we striving with all our God-given powers to reach the measure of the stature of men and women in Christ [Ephesians 4:14, 15]? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever reaching higher and higher, trying to attain to the perfection of His character?

“When God’s servants reach this point, they will be sealed in their foreheads. The recording angel will declare, ‘It is done.’ ” The Review and Herald, February 7, 1957.

Then Jesus will come. The early rain of the Holy Spirit takes away the wrinkles and spots, leaving the garments clean. It can happen in your life and in my life if we will make a complete commitment to Jesus and say, “Lord, I’m going to follow You all the way. I want perfection of character. I don’t want to be just a Christian in name; I want to actually become Christ-like.” Let the Holy Spirit work on your mind and your heart. Reach out to the Lord and say: “Lord, I want to be saved. I want to have salvation; I want to be transformed by Your Holy Spirit and be clothed in the wedding garment. Fulfill your promise, that whenever I cry out to You, the Holy Spirit will come and answer my cry. Teach me and show me what to do to cooperate with the heavenly agencies so that I will be ready to enter into the Promised Land when You return.”

(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.

The Cleansing of the Temple

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The second chapter of John tells us what happened when Jesus cleansed the temple the first time. Remember, Jesus cleansed the temple once at the beginning and again at the close of His ministry.

“As He beholds the scene, indignation, authority, and power are expressed in His countenance. The attention of the people is attracted to Him. The eyes of those engaged in their unholy traffic are riveted upon his face. They cannot withdraw their gaze. They feel that this man reads their inmost thoughts, and discovers their hidden motives. Some attempt to conceal their faces, as if their evil deeds were written upon their countenances, to be scanned by those searching eyes.” The Desire of Ages, 157, 158

Does this remind you of the scene that will take place when Jesus comes the second time? Remember that the wicked are going to be crying for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them. This is what wickedness does in the presence of purity and holiness.

“The confusion is hushed. The sound of traffic and bargaining has ceased. The silence becomes painful. A sense of awe overpowers the assembly. It is as if they were arraigned before the tribunal of God to answer for their deeds. Looking upon Christ, they behold divinity flash through the garb of humanity. The Majesty of heaven stands as the Judge will stand at the last day,—not now encircled with the glory that will then attend Him, but with the same power to read the soul. His eye sweeps over the multitude, taking in every individual. His form seems to rise above them in commanding dignity, and a divine light illuminates His countenance. He speaks, and His clear, ringing voice—the same that upon Mount Sinai proclaimed the law that priests and rulers are transgressing—is heard echoing through the arches of the temple: ‘Take these things hence; make not My Father’s house an house of merchandise.’” Ibid., 158

How do you think He said those words? Do you believe that when Jesus said, “take these things hence,” that He spoke in soft and gentle tones? I am not trying to be a comedian, but how ridiculous are some of the things that we hear people saying today. I am amazed that there are people who think that Christ was some kind of little wallflower, lacking character and authority. Because of the Ecumenical Movement, our people have become such passivists. It has become very unpopular to say anything about anybody. If you are one of those who go along with that kind of thinking, you might as well forget about the three angels’ messages. The Savior that I serve, who is our perfect example, when the occasion called for it, raised His voice and said, “Take these things hence! Make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.”

“Slowly descending the steps, and raising the scourge of cords gathered up on entering the enclosure, He bids the bargaining company depart from the precincts of the temple. With a zeal and severity he has never before manifested, He overthrows the tables of the money changers. The coins fall, ringing sharply upon the marble pavement. None presume to question His authority. None dare stop to gather up their ill-gotten gain….Officers of the temple, speculating priests, brokers and cattle traders, with their sheep and oxen, rush from the place, with the one thought of escaping from the condemnation of His presence.

“A panic sweeps over the multitude, who feel the overshadowing of His divinity. Cries of terror escape from hundreds of blanched lips. Even the disciples tremble. They are awestruck by the words and manner of Jesus, so unlike His usual demeanor. They remember that it is written of Him, ‘The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up.’ Psalm 69:9. Soon the tumultuous throng with their merchandise are far removed from the temple of the Lord. The courts are free from unholy traffic, and deep silence and solemnity settles upon the scene of confusion. The presence of the Lord, that of old sanctified the mount, has now made sacred the temple reared in His honor.” Ibid., 158-161

If someone asked you if Jesus was ever severe, what would your first thought be? We do not know Jesus if we think that we have to sit on our hands and say, “Oh, I know this is terrible and something is going on in church, but I cannot say anything because I want to be Christlike.” I am sorry, but sitting there silently is not being Christlike. That is a twisted concept of Christ. A lot of people think that the tables were overthrown because as everybody was rushing out, they knocked the tables over. No, Christ was the one who overthrew the tables. This is a thought that very few people have of Christ. They cannot imagine Him doing such a thing.

Christ was not severe all of the time; but when the occasion called for it, he could be. And, yes, He kicked over those tables, the coins went flying everywhere and he said, “Take these things hence! You are not going to do this to My Father’s house.”

Was the temple sacred before Christ cleansed it? No. Before God’s presence can be in a place, it must be cleansed. We had better be very careful how we have criticized men whom God has chosen to do His work in these last days. We need to be very careful about labeling someone as being too severe or too harsh. To those who are so free to criticize and pick apart the message or the messenger, I would say, be very careful. Make sure you know what it means to be Christlike before you start saying that someone needs to be more Christlike.

“In the cleansing of the temple, Jesus was announcing His mission as the Messiah, and entering upon His work. That temple, erected for the abode of the divine presence, was designed to be an object lesson for Israel and for the world. From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, form 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. Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the divine One. But by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of Heaven is fulfilled. God dwells in humanity, and through saving grace the heart of man becomes again His temple.” Ibid., 161

Where does God dwell? In humanity. Therefore, if God is going to work in these last days, how is He going to work? Through humanity.

Do you see any parallels with what is taking place today? The people of Christ’s day had a misconception of the structure. They thought that their church was the structure. It was a magnificent structure and had been founded by God, but it had become their religion. They finally lost their souls because they attached their religion to their structure and refused to believe that it could never be removed.

“In cleansing the temple for the world’s buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin,—from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul. ‘The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver.’ Malachi 3:1-3.” Ibid.

Who are the sons of Levi? The priests. Why would God specifically say He was going to purify the sons of Levi? Because the spirituality of the church rarely rises any higher than that of the pastor. When you purify the sons of Levi, you purify the pastorate; and then the church gets purified. When you have a holy leadership, you have a holy church; and when you have an ungodly, apostate leadership, you have an unholy and apostate church. This is why it was that every time Israel had a righteous king, Israel was righteous, and every time they had a wicked king, they went deeper into apostasy. As the leadership goes, so the church goes.

“‘No man can of himself cast out the evil throng that have taken possession of the heart. Only Christ can cleanse the soul temple. But He will not force an entrance. He comes not into the heart as to the temple of old; but He says, ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.’ Revelation 3:20. He will come, not for one day merely; for He says, ‘I will dwell in them, and walk in them;…and they shall be My people.’ ‘He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.’ 2 Corinthians 6:16; Micah 7:19. His presence will cleanse and sanctify the soul, so that it may be a holy temple unto the Lord, and ‘an habitation of God through the Spirit.’ Ephesians 2:21, 22.” Ibid., 161, 162

Paul says, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.” 2 Corinthians 7:1. I know this sounds like heresy, but who does it say is to do the cleansing? “Let us cleanse ourselves.” Now what does that mean? How can we cleanse ourselves? By doing our part.

I had one fellow come up to me and say, “Pastor John, I canceled my newspaper. I had to do it.”

I said, “Well, praise the Lord. If you feel like you need to cancel your newspaper, then you had better do it; I am still receiving mine. You do not look down on me because I still get the newspaper, do you?”

“’No,” he said, “but I had to cancel mine.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I a am sports addict; sports was my god. I did not care about anything else. I had to get to the sports section and see who won last night.”

I do not care what it is in your life; if you cannot control it, get rid of it. Do whatever you have to do, but remove the thing that is causing you to defile the body temple.

Someone says, “Oh, no, let’s not be too drastic.” Yes, let’s be drastic. Our problem is that we are not willing to do drastic things for the Lord. We are right down to the end, and we are dealing with eternity here. God’s people have been fooling around for too long and we do not have time to do so any longer. The door of probation is closing and we have to get serious about going home.

You do not kneel down and pray, “Lord help me to sleep; I cannot sleep at night,” and then leave the light on. You must first get up and turn the light off, open the window, get into bed, put your face to the wall and do whatever else you need to do to get into a situation that is conducive to sleep. You do you part.

“At the beginning of His ministry, Christ had driven from the temple those who defiled it by their unholy traffic; and His stern and Godlike demeanor had struck terror to the hearts of the scheming traders. At the close of His mission he came again to the temple, and found it still desecrated as before.” Ibid., 589

Do you think that if God returned to His temple today, he would find it desecrated just as He did in 1900 when they were about to publish John Harvey Kellogg’s book on pantheism, The Living Temple? At that time, God burned the place down and destroyed the plates.

“Again the piercing look of Jesus swept over the desecrated court of the temple. All eyes were turned toward Him. Priest and ruler, Pharisee and Gentile, looked with astonishment and awe upon Him who stood before them with the majesty of heaven’s King. Divinity flashed through humanity, investing Christ with a dignity and glory He had never manifested before. Those standing nearest Him drew as far away as the crowd would permit. Except for a few of His disciples, the Saviour stood alone.” Ibid, 590, 591

How did the Saviour stand? Alone. You see, committees do not do this type of thing. There may be wisdom in a multitude of counselors, but I believe that we have so many committees that it is a stench in the nostrils of God. When you have a committee, nobody takes the blame for anything. It was a committee that wrote Questions on Doctrine, and it was a committee who put Issues together. Christ was willing to stand alone!

“The deep silence seemed unbearable. Christ spoke with a power that swayed the people like a mighty tempest: ‘It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.’ His voice sounded like a trumpet through the temple. The displeasure of His countenance seemed like a consuming fire. With authority He commanded, ‘Take these things hence.’ John 2:16

“Three years before, the rulers of the temple had been ashamed of their flight before the command of Jesus. They had since wondered at their own fears, and their unquestioning obedience to a single humble man. They had felt that it was impossible for their undignified surrender to be repeated. Yet they were now more terrified than before, and in greater haste to obey His command. There were none who dared question his authority. Priests and traders fled from His presence, driving their cattle before them.

“On the way from the temple they were met by a throng who came with their sick inquiring for the great Healer. The report given by the fleeing people caused some of these to turn back. They feared to meet One so powerful, whose very look had driven the priests and rulers from His presence.” Ibid., 591, 592

Why would these same people who threw down their coats in front of Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem, shouting “hosanna to the Son of David,” these same people who saw the religious leaders scorned and embarrassed, running for their lives, just a few days later cry, “Crucify Him, crucify Him! We have no king but Caesar”? How could they do this? It was because their leaders had control of their minds.

When leadership has control of the minds of the laity, they can even lead them to crucify the Son of God. This is why Jesus said, “They would not change their minds even if someone rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). They had been so hypnotized by their religious leaders that even if somebody rose from the dead, their minds would remain unchanged. Any historic Adventist can identify with that situation. When you try to explain things to fellow church members, they are unable to understand what you are saying, the they just come right back with the same round of arguments; “The church may appear as about to fall…The church is the ship going through.” Even if you talk to them for hours, it does not change anything; their minds are locked. Apostate religious leaders have brought their minds to the place where white appears as black and black as white.

There was yet another work for Christ to accomplish. He returned to the temple again. “With hand uplifted to heaven, and a divine light enshrouding his person, Christ spoke as a judge to those before Him. His voice, that had so often been heard in gentleness and entreaty, was now heard in rebuke and condemnation.” Ibid., 619

Have you ever heard it said that Christ never condemned. Don’t you ever believe that. When it was time to rebuke, Christ rebuked. When it was time to condemn, Christ condemned. Be very careful about ever telling a man chosen of God to preach the three angels’ messages, that he had better be more Christlike. If he was more Christlike, you might no be able to handle it.

“Christ’s indignation was directed against the hypocrisy, the gross sins, by which men were destroying their own souls, deceiving the people, and dishonoring God. In the specious, deceptive reasoning of the priests and rulers, he discerned the working of Satanic agencies.” Ibid.

Where did Christ see the satanic agencies? In the people? In the leadership! Christ did not rebuke the people—the laity—like this. He rebuked apostate leadership who were being directed by satanic agencies.

“He had a holy wrath against the prince of darkness; but he manifested no irritated temper. So the Christian who lives in harmony with God, possessing the sweet attributes of love and mercy, will feel a righteous indignation against sin; but he will not be roused by passion to revile those who revile him. Even in meeting those who are moved by a power from beneath to maintain falsehood, in Christ he will still preserve calmness and self-possession.

“Divine pity marked the countenance of the Son of God as He cast one lingering look upon the temple and then upon His hearers. In a voice choked by deep anguish of heart and bitter tears he exclaimed, ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!’ This is the separation struggle. In the lamentation of Christ the very heart of God is pouring itself forth. It is the mysterious farewell of the longsuffering love of the Diety.

“Pharisees and Sadducees were alike silenced. Jesus summoned His disciples, and prepared to leave the temple, not as one defeated and forced from the presence of his adversaries, but as one whose work was accomplished. He retired a victor from the contest.” Ibid., 619, 620

“Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Matthew 23:38, 39

Before we are tempted to so glibly say, “Well, we think you ought to be Christlike,” we need to study how, when idolatry was being brought into the church, Christ dealt with apostasy in His Father’s house. May God help us each one to have the wisdom and courage to be truly Christlike in all things.

The End

To Know God

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Man’s salvation depends upon his understanding of God. The more we understand Jesus Christ, the deeper our spiritual experience will be and the better witnesses for Him we will become. Sometimes our body speaks one thing and yet our souls say something different because each person carries their own individual atmosphere around them. Our witness for Jesus Christ is not just the truth spoken by our own words for they are very limited. The way we look, the way we smile, the way we consider and treat others, speak volumes without a word spoken. The way we sit, the way we stand, the way we walk, the way we have conversations, the way we care and our whole being witnesses to others of our motivation. The knowledge we have of the character of God has everything to do with our salvation.

The more I work as a servant of the Lord I really begin to understand better what is Christian living and why I am a Christian. To know Jesus Christ is everything.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3. Knowing the true God, the Father, and Son, Jesus Christ, Whom He sent is our life eternal. Jesus Christ is our salvation and He gives us life every day, not only physical life, but spiritual life. We must partake of His righteousness daily. Righteousness is not only the written word of God, but it is also continually partaking of Jesus’ character and His Spirit into our lives.

There is a familiar quote found in The Desire of Ages, page 22, which says, “The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world’s dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, ‘with healing in His wings’ (Malachi 4:2).”

Repentance is a gift from God. We think that we are the ones who repent, who feel remorse and regrets and are the ones who confess the sins and repent. So why is repentance the gift from God? We have a carnal heart that is at enmity against God, so before God gives us repentance His grace gives us the enmity against the wickedness and Satan and sin (Genesis 3:15). Without that gift of grace we cannot even begin the repentance experience.

At the same time God must, through His Holy Spirit, rule us and convict us, impress us and give us the feeling of being sorry for the sins which we have committed. Only then will we have a desire to repent. Faith is a gift from God but not all receive it. Why is it a gift? Consider this illustration: A little baby has been taken care of by his mother. His mother holds him in her bosom all day long cuddling him and kissing him. She washes him, changes his diapers and she feeds him. The baby does not immediately have knowledge of the mother’s love, yet slowly and surely he begins to understand the tender care of this person. He naturally begins to trust this person called mother. When he cries, she comes. When he is hungry, she jumps. Immediately, he begins to trust her. This is the only person he can trust in the world. He now has the gift of trust because of the love of the mother. He trusts her because she has demonstrated that she provides all of his needs. That is what we call faith—it is a gift. You see, “For 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. Our believing comes after the Father gave up His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to us. God’s love is first shown and then felt by us and our response is faith, then we believe. First we have to know God before we will receive the gift of faith and trust.

Some people say of themselves, “I’m so weak because of the hereditary habits that I’ve received from my ancestors, my father, my mother, my grandparents, and so forth. I stumble a lot, I make mistakes, I backslide.” People become so discouraged, but in that regard we all are equal. I have never met anyone who does not complain about his or her own weaknesses whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, who does not have his or her own cross to bear. Those who stand for Jesus Christ and the truth will not have to go out looking for a cross to bear; it will surely find them.]

Often times we have problems, suffer pain, or incur troubles or conflicts. But those things are not the actual problem. Our real problem is lack of the knowledge of God because we do not really understand Him or His character. We do not comprehend His work and how much He loves us. We may sing the song, “Jesus Loves Me” but do we really understand what that means?

Intercessory Prayer

Mediating means not only applying the blood of Jesus Christ to repenting sinners, but also a mediator has to give enough grace, power and strength for the person they are interceding for to overcome. That is the true meaning of intercessory work. That is what Jesus Christ does for us every day. It is not our own wickedness or our environment that results in our stumbling and falling, but the lack of a true understanding of God and His provision for us. To know God is to love Him and the more we understand Him the more we will love Him and be prepared to risk everything in our lives for His sake, even to the point of becoming a martyr if necessary.

There is nothing in the world more valuable than the love of Jesus Christ, because we know Him and love Him and we would like to do everything in the world for His honor and glory. I love my mother and my father. When I was little I thought my father didn’t like me. I am the only son in my family with four sisters. In Korean culture, if you are the only son you are treated like a king and you are supposed to lead like one. Because I am the successor of this family, food must first be presented before me. My grandfather, who raised my father, used to be a senator in the Korean government. He was a high official and at one time he became the secretary of commerce. He had a huge mansion and many politicians came to bow before him. In Korean tradition, on the first day of January every year we all go to our parents and grandparents and actually bow down on the floor to them. Whether you like it or not this is what you must do to show respect for your parents.

Visiting my grandfather’s house on the first of January, I saw many politicians and congressmen go to his house and bow down too. I liked to go to him because after I bowed down before him he would give me an envelope filled with brand new currency. As an only-begotten son in the family, my father wanted to train me correctly so that I would not become spoiled. He was, in a way, very strict with me. From time to time he spanked me and I thought my father didn’t like me and maybe he even hated me. I thought maybe he felt regret at having me in this world. One day, early in the morning, I felt chilly in my room and I knew that I needed to pull my comforter over my head, but I couldn’t for I was too sleepy. Then, all of a sudden, I felt warmth all over my body. What was taking place? Someone had come into my room and pulled the cover over me and was leaving my room. I could only see his back, but I knew that it was my Dad. He was looking out for my comfort. From that point on my understanding of him was revolutionized. I realized that my father loved me and from then on the relationship with my father grew. My father is now 91 years old and sometimes still says to me, “Be careful when you cross the street. Be careful when you drive.” I am old now, too, and have my own children, but I will always be his son and he will always look out for me.

When we understand God and what happened at the cross, and truly understand what Jesus Christ has been doing and is still doing for our salvation, then our loyalty and faithfulness will be changed. We continue to sin and repent because we do not understand the power that He is willing to give us to stop.

When you know God you can be thankful when all else seems to crash around you. I heard a woman give a testimony on the radio one Thanksgiving. Her husband was in jail on fraud charges. Her seventeen year old son had just committed suicide yet she praised God and gave Him thanks. Continuing in her testimony she said she was also dying with cancer. The doctors had given her only six more months to live and she said, “I am so thankful to God.” She continued by saying, “When I go to heaven I’ll be more thankful. Do you know why? Even though my seventeen year old boy just committed suicide, and my husband is in jail, and I’m dying with cancer, I am going to be so much more thankful to my God because I will find out how much work He has done for the salvation of my family. I believe and trust that God has done everything He could to save my family. So I will continually praise Him.” What faith! This lady trusted her Saviour to do all in His infinite power to save her family.

John Milton was a theologian and poet in England. His famous long poem is Paradise Lost. He wrote a book called All the Education and in his book he wrote this very interesting statement: “The end then of learning is to repair the ruins of our first parents by regaining a knowledge to know God aright and out of that knowledge to love Him.” That is interesting. Mrs. White said exactly the same thing. To know Him is to love Him. God holds all things together continually for us to stay alive. He holds atoms together, the orbit system, sun and planets and the earth. Marvelously and mysteriously He holds it all together by His power. Everything is upheld by His power. Our blood circulates, our pulse, our emotions, our personality, all cooperate for the success of this planet. He did not only create us but He continually maintains us by His word and His power. Why? Simply because He wanted to give us more time and more opportunity to know Him and to fall in love with Him so that we can become true Christians and devote our entire life to Him in vindication of His character and repudiate the claim of Satan that God is not love.

Sometimes we think we have to try very hard to be sanctified. Of course, the Spirit of Prophecy does say that without effort there is no result, but we cannot simply lie around in “faith” and say, “O please help me to accomplish things.” No, we cannot do that. We do not just open our mouth and stand under the tree until the fruit comes down and falls into our mouth. We have to actually go there and pluck it, peel and eat it.

God is the One Who sanctifies us through His providential workings. Sometimes He allows sufferings, afflictions, pains, heartaches and dilemmas so that we can be refined and chiseled into something useful. God is the One Who works daily, as much as we allow Him, to mold us and fashion us into His image to fulfill the plan He has for our life.

One day Michelangelo took a big chunk of stone and brought it into his workshop and began to work on that rock to make a statue. After about three months, servants came into his shop and saw the beautiful statue of Moses. They were amazed and said, “Wow, Master, this is beautiful. How did you do it?” Michelangelo said, “I didn’t do much. There was a Moses in that rock. I knew it and saw it, so I just chiseled out all the parts that did not belong to him. That is all I did.” O, what wise words as a sculptor. That is exactly what God is trying to do to us—bring out the image of God within us. He chips away at all the bad character traits and habits that don’t belong there so Jesus can be seen in us.

When I look back, I can see my life as one whole picture. In certain conjunctions of my life I couldn’t understand, but now I can see. Why did God allow me to go through those kinds of troubles and persecutions? When I stood up and began to preach the straight testimony about the true everlasting gospel, health messages, country living messages, and the straight everlasting gospel, the character perfection gospel, and purification of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and the soon coming of Jesus Christ, I went through some hell. The persecutions that came to me I never had imagined before. At one point of time I wanted to die and I said, “Lord, I just cannot go on like this. My reputation is shot. I have no more honor. I am on the top of the black list, the church hates me and they spread all kinds of rumors about me. I just cannot go on like this without honor and it is too difficult.” And He put me through various experiences that were deep valleys in my life. I did not know it was God’s mercy to train me, to purify me and to sanctify me, even through persecutions. Through those persecutions He put my pride down. It was impossible to be proud in these situations.

As an oriental, it is my culture that when greeting people, usually in different Asian countries, you show humility by bowing your body and head at the same time and say, “Hello brother. How are you? Nice to meet you.” If I say, like Americans, “Hello brother. Good to see you,” without bowing, I would be seen as a very proud person.

How does God humble us? Only God can humble us through His providential ways, allowing us to go through certain valleys and experiences. Then He is able to take away our pride and our idols. Sometimes it takes a long time. Satan and his evil angels accuse the brethren. They ridicule God’s servant saying, “Surely this person is not qualified to be a pastor or an elder.” “Is this a person who is called to be a witness for Thee?” But God says, “Wait a minute, Satan. I’m not done with him yet. I’m not finished.” When Jesus Christ leaves the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, He is going to say again, “It is finished.” But what is He referring to? His work of salvation is finished. And when sin is eradicated He will say once more, “Finished.” Until then nobody can pass judgment, for God’s work of restoration is not finished. Sure, they can criticize me now because God has not finished with me yet.

My parents were proud of me. My father’s expectation of me was to become a businessman or a physician, one that was well-known in the world. He wanted me to become a famous person and have good accomplishments. When I became a pastor, he said, “That’s all right, if that’s what you want to do; then become the best pastor in Asia and well-known that people can identify with you.” That was my father’s dream of his only son.

When I began to stand strong for the truth and began to be persecuted it was really difficult and it was not easy for my father. God took the human expectations and dreams for his son away and made him humble to simply depend upon God’s providence. God is a wonderful God and yet His working is mysterious. He is out to help us all to become truly humble. If we understand His providential workings in our past experiences, then we can truly say, “Yes, I love Him. I really love Him.” Now if my God is that kind of God, I can risk everything. I can sacrifice everything for His sake because I trust Him. Then you and I can even become martyrs for His sake.

II Peter 1:2, 3 says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” When we understand Him more and more, then grace and peace will be multiplied unto us, but only when we understand God more.

“Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for He has torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” Hosea 6:1–3.

Hosea has invited us to come, return unto the Lord and know Him. As we understand the knowledge of God and as we grow in Jesus Christ in the knowledge of Him, then we will receive the latter rain. Without the early rain, without the first growing experience in the understanding of His character and His providences and His workings with you, you cannot receive the latter rain.

I met a young lady who is Spanish, but speaks English enough that I can communicate with her. When I met her the first time she was very sad. She was unstable and dissatisfied and was always like an orphan. She was very uncomfortable and always asking something and unsettled. Recently I met her again and noticed a whole change of her atmosphere and countenance. I said to her, “You are changed. What happened?” She was very anxious to tell me her story. When she was 15 years old her mother forsook her and dumped her in the grandparent’s house and left without any explanation. She has never seen her own father. Her mother was living with a man without marriage when she abandoned her daughter. Her grandmother was not pleasant to her and her life was so horrible that she had begun cursing her own life. Why was I born? What is the purpose? Then, somehow, she had opportunity to go to a school connected to a small ministry and became a Christian where she grew into a relationship with Jesus Christ. One day she began to realize that there was a reason why she is in this world. She now understood that the Father in heaven gave her life and existence in this world to find Him and get to know Him and understand Him and to have opportunity to live forever. It is a simple doctrine of the Bible, but all of a sudden she began to realize the purpose of her life. She said, “Yes, there is a reason why I am living in this world.”

While she works in the garden she prays and sings hymns like “Jesus is all the world to me, My life, my joy, my all; He is my strength from day to day, without Him I would fall” (Will L. Thompson 1904). This song gave real meaning to her life and as she sings this song in Spanish she really means it.

Jesus is the all the world to me, my strength, my love, my all and He will lead me and you through the time of trouble that is soon to come on this earth before Jesus returns if you accept Him and trust Him.

(All Bible verses are quoted in the King James Version.)

Pastor David Kang is the director of Light for Life U.S. Ministry operation out of Commerce, Georgia. His sermons are broadcast weekly on New York and Virginia Korean television stations. Pastor Kang also frequently travels to Asia where he trains pastors who often work “underground.” 

The Persistent Message of Jesus

by

“The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God. … The burden of every book and every passage of the Bible is the unfolding of this wondrous theme—man’s uplifting—the power of God, ‘which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (I Corinthians 15:57).” Education, 125.

Another description of this plan is found in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“Christ was not alone in making His great sacrifice. It was the fulfilment of the covenant made between Him and His Father before the foundation of the world was laid. With clasped hands they had entered into the solemn pledge that Christ would become the surety for the human race if they were overcome by Satan’s sophistry.” The Youth’s Instructor, June 14, 1900.

In Patriarchs and Prophets, page 371, it says that this covenant “was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will” where we can keep the commandments of God. The third angel’s message says, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God.” Revelation 14:12 KJV. These people followed Jesus into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and have been given strength from God to be free from sin. They were placed where they could obey God’s law and have right to enter the kingdom of glory, no exception.

“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 [the second 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.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 68.

The plan of redemption was given to separate us from sin. This message was given to Adam and he knew that the lamb he must slay represented Jesus Christ Who would come in the future. From the time Adam offered his first sacrifice until Jesus died on the cross approximately 2,000,920 lambs were sacrificed—one every morning and every evening to remind the people of the new covenant promise. The most important thing we can ever learn is to trust in the blood of Jesus to redeem us from sin.

God told Abraham to take his one and only son and offer him on Mount Moriah. Hence, Abraham was a representation of the Father and Isaac, the Son of God. Climbing Mount Moriah, Isaac said to his father, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Genesis 22:7 NKJV. And Abraham said, “God Himself will provide the lamb.” Verse 8. Isaac was strong enough that he could have resisted his elderly father when he found out what God had instructed Abraham, but he submitted to his father’s will.

Abraham was ready to bring that knife down when his hand was stayed. The plan of salvation was here illustrated to the universe through Abraham and Isaac. The lamb represented Jesus. God does everything He can to impress upon our minds the need of getting free from sin. For 4,000 years Abraham, Jacob and future generations continued these morning and evening sacrifices symbolizing Christ’s first coming.

At the Exodus God changed the patriarchal system to a sanctuary system to meet the needs of a larger group of people. The lamb was still to be sacrificed but the services were enlarged to give the people a clearer understanding of the new covenant and what Christ was going to do for them.

The sanctuary that Moses built was a copy of the sanctuary in heaven, which is the true tabernacle of God, the sanctuary of the new covenant. (See The Great Controversy, 413, 417.) Both sanctuaries were of the new covenant.

The seventy-week prophecy given to Daniel told the people exactly when they should expect the Lamb to come to ratify the covenant. They had the date for it. The shepherds and the wise men knew that the time was at hand, but the church did not. The prophecy stated that in the midst of the week the Lamb would be slain. At the beginning of the week, in A.D. 27, Jesus was anointed and they could have figured out exactly when the true Sacrifice would be made. But in the face of all this information, they were blinded with a misunderstanding of the Scriptures.

History shows that in 63 B.C., Pompey, the Roman general, took Jerusalem after a three-month siege of the temple area and massacred all the priests in the process of their service. This sacrilege incensed the Jews in such a way that they could neither forgive nor forget and a plan was devised by which they hoped to get free from the Romans. The prophecies of a coming king were taken and interpreted to say that Jesus was to come as a king to deliver them from the control of the Roman Empire. Over the next 50 to 75 years that interpretation became so ingrained in the Jews that they forgot the plan of God. They taught that the Messiah would come, not to deliver them from sin, but to deliver them from the control of the pagan Roman Empire. When Jesus came as a lowly peasant instead of a king, they found it necessary to destroy Him in order to uphold their false teaching. The Jews represented Jesus as an imposter and taught the people that His work and teachings would destroy their temple and its services. The temple and its services must be preserved at all cost, even if it was to deny Jesus and the messengers He sent. Such was the environment Jesus experienced at His first advent.

Jesus tried to correct this error and sent witnesses to the birth of John the Baptist. Zacharias had a vision while serving in the holy place of the temple. As a result of his unbelief he was struck dumb for nine months until the child was born. When he came out from that encounter with the angel everybody knew that something amazing had happened when he could not talk.

The angel proclaimed the birth of Jesus to the shepherds and this was spread all over Judea. There was still no interest to research this matter. A year later the Magi came from the east asking, Where is the king of the Jews that was born? The Jewish leaders who had not followed the prophecies did not know because it did not fit their preconceived idea of being saved from the Romans.

When Jesus was dedicated in the temple, two prophets witnessed to His divine birth. The priest heard these things but refused to take notice. When John the Baptist came preaching in Jerusalem and all Judea to prepare the way for the Messiah to come in humility and to deliver them from sin, they still did not listen. The priesthood even sent a delegation to hear him, but John’s teaching was not in harmony with their expectation.

Jesus did not give up trying to get the attention of the people. At His baptism in A.D. 27, when He came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove. They recognized that dove as a representation of the Holy Spirit and heard the voice of God the Father declaring, “This is My Son, Whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17. However, this was not the king that they wanted so they rejected Him.

From His baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days and fasted almost to the point of death. When He returned from the wilderness to the Jordan River where John the Baptist was teaching, John said, “Look, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29. Five of John’s disciples joined Jesus at the opening of His ministry.

Inspiration tells us that Jesus did not begin His ministry until the first cleansing of the temple.

“In the cleansing of the temple, Jesus was announcing His mission as the Messiah, and entering upon His work. That temple, erected for the abode of the divine Presence, was designed to be an object lesson for Israel and for the world. … In the cleansing of the temple from the world’s buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin—from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits that corrupt the soul.” The Desire of Ages, 161. The Jewish church rejected that message again.

There was a bright spot in His ministry a few days later when Nicodemus came for an interview with Jesus. “In the interview with Nicodemus, Jesus unfolded the plan of salvation, and His mission to the world. In none of His subsequent discourses did He explain so fully, step by step, the work necessary to be done in the hearts of all who would inherit the kingdom of heaven. At the very beginning of His ministry He opened the truth to a member of the Sanhedrin, to the mind that was most receptive, and to an appointed teacher of the people. But the leaders of Israel did not welcome the light. Nicodemus hid the truth in his heart, and for three years there was little apparent fruit.” Ibid., 176. Nicodemus passed the story on to the disciples after the crucifixion.

A year later at the next Passover, Jesus came back to the same subject again when He healed the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda. It is believed that the man was healed on the Sabbath because he was so sick but Jesus had a greater plan when He deliberately told him to pick up his bed and walk on the Sabbath day. That afternoon the Sanhedrin called a council meeting and Jesus was called in for breaking the law. (See John 5.) By additional rules, the ten commandments by which we are judged had been corrupted and Jesus challenged the leaders saying that the teachings of the Pharisees were leading the people astray and depriving them of salvation through the new covenant.

Jesus had come to magnify the law and make it honorable. He was not to lessen its dignity, but to exalt it. The Scripture says, “He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth.” Isaiah 42:4 literal translation. He came to free the Sabbath from the burdensome requirements that had made it a curse instead of a blessing.

Inspiration tells us: “For this reason He had chosen the Sabbath upon which to perform the act of healing at Bethesda. He could have healed the sick man as well on any other day of the week; or He might simply have cured him, without bidding him bear away his bed. But this would not have given Him the opportunity He desired.” The Desire of Ages, 206.

“The Sanhedrin had rejected Christ’s message and was bent upon His death; therefore Jesus departed from Jerusalem, from the priests, the temple, the religious leaders, the people who had been instructed in the law, and turned to another class to proclaim His message, and to gather out those who should carry the gospel to all nations.

“The burden of Christ’s preaching was, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel’ (Mark 1:14). Thus the gospel message, as given by the Saviour Himself, was based on the prophecies. The ‘time’ which He declared to be fulfilled was the period made known by the angel Gabriel to Daniel. ‘Seventy weeks,’ said the angel, ‘are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy’ (Daniel 9:24).” Ibid., 232, 233.

In other words, seventy weeks were decreed to ratify the covenant and for Jesus to open the new covenant sanctuary in heaven. They should have known that Jesus was going to die and the third day go to open the sanctuary in heaven. But the whole plan of redemption was rejected, cutting off all the people from the hope of salvation.

“Calling the twelve [disciples] about Him, Jesus bade them go out two and two through the towns and villages.” Ibid., 350. The disciples’ message was the same as John the Baptist and of Christ Himself, the kingdom of God is at hand, the seventy-week prophecy is fulfilled. The Messiah had come to give His life to ratify the covenant. So they went through Galilee with this message. And what a harvest they gained through their ministry! By the end of that year there were thousands of people ready to accept Jesus and be called His disciples.

Just before His crucifixion Jesus again sent seventy of His disciples throughout the whole area of Galilee and Judea and any place where people would listen. They were to call attention to the sacrifice that He was going to make in a few weeks. (See The Desire of Ages, 488.) The Lamb of God was about to ratify the covenant so pay attention.

Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:51. The Desire of Ages, 389, explains: “To eat the flesh and to drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins.” We are complete in Him. The new covenant is simply an arrangement to bring us back in harmony with God.

It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit unless it is eaten and it becomes part of our being. Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. We must feed upon Him and receive Him into the heart so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace must be assimilated.

“It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons; by His word He stilled the sea, and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God, as He had spoken through all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the word must be their source of power.” The Desire of Ages, 390. [Emphasis added.] Though His visible presence has been withdrawn from us it is His word that is to be the source of our power and our salvation.

Those who believe the Bible will also believe the Spirit of Prophecy. Revelation 12:17, says, “The dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. In Revelation 19:10, we read, “I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!” [Emphasis added.] Here it is evident that if a person accepts the whole Bible they will also accept the whole Spirit of Prophecy.

“By looking constantly to Jesus with the eye of faith, we shall be strengthened. God will make the most precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. They will find that Christ is a personal Saviour. As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus.” The Desire of Ages 391. Jesus wants to free you from sin when you come to Him and give you the needed strength to keep from sinning. All who participate in the latter rain are going to be free from sin and sealed for eternity.

Jesus said, “You destroy this temple, and in three days I’ll raise it up.” John 2:19 literal translation. The Desire of Ages, page 164, explains: “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.” When the Jews crucified Jesus, they destroyed His body and destroyed the temple. “As referring to the temple at Jerusalem, the Saviour’s words, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,’ had a deeper meaning than the hearers perceived. Christ was the foundation and life of the temple. Its services were typical of the sacrifice of the Son of God. … The entire plan of sacrificial worship was a foreshadowing of the Saviour’s death to redeem the world.” Ibid., 165.

“In putting Christ to death, the Jews virtually destroyed their temple.” Ibid., 165. The very thing they wanted to prevent, they did. When Christ was crucified, the inner veil of the temple was rent in two from top to bottom signifying that the great final sacrifice had been made. The sacrificial lamb escaped and the system of sacrificial offerings was forever at an end along with the feast days.

“ ‘In three days I will raise it up.’ … From the rent sepulcher of Joseph, Jesus came forth a conqueror. … By virtue of His death and resurrection, He became the minister of the ‘true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man’ (Hebrews 8:2). …

“The sacrificial service that had pointed to Christ passed away; but the eyes of men were turned to the true sacrifice for the sins of the world. The earthly priesthood ceased; but we look to Jesus, the minister of the new covenant, and ‘to the blood of sprinkling.’ … ‘The way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing … but Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands …by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us’ (Hebrews 12:24; 9:8–12).” Ibid., 165, 166.

Throughout the book of Hebrews it is seen that Paul was relentless in pointing the Jews to the sanctuary in heaven that they had rejected so that they could see Jesus and His ministration there. For the three years of His earthly ministry the prophecy the temple would be destroyed, that He would die and be raised on the third day, and the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven would be opened was before the people.

In the setting of the resurrection morning the disciples were all confused. Going to the tomb they found it empty and wondered what happened. Their hope and faith was gone. Then Jesus appeared to Mary, and “in His own familiar voice He said to her, ‘Mary’ Now she knew it was not a stranger who was addressing her, and turning she saw before her the living Christ. In her joy she forgot He had been crucified. Springing toward Him, as if to embrace His feet [in worship], she said, ‘Rabboni.’ But Christ raised His hand, saying, Detain me not ‘for I am not yet ascended to My Father’ (John 20:16, 17). …

“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.” Ibid., 790.

Christ immediately returned to earth, and that evening He walked to Emmaus and explained to two of His disciples how the Old Testament sacrificial system pointed to His sacrifice. They finally began to understand why Jesus had to die. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down and told the disciples that Jesus had been inaugurated as their High Priest, and that they were to take this message to the world. Christ was now ministering for them in the heavenly sanctuary. The Lamb of God had been slain. They could go directly to Christ in the heavenly sanctuary to confess their sins. He would hear and give them power to separate from sin.

The Desire of Ages, 834 says that when Jesus ascended to heaven, “They [the hosts of heaven] are eager to celebrate His triumph and to glorify their King.

“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. … 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.”

Praise the Lord! The pledge has been fulfilled and Jesus is in heaven today ministering on behalf of His people. “From that scene of heavenly joy, there comes back to us on earth the echo of Christ’s own wonderful words, ‘I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.’ John 20:17.” Ibid., 835.

“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.” The Acts of the Apostles, 39.

This was the message of Jesus’ disciples during the early rain. The message of God’s church during the latter rain will be that Christ has moved into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and is investigating the records of His people to see who has washed their sins in His blood and are fit to be clothed in the wedding garment and ready to go into the wedding banquet. What a tragedy it would be to be weighed in the balance of the sanctuary and be found wanting when such a sacrifice has been made for our salvation.

How important it is for us today to go to the world with this message of hope. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. Seeking Him in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary is our only hope. He alone can give the power to set us free from the sins that separate us from the Father. This last message of mercy must go to the whole world and then Jesus will return for those who love Him and “keep the commandments of God, and have the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12 literal translation.

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

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 can be contacted at: mauricehoppe@stepstolife.org.

Sermon on the Mount Series – The Way of Holiness

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Most people who have read the first two books of the Bible know of a famous mountain called Mount Sinai where the law of God, the Ten Commandments were spoken by God and written with His finger on tables of stone. But have you heard of what is called the Sinai of the New Testament?

In the Old Testament it is predicted concerning the Messiah that “He will magnify the law, and make it honorable.” Isaiah 42:21 KJV. To magnify means to look at it under a magnifying glass. Jesus did that very thing when He spoke the Sermon on the Mount. He expounded on the law, making it honorable. This sermon has been called the Decalogue of the New Testament, or the Mount Sinai of the New Testament, because in it we take a look at the law of God under the magnifying glass of the Lawgiver to understand in detail what really is the spirit and nature of God’s law.

In His sermon, Jesus restated and explained the law for everyday living in practical terms that children can understand. So, the thunders of Mount Sinai reecho in the beatitudes of Him who is living the law. Not only did Jesus give to His disciples a model prayer, He preached before them a model sermon, which was the greatest sermon that had ever been listened to by mortal man. It was the master sermon by the master Preacher.

In Matthew 5, 6, and 7, eternal truths were spoken by Him Who is the truth and therefore the author of all truth. It is a proclamation of the eternal realities of the kingdom of heaven. This sermon has been studied because of its matchless beauty. More important than this, however, are the basic fundamental principles that it contains. The Sermon on the Mount is an unabridged edition of the law—a summary of all truth—and has been called a miniature Bible because it is made up of quotations from the Old Testament or restatements of its truths. It seems that Jesus selected the most priceless gems out of the writings of all the prophets and set them down in a way that even children can understand.

This sermon has also been appropriately called Christ’s inaugural address because in it He enunciated the principles which are to control the administration of His eternal kingdom, the kingdom of grace, and spells out the qualifications for heavenly citizenship. The conditions by which we can expect to enter the kingdom of heaven are clearly pointed out, as well as who will be there and who will not be there. All the citizens of the heavenly kingdom will live in harmony with the eternal principles that have been set out within God’s law.

Because of the significance of this occasion, let us examine the setting of Jesus’ sermon. Jesus had spent the entire night before in prayer, and in the morning He had selected and ordained the twelve apostles, who were to constitute a cabinet to help Him administer the affairs of this spiritual kingdom. They were to be His special ministers or ambassadors. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 19:27, 28 that the twelve apostles would later be crowned as kings. Their office was the most important to which human beings have ever been called, second only to Christ Himself.

In fact, the twelve apostles are so important that the Bible records in Revelation 21:14, that throughout eternal ages, their names will be written, emblazoned, inscribed, on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem, the capital city of the universe.

This Sermon on the Mount was not only the greatest of all sermons, but it was preached to a very large and interesting audience that was composed of people from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond Jordan. See Matthew 4:25.

The congregation that listened to Christ was made up of all classes of men, women, and children, representing every condition of life. There were proud Pharisees, poor fishermen, and rich rulers from the palace. There were poor peasants along with the wise and those who were uneducated and ignorant. There were those who were believers and those who were doubters. Many races of men and various religious creeds were represented in the audience. It was a cross section of humanity who had gathered to listen to Jesus’ words because they had feelings of great expectancy. What were they expecting? This gathering had a political aspect because Jesus’s fame had filled the people with new hopes and aspirations.

They hoped that He was the Messiah and they expected Him on this occasion to proclaim His mission as such and to make an announcement regarding the setting up of His kingdom. They were looking for the least excuse to proclaim and crown Him king. The disciples of Jesus also shared these feelings of expectancy. Their thoughts were filled with visions of future glory, and power, and wealth, when they believed that the nation of Israel would become the central power of the world and that they would be the center of a worldwide kingdom.

These were the ambitions, the expectations that had brought together this great company of people. The expectation of His audience gave Jesus the subject or the theme for His sermon, which was the kingdom of heaven. It was His purpose to correct the popular misconception concerning the nature of His kingdom that He had come to establish, for their expectations had completely unfitted them to receive Him and His teachings. The only kingdom that the Jews seemed to know anything about was an earthly temporal kingdom. The disciples were no different. They never lost this conception during the whole time Jesus was on earth until after Pentecost when they finally got their thinking partially straightened out.

There is danger today that modern Israel, the Christians of today, will make the same mistake. By becoming so thrilled over the prospects of the coming kingdom of glory that is clearly predicted in the Bible and to be established at the Second Advent of Christ, there is danger that in anticipating this, we will lose sight of the spiritual phase of His kingdom, which must be first established in the individual’s heart.

None of us will ever enter the kingdom of glory until the kingdom of grace has entered our heart. Until the first phase of the kingdom of heaven has been accomplished in our lives, we can never enter into the second phase. The first phase of God’s kingdom is the kingdom of grace that Jesus established by dying on the cross. The second phase of God’s kingdom will be the kingdom of glory that will be established when He comes again.

Jesus’ sermon is a summary of the Bible, and like the Ten Commandments or the Lord’s Prayer, it is of universal application. It appeals and applies to all races and to all ages.

One time in India, there was a large crowd which had gathered at a railway station to hear Mahatma Ghandi speak. After greeting the people, he opened a New Testament and read to them the beatitudes and then he said, “This is my message to you. Act upon it.” That was all the speech he made on that occasion, but that was enough.

The eight beatitudes constitute a ladder, an advancing road of Christian experience. They contain natural and logical steps in spiritual growth and development that take us into the kingdom of God. The word beatitude comes from a Latin word which means blessed or happy. So the beatitude ladder is a blessed ladder or happy experience. It is similar or synonymous with the words consecrated, hallowed, happy, sacred, or holy. Only a consecrated, holy people can enter the kingdom of heaven. And the journey must be made by way of the beatitude ladder. You start on the first rung, and you advance up the road. Each beatitude takes you to an advanced step. It is called the way of holiness in the Bible and it leads eventually to Zion (Isaiah 35:8). The result is that those who travel this ladder will obtain joy and gladness, they will return to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, and sorrow and sighing will flee away (Isaiah 35:10).

This way, however, as Jesus pointed out, is a narrow way. In fact, Jesus said that there will be few people in this world who find it. The great majority of the world will go down a broad way which leads to destruction. Jesus said that the way that leads to life is a narrow way, and only a few compared to the world population will find it (Matthew 7:14).

It is a narrow way that leads to eternal life and Jesus points out exactly what that way is. He said that it is so narrow that it excludes all evil and all evildoers. It is a path, a narrow way for the righteous or the just and it has ever increasing illumination until those who walk in it reach the perfect day of spiritual light and experience.

Blessed is a word that was used by Jesus, not to refer alone to joy and happiness, but to that higher joy which is the result of divine favor. What Jesus came to give to us is infinitely greater and better than that which we had been seeking for ourselves.

One of the first things that we notice when we read the beatitudes in Matthew 5, is that true happiness is the result of a holy character rather than that of outward conditions or circumstances. Remember the word translated “blessed” could be translated “happy.” It says in Matthew 5:2, “Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ ” God has always had a special regard for the poor in this world. Notice what the mother of Jesus, the virgin Mary said in Luke 1:46–48: “ ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant.’ ”

The mother of Jesus and also his earthly father were poor people. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Why is that? Until we recognize our need, we will never come to the Lord for help. In the same song of Mary, in Luke 1:52 and 53, she said, “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.”

Why has He “sent away” the rich “empty”? Because they didn’t feel a need of anything. One of the first requirements to be saved is that you need to feel your need of salvation. As long as you are proud and self-sufficient, there is not very much that God can do for you. But when you feel your need and ask for His help, the Holy Spirit will come into your life and start to recreate within you a new heart and a new spirit.

In the second beatitude Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn” (Matthew 5:4). How can you be happy if you are mourning?

Notice what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:8, 9: “… even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance.” Repentance occurs when you are sorry enough for your sin to turn away from it. This is misunderstood today. If you are not sorry enough for your sins to quit them, you have not really repented of them.

Paul says, “… I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.” He continues in verse 10: “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

What is the difference? The people in this world are sorry when they get caught in their sins, but godly sorrow occurs when you are sorry because you have committed the sin, because you realize that you have done something against your heavenly Father and you have done something that caused Jesus Christ to go to the cross. The Bible says that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. When you understand the consequence of sin and the price that Jesus Christ paid for them, you will never be able to enjoy sin again. You will then have godly sorrow for sin. You will not want to have anything to do with it. You will not just be sorry that you got caught.

“For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourself to be clear in this matter (verse 11).” There are many people today who have never been sorry for their sins. They have never really mourned for their sins or repented for their sins, and yet, they somehow think they are going to the kingdom of heaven.

However, this is a second step in the plan of salvation. If you are going to walk up the narrow road, not only must you feel your need, but you must also come to the place where you mourn for and repent of your sins. But that is not enough; there’s something that comes after that. In the third beatitude Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

Now the meek do not inherit the earth as it is today. We live in a world that is controlled by force. The strongest become the richest and the most powerful. But the time is coming when the proud will not be living in the world anymore. Notice what it says in Malachi 4:1: “ ‘Behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

The day is coming when there will not be any proud people living in the world. The Bible says that the meek people will inherit the earth. A meek person is one who is gentle and humble. The time is coming when the only people on the face of the earth will be the meek—the gentle and humble.

Jesus does not ask of us anything that He has not demonstrated in His own life. Concerning Himself, He said in Matthew 11:28–30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus wants to deliver you from all your pride, from all your self-importance. He wants to help you become a meek person. Through His Holy Spirit He wants to recreate within you a new heart and a new spirit so that you will be gentle, meek, humble. Then you will be in a spiritual condition, where, when the world is made again, when the kingdom of glory is set up, you will be one who can inhabit the earth.

Then He says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? The apostle John talks about how righteousness defines and demonstrates which people are really children of God and which people are children of the devil. It is not your profession that makes the determination; it’s the life you live. Notice what he says in I John 3:4–10: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

“Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

“In this [or by this] the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

However wicked you may have been, if you would like to be righteous, and if you say, “Lord, I am hungering and thirsting for righteousness,” the Lord says, “Your desire is going to be filled. You are going to be satisfied.”

If you are hungering and thirsting for righteousness, if you realize that you are a wicked person but you do not want to be that way, you need to be recreated and born again. The Lord Jesus promises that, if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, your hunger and thirst will be satisfied.

Jesus then said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7), James says in James 2:13 that there will be no mercy for the person that does not show mercy. Are you a merciful person? That is the next step in the road that leads to heaven. These beatitudes take you up a narrow road that leads to the kingdom of heaven. Are you willing to walk that road? If you are willing to walk that narrow road, when Jesus comes back, you will wind up in the kingdom of heaven. If that is what you want, if that is what you choose, if you act accordingly, that will be your destiny.

(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.

Will you, or Will You Not?

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“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, remove this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’ ” Luke 22:41, 42

I would like to explore the word will, and the place of that word in our lives as Christians. Though it is a small word, just four letters, upon that word hinges eternal life and eternal death.

The will is that faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue. The will is directed or influenced by the judgment. The understanding or reason compares different objects, which operate as motives; the judgment determines which is preferable, and the will decides which to pursue. The will is based on judgment through the understanding or reason. Interesting to note, in the Bible, Jesus invites us, “Come let us reason together (Isaiah 1:18).” In other words, we reason with respect to the value or importance of things; we then judge which is to be preferred; and we will take the most valuable. These are but different operations of the mind, soul, or intellectual part of man. Great disputes have existed respecting the freedom of the will. Will is often quite a different thing from desire.

Will is a determination, a choice, a right intention, command (maybe of our mind over our choices?), based on judgment, understanding, reason, and is not based on desire, feeling, emotion.

It is crucial to consider the will because it is at the very core of whether or not we are truly followers of Christ. We need no discussion on the fact that every one of us is a sinner or that we have a fallen nature with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil. So how can it be that the following statement be true? “There is no excuse for sin.” Do you believe that? Or do you have merely an intellectual assent to the words? If you truly believe it, can you honestly, before God, say you are living victoriously? “There is no excuse for sin. … When at the last great day sinners are confronted with their sins, and are asked, ‘Why did you transgress?’ every mouth will be stopped. The sinful will stand speechless before God.” The Review and Herald, September 24, 1901. With a fallen nature, with an innate tendency to sin, how can it be said, “There is no excuse for sin”?

The answer has to do with the power of the will. Recall that many of the definitions for the word will are words of power, of strength, of determination, of solid choice. So far though we have looked at the word will basically from a worldly perspective. Let us hear the thoughts of God concerning this word. “The will [or from our dictionary definition we could use words such as determination, choice, command-of the mind] is the governing power in the nature of man, bringing all the other faculties under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the deciding power, which works in the children of men unto obedience to God, or unto disobedience.

“Every human being possessed of reason has power to choose the right. In every experience of life God’s word to us is, ‘Choose you this day whom ye will serve’ (Joshua 24:15). Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and by thus linking himself with divine agencies, he may stand where nothing can force him to do evil.” Child Guidance, 209. [Emphasis added.]

Inspiration continues to say, “The power of the will is not valued as it should be. Let the will be kept awake and rightly directed, and it will impart energy to the whole being.” The Ministry of Healing, 246.

God is so good. “God has revealed all that is necessary for our salvation.” Counsels on Health, 371. Are you not deeply grateful for His instruction? We can resist God’s words of life and lose out on the rich blessings God gives us through His words of inspiration, or we can gratefully accept them and live by them. We can will to obey.

God has given each individual the power of will. So why is it that we struggle with sin, over and over controlled by some besetting problem? God tells us why, and it has to do with the will.

“Many are inquiring, ‘How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?’ You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.

“Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be Christians.

“Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith.” Steps to Christ, 47, 48. [Emphasis author’s.]

There are many examples given in God’s holy word of people who lived out the right exercise of the will. Of Joseph we read, “In the crisis of his life, when making that terrible journey from his childhood home in Canaan to the bondage which awaited him in Egypt, looking for the last time on the hills that hid the tents of his kindred, Joseph remembered his father’s God. He remembered the lessons of his childhood, and his soul thrilled with the resolve [will] to prove himself true—ever to act as became a subject of the King of heaven.

“… Joseph was steadfast.” Education, 52, 53.

We read of Daniel that he was “unwavering in allegiance to God, unyielding in the mastery of himself.” Ibid., 55.

In speaking of Elisha it is said, “When he was first summoned, his resolution had been tested.” Ibid., 59.

And the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist though not exempt from temptation overcame because, “he had developed strength and decision of character.” The Desire of Ages, 102.

And Paul, of whom Inspiration declares, he was “except [for] Him who spoke as never man spake, the most illustrious teacher that this world has known.” Education, 51. Paul, the great apostle declared, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.” I Corinthians 9:27.

Remember earlier we read, “Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be Christians.”

Directly opposite to these stellar and shining examples is that of Judas, possibly, aside from Lucifer, the most despised name in all history. Of him we read, “While he accepted the position of a minister of Christ, he did not bring himself under the divine molding.” The Desire of Ages, 717. Judas did not put his will on the side of Christ; and we know the sad and dire end he met, and he has yet two more fearful meetings with the Lord and Saviour Whom he rejected.

This brings us to the most important choice ever to be made in this life. The Desire of Ages, 324 states it this way: “We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world. It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light.” So what must we will? “God has given us the power of choice; it is ours to exercise. We cannot change our hearts, we cannot control our thoughts, our impulses, our affections. We cannot make ourselves pure, fit for God’s service. But we can choose to serve God, we can give Him our will; then He will work in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus our whole nature will be brought under the control of Christ.

“Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in the life. By yielding up the will to Christ, we ally ourselves with divine power. We receive strength from above to hold us steadfast. A pure and noble life, a life of victory over appetite and lust, is possible to everyone who will unite his weak, wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering will of God.” The Ministry of Healing, 176. [Emphasis author’s.]

The power of the will is applicable to every moment of life. We read it earlier: “In every experience of life God’s word to us is, ‘Choose you this day whom ye will serve.’ Joshua 24:15. Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and by thus linking himself with divine agencies, he may stand where nothing can force him to do evil.” Child Guidance, 209.

Let’s turn now to a few examples of the power of the will.

From Inspiration we read: “The mind and nerves gain tone and strength by the exercise of the will. The power of the will in many cases will prove a potent soother of the nerves.” The Adventist Home, 252.

“The power of the will can resist impressions of the mind.” Ibid., 259.

“Every human being possessed of reason has power to choose the right. In every experience of life God’s word to us is, ‘Choose you this day whom ye will serve’ (Joshua 24:15). Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and by thus linking himself with divine agencies, he may stand where nothing can force him to do evil. In every youth, every child, lies the power, by the help of God, to form a character of integrity and to live a life of usefulness.” Child Guidance, 209.

“Bring to your aid the power of the will, which will resist cold and will give energy to the nervous system.” Ibid., 339. This statement refers to the necessity to be in the open air every day in active exercise.

“The necessity for the men of this generation to call to their aid the power of the will, strengthened by the grace of God, in order to withstand the temptations of Satan, and resist the least indulgence of perverted appetite, is far greater than it was several generations ago.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 37.

“The only safe course is to touch not, taste not, handle not, tea, coffee, wines, tobacco, opium, and alcoholic drinks. The necessity for the men of this generation to call to their aid the power of the will strengthened by the grace of God, in order to withstand the temptations of Satan and resist the least indulgence of perverted appetite, is twice as great as it was several generations ago.” Counsels on Health, 125.

“The power of the will is not valued as it should be. Let the will be kept awake and rightly directed, and it will impart energy to the whole being, and will be a wonderful aid in the maintenance of health. It is a power also in dealing with disease. Exercised in the right direction, it would control the imagination and be a potent means of resisting and overcoming disease of both mind and body. By the exercise of the will power in placing themselves in right relation to life, patients can do much to co-operate with the physician’s efforts for their recovery.” The Ministry of Healing, 246.

“The influence of the mind on the body, as well as of the body on the mind, should be emphasized. The electric power of the brain, promoted by mental activity, vitalizes the whole system, and is thus an invaluable aid in resisting disease. This should be made plain. The power of the will and the importance of self-control, both in the preservation and in the recovery of health, the depressing and even ruinous effect of anger, discontent, selfishness, or impurity, and, on the other hand, the marvelous life-giving power to be found in cheerfulness, unselfishness, gratitude, should also be shown.

“There is a physiological truth—truth that we need to consider—in the Scripture, ‘A merry [rejoicing] heart doeth good like a medicine’ (Proverbs 17:22).

“ ‘Let thine heart keep My commandments,’ God says; ‘for length of days, and years of life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ ‘They are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.’ ‘Pleasant words’ the Scriptures declare to be not only ‘sweet to the soul,’ but ‘health to the bones’ (Proverbs 3:1, 2, margin; 4:22; 16:24).” Education, 197.

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘That ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (He said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house’ (Luke 5:24). What, take up his bed with his palsied arms! What, get upon his feet with his palsied limbs! What did he do? Why, he just did as he was bidden. He did what the Lord told him to. The power of the will was set to move his palsied limbs and arms, and they responded, when they had not responded for a long time. This manifestation showed before the people that there was One in their midst that could not only forgive sins but that could heal the sick.” Faith and Works, 67, 68. If we had time to study this we would find that the power of the lame man’s will grasped by faith both the forgiveness of his sins and the ability to walk again.

“They should exercise the power of the will, rise above their aches and debility, engage in useful employment, and forget that they have aching backs, sides, lungs, and heads. Neglecting to exercise the entire body, or a portion of it, will bring on morbid conditions.” Medical Ministry, 105.

“The power of the will must be asserted; aversion to active exercise and the dread of all responsibility must be conquered.” Mind, Character and Personality, vol. 2, 604.

When the power of the will is asserted, it will:

  • be a soother of the nerves
  • resist impressions of the mind
  • link us with divine agencies
  • make us stand where nothing can force us to do evil
  • give us power to form a character of integrity
  • give a life of usefulness
  • resist cold
  • give energy to the nervous system
  • withstand the temptations of Satan
  • resist indulgence of perverted appetite
  • impart energy to the whole being
  • be a wonderful aid in the maintenance of health
  • be a power in dealing with disease
  • control the imagination
  • be a potent means of resisting and overcoming disease of both mind and body
  • co-operate in recovery from illness and disease
  • vitalize the whole system
  • be a valuable aid in resisting disease
  • be involved in the preservation and recovery of health
  • overcome the depressing and even ruinous effect of anger, discontent, selfishness, or impurity
  • grasp God’s promise of forgiveness of sin
  • help us rise above aches and debility
  • help us engage in useful employment
  • help us forget aching backs, sides, lungs, and heads
  • aid in the prevention of morbid conditions
  • aid in overcoming aversion to active exercise
  • help in conquering the dread of responsibility
  • govern the nature of man
  • affect decisions, of choice
  • depend on the right action of the will
  • overcome listless, dreamy condition of mind
  • aid us in arousing to action
  • aid in the severe and close battle to overcome wrong habits, and sinful indulgences
  • place in alignment with the will of God

As we read earlier, “Every human being possessed of reason has power to choose the right. In every experience of life God’s word to us is, ‘Choose you this day whom ye will serve’ (Joshua 24:15). Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and by thus linking himself with divine agencies, he may stand where nothing can force him to do evil.” Child Guidance, 209.

Today, let us join with the illustrious men of old, with Joseph, with Moses, with Paul, with the forerunner of Christ, and with Christ Himself, and “Choose you this day whom ye will serve. … As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.

Will You, or Will you Not?

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

Sermon on the Mount Series – The Riches of Glory

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Many poor people today believe that they would be happy if they were financially secure. And many who are already financially secure believe they would have fewer worries if they had more money. The Jones wish they were the Ritz’s, and the Ritz’s wish they were the Vanderbilt’s. So, Jesus’ teaching is a great paradox to what we tend to think. What did Jesus mean when He said, “Happy are the poor”?

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord revealed the following information to the human race several hundred years before the birth of Christ. Notice what it says in Isaiah 57:15: “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

The Lord says to the one who inhabits eternity that He will dwell with the humble, the one who has a humble spirit. In Isaiah 66:2, He says, “ ‘… all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,’ says the Lord. ‘But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.’ ”

There are many texts in the Bible in which the Lord says that He pays attention to the person who is humble and who has a contrite spirit. Here is one more. This is the song of Mary, the mother of Jesus, after she was informed by the angel Gabriel that she would become the mother of the Messiah. “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant.” Notice that she was a poor person. “… For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.” Luke 1:47, 48.

In verse 53 it says, “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.” So, God has promised to be with the humble and He has promised to help those that are poor, those that are of a contrite and poor spirit. But the rich are sent away because they don’t feel any need. The person who is proud is not acknowledged by the Lord.

In Revelation the 3rd chapter, there is found a description of the Christian church in the last days. Notice the problem that was prophesied to exist in Christendom, in the church, in the last days: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked … .” Revelation 3:15–17.

The problem with these people is that they are rich in material things, but spiritually they are “poor, miserable, wretched, poor, blind, and naked,” Jesus says. You can read in the Old Testament from the book of Job that after he obtained a vision of his spiritual poverty, and he stopped trying to justify himself, his misery and wretchedness came to an end. The Lord delivered him from the condition that the devil had brought upon him. His captivity was turned into victory and he experienced happiness again in his life.

We see the same thing in the life of the prophet Isaiah. When he recognized his spiritual poverty, he cried out, “Woe is me because I am undone!” Isaiah 6:5 literal translation. He sensed his spiritual imperfection which now appeared to him in a new and hideous light. This changed attitude made it possible for God to cleanse him from his sin and then to use him as a spokesman to others.

Something similar happened to the proud-spirited Simon Peter when he fell at Jesus’ feet. “When Simon Peter saw it, He fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” Luke 5:8–11. Immediately when he acknowledged his condition, Jesus commissioned him to be a fisher of men.

The apostle Paul was once a proud and haughty Pharisee, but he changed so that he acknowledged himself to be “the chief of sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:15. When stopped in his tracks on the road to Damascus and acknowledged his sinful condition, he was elevated to become the chief of the apostles. So, recognition of our real spiritual condition and need is the first step in the beatitude ladder of spiritual progress that leads to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, “Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

The person who is proud in his heart has not taken the first step yet toward the heavenly kingdom. Recognition of sin, the crying out for pardon and cleansing from guilt are the beginning of the pathway to Zion and to happiness. There can be no blessed happy state where there is unconfessed and unforgiven sin because the Lord says in Isaiah 48:22, “ ‘There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked.’ ”

So, a contrite, a humble, a penitent spirit is the first qualification for citizenship in the kingdom of God and for service in the cause of righteousness. Jesus, our Saviour, was this way Himself. He says in Matthew 11:29: “I am gentle [or meek], and lowly in heart.” The apostle Paul described the unparalleled humility of Jesus as an example that no human being could ever match. Jesus was the majesty of heaven, the king of the universe. Paul said, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it to be robbery [or a thing to be grasped] to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:5–8.

Jesus said, “I am lowly in heart.” Instead of saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” He could have said instead, “Unhappy are the proud in spirit.” It would have been true. Of all people, the poor in spirit are the happiest, and the proud-spirited end up being the most miserable. The proud in spirit are exceedingly sensitive to every little slight or wrong, either real or imagined, often finding that the least little thing causes pain and discomfort. The proud in spirit are touchy and easily offended. They are miserable night and day because of hurt feelings, being too selfish to be happy. The only remedy for spiritual pride is to crucify the proud, selfish flesh. Those who are dead to sin do not become offended. The apostle Paul wrote about this in Romans. “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:2, 11. Dead people are not sensitive.

The Psalmist wrote, “Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165 KJV. Offense naturally thrives where sin abounds. It was a proud and sensitive angel who committed the first sin, and the more he sinned, the more sensitive he became. We live in a world where the whole world is suffering with proud flesh. Sinful flesh is always proud. It was impossible for Jesus to avoid offending His hearers because of their sensitive proud spirit. At the close of one of his sermons, almost everybody fled from Him. (See John 6.) The Pharisees were always offended at His teachings. In fact, even the disciples were often grieved. Truth always offends those who are in error and sinners resent their shortcomings being pointed out. But a person who is poor in spirit can be corrected. If you are willing to be corrected, then you are in a position where you can be blessed.

Jesus illustrated the contrast between the poor in spirit and the proud in spirit in a story He told about two worshipers who went up to the temple to pray. Luke 18:9–14 says, “He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’ ”

The Pharisee did not pray to God; Jesus made it very clear that he prayed to himself. He gave a boasting speech to himself that was not a prayer at all but a boast of his inbred and acquired righteousness. He made no request, but simply thanked God that he was everything that he should be and grateful that he was different from others, and especially different from this poor publican.

The publican, however, recognized his spiritual poverty. He cried out, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” He alone was justified and justification leads to happiness, because the Bible says that when we are justified by faith, then we have peace with God. Often when we read this story we don’t realize that the same spirit of Phariseeism that this Pharisee had is the common spirit in Christendom today.

The first beatitude of Matthew 5:3 is more relevant to the modern Christian world because of prevailing spiritual pride and self-sufficiency, which is more prevalent today than ever before. Phariseeism is very common in the Christian world. In fact, Jesus speaks of the condition of the Christian church in the last or remnant phase of its existence, describing it as a church with a Pharisaical attitude. In Revelation 3:15–17, Jesus says, “ ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth [or more literally, vomit you out of My mouth]. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’— and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked … .’ ”

The spirit of Phariseeism is the natural spirit of human nature and it is just as prevalent now as in the days when Jesus was among men. The church in its present condition is proud in spirit. Its members do not recognize their spiritual condition; in fact, they even boast of their spiritual wealth. In their own estimation, they are rich and increased in goods. They have need of nothing. They believe they are ready to go to heaven, when in reality they are wretched, miserable, poor, and blind, and naked, spiritually, and the Lord says that He is about to vomit them out of His mouth. In other words, you are about to commit the unpardonable sin.

The message that describes the spiritual pride of the last-day church also provides a complete remedy. Notice what Jesus goes on to say to the church of the last days: “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiments [or white garments], that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” Revelation 3:18. Jesus here speaks about spiritual gold and spiritual clothing, and spiritual eye salve. What do these symbols represent? The spiritual gold represents the amount of faith and love a person has. Gold enables people to get whatever they want. In the spiritual world, faith enables you to get whatever you need. In the physical world gold represents wealth. In the spiritual world, if you have love, you are wealthy. The Bible says that love is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14).

Jesus also says, “Buy from me white garments (Revelation 3:18).” In Revelation 19:8, the white garment is the righteousness of the saints that is imparted to them by Jesus Christ.

The modern church in its own attitude and condition shows that it is in desperate need of eye salve, the ability to discern the difference between good and evil. The solution to our situation is to see and behold the character of Jesus Christ. The more we see in Him, the less we will see to esteem in ourselves. Just as soon as the modern church changes its attitude toward its own condition and needs, Jesus will abundantly supply His people with the pure gold of faith and love. He will clothe the members with the robe of His spotless righteousness, and provide the anointing with the spiritual eye salve that will restore spiritual vision to tell the difference between good and evil.

There is a poverty that makes rich. There was another church described in Revelation that was a very poor church. Everybody thought that they were poor, but notice what Jesus says about them. Revelation 2:9 says, “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”

Spiritual wealth awaits those who feel poverty-stricken in spirit. Many of the poorest people in this world are rich spiritually. In the same way, many of the richest people in this world are moral paupers and spiritually bankrupt. True riches, the riches that the Lord wants to give you, are the heritage of those only who recognize their spiritual need. The Bible says, “Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” James 2:5.

You see, whom Christ pardons, He first makes penitent. If you have a sense of your deep soul poverty, if you know that you don’t have anything good in yourself, the apostle Paul says, “I know that in me, that is in my flesh, there dwells no good thing.” If you know that you have no goodness of your own, you may find righteousness and strength by looking to Jesus. Notice what He promised to the poor in spirit in Matthew 11:28–30: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Do you recognize your spiritual poverty, and would you like to exchange it for the riches of His grace? No matter what your past experience has been, however discouraging your present circumstances might be, if you will come to Jesus just the way you are, weak, helpless, and despairing, you will find that He will take you in. He said, “He that comes to Me, I will in no case cast out.” John 6:37 literal translation. While you are a great way off, He will come to you and impart to you His righteousness that will change everything in your life.

(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.

Sermon on the Mount Series – Inconsolable Sorrow

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If a saying is self-contradictory, we often say it is an oxymoron. However, many of the greatest truths that Jesus taught seem to be self-contradictory, like the beatitude that says, “Happy are those that mourn.” In other words, happy are the sad!

The second beatitude says, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). It sounds just as strange and paradoxical as does the first beatitude that says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). It is seemingly contrary to the accepted views of all mankind in every age of human history, for it is not our custom to envy those who weep or to congratulate the broken-hearted. We usually pity them and offer them our sympathy. We write them letters of condolence and are thankful that we have escaped their terrible situation. But Jesus pronounces a blessing on the mourners. He declares them to be happy and sets them apart as a special, privileged class. This beatitude does not have universal application or is it all-inclusive. It does not embrace every person in the world who mourns, regardless of the cause, because there is a mourning that will know no comfort. There are burning tears that will never be wiped away and there is a bitter anguish that will never be appeased.

Jesus was very, very clear about this. Notice what He said in Matthew 8:12: “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In Matthew 13:42 He says the very same thing: “There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Again in verse 50 He says there is going to be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Over and over again Jesus warned that there was coming a time when there would be a sorrow for which there would be no healing. There would be a sorrow that would have no consolation. Notice what He says in Matthew 24:50: “The master of that servant who will come in a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In Matthew 25:30 the same warning is repeated: “Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It is predicted in Jeremiah that there is coming a time when some people in the world will make this comment: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20)! Those who are finally lost will have a sorrow that has no comfort. There will be no alleviation for their bitter anguish. There can be no real, lasting comfort for the person who refuses to separate from sin by refusing all the overtures of the God of heaven for mercy if they would repent. If you grieve away the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, there is no way for you to be comforted.

Notice what the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10 concerning a sorrow for which there is no comfort: “… godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

So, there is a sorrow of this world for which there is no comfort. This sort of sorrow does not bring comfort; it brings death. And there are millions of people, today in our world whose sorrow is borne of remorse, not because of their conduct, not because of their sins, but because of the personal loss that has resulted from their conduct. They do not hate the sin but instead they love the sin and just hate the results. Our jails, prisons, and penitentiaries are filled with mourners of this sort. But this mourning does not lead to any blessed results.

There is a large class of pessimistic people who mourn. One Christian writer describing them said there are people who glory in gloom and misery. There are those who are veritable gluttons for wretchedness. They search for despair as bees search for honey. They are never so happy as when they feel that they have a perfect right to be miserable. They are never so miserable as when they feel duty-bound to be happy. The Bible is very clear; we read it from the words of Jesus about the wailing and weeping that there will be in the last days. The apostle Paul says the same things.

If there is a sorrow that won’t produce any good result, then what kind of sorrow will produce a good result? What kind of mourning is Jesus talking about that brings comfort and happiness? You cannot study the beatitudes and understand them until you understand that they are inseparably connected. Each one is an advanced step on the path that leads to the kingdom of heaven. They form links in a chain of spiritual growth. They constitute the steps of a ladder that lead to the kingdom of blessedness. Blessed mourning is that which comes as a result of a person’s recognition of his spiritual poverty. Remember, the first beatitude says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” It is to those people who recognize their spiritual poverty and see their sinful condition, and say like the apostle Paul said one time in Romans 7:24 literal translation, “… wretched man that I am! Who is going to deliver me from this body of death?”

If you realize your condition and have true heart sorrow for the condition that you are in, if you are poor in spirit and you recognize that in a spiritual sense you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, and mourn over this condition, the Lord says, you are going to be comforted. The apostle Paul also describes this sorrow that brings comfort and happiness in 2 Corinthians 7:8–12: “… even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; although I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner. What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”

Godly sorrow is sorrow for the sins that have destroyed our peace and which have caused the indescribable sufferings of the One Who paid the redemption price. Comfort is needed only where there has been grief. There can be no comfort if there has not first been discomfort. There can be no healing until a person recognizes that he or she has been wounded. Heart sorrow is the essential spiritual preparation for pardon. And pardon is the prerequisite for comfort and happiness. Whom Christ pardons He first makes penitent, and penitence is a heart sorrow for sin, a brokenness of spirit because of conscious failure.

The Bible gives many examples of godly and ungodly sorrow. For instance, the patriarch Job, when he ceased trying to justify himself and began to recognize his sins and to mourn over them, his captivity was turned and he was blessed above anything he had ever experienced before. The same is true in regard to Isaiah the prophet. In his agony of soul, over the sins of his life, he talks of himself as being a man of unclean lips, dwelling in the midst of a people of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5).

When he recognized his condition and said that he was undone, that brought to him the dawn of a new day, the doorway to happiness. He was anointed as a messenger of the Lord. Then there is the example of King Saul. King Saul mourned over his sin of rebellion, not because he repented because of his sin, but because it cost him his throne. So, he made a forced confession when there wasn’t any other course open to him. But a forced confession does not bring forgiveness. His mourning over his rejection as King brought him no comfort. His was not a sorrow for sin, but like many who have broken the law, he was only sorry for the results of his sin. Saul had a successor, David, who also committed sins. Looking at their two lives, it appears that David committed sins just as great as Saul did, but with a difference. David was sorry, not just for what he had done, but he realized his total wretchedness, and that there had to be a re-creation or he could never be saved. He was afraid he had committed the unpardonable sin, and this is what he said about it in Psalm 51:

“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness” (verse 14). “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (verses 10, 11). David recognized that he was all wretched, miserable, undone and unless the Lord created within him a new heart, a new spirit, he was lost. His repentance was accepted. The consciousness of the enormity of his sin caused him to suffer very keenly and in brokenness of heart he cried out, “O Lord, give me a new heart.”

That’s what Jesus talked about with Nicodemus. He said to the man who was one of the leaders of the Jews in those days that unless you are born of the Holy Spirit, there is no chance for you to enter the kingdom of heaven. In other words, unless you have a new heart, a new spirit, you cannot be saved. (See John 3:3, 5.)

Judas was another mourner. Judas’ mourning was over the great sin of betraying his Lord and Master. His remorse was so terrible that it drove him to murder himself. However, it was not of the godly sort that brings comfort. It was the sorrow of the world that ends in death. He was sorry for the consequences of what he had done. He never repented for the sin himself. True repentance for sins, sorrow for sin, can come only as a gift of the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 5.)

Peter sinned almost as grievously as did Judas. He betrayed Jesus Christ the same night, but his remorse was great and his grief led to genuine repentance, repentance not just for the consequences, but repentance for the sin itself and he was comforted and blessed. Jesus is the only Source of true comfort. If you want to really be comforted, you must go to Him with repentance, and ask for the gift of repentance. Ask that the Holy Spirit will give your heart repentance and a desire to be born again.

It is sorrow for our sinful condition that will be comforted. Jesus is the only Source of comfort, and therefore all mourning should lead us to Him. In fact, Jesus has given an invitation to people who are mourning because of bereavement over the loss of a loved one. Maybe you have lost your father or your mother or your wife or your husband or a child, and you are bereaved and mourning. Jesus wants to relieve your mourning.

In Isaiah there is a prophecy of the work of the Messiah, the Christ. Messiah is a Hebrew word, Christ is from the same Greek word, meaning the Anointed One. Jesus applied this prophecy to Himself. Notice what it says the work of the Messiah would be. Isaiah 61:1–3 says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Notice, the work of the Messiah was to bind up the broken-hearted, to comfort all that mourn, to give them that mourn in Zion beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. That is what Jesus still wants to give to the world today. The problem is that there is a lack of consciousness of sin. This healing can only be brought about by a consciousness of sin and a vision of the character of Christ. Recognition of sin is a result of recognition of God. But this must be followed by genuine heart-sorrow and repentance. The present generation is but little disturbed or concerned over sin. Multitudes of people have so far lost their sense of right and wrong that they are virtually amoral or non-moral. They have trampled all moral and spiritual standards under foot until, to them, nothing is wrong anymore. Such an attitude always produces a spirit of pride and self-appreciation, making its possessors feel they are rich and in need of nothing.

Today we are living in a world that is actually similar to the world that Jesus lived in, in that there are few people who feel their poverty of spirit enough to mourn over it. There are many who feel that somehow they lack something. But a mere recognition of a lack is not enough. The blessing is for the person only who is a convicted sinner and who takes the matter seriously and grieves over the situation until the remedy is applied. His godly sorrow must turn his footsteps toward Him who is anxiously awaiting to supply all of his needs. The knowledge of our need is valueless unless it leads us to the One Who can provide the solution. There is comfortless sorrow rampant in the world today, because godly sorrow over sin has almost disappeared from among men. Comfort in sorrow of any kind and for any cause is awaiting those who renounce sin. The heavenly blessing embraces all the sorrows that afflict mankind, provided that the comfort comes as a result of mourning over sin, which must be first experienced.

Those who realize their spiritual poverty are in a condition that if they mourn over it and are sorry and come to the Lord, He said, “I am willing to heal you. I am willing to provide comfort for your sorrow.”

The ultimate fulfillment of the comfort to mourners will come in that blessed realm where sin and all of its results are no more. We read in the Bible about what Jesus came to do. The purpose, the reason that He came, was so that He could redeem His people and take them to a better land that is described in Isaiah 35, verse 10: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads, they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

We read also about that land in the book of Revelation. There will come a time when there is no more sorrow at all. Notice what it says in Revelation 21:4 literal translation: “And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Why is it that in the future there will come a time when there will be no more sorrow, no pain, no suffering, no crying out and no funerals? It is because at that time, sin has been done away. You can read about how sin will finally be totally abolished from our universe in Revelation the 20th chapter.

The time is coming when sin and sinners will be no more. And when that time comes, then in God’s universe, everything will be clean. There will be no more pain, no more suffering, and no more sorrow. But if you are going to be in that place, you must be cleansed from your sins, not only forgiven, but you must be cleansed from all unrighteousness as you read in I John 1:9. It says in Revelation 21:27, concerning that place, “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.”

The ultimate fulfillment of that promise that the mourners will be comforted will be in that better land when all sorrow will be done away. In order for sorrow to be completely done away, sin has to be completely done away. And if you are sorry for the situation you are in, and want to be cleansed from your sins, the Lord says there is comfort for you.

(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.

The Holy People

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According to Romans 8:13, it is possible to put to death the deeds of the body. It says, “If you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” By the Holy Spirit we are able to put to death the deeds of the body and these deeds are found in Galatians 5:19–21: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish [what comes naturally]” (verses 16, 17). Verse 18 says, “… if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Many Protestants believe that they are not under the law. “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19). The whole world is under the law except those who are led by the Holy Spirit.

Paul said, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:8). It is by the Holy Spirit that you are sealed unto redemption. (See 2 Corinthians 1 and Ephesians 1.) This truth is not only in the New Testament, but also the Old Testament. In Ezekiel 36:25, 26, it says, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Then verse 27 says, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

It is the Holy Spirit that gives God’s people the power to obey. 1 John 5:8 says, “… there are three that bear witness on earth: The Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree.” It says in Ephesians 5 that God is going to wash His church with water and make it clean and in 1 John 1:7 it says, “… the blood of Jesus Christ … cleanses us from every sin.” It is only by the Holy Spirit that the heart is made pure. The Spirit, the water, the blood, those are the three cleansing agents.

How does a person receive the Holy Spirit?

Jesus said to ask.: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13)! Have you asked today that you might receive the Holy Spirit?

You must obey. “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit Whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32). You can never receive the Holy Spirit until you choose to obey. The Spirit will then give you the power to obey, but never against your choice. The apostle John said the very same thing in 1 John 3:24: “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit Whom He has given us.”

You must be willing to be led by the Spirit. One text is found in Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” You must follow the Spirit’s leading.

Accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. John the Baptist said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He Who is coming after me is mightier than I, Whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). In other words, if you received Him, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Just before Jesus ascended to heaven He said, “John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). Only those who accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour received the Holy Spirit.

You must recognize all souls as of the same Father. Malachi 2:10 KJV says, “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?” All people in this world are to be treated as brothers and sisters if you want to receive the Holy Spirit; we are one creation, one family under God.

Holy People are the only people that will be in the kingdom of heaven. Isaiah the prophet deals a great deal with this subject. In Isaiah chapters 2, 3, and 4 contain a prophecy about the very last days. He says, “And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 4:3). Jerusalem was the church headquarters in those days so Jerusalem is a symbol of the church. According to Isaiah, everybody that is alive is going to be called holy.

Isaiah 35 is a wonderfully encouraging chapter which will cheer you up anytime you have time to read it, for it is a prediction about heaven and the new earth. Notice what it says about the future life there: “A highway shall be there, and a road. And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray” (Isaiah 35:8). Only the holy people walk on this highway.

The time is coming when the members of the church who are not holy are going to be in terror. “The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure” (Isaiah 33:14–16).

The deliverance that is coming to the people of God will only come to the holy people. Those who remain in sin in Zion will be terrified.

Notice what Isaiah says about God’s people in the future life: “Also your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified” (Isaiah 60:21). All of God’s people are going to be righteous. Isaiah 62:12 KJV says, “And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken.”

Isaiah is not the only Old Testament prophet that talks about this subject. Joel 3:17 says, “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion My holy mountain, then Jerusalem shall be holy, and no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”

There’s a tiny book in the Old Testament among the minor prophets called Obadiah and in chapter 1, verse 17 it says, “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” Mount Zion was one of the mountains in Jerusalem and was the headquarters of God’s people, His church.

Some years ago I was in a meeting with several Seventh-day Adventist ministers. Some of them told me very clearly that they were the remnant and part of the remnant church. I read to them Zephaniah 3:13 which says, “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.” Looking into the faces of those ministers who had boldly made that claim, I asked if they still maintained that they were the remnant according to that verse. There was no response. If your character is not in harmony with this verse, you cannot claim to be part of the remnant, regardless of how long you have been a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Praise the Lord that probation has not closed yet, so there is still time to become part of the remnant. But remember, there is a prerequisite before you can make that claim. If there is anything short of righteousness in your character, such as speaking deceitfully, of lying, then your claim is presumptuous.

This truth is spelled out many times in the New Testament. When Paul, or Saul as he was known at that time, was on his way to Damascus he was suddenly stopped in his path. When Jesus appeared to him shining brighter than the sun, he fell to the ground. Paul was a persecutor of the Christians but Jesus said to Him, “Why are you persecuting Me” (Acts 26:14)? Anything that you do to one of God’s children is accounted, good or bad, as if you had done it to Jesus Christ Himself. Paul said, “ ‘Who are you Lord?’ and He said, ‘I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting’ ” (verse 15). Notice what Jesus tells him to do: “Rise and stand on your feet: for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (verses 16–18). The word sanctified simply means to be made holy. The apostle Paul never forgot that and he told the elders at Ephesus, “And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).

Look again at Ephesians 1:4. It says, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” That was God’s will for you and for me, before the world was even created. All the apostles teach the same thing. Peter said, “But as He Who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’ ” (1 Peter 1:15, 16). Here he quotes from the Old Testament, which says, “You be holy, as I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44, literal translation). Holiness affects every aspect of the life of the believer: what they eat, what kind of clothes they wear, how they talk, how they conduct their business. Everything in their lives will be in harmony with the law of God, including their thoughts and feelings.

Jesus told the Pharisees that on the outside they may look righteous and holy, but on the inside—in their hearts—were all kinds of corruption and iniquity. They were offended to hear that just as people do not like to hear that today. But my dear friend, there is One Whom you will have to meet with in the judgment Who knows everything about you. He does not just see what is on the outside, but He knows even your thoughts and your feelings.

Jesus said that every idle word that man shall speak, they shall give an account in the day of judgment. He knows all about it, every detail, every secret thing, what you think, how you act, and why you act that way. Holiness, then, involves everything in your life.

“Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). If I am not holy, I will not see the Lord. When you begin to understand this subject, you will begin to understand why the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy say that relatively few people out of all the people that are living on this earth will be saved. It is not because they cannot be saved, but because they do not allow the Holy Spirit to work out a holy character in their lives; this does not happen unless there is cooperation. The Holy Spirit does not work without your consent.

This is a special problem with people who appear to be more successful than their fellow human beings; that is, for people who are highly educated, people who have lots of money or have high positions. It is especially difficult for those kinds of people to be saved. Jesus understood that when He said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24).

Ellen White wrote about it this way: “When in the great day of God each one is apportioned his own reward, not many great, not many wealthy, not many of the now-extolled wise, will find mansions awaiting them. Christ says to them, … ‘you had many disparaging remarks to make in regard to the poor and suffering, the homeless widows and the fatherless children, as though they were made of different material from you. You despised My poor …’

“The needy have been left to cry unto God because of the conduct of hardhearted men, who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 50.

God requires of people that they receive the Holy Spirit so that they can arrive at perfection of character. “Those who enter heaven must be one with Christ. Unless they should bear the same perfection of character that He bore while on this earth, they would spoil heaven.” Special Testimonies, Series B, 45. God will not take anyone to heaven that will risk spoiling it again.

Many people become discouraged because they do not understand the power of the Holy Spirit and what the Holy Spirit can do in their lives. “We are to be individual toilers. Character cannot be bought or sold. It is formed by patient, continuous effort. Much patience is required in the striving for that life which is to come. We may all strive for perfection of character, but all who come into possession of it will earn it step by step, by the cultivation of the virtues which God commends.” Notebook Leaflets, 90.

No one here knows the next step that is needed to be taken in your character development, but the Holy Spirit knows and understands. If you pray and say, “Lord, I want to do Your will,” the Holy Spirit will put a finger right on the plague spot in your character and reveal it to you. Remember, it is toilsome, step by step. When you get the victory on one point, ever so gently the Holy Spirit will put the finger on your conscience and say, “How about this?” There are many people in the world and even in the church that get stalled right there. Maybe there are a hundred other steps you need to take, but you will never take them until you take the next step that has been revealed—one step at a time. Don’t stall because of something you don’t want to give up.

Many others have been in that situation for years, hesitant and resistant to take the next step. How patient is the Holy Spirit Who keeps prompting, but the longer you wait, the less that sin will bother you and then you will be in a very dangerous situation. Take the plunge and move on to the next challenge, believing that all the power of heaven is at your command just for the asking.

“God has chosen men from eternity to be holy. … God’s law tolerates no sin, but demands perfect obedience. … Divine power is provided for every soul struggling for the victory over sin and Satan.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 908. It is the devil that tempts you to be discouraged and believe that you cannot get the victory. Do not believe the lie, for with the Lord, you can have victory over your besetting sin.

God’s church is to encourage, help, and pray for each of its members. God will give you the power to conquer and put to death your sinful nature so that you can be an inheritor with those that are taken to the realms of light. “The law of God, which is perfect holiness, is the only true standard of character. Love is expressed in obedience, and perfect love casteth out all fear. Those who love God, have the seal of God in their foreheads, and work the works of God.” The Youth’s Instructor, July 26, 1894. All who love God will have His seal in their forehead and their love will be manifested in works of obedience. “Holiness is wholeness for God. It means perfect obedience to every precept of the law of God. This is the only true moral excellence. A character in harmony with the law of God is the only character which will receive His approval.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 145.

Are your thoughts and feelings in harmony with the Law of God? There is no vacuum in the mind. When your thoughts stray to such that is not in harmony with God, train your mind to think upon things of eternal interest. Pray and ask for divine guidance and help. It can be a tremendous help to memorize Scripture and pray God’s promises.

“Unless this converting power shall go through our churches, unless the revival of the Spirit of God shall come, all their profession will never make the members of the church Christians. There are sinners in Zion who need to repent of sins that have been cherished as precious treasures. Until these sins are seen, and thrust from the soul, until every faulty, unlovely trait of character is transformed by the Spirit’s influence, God cannot manifest Himself in power.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 366. By resisting the Spirit’s influence and holding on to our unlovely traits of character we are holding back the power of God among God’s professed people today.

“There is more hope for the open sinner than for the professedly righteous who are not pure, holy, and undefiled.” Ibid.

Jesus is coming soon. Soon there will be a final outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s people. But some will not be prepared to receive it, because they have failed to allow the Spirit to sanctify them. Therefore they are not holy, they are not part of the holy people.

In the book Early Writings, page 71, Ellen White said, “I saw that none could share the ‘refreshing’ [the latter rain] unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action. We should, therefore, be drawing nearer and nearer to the Lord and be earnestly seeking that preparation necessary to enable us to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Let all remember that God is holy and that none but holy beings can ever dwell in His presence.” It is past time that each of us would honestly examine ourselves to see if we are living up to the light we know in order to be ready to receive the latter rain when it is poured out.

It would be wonderful if our churches could be saved without the loss of one, but friend, if we are going to be saved without the loss of one, that means all must be willing to receive the Holy Spirit and be sanctified. “Being confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

Now is the time to make a covenant with the Lord and say, “Lord, by Your grace, I’m going to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Show me the next step You want me to take.”

(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.