Salvation

When a Curse is a Blessing

by

Let us talk just a little bit about trials, difficulties, hardships—those things that we would naturally think of as unfortunate circumstances, or consider negative, things we would choose, in our human thinking and nature, to avoid. In studying this topic, we find many seeming dichotomies in Christianity, and herein is another. What looks good or right through human eyes is not good at all, and what looks unpleasant or distasteful or bad to human eyes, is the very thing that God, in His love and mercy, ordains.

We will begin our study right at the very beginning of the history of these dichotomies; the entrance of sin. Genesis 3:17: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.” [Emphasis supplied.] This curse is a blessing.

We know that God is speaking to Adam and Eve after their fall, and in addressing them, He is addressing all humanity, caught in the net of sin. How is it that He pronounces a curse for our sake? What does the phrase mean “for your sake”? What do we mean when we say something is for your sake? It means that something is done or said for your good, your help, your benefit or blessing. In this Scripture God is telling us that He is pronouncing a curse for our good, our help, our benefit or blessing.

Let’s turn to a passage of inspiration to help us understand this seeming dichotomy. “It was not the will of God that the sinless pair should know aught of evil. He had freely given them the good, and had withheld the evil. But, contrary to His command, they had eaten of the forbidden tree, and now they would continue to eat of it—they would have the knowledge of evil—all the days of their life. From that time the race would be afflicted by Satan’s temptations. Instead of the happy labor heretofore appointed them, anxiety and toil were to be their lot. They would be subject to disappointment, grief, and pain, and finally to death.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 59.

Oh, friends, our God of love and mercy gave freely and abundantly all that was good, that was lovely, that was pleasant, that would produce joy and happiness, and an eternal life of bliss. But man, seeing another choice and deeming it better, distrusted and disobeyed God’s explicit instructions and took that which seemed better in his own eyes. And this opened the floodgates of woe and misery and death. It brought “the knowledge of evil” to all mankind.

This is the lot in which Adam and Eve found themselves after eating the forbidden fruit. But the full consequences were hidden from their initial vision and understanding. Therefore these consequences of sin “disappointment, anxiety, and toil” were, in God’s merciful, gracious, and loving plan, “appointed” [prearranged, selected, employed or allotted] them, and were intended for their good—their eternal good.

It seems possible, and maybe even likely, that Adam and Eve would have raised the very questions we so often ask when we undergo trial, difficulty, hardship, pain, or sorrow: Why?

Before we continue, I would like to consider for just a moment the greatest danger that threatens our well-being the most. It is sin—the loss of a connection with God—the Life-giver. His whole purpose in this world—after the entrance of sin—is the redemption of man. Therefore, everything He does in relation to this world is in relation to His plan of redemption and that one issue—sin, and rectifying that problem in our lives.

We are going to continue reading our passage in Patriarchs and Prophets that indicates God’s thoughts and intentions in regard to suffering, sorrow, trials, and difficulties that come our way. “Under the curse of sin all nature was to witness to man of the character and results of rebellion against God.” Ibid.

When Adam and Eve sinned they did not understand or comprehend the nature of sin—of rebellion against God, and the severity of the consequences. God saw that they needed to be taught these things and what we read next is God’s method to teach them this truth.

“When God made man He made him rule over the earth and all living creatures. So long as Adam remained loyal to Heaven, all nature was in subjection to him. But when he rebelled against the divine law, the inferior creatures were in rebellion against his rule. Thus the Lord, in His great mercy, would show men the sacredness of His law, and lead them, by their own experience, to see the danger of setting it aside, even in the slightest degree.” Ibid., 59, 60.

It is very painful to experience rebellion, but God saw that in order for man to comprehend the significance of his own rebellion to God, man must himself experience what it was like. There is not the least hint or shred of vindictiveness in this lesson that God has ordained. Rather it is given in the depths of Divine love. God knew we needed this lesson for our eternal salvation. This curse then, is really a blessing—a blessing for our eternal life.

God continues, “And the life of toil and care which was henceforth to be man’s lot was appointed in love. It was a discipline rendered needful by his sin … .” Ibid., 60. What is the sin that stands at the head of all sin? “Under the general heading of selfishness came every other sin.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 384.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “selfish” as “Having or showing concern only for yourself and not for the needs or feelings of other people.” So what does this have to do with “the life of toil and care … being a discipline rendered needful by his sin [selfishness]?”

“And the life of toil and care which was henceforth to be man’s lot was appointed in love. It was a discipline rendered needful by his sin, to place a check upon the indulgence of appetite and passion, to develop habits of self-control.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 60.

With what or whom does the “indulgence of appetite and passion” have to do? With self. It has to do with what gratifies “self.” What do I want, regardless of what is good for me, or my family, or my friends, or my God. What do I feel like? Will this kind of thinking ever bring happiness? “Simplicity of character and lowliness of heart will give happiness, while self-conceit will bring discontent, repining, and continual disappointment. It is learning to think less of ourselves and more of making others happy that will bring to us divine strength.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 476.

So, God ordained “the life of toil and care” to protect us against selfishness, the “indulgence of appetite and passion.” Is that a blessing, or a curse?

No sin or selfishness will be allowed in heaven. “Never will evil again be manifest. Says the word of God: ‘Affliction shall not rise up the second time’ (Nahum 1:9).” The Great Controversy, 504.

God, in His mercy and love, wants to teach us the consequences of sin and rebellion, and the best way is to experience it for ourselves. This can never take place in a situation of ease, a lack of trial and tribulation. So as we continue to read from Patriarchs and Prophets, 60, it says, “It [that is, “the life of toil and care”] was a part of God’s great plan of man’s recovery from the ruin and degradation of sin.”

Let’s look at this briefly from another angle. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). To please God, we must have faith. Now what does this have to do with trials, tribulations, the “curse” of sin?

“But ‘we know that all things work together for good to them that love God’ (Romans 8:28). ‘All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution’ (2 Timothy 3:12). It is good for me to tread a hard and humble path, to encounter difficulties, to experience disappointments, to suffer afflictions and bereavements. The Saviour knows what is best. Faith grows by conflict with doubt and difficulty and trial.” The Review and Herald, August 28, 1883.

Faith grows through difficulty and trial. If you want your faith to grow then welcome trials. Know that they are ordained of God for your blessing. “Faith grows by conflict with doubt and difficulty and trial.”

We have seen that trial and difficulty under the “curse of sin” has been allowed by God as a blessing—to show us, to teach us the reality of the consequences of sin so that we will flee from it.

When you experience what in your view is a trial or difficulty, remember, it is given through the hand of Omnipotent love—for your eternal salvation. The key is—how do you accept it? Do you mumble and grumble and complain, or receive it in gratitude for what it really is—a messenger from God for your salvation—a curse that is a blessing. It is God Himself that said, “Cursed is the ground for your sake.” [Emphasis supplied.]

All Bible quotes NKJV unless otherwise noted.

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

 

 

Moses is No Mummy

by

A number of years ago, Evelyn and I had the privilege of being in Cairo, Egypt, for a few days. Egypt was once one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with its great stores of gold. Besides being wealthy, Egyptians were sun-worshipers and devil worshipers, which was evident as we went through the Cairo museum, where we saw many mummies of the ancient kings. As I pondered the mummies, the thought came to me that had Moses made the wrong choice, he could have been one of those mummies. The story of Moses is one of the most amazing stories in all the Bible. While he was in the palace of the king, he resisted the many temptations present there. As a result of his life choices, the Lord resurrected him, and he has been in heaven for many years. (See Early Writings, 164.)

In Hebrews 11:24–26, Paul writes, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”

Because of a miracle that God worked shortly after his birth, Moses was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became heir to the throne, destined to become the ruler of the mightiest and wealthiest empire in the world. Ellen White says, “Moses was a great character in the world. He was the prospective heir of the throne of the Pharaohs. He had been reared for this position, and was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was fitted to take pre-eminence among the great of the earth, and to shine in the courts of its most glorious kingdom, and to sway the scepter of its power. His intellectual greatness distinguishes him above the great men of all ages.” The Signs of the Times, November 17, 1887.

From a worldly standpoint, he was one of the greatest men that ever lived. Five areas are mentioned in which Moses had intellectual greatness, superior to all other men. “As historian, poet, philosopher, general of armies, and legislator, he stands without a peer.

“But it was his moral qualities that made him valuable in the estimation of God. His faith, humility, and love are not excelled among the examples of humanity.” Ibid. The Bible comments on this very briefly in Numbers 12:3 which says, “(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)”

When Moses arrived at manhood, he had the world before him. He could become the most wealthy and most powerful leader of the world. However, his early training had taught him principles that gave him the moral strength to refuse the flattering prospects of wealth, greatness, and fame. It says in Hebrews 11:25 that he chose rather “… to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin.”

Many were the inducements held out to Moses while in the king’s court. “The magnificent palace of Pharaoh and the monarch’s throne were held out as an inducement to Moses; but he knew that the sinful pleasures that make men forget God were in its lordly courts. He looked beyond the gorgeous palace, beyond a monarch’s crown, to the high honors that will be bestowed on the saints of the Most High in a kingdom untainted by sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 246. So, he chose to join a humble, poor, despised nation in order to obey God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

The tragedy of this story when you think it through is that not too many people are willing to make this kind of sacrifice. Ellen White says in the Signs of the Times, November 17, 1887: “The great anxiety of men and women of today is to be held in high esteem by the lordly ones of earth. The religion of Jesus seems to be considered of no special value, and the children of men have set their hearts to seek pleasure rather than to know the will of God.” Paul told the young minister Timothy that this would be the condition of the world in the last days. He said that men will be “… lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4).

Without the special instruction by Jesus Christ, Moses would not have been able to resist the enticements. This same instruction is relevant to all believers today. “Christ has presented before us the greatest inducement that could be offered to mortals. It is not only the gift of eternal life and everlasting joy, but a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory in the kingdom of God. Those who feel the importance of taking God’s word as the rule of their life and conduct, will have respect unto the recompense of reward.” The Signs of the Times, November 17, 1887.

Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ to be worth more than the riches of the wealthiest nation on the face of the earth unlike today when the pleasures in this world steal men’s senses so they do not care to think about God in heaven.

Moses understood that someday there will be a judgment day and the world and all of God’s children are to be judged. The decisions they have made will determine their eternal destiny.

One of the earliest statements in the Bible predicting God’s judgment is recorded in Deuteronomy 32:36 where it says, “For the Lord will judge His people …” according to the deeds done in the body. Each one of us has a case pending in God’s court. The Bible says that although Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, they would not be able to save either son or daughter, but only their own souls. (See Ezekiel 14:14, 20.)

Moses understood that the judgment was to involve the judging of people’s characters. He says in Deuteronomy 10:12, 13, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you this day for your good?” He goes on to say in verses 16 and 17: “Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, Who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”

The conditions of salvation are the same for everybody, without partiality. You have just as much an opportunity to be saved as anybody else in the world and maybe more because of the knowledge that God has allowed you to have. Can I say with Moses that I esteem the reproach of Christ to be worth more than all the riches of this world? Moses made that decision.

Every soul that enters through the gates of the city will not go there as a pardoned criminal but as a conqueror.

“There is help for every one who in humble faith seeks it. When you put all your powers to the stretch that you may become acquainted with God, you will have His power added to your weakness. Every soul that enters through the gates into the city will go in as a conqueror. There is no sickness, no sighing, no death, but everlasting joy throughout the cycles of eternity. I want to be there, for my soul is attracted to Jesus. Everything here is of minor consequence.” The Signs of the Times, November 17, 1887.

Moses understood that all the wealth and power of Egypt, was not worth losing eternity. This is one of the great examples of a person who deliberately made a choice that he would suffer rather than enjoy immediate pleasure. The reproach of Christ must be esteemed above every worldly honor, all worldly riches and all high-sounding titles, if we are to be saved. This is the kind of faith that the martyrs possessed.

Because of his choice, Moses is not a mummy in a museum with people looking at him through the glass; he is in heaven. All who make the same choice that he made will have the same eternal consequence. It is hard for people, even knowing about the eternal wealth of glory that is coming, to choose right and to do something that they know is going to cause them pain and suffering, instead of something that will bring joy and happiness at the present time.

One of my favorite stories in the Testimonies for the Church is about a person who chose to endure suffering at the present time and reproach rather than have worldly riches and honor and lose eternal life. Ellen and James White were at this meeting when J. N. Andrews told this story and Ellen White wrote it down as a first-person witness. There were some people there who were in a backslidden condition. She says as Elder Andrews was speaking, he talked about the case of Moses who refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter but chose rather to suffer affliction. She then relates the story that brother Andrews told involving the power of God that is inexplicable at the present time: “Brother Andrews related an instance of a faithful Christian about to suffer martyrdom for his faith. A brother Christian had been conversing with him in regard to the power of the Christian hope—if it would be strong enough to sustain him while his flesh should be consuming with fire. He asked this Christian, about to suffer [being burned at the stake], to give him a signal if the Christian faith and hope were stronger than the raging, consuming fire. He expected his turn to come next, and this would fortify him for the fire. The former promised that the signal should be given. He was brought to the stake amid the taunts and jeers of the idle and curious crowd assembled to witness the burning of this Christian. The fagots were brought and the fire kindled, and the brother Christian fixed his eyes upon the suffering, dying martyr, feeling that much depended upon the signal. The fire burned, and burned. The flesh was blackened; but the signal came not. His eye was not taken for a moment from the painful sight. The arms were already crisped. There was no appearance of life. All thought that the fire had done its work, and that no life remained; when, lo! amid the flames, up went both arms toward heaven. The brother Christian, whose heart was becoming faint, caught sight of the joyful signal; it sent a thrill through his whole being, and renewed his faith, his hope, his courage. He wept tears of joy.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 657.

“As Brother Andrews spoke of the blackened, burned arms raised aloft amid the flames, he, too, wept like a child. Nearly the whole congregation were affected to tears.” Ibid.

Many people in that congregation who were in a backslidden condition confessed their sins and asked everyone to pray for them that they would walk up the narrow way and not continue in the way that they had been going.

Some people talk as if it is some great condescension for them to become a Christian because of all that they have to give up. It is almost like they think that the Lord owes them something. We know that Jesus gave up far more to save us than we will ever have to give up. So do we call it condescension to grasp the chain of truth and call it humiliation to become a Christian? Actually, becoming a Christian is the only true means for you to be exalted. This exaltation is not going to come in this world, but becoming a Christian is the necessary and true provision for every human being to be exalted. In the message to the Laodicean church, Jesus promises that those who overcome will be allowed, “to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21).

Moses understood this requirement and did not consider it a condescension for him to join with a nation of slaves. “He [Moses] had the privilege of living in king’s houses. He was a mighty warrior, and went forth with the armies of the Egyptians to battle; and when they returned from their successful conquest, they everywhere sung of his praise and his victories. The highest honors of the world were within his grasp ….” The Review and Herald, April 19, 1870. He made a deliberate decision to choose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy these honors and the pleasures of sin for a season. He chose delayed gratification over immediate pleasure.

Hebrews 11:26 says, “Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; he looked to the reward” (literal translation). His mind was focused on something else rather than riches, wealth, pleasure, or honor in this world. Where are your eyes focused?

“In like manner we have fixed our minds upon the exceeding great and precious reward, and in order to obtain it, we must have a perfect character.” The Review and Herald, April 19, 1870. Some people become offended by this expectation. They say, “nobody’s perfect” and some will quote you many texts in the Bible and also in Spirit of Prophecy to support their contention. However, Romans 4:18–22 says, “Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

Abraham was convinced that what God said, He was able to accomplish. He did not understand, even in his day, how a man a hundred years old could be a father. Neither did Sarah understand how a woman 90 years old could be a mother, but God said it and so he believed it. This is a great example of how we can be saved. God says He can save me and I am depending that He is going to make it happen in my life. Because I have no way to bring this about, I am trusting You and choosing to cooperate with You Lord, and I will never quit asking until You make it happen in my life.

“The angels of God are watching the development of character. Angels of God are weighing moral worth; and we are to obtain a fitness here to join the society of sinless angels. Do you expect that when Christ comes He will give you that fitness? Not at all. You must be found of Him without spot, without blemish, or wrinkle, or anything like it (Ephesians 5:27). Now is the watching and trying time. Now it is the time to obtain a preparation to abide the day of His coming, and to stand when He appeareth.” The Review and Herald, April 19, 1870.

One of the persons in the Bible given as an example for people living in the last days without spot or wrinkle is the man Enoch. In thinking of this standard, many become discouraged, believing that their situation is worse than that of others saying, You don’t know where I work or what I have to deal with or the people that I have to associate with to make a living. You don’t know the kind of language they use and what they discuss; so you don’t understand my situation.

My dear friend, Enoch lived in that kind of situation. “Enoch represents those who shall remain upon the earth and be translated to Heaven without seeing death. He represents that company that are to live amid the perils of the last days, and withstand all the corruption, vileness, sin, and iniquity, and yet be unsullied by it all. We can stand as did Enoch. There has been provision made for us. Help has been laid upon One that is mighty; and we all can take hold upon His mighty strength.” Ibid. That is a promise that you can claim.

Isaiah 27:5 says, “Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.”

There are so few people today who are willing to suffer in the present time and become overcomers in order to gain the eternal riches. “Angels of God, that excel in strength, are sent to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. These angels, when they see that we are doing the very utmost on our part to be overcomers, will do their part, and their light will shine around about us, and sway back the influence of the evil angels that are around us, and will make a fortification around us as a wall of fire.” The Review and Herald, April 19, 1870.

Unless a person is willing to make the same kind of decision that Moses made, he is not ready to be saved. The Bible not only records the right decision that Moses made, but also many instances where people made the wrong decision. One of the most prominent examples of choosing wrong—or failing to choose right— was the case of the rich young ruler, as recorded in Matthew 19. This young ruler wanted to be saved asking, “What shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Jesus said, “… Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you will enter into life, keep the commandments” (verses 16, 17, literal translation).

Jesus tried to direct his attention to the fact of His own divinity. In verse 18, first part, the young man asked which commandment. “Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me’ (verses 18, last part, 19–21).”

Verse 22 states: “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” He wanted to be saved, but he did not want to give up his worldly wealth and honor. By the way, the Bible says that the wealthy have many friends. He did not want to give up the honor and wealth he had in this world in order to become an itinerant preacher, following Jesus of Nazareth. All he could see was trouble and affliction. Commenting on this, Ellen White says, “This was not a hard requirement; for the ruler was not handling his own property. His goods had been entrusted to him by the Lord. The choice was left with him; he must decide for himself.” The Review and Herald, December 14, 1897.

Moses had that same opportunity to decide for himself. He was a free moral agent as was the rich young ruler. We are all free moral agents. This decision each must make for himself or herself. Neither your spouse nor a friend can make it for you. “The choice was left with him; he must decide for himself. Did he accept the eternal treasure? or did he decide to gratify his desire for earthly treasure, and in so doing, refuse the eternal riches?—When he heard Christ’s words, ‘he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions’ (Matthew 19:22; Mark 10:22). He chose the earthly good, and lost the eternal weight of glory.” Ibid.

“Individually, we are tried as was the young ruler. God tests us to see if, as stewards, we can safely be trusted with the eternal riches. Shall we do as the ruler did—fasten our grasp upon the treasures lent us by God, choosing that which appears most agreeable to the natural heart, and refusing to use our possessions as God plainly states He expects us to? or shall we take up our cross, and follow our Saviour in the path of self-denial?” Ibid. God tests us to see if we can be trusted with eternal riches.

“Millions of people in our world are making the choice made by the young ruler.” Ibid. It seems sad when you think that only a few will make the correct choice, and the great majority make the wrong choice. They refuse to do God’s will by showing love to their fellow men, and by such selfishness they prove themselves unworthy of the eternal riches.

Ellen White says: “They show that they are unfit for a place in the kingdom of God; if they were allowed to enter there, they would, like the great apostate, claim everything as if they had created it, and would spoil heaven by their covetousness.” Ibid. This is especially the case in places like the United States where people are wealthier than in other countries. Moses was called to make a decision. He was a free moral agent and he could choose to go either way. The decision that he made to follow the Lord and suffer affliction cost him all that he had. He was in line to be the most powerful and wealthiest man in the world. He literally had the world before him. He could have had it all in what was at that time the mightiest and wealthiest nation in the world. However, you cannot have both this world and heaven. Moses had to make that choice. He had conflicting objects to choose between. Was he going to choose to become the ruler of the mightiest and wealthiest nation or was he going to choose to suffer affliction with the people of God and lose all that?

“The treasures of Egypt, the honor of a temporal crown, and all the worldly benefits involved in this choice, were presented by the prince of this world. The opposite side was presented by the Prince of Light, the world’s Redeemer. He held out the recompense of reward, the unsearchable riches of Christ, and showed also the path of affliction, self-denial, and self-sacrifice, that must be traveled by all who gain this reward.” Ibid. Jesus said when He was here, “If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” Moses understood, by making that decision, that he was starting down a path that would involve affliction, and self-denial, and self-sacrifice. But that is the same path that has to be travelled by everyone who goes up the path that leads to eternal life.

The decision was left with Moses. He could have made the same decision that the rich young ruler made, although it was a much more difficult decision for Moses because he had much more at stake. Moses figured out that having worldly riches was not worth losing eternal riches, even though what Jesus was offering him involved a path of affliction, self-denial, and self-sacrifice.

Moses was a free moral agent and at liberty to choose. But the Bible says that by faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing Him Who was invisible. Moses made a choice. One of the greatest men, recorded in the Bible, who had the opportunity to become the leader of the greatest and wealthiest, and most powerful nation in the world, left it all in order to follow Christ in a path of self-denial, and affliction, and self-sacrifice.

If I’m going to be saved, I must walk in that same path. Moses was a rare example in the Bible of a person who chose to lose everything, and to be associated with a nation of slaves, and to walk in a path of affliction, of self-denial, and self-sacrifice, instead of enjoying the riches and pleasures of this world. This is a hard decision to make, and so few people are willing to make the correct decision today. Think things through and try to realize that the eternal weight of glory is of much more value than if we should be given the whole world and lose our soul. We need to think clearly about the future and to not make our decisions based on just the present, but based on what is going to happen to us in the future.

(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 – The Value of a Soul

by

If a person cherishes a spirit of malice and unkindness, he is cherishing a spirit that will result in hatred and a desire for revenge. The Bible says that he who hates his brother is a murderer and cannot hope to have eternal life (I John 3:15). The question is, though, how can this spirit be removed or changed?

Across the Sea of Galilee from where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, there was the land of Bashan, a land of wild gorges and wooded areas. It had been a long time favorite lurking ground for criminals of all descriptions. There had been reports, even in Jesus’ day, of frequent murders and robberies that had been committed throughout that area. The people thought that in Jesus’ teaching of the law He would have a strict, stern rebuke for those people committing the crimes. However, they were shocked when, in quoting the sixth commandment that says, “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13 RSV), Jesus showed that the commandment applied to themselves.

It is clear as you read the gospel story in any one of the gospels that the people cherished bitter hatred against the Romans as well as other people of their own country who did not in all things conform to their ideas. They were contentious and passionate about their beliefs. Jesus said to them in Matthew 5:21, 22, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment,’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council, But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Actually, many of the most accurate and ancient manuscripts leave out the words “without a cause.” The text would then read like this: “… I say to you that whoever is angry with His brother shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca!’ (equivalent in our speech today to calling somebody an air head) shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says to his brother “marad” (Aramaic for apostate or rebel) shall be in danger of hell fire.”

This same spirit of hatred and revenge is at the basis of all murders. It originated with a leading angel of heaven called Lucifer, whose name became Satan, which means adversary, or devil, which means a slanderer. This spirit of hatred and revenge caused him to put to death the Son of God. The Bible is very clear – the intelligence that was behind the crucifixion of Jesus was not only the Jewish leaders, and it was not just the Roman government, or Pilate; there were supernatural forces that were in conflict. The devil was intent on destroying the Son of God. It was he who was the one that engineered and programmed the whole event.

The whole heavenly universe was privy to the battle in heaven that resulted in Satan and his angels being cast out into the earth; they saw and knew who was behind it. But the people on this earth were ignorant of the bigger controversy and acted like pawns in the devil’s hands. Whoever cherishes malice or unkindness is of the same spirit and its fruit will be unto death. The revengeful thought is the seed that, once germinated and grown or unfolded, will produce the evil deed. For this reason John wrote, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (I John 3:15).

In the gift of His Son given for our redemption, God has shown how high a value He places upon every human soul. He does not give any of us permission or liberty to speak contemptuously about another human being. It is true that if we have our eyes and ears open, we are bound to see and hear of faults and weaknesses in other human beings. But God claims them as His property. They are His first of all because He created them. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, the world, and those who dwell in it” (Psalm 24:1 AMP). He owns it all; He made it.

Not only did He create everything in the beginning, but He has also purchased them back by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. All human beings were created in the image of God and even those who have been most degraded by sin are to be treated with respect and tenderness. When we study the life of Jesus, we find that He even treated His persecutors with politeness and courtesy.

Jesus teaches us here that God is going to hold us accountable if we speak contemptuously about somebody for whom Christ Jesus laid down His life. The New Testament also is very strict about this principle. Notice what it says: “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you glory as if you had not received it” (I Corinthians 4:7, literal translation)?

Paul says that everything you have is only yours because you have received it from God and since you have received it, why talk as if it were your own and you produced it on your own? Again, the apostle Paul says in Romans 14:4: “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.”

We are not to speak contemptuously of any human being, even if they are degraded because of a life of sin. We are not to condemn our brother as somebody who is beyond the reach of salvation and cannot be saved. To pronounce judgment on somebody else, believing they cannot be saved, puts that person who judges in danger of hell fire himself.

In the book of Jude is an example of how we should talk and treat fellow human beings. Christ Himself was contending with Satan about the body of Moses. Notice what it says in verse 9:

“Yet Michael (Mi ka El, One Who is like God) the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ ” Jesus did not bring a railing accusation against the devil. If He had done that, He would have placed Himself on Satan’s ground for accusations are the weapon of the wicked one. Notice what the Bible says in Revelation 12:10: “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’ ”

Satan is the one who is called in Scripture, “the accuser of the brethren.” Jesus would not even have stooped to bring an accusation against the devil; He left it for His Father to decide on the condemnation and the judgment of the devil. His example is for us. When we are brought into conflict with the enemies of Christ, and it is true that Jesus Christ still has many enemies in this world, we should say nothing in the spirit of retaliation or that would have even the appearance of being a reviling or railing accusation.

If we stand as a mouthpiece for God as all Christians should be, then we should not utter words that even the Majesty of heaven would not use when contending with the devil. We must leave with God the work of judging and condemning.

Now the love of God is something more than simply not doing certain things. It is a positive, active, principle, a living spring, ever flowing out to bless others. And if the love of Christ really dwells in our hearts, we not only will refrain from cherishing evil against our brother, or speaking in a contemptuous way to him or about him, but we will ever and always be seeking to manifest love to our fellow men. Notice what Jesus said about this in Matthew 5:23, 24: “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” In other words, don’t even go to church to worship the Lord in public until you have made things right with the person that you have wronged or has wronged you.

I cannot expect to be able to express faith in God’s pardoning love if I myself am indulging an unloving spirit. That would be a farce.

If I profess to be a Christian and I injure my brother in any way, I have misrepresented the character of God and that wrong needs to be acknowledged, confessed, and then corrected.

Some may say, “Well, my brother has done me a greater wrong than I have done him.” That may be true and it is up to your brother to correct the wrong that he has done against you, but that does not lessen your responsibility, even if you have been treated worse than what you have done against him. God will not accept worship from those who have unresolved differences. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34, 35).

The prophet Ezekiel said, “If the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die” (Ezekiel 33:15). If unwittingly I have borne false witness against my brother, by misstating his words or injured his influence in any way, I need to go to the ones with whom I have conversed about him and repair my injurious misstatements.

If Christians followed this Biblical advice in resolving matters of difficulty between their brethren, how many “roots of bitterness, whereby many are defiled” (Hebrews 12:15, literal translation) would be destroyed, and how closely Christians would be united in a bond of brotherly love?

The Jews prided themselves on their morality and looked with horror upon the sensual practices of the Romans and other nations. But when Jesus began to speak to them about the seventh commandment in His sermon, He revealed to them something shocking. He showed them that the sixth commandment reflected not only actions, but also what was in their mind and in their heart. The same applies to the seventh commandment. Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 5:27, 28: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” When the thought of evil is loved and cherished, however secretly, said Jesus, it shows that sin still reigns in the heart. The soul is still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.

He who finds pleasure in dwelling upon scenes of impurity and indulges in evil thoughts or the lustful look, may behold in the open sin the end result of what he has been thinking. All human beings are tempted in this world; the Bible is very clear about that. However, the sinful action makes manifest only that which was already in the heart, though it may have been hidden from view. As a man “thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). For it is out of the heart that come the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23).

To prevent a physical disease from spreading to another part of the body and destroying the life, a man would submit to having a part of his body, an arm or a hand, amputated. Much more should a person be willing to surrender whatever imperils the life of the soul. Jesus said, “And if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29, 30).

This counsel refers to the spiritual principle that whatever imperils the soul must be given up. If what I am looking at is imperiling my soul, then I must stop looking at it. If what I am handling is imperiling my soul, I must quit handling it. If where my feet are taking me is imperiling my soul, I must quit going there.

Through the gospel, souls that have been degraded and enslaved by sin are to be redeemed and are to share the glorious liberty of the sons of God. God’s purpose is not just to deliver you from the suffering that is the inevitable result of sin. His purpose is to save you from the sin itself.

A soul that has been corrupted and deformed, through the gospel is to be purified, transformed and sanctified. It is to be clothed, the Bible says, in “… the beauty of the Lord our God” (Psalm 90:17). It is “… to be conformed to the image of His Son …” (Romans 8:29). The Bible says that “… eye has not seen, nor has the ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9, literal translation). In fact, eternity alone can reveal the glorious destiny to which every man or woman may come to when restored to God’s image.

If you and I are going to reach this high ideal, whatever causes our soul to stumble must be sacrificed. Remember that it is through the will that sin retains its hold upon us.

Jesus says that it is better to enter into life, even if you are maimed or crippled, than to keep what you have and lose your soul. God is the fountain of life and you and I can only have life as we are in communion with Him. If we are separated from God, existence may be ours for a little time, but the Bible says we do not possess life. If we are separated from God, it is inevitable that we are going to die. The only way that we can live is if we surrender to the Lord as our Master and Saviour. It is only through self-surrender that we can receive what the Lord wants to give to us.

By refusing to yield to the will of God, clinging to self, is to choose death.

Friend, what is your destiny to be? Are you willing to forsake your sins and choose life? The choice is up to you.

Enchantments

by

When I was just a lad of four years old and my younger brother was less than a year old, my parents went as Seventh-day Adventist missionaries to Burma, now called Myanmar. We arrived just before the civil war in what was a dangerous situation, with soldiers committing many crimes and atrocities against the civilians. However, the Lord was very merciful to our family and though there were some close calls, the Lord protected us from harm.

A common practice in market places at that time was snake charming. People have been charming snakes for thousands of years and it is even mentioned in the Bible several times. Ecclesiastes 10:11 says, “A serpent may bite when it is not charmed …” Psalm 58:4, 5 says, “Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; they are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear, which will not heed the voice of charmers, charming ever so skillfully.”

In Jeremiah, 8:17 the Lord says, “ ‘For behold, I will send serpents among you, vipers which cannot be charmed, And they will bite you,’ says the Lord.”

Snakes can be charmed or they can charm other creatures just before they strike for the kill. A snake is charmed by what we call enchantments. The Bible talks a lot about enchantments. In Isaiah 47:10–12, it says, “You have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, ‘No one sees me;’ your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; and you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’ Therefore evil shall come upon you; you shall not know from where it arises. And trouble shall fall upon you; you will not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon you suddenly, which you shall not know. Stand now with your enchantments and the multitude of your sorceries in which you have labored from your youth—perhaps you will be able to profit, perhaps you will prevail.”

To “enchant” means “to cast under a spell, bewitch, or attract or delight completely,” so that a person is totally engrossed in or by something. To “bewitch” means “to place under one’s power as if by magic, to cast a spell over, to captivate completely or to fascinate.” To “charm” means “to attract, delight greatly or irresistibly, to fascinate.” To cast a spell on someone is to render them into a state of compelling attraction, fascination, a bewitched state or trance.

In the book Maranatha, 220, is a description of what happens to a person who has been enchanted. It states: “There are those who have the blazing light of truth shining all around them, and yet are insensible to it. They are enchanted by the enemy, held under a spell by his bewitching power. They are not preparing for that great day which is soon to come to our world.” These people may be religious and go to church, but their mind is occupied with something else. By the way, that “something else” may not necessarily be bad. It may be something which is all right, but takes so much of their attention that they neglect getting ready for the close of probation. It is true that everyone must make a living but we are not in this world for simply that purpose. However, there are some whose every waking moment from early in the morning until late at night is consumed by making a living. They are so totally engrossed that they neglect spending time with the Lord, preparing for the close of probation. They are enchanted with the affairs of this world and are preoccupied. They often seem utterly insensible to religious truth.

Others are enchanted with useless entertainment. “Many are on the enchanted ground of the enemy. Things of the least importance—foolish social parties, singing, jesting, joking—engross their minds and they serve God with a divided heart. … Excessive love and devotion to that which in itself is lawful proves the ruination of thousands upon thousands of souls. To matters of minor importance is often given the strength of intellect that should be wholly devoted to God. We need always to be guarded against carrying to excess that which, rightly used, is lawful. Many, many souls are lost by engaging in those things which, properly managed, are harmless, but which, perverted and misapplied, become sinful and demoralizing.” Our Father Cares, 94, 95.

We must ask ourselves if we have been distracted from our spiritual journey and fallen on enchanted ground. It is bad enough to be on enchanted ground, but worse still to be asleep while there. Ellen White tells us that this is a problem for God’s church. She says, “All things are ready, but the church is apparently upon the enchanted ground. When they shall arouse and lay their prayers, their wealth, and all their energies and resources at the feet of Jesus, the cause of truth will triumph. Angels are amazed that Christians do so little when such an example has been given them by Jesus.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 475.

Everything is ready. The Lord has been ready to come for over 100 years, but we are on enchanted ground, and the devil is working hard to keep us there.

“Satan is continually at work to rock our people to sleep in the cradle of carnal security.” Ibid., 600. It is possible to be on the enchanted ground, and to be totally over-involved and engrossed in things that are good. However, it is also true, and we need to recognize this, that many people are charmed with the pleasures of sin in some form. If we do not find a way to escape from them we are going to lose our souls.

In Numbers 25, just before the children of Israel entered the promised land, they were in danger, mesmerized by the beautiful Moabitish women who led them to transgress the law of God. In the chapter in Patriarchs and Prophets entitled “Apostasy at the Jordan,” Ellen White gives approximately twenty different things that the devil uses to get people to break the seventh commandment, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

You cannot break this commandment by just walking along and then all of a sudden accidently fall off a cliff. Before the fall, a long process has taken place in the mind which has become allured with the pleasures of sin. We are counselled, “This courtship and marriage is the most difficult to manage, because the mind becomes so bewildered and enchanted that duty to God and everything else becomes tame and uninteresting.” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 20.

Marriage is not wrong, but some people are so consumed with it and the pleasures it brings that they become too preoccupied and fail to prepare for the close of probation and the return of Jesus.

A Christian should be careful to avoid situations where they can become entangled in the sophistries of the devil. There are people who deliberately place themselves on dangerous ground and become captivated by events that under normal circumstances they would avoid. The Lord is not going to work a miracle to protect you if you do something presumptuous.

“Many place themselves on the enchanted ground by frequenting scenes of amusement where fallen spirits congregate.” The Signs of the Times, May 18, 1882. Thus you can find yourself in the midst of an army of evil angels.

Where are these scenes of amusement? Years ago, to watch a play or movie meant you would have to go to the theater. Later, drive-in theaters were built where you could drive your own car and park in rows and watch movies on a big screen while not having to leave your car. Then, in the 1950s, television sets were invented and people brought the entertainment right into their living rooms.

When I was a child the Seventh-day Adventist Church believed and taught that it was wrong to visit theaters to watch plays or movies, as did other conservative churches. My father once won a television set but it did not find its way into our home. He quickly figured out there was no difference going to the movies or having a television set at home and decided he did not want that distraction in his home.

As Christians we cannot afford to enter enchanted ground. “Professing Christian, when you resort to the theater, remember that Satan is there, conducting the play as the master-actor. He is there to excite passion and glorify vice. The very atmosphere is permeated with licentiousness. Satan presides, also, at the masquerade and the dance; he throws around the card-table its bewitching power. Wherever an influence is exerted to cause men to forget their Creator, there Satan is at work, it matters not how innocent the guise under which he conceals his purpose.” The Signs of the Times, May 18, 1882. A masquerade is like a costume party where people wear masques of disguise or play pantomime games.

All of these games and entertainments are designed to preoccupy you so there is no time left to seek after your Creator. Often the same people who spend hours in front of their television set will tell you how hard it is to spend 15 minutes a day in their private devotions. But you can’t stay alive spiritually on 15 minutes a day. It is impossible. The reason we do not have time is because the devil has lured us into his enchanted garden of entertainment.

The devil has many ways to seduce you and if he can’t get you on entertainment he may charm you with science, falsely called so. Science encourages us to extol human reason above divine revelation, to exalt nature and forget the God of nature.

The devil also uses all kinds of works of philosophy, skepticism and infidelity to cause people to lose their confidence in the Bible. Science can be dangerous and many who have been involved in it often carry the scars on their mind and religious experience, making their spiritual walk difficult. The more sin indulged in, the more avenues and greater the ability the devil has to tempt you.

Why make it more difficult for yourself to overcome sin and to be saved? Why? In addition to skepticism and infidelity Ellen White says, “There are treatises on money-making, that fill thousands of minds with fancies and follies, that fire thousands with an insane desire to amass wealth.” The Signs of the Times, May 18, 1882.

“There are fascinating volumes, that portray with all the power of human eloquence the lives of those who have made fame their god.” These volumes provide examples of how people have become famous or well-known. And then she says, “And outnumbering all other productions of the press, like the swarms of locusts that darkened the whole land, comes the flood of novels and romances, to cultivate in the youth a love-sick sentimentalism, to teach them that courtship and marriage are the great object of their existence …” Ibid. It is a trap, and many are charmed by it.

“There is a great work to be done in our colleges, a work which demands the co-operation of every teacher; and it is displeasing to God for one to discourage another. But nearly all seem to forget that Satan is an accuser of the brethren, and they unite with the enemy in his work. While professed Christians are contending, Satan is laying his snares for the inexperienced feet of children and youth. Those who have had a religious experience should seek to shield the young from his devices. They should never forget that they themselves were once enchanted with the pleasures of sin. We need the mercy and forbearance of God every hour, and how unbecoming for us to be impatient with the errors of the inexperienced youth. So long as God bears with them, dare we, fellow sinners, cast them off?” Testimonies, vol. 5, 34.

What is the solution? First of all, if the Holy Spirit is telling you that this is a problem, that you are charmed by something so that it has just got you totally engrossed in it, you are going to have to wrench yourself loose and say, “Lord, deliver me from this and help me to start living.” If the attraction that you are involved with is something good, you have to ask the Lord to help you so that you are not totally engrossed in it so that you can prepare for the close of probation.

“There is only one remedy; that is, to become conversant with the Scriptures. We cannot study the Bible too much. Christ said, ‘Search the Scriptures’ (John 5:39); but the natural heart would search everything else rather than the Scriptures.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, 260.

So, the church is on dangerous ground. The members are being seduced, and then we wonder why we have the spiritual troubles that we have. Proverbs 26:2 says, “… the curse causeless shall not come.” Whenever there is a curse, there is always one. We may not know what the cause is, but we can be sure that there is always one.

What is the devil’s goal for your life? In 1850 Ellen White wrote, “I saw Satan would work more powerfully now than he ever has before. He knows that his time is short and that the sealing of the saints will place them beyond his power; he will now work in every way that he can and will try his every insinuation to get the saints off from their guard and get them asleep on the present truth or doubting it, so as to prevent their being sealed with the seal of the living God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 220.

The devil does not care what it is that distracts you as long as he can keep you from being ready to be sealed. If you do not receive the seal, then you will be destroyed when the judgments come. The only people who will be secure and safe at that time are those who have been sealed. Everybody else will either be dead or destroyed in the final destruction.

“Satan is ever on the alert to deceive and mislead. He is using every enchantment to allure men into the broad road of disobedience.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1120. He is the master of his craft but Jesus came to break the spell.

A young Adventist girl in the 1950s was riding on a bus sitting next to a man with whom she spoke. In the course of the conversation she found out that this man practiced hypnotism. She told him that it would be impossible to hypnotize her. Somewhat into the journey the bus broke down and was unable to continue so the bus company arranged for accommodations that night for all of the passengers.

Fortunately, this girl had a habit of always studying her Sabbath School lesson before she went to bed. As she opened her Bible to study her Sabbath School lesson, she suddenly came out of the trance that she was unaware she had been in. To her amazement she was in a motel room with this man who then admitted that he had indeed hypnotized her.

Because she had developed a habit of studying her Sabbath School lesson before retiring, when she opened the Bible, the Holy Spirit broke the trance and she came to her senses again. Sometimes I have said to myself, “Lord, what can be done so that your people can come to their senses?” They are charmed and unaware of it. They are just like that girl, in a trance, and unless it is broken, they will be lost.

My dear friend, if the devil has you enchanted, I cannot break it for you. There is nothing I can do to break it, but Jesus Christ can break it. If you would pray, “Lord, am I on the enchanted ground? Am I charmed by something down here and I don’t even realize what’s going on?”

Have you ever said, “Lord, please wake me up.” It wouldn’t be wrong to say it. Maybe you are asleep and do not know it. That is the way it is with a person who has been hypnotized. They are unaware of their situation. Our High Calling, page 285 says: “Christ came to break the satanic enchantment, counterwork the work of Satan, and charm the mind away from the earthly to the heavenly. He alone is able to break the enchantment. …”

I can’t do it, but Jesus can do it. In fact, we just read, He is the only One that can break the spell. Very soon, friend, your name will be coming up in the judgment. If you have remained on enchanted ground, you will lose your soul. It will be your responsibility. The question we need to be thinking about is,

“What does God think about the life that I am living right now?”

As I was thinking about this, here are a few questions that I put down.

  1. Am I spiritually awake, or am I spiritually paralyzed by some enchantment of this world?
  2. Do I see clearly the spiritual war that is taking place in this world, or am I spiritually blind?
  3. Am I an active Christian, actively involved in God’s work in the world, or am I passive?
  4. Am I daily preparing for the judgment, or am I enchanted by the pleasures of sin?
  5. Nobody’s going to heaven alone. Am I working with an organized group of Christian workers, to finish God’s work? If not, am I sure I am not paralyzed and enchanted by one of the devil’s devices?

Ellen White wrote to a young Christian lady in 1861 and you can read part of this letter in the book Upward Look, 300. She wrote, “None—no not one—can go alone to heaven.” Did you understand that? How many people are going to go alone to heaven? Not one. God has a people whom He is leading, guiding, and instructing. “They must be subject one to another.” Ibid. This thought is very unpopular, but is inspired writing. “If one undertakes to go alone, independently, to heaven he will find he has chosen the … path that will not lead him to life.” Ibid.

If you think that you can go to heaven alone, you are not going to make it. God has a people and they are subject to one another, working together to finish God’s work.

If I am not an enthusiastic Christian, actively involved with God’s people to finish His work, then something is dreadfully wrong. I must have stepped onto the devil’s enchanted ground.

I cannot wrench you free. Only the Lord can deliver you. Only the Lord can deliver me. And my friend, I am also praying that the Lord will save me from the devil’s ground. Preachers also have all the temptations that are common to everybody else. They too have sinful natures and the same battles to fight. They also must gain the victory over selfishness and lust.

We must gain Christ’s victory and get off the devil’s enchanted ground if we are going to go to heaven together.

(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 – A Quiet Place

by

Some people believe that their prayers have merit. If this is so, then it could easily be concluded that the longer the prayer, the greater the merit. What is the truth? If a person prayed long enough, would the prayer have enough merit to partially expiate for sin or is it possible that even eloquent prayers could be just idle words?

Jesus said, “When You pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:5).

In this passage of Scripture, the Lord is not telling us that we should not pray in public. He Himself prayed in public many times as recorded in the Scripture. But what He is teaching is that a private prayer should not be made public. In our private devotions, our prayers are to reach the ears of no one except a prayer-hearing God. No curious ear is to hear the burden of our private petitions.

Jesus said, when you pray, go into your room; enter your closet. Have a place for private prayer where you can be alone with God. Jesus Himself had private places for communion with God. That, by the way, is the way that Judas Iscariot knew where to lead the people when he betrayed Him. He knew that the garden of Gethsemane was a place Jesus often went to in the evening to pray.

Jesus said to pray to your Father who sees in secret. In the name of Jesus we may come into God’s presence with the same confidence that a small child comes to a parent. No man is needed as a mediator. Through Jesus we may open our hearts to God as One Who knows and loves us and hears us.

In the secret place of prayer, where no one but God sees or hears, we are free to pour out to Him the most secret and hidden desires of the heart, and the Father has promised that He will hear. Remember, He is a Father of infinite love and pity and He never fails to answer the cry of human need. He will speak to us when we take time to talk to Him. Here’s what the Bible says about His character in James 5:11, last part: “… the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” The Lord is indeed very compassionate and merciful. He is of tender mercy. He waits unwearied and loves to hear the confessions of the wayward and to accept their penitence. He watches longingly for some return of gratitude in the same way a mother watches for a smile of recognition from her beloved child. He wants us to understand how earnestly and tenderly His heart yearns over us. And He wants us to bring to Him our trials, our sorrows, our troubles, our wounds, our weakness, and our emptiness. He can supply all of our need. The Bible teaches that never has one been disappointed who came to Him.

Notice what it says in Psalm 34:5: “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” The Lord answers the prayer of even the humblest of His children (verse 6).

When we come to the Lord in secret, telling Him our needs and pleading with Him for help, we will not plead in vain. Jesus said, “… your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6). If we make Jesus our daily companion and friend, we will become assimilated to His image. By looking to Jesus, we will have an increase in piety, purity, and fervor.

In Matthew 6:7, Jesus continued talking about prayer. He said, “… when you pray, do not use vain repetitions like the heathen do” (literal translation). Now the heathen, then and now, looked upon their prayers as having in themselves merit to atone for sin. Therefore, the longer the prayer, the greater the merit. If they could become holy by their own efforts, they would have something in themselves of which to rejoice, some ground for the boasting. This perspective of prayer is the result of the idea of self-expiation, the principle which lies at the foundation of false religion. The Pharisees had adopted this pagan idea of prayer. It is by no means extinct, even in our time, even among those who profess to be Christians.

When we repeat set, customary phrases, and the heart feels no need of God, we are just repeating, going over, a formal prayer of the same character as the vain repetitions of the heathen. Nobody wants to talk to a friend who’s just mumbling the same set words and phrases in his mind, and whose heart is not in the conversation. The Lord isn’t interested in hearing a prayer like that either.

Prayer is not an expiation for sin. It does not have virtue or merit in itself. All the eloquent words that we might command are not equivalent to even one holy desire. Even the most eloquent prayers can be worthless, idle words if they do not express the true sentiment of the heart. But if we pray from an earnest heart, if we simply express the real wants of our soul, the same way that we would ask an earthly friend for a favor and expect that it would be received, then we have prayed a prayer of faith, and that prayer will, for sure, be answered.

God is not in need of our ceremonial compliments, but even the unspoken cry of a heart that is broken and subdued with a sense of sin and utter weakness and helplessness will find its way to the Father of all mercy.

As Jesus continued talking about the Christian life in Matthew 6:24, He said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Notice what Jesus said. He didn’t say you should not serve God and mammon. He said, you cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon, by the way, is a Greek word that simply means real estate, money, property, wealth, material possessions. Jesus said you can’t serve God and material things. He said this cannot be done. In other words, no one can occupy a neutral position. There is no middle class who neither love God nor serve the enemy of righteousness, because the facts of the matter are, if I do not give myself completely to God, I am under the control of another power, listening in my mind to another voice, whose suggestions are of an entirely different character.

If I try to give God half and half service, that actually places me on the side of the enemy as a successful ally of the hosts of darkness. So, when men claim to be Christians, to be soldiers of Christ, but engage with the confederacy of Satan and help along his side, they prove themselves to be actually enemies of Christ instead of the professed friends of Christ which they say they are. What happens then is that they betray sacred trusts and form a link between Satan and the true Christians, aiding Satan in his constant efforts to steal away the hearts of Christ’s solders.

We are talking about the battle for the mind and heart. We are not talking about just outward words or behavior. When you think this through, remember that Jesus said that you cannot serve God and mammon.

The strongest bulwark of vice in our world is not the terrible life of some abandoned sinner or a degraded outcast. The strongest bulwark of vice in our world is the life which otherwise appears virtuous, honorable, and noble, but in which one sin is fostered or one vice indulged. When there is somebody who is struggling with some terrible temptation, the example of such a person is one of the most powerful enticements to sin. Thus a person who claims to be a Christian but indulges one sin, one vice, is used by Satan to be a stumbling block to others so that they not only stumble in this life, but may even forfeit eternal life.

In the apostle John’s first epistle, he wrote about this problem, saying things that should cause us to sit up and pay attention. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (I John 2:15, 16). You cannot love both.

Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 6:31–33, “… do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Do not be so caught up in worldliness that the sum and substance of your life is just trying to make a living, or getting material possessions. He says that is what the nations do; their whole life is absorbed in getting food, and drink, and clothing, and whatever material things they need. Is there a better way to live, a higher way to live, so that you do not need to be pressed down all the time, just trying to survive, and yet not knowing if you will be able to survive?

The people who were listening to Jesus speak these words were still anxiously awaiting Him to make an announcement of an earthly kingdom that He would set up. Jesus was opening to them in this discourse the treasures of heaven. But the question uppermost in their minds was, how will a connection with this man advance my prospects in this world? Interestingly, that is the same question many people are asking today. What church can I go to that will best advance my interests, my worldly interests, my professional or business interests?

Jesus shows them that in making the things of this world their supreme anxiety, they were like the heathen nations around them, living as if there were no God whose tender care was over all His creatures. Jesus said, the nations seek after these things, but your heavenly Father knows that you need all of these things (Luke 12:30).

In other words, Jesus is saying, I have come to open to you a kingdom of love, and righteousness, and peace. Open your hearts to receive this kingdom and make its service your highest interest. Even though it is a spiritual kingdom that I am bringing you, do not be afraid, do not fear that your needs in this life will be uncared for. If you give yourself to God’s service, the One who has all power in heaven and earth will provide for your needs. Jesus said, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things – that’s the things necessary for this life, food and clothing – will be given to you.

Now in saying this, Jesus does not release us from the necessity of effort. He does not say that we do not have to do anything, that God will get it for you. In this same chapter, He talked about how God fulfills the needs of the birds. “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (verse 26). How does the heavenly Father feed the birds? Does He put the food in their mouths? Absolutely not. He provides the food, but they have to go and find it.

In the same way, God provides for the needs of all of His sons and daughters in this world, but that does not release us from the necessity of effort. When Adam and Eve sinned, God told Adam that from this time forward, he was going to eat bread in the sweat of his face. (See Genesis 3:19.) But Jesus teaches us that we are to make Him first, and last, and best in everything. In other words, as Christians, we are not to engage in any business, or follow any pursuit, or seek any pleasure that would hinder the outworking of His righteous character in our lives.

Whatever we do is to be done with seeking God and His righteousness first and uppermost in our mind. You see, friend, God’s everlasting arm encircles every soul who turns to Him for aid, however feeble that soul may be; whether that person is in poverty or wealth, in sickness or health. Whether they are educated or uneducated, simple or wise, all are provided for in the treasures and promises of His grace.

The Bible says that the precious things of this world are going to pass away, but the soul that lives for God will abide with Him. Notice what the apostle John said, commenting on this very same thing, several years later. In I John 2:17 he says, “The world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” So, if you are one of those who learns in this world to lean on God for guidance and wisdom, to seek Him for direction and commit your life to Him, He will not only be your comfort and hope in this world, even amid loss and affliction, but in the world to come you will be welcomed to an everlasting home where the tree of life will yield for you its fruit every month. The literal translation of Isaiah 54:10 says, “The mountains shall depart, the hills be removed, but My kindness will not depart from you, neither will My covenant of peace be removed from you, says the Lord, who has mercy on you.” Because God cares for everyone who turns to Him for help and shields and protects them, we do not need to live a life that is full of worry.

Are you aware, friend, that one of the biggest health problems in the western nations today is depression brought on by continual anxiety and worry? When Jesus lived in this world, He dignified life in all its details by keeping before men the glory of God and by subordinating everything else to the will of His Father. If we follow His example, He gives us the assurance that all things needful for this life shall be added.

He does not promise, by the way, that you will have the luxuries of life in this world. You’ll have more luxuries in the future world than anyone has in this world. In this world, what is promised is what you need, not necessarily what you want. Since you have this promise, if you have committed your life to Him, you do not need to worry. Jesus gives us advice on that very point in the last verse in Matthew 6. He says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (verse 34).

If you have given yourself to God, to do His work, you do not need to worry or be anxious about what is going to happen tomorrow, because, the One, whose servant you are knows the end from the beginning. The Bible says that very clearly in the book of Isaiah, where God says that He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). So the events of tomorrow, which are hidden from our view, are open to His view; they are open to the eyes of Him who is omnipotent. If we take everything into our own hands, if we decide we want to manage our own life, if we want to depend on our own wisdom for success, then we are taking a burden that God has not given us and we are trying to bear it without His aid. We are taking upon ourselves the responsibility that belongs to God, and thus we are really putting ourselves in His place. Then we may well be anxious and fearful for our needs, but if we really believe that God loves us and means to do us good, we will be able to cease worrying about the future. We will begin to trust God as a small child trusts a loving parent. Then, our troubles and torments will disappear, for our will will be swallowed up in the will of God.

In promising us this kind of help, Jesus did not promise that He would bear the worry or anxiety or burdens of tomorrow. He said to the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you … .” Like the manna that He gave the children of Israel in the wilderness, His grace is bestowed each day for that day’s need. One day alone is ours and during this day we are to live for God.

Just this one day we have to put our hand in the hand of Christ and if we trust Him with everything in our life, our purposes, our plans, casting all our care upon Him, He says, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, … thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV). “In returning and rest shall you be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15, literal translation).

Dear friend, if you seek the Lord daily and experience daily conversion, if you will of your own spiritual choice be free and joyous in God, in His service you will find all your murmurings stilled and all your difficulties removed.

(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 Surrender of Self

by

How do you see yourself in your Christian journey? Are you stronger in the things of God than you have ever been before? Every day with Jesus should be sweeter than the day before. Each moment should find us moving up in our experience with a deeper sweeter faith than we had the moment before.

Yet I hope no one is satisfied that God has finished His work of growth and sanctification in the life. This very moment He wants to lead us out deeper into the waters of surrender and consecration. There are still victories to be won; there are sins to be put away, and there is a drawing together that needs to be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. God really means what He says in the fantastic promises of Romans six. No other chapter of the Bible is so lavishly excessive in giving assurance to a struggling Christian. Consider these extravagant phrases for example:

“Shall we continue in sin? … God forbid” (verses 1, 2). “We that are dead to sin” (verse 2). “Henceforth we should not serve sin” (verse 6). “Freed from sin” (verse 7). “Dead indeed to sin” (verse 11). “Let no sin therefore reign” (verse 12). “Being made free from sin” (verse 18).

There is certainly nothing ambiguous about any of those texts. But is there some secret meaning or perhaps some hidden reservation which might not apply literally to us in these promises? We are tempted to believe so because of the almost fanatical element of certainty in each verse and line.

Some people are frightened by the book of Romans simply because it describes the perfect work God wants to do in sanctifying us from our sins. Many people are also afraid of that word “perfect.” They are fearful that God will ask them to do something that they are not willing to do.

God will never do anything in our spiritual lives that we are not willing for Him to do. He never coerces the will or pressures us into any actions to which we have not given consent. So we can totally disabuse our minds of being forced into any life choices which we are not free and sovereign.

But now we come face to face with the basic root weakness which has led millions into discouragement and defeat. They simply have not been reconciled to giving up the enjoyment of their sins. There is a certain shallow, short-lived pleasure in sin which dances over the emotions and seeks to capture the mind through the sensory pathway of the flesh. In every case there must be a decision of the will to forfeit those temporary physical “pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25). Until that choice is made and acted upon, there can be no real victory over sin in the life.

Are you resigned to the stripping away of all your darling indulgences and prepared to accept all the results of a complete surrender to Christ? There are only two possible reasons for a person holding back and failing to gain the victory over sin. Either he is not willing to give up the enjoyment of the sin or else he does not believe that God will give him deliverance from it. Being willing, of course, is our problem, but seeing it done is God’s part alone. We must be willing, but we can never be able. Let us now look at these two great mental blocks which have stolen the victory from so many of God’s people.

Self—The Greatest Enemy

Most of us are aware that self is the greatest enemy we face. Once we have settled it with the old man of the flesh who seeks to rule over us, all the other victories will come in their course.

God has given every one of us a powerful personal weapon to use in combating the self-nature. The will is our only natural reserve weapon, and absolutely everything depends on the right action of this resource. The ultimate sin in the eyes of God, the final factor that will cause a soul to be lost, is to deliberately say no to the will of God. We become whatever we choose to be. We are not what we feel, or what we might do or say in a simple impulsive moment of our life. We are what we will to be. We cannot always control our emotions, but we can control our will.

Feelings have nothing to do with the truth of God. It is not your feelings, your emotions, that make you a child of God, but the doing of God’s will. Perhaps you had a headache or arthritis pain when you woke up this morning, but does that change the fact that God loves you? Does it alter the truth that the seventh day is the Sabbath? Whether you feel good or bad, the truth remains exactly the same.

Some people can feel wonderful during an evangelistic crusade or a special revival weekend, but when the meetings are finished, their faith plummets to rock bottom. It is a yo-yo effect with everything tied to emotions generated by circumstances.

We must recognize the fact that our will and God’s will, at some point, must come into violent collision. Either we let Him have His way or we choose our own course. And when it happens, most people are not willing to admit the true cause behind the raging conflict. They do not see the battle as primarily linked to the self-nature.

Hundreds of “reasons” are given for not going all the way with Christ. It may be because of Sabbath work, or doubts about the Bible, or opposition of relatives. But none of those things are the true reasons. It goes much deeper than the words they are uttering. There is a basic nature problem behind their lack of commitment. They talk about twigs and leaves when the real problem is the roots. The truth is that God wants something that self is not willing to give up. They love something more than they love God.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus made that strange statement in Matthew 16:24, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me?” Why didn’t the Master finish the sentence by spelling out the thing to be denied? “Let him deny himself”—what? Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, Sabbath-breaking? No. Just deny himself, period. Jesus knew that self was behind every angry battle against the truth. Once that victory is gained, all other victories will also be won.

Multitudes are outside the will of God and outside the church because they are not willing to give up something that they love more than they love God while thousands are in the church and are perfectly miserable because something in their life has been fighting the will of God for years. To be a true Christian requires surrender above everything else.

Do you recall the time that your desire and God’s will met in fearful conflict? There was a titanic struggle. The old self-nature hardened itself and resisted every impulse to turn away from rebellion and sin. Under deep conviction you wrestled and agonized against the powers of the flesh, but to no avail. Then, finally, you surrendered your stubborn will and the battle was over. Peace flooded into your heart, and glorious victory was immediately realized.

What happened to change the picture? Did you finally manage to drive back the devil? Definitely not. Your battle was with self, and when you became willing, God gave you the victory over that carnal enemy. “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:57).

It may sound foolish, but it is still true: before you can have, you must give away; before you can be full, you must be empty; before you can live, you must die; and before you have the victory, you must surrender.

I don’t believe anyone ever felt so defeated, depressed, and cheated as eleven men did on a Friday night almost two thousand years ago. Jesus had promised them the world. They were going to sit on thrones and rule kingdoms. Life would be marvelous for them. They were important. Then, suddenly, Jesus was arrested, tortured, and crucified. The world had come to an end for them. Nothing will bring us as low as the cross brought them. Not even crippling disease, financial failure, desertion of friends, death of dear ones, or injustices of life. But was it defeat? On the contrary, it was the most glorious moment of victory this world has ever known.

Is Trying the Answer?

We have to admit that we fight an enemy who is stronger than we are. In the weakness of the flesh we find ourselves bound in mind and body by the superior strength of our spiritual enemy. We resolutely struggle to extricate ourselves from the bondage, but the harder we try the deeper we sink into the mire.

We do not need instruction in theology to acquaint us with the facts about our fallen nature. All of us have struggled with memories of failure and compromise. We have desperately tried to blot out scenes of unfaithfulness from our minds, but every such effort has ended in utter defeat.

I heard of a holy man in India who traveled from village to village laying claim to special creative power. As a result of his Himalayan pilgrimage, the sadhu professed to hold the secret for making gold. He would fill a large caldron with water and then stir the contents vigorously while uttering his sacred incantation. But in the process of stirring he also slyly slipped some gold nuggets into the water without being detected.

The head man of one village wanted to buy the secret for making gold and the holy man agreed to sell it for 500 rupees. After explaining the stirring and the prayers to be repeated the priest took his 500 rupees and started to leave. Then he turned back and gave a final word of warning, “When you are stirring the water and uttering the prayers you must never once think of the red-faced monkey, or the gold will not come!”

As you can imagine the headman never could make the formula work because every single time he stirred the water, there was the red-faced monkey sitting at the edge of his mind, grinning at him.

We have absolutely no natural ability to keep the thoughts and imagination under control for the simple reason that they are rooted in our sinful natures. Only when the mind has been regenerated through the process of conversion can the individual subjugate the lower, physical powers and bring them under the effective control of the Holy Spirit. Only in this way may the very intents of the heart be sanctified and brought into harmony with Christ. Without the transforming grace of the new birth, “the carnal mind … is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Romans 8:7).

Controlling the Inner Spirit

Have you noticed that it is always easier to deal with external actions than with internal dispositions? Well-disciplined people can force themselves to act correctly on the outside, even when the inward desires are at war with the outward conduct. The Bible teaches that this conflict must cease between how we think and how we act. A true Christian will be the same in both mind and body.

All of us have seen drivers dutifully slow down to fifteen miles per hour through the school zones. They appear so submissive and law-abiding as they creep along in front of the uniformed traffic patrol lady. Yet those drivers are usually seething with internal anger and rebellion because of missing an appointment. Self is behind that angry battle, and the stubborn will has simply not yielded to the idea of obedience. Here is where the desperate need lies for those who claim to be in the family of God. Almost anyone with minimum acting skills can force conformity to the rules (especially if they think someone is watching) but almost no one can force himself to be sweet about it. We can try till our dying breath and we will never be able to alter the unconverted disposition by dint of determination. Such a major shift requires the creation of new attitudes and thought patterns.

Many are convinced that they are Christians just because they act in a certain way and conform to biblical rules and principles. In other words, their lifestyle and behavior identifies them as not of this world. Or does it? Can we always recognize a true child of God by his conduct? Perhaps we can over a period of time, but pretenders are able to deceive most of us for a good while. Eventually the nature behind the good works begins to appear and the charade is seen for what it really is.

Isaiah wrote, “If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19). Some people are obedient without being willing, and their fruit is soon exposed as artificial. This teaches us that two mistakes can be made concerning those who keep God’s law carefully. We might wrongly assume they are legalists because they look so seriously upon the slightest disobedience, or we might wrongly assume they are true Christians just because they show zeal for conforming to the law.

Judging the Outward Actions

No one can read the motives of another. Therefore, it is a dangerous, judgmental attitude to deprecate the apparent caring concern that a fellow Christian has for keeping the commandments. If his works indeed are based upon principles of self-effort and do-it-yourself salvation, the truth will be exposed soon enough. But if he has a genuine love relationship with Christ which constrains him to be meticulous in obedience, then he deserves commendation instead of criticism.

So we must conclude that it is a fatal delusion to depend upon trying harder and struggling longer to get the victory over sin. The secret is trusting instead of trying, and time will only make a young sinner into an old sinner. Finally, we must admit that we are not as strong as our adversary, and as we surrender our dependence upon human strength and effort, God provides the glorious gift of victory.

Jesus said, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). That is a tremendous truth, but we must go far beyond the negativism of this statement and experience the positive reality of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” The difference between “all things” and “no thing” is Christ.

This does not imply that we sit back in relaxed idleness while God assumes all the responsibility of overcoming sin. One belongs to God and the other to us. The possibility rests with God and the responsibility rests with us. And as we begin to act against the sin in our life, God provides the power to actually break with the sin.

How far may we go in utilizing that faith method of claiming the victory? John declares that “this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (I John 5:4). By submitting to that higher power which reaches down from above, the soul is able to bring every thought into captivity to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Perhaps it can be clarified with an illustration. Suppose a farmer walks along his garden path and looks down at the soil beneath his feet. Aloud he wonders whether the minerals in that dirt could ever be transformed into vegetables. The human answer immediately fills his head. “Of course not. There are only three categories: vegetable, mineral, and animal; and they always remain distinct and recognizable.”

Soon afterward the farmer laid out neat rows by the garden path and carefully planted the cabbage seed according to the instructions on the package. Then the gentle rains slowly moistened the ground, and the warming rays of the sun began to exercise their particular magic on the tiny seeds. They began to germinate and grow, and under those favorable influences from above, the root system began to draw the actual mineral elements into the leaves of the cabbage. By some mysterious process still not fully comprehended by the scientist, the iron, phosphorus, and magnesium were incorporated into the plant and transformed into the vegetable form of the cabbage. The mineral had become a vegetable.

Later, as the farmer stood in the path admiring the rows of well-formed heads the question came to him: Could these vegetables ever become animal? And the answer from his human reasoning was clearly, “No. Vegetable is vegetable and animal is animal, and they are two distinct and separate categories.”

But a few days later the farmer carelessly leaves the bars down on the nearby pasture, and the cows wander into the garden. As they consume the succulent young cabbage a truly remarkable thing happens within their bodies. The vegetable leaves are assimilated into the organs of digestion and in very short order the vegetable has literally been turned into animal. What a miracle! And it did not happen because of any effort put forth by the cabbage. It merely yielded to the higher power which reached down from above, and the miraculous change was effected.

How Far Can We Go in Victory?

Now we take the illustration one step further and ask the question: Is it possible for the animal, or the physical, to ever become spiritual? Again the obvious answer would be: “No. That is another sphere, and could never happen in this world.” But I submit to you that this kind of transformation is not only possible, but it has actually happened to everyone who has accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

By yielding our will to the higher powers from above, we can be delivered from the bondage of the flesh. The entire being is made captive to the Spirit of God, and we are able to think His thoughts after Him. Paul declares that we partake of the divine nature and have the mind of Christ. Again, and again, the process is described as a surrendering of the will, and a giving up of our own way. “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:13).

Paul further described the surrender process as a literal crucifixion of the self-nature. He said, “I am crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20); again, “I die daily” (I Corinthians 15:3). This constant subjection of the will is not achieved by any decision or effort which we can manufacture from within ourselves. Self will never make the choice to put itself to death. Only the Holy Spirit can create the desire to escape from the domination of a sin-loving nature. Only He can bring us to the point of being willing to give up every indulgence of that corrupt, fallen nature.

As the mind and will cooperates with the Holy Spirit, a faith-reckoning renders the death blow to the old man of sin. The life opens up to the sweet, triumphant in-filling of a new spiritual power. Little idols disappear as they are dethroned from the heart. There are no more secrets from God, no longer anything to hide or to be ashamed of, no more defeatism as a way of life. Joyfully we put aside the ornaments of self and the world to allow more capacity for the loving character of Christ to be revealed.

Although there are brief superficial pleasures in a life of sin, those indulgences cannot be compared with the delight of following Jesus. Self makes the Christian path seem dark and fearsome; but when self is surrendered and crucified, the narrow road is filled with joy unspeakable.

The Enigma of Miserable Christians

Every time you see an unhappy Christian you are looking at someone who has not surrendered self to the cross of Christ. That inward life of the flesh, that self-nature, has been allowed to survive; and there can be no peace in a divided loyalty. Those who have not submitted to be crucified with Christ still carry their religion like a heavy burden. They remind me of the Hindu processions I observed, again and again, on the crowded streets of India. The priests and devotees staggered along bearing the heavy idol on their shoulders. Occasionally they stopped to rest, and it was an obvious relief to put down their god momentarily to relieve themselves of the burden.

Isaiah described the same thing in his day as he must have watched similar scenes. He wrote, “They lavish gold out of the bag … and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship. They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble” (Isaiah 46:6, 7).

How accurately this describes what I observed in India. Their god was so helpless that they had to carry it from place to place. They wearied themselves with the effort to move it to another location. It was a burden which they were relieved to be rid of when they stopped to rest.

What kind of religion is it that must be painfully endured and borne like some miserable weight? I’ve seen professed Christians with that same kind of experience. They have a religion that seems to do nothing for them but to make them weary and disgruntled. They are like the man with the headache. He didn’t want to cut off his head, but it hurt him to keep it. These people don’t want to give up their religion, but it is painful to keep it.

There is only one explanation for this kind of bizarre situation. It is abnormal in the extreme. Christians should be the happiest people in the world. If they are not, it is because self has not been surrendered and crucified.

Come back now to the text in Isaiah where the prophet described the idol processions of his day. In truth it is not Isaiah speaking but the Lord God Himself. In verse 7 He said, concerning the idol god, “they carry him.” Now read verse 4 where God declared to Israel, “And even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even will I carry, and will deliver you.” [Emphasis added.]

Which god do you serve today? What kind of religion do you profess? You can only serve God or self. When you unreservedly surrender that spoiled, greedy, indulgent self to be put to death, you may reckon yourself dead to the sins which self promotes. Trying to live a Christian life without dying to self is just as miserable as struggling to carry a pagan god. In fact, when self has not been given up to the death of the cross, it comes between you and the Saviour, becoming a real god. The constant strain of trying to subdue that self-god by human effort can wear out the most determined saint.

What happens then when faith claims the victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil? We are relieved of the strain, because God promises to carry us. “Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:57). “And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (I John 5:4). “I have made, and I will bear, even I will carry, and will deliver you” (Isaiah 46:4).

It is not hard to imagine that Satan’s strongest efforts are aimed at the exaltation of self. He can only control the individuals who continue to feed the carnal nature. I have often imagined that our great enemy has a computer list of self-related indulgences which he constantly holds out to the human race. Each category has been honed and adapted to exploit the particular weakness of the self-nature which Satan recognizes so easily in every member of Adam’s family. Perhaps some of the most appealing subtitles in his list would include self-righteousness, self-dependence, self-seeking, self-pleasing, self-will, self-defense, and self-glory.

Because he is the temporary prince of this world, the devil has inspired an avalanche of material which focuses on developing the love of self. Counselors of every stripe and hue urge us to improve our self-worth and our self-esteem. Even ministers preach sermons around their interpretation of loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Are these perversions of the biblical admonitions to “crucify self” and “deny self”? How can we seek to esteem and exalt that which we are told to subdue and put to death?

There is a sense, of course, in which we need to recognize our value in the sight of God. He counted every one of us as more precious than His own life. But that objective recognition is entirely distinct from the basic self-centeredness of the fallen human race. God can love us in spite of our genetic weaknesses and indulged carnal appetites, but the closer we come to Jesus, the less charmed we should be by our own perverse ways. In fact, as we enter into the converted life through the Holy Spirit, the confidence we placed in the flesh will be wholly shifted to the Saviour. In describing the new birth experience, Paul compared it to spiritual circumcision. “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).

As we have noted already, the great apostle equated this conversion experience to the crucifixion of self. The truth is that the egocentric nature of every baby, child, and adult is to have their own way. This nature must be crucified, and under the mastery of the new spiritual nature, the affections are set upon Jesus. Self is no longer important. The flesh has no strength to control the life or fulfill its own will. The song of the soul now is, “Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way. Thou art the potter; I am the clay.” Have Thine Own Way, Lord, Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907. God grant us this experience.

In 1965 Joe Crews founded the ministry Amazing Facts. His original objective was to reach out to both Christian and non-Christian listeners via daily 15-minute programs by opening with a scientific or historic fact, and how it applies to the overall Biblical messages. Later, the program offered Bible study courses and books written by himself. He passed away in 1994.

Divine Understanding

by

Jesus taught,

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

John 3:19–21

In these words of Jesus we see two opposite words: LIGHT and DARKNESS. As used in John 3:19, the meaning of light is to shine or make manifest and the meaning of darkness is the darkness of error.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the Light!

  • John 12:46 – “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness.”
  • John 9:5 – “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
  • Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
  • John 8:12 – “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:”
  • John 1:4 – “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
  • John 1:5 – “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
  • John 1:9 – “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Prophet Isaiah wrote, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee” (Isaiah 60:1, 2).

In these verses the truth which is communicated is that the Lord is the light and also His glory is the light. What is also revealed is the fact that darkness covers the world, therefore the peoples of earth are in gross or thick darkness! But Jesus, who is the Light, will lighten the earth and every person with His glory.

Isaiah prophesied of the mission of Jesus the Messiah, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined … For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:2, 6).

Doctor Luke tells us concerning Jesus, “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78, 79).

John, the beloved apostle, in another way tells of the mission of Jesus to this earth, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding (pertaining to the mind), that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life” (I John 5:20).

The Scripture and the Gospel are light also:

  • 2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
  • Psalm 119:105 – “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

The Bible also teaches that God’s law is light:

  • Proverbs 6:23 – “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light.”

The truth is light:

  • Psalm 43:3 – “O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles.”
  • Jesus, who is the light, is also the truth (John 14:6). Therefore the light and the truth are one and the same thing.

We then can conclude that the Scriptures, the gospel, the law, and the truth are embodied in Jesus Christ who is THE LIGHT! I John 1:5 states, “This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”

Therefore, with reference to Jesus as the light, there is no error, no disregard for truth, no compatibility with error, nor any falsehood in Him! 2 Corinthians 6:14, 15, first part, tells us: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial?”

The apostle John tells us, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (I John 1:6). To live in disobedience after professing Christ is to live a lie and this makes us children of the devil.

The devil is the originator of darkness (disobedience or error)

  • John 8:43, 44 – “Why do ye not understand (or know or perceive) my speech? even because ye cannot hear (or understand) My word.
  • “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Darkness in the Bible is associated with evil deeds.

John 3:19, 20 says, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness (the original Greek usage taken literally or figuratively means ‘darkness of error’) rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

What is it that keeps people, especially those who are exposed to light, from appreciating the light or walking in the light? The experience of Moses and his call to deliver the Hebrews demonstrate the nature of the problem.

We read in Acts 7:22–24: “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian.”

Here we see recorded for our benefit the experience of Moses and his association with his fellow Hebrews in Egypt. We see that even the mighty man Moses, having arrived at full manhood and being a man of power in every way was an utter failure without God. No divine work can be done without God. Stephen tells the story at length in order to follow it with the glorious story of what Moses accomplished for Israel when God was with him.

The priestly cast of the Egyptians was famed for its knowledge of science, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine, and constituted the nobility about Pharaoh. In all their wisdom, was Moses educated! And this magnificent education and training was not wasted; they produced a man who was powerful in words and deeds, mightily equipped for leadership; similar to that spoken about Jesus.

Moses, too, felt this urge to leadership. He was now reaching the age of forty, or full maturity. With the thought in his own heart, as Stephen carefully states, he proceeded to understand for himself, with his own eyes, “his brethren, the sons of Israel,” to what he might do for them.

Here the act of Moses is entirely beneficent, for he intends to look upon “his brethren,” his own blood and kin, the sons of Israel, the heirs of God’s covenant. Although he was reared and grew to manhood in the pagan court, Moses had not become an Egyptian in heart and soul. These enslaved Israelites were his real brethren. He was one of them, not merely by nationality, but spiritually. Moses had not lost his faith. He shared Israel’s hope and Israel’s spirit. The fact that they were nothing but slaves did not alienate him from them.

How had he escaped all the idolatry in the midst of which he had been reared? How had the faith of Israel been put into his heart and been preserved there?

In the book Patriarchs and Prophets, page 245, we are told: “Angels instructed Moses also that Jehovah had chosen him to break the bondage of His people. He, supposing that they were to obtain their freedom by force of arms, expected to lead the Hebrew host against the armies of Egypt, and having this in view, he guarded his affections, lest in his attachment to his foster mother or to Pharaoh he would not be free to do the will of God.”

On one occasion Moses decided to visit the Israelites to see them in their oppression as slaves. He saw an Israelite being wronged by an Egyptian in some shameful way, a task master lashing the defenseless slave. Not only did Moses come to the Israelite’s defense, but he also exacted vengeance for the oppressed by fatally smiting the Egyptian.

Luke 18:7 reveals the path that Christians should take when dealing with wrong done to them. “And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?”

We at once see the love and loyalty of Moses to his brethren, but also note that his tremendous power and energy are badly misdirected. He is by no means as yet ready for the great task of which he is dreaming, for he acted without following God’s direction. Why was all of this so? Moses was lacking divine understanding and he was about to face another frightening reality!

We read in Acts 7:25, “For he supposed his brethren would have understood (to put together, e.g., mentally; to comprehend) how that God by His hand would deliver them: but they understood not.”

Moses believed that his brethren would understand that God through His hand was giving salvation to them. The astonishing thing is that Moses already felt himself to be the deliverer of his people, an instrument of God. He even supposed that his brethren understood this, and that, when the one he had rescued would tell about the mighty Moses who delivered him, they would all look up to him. But he was sadly mistaken; his people understood nothing of the sort.

Moses’ expectation was quite reasonable, for indeed God had chosen him to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. Moses’ understanding concerning the method of deliverance was totally incorrect, but even more grave is the fact that God’s people failed to understand that God had not forgotten them and was about to show His favor toward them by way of delivering them from Egyptian bondage.

God’s people too often do not understand. They are spiritually blind and therefore are unready for God’s way of life. Why? Because of spiritual darkness, an acceptance and appreciation of error above light or truth!

The problem that both Moses, as well as the Hebrews, had was their failure to understand God’s way!

Here is the dictionary definition of understanding:

  • Webster – to get to perceive the meaning of; know or grasp what is meant by; to know thoroughly; grasp or perceive clearly and fully the nature, character, functioning, etc.; to have a sympathetic rapport with.
  • Oxford – to perceive the meaning of words, a person, a language, etc.; to perceive the significance or explanation or cause of. Be sympathetically aware of the character or nature of; to know how to deal with.

Accordingly, these dictionary meanings specifically address the area of cognition, which focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and a correct interpretation of that information.

Evidently, the Hebrews, because of their status, were not at that cognitive level that enabled them to process knowledge correctly. Moses, by virtue of his training, was at a higher cognitive level. Yet both Moses and the Hebrews were lacking in divine understanding, for God’s definition of understanding transcends the comprehension of ideas!

In John chapter 7:14–17 are recorded these words: “Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this Man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me. If any man will do His will, he shall know (or “understand”) of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself.”

Divine Understanding Defined:

  • “Disobedience has closed the door to a vast amount of knowledge that might have been gained from the Scriptures. Understanding means obedience to God’s commandments. The Scriptures are not to be adapted to meet the prejudice and jealousy of men. They can be understood only by those who are humbly seeking for a knowledge of the truth that they may obey it.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 112.

  • “Those who walk in obedience will know what truth is … . In order to know the truth, we must be willing to obey. Those whose affections are placed on the world are not willing to give up their plans for the plans of Christ. They walk in darkness, not knowing whither they go.” Our High Calling, 16.

Dr. Oswald Chambers in his book, My Utmost For His Highest puts it this way: “The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience.

“If things are dark to me, then I may be sure there is something I will not do. Intellectual darkness comes through ignorance; spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend to obey. No man ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test over it. We disobey and then wonder why we don’t improve spiritually.”

“All God’s revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience. You will never get them open by philosophy or thinking. Immediately you will obey, a flash of light comes. The only way you can get to know is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. Obey God in the thing He shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up. It is not study that does it, but obedience. The tiniest fragment of obedience, and heaven opens and the profoundest truths of God are yours straight away.”

“Whoever will prayerfully study the Bible, desiring to know the truth, that he may obey it, will receive divine enlightenment. He will understand the Scriptures.” The Desire of Ages, 459.

SO WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE AND ESPECIALLY CHRISTIANS ENVELOPED IN SPIRITUAL DARKNESS OF ERROR?

They have no desire to know the truth that they may render loving obedience to Jesus!

Job says in his book, chapter 28:28: “And unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

David also tells us in Psalm 111:10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth for ever.” In Psalm 119:100 David also states, “I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thy precepts.”

Moses’ counsel to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 4:5, 6: “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

The prophet’s appeal to the house of Jacob is very applicable to us today, “O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5).

“If we do not choose to give ourselves fully to God then we are in darkness.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 92.

Jesus appeals to us in these words: “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light” (John 12:35, 36, first part).

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Overcoming

by

Ever since the Second Advent Movement began in the early 1800s, it has been the devil’s purpose to destroy it. During the first 10 years of the 20th Century, it suffered three very powerful attacks, any one of which could have totally brought it to an end.

A study of these attacks reveals certain things that were common to all three. One was from the “holy flesh” movement, which was not considered an attack but was thought to bring in the loud cry.

Then came the development of pantheism, promoted by John Harvey Kellogg. Finally, Elder Ballenger instigated new ideas and new theology with new interpretations of prophecy and the sanctuary.

All three had two things in common. One was a misunderstanding concerning the function and role of the Holy Spirit. In the apostolic church, the Holy Spirit was in charge of the church. The church was not under the control of the apostles or church councils. The record of the first general church council is found in Acts 15:28: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things … .”

The New Testament church organization will not work unless the Holy Spirit is in charge. If you study church history, you will find that when the church lost the Holy Spirit, they lost power. When the church recognized that, they sought another way to have power to manage, to control, and to operate. So they sought power from the state.

Ellen White documents that in The Great Controversy, 443: “When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God; and in order to control the consciences of the people, she sought the support of the secular power.”

The church has never gotten back to what the early church had. Ellen White wrote, “Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times.” Ibid., 464.

The early church, under the control and the direction of the Holy Spirit, had primitive godliness. Our goal today is to be under the direction of that same Spirit.

In Acts 16:6, it says, “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.” We read here that plans were made to carry on the work, but the Holy Spirit changed their direction. In order for us to have a revival of primitive godliness that has not been seen since apostolic times, the Holy Spirit must lead. It would be appropriate for all of us to pray, “Lord, we want our family, ourselves, and our church, to be under the direction of the Holy Spirit.”

The “holy flesh” movement believed that when you have the garden experience and receive the Holy Spirit, you will then have holy flesh and no longer have a sinful nature. But that is not true. Ellen White said to the people and to the ministers, “Not a soul of you has holy flesh now. No human being on earth has holy flesh. It is an impossibility.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 32.

Fanaticism abounded in this movement in regard to the function and role of the Holy Spirit. The same is true in regard to pantheism, which holds that since God is everywhere, then God is inside you. The Holy Spirit is in everybody, whether you are saved or not. That is also not true.

Both the holy flesh movement and pantheistic theology had wrong ideas in regard to sanctification. Sometimes people believe that is old hat and not important, but similar beliefs are circulating even today. When my brother, Marshall Grosboll, was alive, he approached a fellow well-known conference pastor privately about what this minister was teaching. This man has written many books which are still today sold in local Adventist Book Centers. He asked his colleague, What was the difference between what he was teaching and holy flesh? The minister replied that the only difference was that the holy flesh movement taught that once you have the experience, then you have it for the rest of your life, but he taught that it has to happen every day. That is holy flesh theology and it is being taught in Seventh-day Adventist colleges to new ministers, and to the largest congregations. The writings are put in the bookstores all over the country and nobody seems to realize that anything is going on. These early false doctrines have had an effect that continue today.

One of the problems is that you can look at an idea from more than one point of view. It is possible to emphasize so much of one aspect that people lose sight of the entire idea.

An example of this was when my wife and I were in southern California and I was attending Loma Linda University. We attended a very large church and as far as I know the pastor was a godly man. However, this pastor only preached about righteousness by faith and specifically, justification by faith. Justification by faith is a true doctrine but after attending this church for some years, I began to wonder when we would hear anything about sanctification. It is not that there was anything wrong with his message, but it was not a complete message. It is possible to look at something, even though it’s true, and place so much emphasis on that, that something else that is very important is lost. Ellen White says it is human nature to go to extremes. So we need to pray and ask the Lord to help us be balanced.

Let’s look at relationships between different things that people think are opposites or that are in some way contradictory.

  1. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRIST’S WORK ON THE CROSS AND THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Some emphasize so much our salvation being affected by Christ’s dying on the cross. Even though there would be no salvation if Jesus did not die on the cross, that is not all there is to salvation.

In The Desire of Ages, 671, it says, “The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He [Christ] could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail.”

We are not depreciating the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, which is the foundation of our salvation, but without the Holy Spirit, the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail. She says, “The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit [a regenerating agent] that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.” Ibid.

  1. RELATION OF THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL

There are some, such as the Jews, who accept the Old Testament, and not the New Testament. There are other Christians who accept the New Testament, but not the Old Testament.

Many years ago, I was making personal gospel visits as a gospel worker in Chattanooga, Tennessee. At one home I was invited in and had a very interesting visit. I found out that the man I was speaking to was a retired preacher. As we talked, I discovered that he didn’t accept anything in the Old Testament. Not only did he not accept anything in the Old Testament, he didn’t want me to read anything to him in the New Testament before the Book of Acts, because he said, “Before Jesus died on the cross, that was all under the old covenant. That is all for the Jews, and so, all the things Jesus taught doesn’t apply to me now. Just read to me from the Book of Acts and on.” Some of these very same people don’t believe you can understand the Book of Revelation. To them the Bible starts in the Book of Acts and ends before Revelation, leaving only the books in between.

Ellen White wrote about this attitude: “There are those who profess to believe and teach the truths of the Old Testament, while they reject the New. But in refusing to see the teachings of Christ, they show they do not believe that which patriarchs and prophets have spoken. …

“Many who claim to believe and to teach the gospel are in the similar error. They set aside the Old Testament Scriptures of which Christ declared, ‘They are they which testify of Me’ (John 5:39). In rejecting the Old, they virtually reject the New; for both are parts of an inseparable whole. No man can rightly present the law of God without the gospel, or the gospel without the law.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 128. One is incomplete without the other.

  1. JESUS: BOTH LORD AND CHRIST

There are many people today, many Christians, even Adventists, who want to look to Jesus as their Saviour from sin but fail to want Him as the Lord or Ruler of their life. It is critical to understand that Jesus cannot save you if He is not also your Lord. “… if we accept Christ as a Redeemer, we must accept Him as a Ruler. We cannot have the assurance and perfect confiding trust in Christ as our Saviour until we acknowledge Him as our King and are obedient to His commandments.” Faith and Works, 16.

  1. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD’S WORK AND MAN’S WORK

Some people will read I Corinthians 1:30, which says, Christ is made unto us, not only righteousness, but “… sanctification and redemption …” and assert that the Lord does everything.

“God has given men faculties and capabilities. God works and cooperates with the gifts He has imparted to man, and man, by being a partaker of the divine nature and doing the work of Christ, may be an overcomer and win eternal life. The Lord does not propose to do the work He has given man powers to do. Man’s part must be done. He must be a laborer together with God, yoking up with Christ, learning His meekness, His lowliness.” Faith and Works, 26.

This has been a huge problem in the Adventist Church. It started with the “holy flesh” people, and it still exists today. It is the idea that all that is necessary to overcome is to read your Bible, pray, and witness. There is nothing wrong with any of these things; in fact, they are essential, but the process of sanctification—overcoming—involves more than that.

God does not intend to do the work that He has given you and me to do. This is illustrated when Jesus was at the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus said, Roll away the stone. This was something that they were capable of doing. Jesus raised Lazarus who was dead, something they could not do. Ellen White comments that there were legions of angels present at that time and Jesus could have asked one of them to roll away the stone which could have been done very easily. The angel that came down from heaven rolled away the stone at the tomb of Christ as if it were a pebble. (See The Desire of Ages, 535.)

  1. FORGIVENESS

You are saved because your sins are forgiven. You cannot be saved if your sins are not forgiven, but you cannot be saved by that alone. Jesus said to Nicodemus that if you are not born of water and the Spirit you are not going to be in the kingdom of heaven (John 3:5). “The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin; it means taking away our sins, and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 419, 420.

  1. REPENTANCE AND SALVATION

Can I be saved by repentance? Repentance is necessary; it is the first step in the way of salvation. “No repentance is genuine that does not work reformation.” The Desire of Ages, 555. Reformation involves the change of life. “The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin.” Ibid., 555, 556.

  1. SALVATION “WITHOUT”

In the last 30 to 35 years, it has become very popular to teach that salvation is what Christ does for you “without” that is, apart from anything that you do on your own. That idea is not historic Adventist teaching, but rather has come in with the new theology—that you are saved by justification alone and that salvation comes as a result of what Christ has done for you on the cross.

Now what He has done for you without is important. You cannot be saved without that but that is not enough. It is indeed possible that some Adventist preachers have emphasized too much that it is what happens within, but there must be a balance and belief of the full gift of salvation.

“I call upon everyone who claims to be a son of God never to forget this great truth, that we need the Spirit of God within us in order to reach heaven, and the work of Christ without us in order to give us a title to the immortal inheritance.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 441. You need the Spirit’s work within, and you need what Christ does for you without, in order to have a title to your immortal inheritance.

  1. FAITH AND WORKS

Faith and works. “There are many who fail to understand the relation of faith and works. … genuine faith will be manifest in obedience.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 153. If I have real faith it will be manifested in obedience.

Bible sanctification involves overcoming or conquering sin so that it no longer has power in my life and I am free from sin. This does not happen with God doing it and my not doing anything. It is the work of a lifetime and cannot happen without the Holy Spirit’s power and my cooperation.

What are some things that I should be doing to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that I can be an overcomer?

  1. ABSTAIN FROM FLESHLY LUSTS

“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (I Peter 2:11). The word “lust” comes from the Greek word epithumia, which means a very strong craving or a strong desire. Usually it is used in the New Testament with a negative connotation, although once in a while the word is used simply to mean a very strong craving. Jesus used this word when He spoke to His disciples in the upper room about His great desire, His epithumia, to eat the Passover supper with them before His crucifixion. He did not have an evil desire to want to eat that last supper with His disciples before He suffered, but he did have a very strong desire to do so.

Though most of the time in the New Testament this word is used with a negative connotation, referring most commonly to appetite and sexual lust, it can also refer to things like anger. Peter said, Watch out and “… abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.”

Paul said in Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was to be perfect. Therefore, I am to present my body and my mind in the best possible physical condition.

If I want to be successful in the process of sanctification, I must cooperate with the Holy Spirit. “The controlling power of appetite will prove the ruin of thousands, when, if they had conquered on this point, they would have had moral power to gain the victory over every other temptation of Satan.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 163–165.

If they had gained the victory on appetite, they would have had moral power to gain the victory over every other temptation. “But those who are slaves to appetite will fail in perfecting Christian character.” Ibid., 163. If I am a slave to my appetite, I can pray all I want to, but I also have a work to do.

“The continual transgression of man for six thousand years has brought sickness, pain, and death as its fruits. And as we near the close of time, Satan’s temptation to indulge appetite will be more powerful and more difficult to overcome.” Ibid., 163, 164.

We are living in that time. Ellen White wrote those words back in about 1875. The temptation is more powerful now because of all the additives that have been put in the food that stimulates you to eat, and also the food is more available than it has ever been before.

A hundred years ago you could not go out at 11 o’clock at night and buy something to eat, but you can now. Many food stores and fast food restaurants are open 24 hours. However, if we are going to overcome sin and perfect a Christian character, we have to gain control of appetite. Remember, the Holy Spirit is not going to work and make it happen if we do not cooperate. We have to do our part and say, Lord, I am choosing to do what You said to do. I am choosing to not overeat, and to avoid eating at improper times. I choose to live in harmony with the laws of my body and I pray that You will help me to have the strength, the moral power, to carry out the decision that I am choosing to follow You.

The Holy Spirit can give you the victory. I personally believe that only the Holy Spirit can give a person the victory over these fleshly lusts that we all have. Peter says, abstain from lust (I Peter 2:11). So, whether it is sexual passions, pornography, or appetite, it is all the same—fleshly lusts. But we must cooperate or the Holy Spirit will not give us the victory.

  1. NEGLECT OF PRAYER

“Temptations often appear irresistible because, through neglect of prayer and the study of the Bible, the tempted one cannot readily remember God’s promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons.” The Great Controversy, 600.

When Christ was tempted in the Garden of Gethsemane and God was withdrawing His beams of light from Him, it says in Luke 22:44, “… being in agony, He prayed more earnestly … .” The bigger the problem that you are facing, the more you need to be in prayer.

  1. MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE

You should be memorizing the Bible so that you have spiritual weapons when the devil tempts you. When the devil tempted Jesus, Jesus came back at the devil with Scriptural weapons. “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11, literal translation).

  1. SELF-CONTROL OR TEMPERANCE

In I Corinthians 9:24–27, we are told: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Ellen White wrote, “There is no encouragement given to any of the sons or daughters of Adam that they may become victorious overcomers in the Christian warfare unless they decide to practice temperance in all things.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 35.

That is a decision we have to make. Temperance simply means to abstain from all things that you know are harmful and partake moderately of what is good for you.

  1. FIGHT OF FAITH – RESISTING

“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin” (Hebrews the 12:3, 4).

Notice, he says, “… You have not yet … .” He doesn’t say you won’t; he just says, You have not done it yet.

It has become popular in some circles to teach that you just sit in the car and ask Christ to be the driver and He will take you to heaven. That is not Bible religion. It is also important to be in the fight and resist sin. The Bible teaches that there is such a thing as the “the fight of faith” (I Timothy 6:12, first part).

Christ resisted unto bloodshed. Luke 22:44 records Jesus when in the Garden of Gethsemane, “His sweat became as great clots of blood, dropping to the ground” (literal translation). Those who have studied physiology and understand how things work in the capillaries know that a hemoglobin molecule is far too big to escape and come out the pores under normal circumstances. But Jesus resisted unto blood. Becoming sanctified and experiencing victory involves being willing to be in the fight, the Christian warfare.

Paul said, Fight the fight (I Timothy 6:12). James said, Resist the devil (James 4:7). The New Testament is full of counsel that you must be willing to be in the holy war. It is a war against sin of every stripe and type. It is a war against every sinful thought, every sinful word, and every sinful action. It is a war that you and I must win if we are going to be in heaven.

All the inhabitants of heaven are going to be overcomers. It is not optional; it is something that is absolutely necessary. Strive to live so that OVERCOMER may be written on your page in the book in heaven.

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, it is the overcomers in all seven churches that are given the promise of eternal life.

Do not ever think that you have to do it alone. We cannot do anything alone, but the Holy Spirit has all the power needed, even if you are the weakest and most sinful person in the world.

“Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me” (Isaiah 27:5).

There is all the power that you need. The Lord has all the power that you need, but it is up for you and me to take hold of it.

(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 – Love not Force

by

He who is guilty of wrong is the first person to suspect wrong in someone else. When human beings start accusing, they are not satisfied with simply pointing out the supposed defect in somebody else. They will resort to compulsion to force others to comply with their ideas about what is right. The Jews did this in the time of Christ. Do we still do this today?

Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). When men begin seeking to earn salvation by their own works, it inevitably leads them to pile up human exactions as a barrier against sin. When they see that they fail to keep the law, they devise all manner of rules and regulations of their own to force themselves to obey. This then turns the mind away from God and toward self, resulting in the love of God dying out in the heart and with it, love for our fellow men. A system of human intervention designed to guarantee that people are good, with its multitudinous exactions, always leads its advocates to judge all who come short of the prescribed human standard.

This judging causes a development of an atmosphere of selfish and narrow criticism that stifles the noble and generous emotions and causes men to become self-centered, judges, and petty spies. Such were the Pharisees in Christ’s day. They came out from their religious services, not humbled with a sense of their own weakness, nor grateful for the great privileges that God had given them, but rather, they came forth filled with spiritual pride. Their thoughts centered on themselves, their feelings, their knowledge, and their ways which were better than others.

The Pharisee’s own attainments became the standard by which all others were judged. By putting on, what you might call, the garment of self-dignity and self-righteousness, they mounted the judgment seat to criticize and condemn others. Jesus recorded the prayer of the Pharisee who was just like this in Luke 18:11, literal translation, where he said, “Lord, I thank You that I am not like other men are … .”

The people partook of this very same spirit, which intruded upon the province of the conscience. People began to judge one another in matters that lay between the soul and God alone. It was in reference to this spirit and practice of judging in matters of conscience that Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” In other words, do not set yourself up as the standard. Do not make your opinions, your views of duty and your interpretations of Scripture, the criteria for everybody else in the world. Do not condemn others because they do not come up to your standard of ideals. Do not criticize and pass judgment upon others conjecturing their motives, which you really don’t know.

Notice what the apostle Paul said about this in 1 Corinthians 4:5: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”

There is coming a time when everyone in the world will be judged. The apostle Paul says, “… we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ … to receive a reward for deeds done in the body …” (2 Corinthians 5:10, literal translation).

Jesus said a time was coming when nothing will escape from being revealed (Matthew 10:26). That is God’s providence – the One who alone knows the hearts of mankind and the secret motives that impel them to do what they do and say what they say. But we, as human beings, cannot read the heart. We are faulty ourselves and are not qualified to sit in judgment upon others because we are only able to judge from the outward appearance, which is often deceiving.

God knows the secret springs of action. The Bible says that He will judge righteously and with compassion. In Romans the apostle Paul again brings a rebuke to those who are entering on the judgment seat as human beings. Notice what he says: “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Romans 2:1).

Those who condemn or criticize others are also guilty themselves because they do the same things. In condemning others, we pass sentence upon ourselves, and God declares that this sentence that we pass is just and He accepts our own verdict against ourselves. The sin that leads to the unhappiest results is the cold, unforgiving, critical spirit that characterizes Phariseeism. When our own religious experience lacks love, Jesus is not there; the sunshine of His presence is absent. No matter how busy we are in activity for Christ, our zeal cannot supply the lack of love.

Whoever possesses a wonderful keenness of perception in discovering the defects of others is nothing but a hypocrite. The admonishment is to first cast out the log from your own eye and then you will be able to see clearly to take out the splinter from the other person’s eye (Matthew 7:5). You see, it is the one who is guilty of wrongdoing himself who is the first to suspect wrong. When men indulge in this accusing spirit, they are not satisfied with pointing out what they suppose is the defect in somebody else. If milder means fail of making that person what they think he ought to be, they will resort to compulsion. Just as far as lies in their power, they will force other men to comply with their ideas of what is right.

This is exactly what the Jews did in the days of Christ and the apostles and is also what the Christian church has done ever since whenever she has lost the grace of Christ. When the church finds herself destitute of the power of love, which actually is the most powerful thing in the universe, then she has reached out for the strong arm of the state to enforce her dogmas and execute her decrees. When you understand that, then you understand the secret behind all religious laws and legislation that have ever been enacted and the secret of all persecution from the days of Abel to our own time.

Jesus Christ never uses these methods to draw men to Him or to make them righteous. He does not drive men, but He draws them to Himself. The only compulsion that Jesus uses is the constraint of love. The apostle Paul says, “… the love of Christ constrains us …” (2 Corinthians 5:14). In other words, it impels us; it forces us to act. When the church begins to seek for the support of the state, the support of secular power, it is thereby plainly evident that that church is devoid of the power of Christ, the constraint of divine love.

What we need worldwide in Christianity today is to be constrained by the love of Christ, to have His character inside which will impel us to activity for Christ and to do what is right. When we take upon ourselves His yoke, the yoke of obedience and service, there will be no need for someone to crack the whip over us to make us do what is right. Jesus said, if we need something, then we need to go to the Lord and ask for it.

Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:7–11)!

No specific condition is mentioned here. If you feel your need enough to ask, the Lord will hear. Do you hunger for His mercy? Do you desire His counsel? Do you long for His love? Then ask in faith and you will receive. The Lord has pledged His word and it cannot fail. If you come with true contrition, you need not feel that you are presumptuous in asking the Lord for what He has promised. When you ask for the blessings that you need in order that you might perfect a character after Christ’s likeness, the Lord assures you that you are asking according to a promise that will be fulfilled. If you know that you are a terrible sinner, that is sufficient ground for you to come and ask for His mercy and compassion.

The condition that you can come to God is not that you have to be holy or that you have to fulfill some obligation first. There is no condition. You can come just the way you are. Although you are not holy, when you come to Him, desiring that He cleanse you from your sin and purify you from all iniquity, then that is the argument that you may come with and plead. We can always come with our great need for deliverance from our sins. Our utterly helpless state makes His redeeming power a necessity and so, if we come presenting our need, our need will be fulfilled.

Notice what the Bible says about this in Job 22:21 KJV: “… acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace.” Just before his death David told his son, Solomon, “If you seek Him, He will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9, last part). So, “If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father … give good things to them that ask Him” (Matthew 7:11, literal translation).

Notice the way this passage is put in the gospel of Luke: “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)! The Holy Spirit is the greatest of all gifts that God can give you. All good things are comprised in this gift. In fact, the Creator Himself cannot give you anything any better or any greater. When we ask the Lord that we might receive the Holy Spirit, we are asking for a gift that with it will bring to us every other gift from God that we need.

When we ask the Lord to pity us in our distress and to guide us by His Holy Spirit, He will never turn away from our prayer. The Bible is very clear that it is possible for a parent to turn away from his hungry child. Everyone who has done very much reading has read awful cases of children who have been abandoned, but God will never abandon those who have a longing and needy heart.

The Lord told people who have felt in their distress that God was not mindful of their need, that they did not really understand His love for them. Notice what He says to them in Isaiah: “Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands’ (Isaiah 49:14–16, first part). (Humanity was inscribed on the palms of His hands when they were nailed to the cross.) Your walls are continually before Me” (verse 16, last part). Jesus said that even though a human parent may forget, He will never forget. Every promise in the word of God, therefore, brings us subject matter for prayer and shows us what we may pray for. If God has promised it and we ask with an honest heart, we are going to have it.

It is our privilege to claim these promises and have our sins forgiven when we come to Him in faith and confess them. And He has promised to forgive them as recorded in 1 John 1:9. We may also state to Him not only our need for forgiveness of sins, our need for spiritual help, and strength, and salvation, but we are perfectly free to come to Him with any temporal concern or matter – our financial difficulties, our need for food and clothing, for shelter. Whatever our need is, we are invited to come and ask for it.

We must not forget that when we come and ask for these things from the Lord, as our Father, we are acknowledging that we are His children. If we are His children, then we are going to have our petitions. If we claim to be His children, we have given ourselves to His work. It was those to whom Jesus had said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness …” (Matthew 6:33), that Jesus gave the promise, “… Ask, and you will receive …” (John 16:24).

In summing up His instruction in Matthew 7:12, literal translation, Jesus said, “… whatever you desire that men should do to you, you do even so to them.” This text has been called “The Golden Rule.” In this text Jesus teaches us that our anxiety should not be how much are we going to receive, but rather, how much are we going to give. The standard of our obligation to others is found in what we ourselves would regard as their obligation to us if our situation were reversed. So, in our association with others, we need to attempt mentally to put ourselves in their place, to enter into their feelings, their difficulties, their disappointments, their joys and sorrows. We need to identify with them and then do to them the same way that we would want them to do to us if the situation were reversed. This is the true rule of honesty and courtesy.

In Matthew 22:39 KJV Jesus said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” This is the real expression of the law. This, of course, is the substance of the teaching of the prophets. It is a principle of heaven and it will be developed in everyone who is fitted for the holy companionship of heaven and allowed to go there. The Golden Rule is the genuine principle of true courtesy. Its truest illustration is seen in the life and character of Jesus Christ. When we study His life we see not only softness, not only firmness, but beauty and sweetness that flowed from His very presence. Even the children loved to be around Him and to climb up in His lap.

The same spirit is to be seen in His children. When Jesus dwells in the heart, a divine atmosphere will surround us with a fragrance of purity. No man who really understands what constitutes a true Christian character will fail to manifest the sympathy and the tenderness of Jesus Christ, because the influence of His grace is to soften our hard hearts and to give us a heaven-born sense of delicacy and a true sense of propriety. As with all gifts and blessings of this life, whatever we have that our fellows do not have, places us in debt to that degree that others are less favored. There are people around us who are sick. Some are widowed. Others are orphaned and fatherless. We need to treat them the way that we would like them to treat us if our situations were reversed.

The Golden Rule teaches by way of implication the very same truth that Jesus taught in Luke 6:38, where He said that “… with what measure you mete, it will be measured to you again” (literal translation). Simply stated, whatever we do to others, whether good or evil, will surely react upon ourselves, whether in blessing or curse. Whatever we give, we are going to receive again.

The earthly blessings that we give to others are often repaid in kind. What we give often does come back to us even in this world, sometimes in four-fold measure. But, besides this, all gifts are repaid in God’s eternal time of reckoning, both the good and evil. If I impart evil, that evil will return to me again. Any person who has been free to condemn or discourage or bring hardship upon others will, sooner or later, in his own experience, be brought over the same ground where he has caused others to pass. He will feel the same that he has caused others to feel.

The standard of the Golden Rule – whatever you wish that men would do to you, you do to them – is the standard of Christianity. Anything short of that is not true Christianity, but a mere deception. A religion that leads men to place a low estimate upon other human beings, human beings whom Jesus estimated to be of sufficient value to give His life for, is a spurious religion and not Christianity. If we slight the claims of the poor, the suffering, and the sinful, we prove ourselves to be traitors of Jesus Christ. When men or women take upon themselves the name of Christ, calling themselves Christians while denying His character, they have little power in the world and the name of the Lord is blasphemed because of these things.

Friend, we need to ask ourselves a question, especially if we call ourselves Christians. Is my religion real? If my Christianity is real, am I manifesting in my life and practice the principle of the Golden Rule?

(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.

Harvest Time

by

Often Seventh-day Adventist Christians wonder why the coming of Christ has been delayed. Those in Heaven as well as on earth are disappointed because of how long it is taking for the harvest to get ripe. Mark 4:29 says, “But when the grain ripens, immediately He puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Two harvests are mentioned in Revelation 14:15, 18, 19, a harvest of the wheat and the harvest of the grapes of wrath. It says, “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ ”

The apparent delay is because it has taken longer than the pioneers imagined to get the harvest ready.

Jeremiah 8:20, one of the saddest texts in the Bible, reveals that the harvest time is going to be a time of bitter disappointment to multitudes of people. It says, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!” These people could have been saved but they are not, and never will be, because it is too late.

How to Be Ready for the Harvest

All who have claimed to be a Christian have a page in the Book of Life. This records every detail of your life history; every thought, every word spoken, every feeling you have experienced and every action. Things are written on that page that many wish were not there. It is impossible to erase that history personally. It can only be blotted out by the Lord and He has clearly taught how this can happen.

Confession

We read in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” As well as forgiveness, we also need cleansing.

To confess sins means to go to the Lord or someone else that I have wronged or injured and acknowledge what I have done and take responsibility for it. To labor on the reason for my sin is not confession but self-justification. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they justified what they had done by blaming others even to the point where God was blamed, “The woman You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12).

In similar manner, Adam’s descendants have excused themselves ever since that time. Although they have confessed, confession alone is not enough to have your sins forgiven. You need also to take responsibility for them without blaming your husband, wife, children, parents or even the devil himself.

The New Testament gospel is a system that can give you victory over both inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil. Confession is being able to say, “Lord here I am. I take full responsibility for my sin and I am not blaming anybody—I did it—I am sorry and I want to be cleansed and not live that way anymore. I want your Holy Spirit to come into my heart to change me so that I can live a different kind of life.” This will take humility, something that prevents many people from confessing their sins while continuing to blame others for their own actions.

The Lord will hear that prayer. The Bible says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

This is the first step toward getting ready for the judgment, to make sure of a clean slate.

This is another description of “putting on the wedding garment.” Ellen White says that there will be many who come to the wedding supper without a wedding garment. Sadly they will be told: “From lips that never make a mistake come the words, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment’ (Matthew 22:12)? Those thus addressed are speechless. They know that words would be useless. The truth, with its sanctifying power, has not been brought into the soul, and the tongue that once spoke so readily of the truth is now silent. The words are then spoken, ‘Take them out of My presence. They are not worthy to taste of My supper’ (cf. Luke 14:24).

“As they are separated from the loyal ones, Christ looks upon them with deep sorrow. They occupied high positions of trust in God’s work, but they have not the life insurance policy that would have entitled them to eternal life. From the quivering lips of Christ come the mournful words of regret, ‘I loved them; I gave My life for them; but they persisted in rejecting My pleadings, and continued in sin.’ ” The Upward Look, 301.

Something remained on their record that needed to be removed before the harvest time, but it never came off. Now it is too late.

“Today Christ is looking with sadness upon those whose characters He must at last refuse to acknowledge. Inflated with self-sufficiency, they hope that it will be well with their souls. But at the last great day, the mirror of detection reveals to them the evil that their hearts have practiced, and shows them at the same time the impossibility of reform. Every effort was made to bring them to repentance. But they refused to humble their hearts.” Ibid.

What was their problem? They were not humble enough to set things right. A major temptation of the devil is to tempt people to not confess their sins. He suggests that the Lord loves you so much that He will just turn a blind eye to your faults—but it is a lie of the devil! God will fulfill His word.

Now is the hour of probation. Now is the day of salvation. Now is God’s time. If He is speaking to you right now, just say, Lord, by Your grace I am going to make things right.

When this understanding came to me with force when I was 19 years old, I had to confess some things to people. I was unsure of how in the world I could do this, but I knew I had to do it. I had once gotten out of a ticket by telling a lie. I called the authorities involved and told them what happened and that I was willing to pay any fine.

If the Holy Spirit prompts you, don’t delay. Write down a list or whatever you need to do and tell the Lord that by His grace you are going to make these things right, either by telephone, letter, or some other means.

Salvation was provided at a cost that we cannot comprehend. It is of infinite value, for those who are saved will have everlasting life. They will live as long as God lives. This gift is worth any correction that you may have to make. If you have said or done something that has injured or wronged somebody else, you need to confess to them as well as to the Lord.

Many people will neglect the necessary preparation and are getting ready to have a bitter harvest.

“Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, therefore you will plant pleasant plants and set out foreign seedlings; in the day you will make your plant to grow, and in the morning you will make your seed to flourish [things will seem to be going great]; but the harvest will be a heap of ruins in the day of grief and desperate sorrow” (Isaiah 17:10, 11).

By falling for the devil’s lie that someday the Lord will still save you in spite of unconfessed sins, you will be very disappointed.

Jesus said there will be a harvest at the end of the world. However, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’ ” (Matthew 7:21–23)!

Many of these people hold high positions both in the church and in the world. Remember, the higher the position one holds, the harder it is to be humble and make things right.

“Christ tells us how in the last great day ministers, elders, evangelists, physicians, teachers, will confront Him with their claims. They will plead how they have led the singers in their songs of praise, how they have waved the palm branches, how they have spoken of Him before thousands. ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name,’ they say, ‘and in Thy name done many wonderful works?’

“But Christ says, ‘Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. O that you had known, even in the day of your visitation, when like sweetest music, mercy’s voice fell upon your ears, the things that belonged unto your peace. But you were not ready. If you had been faithful to the warnings of the word; if you had dismissed Satan, instead of linking your arm in his; if you had preserved untarnished the principles of right; if you had obeyed My commandments, broken with ungodly advisers, scorned their impious bribes, which tempted you to worldly honor; if you had lifted the cross, and followed Jesus in self-denial, I could have welcomed you into My presence. But you have not cared for My society, and now you have no power to go from the snare.

“ ‘I offered you My saving grace but you refused it, and chose the side of the enemy, even as the priests and rulers did. You refused to be touched by My dying agony on the cross, and mocked at My humiliation. So will I refuse to acknowledge you. I weep for your future, but you have not cared to weep for yourselves. I was pledged to bear you and care for you, even as a father beareth and loveth his own son that serveth him. But you would not harmonize with Me.’ ” Pamphlet 58, 3.

Have you ever met anybody who believes themselves to be so intelligent that they insist that things have to be done their way? It is interesting to read the different categories of people that lack humility because they are wise, intelligent and powerful in this world. Ministers, elders, evangelists, physicians and teachers are just some of those who will self-righteously claim to have taught thousands of people.

What do you do when you hear a “thus saith the Lord” that conflicts with one of your strong-held beliefs? Do you correct your thinking and change direction or do you dismiss the conviction and continue in your familiar path?

“The precious invitation was often given, ‘Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me, and he shall make peace with Me’ (Isaiah 27:5). But you would none of My counsel. You have caused many to follow your sinful ways, and now your punishment has come. You will receive as your works have been. You must lose everlasting life. You have chosen your own ways, and with such ways, such sentiments, such characters, you could not enter the gates of the Holy city.

“What a scene is this! I pass over the ground again and again, bowed down in an agony that no tongue can express, as I see the end of the many, many who have refused to receive their Saviour. Justice will take the throne, and the arm strong to save will show itself strong to smite and destroy the enemies of the kingdom of God. Christ will lay bare the motives and deeds of every one. Every hidden action will stand out as clearly before the doer as if proclaimed before the universe.” Ibid., 4.

Not just what we do but why we did it is taken into consideration in the final account. The unseen watcher sees and records all in the books of record.

The children of Israel were given a special religious service associated with the harvest. Before the Israelites could harvest their grain they had to present the first fruits, which were the pledge of a coming harvest. In 1 Corinthians 15:20 it says: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

The fact that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead is absolute proof that if you die in Christ, you will rise from the dead when He comes again. The resurrection of Christ is one of the most indisputable facts of history. There are very few things that have ever happened in our world that we have as strong a historical record of as the resurrection of Christ. The fact that Christ was raised from the dead is proof that if I die before He comes again, if I am in Christ, I will rise again. The harvest time is going to be a wonderful time if you are saved.

The Latter Rain

What is the latter rain? In Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 506, we are told: “The latter rain, ripening earth’s harvest, represents the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man.”

I am sure all would agree that the church is not ready for Jesus to come right now. In Joel 2:23, we are told: “Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down to you—the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”

This refers to the first month of the Jewish year when the winter wheat was planted. Passover was the 14th day of the first month. The 15th day of the first month was the first day of the feast of unleavened bread and the 16th day of the first month was the day when the wave sheaf was presented, which was the beginning of harvest. The first month was harvest time. Notice, there are people who are approaching the harvest that need more than the latter rain. No one is ready for the latter rain until they have received sufficient of the former rain.

“The latter rain, ripening earth’s harvest, represents the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man. But unless the former rain has fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not spring up. Unless the early showers have done their work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 506.

James 5:7 says, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.”

A crop must have both the early and latter rain for an abundant harvest.

The Former Rain

“The work that God has begun in the human heart in giving His light and knowledge, must be continually going forward. Every individual must realize his own necessity. The heart must be emptied of every defilement, and cleansed for the indwelling of the Spirit. It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. Then the human agent had only to ask for the blessing, and wait for the Lord to perfect the work concerning Him. It is God who began the work, and He will finish His work, making man complete in Jesus Christ. But there must be no neglect of the grace represented by the former rain. Only those who are living up to the light they have, will receive greater light. …” The Review and Herald, March 2, 1897.

Are you living up to all the light that you know? The important thing is not how much light you understand, but are you living up to what you understand. If you are living up to the light you understand, the Lord will give you more light. But if you are not living up to the light you have now, why should the Lord give you more?

“Only those who are living up to the light they have, will receive greater light. Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it.” Ibid.

The question for each to inquire of themselves is, “Am I living up to the light that I have?” Ask the Lord to help you to live up to the light that you understand. The heathen who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ are better in God’s sight than Christians who do not live up to the light that they have.

At the time of the harvest every plant reaches full maturity and goes to seed and at that time the wheat and the tares are separated. There is a huge misunderstanding by many Adventists world-wide about the separation of the wheat and the tares.

Many people think that the separation of the tares happens when Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven. The harvest is not a one day event but happens over a period of time at the end of the growing season. It is during that period of time that the wheat and the tares are separated.

Ellen White wrote in The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 995, 996, “I see perplexities on every side. As character develops man and woman will take their position, for varied circumstances brought to bear upon them will cause them to reveal the spirit which prompts them to action. Every one will reveal the character of the bundle with which he is binding himself. The wheat is being bound up for the heavenly garner. The true people of God are now bound up for the heavenly garner. The true people of God are now pulling apart, and the tares are being bound in bundles ready to burn. Decided positions will be taken. Satan will move upon minds that have been indulged, upon men who have always had their own way, and anything presented to them in counsel or reproof to change their objectionable traits of character is considered faultfinding, binding them, restraining them, that they cannot have liberty to act themselves. The Lord in great mercy has sent messages of warning to them, but they would not listen to reproof. Like the enemy who rebelled in heaven, they do not like to hear, do not correct the wrong they have done but become accusers, declaring themselves misused and unappreciated. …

“Now is the time of trial, of test, of proving.”

“God has been pleased to show me that men who ought to know the voice of the True Shepherd will be more ready to accept the voice of the stranger and follow in unsafe, forbidden paths because of the stubbornness of their human nature.

“Dark hours of trial are before the church because they have not obeyed the warnings and reproofs and counsel of God. What a bewitching power comes upon human minds to do contrary to the oft repeated will of God.

“Before the great trouble shall come upon the world such as has never been since there was a nation, those who have faltered and who would ignorantly lead in unsafe paths will reveal this before the real vital test, the last proving, comes, so that whatsoever they may say will not be regarded as voicing the True Shepherd. …” Ibid., 1002.

That is one of the most amazing statements in the Spirit of Prophecy. The people who would ignorantly lead God’s people in wrong paths before the great and final test comes are going to reveal their true character. So, if you are a true child of God you will know not to listen to whatever these false shepherds have to say. Remember, those people may be ministers, evangelists, physicians, elders or teachers.

She continues: “The time of our educating will soon be over. We have no time to lose in walking through clouds of doubt and uncertainty because of uncertain voices.” Ibid.

Will you make a covenant with the Lord to receive the former rain? The reception of the former rain occurs as the Holy Spirit impresses upon your mind what you need to do based upon the word of God and you respond by doing it.

Remember, the harvest time is coming soon and it is going to come whether we are ready or not. That is why the Lord has given us this instruction to help us to get ready and be prepared to receive the latter rain. We all need to follow instructions if we are to receive the gift of salvation. Not one who takes the Bible and accepts it just as it reads will be lost. Jesus wants to save you, but He cannot unless a full surrender is made to Him.

(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.