Articles – Page 137 – Steps to Life

The Sabbath – A Delight

March 13, 2020 by Mike and Amanda Bauler

“There is need of a Sabbath reform among us, who profess to observe God’s holy rest day.” Evangelism, 245.

Preparation for the Sabbath–What preparations in our homes should be done before the Sabbath?

“On Friday let the preparation for the Sabbath be completed. See that all the clothing is in readiness, and that all the cooking is done. Let the boots be blacked, and the baths be taken. It is possible to do this. If you make it a rule, you can do it. The Sabbath is not to be given to the repairing of garments, to the cooking of food, to pleasure seeking, or to any other worldly employment. . . . Parents, explain your work and its purpose to your children, and let them share in your preparation to keep the Sabbath according to the commandment.” Child Guidance, 528.

“All preparation should be made, every stitch taken, on the six working days; all cooking for the Sabbath should be done on the preparation day. . . . The commandment is, `Bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will seethe, for to-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath.’ That day is not to be given to the cooking of food.” Lake Union Herald, April 14, 1909.

When should all ordinary work be completed?

“Before the setting of the sun let all secular work be laid aside and all secular papers be put out of sight.” The Faith I Live By, 34.

“We should jealously guard the edges of the Sabbath. Remember that every moment is consecrated, holy time.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 356.

What are employers responsible to do for their employees on the preparation day?

“Whenever it is possible, employers should give their workers the hours from Friday noon until the beginning of the Sabbath. Give them time for preparation, that they may welcome the Lord’s day with quietness of mind. By such a course you will suffer no loss even in temporal things.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 356.

What other type of preparation is needed before the Sabbath?

“There is another work that should receive attention on the preparation day. On this day all differences between brethren, whether in the family or in the church, should be put away. Let all bitterness and wrath and malice be expelled from the soul. In a humble spirit, `confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another.’ ” The Faith I Live By, 34.

How should families spend the opening of the Sabbath hours?

“Before the setting of the sun let the members of the family assemble to read God’s word, to sing and pray. There is need of reform here, for many have been remiss. We need to confess to God and to one another. We should begin anew to make special arrangements that every member of the family may be prepared to honor the day which God has blessed and sanctified.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 356, 357.

Behavior Upon the Sabbath–What should our attitude and behavior be when we are in the house of God?

“Humility and reverence should characterize the deportment of all who come into the presence of God. In the name of Jesus we may come before Him with confidence, but we must not approach Him with the boldness of presumption, as though He were on a level with ourselves. There are those who address the great and all-powerful and holy God, who dwelleth in light unapproachable, as they would address an equal, or even an inferior. There are those who conduct themselves in His house as they would not presume to do in the audience chamber of an earthly ruler. These should remember that they are in His sight whom seraphim adore, before whom angels veil their faces. God is greatly to be reverenced; all who truly realize His presence will bow in humility before Him, and, like Jacob beholding the vision of God, they will cry out, `How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.'” Patriarchs and Prophets, 252.

“When the worshipers enter the place of meeting, they should do so with decorum, passing quietly to their seats. . . .Common talking, whispering, and laughing should not be permitted in the house of worship, either before or after the service. Ardent, active piety should characterize the worshipers.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 492.

“When the word is spoken, you should remember, brethren, that you are listening to the voice of God through His delegated servant. Listen attentively. Sleep not for one instant, because by this slumber you may lose the very words that you need most-the very words which, if heeded, would save your feet from straying into wrong paths. Satan and his angels are busy creating a paralyzed condition of the senses so that cautions, warnings, and reproofs shall not be heard; or if heard, that they shall not take effect upon the heart and reform the life. Sometimes a little child may so attract the attention of the hearers that the precious seed does not fall into good ground and bring forth fruit.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 493.

Can God be dishonored by our children’s behavior in the house of God?

“The house of God is desecrated and the Sabbath violated by Sabbath believers’ children. They run about the house, play, talk, and manifest their evil tempers in the very meetings where the saints have met together to glorify God and to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. The place that should be holy, where a holy stillness should reign, and where there should be perfect order, neatness, and humility, is made to be a perfect Babylon and a place where confusion, disorder, and untidiness reign. This is enough to shut out God from our assemblies and cause His wrath to be kindled, that He will not be pleased to go out with the armies of Israel to battle against our enemies.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 257.

Does all of the Sabbath need to be spent in meetings?

“In order to keep the Sabbath holy, it is not necessary that we enclose ourselves in walls, shut away from the beautiful scenes of nature and from the free, invigorating air of heaven. We should in no case allow burdens and business transactions to divert our minds upon the Sabbath of the Lord, which He has sanctified. We should not allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character even. But the mind cannot be refreshed, enlivened, and elevated by being confined nearly all the Sabbath hours within walls, listening to long sermons and tedious, formal prayers. The Sabbath of the Lord is put to a wrong use if thus celebrated. The object for which it was instituted is not attained. The Sabbath was made for man, to be a blessing to him by calling his mind from secular labor to contemplate the goodness and glory of God. It is necessary that the people of God assemble to talk of Him, to interchange thoughts and ideas in regard to the truths contained in His word, and to devote a portion of time to appropriate prayer. But these seasons, even upon the Sabbath, should not be made tedious by their length and lack of interest.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 583.

“The Sabbath was made to be a blessing to man, by calling his mind from secular labor to contemplate the goodness and glory of God. It is necessary that the people of God assemble statedly for His worship, to interchange thoughts in regard to the truths of His word, and to devote a portion of time to prayer. But these seasons, even upon the Sabbath, should not be made tedious by their length and lack of interest. During a portion of the day, all should have an opportunity to be out-of-doors.” The Signs of the Times, May 20, 1886.

Upon whom should our thoughts and speech be focused on the Sabbath?

“When you are speaking of your hope in God, of Jesus and of His soon coming, and of the beauties of the New Earth, you are not speaking your own words. Of these things you may freely speak on the Sabbath. On six days you may talk of business matters, and lay plans that are necessary; but the Sabbath is holy time, and all worldly thoughts must, on that day, be dismissed from the mind. The blessing of God will then rest upon you, and you will have the sweet consolations of His Spirit, and you will also have confidence when you approach the throne of grace.” The Youth’s Instructor, February 1, 1853.

Where should our thoughts be on the Sabbath?

“Those who discuss business matters or lay plans on the Sabbath are regarded by God as though engaged in the actual transaction of business. To keep the Sabbath holy, we should not even allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character. And the commandment includes all within our gates. The inmates of the house are to lay aside their worldly business during the sacred hours. All should unite to honor God by willing service upon His holy day.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 307, 308.

“The human agent cannot afford to lose these blessings by dishonoring God in their loose habits and practices. This is a day of meditation and of closely examining our own spiritual condition before God. `Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.’ On that day have no loose, cheap, common talk.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 295.

“God requires not only that we refrain from physical labor upon the Sabbath, but that the mind be disciplined to dwell upon sacred themes. By conversing upon worldly things, or by engaging in light and trifling conversation, we virtually transgress the fourth commandment. Talking upon anything or everything which may come into the mind, is speaking our own words. Every deviation from right brings us into bondage and condemnation.” Gospel Workers, 207, 208.

Are we to leave our worldly occupations on the Sabbath?

“The Sabbath is not intended to be a period of useless inactivity. The law forbids secular labor on the rest day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must cease; no labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful upon that day; but as God ceased His labor of creating, and rested upon the Sabbath and blessed it, so man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds.” Desire of Ages, 207.

“God has given men six days wherein to labor, and He requires that their own work be done in the six working days. Acts of necessity and mercy are permitted on the Sabbath, the sick and suffering are at all times to be cared for; but unnecessary labor is to be strictly avoided.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 307.

When is it necessary that some labor be done upon the Sabbath?

“There are cases in which Christ has given permission to labor even on the Sabbath in saving the life of men or of animals. But if we violate the letter of the fourth commandment for our own advantage from a pecuniary point of view we become Sabbathbreakers and are guilty of transgressing all the commandments, for if we offend in one point we are guilty of all.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 531.

“Your neglect to attend the public worship of God is a serious error. The privileges of divine service will be as beneficial to you as to others and are fully as essential. You may be unable to avail yourself of these privileges as often as do many others. You will frequently be called, upon the Sabbath, to visit the sick, and may be obliged to make it a day of exhausting labor. Such labor to relieve the suffering was pronounced by our Saviour a work of mercy and no violation of the Sabbath. But when you regularly devote your Sabbaths to writing or labor, making no special change, you harm your own soul, give to others an example that is not worthy of imitation, and do not honor God.” Counsels on Health, 368.

Is the Sabbath to be spent sleeping?

“None should feel at liberty to spend sanctified time in an unprofitable manner. It is displeasing to God for Sabbath-keepers to sleep during much of the Sabbath. They dishonor their Creator in so doing, and, by their example, say that the six days are too precious for them to spend in resting. They must make money, although it be by robbing themselves of needed sleep, which they make up by sleeping away holy time. They then excuse themselves by saying, `The Sabbath was given for a day of rest. I will not deprive myself of rest to attend meeting; for I need rest.’ Such make a wrong use of the sanctified day.” Gospel Workers, 208.

How should we be dressed when we come to worship God upon the Sabbath?

“All should be taught to be neat, clean, and orderly in their dress, but not to indulge in that external adorning which is wholly inappropriate for the sanctuary. There should be no display of the apparel; for this encourages irreverence. The attention of the people is often called to this or that fine article of dress, and thus thoughts are intruded that should have no place in the hearts of the worshipers. God is to be the subject of thought, the object of worship; and anything that attracts the mind from the solemn, sacred service is an offense to Him. The parading of bows and ribbons, ruffles and feathers, and gold and silver ornaments is a species of idolatry and is wholly inappropriate for the sacred service of God, where the eye of every worshiper should be single to His glory.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 499

“The ten commandments spoken by Jehovah from Sinai cannot live in the hearts of persons of disorderly, filthy habits. If ancient Israel could not so much as listen to the proclamation of that holy law, unless they had obeyed the injunction of Jehovah, and had cleansed their clothing, how can that sacred law be written upon the hearts of persons who are not cleanly in person, in clothing, or in their houses? It is impossible. Their profession may be as high as Heaven, yet it is not worth a straw. Their influence disgusts unbelievers. Better if they had ever remained outside the ranks of God’s loyal people. The house of God is dishonored by such professors. All who meet upon the Sabbath to worship God should, if possible, have a neat, well-fitting, comely suit to wear in the house of worship. It is a dishonor to the Sabbath, and to God and his house, for those who profess that the Sabbath is the holy of the Lord, and honorable, to wear the same clothing upon the Sabbath that they have worn through the week while laboring upon their farms, when they can obtain other. If there are worthy persons who, with their whole heart would honor the lord of the Sabbath, and the worship of God, and who cannot obtain a change of clothing, let those who are able, donate to such a Sabbath suit, that they may appear in the house of God with cleanly, fitting apparel. A greater uniformity in dress would be pleasing to God. Those who expend means on costly apparel and extra fixings, can by a little self-denial exemplify pure religion, by simplicity of clothing, and then use the means they have usually expended needlessly in aiding some poor brother or sister, whom God loves, to obtain neat and modest apparel.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 474, 475.

Should travel be avoided when possible?

“If we desire the blessing promised to the obedient, we must observe the Sabbath more strictly. I fear that we often travel on this day when it might be avoided. In harmony with the light which the Lord has given in regard to the observance of the Sabbath, we should be more careful about traveling on the boats or cars on this day. In these matters we should set a right example before our children and youth. In order to reach the churches that need our help, and to give them the message that God desires them to hear, it may be necessary for us to travel on the Sabbath; but so far as possible we should secure our tickets and make all necessary arrangements on some other day. When starting on a journey we should make every possible effort to plan so as to avoid reaching our destination on the Sabbath.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 359.

What should Sabbath meals be like?

“We should not provide for the Sabbath a more liberal supply or a greater variety of food than for other days. Instead of this the food should be more simple, and less should be eaten, in order that the mind may be clear and vigorous to comprehend spiritual things. Overeating befogs the brain. The most precious words may be heard and not appreciated, because the mind is confused by an improper diet. By overeating on the Sabbath, many have done more than they think to dishonor God.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 357.

“Cooking on the Sabbath should be avoided; but it is not therefore necessary to eat cold food. In cold weather the food prepared the day before should be heated. And let the meals, however simple, be palatable and attractive. Especially in families where there are children, it is well, on the Sabbath, to provide something that will be regarded as a treat, something the family do not have every day.” The Ministry of Healing, 307, 308.

Children and the Sabbath–How should children be taught to think about the Sabbath?

“All who love God should do what they can to make the Sabbath a delight, holy and honorable. They cannot do this by seeking their own pleasure in sinful, forbidden amusements. They can do much to exalt the Sabbath in their families, and make it the most interesting day of the week. We should devote time to interest our children. We can walk out with them in the open air. A change will have a happy influence upon them. We can sit with them in the groves, and in the bright sunshine, and give their restless minds something to feed upon by conversing with them upon the works of God, and inspire them with love and reverence by calling their attention to the beautiful objects in nature. The Sabbath should be made so interesting to our families that its weekly return will be hailed with joy. In no better way can parents exalt and honor the Sabbath than to devise means to impart proper instruction to their families, and to interest them in spiritual things, giving them correct views of the character of God, and what he requires of us, in order to perfect Christian characters and to attain to eternal life. Parents, make the Sabbath a delight, that your children shall look forward to it, and have a welcome in their hearts for it.” Review and Herald, May 30, 1871.

How should parents keep the Sabbath with their children?

“The parents may take their children outdoors to view God in nature. They can be pointed to the blooming flowers and the opening buds, the lofty trees and beautiful spires of grass, and taught that God made all these in six days and rested on the seventh day and hallowed it. Thus the parents may bind up their lessons of instruction to their children, so that when these children look upon the things of nature, they will call to mind the great Creator of them all. Their thoughts will be carried up to nature’s God-back to the creation of our world, when the foundation of the Sabbath was laid, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Such are the lessons to be impressed on the minds of our children.” Child Guidance, 533.

“Parents should not allow their children to be out with others in play or amusement. I have found that on the Sabbath-day many are indifferent, and do not know where their children are or what they are doing. Parents can and should give attention to their children, reading to them the most attractive portions of Bible history, educating them to reverence the Sabbath-day, keeping it according to the commandment. This cannot be done if the parents feel no burden to interest their children. But they can make the Sabbath a delight if they will take the proper course. The children can be interested in good reading or in conversation about the salvation of their souls. But they will have to be educated and trained. The natural heart does not love to think of God, of heaven, or of heavenly things. There must be a continual pressing back of the current of worldliness and inclination to evil, and a letting in of heavenly light. It takes line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.” Review and Herald, April 14, 1885.

What activities are Sabbath-breaking?

“Parents, above everything take care of your children upon the Sabbath. Do not suffer them to violate God’s holy day by playing in the house or out-of-doors. You may just as well break the Sabbath yourselves as to let your children do it, and when you suffer your children to wander about and suffer them to play upon the Sabbath, God looks upon you as Sabbathbreakers.” Review and Herald, September 19, 1854.

Blessings for Sabbath-keepers–What is the promise for those who keep the Sabbath holy?

“All heaven was represented to me as beholding and watching upon the Sabbath those who acknowledge the claims of the fourth commandment and are observing the Sabbath. Angels were marking their interest in, and high regard for, this divine institution. Those who sanctified the Lord God in their hearts by a strictly devotional frame of mind, and who sought to improve the sacred hours in keeping the Sabbath to the best of their ability, and to honor God by calling the Sabbath a delight-these the angels were specially blessing with light and health, and special strength was given them.” The Faith I Live By, 35.

“The Sabbath was God’s sign between Him and His people, and evidence of His kindness, mercy, and love, a token by which His people are distinguished from all false religionists of the world. And God has pledged Himself that He will bless them in their obedience, showing Himself that He is their God, and has taken them into covenant relation with Himself, and that He will fulfill His promise to all that are obedient.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 84.

“Those who will honor the Lord in keeping His Sabbath holy will be blessed of the Lord. There is not more than one in one hundred who do honor to God in keeping His Sabbath from polluting it. The Word of God is not practiced by thousands who profess to be Christians. The looseness of the habits and practices in observing the Sabbath has become a customary thing. God help us to see that great blessings are enfolded in the observance of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 25, 295.

Can God bless those who do not honor His Sabbath?

“God is merciful. His requirements are reasonable, in accordance with the goodness and benevolence of His character. He claims the Sabbath as His own, and will not let His blessing rest upon those who disregard His holy day; yet the Sabbath institution was designed as a blessing to mankind. Man was not made to fit the Sabbath; the Sabbath was made after his creation, to meet the necessities of his nature. The Sabbath should stand before the people in its moral power, answering its original design-to keep in remembrance the living God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. But the Sabbath has been treated with great disrespect. Men have dared to detract from its dignity; they have ventured to remove the sanctity placed upon it by the Creator Himself.” The Signs of the Times, May 13, 1886.

“He will not pass by unnoticed those who crowd upon His Sabbath, and employ time for their own use which belongs to Him. Some professed Sabbath-keepers will intrude upon the Sabbath in doing those things which should have been done previous to the Sabbath. Such may think they gain a little time; but instead of being advantaged by robbing God of holy time, which He has reserved to Himself, they will lose. The Lord will afflict them for their transgression of the fourth commandment; and that time they thought to gain by intruding upon the Sabbath, will prove a curse to them. God’s prospering hand withdrawn, will cause a decrease in all their possessions, instead of an increase. God will surely punish the transgressor.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 259.

The Galling Yoke

March 13, 2020 by Marshall Grosboll

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” Matthew 22:29, 30.

To many people this is one of the greatest promises in all the Bible. These are the two verses that have given countless scores of miserable people, who are held in bondage by their marriage vows, strength to continue. While some-especially the naïve youth who think that marriage is just bliss-think this is a most discouraging passage, Jesus saw that it was the very promise that some people needed. Most people would be happier unmarried. For most people marriage is a galling yoke.

“Few have correct views of the marriage relation. Many seem to think that it is the attainment of perfect bliss; but if they could know one quarter of the heartaches of men and women that are bound by the marriage vow in chains that they cannot and dare not break, they would not be surprised that I trace these lines. Marriage, in a majority of cases, is a most galling yoke. There are thousands that are mated but not matched. The books of heaven are burdened with the woes, the wickedness, and the abuse that lie hidden under the marriage mantle. This is why I would warn the young who are of a marriageable age to make haste slowly in the choice of a companion. The path of married life may appear beautiful and full of happiness; but why may not you be disappointed as thousands of others have been?” The Adventist Home, 44.

Most of the success we observe in marriage is a put-on, and so few know it. It seems like everyone thinks they are the only ones that are putting on and everyone else is lucky enough to have a lot better marriage-but of course they are not going to let anyone else know that their marriage is not what it should be. (And they should not. What they should do is just get down to business and correct the situation, but the trouble is they do not know how or where to go. No one has told them that God has the only answer.)

Not only does the public not know about the galling yoke that is weighing down so many of their acquaintances, but many times even their spouses do not know. The poor people are carrying a most heavy load all by themselves. To these people, Christ’s promise is a most blessed assurance. But until Christ’s promise is fulfilled in heaven, they need help-they need someone to direct them to the source of happiness. They need someone of their own sex whom they can trust, and who has the answers, and who has true purity and understanding. This is where many Adventist women can fill a great role. While there are sometimes godly pastors who the men can counsel with, often there are few godly women that other women can go to for counsel in times of need. (It might interest you to know that this is where both E.J. Waggoner and A.T. Jones began to get off track. They had a burden for helping women with their problems and they got themselves and these other women into problems.) We need more women counselors. For those who would like to gain the knowledge necessary to do this, a good place to start is with the section on the home, in The Ministry of Healing.

Marriage-Like a Taste of Heaven or Hell?

To most people, marriage is a galling yoke. Is it any wonder that Paul said: “Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.” 1 Corinthians 7:1, 7, 8.

“Satan is constantly busy to hurry inexperienced youth into a marriage alliance. But the less we glory in the marriages which are now taking place, the better.” The Adventist Home, 80.

Why did they say these things? Were Paul and Mrs. White sour on marriage? No. Paul is the same author who wrote Ephesians 5 and Hebrews 13:4, and Mrs. White wrote many beautiful passages, about what marriage can be, in The Adventist Home. They were not down on marriage, they knew what a beautiful institution it was intended to be and which it can be. But they also knew how things usually are. They understood that the devil has more to do with many marriages than Christ. They understood that marriage is usually a symbol of hell rather than heaven. They have seen some of the “heartaches of men and women that are bound by the marriage vow in chains that they cannot and dare not break.” They knew that “marriage, in the majority of cases, is a most galling yoke.” This is why they warned “the young who are of marriageable age to make haste slowly. . . . The path of marriage life may appear beautiful and full of happiness; but why may not . . . [they] be disappointed as thousands of others have been?”

Paul was not sour on marriage, but his heart must have bled as he was shown the misery that has resulted from the marriage institution. What was intended to be a blessing has turned into a curse for many.

If Paul and Mrs. White warned against marriage, what should be our counsel to others?

“In this age of the world . . . the fewer the marriages contracted, the better for all, both men and women.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 366.

It is so easy when a married couple achieves a home which is a little heaven on earth, to want every other single friend to have the same experience. But the prophets have encouraged us to make haste slowly and the fewer marriages the better. Let us give the same counsel.

God’s Way

For most people marriage is a galling yoke. But suppose you are one of the rare people who follow God’s counsel and have a little heaven in your home and you wish that your happy marriage could continue throughout eternity. Do not worry, God never takes anything away but what He gives something better. In 1 Corinthians 2:9 we read about heaven, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”

But as to what God has prepared for our family relation in heaven, the silence is golden. We are not to speculate. “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29. (See also Selected Messages, Book 1, 173.)

While a majority of marriages are a galling yoke, even most of the minority that are left are not heaven. While many marriages are not yet a perfect hell, they are far from being a heaven either. “There is not one marriage in one hundred that results happily, that bear the sanction of God, and places the parties in a position better to glorify Him.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 504. Oh, they may experience a few thrills along the way, but the real peace and lasting happiness and security of heaven are not there.

Some might say: “Only one in one hundred? Why, no wonder my marriage is lousy, I do not have a chance.” Yes, it is true that less than one in a hundred have happy homes, but that is because less than one in a hundred follow God. But every couple can have perfect happiness at home if they choose. And it works much better if they choose together.

Every couple can achieve all that God intended for their home if they choose together. Choose together, study together, work at it together, pray about it together and claim Matthew 18:19 together. “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven.” And in all your togetherness, maintain your individual relationship and devotions with God. He claims your highest service. Never forget Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

What If Only You Choose?

But what happens if your partner does not care? If this is the case, you may not be able to have a happy home, but you can have happiness through Christ and you can bear the burden silently and quietly, pouring out your burdens only to God, until the day that Christ gives you something better than marriage. If you are called to suffer for Christ’s sake, rejoice. For Christ said, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:38.

Whenever one person decides to follow Christ all the way (in the marriage relation as well as in all other affairs of life) and the other person has not decided to do so (even though the other person may be a Seventh-day Adventist) there is always friction. Not because the one following Christ has brought friction, but because the other person is resisting Christ and His way. Jesus said: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” Matthew 10:34-36.

We do not live in a world of peace. Even when we are following God ourselves, we are not always going to have an ideal home situation. Jesus was accused and spit upon and beaten and crucified, not because He had done wrong, but because others had done wrong. We do not always receive our just reward in this life-either for good or for evil.

“The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” Matthew 10:24, 25.

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:11, 12.

These texts apply as much to the home as anywhere else. This life is a preparatory period for the one above. We do not need to expect that we will go through without trials. If we could get to heaven without having any trials, we would not feel that we had any right to the place. “Would you enter heaven if you could without suffering, and dwell in the presence of that Jesus, who suffered so much for us? . . . O, it would be no place for you. Any other place would be far preferable. You would feel that you had no right there.” Review and Herald, February 17, 1853. But when we get to heaven, we will have passed through trials and overcome, and we will feel we have a perfect right to the city. (See Early Writings, 17.)

However, remember, many people suffer trial and heartache, not for Christ’s sake, but because of their own stubbornness and fanaticism. The only suffering that results in blessing is that which is suffered for Christ’s sake.

Our duty, as we follow Christ, is not to be loved, but to love. Our duty in our home, as we seek to follow Christ’s example, is not to be loved, but to love. (1 John 4:7-10.) This, all of us can do. We may not all receive love, but we can all give love. Our duty is to love, and we must trust God to supply us with the love we all need. This is a matter of developing faith, and God will not let us down.

“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” Matthew 10:29, 30.

Our duty is to learn to love. We must love first, not for reward, but because Christ first loved us. We must trust and wait for the reward from Christ. As we show this unselfish love, in many cases, we will win the affection and love of our partners over to us.

The apostles spoke of this. Paul said, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?” 1 Corinthians 7:14, 16. Peter also admonished, “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.” 1 Peter 3:1.

No, not everyone will be won, but, the more loving we become, the greater the probabilities. And if it does not happen, count yourself a partner with God-His love is rejected all of the time.

The Work of Sanctification

But what happens when you both decide to follow God by patterning your home after His? Will you have heaven the next morning? No. You can and will have heaven, on this earth, in your home, and it can start tomorrow (today even), but it will be a growing process. It will be a growing process that will not end in this life. You can have sanctified homes, but, “there is no such thing as instantaneous sanctification. True sanctification is a daily work, continuing as long as life shall last.” Sanctified Life, 10.

“Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, or a day. It is a continual growth in grace.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 340.

“The Scriptures plainly show that the work of sanctification is progressive.” The Great Controversy, 470.

“Sanctification is the work of a lifetime.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 65.

The sanctification of the home is the work of a lifetime. Let none think they have arrived. No matter how much happiness you may have experienced in your home today, you can experience more tomorrow. No matter how much sorrow you may have experienced in your home today, you can, in the future, have a sanctified, happy home-if you start the process of sanctification today. “With God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26.

Have faith in God. Trust your life to Him. He will not let you down. He is as concerned about you as if you were the only person on the face of the universe. (Steps to Christ, 100.)

Enter this school toward a sanctified home, today. You can do this by having daily devotions (prayer, mediation and the study of God’s word), by learning of God’s character and then treating your spouse and children as God treats you. Pattern your relationships after the heavenly.

“To gain a proper understanding of the marriage relation is the work of a lifetime. Those who marry enter a school from which they are never in this life to be graduated.” The Adventist Home, 105.

The articles on the family we have printed these last four months have been but a brief introduction. There is so much more we have not covered: communication, finances, recreation, the relation of healthful living to the home, excess and insufficiency of the physical union, and much more. But the answers are in God’s word-in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. Are you studying these books? (A five-minute glance is not studying.) We should have books like The Adventist Home worn out.

Read no faster than you can assimilate. If all you can absorb at one time is one sentence, spend your whole hour of study on that one sentence, praying and pleading with God to make it a part of your life. God’s word is not to be read as a story book, it is to be eaten, digested and absorbed into our lives as fruit from the tree of life. Every word that Christ has given to us is for our happiness and the success of our homes. (John 15:11.)

And along with your reading, pray. Pray to God as you would talk to a friend. Learn to enjoy communion with Him, and soon the fifteen minutes, the half hour, the hour that you are spending in prayer with God, in the morning, will be the most precious part of the day. Tell Him your burdens and joys, your desires and heartaches. He will listen and He will help. He will walk with you all day long. He will sanctify you and He will sanctify your home, with the peace and joy of heaven.

“It is in accord with the will of God that man and wife should be linked together in His work, to carry it forward in a wholeness and a holiness. They can do this.

“The blessing of God in the home where this union shall exist is as the sunshine of heaven, because it is the Lord’s ordained will that man and wife should be linked together in holy bonds of union, under Jesus Christ, with Him to control, and His spirit to guide. . . .

“God wants the home to be the happiest place on earth, the very symbol of the home in heaven. Bearing the marriage responsibilities in the home, linking their interests with Jesus Christ, leaning upon His arm and His assurance, husband and wife may share a happiness in this union that angels of God commend.” The Adventist Home, 102.

The Marian Phenomena

March 12, 2020 by Lawrence Nelson

The Marian phenomena, which consists of tens of thousands of sightings, or apparitions of Mary, the mother of Christ, is clearly known to Adventists to be a deception on a massive scale. With the knowledge of the Biblical teaching on the state of the dead we know that each and every sighting is a manifestation of the miracle working power of demons, since Mary, the mother of Jesus, is still resting in her grave awaiting the return of Jesus and the resurrection. Yet, the enormous numbers of sightings and the impact that the Marian movement is having, coupled with an understanding of last day events, as given in scripture and in the Spirit of Prophecy, compels us to examine this phenomena. This examination reveals astonishing events that lead us to believe that we may well be seeing the evidence of the devil’s overmastering deception that is calculated to deceive the world.

Both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy are replete with warnings about deceptions that God’s last day people, His remnant church, will face in these closing days of the great controversy. In 2 Thessalonians 2: 8-12 we read: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Paul is trying to tell us here that there is no middle ground. Either we know and love the truth or we will be deceived. “Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of truth will be shielded from the powerful delusions that take the world captive. By the Bible testimony these will detect the deceiver in his disguise.” The Great Controversy, 625.

We are warned of strong, almost overmastering delusions and told that if possible even the very elect should be deceived. “As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ . . . He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion.” The Great Controversy, 624, 625.

“Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matthew 24: 23, 24.

Today, Satan’s two great masterpieces of deception are at work to try to destroy God’s elect. Inspiration defines these clearly for us. “Satan’s masterpiece of deception is popery; and while it has been demonstrated that a day of great intellectual darkness was favorable to Romanism, it will also be demonstrated that a day of great intellectual light is also favorable to its power.” Signs of the Times, February 19, 1894. “Spiritualism is the masterpiece of deception. It is Satan’s most successful and fascinating delusion.” Signs of the Times, August 26, 1889.

Spiritualism and popery are the methods used by Satan to spread his two most seductive errors. “Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” The Great Controversy, 588.

Certainly the Marian apparitions are spiritualism. The dictionary defines spiritualism as, “A belief that spirits of the dead communicate with the living.” Through these apparitions, Satan is preparing the world for his ultimate deception which will take place when he personates Christ in a false second coming.

Books such as The Thunder of Justice, by Ted and Maureen Flynn and The Keys of This Blood, by Malachi Martin (both Catholic authors) tell us the history of the sightings of “Mary.” They also reveal the plans and goals, which have been clearly announced by Papal leaders or by the apparitions themselves, and give timelines of future predicted events. As we examine Satan’s timetable and plans, it is important to remind ourselves that Satan is a mighty foe but he is not in control of events in the universe. “But God’s servants are not to trust to themselves in this great emergency . . . The world is not without a ruler. The program of coming events is in the hands of the Lord. The Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations, as well as the concerns of His church, in His own charge.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 753. [Emphasis supplied.]

The times are in God’s hands, not the devil’s. Satan, through his knowledge of scripture and his ability to manipulate events, is able to accurately predict some events, but he is not in control and his predictions are faulty. As part of his masterpiece of deception he works to counterfeit last day events. So, while we are waiting and watching, it is vital that we study to understand last day events so that we will be able to distinguish between the true and the false.

The History of the Marian Movement

“Mary” first appeared on May 13, 1917, to three children in Fatima, Portugal. According to the children’s report, she gave them instructions to say the rosary daily and showed them a vision of hell and told them, that in order to save poor sinners God wants to establish, throughout the world, the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In October of 1917, 50,000-70,000 people were present when another sighting occurred in Fatima which was accompanied by wonders in the sky and miracles. The message was that a chapel was to be built at the site. A prediction was also made that World War I would soon end. Another prediction that was fulfilled was that two of the children would soon die.

Lucia, one of the three original children, was given a message for the pope. He was instructed that Russia could be saved if all of the bishops of the world would unite in making a consecration of Russia to Mary’s Immaculate Heart. In 1984, a Catholic bishop secretly made a consecration of Russia, while in that country. Not long after this, the Communist empire was broken up and the way was opened for the “conversion” of Russia.

The years since have seen many renewed calls for more adoration of Mary and declarations by the Catholic church that these apparitions were supernatural. Feasts have been instituted and a basilica built at Fatima, and the world, not just Russia, has been repeatedly consecrated to the immaculate heart.

The Marian phenomena is seen in visions, appearances, weeping statues, bleeding icons, cures, signs in the heavens and messages received by the uneducated for popes and presidents. Sightings have occurred around the world. These are claimed, by believers, to fulfill the words of Joel, that God’s spirit will be poured out upon all flesh.

Papal Devotion to the Marian Movement

On the anniversary of the first Fatima apparition, on May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot. He felt that he was saved by Mary, because, at the moment the gun was fired, he leaned toward a child who was carrying a picture of Our Lady of Fatima, and the shot, which was intended to be fatal, only wounded him. And so began his devotion to the Marian movement. During his recovery he exhaustively examined documents and questioned living witnesses and participants connected with Fatima.

According to the Catholic scholar, Malachi Martin, the pope believes that he received a vision from heaven giving him “the great design of God for the New World order.” The Keys of This Blood, 48. Also, he says, that in this vision, Mary told him he had been spared for a special mission to bring peace to the world. Under conviction that the messages of Fatima were not for a distant time, but that they had an immediate timetable, the pope began to carry out a program of world travel and redoubled his political efforts to prepare the world for the New World Order, with the Church of Rome as its supreme ruler. To show his devotion to “the virgin,” he wears an inscription on the side of his robe, in Latin, stating, “Mary, I’m all yours,” and has an M for Mary on his coat of arms.

According to Catholic sources, Pope John Paul II is waiting for the greatest of all apparitions when “Mary” will declare, from heaven, the day and the hour of Jesus’ coming. (God has told us that He Himself will declare the time of Jesus’ return in glory. In The Great Controversy, 640, we read, “The voice of God is heard from heaven, declaring the day and hour of Jesus’ coming.”) “Mary” is to appear as a woman clothed with the sun giving birth to a child who will rule the nations with a rod of iron.

What does inspiration say about these events? “Little by little he [Satan] has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception in the development of spiritualism. He has not yet [in Ellen White’s day] reached the full accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time.” Ibid., 561. “Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in the heavens, in token of the power of miracle-working demons.” Ibid., 624.

The devil will counterfeit every truth and end time event. God’s people will see many miracles and marvelous workings of Satan, but God has given us a source of knowledge that we need not be deceived, if we diligently study. “`To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ Isaiah 8:20. The people of God are directed to the Scriptures as their safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of darkness. Satan employs every possible device to prevent men from obtaining a knowledge of the Bible; for its plain utterances reveal his deceptions. At every revival of God’s work the prince of evil is aroused to more intense activity; he is now putting forth his utmost efforts for a final struggle against Christ and His followers. The last great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested.” The Great Controversy, 593. “None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict.” Ibid.

There have been several predictions made by “Mary,” in different locations and at different times, that relate to the time when this event will happen. Lucia (the woman who saw many of the Fatima apparitions) was told that she would be alive to see the culmination of all these things. Also apparitions have said that the current pope will be the last. (Both the pope and Lucia are now very old.) The last decade of this century has been predicted to bring the completion of all things. However, some of the predictions made by these apparitions have already failed to occur. This alone would be evidence enough to prove that they are not of divine origin. For we know that God never fails!

Uniting the World

As Satan’s designs are fully accomplished, the world will be united. It seems very possible that it will be “Mary” who will appeal to everyone, according to their beliefs. She will say that the one whom they most need is coming to bring love, unity, peace, justice, and prosperity. All the world will wait in great expectation, hope and joy, for the coming of their Savior, who will actually be Satan in a counterfeit second coming.

“As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Savior’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13-15. The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: `Christ has come! Christ has come!’ The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Savior uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion. Like the Samaritans who were deceived by Simon Magus, the multitudes, from the least to the greatest, give heed to these sorceries, saying: This is `the great power of God.’ Acts 8:10.” The Great Controversy, 624.

By appearing in Fatima, the devil has planned a masterful deception to include the entire Moslem world. The Moslems now bow down to worship the images of Mary in the processions of the North African Catholics. It is believed that they will be led to worship her “Son” at his coming. If she were to appear as a woman clothed with the sun, as has been predicted, the pagan religions, based on sun worship, would be likely to join the multitudes in worship.

The Marian phenomena could be what will unite the world. For “Mary” could introduce the “second coming” to the Jews as their Messiah, and to the Chrisitians as Jesus Christ and to Moslems as their Iman Mahdi. Buddists might recognize their Buddha in his fifth incarnation. Hindus could find Krishna and the new age could find the Matryeia, the Cosmic Christ. All, but the very elect of God, will welcome Satan as their savior.

The Catholic world believes, according to Malachi Martin, that, at this spectacular appearing, “Christ” (really the devil in disguise) will hand over the keys to the pope. It will then appear that Satan, the Papacy, and the New World Order are the winners of the great controversy.

What will the condition of God’s people be at this time? “I saw our people in great distress, weeping, and praying, pleading the sure promises of God, while the wicked were all around us, mocking us, and threatening to destroy us. They ridiculed our feebleness, they mocked at the smallness of our numbers, and taunted us with words calculated to cut deep. They charged us with taking an independent position from all the rest of the world. They had cut off our resources so that we could not buy nor sell, and referred to our abject poverty and stricken condition. They could not see how we could live without the world; we were dependent upon the world, and we must concede to the customs, practices, and laws of the world, or go out of it. If we were the only people in the world whom the Lord favored the appearances were awfully against us. They declared that they had the truth, that miracles were among them, that angels from heaven talked with them, and walked with them, that great power, and signs and wonders were performed among them, and this was the Temporal Millennium, which they had been expecting so long. The whole world was converted and in harmony with the Sunday law, and this little feeble people stood out in defiance of the laws of the land, and the laws of God, and claimed to be the only ones right on the earth.” Maranatha, 209.

The Devil’s Goal

This pope has referred to this century as the “Marian times.” What does this mean? Ted Flynn, a Catholic author, explains that in Old Testament times God spoke through the prophets and in New Testament times Jesus spoke, but that now, God is speaking through “Mary.” (See The Thunder of Justice, 171.) It is the devil’s plan to put himself in the place of Jesus in the hearts of mankind. First he uses the guise of “Mary” and then he comes personating Christ.

Saying the rosary replaces praying to our Father in heaven. “Mary” is referred to as the
Mediatrix; yet, we know that the Bible teaches us, “For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5. “Mary” claims to be the refuge and ark, advocate and intercessor, and the mother of the church. There are even claims that “Mary” will place her “motherly seal” on all those who have consecrated themselves to her immaculate heart.

All this has been predicted, has it not? “The time is at hand when Satan will work miracles to confirm minds in the belief that he is God. All the people of God are now to stand on the platform of truth as it has been given in the Third Angel’s Message. All the pleasant pictures, all the miracles wrought, will be presented in order that, if possible, the very elect shall be deceived. The only hope for any one is to hold fast the evidences that have confirmed the truth in righteousness. Let these be proclaimed over and over again, until the close of this earth’s history.” Review and Herald, August 9, 1906.

Ecumenical Associations Ensnare Adventism

Pope John Paul II plans to unite the world by the year 2000. The pope has laid out specific plans for each year of this last decade of the century. There are special plans being made by thousands of organizations representing the United Nations, governments, businesses, educational and religious bodies for that special time. Inter-religious dialog is taking place under the guidelines of the second Vatican council.

Sister White wrote about this very thing in Christian Service, 50. “The world is a theater; the actors, its inhabitants, are preparing to act their part in the last great drama. With the great masses of mankind, there is no unity, except as men confederate to accomplish their selfish purposes. God is looking on. His purposes in regard to His rebellious subjects will be fulfilled. The world has not been given into the hands of men, though God is permitting the elements of confusion and disorder to bear sway for a season. A power from beneath is working to bring about the last great scenes in the drama,–Satan coming as Christ, and working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are binding themselves together in secret societies. Those who are yielding to the passion for confederation are working out the plans of the enemy. The cause will be followed by the effect.”

There have been worship services on the steps of the capital in Washington where Jerry Falwell said, “We must network together or we will lose this country.” Oral Roberts prayed for “miracles, healings, and deliverance.” And Benny Hinn held a “faith-healing ceremony.” Announcements are regularly coming in the press of union between various churches.

“When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman Hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.” The Great Controversy, 445.

How are these plans affecting the Seventh-day Adventist Church? The news is not good. The plans for dialog between various churches are seen reflected in Adventism. The Adventist Review reported dialog with the leaders of the Lutheran Church. Also, during 1998, the master plan of the pope called for an emphasis on the Holy Spirit in the developing spirit of unity. In the fall of 1998, the Adventist Review issued a special edition on the Holy Spirit. Because of the deep involvement with the World Council of Churches there are demands of cooperation with the ecumenical program as planned by the pope. In the year 2000, there are plans for all churches to be represented in Jerusalem, to celebrate the Eucharist together. Will the Adventist church be represented? If so, there is but one step left to embracing the Sunday law.

“Never did this message apply with greater force than it applies today. More and more the world is setting at nought the claims of God. Men have become bold in transgression. The wickedness of the inhabitants of the world has almost filled up the measure of their iniquity. This earth has almost reached the place where God will permit the destroyer to work his will upon it. The substitution of the laws of men for the law of God, the exaltation, by merely human authority, of Sunday in place of the Bible Sabbath, is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal, God will reveal Himself. He will arise in His majesty to shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity, and the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 141.

How vital it is that God’s people be unified in the battle against this deceptive power. We must remember who the enemy is and fight together as an army under the banner of Christ, where there will be perfect order and harmony. “As we approach the last crisis, it is of vital moment that harmony and unity exist among the Lord’s instrumentalities. The world is filled with storm and war and variance. Yet under one head-the papal power-the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses. This union is cemented by the great apostate. While he seeks to unite his agents in warring against the truth he will work to divide and scatter its advocates. Jealousy, evil surmising, evil speaking, are instigated by him to produce discord and dissension. The members of Christ’s church have the power to thwart the purpose of the adversary of souls. At such a time as this let them not be found at variance with one another or with any of the Lord’s workers. Amidst the general discord let there be one place where harmony and unity exist because the Bible is made the guide of life. Let the people of God feel that a responsibility rests upon them to build up His instrumentalities.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 182.

We are seeing before us the union of the fallen churches. Papal documents have already called for worldwide enforcement of Sunday observance with violators to be punished as heretics. Surely the day is not far off when we will see the conclusion of all things. We are living in solemn times. God’s church will be united and ready. May each of us be part of that body.

Editor’s Note: The material for this article was gleaned from a series of sermons by Elder Lawrence Nelson, produced earlier this year under the title Spiritualism, 1-5. Much of his research was taken from The Great Controversy Endgame, by John Janiuk and Sunday’s Coming, by G. Edward Reid. You may obtain the entire series by writing: Keep the Faith Audio Tape Ministry, PO Box 808, Myrtle Creek, OR 97457. Condensed and edited by Cynthia Gaye Clark.

The Devil’s Lie, 1888 and Today

March 12, 2020 by Ralph Larson

Airplane pilots are constantly checking their instruments to determine their exact location, and boat captains and truck drivers often consult maps to pinpoint where they are and where they are going. We, as Seventh-day Adventists, are also traveling down a road with an exact destination in mind, and, in this article, we will look at where we are on this journey to the everlasting kingdom. We will start at the very beginning of the great controversy with Revelation 12:7. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was there place found any more in heaven.”

Why were the devil and his angels cast out of heaven? We all know that the controversy began with the devil trying to overthrow his Creator and take His place. His presumptive boast was “I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:14. I would like for you to focus your attention on how the devil tried to do this and the lever that he used in his attempt to pry God off His throne.

“When Satan rebelled against the law of Jehovah, the thought that there was a law came to the angels almost as an awakening to something unthought of.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 109. They operated on the law of love; love for their Creator and love for their fellow beings and, for them, that was sufficient. It was not necessary to explain to an unfallen angel that if you loved someone you would not lie to him. That was self-evident to him. It was not necessary to explain to an unfallen angel that if you loved someone you would not steal from him. He could figure that out by himself. The law of love was all the angels needed and it was all they had.

However, when God saw the rebellious thoughts in Lucifer’s heart, He spelled out His law in a heavenly council. “The Son of God presented before him [Lucifer] the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of the Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of His law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 36. The devil saw in this a chance to accuse God. He launched the accusation against God that He was not a just and loving God because He had given a law that His creatures could not obey. If this was true, how could He possibly be a God of love?

Christ, the Son of God, heard that lie and determined that He would prove it to be false. He made plans to come to this world to live the law in humanity, that Satan’s charges, that man cannot keep the law, might be demonstrated to be false.

Revealing the Devil’s Lie

There were two aspects to Satan’s accusation that had to be met. If Christ came to this earth with any advantage over us He could not truly be our example. Also, if Christ had access to any power to help Him resist temptation that we do not have access to, then His demonstration would be phony and would prove nothing.

Christ accepted these two challenges, and promised to come to this earth in the human nature of man, with no advantage because of His birth or any power that is not available to you and me. He would resist temptation in the same manner in which every tempted soul may resist the evil one. Through His humiliation and poverty, Christ would identify Himself with the weakness of the fallen race. The great work of redemption could be carried out only by the Redeemer taking the place of fallen Adam. The king of glory proposed to humble Himself to fallen humanity, and so the plan of redemption was devised.

When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, Satan said, “See, that proves that God gave a law that no one can obey.” When the conditions reached such a terrible state before the flood, again he said, “See, that proves that God has given a law that man could not obey.” When the Jewish church wandered so far away from God during the time before Christ came, again the devil said, “You see now, how can there be any doubt that God’s law cannot be kept.”

Then Jesus came. He did not argue. He just quietly, from infancy through childhood and adolescence and all the way to the cross, lived a sinless life with no advantage of any kind over us. At the end of His life He could say, “Who convinceth Me of sin?” “The prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in Me.” John 8:46; 14:30. The victory was full and complete and it once and for all disproved the devil’s greatest lie.

Are you beginning to understand the meaning of Ellen White’s first vision? In this vision she seemed to be above the world and she was looking for the Adventist people. She could not find them looking down at the earth. The angel said, “Look again, and look a little higher.” God’s last day people have been called to follow our Lord in that magnificent demonstration that He gave to us-to prove to the universe that God’s law can be kept perfectly by the fallen sons of Adam.

The Birth of Two Heresies

Continuing down through history we come to the reformation. In the reformation days the state church, the Catholic Church, stood on the principle that man could not obey the law of God. Maybe a few saints could, but the rest could not. They had to invent the doctrine of purgatory in order to take care of the problem of man’s inability to stop sinning while on this earth.

The reformation went very well in the beginning, but quickly ran into trouble. Since that time there have been two theological opinions coming to us from the reformation. One is what we call Armenian-Wesleyan-Methodist-Seventh-day Adventist theology. The other is called Calvinism, which embraces the Reformed, the Presbyterians and the majority of those churches who, today, call themselves Evangelicals.

Within each of these two schools of thought the devil developed a theory to destroy their testimony to the world. In the Armenian ideology, he developed the doctrine that the law of God has been nailed to the cross so that it no longer needs to be kept explicitly. Within Calvinism he took an entirely different approach. He led men to teach that the law of God was not nailed to the cross, it is still binding, but it cannot be obeyed. And, that since God knows we cannot obey His law, He does not want us to waste our strength in vain endeavors to do that which is impossible, so we must just trust in Him to forgive us. And so the argument in Calvinism has been simply a repetition of the devil’s great lie.

I must point out that neither of these errors were in the original Armenianism or the original Calvinism. John Wesley preached a rip-roaring sermon once in which he said that anyone who declares that the law of God is nailed to the cross is one of the worst enemies the gospel ever had. He would never have said that the law of God was abolished, and neither would John Calvin have ever said that the law of God could not be obeyed. And so it was a corruption in Armenian Methodism and a corruption in Calvinism that brought us to the point where Adventism was in 1888.

Calvinism and 1888

In 1888 there were three major issues that were contended: an organizational problem of kingly power reaching out over the world, a spiritual problem which was rebellion against the Spirit of Prophecy, and a theological problem, an invasion of Calvinism.

In this article we will focus on this third major issue, the invasion of Calvinism. Many have thought that the theological issues at the 1888 General Conference centered on a controversy over the law in Galatians. But the hassle over the law in Galatians was only a symptom, not the problem. Ellen White said that there was no sense in making such a debate over that. It is not that important. But the larger problem, an angel told her in vision, had been going on for years. In Testimonies, vol. 5, 76, she wrote this warning: “Many who preach the truth to others are themselves cherishing iniquity.” “What can I say to arouse our people? I tell you not a few ministers who stand before the people to explain the Scriptures are defiled. Their hearts are corrupt, their hands unclean.” Ibid., 78. These ministers had been living failures in their Christian life, and, in order to excuse their failures, they were advancing the arguments of Calvinism.

On the first Sabbath of the 1888 General Conference, Ellen White spoke these words to the assembled ministers and delegates. “Now, what we want to present is how you may advance in the divine life. We hear many excuses: I cannot live up to this or that. What do you mean by this or that? Do you mean that it was an imperfect sacrifice that was made for the fallen race on Calvary, that there is not sufficient grace and power granted us that we may work away from our own natural defects and tendencies, that it was not a whole Saviour that was given us? or do you mean to cast reproach on God?” 1888 Materials, 122.

The idea that God has given a law that His creatures cannot obey, is the devil’s greatest lie, and it was invading the Adventist Church in 1888. At that time, Ellen White took a firm and powerful stand against it. Over the years she continued to emphasize that theme. In 1892 she wrote on the subject, pointing out the very same kind of reasoning. And so, Calvinism was refuted and did not give the church very much more trouble for about a half a century. In the 1950s, Calvinism invaded the church again, this time much more successfully by using a more subtle approach.

A Harmless Concession?

A certain scholar, named Walter Martin, visited with some leaders in Adventism. He wanted to write a book about Adventists, describing us as a cult. After some hesitation, the brethren set up conferences with him, and in an attempt to persuade him that we were not a cult, they gave him a statement to the effect that the Seventh-day Adventist Church had always believed just like the Calvinists believe: that our Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth in the human nature of unfallen Adam.

To refute this claim, my wife and I compiled a book called The Word Was Made Flesh, which contains twelve hundred statements about the human nature of our Lord, from many different Adventist publications, four hundred of them by Ellen White. In these twelve hundred statements, written over a one hundred year period, there was not one that claimed that Christ came in the unfallen nature of Adam. In spite of that, our brethren gave Walter Martin a statement that the opposite was true: that we had always believed, except for a poorly informed minority, that our Lord came to this earth, like the Calvinists believe, in the human nature of the unfallen Adam.

Apparently no one realized that that was a Trojan horse-it seemed like a harmless doctrine. I find people to this very day who will look at me, and ask, “Brother Larson, What difference does it make?” It makes a lot of difference. If our Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth in the human nature of the unfallen Adam, He knows nothing at all about the problems that I struggle with because of my heredity. He knows nothing at all about the weaknesses that have come to me through generation after generation down the stream of time. It would be utterly ridiculous to say that He was tempted in all things as I am tempted and it would be utterly unfair to say that I ought to live like He lived. How could I? How could I, four thousand, five thousand, six thousand years down the stream of time, live like He lived? The unfallen Adam! Why it would be utterly unfair.

Through this seemingly harmless doctrine, a way was opened for the wave of Calvinism to sweep into Adventism. Within an incredibly short time, as theological trends go, the Calvinistic doctrine, embracing Satan’s greatest lie, began to creep into colleges, academies and churches all over North America, and to a lesser extent all over the world. The Calvinistic doctrine which says that man cannot stop sinning is now being heard in Seventh-day Adventist churches all across the country.

Today, Adventism is divided into two camps: those who are embracing Calvinism and those who recoil from it in horror. A great shaking is occurring, and many are wondering who can withstand the test? If everything we have trusted in fails, what will we do. Let me remind you of a story that I think will help us understand what our position should be in these days of seeming uncertainty.

If They Had Only Listened

Do you remember the story of the two men who walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the Sunday of the resurrection? Now the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus is not an easy road. It goes downhill sharply. The hills are very steep and the valley is very narrow. If you and I could have placed ourselves on that steep slope and watched on that Sunday afternoon, we would have seen these two men coming along the trail obviously despondent. Their shoulders slumped, their feet dragging and, in spite of the fact that another man walks with them for a way before they go out of our sight and into one of the villages, they still seem very, very cast down and discouraged because the Lord had been crucified.

Then, in a little while, we suddenly see that door open and those two men come out of that little house like they were shot out of a gun. They start rampaging up that narrow zigzag road back toward Jerusalem in such haste that they overrun the corners in some places and have to come back and find their way again in the deepening shadows. They cannot rest until they get all the way back to Jerusalem. They find that upper room and they pound on the door. When they are let in, they say, “He is alive! He is alive! We have seen Him! He is alive!”

Can you imagine the change? We like to think about that night when Jesus appeared among them and they saw, with their own eyes, that it was really true. But what I want to ask you to consider is what might have been. Jesus had told them, not less than three times, what was going to happen to Him. Three times He had told them that He was going to go to Jerusalem, to be crucified and would rise again. But when He came to the part about the crucifixion, they stopped listening. If they had fully internalized the promise of the resurrection, just imagine where they would have been early Sunday morning. They would not have been mourning in the upper room; they would have been out at the gravesite, would they not? And they would have seen that glorious moment when the angel of God came down and said, “Son of God, come forth. Thy Father calls Thee.” How much power that would have given to their witness if everywhere they went they could say, “We saw Him come out of the tomb with our own eyes.” They suffered much sadness because they did not listen to everything Jesus said.

You and I should now listen to what God has told us through His prophet about the great shaking time. If we do not listen, we might be as overcome with discouragement and despondency as they were. Carefully note these unfailing promises.

“God will arouse His people; if other means fail, heresies will come in among them, which will sift them, separating the chaff from the wheat.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 707. Why is God allowing these heresies to come in among us? He is sifting His people, preparing those who are faithful to withstand the final test.

“Many will stand in our pulpits with the torch of false prophecy in their hands, kindled from the hellish torch of Satan.” Testimonies to Ministers, 409, 410. Again people say, Why? And the answer is, He is purging the wheat from the tares.

“The days of purification of the church are hastening on apace.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80. (For further study read the chapter in Testimonies, vol. 5, 62-84, entitled “The Testimonies Slighted.”)

“Every wind of doctrine will be blowing.” Ibid., 80

“Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat.” Ibid., 81.

“Standard after standard was left to trail in the dust as company after company from the Lord’s army joined the foe.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 41.

In Selected Messages, Book 2, 36, we are told that at our camp meetings there will be dancing and horrible music. (We are certainly seeing at least the beginnings of this already.) The question is, How are we going to handle all of this? Are we going to be overcome with discouragement? It all depends on how well we listen. If we have properly listened to the Lord, we will be successful. It will be hard, but we will make it. Take the following promises to heart:

“The world is not without a ruler. The program of coming events is in the hands of the Lord. The Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations, as well as the concerns of His church, in His charge.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 753.

“Not one cloud has fallen upon the church that God has not prepared for.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 108.

God knows what He is going to do. He has told us what to expect. There is no reason in the world why we should let it discourage us or dishearten us or confuse us, if we will listen. Let the chaff blow. Let the brilliant stars go. Let company after company join the foe. Let the people dance. Let the drums beat. Let the heresies arise. May God grant that we shall stand for the right though the heavens fall. God bless you.

Becoming One With God

March 12, 2020 by John J. Grosboll

“`I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them.’ John 17:9, 10. Mark the words. It is Jesus Christ that is praying to His Father, `and all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them.’ Is it truth? Are we Bible believers? Is Christ glorified in us? I want you to consider this. He is speaking of the oneness and that unity that shall exist with Christ and His disciples. In that unity, in that oneness, Christ is glorified in us. Now I would have you consider how very light a matter many of us make of seeking to preserve this unity. Why, this unity with believers in and through Christ is the great strength of the church! The oneness, the love which through their faith and unity exists with God’s people through faith in Christ, is a power.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 194.

What is the strength of the church? Inspiration says it is the unity of the believers. Since this is true, it is surely important that we study this subject and understand how we can have unity with each other. Consider this statement from Signs of the Times, February 7, 1895: “If the members of the church are one with Christ, there will be union one with another. The unity of believers will be a living testimony to the world of the power of the Gospel. When there is love one to another, the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness will be diffused to a world that lies in darkness. Why can we not see from the lessons of Christ, and especially from His prayer for the unity of believers, that Christians must be perfect in unity in order to represent the glory of their Redeemer? If those who believe the truth would bring the prayer of Christ into their practical life, they would grow up into the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. As believers in Christ, we are `built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.'”

Christ is glorified in His people when we have unity and if we are going to have unity we must first become one with Christ: not just in spirit, but in character. To become one with Christ in character we must, by His grace and power, learn to keep His law, for it is a transcript of God’s character.

In the first Psalm it says that the righteous man meditates on the law of God day and night. The law of God and the gospel go hand-in-hand. However, the devil’s work has been to separate them in the minds of men. And he has been successful with many people. If you asked the typical Christian today “Do you love God?” they would say, “Oh, yes, I love God.” But if you asked them, “Do you love the law of God?” they would have to say no, if they told the truth. Now that is a contradiction of terms because the Ten Commandments are a description of the character of God. You cannot love God and hate His law. Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide [continue] in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and I abide in His love.” John 15:10.

Becoming one with Christ, will result in unity (not uniformity). When we are all in harmony with the law of God, we will be in harmony with one another. When I discovered this principle, it caused me to do some very serious thinking. I realized that if there is dissension or strife among us then one or more people are not keeping the commandments. We need to ask ourselves whenever there is strife or dissension “Is there some commandment that I am not keeping.”

In Selected Messages, Book 2, 159, it reads: “Unity is the strength of the church. Satan knows this, and he employs his whole force to bring in dissension. He desires to see a lack of harmony among the members of the church of God. Greater attention should be given to the subject of unity. What is the recipe for the cure of the leprosy of strife and dissension? Obedience to the commandments of God.”

In this article, we will study just one of the commandments. As I have studied this commandment, I have become convinced that if we kept this one commandment, strife would no longer exist in our homes or churches. However, there is a catch. It is impossible to keep this commandment and not keep the others, for this first commandment lays the foundation for all of the other nine.

The Meaning of Worship

From the very beginning of the great controversy it has been the devil’s purpose to overthrow God’s law. His rebellion was primarily against the first commandment, which says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3. (See The Great Controversy, 582.) The devil wanted to place himself above God and receive the worship, which belongs to God alone.

In John 4:23, the Bible tells us that the Father seeks the worship of mankind. That is His prerogative as God-for only God deserves worship. In order for us to learn what it means to keep the first commandment, we must first understand the whole concept of worship. Often, when we think of worship, the outward motions come to mind. We teach our children to bow their heads, fold their hands and close their eyes when they come to the Father in prayer. However, these are just the outward motions of worship, and although they can help place us in an attitude for worship, they do not constitute true worship. God seeks those who will worship Him in “spirit and in truth.” True worship, therefore, is an action of the mind and heart, not just a standard set of motions.

I have found that it is sometimes helpful, when I am trying to grasp the understanding of a word, to look at other words that have the same or similar meanings. One synonym for worship is respect. In order to worship someone, you must have profound respect or reverence for that person. If we really have profound respect for God, then there will be very practical results in our lives. For example: since we are free-moral agents, it is possible that there will be times when we will have differences of opinion with God. If we find out that we have a difference of opinion with God, who do you think needs to change? If I truly honor God, I will surrender my opinion to the Lord’s divine command. However, all too often we set ourselves up in the place of God and move forward following our own plans, contrary to inspiration. By doing this we are in actuality saying, “God, I realize we have a difference of opinion, and I have decided to follow my way, because I think it is the best for me.” But if we allow God to be God then we will respect Him so much that we will seek to have our minds brought into harmony with His mind.

Another practical example that we can learn, from the first commandment, has to do with God’s rightful authority as the king of the universe. Because God is the rightful king of the worlds He created, He has absolute authority. However, He never abuses His authority by exercising it arbitrarily. All His commands are based on moral principles, which He has devised for the good of His children. (This is something that parents should keep in mind when they are tempted to control their children by using arbitrary authority.) How does God’s absolute authority as a king relate to us? Since the first commandment says that we should have no other gods, should we ever set up any other king? No. Because if we ever give a person or a group of people kingly authority, in a nation, or church or home, we have placed that person in the place of God, to a certain extent, and that is breaking the first commandment.

How is it in your home? Husbands how do you relate to your wives? Parents how do you relate to your children? How is it in your local church? Jesus said, “Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.” Matthew 23:10. The word that is here translated “masters” means a ruler or someone who controls the whole operation. Jesus said, “Do not be called masters for you are all brothers.”

The devil’s way to get unity and harmony is to create a hierarchical system where the person at the top calls the orders and everyone follows that man. With that system there can be a type of unity. For an example of this, look at the papacy. It is set up in this way as was the Jewish church in the time of Christ, and they both achieved a type of unity that appears quite effective. However, a hierarchy can never bring about the true unity God wants His followers to have. In fact, throughout the Spirit of Prophecy, the word “hierarchy” is always associated with the devil’s mode of operation.

When Self is Our God

There are some things that God can do, because He is God, which you and I cannot do. One of these things that God alone can do is judge the hearts and motives of individuals. In Matthew 7:1, 2, Jesus forbids us to do this. He said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Unfortunately, how often do we try to take God’s place and judge the motives of one another? If you have been around where people are gossiping or backbiting, you will notice that a tremendous amount of judging of people’s motives and hearts and characters takes place in those gatherings. Would this be different if you and I realized that every time we judge someone’s motives we are breaking the first commandment? Whenever we do this we are placing ourselves where God alone should be, and taking over the prerogative that He alone possesses.

The very first being to break God’s law was Lucifier, and he broke the first commandment. Who did Lucifer try to set up in the place of God? Himself. Who am I in the greatest danger of setting up in the place of God? Self. We have all probably read what inspiration says about dying to self. For the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy say much on this subject, but, after when we have studied this, do we realize that if we do not die to self, we are allowing self to be set up in the place of God? When I began studying this I started wondering who of us is keeping the commandments? We have no room for self-confidence when we study this subject. How much we need the Lord’s transforming power in our lives!

When Self is Alive

Have you ever had your feelings hurt? We all have. When we get our feelings hurt, that is proof that self is not dead. And have you noticed that wherever there is a person with hurt feelings, there is sure to be all manner of trouble. When this trouble comes into the church, unity is lost. As we read, in the beginning of this article, the church can no longer be strong, for “in unity there is strength.” (By the way, you only need to have one person who really has their feelings hurt about something to tear up a home church.) I know what some will be saying, “But, Pastor John, quit being so hard on me. You don’t know how awful the people in my church are treating me.” I may not, but I do know that if we are going to survive the shaking and be found standing with the people of God in the end, we must learn to keep the first commandment and we must die to self. Self can be our god no longer.

I have often observed another way that we break the first commandment. Often people come to me, either by letter, telephone or in person, and they say something to this effect, “Well, Pastor John, what do you think about this?” And then they give me a document or tell me about a doctrinal theory they have which is not based on the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy. Sometimes I choose not to respond because I am not interested in arguing, but if I feel that a soul might be in danger, I will speak up and let the sparks fly. Here is an example of a typical conversation, which I have had several times, when people come to me with Aryan beliefs about the Godhead. After they present their case, that concludes that Christ is a created being and not really equal with the Father, I might read to them this quotation from The Desire of Ages, 530. It says: “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.” Then I ask the person, “What does that mean?” To me it means just what it says. However, one time an individual sent me a book of many pages, to explain how this quotation does not really mean what it says. After I read it, I went back and read the quotation again and I thought, “It still says the same thing.”

What is the problem here? When the word of God says it pointblank, what is the problem? The problem is, friend, we are breaking the first commandment. We have set up our own reason in the place of the real God. That is why we have so much theological controversy and fanaticism in our midst. We have set up our minds in the place of God. If we continue to do this will we go to heaven? Certainly not, for no one who continues to break God’s commandments is going to be there. Do you see the seriousness of fanaticism? The false ideas are not the root of the problem. The problem is that self is not dead.

I am sorry if that sounds hard, but it is reality. The first commandment is reality. It is right at the basis, the foundation, of all of the Ten Commandments. The most basic question is who is your god? I have told many audiences, during evangelistic meetings, “Whether you go to church on Sabbath or Sunday is not the issue. The issue is who is going to be god in your life? Who has the authority to tell you when to go to church? Will you let self or the traditions of men be your god, or will you submit to the God of all the universe and obey His commands?” Here again we see how the entire law rests upon the first commandment.

In The Great Controversy, 595, Ellen White says: “But God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men . . . the voice of the majority-not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain `Thus saith the Lord’ in its support.”

Dear friends, this is a lesson we must learn. When we begin to keep the first commandment and put God and His word first in our lives, dying to self and its demands, the strife and contention among us will cease. As I have studied this, I have felt my own great need and I am praying that the Lord will work a miracle in my life so that self will be dead all the time. I do not want any other gods. How about you? We need to ask ourselves what could happen in our home churches, where the devil is coming in and causing so much dissension and strife, if in our hearts we made a commitment to have no other gods beside the Lord. What could happen if we were dead to self so that we did not have hurt feelings and so that we did not speak evil of each other?

Sheep and Stress

Decades ago, some researchers studied the whole subject of stress, using sheep as their research subjects. To study how stress affects sheep, they placed young sheep in a pen which had a floor built on a grid that allowed an electrical shock to be sent to any area of the pen. Now that is certainly stress, for an animal to suddenly be shocked. In their experiments, they would start by sending a shock to the sheep when it was in just one corner of the pen. When the animal learned to avoid that part of the pen, they would start sending the electrical charge to another area of the pen where the animal was. Then he had two spots to avoid. A little while later they would give him another shock in another spot. Now he had three places to avoid. How many places can an animal remember to avoid? This got very stressful for these laboratory animals. In fact, it was so stressful that they eventually had a nervous breakdown. They would just stand in one spot and shake all the time.

That is what the devil wants to do to you and I. He works it out so that someone treats you badly and you have your feelings hurt. Then later it happens again, but this time with another person, and so soon you decide that half the people in your home church just do not like you because they have done all these terrible things. So what are you going to do? Maybe you could split up and start another home church across the street and then when you get that one full, do you know what will happen? You will go through the same process all over again. Churches will just keep splitting, splitting, splitting, because we cannot get along, we hurt each other’s feelings.

What is the solution? These researchers found that when they took the laboratory animals and put them on the same grid, but this time they put the mother sheep in with the younger animal, the young sheep learned to run to its mother, when it was shocked. After a while the young sheep was so confident that his mother was there and that he was not in danger that he did not worry about the shock. He just jumped a little bit and went on thinking nothing about it. That is the point we need to come to in Adventism. We need to come to the place that we trust our heavenly Father so much, that when someone does something that causes us pain, we immediately go to the Lord and say, “Lord, I am surrendering my feelings to You. Help me to die to self and to do Your will. Lift me up into a holy atmosphere and cause Your love to flow through me. Help me to love my enemies and to bless those that curse me and do good to those who hate me and to pray for those who despitefully use me and persecute me.”

Can this be done? It can and it must. Each of us want to go to heaven and if we want to get along together there, we must first learn to get along here. There is no rehabilitation program in heaven where we can learn to get along with our “enemies.” We must learn here in our homes and churches, or we will not go to that better place. And how are we going to learn to get along? We must learn from the first commandment that God is Number One. Self must die, and God must reign supreme in our lives.

Friend, are you going to keep the first commandment? Do you want to ask the Lord to help you and say, “Lord, I do not want any other gods in my life. I am tired of making myself a god and having so much pride in my own opinion and being so sensitive when someone has a different opinion than mine.” Do you want to keep the first commandment? It will change your home, your church, and most of all, it will help you get ready for heaven. If this is your desire, ask the Lord to work this miracle in your life and surrender to Him so that He can change your life completely.

Editorial – The Inheritance We Are Preparing For

June 16, 2020March 12, 2020 by John J. Grosboll

“In imagination I gathered with the saints around the wide-spreading tree of life. Friends and dear home relatives who had been separated from us by death were gathered there. The redeemed, white-robed multitude, who had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, were there. No flaming guard stood around the tree of life, barring our approach. With happy, joyous songs of praise, the voices were blended in perfect harmony as we plucked of the fruit from the tree of life.

“I seemed to be there where all was peace, where no stormy conflicts of earth could ever come—heaven, a kingdom of righteousness where all the holy and pure and blest are congregated, ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, living and walking in happy, pure intimacy, praising God and the Lamb who sitteth on the throne.

“Their voices were in perfect harmony. They never do each other wrong. Princes of heaven, the potentates of this mighty realm, are rivals only in good, seeking the happiness and joy of each other. The greatest there is least in self-esteem, and the least is greatest in his gratitude and wealth of love.

“There are no dark errors to cloud the intellect. Truth and knowledge, clear, strong, and perfect, have chased every doubt away, and no gloom of doubt casts its baleful shadow upon its happy inhabitants. No voices of contention mar the sweet and perfect peace of heaven. Its inhabitants know no sorrow, no grief, no tears. All is in perfect harmony, in perfect order and perfect bliss.

“The Great Shepherd was leading His flock to living fountains of water and to green pastures, new and delightful scenery opening continually before His people. Heaven, sweet heaven, the saints’ eternal home, the abode for the toilers, where the weary who have borne the heavy burdens through life find rest, peace, and joy! They sowed in tears, they reap with joy and triumph. Heaven is a home where sympathy is alive in every heart, expressed in every look. Love reigns there. There are no jarring elements, no discord or contentions or war of words.

“With our deepest study and our broadest experience we shall never be able to describe heaven or our senses to comprehend it. All that is pure, all that is excellent and lovely is there. The possession of heaven is endless bliss, infinite glory, riches, and knowledge. The character of heaven is perfect love, holiness, peace. We know these things now only in part. ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.’ 1 Corinthians 2:9. It is the discipline imposed upon us all to walk by faith and not by sight.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 104, 105.

“Remember that if you speak cross words to fellow church members, you would speak the same kind of words in heaven, were you permitted to enter there. But you never will be unless you change.” General Conference Bulletin, April 6, 1903.

“No unpleasant words are spoken in heaven. There no unkind thoughts are cherished. There envy, evil surmising, hatred, and strife find no place. Perfect harmony pervades the heavenly courts.” Upward Look, 163.

“(John 14:15, 21, 23, 24 quoted.) Here are the conditions upon which every soul will be elected to eternal life. Your obedience to God’s commandments will prove your right to an inheritance with the saints in light. God has elected a certain excellence of character; and every one who, through the grace of Christ, shall reach the standard of His requirement, will have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of glory. All, who would reach this standard of character, will have to employ the means that God has provided to this end. If you would inherit the rest that remaineth for the children of God, you must become a co-laborer with God. You are elected to wear the yoke of Christ,—to bear His burden, to lift His cross. You are to be diligent ‘to make your calling and election sure.’ 2 Peter 1:10.” Christian Education, 118.

“Both you and ourselves fully believe that holiness of life is necessary to fit us for the inheritance of saints in light.” Review and Herald, June 6, 1878.

“Those who have been tested and proved on this matter of loving others as themselves, will be pronounced meet for an inheritance with the saints in light.” Signs of the Times, July 2, 1894.

“By looking unto Jesus, by talking with Jesus, by fashioning the life after Christ’s example, they become meet for the inheritance of the saints in light, for our taste is perfected for the purity of heaven.” Signs of the Times, September 5, 1895.

“This present life is only our training-school. Here we are to be purified that at Christ’s coming we may be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,—prepared to receive the inheritance of the saints in light.” Signs of the Times, July 17, 1901.

Bible Study Guides – “Go Ye Therefore and Teach”

March 12, 2020 by Unknown

November 20, 1999 – November 26, 1999

Memory Verse

“And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 7, 25–28.

Introduction

“The whole body of believers needs to be vitalized by the Holy Spirit of God. We should study, plan, economize, and set in operation every means possible whereby we may reach and bless suffering and ignorant humanity. The light which God has given to us as a people is not given that we may treasure it among ourselves. We are to act
in harmony with the great commission given to every disciple of Christ, to carry to all the world the light of truth.” Review and Herald, August 12, 1909.

“Go Ye and Teach.”

What task has Christ given to His church? Matthew 28:19, 20.

note: “The commission reaches those who shall believe on His word through His disciples. And all who are called of God to stand as ambassadors for Him should take the lessons upon practical godliness given them by Christ in His word and teach them to the people.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 401.

How is the accomplishment of this task linked to the end of the world? Matthew 24:14.

note: “A crisis is right upon us. We must now by the Holy Spirit’s power proclaim the great truths for these last days. It will not be long before everyone will have heard the warning and made his decision. Then shall the end come. It is the very essence of all right faith to do the right thing at the right time. God is the great Master Worker, and by His providence He prepares the way for His work to be accomplished. He provides opportunities, opens up lines of influence and channels of working. If His people are watching the indications of His providence, and stand ready to co-operate with Him, they will see a great work accomplished. Their efforts, rightly directed, will produce a hundredfold greater results than can be accomplished with the same means and facilities in another channel where God is not so manifestly working.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 24.

“How Shall They Hear?”

How does Paul express the need for people to proclaim the Gospel? Romans 10:14.

note: “While the angels hold the four winds, we are to work with all our capabilities. We must bear our message without any delay. We must give evidence to the heavenly universe, and to men in this degenerate age, that our religion is a faith and a power of which Christ is the Author and His word the divine oracle. Human souls are hanging in the balance. They will either be subjects for the kingdom of God or slaves to the despotism of Satan. All are to have the privilege of laying hold of the hope set before them in the gospel, and how can they hear without a preacher? The human family is in need of a moral renovation, a preparation of character, that they may stand in God’s presence. There are souls ready to perish because of the theoretical errors which are prevailing, and which are calculated to counterwork the gospel message. Who will now fully consecrate themselves to become laborers together with God?” Testimonies, vol. 6, 21.

What Bible story illustrates how the willing servant of God can be used to win a soul to Christ? Acts 8:26–39.

note: “This Ethiopian represented a large class who need to be taught by such missionaries as Philip—men who will hear the voice of God and go where He sends them. There are many who are reading the Scriptures who cannot understand their true import. All over the world men and women are looking wistfully to heaven. Prayers and tears and inquiries go up from souls longing for light, for grace, for the Holy Spirit. Many are on the verge of the kingdom, waiting only to be gathered in. An angel guided Philip to the one who was seeking for light and who was ready to receive the gospel, and today angels will guide the footsteps of those workers who will allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify their tongues and refine and ennoble their hearts. The angel sent to Philip could himself have done the work for the Ethiopian, but this is not God’s way of working. It is His plan that men are to work for their fellow men. In the trust given to the first disciples, believers in every age have shared. Everyone who has received the gospel has been given sacred truth to impart to the world.” Acts of the Apostles, 109.

“The Word of Their Testimony”

How have God’s saints of old been able to overcome the assaults of Satan? Revelation 12:11.

note: “Awake, ye sleeping virgins, and trim your lamps. With the Bible in your hands, go to your neighbors with the message of present truth. In the spirit of deep repentance confess your past neglect in the assembly of God’s people, as they meet to worship God. Then the Lord will pardon your transgressions and forgive your sin. If you feel that you have not the ability nor the knowledge that are needed in order to present the truth to others, read your neglected Bible, and seek for an understanding of the truth as it is in Jesus. Many have not developed a Christlike character in the daily life and conversation. They have not lived for the Lord Jesus and for Him alone, daily gaining a fitness to unite with those who have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” Australasian Union Conference Record, March 11, 1907.

How can the word of our testimony strengthen and encourage fellow-believers? Hebrews 10:25; Malachi 3:16–17.

note: “The Lord has shown me that great interest should be taken by Sabbath-keepers to keep up their meetings and make them interesting. There is great necessity of more interest and energy being manifested in this direction. All should have something to say for the Lord, for by so doing they will be blest. A book of remembrance is written of those who do not forsake the assembling of themselves together, but speak often one to another. The remnant are to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Some expect to overcome alone by the blood of the Lamb, without making any special effort of their own. I saw that God has been merciful in giving us the power of speech. He has given us a tongue, and we are accountable to Him for its use. We should glorify God with our mouth, speaking in honor of the truth and of His unbounded mercy, and overcome by the word of our testimony through the blood of the Lamb.” Early Writings, 114.

“Whom Shall I Send?”

What call to God’s people comes from the throne of God? Isaiah 6:8.

note: “When the Lord’s voice calls, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ the Divine Spirit puts it into hearts to respond: ‘Here am I; send me.’ Isaiah 6:8. But bear in mind that the live coal from the altar must first touch your lips. Then the words you speak will be wise and holy words. Then you will have wisdom to know what to say and what to leave unsaid. You will not try to reveal your smartness as theologians. You will be careful not to arouse a combative spirit or excite prejudice by introducing controverted points of doctrine. You will find enough to talk about that will not excite opposition, but that will open the heart to desire a deeper knowledge of God’s word.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 325.

What promises did God make to one who felt his inadequacy to speak for God? Jeremiah 1:6–9.

note: “In choosing men and women for His service, God does not ask whether they possess learning or eloquence or worldly wealth. He asks: ‘Do they walk in such humility that I can teach them My way? Can I put My words into their lips? Will they represent Me?’” Testimonies, vol. 7, 144.

“O, if we would only lay hold of these assurances by living faith in the One who has abundance of comfort and encouragement for us all. Then we would praise the Lord in the morning and at noon and at night. We would have a message of mercy to carry to others. The Lord of heaven wants us to have an advanced experience. Will you study these words? Will you accept them? Will you be sanctified by the truths they teach?” General Conference Bulletin, May 18, 1909.

“Let Your Light So Shine”

Besides the word of our testimony, in what other way is the follower of God to witness? Matthew 5:16.

note: “The good works of the children of God are the most effectual preaching that the unbeliever has. He thinks that there must be strong motives that actuate the Christian to deny self, and use his possessions in trying to save his fellow men. It is unlike the spirit of the world. Such fruits testify that the possessors are genuine Christians.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 193, 194.

How does Isaiah describe this work of letting the light shine? Isaiah 58:6–8.

note: “Thus in the night of spiritual darkness God’s glory is to shine forth through His church in lifting up the bowed down and comforting those that mourn. All around us are heard the wails of a world’s sorrow. On every hand are the needy and distressed. It is ours to aid in relieving and softening life’s hardships and misery. Practical work will have far more effect than mere sermonizing. We are to give food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and shelter to the homeless. And we are called to do more than this. The wants of the soul, only the love of Christ can satisfy. If Christ is abiding in us, our hearts will be full of divine sympathy. The sealed fountains of earnest, Christlike love will be unsealed. God calls not only for our gifts for the needy, but for our cheerful countenance, our hopeful words, our kindly handclasp. When Christ healed the sick, He laid His hands upon them. So should we come in close touch with those whom we seek to benefit.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 417, 418.

“And I Saw Another Angel”

What special message are God’s people called to proclaim in the days just before Christ’s coming? Revelation 14:6–12.

note: “The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Savior, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the Commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the Third Angel’s Message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure.” Testimonies to Ministers, 91, 92.

What additional message must also be given to warn God’s people of their danger? Revelation 18:1–4.

note: “There are true Christians in every church who do not know the origin of the Sunday-sabbath, and believe that they are keeping the day which God sanctified and blest. This is true of worshipers even in the Catholic Church; and while this ignorance and integrity remain, God accepts of their sincerity; but when light shall fall upon their pathway, God requires them to come into harmony with His law, and to observe the Sabbath of His appointing. The time has come when the glory of the Lord is to fill the earth, and when the whole earth shall be lightened with His glory. The cry is sounding to the honest in heart to ‘come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.’ ‘And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.’” Signs of the Times, November 19, 1894.

Bible Study Guides – “Holy and Without Blemish”

March 12, 2020 by Unknown

November 13, 1999 – November 19, 1999

Memory Verse

“And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 13.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 469–478.

Introduction

“We believe without a doubt that Christ is soon coming. This is not a fable to us; it is a reality. We have no doubt, neither have we had a doubt for years, that the doctrines we hold today are present truth, and that we are nearing the judgment. We are preparing to meet Him who, escorted by a retinue of holy angels, is to appear in the clouds of heaven to give the faithful and the just the finishing touch of immortality. When He comes He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects in our characters, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this work will all be accomplished before that time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have preserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and filthy will remain so forever. No work will then be done for them to remove their defects and give them holy characters. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation. It is now that this work is to be accomplished for us.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 355.

“To Serve Him in Holiness”

What is God’s desire for all His people? Luke 1:74, 75.

note: “It is our privilege to stand with the light of heaven upon us. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. It was no easier for Enoch to live a righteous life than it is for us at the present time. The world in his time was no more favorable to growth in grace and holiness than it is now. It was by prayer and communion with God that Enoch was enabled to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are living in the perils of the last days, and we must receive our strength from the same source. We must walk with God. A separation from the world is required of us; for we can not remain free from its pollution unless we follow the example of the faithful Enoch.” Review and Herald, January 9, 1900.

How does Jesus describe the ones who will have the privilege of seeing God? Matthew 5:8.

note: “The Bible contains instruction regarding the character God’s children must possess. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart,’ it declares, ‘for they shall see God.’ Matthew 5:8. ‘Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.’ Hebrews 12:14. ‘Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.’ 1 John 3:2, 3.” Counsels to Teachers, Parents and Students, 429.

“Blessed are the pure in heart—now; not, Blessed will be the pure in heart. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’ Matthew 5:8. Yes, as did Moses, they shall endure the seeing of Him who is invisible. They have the assurance of the richest blessings, both in this life and in the life that is to come.” Counsels to Teachers, Parents and Students, 103.

“Shall We Continue in Sin That Grace May Abound?”

How may we be freed from the guilt of those sins we have committed? 1 John 1:9.

note: “The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing in order that we may have the forgiveness of sin. We need not make long and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend our souls to the God of heaven or to expiate our transgression; but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy. The apostle says, ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.’ James 5:16. Confess your sins to God, who only can forgive them, and your faults to one another. If you have given offence to your friend or neighbor, you are to acknowledge your wrong, and it is his duty freely to forgive you. Then you are to seek the forgiveness of God, because the brother you have wounded is the property of God, and in injuring him you sinned against his Creator and Redeemer.” Steps to Christ, 37.

Is forgiveness all that we need to inherit eternal life? Romans 6:1, 2.

note: “None can endure to be with God if they are not constantly conforming their minds and hearts to His will and developing characters after the divine similitude. None can have forgiveness without living the purity of character exemplified in Christ. No man need expect happiness without the holiness of God. They cannot partake of the feast without the garment of Christ’s righteousness, woven in the loom of heaven. Privileges and opportunities improved will give every soul a fitness to obey the law of His kingdom.” Home Missionary, November 1, 1897. [Emphasis supplied.]

“Let Us Cleanse Ourselves”

What “exceeding great and precious promises” does God give to those who wish to become like Jesus? 1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 2:18; 2 Peter 2:9; Revelation 3:10.

note: “Bid the tempted one look not to circumstances, to the weakness of self, or to the power of temptation, but to the power of God’s word. All its strength is ours. ‘Thy word,’ says the psalmist, ‘have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.’ ‘By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.’ Psalms 119:11; 17:4. Talk courage to the people; lift them up to God in prayer. Many who have been overcome by temptation are humiliated by their failures, and they feel that it is in vain for them to approach unto God; but this thought is of the enemy’s suggestion. When they have sinned, and feel that they cannot pray, tell them that it is then the time to pray. Ashamed they may be, and deeply humbled; but as they confess their sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive their sins and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on the merits of the Savior. By prayer, by the study of His word, by faith in His abiding presence, the weakest of human beings may live in contact with the living Christ, and He will hold them by a hand that will never let go.” Ministry of Healing, 181, 182.

In the light of God’s promises, what counsel does Paul give? 2 Corinthians 7:1.

note: “The Christian life is constantly an onward march. Jesus sits as a refiner and purifier of His people; and when His image is perfectly reflected in them, they are perfect and holy, and prepared for translation. A great work is required of the Christian. We are exhorted to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Here we see where the great labor rests. There is a constant work for the Christian. Every branch in the parent vine must derive life and strength from that vine, in order to yield fruit.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 340.

Who works in co-operation with the Christian to complete the work of salvation from all sin? Philippians 2:12, 13.

note: “God requires us to bear much fruit. He will not give commands without giving with them power for their performance. He will not do our part of the work, neither does He require that we do His. It is God that worketh in us, but we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. ‘Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ Faith must be sustained by works; the doers of the work are justified before God.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 166, 167.

“Man is allotted a part in this great struggle for everlasting life; he must respond to the working of the Holy Spirit. It will require a struggle to break through the powers of darkness, and the Spirit works in him to accomplish this. But man is no passive being, to be saved in indolence. He is called upon to strain every muscle and exercise every faculty in the struggle for immortality; yet it is God that supplies the efficiency. No human being can be saved in indolence.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 65.

“Be Ye Holy; for I am Holy”

To what kind of lives has God called us? 1 Thessalonians 4:7.

note: “We are called to represent to the world the character of God as it was revealed to Moses. In answer to the prayer of Moses, ‘Show me Thy glory,’ the Lord promised, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before thee.’ ‘And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.’ Exodus 33:18, 19; 34:6, 7. This is the fruit that God desires from His people. In the purity of their characters, in the holiness of their lives, in their mercy and loving-kindness and compassion, they are to demonstrate that the ‘law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.’ Psalm 19:7.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 221.

What is the measure of the holiness to which God has called us? 1 Peter 1:15, 16.

note: “A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this world to the next. Those who are under the instruction of Christ in this world will take every divine attainment with them to the heavenly mansions. And in heaven we are continually to improve. How important, then, is the development of character in this life. The heavenly intelligences will work with the human agent who seeks with determined faith that perfection of character which will reach out to perfection in action. To everyone engaged in this work Christ says, I am at your right hand to help you. As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 332, 333.

“Holy and Without Blemish”

How in practical detail is this holiness described? Titus 1:8; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17, Romans 12:1, Colossians 1:22, 1 Peter 1:15, Ephesians 5:27.

note: “Holiness is agreement with God.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 743.

“Holiness is constant agreement with God. Shall we not be that which Christ so greatly desires us to be,—Christians in deed and in truth,—that the world may see in our lives a revelation of the saving power of truth?” Southern Watchman, June 11, 1903.

“True holiness is wholeness in the service of God. This is the condition of true Christian living. Christ asks for an unreserved consecration, for undivided service. He demands the heart, the mind, the soul, the strength. Self is not to be cherished. He who lives to himself is not a Christian.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 48, 49. (See also Desire of Ages, 555, 556; Acts of the Apostles, 51.)

How does the Bible describe those who have part in the first resurrection, at the Second Coming of Jesus? Revelation 20:6.

note: “We may not be living when Christ shall come in power and great glory, for all are subject to death at any time, but if we are righteous, in harmony with the law of God, we shall respond to the voice that will call the people of God from their graves, and shall come forth to receive immortality. It is only the blessed and holy who will be ready for the first resurrection; for when Christ comes, He will not change the character.” Signs of the Times, February 9, 1891.

How does the Bible describe those who are alive to see Jesus as He is? 1 John 3:2.
What important counsel does John give to those who hope to meet Jesus? 1 John 3:3–6.

note: “The exhortation of the apostle is, ‘Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.’ It is by engaging in this work, and by exercising living faith in God, that we are to perfect Christian character. The work of cleansing the soul-temple and preparing for Christ’s appearing must be done while we are in this world of temptation. Just as Christ finds us in character when He comes, so we shall remain.” Signs of the Times, September 29, 1887.

Bible Study Guides – “Not of the World”

March 12, 2020 by Unknown

November 6, 1999 – November 12, 1999

Memory Verse

“I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” John 17:15.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 600–602.

Introduction

“I have been shown the high and responsible position which God’s people should occupy. They are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and they must walk even as Christ walked. They will come up through great tribulation. The present is a time of warfare and trial. Our Savior says in Revelation 3:21: ‘To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.’ The reward is not given to all who profess to be followers of Christ, but to those who overcome even as He overcame. We must study the life of Christ and learn what it is to confess Him before the world.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 303.

“The Light Shineth in Darkness”

What is the light that is to shine into the world? 2 Corinthians 4:3–5.

note: “In order to gain a proper knowledge of ourselves, it is necessary to look into the mirror, and there discovering our own defects, avail ourselves of the blood of Christ, the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, in which we may wash our robes of character and remove the stains of sin. But many refuse to see their errors and correct them; they do not want a true knowledge of themselves. If we would reach high attainments in moral and spiritual excellence we must live for it. We are under personal obligation to society to do this, in order continually to exert an influence in favor of God’s law. We should let our light so shine that all may see that the sacred gospel is having an influence upon our hearts and lives, that we walk in obedience to its commandments and violate none of its principles. We are in a great degree accountable to the world for the souls of those around us.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 58–59.

Whom do God’s remnant people have as their example in bringing light to a dark world? John 3:17.

note: “Our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world as the unwearied servant of man’s necessity. He ‘took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses,’ that He might minister to every need of humanity. Matthew 8:17. The burden of disease and wretchedness and sin He came to remove. It was His mission to bring to men complete restoration; He came to give them health and peace and perfection of character.” Ministry of Healing, 17.

What is Christ asking us to do for our Heavenly Father? John 17:18; Matthew 5:16.

note: “I have been shown that the disciples of Christ are His representatives upon the earth; and God designs that they shall be lights in the moral darkness of this world, dotted all over the country, in the towns, villages, and cities, ‘a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.’ If they obey the teachings of Christ in His Sermon on the Mount, they will be seeking continually for perfection of Christian character, and will be truly the light of the world, channels through which God will communicate His divine will, the truth of heavenly origin, to those who sit in darkness and who have no knowledge of the way of life and salvation.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 631.

Whose life shows that it possible to live as a pure light for God in today’s world? Genesis 5:21–24.

note: “Christ came into the world to save it, to connect fallen man with the infinite God. Christ’s followers are to be channels of light. Maintaining communion with God, they are to transmit to those in darkness and error the choice blessings which they receive of heaven. Enoch did not become polluted with the iniquities existing in his day; why need we in our day? But we may, like our Master, have compassion for suffering humanity, pity for the unfortunate, and a generous consideration for the feelings and necessities of the needy, the troubled, and the despairing.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 113.

“An Holy Nation”

What characteristics will be seen in our lives if we are truly to reflect God to those around us? 1 Peter 1:13–16.

note: “In order to manifest the character of God, in order that we may not deceive ourselves, the church, and the world by a counterfeit Christianity, we must become personally acquainted with God. If we have fellowship with God, we are His ministers, though we may never preach to a congregation. We are workers together with
God in presenting the perfection of His character in humanity.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 13.

What will be the sign of true holiness and loyalty to our Savior and Creator? Exodus 20:8; Psalm 29:2; Revelation 14:7.

note: “Not all who profess to keep the Sabbath will be sealed. There are many even among those who teach the truth to others who will not receive the seal of God in their foreheads. They had the light of truth, they knew their Master’s will, they understood every point of our faith, but they had not corresponding works. These who were so familiar with prophecy and the treasures of divine wisdom should have acted their faith. They should have commanded their households after them, that by a well-ordered family they might present to the world the influence of the truth upon the human heart.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 213, 214.

“A Royal Priesthood”

A priest is the one who stands between God and man. What is the “royal priesthood” to declare about God to the world? 1 Peter 2:9, 10.

note: “God declares, ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.’ He is the benefactor of the universe. His tender mercies are over all His works. ‘The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.’ It is God’s desire that man shall proclaim the benevolence of His character. In word and deed His people are to reveal His mercy, calling attention to His compassionate designs. The world is to see in the believers who make it their first aim to fulfil the will of Christ, a true representation of Christianity.” Review and Herald, November 26, 1901.

What are the sacrifices to be offered by today’s “royal priesthood”? Romans 12:1, 2.

note: “In the ancient Jewish service it was required that every sacrifice should be without blemish. In the text we are told to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. We are God’s workmanship. The psalmist, meditating upon the marvelous work of God in the human frame, exclaimed, ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ Psalms 139:14. There are many who are educated in the sciences, and are familiar with the theory of the truth, who do not understand the laws that govern their own being. God has given us faculties and talents; and it is our duty, as His sons and daughters, to make the best use of them. If we weaken these powers of mind or body by wrong habits or indulgence of perverted appetite, it will be impossible for us to honor God as we should.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 15.

“A Chosen Generation”

What special work for the world is assigned to the last generation of God’s people? Revelation 14:6.

note: “We are nearing the close of this earth’s history. We have before us a great work, the closing work of giving the last warning message to a sinful world. There are men who will be taken from the plough, from the vineyard, from various other branches of work, and sent forth by the Lord to give this message to the world. The world is out of joint. As we look at the picture, the outlook seems discouraging. But Christ greets with hopeful assurance the very men and women who cause us discouragement. In them He sees qualifications that will enable them to take a place in His vineyard. If they will constantly be learners, through His providence He will make them men and women fitted to do a work that is not beyond their capabilities; through the impartation of the Holy Spirit He will give them power of utterance. Many of the barren, unworked fields must be entered by beginners. The brightness of the Savior’s view of the world will inspire confidence in many workers, who, if they begin in humility, and put their hearts into the work, will be found to be the right men for the time and place…He corrects our erring piety, giving the burden of the work for the poor and needy in the rough places of the earth to men and women who have hearts that can feel for the ignorant and for those that are out of the way. The Lord teaches these workers how to meet those whom He wishes them to help. They will be encouraged as they see doors opening for them to enter places where they can do medical missionary work. Having little self-confidence, they give God all the glory. Their hands may be rough and unskilled, but their hearts are susceptible to pity; they are filled with an earnest desire to do something to relieve the woe so abundant; and Christ is present to help them.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 270, 271.

How will these workers find protection from the final, angry onslaught of the evil one? Ephesians 6:10–18.

note: “The Great General is not only leading a few generals; but the Captain of the Lord’s host is leading the armies of both heaven and earth to battle; and they are marching on to the glorious victory. Every soldier is to put on the whole armor of God, and fight courageously, realizing that he is battling in full view of the invisible universe. If they will obey orders, the Lord’s army will find themselves influenced by the Holy Spirit to work the works of God. The battlefield is glorified with the light shining from the cross of Calvary.” Australasian Union Conference Record, April 1, 1898.

“I Pray for Them”

How are we included in Jesus’ prayer for His disciples? John 17:11, 20, 21.

note: “Yes, that prayer of Christ embraces even us. We should be comforted by the thought that we have a great intercessor in the heavens, presenting our petitions before God. ‘If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ In the hour of greatest need, when discouragement would overwhelm the soul, it is then that the watchful eye of Jesus sees that we need His help. The hour of man’s necessity is the hour of God’s opportunity. When all human support fails, then Jesus comes to our aid, and His presence scatters the darkness and lifts the cloud of gloom.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 530.

As we realize our weakness and frailty, what invitation and promises come to us from the Most Holy Place? Hebrews 4:14–16.

note: “Let us begin to work for those who have not had the light. ‘All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth,’ the Savior declares, ‘and, lo, I am with you alway.’ Matthew 28:18, 20. What we need is a living faith, faith to proclaim over the rent sepulchre of Joseph that we have a living Savior, one who will go before us and who will work with us. God will do the work if we will furnish Him the instruments. There needs to be among us a great deal more of prayer and much less of unbelief. We need to lift up the standard higher and still higher before the people. We need to remember that Christ is always at our right hand as we proclaim liberty to the captives and deal the bread of life to hungry souls. When we keep before our minds the urgency and importance of our work, the salvation of God will be revealed in a remarkable manner.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 107.

Bible Study Guides – “Many Members Yet But One Body”

March 12, 2020 by Unknown

October 30, 1999 – November 5, 1999

Memory Verse

“But now are they many members, yet but one body.” 1 Corinthians 12:20.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 4, 16–20.

Introduction

“The religion of Christ does not require us to lose our identity of character, but merely to adapt ourselves, in some measure, to the feelings and ways of others. Many people may be brought together in a unity of religious faith whose opinions, habits, and tastes in temporal matters are not in harmony; but if they have the love of Christ glowing in their bosoms, and are looking forward to the same heaven as their eternal home, they may have the sweetest and most intelligent communion together, and a unity the most wonderful. There are scarcely two whose experience is alike in every particular. The trials of one may not be the trials of another, and our hearts should ever be open to kindly sympathy and all aglow with the love that Jesus had for all His brethren.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 65, 66.

“How Good and How Pleasant It Is”

How does David describe the blessings of unity among God’s people? Psalm 133:1–3.

note: “The apostles differed widely in habits and disposition. There were the publican, Levi-Matthew, and the fiery zealot Simon, the uncompromising hater of the authority of Rome; the generous, impulsive Peter, and the mean-spirited Judas; Thomas, true-hearted, yet timid and fearful, Philip, slow of heart, and inclined to doubt, and the ambitious, outspoken sons of Zebedee, with their brethren. These were brought together, with their different faults, all with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil; but in and through Christ they were to dwell in the family of God, learning to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit. They would have their tests, their grievances, their differences of opinion; but while Christ was abiding in the heart, there could be no dissension. His love would lead to love for one another; the lessons of the Master would lead to the harmonizing of all differences, bringing the disciples into unity, till they would be of one mind and one judgement. Christ is the great center, and they would approach one another just in proportion as they approached the center.” The Desire of Ages, 296.

What counsel did Paul give to the believers in Philippi? Philippians 2:1–5.

note: “Brethren and sisters, we have no time to dwell on little differences. For Christ’s sake, go to your knees in prayer! Go to God, and ask Him to give you a clean heart. Ask Him to help you to stand where He wants you to be. Labor in harmony with one another, even though you are not alike. Do you not know that of the leaves on a tree there are no two exactly alike? From this God would teach us that among His servants there is to be unity in diversity.” General Conference Bulletin, March 30, 1903.

“The Unity of the Spirit”

What earnest plea did Paul make to the believers in Ephesus? Ephesians 4:1–3.

note: “I spoke upon the necessity of laboring for unity and cultivating Christian courtesy, ‘endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ The effect of truth upon the heart is to cleanse it from every defilement. It will not increase self-love, but will lead the receiver to humble his heart, and to ascribe nothing to self, but all to God. He ceases to esteem himself more highly than his brethren. His former sensitiveness to reproach, neglect, or contempt disappears, and he is not so easily irritated; he becomes gentle and condescending, and exemplifies the simplicity of Christ who was meek and lowly of heart. His own nation and personal friends are no longer the boundary lines of his love. He loves Jesus with all his heart, and all who are trying to be the children of God he loves as himself. There is an entire change in his life.” Review and Herald, November 3, 1885.

What specific examples of the oneness of God’s people did Paul mention? Ephesians 4:4–6.

note: “There is but one body, and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith. As members of the body of Christ all believers are animated by the same spirit and the same hope. Divisions in the church dishonor the religion of Christ before the world and give occasion to the enemies of truth to justify their course. Paul’s instructions were not written alone for the church in his day. God designed that they should be sent down to us. What are we doing to preserve unity in the bonds of peace?” Testimonies, vol. 5, 239. (See also The Great Controversy, 379.)

“Unity in the Bond of Peace”

What sound counsel did Paul give to those whose views were causing division? Romans 14:19.

note: “In union there is strength; in disunion there is weakness. God’s chosen ones are to reveal to the world their union one with another. It is not possible for a few to walk to heaven alone because they can agree with no others. God’s people are to be a unit. If some entertain ideas so peculiar that others cannot accept them, they should compare notes in a teachable spirit, and all should be willing to learn. They should make the most strenuous efforts to be one, to come into the unity of the faith in the bonds of peace.” Review and Herald,
April 27, 1897.

What characteristics are we to cultivate in order to achieve unity in the bond of peace? Colossians 3:12–15.

note: “The apostle exhorts his brethren to manifest in their lives the power of the truth which he had presented to them. By meekness and gentleness, forbearance and love, they were to exemplify the character of Christ and the blessings of His salvation. There is but one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith. As members of the body of Christ, all members are to be animated by the same spirit and the same hope. Harmony and union existing among men of varied dispositions is the strongest witness that can be borne that God has sent His Son into the world to save sinners. It is our privilege to bear this witness. Our characters must be molded in harmony with His character, our wills must be surrendered to His will.” Review and Herald, November 12, 1908.

“The Unity of the Faith”

What was one of the purposes for members being given the different spiritual gifts in the church? Ephesians 4:11–13.

note: “Honest souls will see the straight chain of present truth. They will see its harmonious connections, link after link uniting into a great whole, and will lay hold upon it. The present truth is not difficult to be understood, and the people whom God is leading will be united upon this broad, firm platform. He will not use individuals of different faith, opinions, and views, to scatter and divide. Heaven and holy angels are working to unite, to bring into the unity of the faith, into the one body. Satan opposes this, and is determined to scatter, and divide, and bring in different sentiments, that the prayer of Christ may not be answered: ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.’ John 17:20, 21. Jesus designed that the faith of His people should be one.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 327.

Though God’s people have different gifts, what are we to do so that diversity does not become division? 1 Corinthians 1:10.

note: “Christ is leading out a people, and bringing them into the unity of the faith, that they may be one, as He is one with the Father. Differences of opinion must be yielded, that all may come into union with the body, that they may have one mind and one judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10: ‘Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.’ Romans 15:5, 6: ‘Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Philippians 2:2: ‘Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.’” Testimonies, vol. 1, 324.

“We, Being Many, Are One”

How does Paul describe the diversity that exists among God’s people? Romans 12:4, 6–8.

note: “Study this scripture carefully. God has not given to every one the same line of work. It is His plan that there shall be unity in diversity. When His plan is studied and followed, there will be far less friction in the working of the cause.” Pacific Union Recorder, December 29, 1904.

What picture did Paul use to demonstrate the importance of each individual member to the whole church? 1 Corinthians 12:12–21.

note: “The Lord desires His church to respect every gift that He has bestowed on the different members. Let us beware of allowing our minds to become fixed on ourselves, thinking that no one can be serving the Lord unless he is working on the same lines as those on which we are working. Never is a worker to say, ‘I do not want to work with such a one, because he does not see things as I do. I wish to work with some one who will agree with all I say, and follow out all my ideas.’ The one the worker thus refuses to connect with may have truths to present that have not yet been presented. Because of the worker’s refusal to accept the help provided by the Lord, the work is made one-sided. The work is hurt unless there are brought into it all the gifts that God has bestowed. Many times the progress of the work has been hindered because the laborers thought their gifts all that were necessary for its advancement. The Lord has not done for His people what He would have done if so many of the workers had not limited the development of the work by refusing to co-operate with laborers who should have been given standing room and encouragement. In self-sufficiency, men have ignored and pushed aside those to whom God has given a special work.” Pacific Union Recorder, December 29, 1904.

“By This Shall All Men Know…”

What counsel does Paul give to Christians concerning those who bring division among God’s people? Romans 16:17.

note: “Let the suspicious ones, who think and speak evil of their brethren, remember that they are doing the devil’s drudgery. Let each member of the church work with earnest determination, and with prayer for help, to cure the diseased member, the tongue. Let every one feel that it is his duty and privilege to pass over little differences and mistakes without comment. Do not magnify the small mistakes made by some one, but think of the good that is in him. Each time these mistakes are thought of and talked about, they grow larger. A mountain is made out of a molehill. Ill-feeling and a lack of confidence is the result.” Australasian Union Conference Record, April 15, 1903.

What did Christ say was convincing evidence that we are His disciples? John 13:35.

note: “The more closely we resemble our Savior in character, the greater will be our love toward those for whom He died. Christians who manifest a spirit of unselfish love for one another are bearing a testimony for Christ which unbelievers can neither gainsay nor resist. It is impossible to estimate the power of such an example. Nothing will so successfully defeat the devices of Satan and his emissaries, nothing will so build up the Redeemer’s kingdom, as will the love of Christ manifested by the members of the church. Peace and prosperity can be enjoyed only as meekness and love are in active exercise.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 168.

Preparation for the Sabbath–What preparations in our homes should be done before the Sabbath?

When should all ordinary work be completed?

What are employers responsible to do for their employees on the preparation day?

What other type of preparation is needed before the Sabbath?

How should families spend the opening of the Sabbath hours?

Behavior Upon the Sabbath–What should our attitude and behavior be when we are in the house of God?

Can God be dishonored by our children’s behavior in the house of God?

Does all of the Sabbath need to be spent in meetings?

Upon whom should our thoughts and speech be focused on the Sabbath?

Where should our thoughts be on the Sabbath?

Are we to leave our worldly occupations on the Sabbath?

When is it necessary that some labor be done upon the Sabbath?

Is the Sabbath to be spent sleeping?

How should we be dressed when we come to worship God upon the Sabbath?

Should travel be avoided when possible?

What should Sabbath meals be like?

Children and the Sabbath–How should children be taught to think about the Sabbath?

How should parents keep the Sabbath with their children?

What activities are Sabbath-breaking?

Blessings for Sabbath-keepers–What is the promise for those who keep the Sabbath holy?

Can God bless those who do not honor His Sabbath?

Marriage-Like a Taste of Heaven or Hell?

God’s Way

What If Only You Choose?

The Work of Sanctification

The History of the Marian Movement

Papal Devotion to the Marian Movement

Uniting the World

The Devil’s Goal

Ecumenical Associations Ensnare Adventism

Revealing the Devil’s Lie

The Birth of Two Heresies

Calvinism and 1888

A Harmless Concession?

If They Had Only Listened

The Meaning of Worship

When Self is Our God

When Self is Alive

Sheep and Stress

November 20, 1999 – November 26, 1999

Introduction

“Go Ye and Teach.”

What task has Christ given to His church? Matthew 28:19, 20.

How is the accomplishment of this task linked to the end of the world? Matthew 24:14.

“How Shall They Hear?”

How does Paul express the need for people to proclaim the Gospel? Romans 10:14.

What Bible story illustrates how the willing servant of God can be used to win a soul to Christ? Acts 8:26–39.

“The Word of Their Testimony”

How have God’s saints of old been able to overcome the assaults of Satan? Revelation 12:11.

How can the word of our testimony strengthen and encourage fellow-believers? Hebrews 10:25; Malachi 3:16–17.

“Whom Shall I Send?”

What call to God’s people comes from the throne of God? Isaiah 6:8.

What promises did God make to one who felt his inadequacy to speak for God? Jeremiah 1:6–9.

“Let Your Light So Shine”

Besides the word of our testimony, in what other way is the follower of God to witness? Matthew 5:16.

How does Isaiah describe this work of letting the light shine? Isaiah 58:6–8.

“And I Saw Another Angel”

What special message are God’s people called to proclaim in the days just before Christ’s coming? Revelation 14:6–12.

What additional message must also be given to warn God’s people of their danger? Revelation 18:1–4.

November 13, 1999 – November 19, 1999

Introduction

“To Serve Him in Holiness”

What is God’s desire for all His people? Luke 1:74, 75.

How does Jesus describe the ones who will have the privilege of seeing God? Matthew 5:8.

“Shall We Continue in Sin That Grace May Abound?”

How may we be freed from the guilt of those sins we have committed? 1 John 1:9.

Is forgiveness all that we need to inherit eternal life? Romans 6:1, 2.

“Let Us Cleanse Ourselves”

What “exceeding great and precious promises” does God give to those who wish to become like Jesus? 1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 2:18; 2 Peter 2:9; Revelation 3:10.

In the light of God’s promises, what counsel does Paul give? 2 Corinthians 7:1.

Who works in co-operation with the Christian to complete the work of salvation from all sin? Philippians 2:12, 13.

“Be Ye Holy; for I am Holy”

To what kind of lives has God called us? 1 Thessalonians 4:7.

What is the measure of the holiness to which God has called us? 1 Peter 1:15, 16.

“Holy and Without Blemish”

How in practical detail is this holiness described? Titus 1:8; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17, Romans 12:1, Colossians 1:22, 1 Peter 1:15, Ephesians 5:27.

How does the Bible describe those who have part in the first resurrection, at the Second Coming of Jesus? Revelation 20:6.

How does the Bible describe those who are alive to see Jesus as He is? 1 John 3:2.

What important counsel does John give to those who hope to meet Jesus? 1 John 3:3–6.

November 6, 1999 – November 12, 1999