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What Seest Thou?

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One of the most miraculous organs that God gave humans is the eye. But just like any organ of the body, it can be abused through misuse or mistreatment—more commonly by the former rather than the latter.

God’s word gives us much guidance regarding use of our eyes and provides many examples of the results of their misuse. In Isaiah, the prophet was moved to write one of the clearest statements regarding the importance of guarding what we behold:

“The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:

‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?

Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,

He who despises the gain of oppressions,

Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,

Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,

And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

He will dwell on high;

His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;

Bread will be given him,

His water will be sure.”

Isaiah 33:14–16

[Emphasis supplied.]

The pen of inspiration noted the importance of Isaiah’s counsel in the following passage:

“Clad in the armor of Christ’s righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict. ‘Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners’ (Song of Solomon 6:10), she is to go forth into all the world, conquering and to conquer.

“The darkest hour of the church’s struggle with the powers of evil is that which immediately precedes the day of her final deliverance. But none who trust in God need fear; for ‘when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall,’ God will be to His church ‘a refuge from the storm’ (Isaiah 25:4).

“In that day only the righteous are promised deliverance. ‘The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure’ (Isaiah 33:14–16).”

“The word of the Lord to His faithful ones is: ‘Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity’ (Isaiah 26:20, 21).” Prophets and Kings, 725, 726.

It is comforting to recognize that through Isaiah the Lord has promised the faithful that if they abide by His counsel, if, among other forms of obedience, they shut their eyes from seeing evil, they will be fed and sheltered during the time of trouble.

Some of the counsel that inspiration provides concerns not only our physical vision, but our imagination—our mental vision—as well.

“We want the transforming grace of God to take right hold of our thinking powers. We may think evil, we may continue to keep our minds upon objectionable things, but what does this do for us? It conforms our entire experience to that which we are looking upon. But by beholding Jesus we become changed into His likeness. The servant of the living God sees to some purpose. The eyes are sanctified, and the ears are sanctified, and those who will close their eyes and ears to evil will become changed.” Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 670.

This passage makes reference to a text that needs to be understood in its fullest meaning by those who are serious about overcoming: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We commonly understand this text to mean that we become changed into what we spend our time beholding. If we regularly view activity that transgresses the commandments, statutes, testimonies, and words of counsel that the Lord in His mercy has given us, how can we hope to be overcomers? Eventually we will become changed into what we are beholding.

“Everything that can be done should be done to place ourselves and our children where we shall not see the iniquity that is practised [sic] in the world. We should carefully guard the sight of our eyes and the hearing of our ears, so that these awful things shall not enter our minds. When the daily newspaper comes into the house, I feel as if I wanted to hide it, that the ridiculous, sensational things in it may not be seen. It seems as if the enemy is at the foundation of the publishing of many things that appear in newspapers. Every sinful thing that can be found is uncovered and laid bare before the world.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 211.

When this was written, there was no television or Internet, but if we understand the principle of this counsel, we must recognize that it is obvious that the same danger that inspiration recorded as existing from reading the newspaper exists to an even greater degree when those dangers are presented in living color.

The psalmist also provided wise counsel to us when he recorded one of the enlightened rules by which he guided his own life:

“I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;

I hate the work of those who fall away;

It shall not cling to me”

(Psalm 101:3).

“The vows of David recorded in Psalm 101 should be the vows of all upon whom rest the responsibilities of guarding the influences of the home. David declared: ‘I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. … I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes’ (Psalm 101:2, 3 KJV).

 

“The enemy of souls will invent many things to lead the minds of our youth from firm faith in God to the idolatrous practices of the world. Let the cautions given to ancient Israel be carefully studied. Satan’s efforts to spoil the thoughts and confuse the judgment are unceasing, and we must be on our guard. We must be careful to maintain our allegiance to God as His peculiar people.” In Heavenly Places, 215.

“Say firmly: ‘I will not spend precious moments in reading that which will be of no profit to me, and which only unfits me to be of service to others. I will devote my time and my thoughts to acquiring a fitness for God’s service. I will close my eyes to frivolous and sinful things.’ ” Maranatha, 145.

Psalm 119, the psalm that makes the necessity of obedience to God’s laws, precepts, and testimonies so inarguably evident, also addresses the importance of the appropriate use of our eyes in this appeal to Omnipotence:

“Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,

And revive me in Your way” (Psalm 119:37).

Inspiration makes a clear reference to this prayer of the psalmist in the following passage:

“Watchfulness and vigilance are needed now as never before in the history of the race. The eye must be turned off from beholding vanity.” That I May Know Him, 267.

One well-known example of the consequences of misuse of the eyes is contained in the sad story of Achan.

“And Achan answered Joshua and said, ‘Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it’ (Joshua 7:20, 21).”

“Achan’s covetousness was excited by the sight of that costly robe of Shinar; even when it had brought him face to face with death he called it ‘a goodly Babylonish garment.’ ” Patriarchs and Prophets, 496.

The story of Achan clearly demonstrates that we must not allow our eyes to linger in areas or on things that God in His mercy has forbidden us to behold—either physically or mentally. Note that Achan “saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels” (Joshua 7:21). His error was in letting his vision linger on the spoils and coveting them as his own. He failed to recognize these objects as what in reality they were—an allurement used by Satan to lead him into sin.

Another well-known example of the dangers of allowing our vision to linger on things that we should not is provided in the following Scripture:

“Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, ‘Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite’ (2 Samuel 11:2, 3)?”

Perhaps at this point in time he had not yet written the following:

“My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

For He shall pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15).

If David had had his eyes “ever toward the Lord,” he would have averted his vision away from the sensuous scene before him. The many griefs that followed in his life may well have been avoided.

Often in the course of our daily Christian walk, we are confronted with images that, as Christians, we should consciously and conscientiously turn from. Tabloids in the grocery check-out line, billboards, inappropriately dressed worldlings—life is full of these kinds of allurements.

It is imperative that we recognize that Satan is the prince of this world and is absolutely determined to lead as many people astray as possible. It is also important that we recognize that those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are his special targets.

“As the people of God approach the perils of the last days, Satan holds earnest consultation with his angels as to the most successful plan of overthrowing their faith. He sees that the popular churches are already lulled to sleep by his deceptive power. By pleasing sophistry [dishonesty or fraudulence] and lying wonders he can continue to hold them under his control. Therefore he directs his angels to lay their snares especially for those who are looking for the second advent of Christ and endeavoring to keep all the commandments of God.” Maranatha, 208.

Adventists are the very ones “who are looking for the second advent of Christ and endeavoring to keep all the commandments of God” and are therefore subject to these special efforts of Satan and his evil agents. It matters not to them how they succeed in their efforts—whether they lead the professed people of God to transgress in thought, word, or deed. Thus it is absolutely imperative that those who are expecting to cross the Jordan in triumphant victory guard their vision, whether they are seeing with their eyes or with their imagination. Christ made that clear in the Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27, 28).

The apostle John also warned about feasting visually in forbidden areas:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2:15–17).

Well, what’s a person to do? We have an enemy who knows us better than we know ourselves. Is there a safe harbor for us?

In the world of business, there is an area of practice that involves personnel management called “human resources.” One of the things that profession dwells on is compliance with the rules and regulations developed over time by the government to protect the rights of workers. The intent of these regulations is to ensure that all employees are treated equally. To accomplish that task, there are what are called “safe harbors.” If you do this one particular thing with respect to some rule or regulation, you are assured that you are in compliance enough to avoid penalty.

Wikipedia puts it this way: “A safe harbor is a provision of a statute or a regulation that specifies that certain conduct will be deemed not to violate a given rule. It is usually found in connection with a vaguer, overall standard.”

Let’s look at an example for clarity. There is a law against reckless driving. What constitutes reckless driving is sometimes—even often—a matter of personal opinion. However, driving at 25 miles per hour is considered a safe harbor against reckless driving in most situations. On the other hand, driving at 90 miles per hour is considered an unsafe harbor under just about any situation.

So, what’s the safe harbor for those striving to be among the 144,000? God’s word provides the answer in many places, but we will look at Psalm 19:8:

“The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:8).

As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matthew 6:22, 23)!

This is a text that is worth much study. What does Christ mean when He says “if your eye is bad”? What does He mean by “your whole body will be full of darkness”? And especially intriguing is His statement that “if therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” Clearly, we have some introspection to do! Having bad eyes, eyes that linger on forbidden things, has perhaps greater consequences than we might initially realize. Remember our initial text from Isaiah: he who shuts his eyes from seeing evil will dwell on high.

By keeping our eyes—especially our mind’s eye—turned upon the word of God in all of its manifestations, we indeed find a safe harbor for our conduct. The psalmist made note of that in Psalm 26:2, 3:

“Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;

Try my mind and my heart.

For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,

And I have walked in Your truth” (Psalm 26:2, 3).

If we keep the lovingkindness, the blessings, of our Lord constantly in our mind’s eye, what is the result? The psalmist tells us: we walk in His truth.

Paul wrote some simple words in his letter to the Colossians that deserve much thought:

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1–3).

On initial reading, one might simply think that the meaning of Paul’s counsel expressed in these texts is obvious. However, spending some time meditating on this passage brings to mind a wealth of wise instruction.

First of all, we recognize that to be raised with Christ is to be baptized—to make a public statement of our intent to be overcomers, to concede that we need the grace of Christ as we accept the challenge of the battle and the march that is the Christian’s life.

Next, we are instructed to “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.”

Inspiration alludes to this text in the following passage:

“We need to have more distinct views of Jesus and a fuller comprehension of the value of eternal realities. The beauty of holiness is to fill the hearts of God’s children; and that this may be accomplished, we should seek for divine disclosures of heavenly things.” Steps to Christ, 99.

Colossians 3:2 contains an extremely valuable jewel of counsel: “set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” How many of our trials and temptations would vanish if we heeded this advice. Every temptation that faces us, every effort of Satan to lead us astray would fall helplessly to the ground if we heeded this counsel. “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Even taken literally, the truth of this counsel is evident.

By virtue of man’s choice to obey the serpent rather than the Creator and eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, this earth is the realm of Satan. Scripture makes that abundantly clear. See John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, and Ephesians 2:2, as well as many other texts that make it too plain to be misunderstood that Satan holds sway over mankind.

So, what are we to do? How can we succeed in keeping our vision on things above and not on things on the earth? The apostle John adds to the advice toward that end that Paul has given us in his first epistle:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2:15–17).

We are back where we started—noting the importance of keeping our eyes focused on appropriate things and avoiding looking at anything that takes the mind away from “things which are above.”

How thorough and clear is God’s word of warning to His faithful children about the dangers of beholding “things in the world.” Reference after reference, text after text can be cited that addresses this issue.

“Let your eyes look straight ahead,

And your eyelids look right before you” (Proverbs 4:25).

May God help us as we strive to “shut our eyes from beholding evil” so that we might “dwell on high.”

All quotes NKJV unless otherwise noted.

John Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. After retiring as chief financial officer for the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon, Arizona, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, to join the Steps team. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

 

 

 

Divine Understanding

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The Psalmist says,

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” Psalm 111:10

WHAT IS WISDOM?

The word “wisdom” in the Hebrew language is Chokmah, a word occurring 141 times in the Bible. Chokmah is comprehensive in its meaning:

  1. technical knowledge (Exodus 28:3; 35:26);
  2. practical, worldly wisdom (1 Kings 4:30; Isaiah 47:10);
  3. ideal human wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:2);
  4. wisdom as an attribute of God (Psalm 104:24; Proverbs 3:19; Jeremiah 10:12; 51:15).

Wisdom is distinguished from knowledge in that wisdom has to do with character and conduct, whereas knowledge is primarily intellectual enlightenment. Knowledge may be an accumulation of unrelated and unorganized facts without the ability to apply these facts to personal life. Wisdom is the faculty of being able to make a practical use of facts.

SO WHAT IS UNDERSTANDING?

An intermediate step may be conceived of in the term understanding. Understanding implies the ability to evaluate and organize facts, an essential framework for wisdom.

The word “understanding” as found in Psalm 111:10 originates from a Hebrew word which means, intelligence, success, discretion, knowledge, policy; sense or wisdom.

So while “understanding” has to do with the ability or power to acquire and interpret knowledge, while it has to do with the mental faculties, intelligence and the ability to comprehend yet according to the Holy Scriptures, it is intimately connected to wisdom, which makes a practical use of facts, for it has to do with character and conduct.

So we read again, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: his praise endureth for ever” (Psalm 111:10).
Therefore good, true or divine understanding cannot be separated from obedience! Obedience to God’s revealed will, obedience to God’s word demonstrates that a person has true understanding!

WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW GOD OR THOSE WHO PROFESS TO BELIEVE IN HIM BUT DISOBEY HIM? ARE THEY WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING?

“Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom … . But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord. …” (Jeremiah 9:23, 24).

The man who knows not God or the man who professes to know Him but does not obey has understanding, but it is not true or divine understanding. It is that understanding that allows man to glory or that uplifts himself instead of his Creator.

Paul says of such men that while they possess understanding, yet their understanding is darkened. “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:17, 18).

WHAT CAUSES COMPLETE BLINDNESS?

Jesus taught, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matthew 6:22, 23)!

The “light” of the body is that insight that places relative value on the things of time and eternity. When Jesus used the word “eye,” He was addressing the eye of the soul that gives a man heavenly vision, and that enables him to behold that which is invisible to the natural eyesight. Such eyesight is a guide to the soul in the same way that physical eyesight is a guide to the body. Hebrews 11:27 reads, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible.” And 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Ellen White, commenting on the words of Jesus points out, “But when the eye is blinded by the love of self, there is only darkness. ‘If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.’ ” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 91.

The apostle John tells us also what causes spiritual blindness: “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:11).

The word “darkness” is derived from a root word which means shadiness or more specifically darkness of error. Even among Christians are many whose understanding is darkened because of a failure to obey God.

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

ALSO
The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience.

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

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

Dr. Edward Heppenstall agrees with Oswald Chambers when he penned, “Christianity consists of two things: a true knowledge of Christ and an experience of Him. Christ comes not merely with information. He comes so that we exclaim with delight, ‘Once I was blind, but now I see’ (John 9:25).”

Thomas a’ Kempis, (1380–1471) German scholar & clergy, taught, “God walks with the humble; He reveals Himself to the lowly; He gives understanding to the little ones; He discloses His meaning to pure minds, but hides His grace from the curious and the proud.”

WHO CAUSES THE UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN BEINGS TO BECOME DARKENED?

Paul states, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4).

WHO IS THE “god OF THIS WORLD”?

  1. The devil claims to be the god of this world – “Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8, 9).
  2. He is “the god of this world” because the world is largely under his control. He rules in the hearts of most of its inhabitants – “And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1, 2).

Satan is called by other titles such as “prince of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) and “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

Therefore, it is he who darkens people’s minds by way of all manner of sinful practices! Satan’s principal work is to blind or darken men’s minds.

SUMMARY OF HOW SATAN DARKENS HUMAN BEINGS’ MINDS:

  • By keeping them from the study of God’s word.
  • By deranging the power of the mind through excesses of body and soul.
  • By wholly occupying the mind with things of this life.
  • By appealing to pride and self-exaltation.

KEEP IN MIND!

The battle between Christ and Satan is a battle for the minds of men (see Romans 7:23, 25).

TWELVE WAYS THE UNDERSTANDING BECOMES DARKENED!

  1. Sin darkens the understanding – “The enlightening of the understanding must become a part of the experience. Sin has darkened the reasoning powers, and hell is triumphing.” SpTBO7, Testimonies for the Church Containing Messages of Warning and Instruction to Seventh-day Adventists, 22. “Blindness of the heart is a terrible barrier to the discerning of truth … Sin is the disease of the soul, in consequence of which the understanding fails to do its appointed work on the heart and memory.” PH028, Elder Daniels and the Fresno Church, 6, 7.
  2. Failure to heed the call to repentance – “During the preceding months of the Baptist’s ministry, many had refused to heed the call to repentance. Thus they had hardened their hearts and darkened their understanding.” The Desire of Ages, 136.
  3. By rejecting former messages – “Those who rejected the first message could not be benefited by the second; neither were they benefited by the midnight cry, which was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. And by rejecting the two former messages, they have so darkened their understanding that they can see no light in the third angel’s message, which shows the way into the most holy place.” Early Writings, 260, 261.
  4. By the use of alcoholic/strong drink – Satan “tempts men to the use of wine and strong drink, by which the understanding is darkened, the senses confused, and the image of God defaced.” Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists,
  5. By impure thoughts, actions and willful disobedience – “Impurity in thought or practice obscures spiritual vision, so that the soul can not contemplate and be charmed with the character of God. The world is full of disobedience, and the understanding of men has become so darkened by a sinful course of action that righteousness is not clearly discerned, and is not therefore appreciated above unrighteousness.” The Signs of the Times, October 3, 1895.
  6. By cherishing doubt – “There are those who walk amid perpetual doubts. They feed on doubts, enjoy doubts, talk doubts, and question everything that it is for their interest to believe. To those who thus trifle with the plain testimonies of God’s word, and who refuse to believe because it is inconvenient and unpopular to do so, the light will finally become darkness; truth will appear to the darkened understanding as error, and error will be accepted as truth. When thus shrouded in error, they will find it perfectly natural and convenient to believe what is false, and will become strong in their faith.” The Review and Herald, January 5, 1886.
  7. Because of continual transgression – “It was the love of God toward the children of men that moved Him to proclaim His law from Sinai. Because the understanding of men had become darkened by continual transgression, God, in His infinite mercy, condescended to bestow upon them the living oracles in all their original purity.” The Signs of the Times, December 2, 1880.
  8. Allowing the devil access to our minds – “When the Pharisees expressed their discontent because of the class of people with whom He mingled, Jesus set the matter before them in the parable of the lost sheep. But their understanding was darkened; for Satan had power over their minds, and they arrayed themselves in opposition to Jesus.” Ibid., November 20, 1893.
  9. Because of the false theories of Satan – “The idols of the heathen stood between them and their God, obscuring God from their vision. Thus it is today. By the cunning deception of Satan false theories are made a power to rob God. Man’s spiritual understanding is darkened by Satan’s sophistry.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 221.
  10. By defects of character – “By some the truth has been preached for a lifetime, but the understanding, darkened by defects of character which are not overcome, prevents them from discovering truth in its matchless loveliness.” Ibid., vol. 20, 180.
  11. By exalting one’s idea above God’s will – “Those who exalt their own ideas above the plainly specified will of God are saying, as did Pharaoh, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?’ Every rejection of light hardens the heart and darkens the understanding; and thus people find it more and more difficult to distinguish between right and wrong, and they become bolder in resisting the will of God.” Christ Triumphant, 109.
  12. Because of deliberately stifling one’s convictions of duty – “He who deliberately stifles his convictions of duty because it interferes with his inclinations, will finally lose the power to distinguish between truth and error. The understanding becomes darkened, the conscience callous, the heart hardened, and the soul is separated from God. Where the message of divine truth is spurned or slighted, there the church will be enshrouded in darkness; faith and love grow cold, and estrangement and dissension enter. Church-members center their interests and energies in worldly pursuits, and sinners become hardened in their impenitence.” The Great Controversy, (1888), 378.

WHO IS IT THAT ENLIGHTENS THE UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN BEINGS?

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17, 18).

In commenting on these verses God’s messenger records, “The ministry of the divine Spirit in enlightening the understanding and opening to the mind the deep things of God’s holy word, was the blessing which Paul thus besought for the Ephesian church.” The Great Controversy, ix.

The apostle John wrote, “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you” (John 16:13, 14).

God’s Servant wrote, “The work of the Holy Spirit is to enlighten the darkened understanding, to melt the selfish, stony heart, to subdue the rebellious transgressor, and save him from the corrupting influences of the world.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 441.

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE CONCERNING BEING ENLIGHTENED?

The wise man said, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).

“You should cultivate a spirit of entire submission to the will of God, earnestly, humbly seeking to know His ways and to follow the leadings of His Spirit. You must not lean to your own understanding. You should have deep distrust of your own wisdom and supposed prudence.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 360, 361.

“It is unsafe for men to lean to their own understanding; therefore they should daily seek strength and wisdom from above. God should be in all their thoughts; then all the wiles and subtleties of the old serpent cannot betray them into sinful neglect of duty. They will meet the adversary with the simple weapon that Christ used, ‘It is written,’ or will repulse him with, ‘Get thee behind Me, Satan’ (Luke 4:8).” Ibid., vol. 5, 409.

WHY IS IT UNSAFE FOR MAN TO LEAN TO HIS OWN UNDERSTANDING?

“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:17, 18).

In The General Conference Bulletin, April 1, 1899, we are also given the answer: “Through the power and work of Satan, the world has mistaken and forgotten God, and is living in sin. Man’s influence works against God. His knowledge of God and His word is perverted. His understanding is darkened.”

TODAY JESUS WANTS TO DO FOR YOU AND ME WHAT HE DID FOR THE DISCIPLES!

“And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me” (Luke 24:44).

“Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures” (verse 45).

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

The Price and the Law

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At present we have not experienced the real consequence to a person, family, church, or nation if a whole nation were to cast aside the law of God.

Heaven experienced this when Lucifer and his angel followers rebelled. We are told: “Satan stood in amazement at his new condition. His happiness was gone. He looked upon the angels who, with him, were once so happy, but who had been expelled from heaven with him. Before their fall not a shade of discontent had marred their perfect bliss. Now all seemed changed. Countenances which had reflected the image of their Maker were gloomy and despairing. Strife, discord, and bitter recrimination were among them. Previous to their rebellion these things had been unknown in heaven. Satan now beheld the terrible results of his rebellion. He shuddered, and feared to face the future and to contemplate the end of these things.

“The hour for joyful, happy songs of praise to God and His dear Son had come. Satan had led the heavenly choir. He had raised the first note; then all the angelic host had united with him, and glorious strains of music had resounded through heaven in honor of God and His dear Son. But now, instead of strains of sweetest music, discord and angry words fall upon the ear of the great rebel leader. Where is he? Is it not all a horrible dream? Is he shut out of heaven? Are the gates of heaven never more to open to admit him? The hour of worship draws nigh, when bright and holy angels bow before the Father. No more will he unite in heavenly song. No more will he bow in reverence and holy awe before the presence of the eternal God.

“Could he be again as he was when he was pure, true, and loyal, gladly would he yield up the claims of his authority. But he was lost! beyond redemption, for his presumptuous rebellion! And this was not all; he had led others to rebellion and to the same lost condition with himself—angels, who had never thought to question the will of Heaven or refuse obedience to the law of God till he had put it into their minds, presenting before them that they might enjoy a greater good, a higher and more glorious liberty. This had been the sophistry whereby he had deceived them. A responsibility now rests upon him from which he would fain be released.

“These spirits had become turbulent with disappointed hopes. Instead of greater good, they were experiencing the sad results of disobedience and disregard of law. Never more would these unhappy beings be swayed by the mild rule of Jesus Christ. Never more would their spirits be stirred by the deep, earnest love, peace, and joy which His presence had ever inspired in them, to be returned to Him in cheerful obedience and reverential honor.” The Story of Redemption, 24–26.

By casting aside the law of God, their happiness, peace, joy and contentment were gone—everything was lost. It was so bad that Satan himself would gladly have gone back. In fact, we are told that he entreated the Lord to be readmitted and Jesus wept as He explained to Satan that he could not be accepted back into heaven. The seeds of rebellion were still in him and he was irretrievably ruined. Satan then carried on his rebellion against God’s law and caused the fall of our first parents.

What a devastating result from that first rebellion. The deception that there will be freedom, joy and happiness by casting off God’s law still abounds today. The Bible calls these temporary pleasures of sin, but in the process of disobedience, there is great loss. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, the enemy of God and man has had this world under his training. He has taught the world well to trample under foot God’s moral standard so that today we live in a time of gross lawlessness.

In talking about the last days in Matthew 24:12, Jesus says, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” This describes the time in which we are living. Ellen White, in describing her time, sounds almost like she was talking today. She wrote, “The signs of the times are plain and startling. Look into the papers that flood our world, filled with recitals of daily crimes, committed not only in the lower walks of life, but also among the higher classes. Those who occupy positions of trust, who are placed as guardians of the peoples’ interest, are untrue to their responsibility. There is embezzlement and fraud. Public money is stolen, and not one tithe of these corrupt transactions come to the light of day, and we do not see to what extent the wickedness of the world exists.

“The youth of our time are receiving their education from the evil doings of these wicked, but honored men of the world. Theft, murder, adultery, corruption, every sin that has a name, prevails to an awful extent.” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1893. This was true then and it is even more true now. When God called His people out of Egypt, the children of Israel were the depository for the law of God. It was given to them to guard and keep it, teach it to their children and to make it known in the world.

Paul wrote, “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1, 2). Israel was given the law of God and they were instructed what to do with it. Deuteronomy 6:6–9 says, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Childhood is when a person’s mind is the most plastic and most receptive to new ideas, whether good or bad.

If the children of Israel had actually done this, the whole history of the world would have been different. But they continually fell into idolatry. The second commandment was violated because the children were not learning from their parents, from babyhood on up, the principles of God’s law. The Lord said to talk about it when you are sitting, when you are rising up, when you are traveling. Whatever you are doing, teach your children the principles of the law.

Ellen White wrote, “Had fathers and mothers followed the direction given by Christ, we should not now read and hear of sins and crimes committed not only by adults, but even by youth and children. The evil condition of society exists because parents have disregarded this instruction, and neglected to train and educate their children to respect and honor the holy commandments of God. Even religious teachers have failed to present the holy standard by which character is measured … .” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1893.

The devil attacks any religious teacher or preacher who teaches God’s law. One of his favorite methods of attack is to accuse him or her of being a legalist. By using smears or slogans he attempts to intimidate them to keep them from teaching God’s principles, yet this is something that should be prominent in every Christian church. If there is no law, there is no sin, because sin is the transgression of the law. If there is no sin, then there is no need for the gospel. If you do not need the gospel, what is a preacher supposed to preach? Religion becomes an empty shell with nothing to teach. It is hollow, without substance, unless you believe that the foundation of the Christian religion is God’s law, which is a reflection of His character. The law is valid and binding.

The world is being held captive by the belief that the law can be disregarded. Christian churches believe you can sin, but you do not have to pay the penalty for it. Just confess and be forgiven and the sin is erased. But forgiveness does not erase sin in itself; there are always consequences to be dealt with. Study the life of David, for instance. After David committed his sin with Bathsheba, he repented, and was forgiven. But was the sin erased as if it never happened? No. The prophet Nathan used a metaphor to draw out David’s response, which was that the guilty man should repay four-fold. He then told David that he would indeed pay four-fold and that the sword would dwell in his family from that time on, mentioning a whole series of terrible things that would happen. (See 2 Samuel 12:1–7.)

David lost four of his sons as a result of his crime. Every one of those losses hurt him more than if he had died himself. He was forgiven and he will be in the kingdom of heaven, but in this world, he had to pay consequences for his sin.

It seems that Protestants understand this principle even less than the Roman Catholics, who teach that there are temporal consequences for sin. Ellen White said that many people “… are so hardened that they do not think it possible that certain punishment will fall upon the evil doer.” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1893.

There is eternal punishment for sin if it is not forgiven, and even if those sins are forgiven, there are temporal consequences that occur in this world that will be paid. By the way, the temporal consequences of sin are not at a discount price. Everyone pays full price. Sometimes the price is damage to a person’s physical or mental health or other damages that occur in a person’s life.

Ecclesiastes 8:12, 13 talks about this problem. It says, “Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will He prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.”

There are limits to the forbearance of God. Ellen White says, “God has drawn a line … .” The Signs of the Times, May 15, 1884. We don’t know exactly where that line is, but God has drawn a line. An exact record is being kept of individuals, families, institutions, and nations and when an individual passes the limit, that person experiences judgments. When a nation passes the limit, that nation experiences judgments. Ellen White said, “O that every living teacher would teach both in word and doctrine that there are limits to God’s longsuffering. Many have gone beyond the limits of His forbearance. The world should be aroused to a wholesome fear of the Lord God of hosts. The time and age in which we live is one of marked depravity. … Erelong God will arise and vindicate His honor.” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1893.

An example is found in Genesis 15:13–16 when God was making promises to Abraham. “Then He said to Abram: ‘Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete [or full].’ ”

So, the Lord said, I can’t give you the land yet because the Amorites are living in it now. Your descendants are going to dispossess them, but I can’t give it to them now because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.

In the fourth generation what happened? Exodus 12:40, 41: “Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.”

When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they dispossessed the Amorites. The Amorites had had a long period of probation, but the time came when their transgression was so large that the Lord said, They must be dispossessed, as the city of Jericho. Not only the boundary of their probation was past, but they were doing the things that are listed in Leviticus 18. Because they were doing all these things, the Lord said, Enough! The types of things listed in Leviticus 18 are being done today and God hasn’t changed. “The time will come when all the transgressors of His law will know that God will by no means clear the guilty.” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1893. The Lord told Moses in Exodus 34:6 and 7, “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful, and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.’ ”

God is merciful. In God’s government there is a mingling of mercy and justice. The devil challenged that principle. When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, that charge was completely answered. Jesus’ death on the cross paid a just penalty for the sins of the world. It is by means of the cross that mercy is extended to the whole world. It was demonstrated at that time, in an irrefutable way, so irrefutable that at the end, the devil himself is going to bow and say, Yes, my sentence is just.

Another example of God’s forbearance is His dealing with the Jews. When Jesus came as the Saviour of the world, He said in John 6:37, “The one who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out.” He has promised not to cast me out, but to save me, and to cleanse me. Jesus was speaking to the Jewish people when He said that. He died on the cross to save even the worst of sinners.

Great light was given to the Jewish nation, but they rejected the light and the truth. They rejected the counsel of God against themselves. They set themselves stubbornly against the messages and warnings that God sent. The time came when they had exhausted the patience of God by their repeated rejection of truth and the messengers that God sent. When people are going in the wrong way, God sends them a message of reproof through a minister, a prophet, or a secular statesman. When the people of Nineveh listened and turned around at the reproof of Jonah, the Lord did not destroy them. But had they not listened, the outcome would have been different.

Now, the same God, with the same accuracy, keeps a record of what is happening in the world today. The Lord is still offering to nations, churches and to individuals the wedding garment that is woven in the loom of heaven so that they will be prepared for the coming of Christ and be fit to go into the wedding supper of the Lamb. Every effort is being made that none would be lost, for God does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men (Lamentations 3:33). The Lord says, “What could have been done more to My vineyard that I have not done in it” (Isaiah 5:4, literal translation)?

Today, there is a land that has had unrivaled mercies and blessings from God, a land that has been the greatest land of liberty that has ever existed. It has been the glory of the whole earth and blessed of heaven more than any other country on the face of the globe. But, instead of returning gratitude to God and honoring Him and His law for His multitude of blessings, professed Christians of America have become leavened with pride, covetousness, and self-sufficiency. Ellen White described the situation as follows: “The love of money, which is the root of all evil, has had a large place in their hearts. Many whose names are upon the church records have oppressed the poor, and grasped every possible advantage over those who were under them. They have lived to gratify appetite, to make extravagant display; and pride is fast making a Sodom of our world. But God is keeping His reckoning. The treatment of the poor, the robbery of the widow and the fatherless by those who are lifted up against the weak and helpless, is all written in the book of heaven. The cries of those who are oppressed have reached the ears of Him who judgeth righteously.” The Review and Herald, May 2, 1893.

And the result of this: “The time has come when judgment is fallen in the streets, and equity cannot enter, and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. But the Lord’s arm is not shortened that it cannot save, and His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear. The people of the United States have been a favored people; but when they restrict religious liberty, surrender Protestantism, and give countenance to popery, the measure of their guilt will be full, and ‘national apostasy’ will be registered in the books of heaven. The result of this apostasy will be national ruin.” Ibid.

National apostasy is followed by national ruin. It will also be a time of persecution of God’s children. The prayer that we are instructed in inspired writings to pray when that happens is Psalm 119:126: “It is time for You to act, O Lord, for they have made void Your law” (literal translation).

To the people who keep the commandments of God when under the hand of oppression will come these words of comfort found in Revelation 3:10–12: “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial [or temptation] which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.”

From God’s people in the last days the truth of the law is going to go to the whole world. It is at the heart of the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6–12. God’s people in the last days will preach the message of the judgment in Revelation 14:6 and 7.

You cannot preach the judgment unless you preach about the law. The law of God is the basis of the judgment (James 2:10–12). In the third angel’s message it is pointed out that God’s people in the last days will keep the commandments. In both the first and the third angel’s messages, you have a distinct presentation concerning the law of God. If you compare Revelation 14 with Revelation 17 you will find that the second angel’s message is a condemnation of those that are breaking the law.

People have been told by false teachers that the law has been nailed to the cross. Jesus said in Luke 16:17, “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle [part of a letter] of the law to fail.”

Paul said in Romans 3:20 that it was by the law that we had a knowledge of what sin is. People think that the apostle Paul is the one that taught that the law was nailed to the cross. Notice what Romans 4:15 says: “… because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.” And people say, We are not under the law, but under grace. Paul said in Romans 3:19, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

In Romans 6:14 Paul says that we are “not under the law but under grace.” But you need also to read Romans 6:15 which says: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” Sin is the transgression of the law. “What then? Shall we … ‘transgress the law’ … because we are not under the law, but under grace? Absolutely not!”

Paul tells who it is that is not under the law in Galatians 5:18: “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Romans 8:14: “… as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” And notice in verse 13, he says, “… if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Verse 4 says, “… that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Notice, Romans 8:4 is a key text. Romans 8:4 shows that if I am walking according to the Spirit, the righteous requirement of the law is going to be fulfilled in my life.

The person who is not under the law is a person who has come to the Lord, confessed and forsaken his sins. The Lord has taken away all of his guilt and given to that person the Holy Spirit which gives power to live in harmony with His law. Paul says that those who are led by the Holy Spirit are not under the law. Sinful deeds of the body will be put to death and the righteous requirement of the law will be fulfilled in your life. It is the rest of the world that is under the law.

The person who is not obedient to the law is not subject to the law and is not a Christian, but is a person who is unconverted. Romans 8:7 says, “… the carnal (unconverted) mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” They are the people that are not converted.

As Adventist Christians in these latter days, we have been given the responsibility to give the warning to the world that we are living in the day of atonement, in the midst of the judgment and that the basis for the judgment is the law of God. Our job is to take that message to the world. It is not a popular message. Neither was the message of Noah, but he was very thankful that he had given the message to the world when, while the rest of the world was drowning outside he was safe inside the ark.

May God help us all to be faithful witnesses in all the world by giving the message out to the world that we are living in the time of judgment, a time when there is going to be a penalty applied to those who persist in breaking God’s law.

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

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

Editorial – The Issue That Determines Your Eternal Destiny

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Many people in the last days will think that they are saved but will find at last that they are irretrievably  lost: Matthew 7:21–23. The reason for this is because they are not loyal subjects of the divine government—they are living in violation of God’s law.

It was through disobedience that Adam and Eve lost Paradise and plunged our world into ruin that would have been permanent if God had not devised a way of redemption for the human race. This salvation that Jesus came to our world to bring could be brought only by obedience (John 15:10; Hebrews 5:8, 9).

The person who has faith will be obedient (Hebrews 11:8) and only the faithful will be in the kingdom of heaven. (See Luke 16:10–12, 1 Corinthians 4:2, Galatians 3:9, and Revelation 17:14.)

The final issue in the last days will be over obedience to God’s law, whether or not you will keep it. Pressure will be applied to force all to worship an image to the beast (Revelation 13:11–17). The antichrist power described in Daniel 7, 2 Thessalonians 2 and in Revelation 13:1–10 has a special identifying mark. Daniel says that a mark of this power will be his intent to change times and laws (Daniel 7:25). The special mark of God’s children in the last days, on the other hand, is their obedience to all of God’s commandments (Revelation 14:12; 12:17; 22:14).

As we draw near the end of time, the entire world is going to be polarized, divided into two camps. On one side are those who are obedient to God’s law who will be marked or sealed by Him and will receive eternal life (Revelation 7:1–3; 14:1–5). (NOTE: The words seal and mark are used interchangeably in the Bible. See Romans 4:11.) However, those who are disobedient and continue to break God’s law will receive the mark of antichrist, the mark of disobedience, called the “mark of the beast” (Revelation 14:9–12; 16:2; 19:20).

On one side will be those who have overcome the world, the flesh and the devil (Revelation 21:5–7; 1 John 5:4, 18; Romans 8:13), but on the other side will be those who have lived according to the flesh, who were conformed to this world and who were led on by evil spirits to commit all manner of sin. They will both worship the image to the beast and receive the mark of the beast (Revelation 21:8, 27; 22:15; 18:23, 24).

In the end of the world there will be no third category. You will be on one side or the other. The decisions that you make day by day are determining which side you will wind up on. “It is the issue of the daily test that determines their victory or defeat in life’s great crisis.” The Desire of Ages, 382.

Bible Study Guides – The Good Shepherd

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July 23 – 29, 2017

Key Text

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 476–484; Steps to Christ, 17–22.

Introduction

“Christ is both the door and the shepherd. He enters in by Himself. It is through His own sacrifice that He becomes the shepherd of the sheep.” The Desire of Ages, 478.

Sunday

1   THE THIEF AND THE SHEPHERD

  •  How did Jesus distinguish between the thief and the shepherd, and what spiritual lesson was He illustrating? John 10:1, 2.

Note: “Christ applied these prophecies [referring to the Messiah’s pastoral mission, as found in Isaiah 40:9–11, Psalm 23:1, and Ezekiel 34:23, 16, 25, 28] to Himself, and He showed the contrast between His own character and that of the leaders in Israel. The Pharisees had just driven one from the fold, because he dared to bear witness to the power of Christ. They had cut off a soul whom the True Shepherd was drawing to Himself. In this they had shown themselves ignorant of the work committed to them, and unworthy of their trust as shepherds of the flock. Jesus now set before them the contrast between them and the Good Shepherd, and He pointed to Himself as the real keeper of the Lord’s flock.” The Desire of Ages, 477.

  • What relationship exists between the sheep and their shepherd? John 10:3, 4.
  • What will the sheep do before a stranger? John 10:5.

Monday

 2   THE GATE TO THE FOLD

  •  How did Jesus further identify Himself and how did He classify the impenitent Pharisees? John 10:7–10.

Note: “Christ is the door to the fold of God. Through this door all His children, from the earliest times, have found entrance. In Jesus, as shown in types, as shadowed in symbols, as manifested in the revelation of the prophets, as unveiled in the lessons given to His disciples, and in the miracles wrought for the sons of men, they have beheld ‘the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29), and through Him they are brought within the fold of His grace. Many have come presenting other objects for the faith of the world; ceremonies and systems have been devised by which men hope to receive justification and peace with God, and thus find entrance to His fold. But the only door is Christ, and all who have interposed something to take the place of Christ, all who have tried to enter the fold in some other way, are thieves and robbers.

“The Pharisees had not entered by the door. They had climbed into the fold by another way than Christ, and they were not fulfilling the work of the true shepherd. The priests and rulers, the scribes and Pharisees, destroyed the living pastures, and defiled the wellsprings of the water of life. Faithfully do the words of inspiration describe those false shepherds: ‘The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away; … but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them’ (Ezekiel 34:4).” The Desire of Ages, 477, 478.

  • What contrast did Jesus draw between the true shepherd and the hireling? John 10:11–13.

Note: “He [Christ] … presented the parable of the true and the false shepherds, telling them that He was the good shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep; while the hireling, whose own the sheep are not, would flee and betray the flock in time of peril. The Pharisees were of that number who were holy in their own estimation. They took no notice of the lost sheep.” The Youth’s Instructor, April 28, 1886.

Tuesday

 3   THE GOOD SHEPHERD

  • What other characteristic of the good shepherd did Jesus manifest? John 10:14, 15.

Note: “As an earthly shepherd knows his sheep, so does the divine Shepherd know His flock that are scattered throughout the world. ‘Ye My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.’ Jesus says, ‘I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.’ ‘I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands’ (Ezekiel 34:31; Isaiah 43:1; 49:16).

“Jesus knows us individually, and is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows us all by name. He knows the very house in which we live, the name of each occupant. He has at times given directions to His servants to go to a certain street in a certain city, to such a house, to find one of His sheep.

“Every soul is as fully known to Jesus as if he were the only one for whom the Saviour died. The distress of every one touches His heart. The cry for aid reaches His ear. He came to draw all men unto Himself. He bids them, ‘Follow Me,’ and His Spirit moves upon their hearts to draw them to come to Him. Many refuse to be drawn. Jesus knows who they are. He also knows who gladly hear His call, and are ready to come under His pastoral care. He says, ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me’ (John 10:27). He cares for each one as if there were not another on the face of the earth.” The Desire of Ages, 479, 480.

  • For what other sheep did Jesus also show concern? John 10:16.

Note: “Jesus thought upon the souls all over the earth who were misled by false shepherds. Those whom He longed to gather as the sheep of His pasture were scattered among wolves, and He said, ‘Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd’ (John 10:16, R.V.).” The Desire of Ages, 483.

Wednesday

 4   DIVINE POWER

  •  What divine power did Jesus declare He possessed? John 10:17, 18.

Note: “ ‘Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again’ (John 10:17). That is, My Father has so loved you, that He even loves Me more for giving My life to redeem you. In becoming your substitute and surety, by surrendering My life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I am endeared to My Father.

“ ‘I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again’ (verses 17, 18). While as a member of the human family He was mortal, as God He was the fountain of life for the world. He could have withstood the advances of death, and refused to come under its dominion; but voluntarily He laid down His life, that He might bring life and immortality to light. He bore the sin of the world, endured its curse, yielded up His life as a sacrifice, that men might not eternally die. ‘Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. … He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all’ (Isaiah 53:4–6).” The Desire of Ages, 483, 484.

  • What is it that leads men to follow Christ? John 10:27; 1John 4:10, 19; Matthew 11:28–30.

Note: “It is not the fear of punishment, or the hope of everlasting reward, that leads the disciples of Christ to follow Him. They behold the Saviour’s matchless love, revealed throughout His pilgrimage on earth, from the manger of Bethlehem to Calvary’s cross, and the sight of Him attracts, it softens and subdues the soul. Love awakens in the heart of the beholders. They hear His voice, and they follow Him.” The Desire of Ages, 480.

“If Christ is dwelling in our hearts … . We shall work as He worked; we shall manifest the same spirit. And thus, loving Him and abiding in Him, we shall ‘grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ’ (Ephesians 4:15).” Steps to Christ, 75.

Thursday

 5   ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

  •  What assurance did Jesus give His sheep? John 10:28, 29.

Note: “Though now He has ascended to the presence of God, and shares the throne of the universe, Jesus has lost none of His compassionate nature. Today the same tender, sympathizing heart is open to all the woes of humanity. Today the hand that was pierced is reached forth to bless more abundantly His people that are in the world. ‘And they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand’ (John 10:28). The soul that has given himself to Christ is more precious in His sight than the whole world. The Saviour would have passed through the agony of Calvary that one might be saved in His kingdom. He will never abandon one for whom He has died. Unless His followers choose to leave Him, He will hold them fast.” The Desire of Ages, 480–483.

  • Upon what does our spiritual security and assurance of salvation rest? Romans 8:31–39.

Note: “In the courts above, Christ is pleading for His church—pleading for those for whom He has paid the redemption price of His blood. Centuries, ages, can never lessen the efficacy of His atoning sacrifice. Neither life nor death, height nor depth, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus; not because we hold Him so firmly, but because He holds us so fast. If our salvation depended on our own efforts, we could not be saved; but it depends on the One who is behind all the promises. Our grasp on Him may seem feeble, but His love is that of an elder brother; so long as we maintain our union with Him, no one can pluck us out of His hand.” The Acts of the Apostles, 552, 553.

Friday

 PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

 1      Explain the difference in conduct between a shepherd and a thief.

2      Through what other symbol did Jesus identify Himself?

3      How do true shepherds behave with their sheep?

4      Why do the sheep follow the shepherd and not a stranger?

5      What assures our salvation?

Copyright © 2004 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – The Blind Man

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July 16 – 22, 2017

Key Text

“I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind” (John 9:39).

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 470–475.

Introduction

“It is not God that blinds the eyes of men or hardens their hearts. He sends them light to correct their errors, and to lead them in safe paths; it is by the rejection of this light that the eyes are blinded and the heart hardened.” The Desire of Ages, 322.

Sunday

 1   FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

  •  What question did the disciples ask Jesus when they saw the man who was born blind? John 9:1, 2.
  • How did Satan profit from the erroneous idea that the Jews maintained concerning affliction? Job 9:34.

Note: “It was generally believed by the Jews that sin is punished in this life. Every affliction was regarded as the penalty of some wrongdoing, either of the sufferer himself or of his parents. It is true that all suffering results from the transgression of God’s law, but this truth had become perverted. Satan, the author of sin and all its results, had led men to look upon disease and death as proceeding from God—as punishment arbitrarily inflicted on account of sin. Hence one upon whom some great affliction or calamity had fallen had the additional burden of being regarded as a great sinner.” The Desire of Ages, 471.

  • What answer of Jesus shed light on this erroneous idea? John 9:3–5.
  • What did Christ do to illustrate His point, and how did the blind man cooperate with Him? John 9:6, 7.

Monday

 2   REACTIONS

  •  What were the varied reactions of the blind man’s neighbors? John 9:8–12.
  • To whom did the men take the blind man, and why? Upon which day was he cured? John 9:13, 14.
  • Describe the reaction of the Pharisees. John 9:15, 16.

Note: “ ‘Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because He keepeth not the Sabbath day’ (John 9:16). The Pharisees hoped to make Jesus out to be a sinner, and therefore not the Messiah. They knew not that it was He who had made the Sabbath and knew all its obligation, who had healed the blind man. They appeared wonderfully zealous for the observance of the Sabbath, yet were planning murder on that very day.” The Desire of Ages, 472.

  • When the blind man’s parents were called before the council, how did they answer the question put to them? John 9:18–23.

Note: “The Pharisees had one hope left, and that was to intimidate the man’s parents. With apparent sincerity they asked, ‘How then doth he now see’ (John 9:19)? The parents feared to compromise themselves; for it had been declared that whoever should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ should be ‘put out of the synagogue;’ that is, should be excluded from the synagogue for thirty days. During this time no child could be circumcised nor dead be lamented in the offender’s home. The sentence was regarded as a great calamity; and if it failed to produce repentance, a far heavier penalty followed. The great work wrought for their son had brought conviction to the parents, yet they answered, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself’ (verses 20, 21). Thus they shifted all responsibility from themselves to their son; for they dared not confess Christ.” The Desire of Ages, 472, 473.

Tuesday

 3   RENEWED INTERROGATION

  •  Upon summoning the young man for the second time, what did the Pharisees try to force him to do? John 9:24.

Note: “The Pharisees saw that they were giving publicity to the work done by Jesus. They could not deny the miracle. The blind man was filled with joy and gratitude; he beheld the wondrous things of nature, and was filled with delight at the beauty of earth and sky.” The Desire of Ages, 473.

  • What irrefutable argument did the young man present? John 9:25.
  • What did the Pharisees again ask the young man? John 9:26. What did they really intend to do with the young man?

Note: “Then they questioned again, ‘What did He to thee? how opened He thine eyes’ (John 9:26)? With many words they tried to confuse him, so that he might think himself deluded. Satan and his evil angels were on the side of the Pharisees, and united their energies and subtlety with man’s reasoning in order to counteract the influence of Christ. They blunted the convictions that were deepening in many minds.” The Desire of Ages, 473.

  • How did the young man answer them, and who stood by his side to thus inspire him? John 9:27.

Note: “Angels of God were also on the ground to strengthen the man who had had his sight restored.

“The Pharisees did not realize that they had to deal with any other than the uneducated man who had been born blind; they knew not Him with whom they were in controversy. Divine light shone into the chambers of the blind man’s soul. As these hypocrites tried to make him disbelieve, God helped him to show, by the vigor and pointedness of his replies, that he was not to be ensnared.” The Desire of Ages, 473, 474.

Wednesday

 4   CONSCIOUS BLINDNESS

  •  As they were unable to deceive the young man, how did the Pharisees treat him? John 9:28.
  • What ignorance did they manifest? John 9:29.
  • What else did the formerly blind man say? John 9:30–33.
  • Since they were unwilling to accept the evidences, what did the angry Pharisees do with the young man? John 9:34.

Note: “The man had met his inquisitors on their own ground. His reasoning was unanswerable. The Pharisees were astonished, and they held their peace—spellbound before his pointed, determined words. For a few moments there was silence. Then the frowning priests and rabbis gathered about them their robes, as though they feared contamination from contact with him; they shook off the dust from their feet, and hurled denunciations against him—‘Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us’ (John 9:34)? And they excommunicated him.” The Desire of Ages, 474. [Emphasis author’s.]

  • What words did the young man and Christ exchange following his excommunication? John 9:35–38.

Note: “To the Saviour’s question, ‘Dost thou believe on the Son of God?’ the blind man replied by asking, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?’ And Jesus said, ‘Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee’ (John 9:35–37). The man cast himself at the Saviour’s feet in worship. Not only had his natural sight been restored, but the eyes of his understanding had been opened. Christ had been revealed to his soul, and he received Him as the Sent of God.” The Desire of Ages, 475.

Thursday

 5   JUDGED BY THE LIGHT

  •  What did Jesus say concerning the results of His work? John 9:39.

Note: “A group of Pharisees had gathered near, and the sight of them brought to the mind of Jesus the contrast ever manifest in the effect of His words and works. … Christ had come to open the blind eyes, to give light to them that sit in darkness. He had declared Himself to be the light of the world, and the miracle just performed was in attestation of His mission. The people who beheld the Saviour at His advent were favored with a fuller manifestation of the divine presence than the world had ever enjoyed before. The knowledge of God was revealed more perfectly. But in this very revelation, judgment was passing upon men. Their character was tested, their destiny determined.” The Desire of Ages, 475.

  • How did the Pharisees react to that declaration of Jesus? John 9:40. Why were they guilty of their own blindness? John 9:41.

Note: “The manifestation of divine power that had given to the blind man both natural and spiritual sight had left the Pharisees in yet deeper darkness. Some of His hearers, feeling that Christ’s words applied to them, inquired, ‘Are we blind also?’ Jesus answered, ‘If ye were blind, ye should have no sin.’ If God had made it impossible for you to see the truth, your ignorance would involve no guilt. ‘But now ye say, We see.’ You believe yourselves able to see, and reject the means through which alone you could receive sight. To all who realized their need, Christ came with infinite help. But the Pharisees would confess no need; they refused to come to Christ, and hence they were left in blindness—a blindness for which they were themselves guilty. Jesus said, ‘Your sin remaineth’ (John 9:40, 41).” The Desire of Ages, 475.

Friday

 PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

 1      Of what did the Pharisees try to convince the formerly blind man?

2      Who was using the unbelieving Pharisees?

3      Who helped the young man give explicit and convincing answers?

4      What is the worst form of blindness?

Copyright © 2004 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – The Light of the World

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July 9 – 15, 2017

Key Text

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 463–470.

Introduction

“As through Christ every human being has life, so also through Him every soul receives some ray of divine light.” Education, 29.

Sunday

 1   THE LIGHT PROPHESIED

  • What reveals Christ’s work in the creation of the world? Genesis 1:1, 2; John 1:1–3.
  • How did the Holy Spirit refer to Jesus through the prophet Isaiah? Isaiah 49:6.
  • How did Simeon identify Jesus when He was brought to the Temple for dedication? Luke 2:25–33.

Note: “[Luke 2:32 quoted.] In these words he [Simeon] was applying to Him [Christ] a prophecy familiar to all Israel. By the prophet Isaiah, the Holy Spirit had declared ‘It is too light a thing that Thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth’ (Isaiah 49:6, R.V.).”  The Desire of Ages, 465.

Monday

 2   THE LIGHT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

  •  How were the children of Israel guided in the desert? Exodus 13:21, 22.

Note: “In the manifestation of God to His people, light had ever been a symbol of His presence. At the creative word in the beginning, light had shone out of darkness. Light had been enshrouded in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, leading the vast armies of Israel.” The Desire of Ages, 464.

  • How did God show that He protects His own? Psalm 105:39; Isaiah 4:5, 6.

Note: “In one of the most beautiful and comforting passages of Isaiah’s prophecy, reference is made to the pillar of cloud and of fire to represent God’s care for His people in the great final struggle with the powers of evil.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 283.

  • How did Moses and the people react to the divine light of Christ upon Mt. Sinai? Exodus 19:16–18; 20:18, 19; Hebrews 12:21.

Note: “So terrible were the tokens of Jehovah’s presence that the hosts of Israel shook with fear, and fell upon their faces before the Lord. Even Moses exclaimed, ‘I exceedingly fear and quake’ (Hebrews 12:21).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 304.

  • How did Christ manifest His presence in the tabernacle? Exodus 40:3, 4, 34, 35.
  • What happened at the dedication of the Temple constructed by Solomon? 2Chronicles 7:1.

Tuesday

 3   THE LIGHT REJECTED

  •  When the Light of the world did come, what was the reaction of the Jews? John 1:11; 8:12, 13.

Note: “To the Pharisees and rulers this claim [‘I am the light of the world’] seemed an arrogant assumption. That a man like themselves should make such pretensions they could not tolerate.” The Desire of Ages, 465.

  • What comprehensive declaration did Jesus make to the unbelieving Pharisees? John 8:14–18.
  • What marked contrast existed between Christ and the unbelieving Pharisees? John 8:19–23.
  • What was to be the fatal consequence of the Jewish rulers’ rejection of Christ? John 8:24; Matthew 23:38.
  • What other question did the Pharisees ask Jesus? John 8:25, first part. With what intention did they ask the question?

Note: “Seeming to ignore His words, they demanded, ‘Who art Thou’ (John 8:25, first part)? They were bent upon forcing Him to declare Himself the Christ. His appearance and His work were so at variance with the expectations of the people, that, as His wily enemies believed, a direct announcement of Himself as the Messiah would cause Him to be rejected as an impostor.” The Desire of Ages, 465.

  • How did the Saviour answer them, and what was the effect of His answer upon the sincere listeners? John 8:25, last part, 26–30.

Wednesday

 4   BONDAGE vs. LIBERTY

  •  What did Christ say to the Jews who accepted Him? John 8:31, 32. How did the unbelievers react to His words? John 8:33.

 Note: “Among His hearers many were drawn to Him in faith, and to them He said, ‘If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’ (John 8:31, 32).

“These words offended the Pharisees. The nation’s long subjection to a foreign yoke, they disregarded, and angrily exclaimed, ‘We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free?’ Jesus looked upon these men, the slaves of malice, whose thoughts were bent upon revenge, and sadly answered, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin’ (verses 33, 34). They were in the worst kind of bondage—ruled by the spirit of evil.

“Every soul that refuses to give himself to God is under the control of another power. He is not his own. He may talk of freedom, but he is in the most abject slavery. He is not allowed to see the beauty of truth, for his mind is under the control of Satan. While he flatters himself that he is following the dictates of his own judgment, he obeys the will of the prince of darkness.” The Desire of Ages, 466.

  • Describe the only process by which we can be made free from sin? John 8:36.

Note: “Christ came to break the shackles of sin-slavery from the soul. ‘If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed’ (John 8:36). ‘The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’ sets us ‘free from the law of sin and death’ (Romans 8:2). …

“The only condition upon which the freedom of man is possible is that of becoming one with Christ. ‘The truth shall make you free’ (John 8:32); and Christ is the truth. Sin can triumph only by enfeebling the mind, and destroying the liberty of the soul. Subjection to God is restoration to one’s self—to the true glory and dignity of man. The divine law, to which we are brought into subjection, is ‘the law of liberty’ (James 2:12).” The Desire of Ages, 466.

Thursday

 5   THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

  •  What do the words of Christ in John 8:12 mean?

Note: “God is light; and in the words, ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12, first part), Christ declared His oneness with God, and His relation to the whole human family. It was He who at the beginning had caused ‘the light to shine out of darkness’ (2 Corinthians 4:6). He is the light of sun and moon and star. He was the spiritual light that in symbol and type and prophecy had shone upon Israel. But not to the Jewish nation alone was the light given.” The Desire of Ages, 464.

  • What did Paul write about the light? 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Note: “As the sunbeams penetrate to the remotest corners of the earth, so does the light of the Sun of Righteousness shine upon every soul.

“ ‘That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world’ (John 1:9). The world has had its great teachers, men of giant intellect and wonderful research, men whose utterances have stimulated thought, and opened to view vast fields of knowledge; and these men have been honored as guides and benefactors of their race. But there is One who stands higher than they. ‘As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God’ (verse 12).” The Desire of Ages, 464.

Friday

 PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

 1      How did Jesus manifest Himself to His people in the desert?

2      Who proclaimed the law at Sinai?

3      How did Jesus manifest Himself at the dedication of the Temple built by Solomon?

4      What did Simeon say about Jesus?

5      How do the sincere react to Christ’s message?

Copyright © 2004 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – The Bread of Life

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July 2 – 8, 2017

Key Text

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 383–394.

Introduction

“As from that [miraculous] bread they [the great multitude] had received physical strength and refreshment, so from Christ they [His hearers in the synagogue] might receive spiritual strength unto eternal life.” The Desire of Ages, 386.

Sunday

 1   JESUS, THE BREAD OF LIFE

  •  What sign did the Jews want to see and what historical fact did they mention in connection with their question? John 6:30, 31.
  • What did Jesus say concerning the bread from heaven? John 6:32, 33.
  • Having their minds fixed merely upon the natural, physical bread, what request did they make to Christ? John 6:34. What explanation did Jesus give them? John 6:35, 36.
  • What two intimately related promises are given to those who identify themselves with Christ? John 6:37–40.

Note: “Again Christ appealed to those stubborn hearts. ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out’ (John 6:37). All who received Him in faith, He said, should have eternal life. Not one could be lost. No need for Pharisees and Sadducees to dispute concerning the future life. No longer need men mourn in hopeless grief over their dead.” The Desire of Ages, 386, 387.

Monday

 2   THE CRISIS IN GALILEE

  •  What effect did the words of Christ have on the Jews, and what explanation did Jesus give them concerning His flesh and blood? John 6:52–55.
  • What does it mean to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God? John 6:56, 57; 1John 3:24; 5:12.

Note: “To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature.” The Desire of Ages, 389.

  • What did Christ’s words provoke among His own disciples? John 6:60, 61, 65, 66.
  • After many disciples had left Him, what did Christ ask the twelve, and what did Peter answer Him? John 6:67–69.
  • What position did the renegades then take? 1John 2:19.

Note: “As those disaffected disciples turned away from Christ, a different spirit took control of them. They could see nothing attractive in Him whom they had once found so interesting. They sought out His enemies, for they were in harmony with their spirit and work. They misinterpreted His words, falsified His statements, and impugned His motives. They sustained their course by gathering up every item that could be turned against Him; and such indignation was stirred up by these false reports that His life was in danger.” The Desire of Ages, 392, 393.

Tuesday

 3   AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

  •  After members of Jesus’ family tried to influence Him towards the rabbis (John 7:3–8), what question did He put to those rabbis? John 7:19.

Note: “His [Christ’s] brothers, as the sons of Joseph were called, sided with the rabbis. They insisted that the traditions must be heeded, as if they were the requirements of God.” The Desire of Ages, 86.

“Jesus gave the rabbis an evidence of His divinity by showing that He read their hearts. Ever since the healing at Bethesda they had been plotting His death. Thus they were themselves breaking the law which they professed to be defending. ‘Did not Moses give you the law,’ He said, ‘and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill Me?’ (John 7:19).” Ibid., 456.

  • What did the rabbis answer Christ and of what did they accuse Him? John 7:20.
  • How did Jesus respond to the mean insinuations of His enemies? John 7:21–23.

Note: “To this insinuation [that His wonderful works were instigated by an evil spirit] Christ gave no heed. He went on to show that His work of healing at Bethesda was in harmony with the Sabbath law, and that it was justified by the interpretation which the Jews themselves put upon the law. He said, ‘Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; … and ye on the Sabbath day circumcise a man’ (John 7:22). According to the law, every child must be circumcised on the eighth day. Should the appointed time fall upon the Sabbath, the rite must then be performed. How much more must it be in harmony with the spirit of the law to make a man ‘every whit whole on the Sabbath day’ (verse 23).” The Desire of Ages, 456, 457.

  • What warning did Christ give them? John 7:24.

Wednesday

 4   NO ONE SPOKE AS THIS MAN

  •  Upon hearing and seeing Jesus preach openly, what did some of the people ask? John 7:25, 26.

Note: “Many among Christ’s hearers … were dwellers at Jerusalem, and … conviction pressed upon them that He was the Son of God.” The Desire of Ages, 457.

  • With what words did many express their faith in Jesus? John 7:31, 40; Deuteronomy 18:15.
  • What did Jesus declare on the last day of the feast, and what did these words mean? John 7:37–39.
  • When told to arrest Christ (John 7:45), why did the officers not comply? John 7:46.

Note: “On the last day of the feast, the officers sent out by the priests and rulers to arrest Jesus, returned without Him. They were angrily questioned, ‘Why have ye not brought Him?’ With solemn countenance they answered, ‘Never man spake like this Man’ (John 7:45, 46).

“Hardened as were their hearts, they were melted by His words. While He was speaking in the temple court, they had lingered near, to catch something that might be turned against Him. But as they listened, the purpose for which they had been sent was forgotten. They stood as men entranced. Christ revealed Himself to their souls. They saw that which priests and rulers would not see—humanity flooded with the glory of divinity. They returned, so filled with this thought, so impressed by His words, that to the inquiry, ‘Why have ye not brought Him?’ they could only reply, ‘Never man spake like this Man.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 459.

“The spirit which actuated those priests and rulers is still manifested by many who make a high profession of piety. They refuse to examine the testimony of the Scriptures concerning the special truths for this time. They point to their own numbers, wealth, and popularity, and look with contempt upon the advocates of truth as few, poor, and unpopular, having a faith that separates them from the world.” The Great Controversy, 596.

Thursday

 5   “NEITHER DO I CONDEMN THEE”

  •  After trying to set a legal trap for Christ (John 8:1–5), how did Jesus react before the falsehood of the Pharisees? John 8:6.
  • What did Jesus do while the Pharisees were waiting for His verdict? John 8:8, 9.
  • How did Jesus deal with the woman after her accusers had left? John 8:10, 11.

Note: “The accusers had been defeated. Now, their robe of pretended holiness torn from them, they stood, guilty and condemned, in the presence of Infinite Purity. They trembled lest the hidden iniquity of their lives should be laid open to the multitude; and one by one, with bowed heads and downcast eyes, they stole away, leaving their victim with the pitying Saviour.” The Desire of Ages, 461.

  • How will true believers act when a Christian falls into sin? Galatians 6:1, 2. What will false-hearted believers often do?

Note: “It is not Christ’s follower that, with averted eyes, turns from the erring, leaving them unhindered to pursue their downward course. Those who are forward in accusing others, and zealous in bringing them to justice, are often in their own lives more guilty than they. Men hate the sinner, while they love the sin. Christ hates the sin, but loves the sinner. This will be the spirit of all who follow Him. Christian love is slow to censure, quick to discern penitence, ready to forgive, to encourage, to set the wanderer in the path of holiness, and to stay his feet therein.” The Desire of Ages, 462.

Friday

 PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

 1      How was the prejudice of the Jews against Christ manifested?

2      What does it mean to look to Jesus?

3      What spirit did the rabbis manifest towards Jesus?

4      Why did Jesus attract the attention and respect of the people?

5      How does Jesus deal with erring souls?

 

Copyright © 2004 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Feeding the Multitude

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June 25 – July 1, 2017

Key Text

“Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat” (Matthew 14:16).

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 364–371.

Introduction

“Often we hesitate, unwilling to give all that we have, fearing to spend and to be spent for others. But Jesus has bidden us, ‘Give ye them to eat’ (Matthew 14:16). His command is a promise; and behind it is the same power that fed the multitude beside the sea.” The Desire of Ages, 369. [Emphasis author’s.]

Sunday

 1   THE HUNGERING MULTITUDE

  •  Besides the disciples, who else accompanied Jesus? John 6:1, 2.

Note: “Christ had retired to a secluded place with His disciples, but this rare season of peaceful quietude was soon broken. The disciples thought they had retired where they would not be disturbed; but as soon as the multitude missed the divine Teacher, they inquired, ‘Where is He?’ Some among them had noticed the direction in which Christ and His disciples had gone. Many went by land to meet them, while others followed in their boats across the water. The Passover was at hand, and, from far and near, bands of pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem gathered to see Jesus. Additions were made to their number, until there were assembled five thousand men besides women and children. Before Christ reached the shore, a multitude were waiting for Him.” The Desire of Ages, 364.

  • What was the spiritual condition of the people? Mark 6:34.

Note: “He [Christ] ‘was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd’ (Mark 6:34). Leaving His retreat, He found a convenient place where He could minister to them. They received no help from the priests and rulers; but the healing waters of life flowed from Christ as He taught the multitude the way of salvation.” The Desire of Ages, 364, 365.

Monday

 2   TEMPORAL NUTRITION

  •  Besides satisfying the spiritual needs of the people, with what else did Jesus concern Himself? John 6:3–5.

Note: “He who taught the people the way to secure peace and happiness was just as thoughtful of their temporal necessities as of their spiritual need. The people were weary and faint. There were mothers with babes in their arms, and little children clinging to their skirts. Many had been standing for hours. They had been so intensely interested in Christ’s words that they had not once thought of sitting down, and the crowd was so great that there was danger of their trampling on one another. Jesus would give them a chance to rest, and He bade them sit down. There was much grass in the place, and all could rest in comfort.” The Desire of Ages, 365, 366.

  • What did Jesus say to Philip and with what intention? John 6:5, 6.
  • What did Philip answer Jesus? John 6:7.

Note: “The day seemed to them [the people] like heaven upon earth, and they were utterly unconscious of how long it had been since they had eaten anything.

“At length the day was far spent. The sun was sinking in the west, and yet the people lingered. Jesus had labored all day without food or rest. He was pale from weariness and hunger, and the disciples besought Him to cease from His toil. But He could not withdraw Himself from the multitude that pressed upon Him.

“The disciples finally came to Him, urging that for their own sake the people should be sent away. Many had come from far, and had eaten nothing since morning. In the surrounding towns and villages they might be able to buy food. But Jesus said, ‘Give ye them to eat’ (Luke 9:13), and then, turning to Philip, questioned, ‘Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’ (John 6:5). This He said to test the faith of the disciple. Philip looked over the sea of heads, and thought how impossible it would be to provide food to satisfy the wants of such a crowd. He answered that two hundred pennyworth of bread would not be nearly enough to divide among them, so that each might have a little.” The Desire of Ages, 365.

Tuesday

 3   AVAILABLE PROVISION

  •  What information did Andrew give to Jesus? John 6:8, 9.

Note: “Jesus inquired how much food could be found among the company. ‘There is a lad here,’ said Andrew, ‘which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?’ (John 6:9).” The Desire of Ages, 365.

  • What plan did Jesus suggest to keep order among the hungry multitude? John 6:10.

Note: “Jesus directed that these [the five barley loaves and two fishes] be brought to Him. Then He bade the disciples seat the people on the grass in parties of fifty or a hundred, to preserve order, and that all might witness what He was about to do.” The Desire of Ages, 365.

  • Explain the sequence of actions Christ took in multiplying the food. John 6:11; Matthew 14:19.

Note: “When this [order] was accomplished, Jesus took the food, ‘and looking up to heaven, He blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude’ (Matthew 14:19). ‘And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes’ (Mark 6:42, 43). …

“Christ never worked a miracle except to supply a genuine necessity, and every miracle was of a character to lead the people to the tree of life, whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. The simple food passed round by the hands of the disciples contained a whole treasure of lessons. It was humble fare that had been provided; the fishes and barley loaves were the daily food of the fisher folk about the Sea of Galilee. Christ could have spread before the people a rich repast, but food prepared merely for the gratification of appetite would have conveyed no lesson for their good. Christ taught them in this lesson that the natural provisions of God for man had been perverted. And never did people enjoy the luxurious feasts prepared for the gratification of perverted taste as this people enjoyed the rest and the simple food which Christ provided so far from human habitations. …

“Selfishness and the indulgence of unnatural taste have brought sin and misery into the world, from excess on the one hand, and from want on the other.” The Desire of Ages, 365–367.

Wednesday

 4   SPIRITUAL LESSONS (I)

  •  What lesson did Jesus teach the disciples after feeding the multitude? John 6:12, 13.

 Note: “After the multitude had been fed, there was an abundance of food left. But He who had all the resources of infinite power at His command said, ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost’ (John 6:12). These words meant more than putting the bread into the baskets. The lesson was twofold. Nothing is to be wasted. We are to let slip no temporal advantage. We should neglect nothing that will tend to benefit a human being. Let everything be gathered up that will relieve the necessity of earth’s hungry ones. And there should be the same carefulness in spiritual things. When the baskets of fragments were collected, the people thought of their friends at home. They wanted them to share in the bread that Christ had blessed. The contents of the baskets were distributed among the eager throng, and were carried away into all the region round about. So those who were at the feast were to give to others the bread that comes down from heaven, to satisfy the hunger of the soul. They were to repeat what they had learned of the wonderful things of God. Nothing was to be lost. Not one word that concerned their eternal salvation was to fall useless to the ground.” The Desire of Ages, 368.

  • What lessons of cooperation can we learn from this experience? Mark 6:37–40; Luke 6:38; Galatians 6:6, 10.

Note: “In Christ’s act of supplying the temporal necessities of a hungry multitude is wrapped up a deep spiritual lesson for all His workers. Christ received from the Father; He imparted to the disciples; they imparted to the multitude; and the people to one another. So all who are united to Christ will receive from Him the bread of life, the heavenly food, and impart it to others. …

“Christ is the great center, the source of all strength. His disciples are to receive their supplies from Him. The most intelligent, the most spiritually minded, can bestow only as they receive. Of themselves they can supply nothing for the needs of the soul. We can impart only that which we receive from Christ; and we can receive only as we impart to others. As we continue imparting, we continue to receive; and the more we impart, the more we shall receive. Thus we may be constantly believing, trusting, receiving, and imparting.” The Desire of Ages, 369, 370.

Thursday

 5   SPIRITUAL LESSONS (II)

  •  What additional spiritual lessons can we learn from the multiplication of the food? Mark 4:26–28.

Note: “In feeding the five thousand, Jesus lifts the veil from the world of nature, and reveals the power that is constantly exercised for our good. In the production of earth’s harvests God is working a miracle every day. Through natural agencies the same work is accomplished that was wrought in the feeding of the multitude. Men prepare the soil and sow the seed, but it is the life from God that causes the seed to germinate. It is God’s rain and air and sunshine that cause it to put forth, ‘first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear’ (Mark 4:28). It is God who is every day feeding millions from earth’s harvest fields. Men are called upon to co-operate with God in the care of the grain and the preparation of the loaf, and because of this they lose sight of the divine agency. They do not give God the glory due unto His holy name. The working of His power is ascribed to natural causes or to human instrumentality. …

“The miracle of the loaves teaches a lesson of dependence upon God. When Christ fed the five thousand, the food was not nigh at hand. Apparently He had no means at His command. Here He was, with five thousand men, besides women and children, in the wilderness. He had not invited the large multitude to follow Him; they came without invitation or command; but He knew that after they had listened so long to His instruction, they would feel hungry and faint; for He was one with them in their need of food. They were far from home, and the night was close at hand. Many of them were without means to purchase food. He who for their sake had fasted forty days in the wilderness would not suffer them to return fasting to their homes. The providence of God had placed Jesus where He was; and He depended on His heavenly Father for the means to relieve the necessity.” The Desire of Ages, 367, 368.

Friday

 PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

 1      What was Christ’s main interest in the people?

2      Why did Jesus supply the physical necessities of the people?

3      Explain Christ’s method to maintain the hungry multitude in order.

4      How did Jesus include the disciples in the work of feeding the people?

5      After feeding the people, what other important lesson did Jesus teach?

Copyright © 2004 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Life Sketches Series – By What Power is This Miracle?

by

The use of force is the last resort of every false religion, but Jesus works on a different principle. The only power that He uses is the compelling, drawing power of His love. Jesus invites all who desire to choose His way to follow Him.

Shortly after Jesus had been crucified and raised from the dead, a crippled man was seen begging in the porch of the temple in Jerusalem. Unable to work and support himself, he begged for money to get food and other necessities. Seeing Peter and John entering the temple, he asked alms from them. Peter said to him, “ ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk.’ … and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God” (Acts 3:6–8).

“As the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses’ ” (verses 11–15).

Peter went on to say, “ ‘Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out …’ That heaven must receive the Christ, Jesus, until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (verses 19–21, literal translation).

Then, he said, “ ‘All the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, “And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. To you first, God, having raised up His Servant, Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities” ’ ” (verses 24–26).

A great number of people who witnessed this event believed the words of Peter. They were stricken in their conscience, realizing that they were responsible for the death of the Messiah, for the death of Christ. A great number of them believed and the religious leaders became alarmed.

“Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of men came to be about five thousand” (Acts 4:1–4).

The religious leaders in Jerusalem were more disturbed, more terrified, and angrier than ever before because they reasoned with themselves that if one or two discourses from the apostles could produce results as marvelous as 5,000 being converted, what would be the result of further preaching by the apostles. We don’t know how many were in the church at this time. There were 5,000 men, in addition to that, of course, there were the women and children. The temple leaders thought that the world would soon believe on Christ, and their influence would be lost. So, they seized the apostles, thrust them into prison, wanting to intimidate them and cause them to be silent.

However, the disciple who had denied his Lord was not going to deny his Lord anymore. And when the apostles had opportunity to speak the next day, the Bible says that the rulers, as well as Annas, the father-in-law of the high priest, who was responsible for the decision to crucify Jesus, said, “By what power or by what name have you done this” (verse 7)?

The miracle in the sight of a multitude of people could not be denied. They demanded an answer. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the “stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.” Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’ ” (verses 8–12).

There have been, and there are still, many religions in the world, but it is only the Christian religion that has demonstrated in its leader and founder the ability to raise the dead. This is not referring to spirits or apparitions, but about a bodily resurrection. Only by the power of the leader of the Christian religion has anyone been given the ability to raise people from the dead.

Every person in the world who is saved and has eternal life will receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Peter said that there is no salvation in anybody else, and “no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” This was a very bold assertion, considering that the speech was given to the very people who were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ. The Bible states that the Pharisees did not know what to do because the man that had been healed was right there, and there were many witnesses.

“But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, ‘What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.’ So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:15–18).

The people were forbidden to testify concerning their religious beliefs. If they did they would pay the price with their life.

Remember, force is the last resort of every false religion. If any religious system uses force to preserve itself, propagate its beliefs, or gain adherents, you can know that it is a false religion. Jesus never used force to win converts. He said, “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28, literal translation).

The invitation given by the One who inspired the Bible, in Revelation 22:17 is, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

Jesus invites all who will to come to Him and be saved. He will give you a different way of living.

There are no prisons in heaven. There are no armies and no wars. The government of heaven does not operate by force and there is no army of angels on the ready with weapons of destruction. Force is contrary to the principles of God’s government. When Lucifer, the covering cherub became Satan and chose to rebel against the government of God, he asserted that he would use force if he was not given what he wanted.

Revelation 12:7–9 says, “War broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

This scripture says the devil deceives the whole world. The book of Revelation reveals the devil’s plan to deceive as many as he can and only those who study and understand Bible prophecy will be able to avoid being deceived. When the devil has completed his devious work, he will attempt to kill the faithful few that stand firm to principle. Only by getting rid of these so-called rebels can he have complete control of the whole world. This has been the devil’s strategy from the beginning. First, deceive the majority, then kill the few people that you cannot deceive. Thus, the apostles were threatened, just as Christians have been threatened in every generation, right down to the present. New Testament Christians, people whose desire is to live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, like Jesus did, have been threatened in every generation by the devil’s agents who profess to be the Lord’s servants.

The apostles were threatened by the people who claimed to be God’s true people. They claimed to know from Bible prophecy and the Old Testament that they were God’s people, yet attempted to stop Jesus’ mission at every turn. Eventually, realizing there was no other way to stop Him, He was crucified. They were mistaken in their thought that Christ’s work would stop, but after He was resurrected, their hatred turned to the apostles who continued the work that He commenced. The apostles were working miracles in Christ’s name. How could Christ be dead if these people with various forms of sickness were now made well, and they were made well in the name of Jesus.

The apostles said that the miracles they performed were evidence that Jesus was not dead, but raised and gone to heaven. With unleashed anger, they were threatened that if they continued to speak in the name of Jesus or teach in His name, they would pay with their lives. These people were not now as willing to take the blame for the crucifixion of Christ as they were when, just before Jesus was crucified, they said to Pilate, “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:25).

Peter and John answered and said to the temple leaders after they had threatened them, “ ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’ So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed” (Acts 4:19–22).

After the rulers had let them go, they went back and prayed asking for power to preach with boldness whether they were put in prison, threatened with death, or no matter what happened to them.

It was not long before the disciples were in trouble again with the high priests and officers, the religious leaders of the Jews, and once more they were put in prison. This time, the same thing happened. First there was an attempt to stop them from witnessing, to stop the Christian church founded by Jesus from developing. At that time, there were only a few thousand people in the whole world who believed in Christ and it was believed that if they could be stopped in the beginning, this new faith would never become established.

A study of the history of the Christian religion reveals that it is a miracle that there are any Christians left alive in the world today because of the continual attempts by the devil and his agents, who, claiming to be the servants of God and His true people, have since the beginning attempted to destroy the true Christians throughout the world.

What resulted from the persecution served to augment the fears of the religious leaders, increasing their hatred? The Bible records in Acts 4:32, first part, “The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul.” The tremendous harmony and unity between the believers had never before been witnessed in the early, primitive Christian church. Continuing, it says, “Neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostle’s feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. And Joses, who was also named Barnabus by the apostles (which is translated “son of encouragement”), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostle’s feet” (verses 32, last part–37).

Priests and leaders witnessed this harmony and unity and they also saw that the Holy Spirit was in charge of events in this church. So, when a couple, Ananias and Sapphira, tried to lie to the leaders of this new sect about what they were doing, Peter said, “ ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? … While it remained [before you sold the land] was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God’ ” (Acts 5:3, 4). And when Peter said these things, Ananias fell down dead. Three hours later his wife came in and told the same lie (verses 5–8). “Then Peter said to her, … ‘The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. … So great fear came upon all the church …” (verses 9–11).

All realized that this was not just a human organization. This movement was being directed by the Holy Spirit of God. The lesson to be learned from the story of Ananias and Sapphira is that it is a serious business to save people. Therefore, do not play games of pretend with God and think that you are going to be religious.

Because the temple leaders saw that something more had to be done to crush this powerful “heresy,” once more the disciples were arrested and imprisoned. The Sanhedrin was called to try their case and a number of learned men, in addition to those on the Sanhedrin council, were summoned to discuss together the wisest way to deal with these disturbers of the peace. The Bible record states, “They (the Jewish rulers) laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ‘Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life’ ” (verses 18–20).

Notice what happened. The religious leaders threatened them, admonishing them not to speak any more in the name of Jesus. But an angel from heaven said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20).

The Bible says, “And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought” (verse 21). But they were not there. The doors were still bolted and the soldiers were all there, but the apostles were gone. Soon they were found standing in the temple and teaching the people (see verse 25)!

“When they had brought them, they set them before the council” (verse 27), then they said in verse 28: “… Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?” Now notice, an angel from heaven told them to keep preaching, the religious leaders told them not to. “… look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

“But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him’ ” (verses 29–32).

The Christian should obey every human, civil law. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 13 that the Christian is to obey the laws of men until the laws of men command him to disobey the laws of God, the laws of heaven. When that happens, Peter said, “We should obey God rather than men.” When Peter said these things to them, they became so furious that they decided they would kill them right on the spot. The Jews had killed others without taking them to Roman authorities, but the authorities had been bribed to turn a blind eye to it. However, while they were getting ready to do this, a rabbi among them by the name of Gamaliel gave them a warning. “He said to them: ‘Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago …,’ ” and then he mentions a number of different cases where different heresies had arisen and they came to naught. “Now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God” (verses 35–39).

O, friend, that is a question that leaders of all religions need to ask themselves today. Remember, force is the last resort of every false religion. If you use force to get your way, you are using Satan’s methods. No stronger evidence can be given that you are inspired by the spirit of Satan and doing his will and are part of his kingdom. The religion of Jesus Christ is a religion where people are invited—not forced. The Lord says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3).

How is it with you, friend? Are you willing to be drawn by the love of Jesus so your life can be changed and you can receive eternal life?

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

 Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church of Free Seventh-day Adventists in Wichita, Kansas.