Issue: 2016 October

Inspiration – The Duty of Forgiveness

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Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12), Christ taught us to pray. But it is most difficult even for those who claim to be followers of Jesus, to forgive as He forgave us. The true spirit of forgiveness is so little practised [sic], and so many interpretations are placed upon Christ’s requirement, that its force and beauty are lost sight of. We have very uncertain views of the great mercy and loving-kindness of God. He is full of compassion and forgiveness, and freely pardons when we truly repent and confess our sins. But when the message of God’s pardoning love comes from a heart that has an experimental knowledge of it, to those who have not experienced it for themselves, it is like speaking in parables. We must bring into our characters the love and sympathy expressed in Christ’s life.

Peter, when brought to the test, sinned greatly. In denying the Master he had loved and served, he became a cowardly apostate. But his Lord did not cast him off; He freely forgave him. After the resurrection, an angel told the women who came to the tomb with spices, to carry the glad news of a risen Lord to the “disciples and Peter” (Mark 16:7). And when afterward Christ thrice repeated the question, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?” Peter cast himself on the tender mercy of the Master he had so wronged, and said, “Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love thee” (John 21:15). And when our Lord entrusted to him the care of his sheep and lambs, Peter knew that he was taken back into divine confidence and affection. To fulfil this charge, he would need to have the mind that was in Jesus Christ; he must copy the Pattern. Henceforth, remembering his own weakness and failures, he would be patient with his brethren in their mistakes and errors. Remembering the patient love of Christ, who had afforded him another opportunity, he would be more conciliatory toward erring ones.

If we have received the gift of God, and have a knowledge of Jesus Christ, we have a work to do for others. We must imitate the long-suffering of God toward us. The Lord requires of us the same treatment toward His followers that we receive of Him. We are to exercise patience and to be kind, even though they do not meet our expectations. The Lord expects us to be pitiful and loving, to have sympathetic hearts. He desires us to show the fruits of the grace of God in our deportment one to another. Christ did not say, You may tolerate your neighbor, but, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). This means a great deal more than professing Christians carry out in their daily life.

When Christ was on earth, instead of removing from the commandments one jot or tittle of their force, He showed by precept and example how far-reaching their principles are, how much broader they are than the scribes and Pharisees thought. They thought that Christ was lowering the Old Testament standard, yet He was teaching the people practical godliness. Christ understood their feelings, and reproved these self-righteous rulers in these words to His disciples; “I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (verses 17–19).

Christ proceeds to teach that the principles of God’s law reach even to the intents and purposes of the mind. And he plainly states that if we faithfully keep the ten precepts, we shall love our neighbor as ourselves. “Ye have heard,” He says, “that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (verses 43–48).

A consistent religious life, holy conversation, a godly example, true-hearted benevolence, mark the representative of Christ. He will labor to pluck sinners as brands from the burning; he will perform every duty faithfully. Thus he will become a beacon light.

Reader, we are nearing the Judgment. Talents have been lent us on trust. Let none of us be at last condemned as slothful servants. Send forth the words of life to those in darkness. Let the church be true to her trust. Her earnest, humble prayers will make the presentation of truth effectual, and Christ will be glorified.

The Review and Herald, May 19, 1910.

Keys to the Storehouse – Satan, Job and You

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Our Lord allowed Satan the opportunity to test Job. Read again the first and second chapters of Job so that you may refresh your mind with what happened to Job, because each of us will be tested, as Job was by Satan, as allowed by the Searcher of hearts. Are you ready for the test?

“Of Job, the patriarch of Uz, the testimony of the Searcher of hearts was, ‘There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil.’

“Against this man, Satan brought scornful charge: ‘Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast Thou not made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? … Put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath;’ ‘touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.’

“The Lord said unto Satan, ‘All that he hath is in thy power.’ ‘Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.’

“Thus permitted, Satan swept away all that Job possessed—flocks and herds, menservants and maidens, sons and daughters; and he ‘smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown’ (Job 1:8–12; 2:5–7).” Education, 155.

Think of Job’s experience as you read the following end time prophecy:

“As Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins, the Lord permits him to try them to the uttermost. Their confidence in God, their faith and firmness, will be severely tested. As they review the past, their hopes sink; for in their whole lives they can see little good. They are fully conscious of their weakness and unworthiness. Satan endeavors to terrify them with the thought that their cases are hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away. He hopes so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations and turn from their allegiance to God.” The Great Controversy, 618.

Do not think that you or any other professed Christian will escape the testing time. No.

  • Satan will accuse us
  • Our Lord will permit Satan to try us to the uttermost
  • Our confidence in God and our faith and firmness will be severely tested

Oh my brothers and sisters, now is the time to build up our faith in Jesus as our Saviour and Redeemer. The testing time coming for each of us will “require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger—a faith that will not faint though severely tried.” Conflict and Courage, 369.

Are you ready? This is the game of eternal life. Satan wants to win the game against you and cause you to lose eternal life, eternal happiness because he has lost the battle. Don’t let him! Stand for God now no matter what earthly comforts you may lose. Now is the day of preparation. Job lost all, but God restored much more than he had lost. Will you let go of this world and stand for God at the loss of all earthly things?

Heavenly Father, Give me the strength now to do what is right, no matter what the cost. I want You to be able to say of me as you said about Job: “There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil.” This is the desire of my heart. You have promised: “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4). I claim that promise. I choose eternal life with You rather than eternal death with the devil. Help me Lord! Amen.

Current Events – Catholic-Lutheran Agreement

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US Lutherans approve document recognizing agreement with Catholic Church

By Emily McFarlan Miller

August 15, 2016

(RNS) Nearly 500 years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Castle Church door, the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. has approved a declaration recognizing “there are no longer church-dividing issues” on many points with the Roman Catholic Church.

The “Declaration on the Way” was approved 931-9 by the 2016 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly held last week at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton called the declaration “historic” in a release by the denomination following the Wednesday (August 10) vote.

“Though we have not yet arrived, we have claimed that we are, in fact, on the way to unity. … This ‘Declaration on the Way’ helps us to realize more fully our unity in Christ with our Catholic partners, but it also serves to embolden our commitment to unity with all Christians,” Eaton said.

The declaration comes as the Lutheran and Catholic churches prepare to kick off a year of celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

Luther had touched off the Reformation on Oct. 31, 1517, when he nailed the 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. That document included 95 statements he wanted to debate within the Catholic Church.

Most notably, the “Declaration on the Way” includes 32 “Statements of Agreement” where Lutherans and Catholics no longer have church-dividing differences on issues of church, ministry and the Eucharist. Those statements previously had been affirmed by the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

It also lists remaining differences between the two churches and next steps on addressing them.

Eaton pointed to past agreements reached by the ELCA and Catholic Church, as well, including 1999’s “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.”

Last November, Pope Francis sparked controversy when he seemed to suggest a Lutheran could receive Communion in the Catholic Church, saying “life is greater than explanations and interpretations.” The pontiff is scheduled to visit Sweden on October 31 to preside at a joint service with Lutherans.

And the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation released a joint in 2013 titled “From Conflict to Communion” that focused on the progress made in Lutheran-Catholic dialogue in the past 50 years, rather than centuries of conflict.

The ELCA is one of the 10 largest Protestant denominations in the U.S. with more than 3.7 million members across the 50 states and the Caribbean region.

http://religionnews.com/2016/08/15/u-s-lutherans-approve-document-recognizing-agreement-with-the-catholic-church/

“Protestants have tampered with and patronized popery; they have made compromises and concessions which papists themselves are surprised to see, and fail to understand. Men are closing their eyes to the real character of Romanism, and the dangers to be apprehended from her supremacy. The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous foe to civil and religious liberty.” The Great Controversy (1888), 566

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

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“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

These words of Jesus recorded in John 14:1–3 were spoken by the Savior at the last supper. He had washed the feet of the disciples. He had given them the bread and the wine and He was speaking with them there round the table. He had spoken of His going to the Father. The disciples were troubled that there should be any thought of separation. Although He had told them about the cross which was just ahead, they had no idea that before another sun should set, Jesus would be hanging on the tree.

There, gathered in the upper room, they heard this wonderful assurance of Jesus, these wonderful words of comfort. It is significant that the Savior was thinking not of His own suffering and sorrow but was reaching out in the endeavor to comfort these who were so near and dear to Him. “Let not your heart be troubled,” He said, “ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

As we meditate on this beautiful passage, let us drink in, first of all, the precious assurance that He wants to be with us; He wants us to be with Him. That’s the whole purpose of the entire plan of salvation, to get man and God together. This is why the gospel condemns sin and points to the remedy for sin. Sin is an intruder; sin is a troublemaker; sin is what is responsible for the separation. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God (Isaiah 59:2). And the reason God hates sin is that sin has brought separation between those that God loves and God.

If you love somebody, you want to be with them very much. Jesus loves us very, very much and He wants us to be with Him; He wants to be with us. So He says, I’m going to the Father’s house to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, in order that, where I am, there ye may be also.

What is the purpose of the second coming reunion? To unite God with His people. That’s why all heaven is soon to come to this planet; that’s why Jesus is going to bring the angels with Him and send them all over this world to gather the resurrected saints and the translated together to meet the Lord in the air. Then all will enter the pearly gates and enter in to rejoice in that fellowship, that wonderful association, with Jesus and with the good and blessed of all ages. “I will come again” (John 14:3). Sweet promise, wonderful assurance. Jesus is coming again.

But thank God for the reason that He’s coming – He’s coming for us, you and for me.

“Jesus, my Savior, shall come from on high,

Sweet is the promise as weary years fly;

O, I shall see Him descending the sky,

Coming for me, for me!” Seeking for Me, author unknown, 1878.

Yes, it’s for me that He is coming, as if I were the only one. He thinks I am valuable enough that He would make the whole trip just to get me. Isn’t it nice to be worth that much to Heaven? You are, my friend, whether you know it or not. Whether it’s ever dawned upon your soul or whether you’ve reveled in it for years, you are worth that much to Heaven. You are worth that much to Jesus. That’s why He paid redemption’s price.

He does not desire us to be in uncertainty and fear during the interval between His first coming and His second coming. “Let not your heart be troubled,” He says. “Ye believe in God, believe also in Me.” Is it really true that believing in Him we need not be troubled; is that really true? That’s what He is saying. Does He tell the truth? Oh, yes, for in the sixth verse He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Man is feeble, utterly lacking in what it takes to help us, and by the same token, lacking in what it takes to hinder us or hurt us. Man is powerless to lift us up and man is powerless to knock us down if we are abiding in Christ. We want to note especially the security, the comfort, the help and courage that come from looking unto Jesus. “Let not your heart be troubled,” He said, “ye believe in God, believe also in Me.”

I love that wonderful hymn, “Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow Thee.” There is a stanza tucked away in the body of the hymn: “Man may trouble and distress me, ’Twill but drive me to Thy breast. Life with trials sore may press me; Heaven will bring me sweeter rest. Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me If Thy love be left to me; Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me, If that love be hid from me.” Jesus I My Cross Have Taken, Henry F. Lyte, 1824. Yes, friends, “man may trouble and distress me, ’twill but drive me to His breast.” The utter inability of man to meet our needs draws us and drives us to the Fountainhead of help and courage and strength and blessing, even Jesus Himself. So He says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.”

In the closing conflict of the great controversy, those who are standing for God will find every earthly support cut off, but we need not despair as we look forward to that. As David says, “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me” (Psalm 27:3–6). How nice it will be to hear David sing some of his own original compositions, accompanying himself on the harp as he used to do there at Bethlehem. Thank God that now we can learn those Psalms of faith and hope and trust and courage that direct our eyes from men with their frailties and failings to God, Who doeth all things well.

Let us think of why it makes sense to trust in God. He says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.” In the first place, friends, God always knows the answer. God always knows the answer. Things are expensive today but one of the most expensive commodities on the market is good advice. No matter how much a man can earn working with his muscles, the highest fees are still paid for good counsel, solid sense, and advice. Too bad so much of it is misspent; too bad so much of the confidence is misplaced. Now what a wonderful thing it is to find in Jesus a Counselor Who never makes a mistake, Who knows everything in all dimensions. He was from all eternity. He will be to all eternity. He knows everything that ever happened. He knows everything that’s ever going to happen. There is nothing hid from Him.

How ardently men are maneuvering to get certain information in Washington today. Well, the Lord knows all about it and did before they ever started squabbling about it. The Lord knows what the stock market is going to be next week, what the war news is going to be. He knows how you are put together personally. He knows what makes you happy better than you do. He knows your future. Yes, God is infinite in wisdom. How wonderful to have an audience with the One Who knows all things. But that is only the beginning of the wonder. He not only knows everything—He has all power. Sometimes people are strong in good advice but they lack what it takes to implement their counsel, but God is not short there. He is all mighty. He is omnipotent.

What do those expressions mean? They mean that there is nothing impossible with God. He has demonstrated that thousands of times – from Creation right on through to today. God spoke, and the Red Sea rolled back, and Israel went through on dry land. God spoke and the walls of Jericho fell down with no human hands touching them. God spoke and the dead were raised in the days of Elijah and Elisha and then in the ministry of Jesus here on earth. God spoke and blind eyes were opened, deaf ears unstopped, the lame went like deer leaping over the earth. Oh, friends, God is not only wise, He is also powerful. God can do more than heal sick bodies; He can relieve weary hearts. He can heal the sick soul. He can bring forgiveness to sin. He can take away the guilt. He can do anything. He is all wise, He is all powerful. But beyond His wisdom and His power is His love.

There are people who have money that you and I might sometimes desire in order to solve some problem that we think money could solve. However, if the people who have the money are not interested in helping us, what good does it do us? What good does it accomplish? Not a bit. But Jesus has demonstrated that all the resources of the universe are available to help those He loves—and He loves you. Thus there is nothing kept back, nothing in reserve that you cannot have that you need.

Now let’s put that together. Infinite wisdom, infinite power, infinite love – all harnessed to the one task of helping you with every problem, filling every need. Isn’t that wonderful? Well, somebody says, I wish I could believe it. Of course, if you can’t believe it, it’s hard to get any good out of it, isn’t it? That’s why our text says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.” As Jesus said to the two blind men who approached Him, “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29), and so my dear friends, infinite possibilities are for you and me if the hand of faith reaches up to the hand of love that’s stretched out to help us. Infinite possibilities, wonderful blessings – according to your faith be it unto you. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.

What does it mean to believe in the sense that Jesus is speaking of here? This expression is oft repeated by John, who wrote these words. We remember those immortal words in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Notice that God’s love has been poured out and everyone who believes in Him will not perish but instead have everlasting life. It all hinges on believing. Not only our present peace but our eternal salvation is dependent on believing.

John 1:12: “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” [Emphasis added.] Who gets the power? Those who believe on His name. Now this is also spoken of here as receiving Him. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” [Emphasis added.] Those who receive Him believe Him. Those who believe Him receive Him. Again it says in John 5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” [Emphasis added.] Jesus says that passing from death to life depends upon two things: hearing and believing.

This agrees with what we read in John 1:12: “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” Jesus was speaking to a multitude of people when these words were given. Among them, some believed and some did not. Jesus said that those who believed were entering into life, and those who did not were in condemnation. It is possible for me to make a decision which places me either on the side of belief or on the side of unbelief.

God has given to every one of us the ability to choose – not only what we will do but what we will believe. We can either believe God and enter into His promises or we can disbelieve Him and go the way of rebellion. Think of Adam and Eve back in the Garden of Eden. God made them perfect, but He gave them the power of choice. He instructed them concerning obedience and for some time they cooperated with their Creator. But the third chapter of Genesis tells us the story of Eve’s listening to Satan, speaking through a serpent. Sad to say, she chose to believe the serpent instead of believing God.

Her unbelief in what God said led her to do what the serpent said. Unbelief always precedes an outward transgression. Whenever we do anything that is contrary to the law of God, it is because something has happened in our mind in which we’ve lost some of that precious faith, that belief in what Jesus says. Eve lost it listening to the serpent. You and I can lose it in the same way. Faith comes by listening to the word of God. “He that heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life.” Unbelief comes by turning from what Jesus says and listening to what the enemy says.

Consider this: If the person who is strongest in faith, the most experienced Christian, spends next week listening to the serpent instead of Jesus, he will lose some of the faith He has and begin to believe the devil’s lies. On the other hand, if the weakest person, the one that has the least faith, who finds it hardest to believe, if he will shut his ears to the voices of sin in this world and open his heart to the word of God and listen to Jesus speaking, faith will grow in his soul. He will become more and more conscious of what a joyful thing it is to trust in Christ for salvation, full and free.

The choice is yours. You can decide. We become what we behold. We are affected by what we listen to. “He that heareth My words,” Jesus says, “and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation.”

Let’s examine Romans 10:17: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith is just the opposite of unbelief. As unbelief comes by listening to the serpent, faith comes by hearing the word of God. Do you want more faith? Then listen more to the Word. Not only are you to hear His word, but you are to believe. Put your will on the side of faith and action. This is the way we all began to learn.

Jesus said, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). You know how little children learn. Dad and Mother say to the little one, “See this star?” And what does the little one lisp? “Star, star.” How did you learn that was a star out there in the sky? Somebody you loved and trusted told you and you repeated it. Think of the alphabet. How do you know that A is A? Somebody you loved and trusted pointed to a certain symbol and said, “A” and you said, “A.” And so it was with B and C. Oh, that God may help us to be that simple in our faith and our attitude toward Jesus. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.

It has been said that there are some things that we do not believe unless we can understand them, but there are other things that we cannot understand unless we believe them. Ponder that. One of the great problems with the skeptic, the scoffer, the infidel, the higher critic, the modernist is this: He does not know how truth is received into the inner sanctuary of the soul. He supposes that by argument he can arrive at an understanding of truth. He supposes that spiritual things can be comprehended by the same tools that are used in solving a mathematical equation. But all the mathematics in this world will not make plain to anybody the taste of a watermelon or a peach, will it? Never. So David says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).

So we are dealing with the experiential, and if, without arguing when God says something, we open our minds and hearts to His assurance, we can grow in faith; we can understand by believing first instead of waiting to believe until we understand. I repeat, this is the way most of us have learned most of what we know in life. It is also the law of progress in the spiritual experience. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.” He wants that little band of disciples gathered around the table in that upper room to be at peace, especially in light of what is soon to transpire.

Turn again to John the 16th chapter. This is part of the same message that Jesus was giving to the disciples in chapter 14. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). When Jesus spoke these words, He was even then in the shadow of the cross. Yet He looked beyond. He saw the triumph and He longed for the courage of it, the cheer of it, the hope of it to grip every heart. “Be of good cheer, He says, I have overcome the world.” He speaks of His victory as already accomplished. By faith He knows that He will plant the banner on the eternal heights and He wants His friends to share with Him in that hope. Are you sharing it? He invites you to turn aside from the temptations of Satan and pay no attention to them. He invites you to turn aside, turn away from men who have no power to lift you and who cannot hinder you if you will stand with Jesus. He wants you to abide with Him.

Jesus says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.” You know whether you are resting in Jesus or not. I cannot read your heart. But if you are resting in Jesus, are you not thankful for it?

“Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!

There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er.

Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,

Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.” Under His Wings, William O. Cushing, 1896.

Do you mean that safely resting in Jesus works, even if committees don’t vote right things? Do you mean it works, even if some government agency doesn’t understand? Do you mean that holds true even if there is sickness or lack of money? It is always true provided we believe—and we can choose to believe.

If you are resting in Jesus, thank Him for it. If you are thinking that you would give anything if you could have what I have described, realize that you cannot buy it with money. It will take everything you have. That rich young ruler who came to Jesus needed just what we are studying. He saw Jesus bless the little children and he thought, Oh I wish I could get blessed too. But when Jesus, responding to his question, What lack I yet? said, you lack just one thing – sell everything you have and give it away and come take up the cross and follow Me, He went away sorrowful (see John 19:13–23). He kept his possessions and his sorrow. Sin, selfishness, gets in the way. There is no way to have peace and hang on to self and sin. No way. We cannot buy it with money, but we can open our hearts to receive it if we just surrender fully to Jesus and then trust Him. If you need that peace, I invite you to find it in the Saviour.

Elder W.D. Frazee studied the Medical Missionary Course at the College of Medical Evangelists in Loma Linda, California. He was called to Utah as a gospel medical evangelist. During the Great Depression, when the church could not afford to hire any assistants, Elder Frazee began inviting professionals to join him as volunteers. This began a faith ministry that would become the foundation for the establishment of the Wildwood Medical Missionary Institute in 1942. He believed that each person is unique, specially designed by the Lord, of infinite value, and has a special place and mission in this world which only he can fill. His life followed this principle and he encouraged others to do the same.

Standing on the Promises

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Peter the aged, in a summing up of what Christ has done for “them that have obtained like precious faith,” says:

“According as His Fdivine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:1, 3, 4).

On these promises the hope of the Christian rests. “Which hope,” says the apostle Paul, “we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil” (Hebrews 6:19). The soul of the servant of God is anchored to the throne above. His hope is as sure and stable as that throne itself.

Heaven’s part in the great plan of redemption has been faithfully performed. God’s purposes in the salvation of men are sure and unalterable. Sometime this earth will be peopled by the redeemed of the Lord. From each generation since the fall will be gathered a remnant of those who have been true to God and the principles of His government. To such the sure promises of God have been as a beacon light, to guide their feet through the gloom and darkness of earth’s error and sin.

While God’s promises are always sure, man must meet them in faith and hold their blessings by prayer. Faith in God and earnest prayer will bring to any human being the sure mercies of the wonderful plan of redemption.

Though we may wander far, and may long reject the overtures of a merciful God, yet the story of the prodigal son teaches how the arms of Infinite Love are ever stretched out to receive the returning wanderer.

The record of God’s dealings with Israel has brought hope and confidence to many a despairing soul. This history is but a rehearsal of the experiences of the human heart. Tempted by Satan we wander from God, but the road is not easy. Afflictions overtake us. As a parent chastens a loved son, so our Father allows difficulties and troubles to overtake us. These are God’s agencies to turn back our feet into right paths. As soon as we turn we find a loving Father with arms stretched out to receive us.

Over and over again did Israel wander from God into sin and idolatry. Then they were delivered into the hand of their enemies. But when these afflictions brought them to seek the Lord, how quickly He returned to them and brought confusion to their enemies. God’s position toward His people during these experiences is well illustrated in the ninth of Isaiah:

“The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still” (verse 12).

At this time Israel had gone into abominable idolatry, hence God had removed His protecting hand, and the heathen had come against them. His anger was strong against His people, yet through it all His hand was stretched out to receive them and protect them at the first indication of repentance and returning.

There is a human side to the plan of redemption. This calls for our co-operation with the efforts of Heaven in our behalf. And although we cannot work out salvation for ourselves, neither can Heaven save us unless we take our stand by the side of holy intelligences, and by earnest faith and humble prayer secure the help we must have.

Heaven listens to the faintest plea from those who come to God in sincerity. No one, however far he may have wandered, need fear to approach the throne of grace. Our Saviour left the promise, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

And the very throne of God is pledged to the protection of those who place themselves in the keeping of Almighty power. Our Lord has left to such the pledge, that “no one shall snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28 R.V.). Only our own action can take us out of the hand of our God.

Guarded well are the true followers of our Lord. David says, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7).

When the armies of Syria surrounded the prophet of God at Dothan, heaven sent a host to protect him. The Lord opened the eyes of the trembling servant of the prophet, “and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17).

About Job was placed a rampart or hedge of angels which the devil could not pass. (See Job 1:10.)

When Jacob was about to meet his brother Esau, who was marching against him, he was allowed to see God’s host which had been sent from heaven to protect him. (See Genesis 32:1, 2.)

All heaven would move to the aid of the weakest child of God if necessary, to protect him from the attacks of the enemy. The hosts of evil are strong, but if the battle wages fiercely, the angel guards will be reinforced by the most powerful beings from the very presence of Jehovah.

When Daniel prayed for the deliverance of Israel, the Lord sent one of the most powerful angels of heaven to the king of Persia to induce him to let Israel go. For full three weeks this mighty angel labored with King Cyrus, but without success. Then came Michael (Christ), and the release of God’s people was assured.

God’s people represent on earth the principles of His government in heaven. Hence injury to God’s people on earth is an insult to God’s throne in heaven. Our Lord Himself would come to earth, if necessary, to carry out His purposes concerning His people.

Our Saviour came to earth for the resurrection of Moses. At the grave of that servant of God He was met by the devil, who has “the power of death.” (See Hebrews 2:14.) In thus invading the territory of the enemy, being withstood by him, Christ did not rely on Himself, but invoked the highest power of heaven in the words, “The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 9).

It is not alone to the mighty deeds in great emergencies that we must look for evidences of heaven’s aid to God’s people. The prayer of the humble saint and of the repentant sinner is as sure of a hearing and an answer as that of the most godly prophet of Bible days.

David said, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6).

But we must come to God in faith. The prayer of faith commands the most powerful forces of heaven. Jesus said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” But He adds, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:20, 21).

But our will must be subject to the will of God. The beloved John writes, “If we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (I John 5:14, 15).

If we are true followers of Christ, our will is in accord with His will. Then the Holy Spirit leads and directs our prayer, and it is, therefore, in harmony with the will of heaven, and the very throne of God is pledged to the answer.

But if we come with our will unsubdued, and with sins cherished and unrepented of, we are out of harmony, out of touch, with heaven. Then the line of communication is broken, and our prayers cannot reach the throne. We will then ask according to our unsanctified, unsubdued heart, and God can neither hear nor answer such prayers. “If I regard iniquity in my heart,” says the psalmist, “the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).

But more than this, God cannot accept the prayers of those who disobey His requirements. Solomon says, “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Proverbs 28:9). And David speaks of prayers that “become sin,” because of wickedness and deceit. (See Psalm 109:7).

When our prayers go forth in harmony with the mind of the Spirit of God, they will be prayers of faith, and cannot fail to bring their answer. But no doubting, no wavering must be allowed to mingle with them. “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord” (James 1:6, 7).

The waters composing the waves of the sea do not rush on with the waves. The wave is but the upheaval of the waters. The ship upon the billows does not move along with the wave. As the wave rushes along, the vessel rises upon the crest, and then falls into the trough of the sea, but it does not move forward with the wave unless propelled by sail or steam. And so with the life of many vacillating Christians—sometimes on the mountain top, and again in the valley of doubt, but with no visible advancement in spiritual attainments or experience. Their condition is well described in the jubilee melody,

“Sometimes up, and sometimes down, Sometimes almost to the ground.”

Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, slave spiritual, 1867.

God’s promises to His children represent all the power of heaven. They are not promises merely, but they are backed by the oath of Jehovah. Paul, presenting these sure promises, says:

“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it [to Abraham] by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:17, 18).

And to show that this assurance applies to our day, Paul writes, “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).

The Christian’s hope is based upon the promises of God. Faith brings the reward. The sincere faith of the humblest suppliant at the throne of grace is more powerful than “all the power of the enemy.” True is the word of the poet,

“Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees.”

What Various Hindrances We Meet, William Cowper, 1779.

Simple faith makes real the promises of God. Paul writes: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Through faith the hope of the child of God becomes very real and tangible. We have a loving heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is our Elder Brother, and our Advocate with the Father. Heavenly angels are our constant attendants. A city with mansions is being prepared for us in heaven. (See John 14:2, 3).

The true and faithful of earth will have homes in that beautiful city. This earth will be made new and glorified, to become the eternal dominion of the saints. Here they will dwell through an endless life of joy and bliss beyond our comprehension.

These are the rewards which the Christian contemplates “with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8). And these are the promises which become as real and substantial to us as the events of every-day life. Through faith they are the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Past, Present, and Future, James Edson White, 1909, 38–48.

Moses is No Mummy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editorial – Marked and Sealed

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The book of Revelation is very clear that in the final days of this earth’s history, everybody in the world will be marked or sealed. Some will be sealed with the seal of the living God and they will be saved. (See Revelation 7:1–8; 9:4; 14:1–5; 15:2, 3.) Unfortunately, the great majority of the world’s population will receive the mark of the beast, sometimes referred to as the mark of antichrist. (See Revelation 13:1–10.) The antichrist power is also described in Daniel 7 and in 2 Thessalonians 2. Those who receive this mark will lose their souls. (See Revelation 14:9–12; Revelation 15:1; 16:2; 19:20, 21.)

The words seal and sign are used interchangeably in the Bible. (See Romans 4:11.) The sign or seal of God has always been the fourth commandment—the Sabbath commandment. (See Exodus 31:12–18 and Ezekiel 20:12–20.)

Jesus said that not even part of a letter of the law can be changed. (See Luke 16:17.) Note that the Ten Commandments were spoken verbally by God to the human family and did not come through visions or dreams of prophets. (See Deuteronomy 5:22.) To attempt to change the Sabbath is to attempt to change the longest commandment in the Ten Commandment law and in this way to exalt oneself above the Lawgiver and thereby become an antichrist power. (Compare Daniel 7:25.)]

Has anyone attempted to change the Sabbath commandment? Yes.

“Sunday is a Catholic institution, and its claims to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles. … From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.” Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, August, 1900.

“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act. It could not have been otherwise as none in those days would have dreamed of doing anything in matters spiritual and ecclesiastical and religious without her. And the act is a mark of ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.” James Cardinal Gibbons, in a letter to J. F. Snyder of Bloomington, Illinois, dated November 11, 1895, and signed by H. F. Thomas, Chancellor for the Cardinal.

“Protestants … accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change … But the Protestant’s mind does not seem to realize that in accepting the Bible, in observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope.” Our Sunday Visitor, February 5, 1950.