The Blessing of Humility

How much money does a person need? Many poor people believe that they would be happy if they were well-fixed financially and many who are comfortable believe that they would have less worries if they had more money. The Jones family wish they were like the Ritzes, and the Ritzes wish they were wealthy like the Vanderbilts. So, Jesus’ teaching is a great paradox to what we tend to think. What did Jesus mean when He said, “Happy are the poor?”

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

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

So, the Lord says that He looks on the person who is humble. There are many Bible texts that reveal that a person who is proud is not known by the Lord. After Mary, the mother of Jesus, was informed by the angel Gabriel that she would become the mother of the Messiah, she says, “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state [poor person] of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. … He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty” (Luke 1:47, 48, 53). God has promised to help those who are poor and are of a contrite and poor spirit, but the rich are sent away because they don’t feel any need.

In Revelation the 3rd chapter, there is found a description of the Christian church in the last days. It says, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit [spue] you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—” (verses 15–17).

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

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

Something similar happened to the proud-spirited Simon Peter when he fell at Jesus’ feet. In Luke 5:8–10, it says, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” Notice, immediately when he acknowledged his condition, Jesus commissioned him to be a fisher of men.

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

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

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

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

Dead people are not sensitive. The psalmist wrote, “Great peace have they who love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165 KJV). Offense naturally thrives where sin abounds. It was a proud and sensitive angel who committed the first sin. And the more he sinned, the more sensitive he became. We live in a world where all are suffering with proud flesh. Sinful flesh is always proud. It was impossible for Jesus to keep from offending His hearers because they were so sensitive and proud in their spirit. At the close of one of His sermons, almost everybody fled from Him (see John 6). The Pharisees were continually offended at His teachings. In fact, even the disciples were often grieved. Truth always offends those who are in error and sinners resent their shortcomings being pointed out.

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

Notice, the Pharisee did not pray to God. Jesus made it very clear that he prayed a boasting speech to himself. It was not even a prayer at all, but a boast of his inbred and acquired righteousness. He did not even make a request. He simply thanked God that he was everything that he should be. He was grateful that he was different from others, especially from the poor publican.

The publican, however, was poor in spirit. He recognized his spiritual poverty. He cried out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He alone was justified and justification leads to happiness because the Bible says that when we’re justified by faith, then we have peace with God.  Oftentimes we don’t realize that this same spirit of Phariseeism is the common spirit in Christendom today. The first beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This beatitude is very up to date because pride of spirit, self-sufficiency is more prevalent in the Christian world today, perhaps, than ever before. Phariseeism is not extinct. In fact, when Jesus speaks of the condition of the Christian church in the last or remnant phase of its existence, it is described as a church with a Pharisaical attitude. As already seen in Revelation 3:15–17, this attitude leads Christians to believe they need nothing when in reality they have need of everything.

The spirit of Phariseeism is the natural spirit of human nature and it is just as prevalent now as in the days when Jesus was among men. The church in its present condition is proud in spirit. Its members do not recognize their spiritual condition; in fact, they even boast of their spiritual wealth. In their own estimation, they are rich and increased in goods. They believe they are ready to go to heaven when in reality, they are wretched, miserable, poor, and blind, and naked, spiritually, and the Lord says, “I’m about to vomit you out of My mouth.” In other words, you are about to commit the unpardonable sin.

The message that describes the spiritual pride of the last-day church also provides a complete remedy. Notice what Jesus says to the church of the last days: “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see” (verse 18). He’s talking about spiritual gold and spiritual clothing, and spiritual eye salve. The gold, spiritual gold, represents the amount of faith and love a person has. Gold enables a person to get whatever they want. In the spiritual world, faith enables you to get whatever you need. In the physical world, if you have gold, you are wealthy. In the spiritual world, if you have love, you are wealthy. The Bible says that love is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14). But Jesus also says, “Buy from me white garments.” The Bible says clearly in Revelation 19 that the white garment is the righteousness of the saints that is imparted to them by Jesus Christ.

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

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

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

Paul says, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), there dwells no good thing” (Romans 7:18, literal translation). Whom Christ pardons, He first makes penitent. If you have a sense of your deep soul poverty, if you know that you have no goodness of your own, you may find righteousness and strength by looking to Jesus. Notice this promise that was given to the poor in spirit. It reads, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).

Do you recognize your spiritual poverty, and would you like to exchange that poverty for the riches of His grace? It does not matter what your past experience has been or however discouraging your present circumstances might be. Come to Jesus just the way you are – weak, helpless, and despairing – and you will find that He will take you in. He said, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). While you are a great way off, He will come to you and impart to you His righteousness that will change everything in your life. Trust Him!

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

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

God’s Sacred Treasure

In 1 Kings 17, an enlightening story is recorded from the life of Elijah. The story took place during the time when the land of Israel was under the curse of God and was not receiving any rain or dew because of their rebellion against the God of heaven.

At the beginning of this three and a half year period, when it did not rain, the Lord sent Elijah to hide by the Brook Cherith to escape the grasp of King Ahab who was seeking for him all over the land. However, eventually, the brook dried up, and God gave Elijah further instructions. Notice: “And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, Saying, ‘Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.’ ” 1 Kings 17: 7–9.

Elijah was sent out of the land of Israel to one of the most wicked areas of the world. There in Zarephath, Elijah met the widow who was out gathering sticks to make a final meal for herself and her son. Despite her desperate situation, this widow shared what little she had with the prophet, and as a result wonderful things happened. The Bible records: “So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.” 1 Kings 17:15, 16.

And this was not the only blessing she received from the Lord because she willingly gave her all. The story is later told of how her only son died. In her great distress she went to the prophet Elijah and he cried to the Lord and said, “ ‘O, Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?’…Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, ‘See your son lives.’ Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.’ ” 1 Kings 17:20–24.

Notice, God sent His prophet to a woman who was very poor; so poor that she was at the point of starvation. When she granted Elijah’s request for a meal, she showed confidence in the man of God that had come and asked a favor of her. Before she received a favor from God, she had to demonstrate her faith.

Isn’t it interesting that God chose to send His servant to such a poor household to be sustained during this difficult time? I am sure there were plenty of rich people close by who had houses and servants and silver and gold, but God ordained that His servant should be sustained by a poor widow woman. It is an amazing thing, but over and over again I have seen the Lord’s work sustained by the widows and the orphans. Why is this? Is it because God needs the resources of the widows and orphans? No. The money is not important to the Lord. It is the motive of the giver that is important in His eyes.

Ellen White wrote about this in Testimonies, vol. 3, 382: “God could have reached His object in saving sinners without the aid of man. He knew that man could not be happy without acting a part in the great work in which he would be cultivating self-denial and benevolence. That man might not lose the blessed results of benevolence, our Redeemer formed the plan of enlisting him as His co-worker.” God could finish the work without any of our help, but it is His desire that we learn the lesson of benevolence and self-denial so He gives us the blessing of assisting with His work.

“Every good thing of earth was placed here by the bountiful hand of God as an expression of His love to man. The poor are His, and the cause of religion is His. He has placed means in the hands of men, that His divine gifts may flow through human channels in doing the work appointed us in saving our fellow men. Everyone has His appointed work in the great field; and yet none should receive the idea that God is dependent upon man. He could speak the word and every son of poverty would be made rich. In a moment of time He could heal the human race of all their diseases. He might dispense with ministers altogether and make angels the ambassadors of His truth. He might have written the truth upon the firmament, or imprinted it upon the leaves of the trees and upon the flowers of the field; or He might with an audible voice have proclaimed it from heaven. But the all wise God did not choose any of these ways. He knew that man must have something to do in order that life might be a blessing to him. The gold and silver are the Lord’s, and He could rain them from heaven if He chose; but instead of this He has made man His steward, entrusting him with means, not to be hoarded, but to be used in benefiting others. He thus makes man the medium through which to distribute His blessings on earth. God planned the system of beneficence in order that man might become, like his Creator, benevolent and unselfish in character, and finally be a partaker with Him of the eternal, glorious reward.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 472, 473.

In all of God’s dealings with His creatures, His purpose is our sanctification, the development of our characters that we might become like Him in character—unselfish and benevolent. It is His desire that our constant impulse will be to do something to bless someone else. And if we follow His instructions, with humble faith and obedience, the result will be the perfection of our characters. The problem is that so often we are haphazard or lackadaisical and do not follow God’s instructions exactly. Then we do not reap the benefits that He desires to bestow on us.

The Tithing Plan

God has given implicit instructions in regard to our stewardship of both time and money. The fourth commandment deals with time and the tithing plan, taught throughout the Old and New Testaments, giving us instruction about our money.

Tithe is first mentioned in regard to Abraham in Genesis 14. Here the Bible records that Abraham “gave him [Melchizedek] a tithe of all.” So it is clear that Abraham understood the tithing plan.

In Genesis 28 we read concerning the experience of Jacob: “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.’ ” Genesis 28:20–22. Jacob also understood the tithing plan.

The Lord gave Moses very explicit instructions about the use of the tithe. He said, “Behold I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.” Numbers 18:21.

Because the Levities were faithful to God during the golden-calf apostasy, the Lord gave them a special blessing—the responsibility of the care of the sanctuary. Instead of giving them an inheritance of property, in the Promised Land, the Lord instructed that they should be sustained by the tithe.

Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians 9:13–14: “Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”

The apostle taught that just as the Levites, in the Old Covenant, received the tithes for the work that they did in the sanctuary, those who preach the gospel, in the New Covenant, are to live of the gospel (from the tithe). The Bible clearly tells us how and for what purposes the tithe is to be spent. Through God’s special messenger for the last days the Lord sent even more explicit instructions about where the tithe is and is not to be used. We will look at several important passages.

“The Lord has specified: the tenth of all your possessions is Mine; your gifts and offerings are to be brought into the treasury, to be used to advance My cause, to send the living preacher to open the Scriptures to those who sit in darkness.” The Youth’s Instructor, August 26, 1897.

“ And He says to us, ‘A portion of the money I have enabled you to gain is Mine. Put it into the treasury in tithes, in gifts and offerings, that there may be meat in Mine house,—that there may be something to sustain those who carry the gospel of My grace to the world.’ ” The Review and Herald, May 9, 1893.

“Instruction has been given me that there is a withholding of the tithe that should be faithfully brought into the Lord’s Treasury, for the support of the ministers and missionaries who are opening the Scriptures to the people and working from house to house.” The Review and Herald, April 20, 1905.

“The people today are to remember that the house of worship is God’s property and that it is to be scrupulously cared for. But the funds for this work are not to come from the tithe. The tithe is to be used for one purpose—to sustain the ministers whom the Lord has appointed to do His work.” Echoes from the Field, June 21, 1905.

Ellen White made it clear that these ministers, or workers, could be men or women. When there were some who insisted that minister’s wives should not be paid even though they were working just as effectively as their husbands, she gave this strong rebuke. “There are ministers’ wives…who have been devoted, earnest, whole soul workers, giving Bible readings and praying with families, helping along by personal efforts just as successfully as their husbands. These women give their whole time, and are told that they receive nothing for their labors because their husbands receive their wages. I tell them to go forward and all such decisions shall be reversed.

“The Word says, ‘The laborer is worthy of his hire.’ When any such decision as this is made, I will in the name of the Lord, protest. I will feel it my duty to create a fund from my tithe money, to pay these women who are accomplishing just as essential work as the ministers are doing, and this tithe I will reserve for work in the same line as that of the ministers, hunting for souls, fishing for souls. I know that the faithful women should be paid wages proportionate to the pay received by ministers. They carry the burden of souls, and should not be treated unjustly. These sisters are giving their time to educating those newly come to the faith, and hire their own work done, and pay those who work for them. All these things must be adjusted and set in order, and justice be done to all.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 360.

Why We Lack Ministers

Ellen White warned that a great mistake is made when the tithe is withdrawn from the object for which it is to be used and she described the results that have followed. “There is a lack of ministers because ministers have not been encouraged. Some ministers who have been sent to foreign lands, to enter fields never before worked, have been given the instruction, ‘You must sustain yourselves. We have not the means with which to support you.’ This ought not to be if the tithe, with gifts and offerings, was brought into the treasury. When a man enters the ministry, he is to be paid from the tithe enough to sustain his family. He is not to feel that he is a beggar.…The tithe is sacred, reserved by God for Himself. It is to be brought into His treasury to be used to sustain the gospel laborers in their work.

“The tithe is to be used for the support of the ministry. The opening of new fields requires more ministerial efficiency than we now have and there must be means in the treasury.” Echoes from the Field, June 21, 1905.

We are living in strange times. Now, probably more than any previous time in Adventism, this plain instruction is being overlooked and people are spending their tithe for all sorts of projects. And the result is that people that are trained to do Bible work cannot engage in the work full time because they do not receive enough to support their families. Many times I have seen qualified gospel workers spending their days working as computer technicians, nurses or carpenters in order to feed and clothe their families and then trying to work for the Lord in the time that remains. At the same time, we receive calls from people all over the country who are seeking for historic Adventist ministers and Bible workers to serve in their churches. The truth is that there are almost no historic Adventist ministers and the reason can be summarized as follows:

The leaders in the revival and reformation movement in Adventism have often refused to organize home churches. And when the home churches were organized, they were not organized into sisterhoods of churches that could help each other. As a result, only those churches large enough to support a pastor of their own could have pastors at all.

Now, if congregational church government is all you have, and that is all that Seventh-day Adventists had at one time, that, of course, is better than total disorganization, but we have never taught congregational church government. We have always believed in full New Testament church organization where the local churches work together for the common good of the cause of God. And we must face the facts squarely. The work of revival and reformation in Adventism is years behind where it could be if all historic Adventist believers would cease the rebellion against New Testament church organization and learn how to work together to plan more organized outreach and distribution of tithe in harmony with inspired counsel. We have to recognize the sad fact that God’s work is lame because of a lack of New Testament church organization.

Of course, the Lord is able to finish His work whether the work is lame or not. We read in Micah 4:6, 7: “‘In that day,’ says the Lord, ‘I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast and those whom I have afflicted; I will make the lame a remnant, and the outcast a strong nation; so the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever.’”

The Lord is able to gather those that are lame, those that are outcasts and have been disfellowshiped from their local churches, into a mighty army to finish His work. The Lord is not dependent on you or me to finish His work. His work will go forward. But the problem is, if we do not follow divine instruction, we will not reap the blessings that God wants us to have. The Lord does not want us to work in a haphazard way. The Lord wants us to come into working order.

The Need for Human Workers

We can spend millions of dollars for all kinds of good projects—radio, television, literature—and I believe in all of these projects, but we will never finish the work with those means alone. The work can only be finished by human workers. That is the way God has ordained it. All of these other methods only plant the seeds, and then human reapers are necessary to gather in the harvest.

A farmer would never spend thousands of dollars to plant a crop which he had no way to harvest. Yet that is what is done in God’s work all the time. People spend hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to plant seeds when there is no provision to send workers to reap the harvest. And then people wonder why there is so little harvest. One of the reasons is because the tithe is not being used to train and hire reapers to go out and reap the harvest.

Ellen White wrote, “The tithe is the Lord’s, and those who meddle with it will be punished with the loss of their heavenly treasure unless they repent. Let the work no longer be hedged up because the tithe has been diverted into various channels other than the one to which the Lord has said it should go.…The opening of new fields requires more ministerial efficiency than we now have, and there must be means in the treasury.” Echoes from the Field, June 21, 1905.

“The light which the Lord has given me on this subject, is that the means in the treasury for the support of the ministers in the different fields is not to be used for any other purpose.” Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers, 18. (See also Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 193.)

A Blessing or a Curse

God is able to bless His people when they obey Him, but when they disobey they are under His curse. In the Old Testament, the Lord told His people that they were under a curse because they were not returning the tithe. Notice what it says in Malachi the third chapter. “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house.”

God has a specific purpose for the tithe. Hundreds and thousands of laborers are needed, and God has provided for their support if men will simply listen to the divine instructions. “The Lord regards the tithe as His own, to be used for a certain purpose.…” It “should be used only, to sustain the ministers in new fields as well as in other places.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 193.

“Let none feel at liberty to retain their tithe to use according to their own judgment. They are not to use it for themselves in any emergency nor to apply it as they see fit, even in what they may regard as the Lord’s work.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 247.

We are not to use the tithe haphazardly or just decide we are going to use it on some missionary project that we see fit. We are to look and see what the divine instruction is and follow it.

We must be careful that we do not use the tithe simply for things like church expense. Ellen White gave much counsel on this. She wrote, “The writers supposed that they were authorized to use the tithe-money in meeting the expenses of the church, as these expenses were quite heavy. From that which has been shown me, the tithe is not to be withdrawn from the treasury. Every penny of this money is the Lord’s own sacred treasure to be appropriated for a special use.” Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers, Number 10, 12.

“I have been shown case after case where men are working in the ministry, who are just as deserving of their wages as those who are employed in the publishing houses, are left without sufficient means to support their families.…Let not those to whom are entrusted responsibilities, allow the treasury that God has appointed to sustain the ministers in the field, to be robbed to supply the expenses incurred in keeping in order and making comfortable the house of God..” Special Testimony to the Oakland and Battle Creek Churches, 11.

A Solemn Warning

In another place this startling warning is given.

“When the Lord’s portion which He has reserved as His own in tithes and offerings is used for common purposes while the church is displaying a love of self-indulgence and selfish gratification, the Lord will not, cannot bless churches and will withdraw His spirit from all who serve themselves and dishonor God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 185.

This is one of the most frightful statements in the Spirit of Prophecy about the tithe question. If we take the tithe and we misappropriate it, God will not and He cannot bless our churches and He will withdraw His spirit from them.

Is there any use in even having a church if you do not have God’s spirit there? Of course not, “for the presence of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church.” Upward Look, 315. Do you realize, then, just how important it is that tithe be used for its divinely intended purpose?

“Those who have used the tithe money to supply the common necessities of the house of God, have taken the money that should go to sustain ministers in doing His work, in preparing the way for Christ’s second appearing. Just as surely as you do this work, you misapply the resources which God has told you to retain in His treasure house, that it may be full to be used in His service. This work is something of which all who have taken a part in should be ashamed. They have used their influence to withdraw from God’s treasury a fund that is consecrated to a sacred purpose. From those who do this, the blessing of the Lord will be removed.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 183. This is a serious matter. Tithe is sacred and we are not to take it and appropriate it to whatever project we deem best. Tithe is to be used to support the gospel ministry.

There is a desperate need among historic Adventists today for the churches to work together so that the tithe is used to enable gospel laborers to go forward. Because of a lack of New Testament organization, people do not know where to send their tithe, so they send it to this ministry or that ministry or it goes to this or that good project, but it is not distributed to the gospel workers in the field, as we are told, in the Spirit of Prophecy, that it should be. A reform must be made before the end of time. We cannot go into the kingdom the way we are right now because we are not in harmony with divine counsel in regard to tithes and offerings.

There is going to be a people who will follow God’s instruction. Maybe it will be just the poor people like the widow of Zarephath. But there is going to be a people that are going to listen to what God says and determine to follow it exactly, and they will receive a priceless blessing from the Lord. But God is not going to use people to finish His work that are taking His tithe and using it to sue the brethren or for all kinds of projects that He has not ordained. It is time for a reform. The question is, How is it going to be with you when the world closes up? Will you be under God’s blessing or under His curse? Part of that depends on how you spend your money and what you do with God’s tithe.

The Sabbath – A Delight

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

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

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

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

When should all ordinary work be completed?

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

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

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

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

What other type of preparation is needed before the Sabbath?

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

How should families spend the opening of the Sabbath hours?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where should our thoughts be on the Sabbath?

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

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

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

Are we to leave our worldly occupations on the Sabbath?

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

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

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

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

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

Is the Sabbath to be spent sleeping?

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

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

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

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

Should travel be avoided when possible?

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

What should Sabbath meals be like?

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

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

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

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

How should parents keep the Sabbath with their children?

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

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

What activities are Sabbath-breaking?

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

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

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

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

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

Can God bless those who do not honor His Sabbath?

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

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

Bible Study Guides – “This Same Jesus”

April 23-29, 2000

MEMORY VERSE: “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11, last part.

STUDY HELP: Desire of Ages, 829–835.

INTRODUCTION: “The promise of Christ’s Second Coming was ever to be kept fresh in the minds of His disciples. The same Jesus whom they had seen ascending into heaven, would come again, to take to Himself those who here below give themselves to His service. The same voice that had said to them, ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end,’ would bid them welcome to His presence in the heavenly kingdom.” Acts of the Apostles, 33.

“The Glorious Appearing of the Great God, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ”

What promise was made to the disciples as they watched the Lord ascending to heaven? Acts 1:10–11.

NOTE: See Desire of Ages, 832.

What does the Bible tell us about the identity of “this same Jesus”? John 1:1–3, Titus 2:13.

NOTE: “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.” Desire of Ages,530.

“It was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, ‘I AM THAT I AM…” Desire of Ages, 24.

“The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us”

How complete was Christ’s assumption of human nature? Hebrews 2:11, 14–18.

NOTE: “If He did not have man’s nature, He could not be our example. If He was not a partaker of our nature, He could not have been tempted as man has been. If it were not possible for Him to yield to temptation, He could not be our helper. It was a solemn reality that Christ came to fight the battles as man, in man’s behalf. His temptation and victory tell us that humanity must copy the Pattern; man must become a partaker of the divine nature.” Selected Messages, Book 1,408. (See also Desire of Ages, 117.)

In taking upon Himself man’s fallen nature, did Jesus participate in man’s sin? Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 5:7–9.

NOTE: “In taking upon Himself man’s nature in its fallen condition, Christ did not in the least participate in its sin. He was subject to the infirmities and weaknesses by which man is encompassed, ‘that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. (Matthew 8: 17.) He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and was in all points tempted like as we are. And yet He knew no sin. He was the Lamb ‘without blemish and without spot.’ (1 Peter 1:19.) Could Satan in the least particular have tempted Christ to sin, he would have bruised the Saviour’s head. As it was, he could only touch His heel. Had the head of Christ been touched, the hope of the human race would have perished. Divine wrath would have come upon Christ as it came upon Adam. Christ and the church would have been without hope.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 256.

“Even As I Also Overcame”

What was the secret of Christ’s victory over temptation? Hebrews 5:7.

NOTE: “Jesus came to bring moral power to combine with human effort, and in no case are His followers to allow themselves to lose sight of Christ, who is their example in all things. He said, ‘For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified through the truth.’ Jesus presents the truth before His children that they may look upon it, and by beholding it, may become changed, being transformed by His grace from transgression to obedience, from impurity to purity, from sin to heart-holiness and righteousness of life.” Review and Herald, December 22, 1891.

What example did Jesus give of “the faith of Jesus”? John 11:41–42.

NOTE: “For any gift He has promised, we may ask; then we are to believe that we receive, and return thanks to God that we have received. We need look for no outward evidence of the blessing. The gift is in the promise, and we may go about our work assured that what God has promised He is able to perform, and that the gift, which we already possess, will be realized when we need it most. To live thus by the word of God means the surrender to Him of the whole life. There will be felt a continual sense of need and dependence, a drawing out of the heart after God. Prayer is a necessity; for it is the life of the soul.” Education, 258.

“Looking Unto Jesus”

How may we receive all things that are needed for us to attain to eternal life and godliness? 2 Peter 1:3–4.

NOTE: See Desire of Ages, 123.

What was Peter able to do by “looking unto Jesus;” and what happened when he looked away? Matthew 14:24–31.

NOTE: “When trouble comes upon us, how often we are like Peter! We look upon the waves, instead of keeping our eyes fixed upon the Saviour. Our footsteps slide, and the proud waters go over our souls. Desire of Ages, 382.

“Ask and Ye Shall Receive”

In order to receive God’s blessings, what must we do? Matthew 7:7.

NOTE: See Steps to Christ, 94.

What are the conditions under which we must ask? James 4:3; 1 John 3:22.

NOTE: “He makes it plain that our asking must be according to God’s will; we must ask for the things that He has promised, and whatever we receive must be used in doing His will. The conditions met, the promise is unequivocal.” Education, 257.

“True faith rests on the promises contained in the word of God, and those only who obey the Word, can claim the glorious promises contained in it. ‘If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.’ John 15:7. Whatsoever we ask we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’ 1 John 3:22.” Experience and Views of Ellen G. White, 59.

“When Ye Pray, Believe That Ye Receive”

What further condition must we fulfil for answered prayer? Matthew 21:22.

NOTE: “’Ye let go of the arm of the Lord too soon. Press your petitions to the throne, and hold on by strong faith. The promises are sure. Believe ye receive the things ye ask for, and ye shall have them.’ I was then pointed to Elijah. He was subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly. His faith endured the trial. Seven times he prayed before the Lord, and at last the cloud was seen. I saw that we had doubted the sure promises, and wounded the Saviour by our lack of faith.” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, 127.

What does James say of the one who does not believe that his prayer will be answered? James 1:6–7.

NOTE: “True faith lays hold of and claims the promised blessing before it is realized and felt. We must send up our petitions in faith within the second veil, and let our faith take hold of the promised blessing, and claim it as ours. We are then to believe that we receive the blessing, because our faith has hold of it, and according to the Word it is ours. ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ Mark 11:24. Here is faith, naked faith, to believe that we receive the blessing, even before we realize it. When the promised blessing is realized and enjoyed, faith is swallowed up.” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, 126.

In presenting our requests to God, what must we not forget to do? Philippians 4:6. Compare John 11:41–42.

NOTE: “Not because we see or feel that God hears us are we to believe. We are to trust in His promises. When we come to Him in faith, every petition enters the heart of God. When we have asked for His blessing, we should believe that we receive it, and thank Him that we have received it.” Desire of Ages, 200.

The Cleansing of the Temple – Will It Happen Again? Part I

In Jesus’ day there were thieves and robbers in the temple. Just imagine! The temple, the beautiful sacred building that God had established, where the sacrificial ordinances that He had ordained were preformed, was defiled. Most of the Jewish leaders became thieves and robbers. They told the people that there could be no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of the blood of animals, which was true, but they then devised a system where the people would be forced to buy the sacrifices at exorbitant prices.

Looking at it two thousand years later, it seems a very bold and defiant act of the priests and rulers. How dare they presume to profane the holy temple of the Lord! Did they think they could continue in such a course without incurring the justice and judgments of God?

The Too Timid Believer

Nicodemus was a witness at the cleansing of the temple when all the robbers and thieves were forced out. This occasion, at the beginning of Christ’s ministry, could very well have been his first opportunity of personal contact with Jesus. Ellen White wrote: “He [Nicodemus] was a witness of the scene when Jesus drove out the buyers and the sellers; he beheld the wonderful manifestation of divine power; he saw the Saviour receiving the poor and healing the sick; he saw their looks of joy, and heard their words of praise; and he could not doubt that Jesus of Nazareth was the Sent of God.” The Desire of Ages, 168.

Nicodemus was drawn to the Saviour. He himself had been greatly distressed by the profanation of the temple. He was impressed with the words that Jesus spoke and went to the Scriptures to study anew the prophecies of the Messiah. As he studied, the conviction that Jesus was the Messiah became stronger and stronger, until he sought an interview with Jesus in the night season. (See John 3.) Oh, friends, how wonderful it was! Though the Jewish nation was in deep spiritual apostasy, there was one, a leader in Israel, who accepted the drawing of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of Christ’s ministry.

Though Nicodemus probably had many things to unlearn, because of his education in the pharisaical schools and because of his position (which kept him from becoming one of Christ’s disciples while He was yet alive on earth), Jesus was acquainted with the soil into which He had cast the seed. Nicodemus sought the Saviour, and Christ was able to speak with him because he accepted the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart.

Yes, it is too bad that he was so timid that he would not hold an interview with the Son of God by day. The opportunity of his lifetime was before him, but the political church system of the day kept him back from openly associating himself with Jesus. Today we see similar circumstances.

Many Seventh-day Adventists believe the truth, but they are not willing to stand with those who are upholding truth in the midst of one of the greatest apostasies among God’s people that has ever been. These timid people may well be saved in the end. Nicodemus was never an enemy of Jesus, but he realized after the crucifixion that he had missed the golden opportunity of his life by not closely and openly associating himself with Jesus.

Afraid to Stand?

Dear friend, if you are one who is afraid to stand with those you know are teaching and preaching the truth for fear of what others may say or think, remember Nicodemus. Yes, he did a wonderful work, but what could have been accomplished for the cause of truth had Nicodemus gone to the forefront while Jesus was still living on earth?

No doubt, he reasoned with himself that because of his exalted position in the Jewish nation he could have some influence over the priests and rulers that were not sympathetic to Jesus and His cause. He could protect Jesus while continuing in his present position. After all, being a member of the Sanhedrin was no unimportant position, and he was respected by all. This reasoning carried the day with Nicodemus and is no doubt accomplishing the same results with some today. But at what cost? Not only was Nicodemus himself bitterly disappointed when, after the crucifixion, he saw his fallacious reasoning and the opportunity that he had lost—nevermore to return, but the cause of God also suffered by his timidity and inaction. Oh! May God break through the heart barriers of those today who are allowing the current political system in our church to influence their reasoning and keep them from associating with those who are teaching and preaching the truth at personal risk and peril.

We are thankful, although Nicodemus was too timid to seek an interview by day, that at least he went by night. The seeds of truth that were sown in his heart he hid. “For three years there was little apparent fruit.” The Desire of Ages, 176. But, “After the Lord’s ascension, when the disciples were scattered by persecution, Nicodemus came boldly to the front. He employed his wealth in sustaining the infant church that the Jews had expected to be blotted out at the death of Christ. In the time of peril he who had been so cautious and questioning was firm as a rock.” Ibid., 177.

The Unbelievers

There were others there at the temple besides Nicodemus, however, whose heart response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit was not the same as that of Nicodemus. The priests and other rulers were there, and they, too, saw Jesus drive out the buyers and sellers. They, too, beheld the wonderful manifestations of divine power. They, too, saw Jesus receiving the poor and healing the sick. And they, too, saw the looks of joy, and heard the words of praise. But in them it roused, not an interest to further study the prophetic writings, but a “determined hatred.” Ibid., 167.

You see, the money changing provided a fraudulent source of revenue for the priests. Notwithstanding, they “were exceedingly proud of their piety. They rejoiced over their temple, and regarded a word spoken in its disfavor as blasphemy; they were very rigorous in the performance of ceremonies connected with it; but the love of money had overruled their scruples. They were scarcely aware how far they had wandered from the original purpose of the service instituted by God Himself’.” Ibid., 155.

“The courts of the temple at Jerusalem, filled with the tumult of unholy traffic, represented all too truly the temple of the heart, defiled by the presence of sensual passion and unholy thoughts.” Ibid., 161.

Cleansing Necessary

The temple could never fulfill its divine purpose until it was cleansed. Neither can we fulfill our divine purpose until we are cleansed from sin. “The days of purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take place we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near when the Lord will manifest that His fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80.

Well could the words of Jeremiah been spoken to the priests and moneychangers, “‘Do not trust in these lying words, saying, “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord [are] these.”’” “‘Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and [then] come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, “We are delivered to do all these abominations”? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen [it],’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah 7:4, 8–11.

And what of us today? “In the defilement and cleansing of the temple we have a lesson for this time. The same spirit that existed among the Jews, leading them to substitute gain for godliness, and outward pomp for inward purity, curses the Christian world today. It spreads like a defiling leprousy among the professed worshipers of God. Sacred things are brought down to a level with the vain matters of the world. Vice is mistaken for virtue, and righteousness for crime. Temporal business is mingled with the worship of God. Extortion and wicked speculation are practiced by those who profess to be servants of the Most High.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 123.

Can you imagine anything worse at the time of Christ? The very system that God Himself established became so corrupted by priests and rulers that the opposite purpose from that for which it was designed was being accomplished. “The ordinances which God Himself had appointed were made the means of blinding the mind and hardening the heart.” The Desire of Ages, 36.

Can you imagine how God must have felt? In giving the sanctuary and its services to His people, He gave them the most wonderful gift that He could give them before He sent His only Son to die for their sins. He longed for that gift to help prepare them for His Son. He desired His people to search out its great truths. In designing it, He thought through the lesson of every detail. Yet, the symbolic value of the sacrifices “were now perverted and misunderstood. Spiritual worship was fast disappearing.” Ibid., 157.

So far had the Jewish nation wandered from God that “The worshipers offered their sacrifices without understanding that they were typical of the only perfect Sacrifice. And among them, unrecognized and unhonored, stood the One symbolized by all their service.” Ibid.

Turning Blessings Into Curses

God specializes in turning curses into blessings, but in a time of apostasy, men turn blessings into curses. In his last sermon, Marshall Grosboll [founder and first director of Steps to Life] spoke of the danger of Seventh-day Adventists turning the church organization from a blessing into a curse. That which God has designed to be a blessing can become a curse if it is perverted.

The divinely instituted services and the biblical instruction itself had been perverted by the Jews until the blessing had become a curse—they had the symbol but not the reality. They sacrificed the animals but rejected the One to whom their entire service pointed. They had the typical priest but rejected the real High Priest. The same thing can happen today.

Better to not Profess

We have the symbol of the three angels everywhere, but if we are not daily preparing for the judgment, the first angel’s message has not done its work in our hearts. Some professed Adventists today do not even believe in an investigative judgment that began in 1844. What good does the symbol do if we do not live out what we professed at our baptism to believe?

If we bring the teachings and practices of Babylon right into professed Seventh-day Adventist churches, the second angel’s picture on our stationary or in front of our churches is a mockery. If we do not believe that a person can keep the law of God perfectly through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, what good does it do to have a picture of the third angel outside the church or on our stationary? We will never risk imprisonment and death in the time of a worldwide Sunday law if we do not believe that God’s law can be perfectly kept.

It would be better to not even make a profession than to profess and then hypocritically not experience what we profess. It would be better if a person knew he was lost than to have a false security created by maintaining the forms of religion while the vital power of the gospel is not being experienced. One of the great earmarks of all apostasies is that professed Christians maintain the symbols, the profession, the outward forms of religion, while the vital godliness—which alone is of eternal value—is neglected.

God’s Solution

If you were God, what would you have done? “The ordinances which God Himself had appointed were made the means of blinding the mind and hardening the heart. God could do no more for man through these channels. The whole system must be swept away” “Christ’s work was to establish an altogether different worship.” Ibid., 36, 157.

Holy Wrath

“Slowly descending the steps, and raising the scourge of cords gathered up on entering the enclosure, He [Christ] bids the bargaining company depart from the precincts of the temple. With a zeal and severity He has never before manifested, He overthrows the tables of the money-changers. The coin falls, ringing sharply upon the marble pavement. None presume to question His authority. None dare stop to gather up their ill-gotten gain. . . . A panic sweeps over the multitude, who feel the overshadowing of His divinity. Cries of terror escape from hundreds of blanched lips. Even the disciples tremble.” Ibid., 158.

I wonder how many of us, if we had been in the temple, would have said, “I really think Jesus handled that situation with the priests, rulers and money-changers in the temple today a little too severely. I believe it could have been handled in a more diplomatic manner. Don’t you think Jesus should have gone and talked privately to the leaders before coming out so boldly against them? I realize the priests and rulers have not been doing everything right, and I do not condone it for a minute, but wasn’t that going a bit too far?” Oh, friends, that may sound sarcastic, but I fear that some are echoing these very sentiments today.

We read of Jesus: “He was filled with holy wrath as he saw the Jewish leaders teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, and he spoke to them with the authority of true greatness. With terrible power he denounced all artful intrigue, all dishonest practices. He cleansed the temple from its pollution, as he desires to cleanse our hearts from everything bearing any resemblance to fraud. The truth never languished on his lips. With fearlessness he exposed the hypocrisy of priest and ruler, Pharisee and Sadducee.” Review and Herald, May 12, 1910.

We must each ask ourselves the question, Where would we have stood the day that Jesus cleansed the temple? Remember that even the disciples were surprised at His severity. Could it be that we, along with the Jews in Christ’s day, have become so hardened from the daily occurrence of sin among God’s professed people that when God performs a work of cleansing and purifying we find it too hard to accept. Or, like the disciples, we are surprised at the means that He chooses to use to accomplish His purposes for His people?

The Aftermath

Let us look at the aftermath of the cleansing of the temple. “Soon the tumultuous throng with their merchandise are far removed from the temple of the Lord. The courts are free from unholy traffic, and a deep silence and solemnity settles upon the scene of confusion.” The Desire of Ages, 158.

The Temple of the Heart

At last, the temple was fulfilling the purpose for which it was designed. It was “to be an object lesson for Israel and for the world. From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator.” Ibid., 161. The temple was intended to be a symbol of the heart. Could the temple in Jerusalem in Jesus’ day, a symbol of the heart, really be a sacred temple when it was polluted and defiled with the sins of deception and fraud?

It was the presence of Jesus that made the temple sacred. Jesus did not abide in the temple at the same time as the money-changers and the priests. When Jesus came in, they left.

Neither will Christ abide in the heart with sin. “Christ does not abide in the heart of the sinner . . . .” Signs of the Times, August 16, 1905. “God does not live in the sinner. The Word declares that He abides only in the hearts of those who love Him and do righteousness. God does not abide in the heart of the sinner; it is the enemy who abides there.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 343. “In cleansing the temple from the world’s buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin,—from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits, that corrupt the soul.” The Desire of Ages, 161.

There is one difference between the cleansing of the earthly temple and that of the cleansing of the heart. In the cleansing of the temple on earth, Christ made a whip of cords and drove out the money-changers and the priests and rulers without their permission. In the temple of our heart, “He will not force an entrance. He comes not into the heart as to the temple of old; but He says, ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.’ Revelation 3:20.” Ibid. “How willing is Christ to take possession of the soul temple if we will let Him! He is represented as waiting and knocking at the door of the heart. Then why does He not enter? It is because the love of sin has closed the door of the heart. As soon as we consent to give sin up, to acknowledge our guilt, the barrier is removed between the soul and the Saviour.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 325.

Friend, if you want to be cleansed by the Spirit of Christ from every defilement of sin, you must open your heart’s door to Him by consenting to give sin up and acknowledge your guilt. “No man can of himself cast out the evil throng that have taken possession of the heart. Only Christ can cleanse the soul temple.” The Desire of Ages, 161. “It is necessary that Jesus should occupy his temple in the human heart every day, and cleanse it from the defilement of sin.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 124. He longs to exercise His power to expel evil from your heart as He expelled the money-changers from the temple of old. Will we let Him do it? If we really love righteousness and want to be free from every defiling habit that has hold of our lives, we should be glad that Christ’s demeanor in the temple was so stern and powerful. He wants to use that power in our heart.

To be concluded . . .

Blessings Received from Heresies

There is no doubt that there are many religious theories being passed around by voice, by e-mail, on video tapes, on cassette tapes, and even by phone. One may wonder why and how God would permit such a thing, even among His own people.

In the first place, we do know that God is not arbitrary and therefore would not manipulate man’s thoughts and actions. He has given the human race freedom of thought that they may choose what they want to believe or think. Then, we might query, How can He work with all these heresies and false doctrines?

I know that Satan and God do not work together, but God does turn the works of Satan around to advance God’s own plans. We are told in the Bible “that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose.” Romans 8:28. So heresies must fit into the program some place. I read the following quotation in the Spirit of Prophecy that caused me to think about false doctrines.

“The perversion and misinterpretation of the Scriptures by the Pharisees, and even by those who claimed to believe His words, made it necessary for Christ to speak plainly. It is thought by some to be a misfortune when erroneous theories are advanced, but the Lord has said, ‘All things work together for good to them that love God.’ The contention among the Corinthians made it necessary for Paul to write his wonderful epistles to them. If the Gentiles had not backslidden from the faith, Paul would not have written, ‘I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you out of the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another.’ It was a misapplication of the Scriptures, to prove falsehood and error true. If the Thessalonians had not misinterpreted the instruction they received, they would not have entertained the belief that the Lord was immediately to be revealed in the clouds of heaven, thus making it necessary for Paul to present the truth as it is in Jesus, leaving on record truth important for all time. And so opposition against light and truth called from Christ a clearer definition of the truth. Every time that error is advanced, it will work for good to those who sincerely love God; for when the truth is shadowed by error, those whom the Lord has made His sentinels will make the truth sharper and clearer. They will search the Scriptures for evidence of their faith. The advancement of error is the call for God’s servants to arouse, and place the truth in bold relief.” The Signs of the Times, January 6, 1898.

After reading the above quotation, I began to think that I should seek for a blessing from the theories that are propounded. Such theories as the Feast Days, the name Yahweh, the Trinity; what is the Store House; what is the Church; what is New Theology; and a host of other theories, some true and some false.

I surely do not have time to study all these things, and it would be damaging to my experience to delve into false theories, so how can they be a blessing to me? How can I distinguish between what is truth and what is error? How does God use these heresies? He must have a purpose, or He surely would not allow them to come into His church.

God is Sifting

Let us read a statement from the pen of Ellen White. “God will arouse His people; if other means fail, heresies will come in among them, which will sift them, separating the chaff from the wheat. The Lord calls upon all who believe His word to awake out of sleep. Precious light has come, appropriate for this time. It is Bible truth, showing the perils that are right upon us. This light should lead us to a diligent study of the Scriptures, and a most critical examination of the positions which we hold.” Gospel Workers, 299.

In Amos 9:9 we read, “For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as [corn] is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.” So, God is sifting.

Have you ever watched wheat being sifted? They may not all do it the same way, but what I have seen is that, first the wheat is winnowed. Then the chaff is blown away before the wheat is put through a sifting process. A screen that is graduated to just the right size to let the wheat go through is used. It shakes until all the wheat is shaken through and the remaining large pieces of refuse are discarded. After that process the wheat is put in a screen that is graduated to just the right size so the kernels of wheat will stay in the sieve, and any smaller, undesirable items, such as pieces of sand, will go through the sieve. After this process the wheat is considered clean.

Can you imagine what it would be like to make bread out of flour from wheat that had not been sifted? You might get a piece of bread made from flour containing straw or chaff or even some sand or gravel. The same thing is true about other grains.

Then think what the fruit would be like if it were not sorted before being sent to the store. You might get fruit that has been half eaten by the birds or have worms in it or be spoiled. So the sorting and the sifting is very essential to provide good food.

God’s Eternal Purpose

Now let us consider heaven and what it would be like to have people who still have a love for sin enter the pearly gates and live forever. The whole plan of salvation would soon be ruined, and we would be in the same situation of death and misery that has been in this world for about 6,000 years. So we must never lose sight of God’s eternal purpose, which is to rid the universe of sin and establish a kingdom that operates on the principle of love.

God uses even the wrath of man to praise Him, for we are told in Psalm 76:10, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” So when we look at all these different theories, we may know that “We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” 11 Corinthians 13:8. God is in control; therefore all things will work together for good.

Reasons for Sifting

The sifting is necessary, and we need to know how we fit into the program. There are at least three reasons God has for the sifting process. Number one is to sift out the false-hearted. Number two is to sift out those who are over-confident in their own reasoning. Number three is to cause God’s people to study and pray until they are rooted and grounded in the truth to the place where nothing can shake them out. We must never forget that it is the chaff that is blown away and not the least grain will fall to the ground.

The False-Hearted

Let us look at the false-hearted. Who are they, and how does this affect them? The false-hearted are the ones who are in the church only by professing the truth—not by practicing what they know to be true. Their conscience may be bothering them a little bit, and when they hear of a doctrine that accepts them and promises them salvation while they are still sinning a little bit, they fall for it. Jesus describes them as “stony ground” hearers. (Mark 4:5, 6.)

John describes the false-hearted in 1 John 2:19: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” This is the situation with the false-hearted who are shaken out; they were really not part of the program. They were really in it only for their own benefit and did not realize the depths of the love of God.

Shaking out the false-hearted is a necessary program. We are told that we must go through a time of trouble and that the antichrist will come. How will the false-hearted have the courage to stand for the truth if it means sacrificing their worldly possessions and maybe even giving their lives for it? It is better for them to fall out before the fearful time of trouble, when the desertion of such a multitude would be discouraging to the true-hearted.

Overconfident in Self

The second reason for the sifting process is being overconfident in self. This is very prevalent in the human family. There is a fine line between being overly self-confident and having abilities to perform the necessary tasks of life. We must realize that our strength and mental abilities all come to us from Jesus, and if it were not for Him, we could do nothing. When Jesus was here on earth, He said, “for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5. Self-confidence and self-righteousness are close companions. And we do know that all our righteousness is only filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6.)

Self-righteousness and Christ’s righteousness are not always distinguishable by us human beings, but God reads the heart and sorts out the true from the false. He sorts by the truth or by trials, or He may even use heresies. However, He will have a true and faithful people to take to heaven with Him when He comes.

The apostle Peter fell on the point of self-confidence. He said he would die with Jesus, and he really thought that he would, because his love for Jesus was strong, but of himself he could do nothing. He did not realize that his strength and goodness came from God. And when he was taunted in the courtroom at Jesus’ trial, he denied His Lord because he did not have the courage within himself to stand up. Trials do sift out the self-confident.

From volume 5 of the Testimonies, we may read such words as this, “Nothing is more essential to communion with God than the most profound humility. ‘I dwell,’ says the High and Holy One, ‘with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.’ While you are striving to be first, remember that you will be last in the favor of God if you fail to cherish a meek and lowly spirit. Pride of heart will cause many to fail where they might have made a success. ‘Before honor is humility,’ ‘and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.’ . . . ‘Many are called but few are chosen.’ Many hear the invitation of mercy, are tested and proved; but few are sealed with the seal of the living God. Few will humble themselves as a little child, that they may enter the kingdom of heaven.

“Few receive the grace of Christ with self-abasement, with a deep and permanent sense of their unworthiness. They cannot bear the manifestations of the power of God, for this would encourage in them self-esteem, pride, and envy. This is why the Lord can do so little for us now. God would have you individually seek for the perfection of love and humility in your own hearts. Bestow your chief care upon yourselves, cultivate those excellencies of character which will fit you for the society of the pure and holy.” Ibid., 50, 51.

Study and Pray

Now for the third reason, to cause God’s people to study and pray until they are rooted and grounded in the truth and beyond being shaken out. We have been warned by prophecy that, “None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict.” The Great Controversy, 593, 594. It is wise to take note of the warnings given us through inspiration, and follow the instructions.

When we come in contact with theories that are called “New Light,” it is time to pray and study. The Lord will never allow us to be led astray, if we humble our hearts and pray and study His inspired Word.

David said, in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” This is the thing we must do, if we are not going to be deceived or fail in the end.

Show Yourself Approved

Many people go to church and take it for granted that they are Christians, waiting for the Lord’s return. However, if asked why they keep the Sabbath or why they believe that the dead are asleep until Jesus awakens them, they could not even give you one text, let alone a Bible study on their beliefs. These individuals must either study to show themselves approved or they will be sifted out. Often when confronted with some heresy that they cannot refute, they will get in and study. Thus one of the purposes of heresies being sent into the church is fulfilled.

If you and I are going to be saved from many of the erroneous theories that are floating around, we need to study the Word of God along with the Spirit of Prophecy. And in order to comprehend the truth, we must spend much time in prayer as spiritual things are spiritually discerned. Without the help of the Holy Spirit it is impossible for our carnal minds to comprehend the truths of the Bible.

Oh! That God would arouse our people to the solemnity of the days in which we live and to the necessity of cleansing our hearts from all worldliness and filling them with the Word of God. May He help us to lay our own opinions aside and with a humble spirit accept what He has given us in His inspired Word.

Ruth Grosboll is an employee of Steps to Life. A retired, registered nurse, she worked for many years with her husband in the mission field. She may be contacted by e-mail at: ruthgrosboll@stepstolife.org.

Receiving God’s Blessing, Part I

Over the past few months, I have been contemplating God’s blessing. What does the word blessing mean? It means, approval. In a spiritual sense, it means, God’s approval. Come with me as we look at God’s promised blessing in the Bible.

To the Righteous

“Salvation [belongeth] unto the Lord: thy blessing [is] upon thy people.” “Blessings [are] upon the head of the just.” Psalm 3:8; Proverbs 10:6. God blesses us for doing what is right.

“Nothing can do us real good without the blessing of God. What God blesses is blessed. Therefore ‘a little that a righteous man hath is better that the riches of many wicked.’ Psalm 37:16. The little with the blessing of God is more efficient, and it will extend farther. The grace of God will make a little go a great ways. When we devote ourselves to the affairs of the kingdom of God, He will mind our affairs.” Our High Calling, 196.

“If the mind is educated to contemplate heavenly things, the appetite will not be satisfied with that which is cheap and common. We must bear in mind that the Lord is prepared to do great things for us, but we must be prepared to receive these things by emptying from the heart all self-sufficiency and self-confidence. The Lord alone is to be exalted. ‘Them that honour me,’ He says, ‘I will honour.’ 1 Samuel 2:30. We need not be on the strain for recognition, for ‘the Lord knoweth them that are his.’ 11 Timothy 2:19. Those who do not put confidence in themselves, but look with distrust upon their own work, are the ones to whom the Lord will reveal His glory. They will make the best use of the blessings received.” This Day With God, 300.

Blessing of Law

God’s Law is a blessing. “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day.” Deuteronomy 11:26, 27.

Travel in a third world country certainly brings better understanding of how law is a blessing. A number of years ago I traveled to the Philippines to attend a camp meeting. I was amazed to see as we drove that when a traffic light turned red, the drivers ignored the red light and continued going through the intersection for a while. There was a policeman on the corner, but he did not do anything about all the cars going through against the red light. He did not attempt to pull anyone over for disobeying the signal. Later, we were in a hurry to get to the airport; we were in danger of missing our flight home. Our driver actually drove on the wrong side of the road to get past a traffic jam. As we were traveling on the wrong side of the road, oncoming vehicles had to move out of our way to keep from hitting us.

When I returned to the United States, I really appreciated the traffic laws that we have and the police who actually enforce the laws. Truly, obedience to law is a blessing.

“Let it be made plain that the way of God’s commandments is the way of life. God has established the laws of nature, but His laws are not arbitrary exactions. Every ‘Thou shalt not,’ whether in physical or in moral law, implies a promise. If we obey it, blessing will attend our steps. God never forces us to do right, but He seeks to save us from the evil and lead us to the good.” The Ministry of Healing, 114.

Ellen White expressed how God’s Law can be a blessing to families: “The Lord is full of loving-kindness, mercy, and truth. His law is holy, just, and good, and must be obeyed by parents and children. The rules which should regulate the lives of parents and children flow from a heart of infinite love, and God’s rich blessing will rest upon those parents who administer His law in their homes, and upon the children who obey this law.” The Adventist Home, 311, 312.

Counsel was also given as to how a blessing may be missed: “The young man who makes the Bible his guide need not mistake the path of duty and of safety. That Book will teach him to preserve his integrity of character, to be truthful, to practice no deception. It will teach him that he must never transgress God’s law in order to accomplish a desired object, even though to obey involves a sacrifice. It will teach him that the blessing of heaven will not rest upon him if he departs from the path of right doing; that although men may appear to prosper in disobedience, they will surely reap the fruit of their sowing.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 449, 450.

Showers of Blessing

God’s people will receive showers of blessing. “I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26. These “showers of blessing” may be realized in material ways and spiritual ways.

“God is constantly giving His blessing to His dependent children, in the sunshine and showers, which cause vegetation to flourish, and the earth to yield her bounties for the service of man. These blessings are not bestowed upon us to encourage our selfish natures, by retaining the treasures of God’s bounty, and fixing our affections on them, but that we may render back to the Giver, gifts and offerings. This is the least expression of gratitude and love that we can return to our benevolent Creator.” Testimonies on Sabbath School Work, 99.

“He who seeks to give light to others will himself be blessed. ‘There shall be showers of blessing.’ ‘He that watereth shall be watered also himself.’ Ezekiel 34:26; Proverbs 11:25. God could have reached His object in saving sinners without our aid; but in order for us to develop a character like Christ’s, we must share in His work.” The Desire of Ages, 142.

“Today you are to have your vessel purified, that it may be ready for the heavenly dew, ready for the showers of the latter rain; for the latter rain will come, and the blessing of God will fill every soul that is purified from every defilement. It is our work today to yield our souls to Christ, that we may be fitted for the time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord—fitted for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” Evangelism, 701.

Walk in God’s Path

“Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1.

“The ungodly are those who do not love and obey the commandments of God, but go contrary to them. This is the class of counselors you are warned to shun,—the class which Satan uses to lead youth astray. Their counsel, their suggestions, are of a character to make light of sin, to ridicule righteousness. … They are represented as standing in the way of sinners, always leading them out of the straight path of duty and obedience to God’s commandments into paths of disobedience.” Sons and Daughters of God, 211.

While attending university, I learned that there is a lot of cheating among the students. In a circuits lab that was required for my Electrical Engineering degree, my lab partner had access to all the answers. I did the majority of the required lab work. He did very little of the work, and what he did do he would always check to make sure was right—according to the answers he had. Students could buy answers for tests or labs from other students. The way of the world is to cheat.

The counsel of the ungodly leads us away from the path that God would have us walk. If we walk in God’s path we are blessed.

“Those who have the blessing of the Lord are highly favored. … Be sure, then, that you do not choose the ungodly as your companions, for they will influence you to do those very things that will displease God and deprive you of His blessing.” That I May Know Him, 319.

Transgressions Forgiven

“Blessed [is he whose] transgression [is] forgiven, [whose] sin [is] covered.” Psalm 32:1. “The blessing comes because of pardon; pardon comes through faith that the sin, confessed and repented of, is borne by the great Sin Bearer. Thus from Christ cometh all our blessings.” Our High Calling, 83.

“Do not worry yourself out of the arms of the dear Saviour, but rest trustingly in faith. He loves you; He cares for you. He is blessing you and will give you His peace and grace. He is saying to you, ‘Thy sins be forgiven thee.’ Matthew 9:2. You may be depressed with bodily infirmities, but that is not evidence that the Lord is not working in your behalf every day. He will pardon you, and that abundantly. Gather to your soul the sweet promises of God. Jesus is our constant, unfailing friend, and He wants you to trust in Him. … Look away from yourself to the perfection of Christ.” That I May Know Him, 285.

“Another said that he had been in discouragement, and almost in despair, but the words spoken in these morning meetings had helped him. Rays of light had broken in upon his mind, dispelling the dark clouds that enshrouded him, and he felt that the Lord, for Christ’s sake, had forgiven his sins. He could now see that unbelief had been the greatest hindrance to his enjoyment of the blessing of God.” Review and Herald, June 10, 1884.

We are blessed when we are released from the bondage of guilt for the sins that we have committed.

Return to God

We are blessed when we give back to God some of what He has given to us. “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].” Malachi 3:10.

“God cannot bless men in lands and flocks when they do not use his blessings for his glory. He cannot trust his treasure to those who misapply it. In the simplest language the Lord has told his children what he requires of them. They are to pay tithes of all they possess, and to make offerings of that which he bestows upon them. His mercies and blessings have been abundant and systematic. He sends down his rain and sunshine, and causes vegetation to flourish. He gives the seasons; sowing and reaping-time come in their order; and the unfailing goodness of God calls for something better than the ingratitude and forgetfulness that men render to him. Shall we not return to God, and with grateful hearts present our tithes and offerings? The Lord has made duty so plain that if we neglect to fulfill his requirements we shall be without excuse. The Lord has left his goods in the hands of his servants to be handled with equity, that the gospel may be preached in all the world. The arrangement and provision for the spread of his truth in the world has not been left to chance. The tithe is the Lord’s, it is his interest money, and it is to be paid regularly and promptly into his treasury. We are to render him his own with gladness for his love toward those who are so undeserving of his mercy.” The Signs of the Times, January 13, 1890.

How to Get Blessings

There are many other blessings pronounced in the Bible, but as I was thinking of these blessings, I asked myself the question, How can I obtain the blessing of God? The story that came to my mind was the story of Jacob when he wrestled with the angel. Then I asked myself, What were the steps that Jacob took before he received God’s blessing? We can all learn from Jacob’s experience and how he received God’s blessing. We can learn what God blesses.

Atone for Wrong

Jacob did all in his power to atone for his wrong against his brother. (Read Genesis 32:3–5, 13–21.) He sent presents to his brother.

“He [Jacob] did all in his power to atone for the wrong to his brother and to avert the threatened danger, and then in humiliation and repentance he pleaded for divine protection: Thou ‘saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.’ [Genesis 32:9–11.]” Patriarchs and Prophets, 196.

We must ask ourselves whether or not there is something in our lives hindering us from receiving God’s blessings. Jacob made sure that his sin was confessed; he did not want anything between himself and God.

In reviewing his life, Jacob realized that it was a result of his sin that put the lives of his family in jeopardy from his brother Esau. “Bitterest of all was the thought that it was his own sin which had brought this peril upon the innocent.” Ibid., 197.

Recognize God’s Direction

Jacob also realized that God had directed him thus far in his life and had led him to the point where he was. (Genesis 32:9.)

“Though Jacob had left Padan-aram in obedience to the divine direction, it was not without many misgivings that he retraced the road which he had trodden as a fugitive twenty years before. His sin in the deception of his father was ever before him. He knew that his long exile was the direct result of that sin, and he pondered over these things day and night, the reproaches of an accusing conscience making his journey very sad. As the hills of his native land appeared before him in the distance, the heart of the patriarch was deeply moved. All the past rose vividly before him. With the memory of his sin came also the thought of God’s favor toward him, and the promises of divine help and guidance.” Ibid., 195.

I am sure we can each look back on our lives and see where God many times has directed us in the way we should go. Sometimes in our lives, though, it looks as if the way God has directed us is the wrong way.

This must have been the way it seemed to Jacob, since he was facing possible death from his brother, but he knew God had directed him to where he was. It was like God had directed him to the Red Sea as he did with the Israelites. God seems to lead us into places that appear as though there is no way out, but then sooner or later He opens a way for us that we cannot even imagine.

Recognize Unworthiness

Jacob recognized that he was unworthy of God’s favor and mercies and that God had blessed him with property and possessions. (Genesis 32:10.) He thanked God for what He had done for him.

“One reason why God does not bestow more and larger blessings upon his people is that they would not appreciate them and render to God the things that are God’s. Every Christian should often review his past life, and never should he forget the precious deliverances which God has wrought for him, supporting him in trial, consoling him in affliction, opening ways for him when all seemed dark and forbidding, refreshing him when ready to faint under discouragements. And in view of all these innumerable blessings, he should be melted and subdued, grateful and humble. He may well exclaim, ‘What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?’ The rendering to God will not be merely in words of thankfulness, but in tithes and offerings. The Christian will practice self-denial and self-sacrifice to make returns to God.” The Signs of the Times, April 24, 1879.

A number of weeks ago, I decided to start writing down some of the ways in which God has led in my life and for which I am thankful. When I started, I remembered so many things that I could not keep up with recording them all! First and foremost, I am thankful to God for His goodness, mercy, and leading, and for guiding and directing my life. Second, I am most thankful for my parents who instilled in me God’s love. They have been such a Christian example and support. My list goes on from there.

Ask and Claim

Jacob asked God for deliverance from the situation and claimed God’s promises. (Genesis 32:11, 9, 12.)

“Those who are unwilling to forsake every sin and to seek earnestly for God’s blessing, will not obtain it. But all who will lay hold of God’s promises as did Jacob, and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded. ‘Shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.’ Luke 18:7, 8.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 203.

“Yet Jacob’s history is an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. It was by self-surrender and confiding faith that Jacob gained what he had failed to gain by conflict in his own strength. God thus taught His servant that divine power and grace alone could give him the blessing he craved. Thus it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround them, and despair seizes upon the soul, they must depend solely upon the merits of the atonement. We can do nothing of ourselves. In all our helpless unworthiness we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour. None will ever perish while they do this. The long, black catalogue of our delinquencies is before the eye of the Infinite. The register is complete; none of our offenses are forgotten. But He who listened to the cries of His servants of old, will hear the prayer of faith and pardon our transgressions. He has promised, and He will fulfill His word.” Ibid., 202, 203.

Wrestle in Prayer

We must, as did Jacob, spend time with God alone in prayer. (Genesis 32:24.)

Ellen White wrote: “I do not understand the tameness in the requests offered to God. We are to urge our way into the very presence of God, into the Holy Place of the Most High. We are to plead for that which we most need,—the bread of life, the leaf from the tree of life. As Jacob wrestled with the angel, saying, ‘I will not let thee go, except thou bless me’ [Genesis 32:26], so we are to wrestle in prayer until we prevail. We are to ask with an urgency that will not be turned away, that expects God to bestow His blessings with a liberality that is an assurance to all fear.” The Signs of the Times, August 7, 1901.

“Jacob, in the great crisis of his life, turned aside to pray. … Wounded and helpless, he fell upon the Saviour’s breast, pleading for a blessing. He would not be turned aside, nor cease his intercession, and Christ granted the petition of this helpless, penitent soul. … That for which Jacob had vainly wrestled in his own strength, was won through self-surrender and steadfast faith.” Sons and Daughters of God, 127.

It was night when Jacob prayed. It was midnight, the darkest hour. Jacob was in a dark hour of his life experience as well. (Genesis 32:22.)

Have you come to those places in your life where you think there is no way, humanly speaking, that you can get out of a situation? It is dark, and you cannot see which way to turn? Well, that is where Jacob was.

I do not know how God does it, but when we turn to Him, He will bring us out of those situations.

Persistence

Jacob was persistent; he would not stop or let go of God until he knew that he was blessed. (Genesis 32:26.)

As I thought of being persistent, I thought of another passage in the Bible: “[It was] but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.” Song of Solomon 3:4. Have you had that experience with God where you would not let go of Him when you found Him? That was what Jacob did until he knew that he was approved of God and forgiven of his sin.

Referring to Jacob’s struggle as mentioned in the Book of Hosea 12:3, 4, Ellen White wrote: “Jacob ‘had power over the Angel, and prevailed.’ Hosea 12:4. Through humiliation, repentance, and self-surrender, this sinful, erring mortal prevailed with the Majesty of heaven. He had fastened his trembling grasp upon the promises of God, and the heart of Infinite Love could not turn away the sinner’s plea.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 197.

“Jacob would not be turned away. … He held fast the Angel, and with earnest, agonizing cries urged his petition until he prevailed. …

“Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined.” Ibid., 201–203.

“Those who are unwilling to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for His blessing, will not obtain it.” Reflecting Christ, 371.

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” Matthew 11:12. The meaning of this text escaped me, until I looked at it in light of the story of Jacob. We must be determined, persevering, and earnest to make it to God’s kingdom—so much so that we take it by force, just as Jacob did when he was wrestling with the Angel.

“[Matthew 11:12 quoted.] The violence here meant is a holy earnestness, such as Jacob manifested. We need not try to work ourselves up into an intense feeling; but calmly, persistently, we are to press our petitions at the throne of grace. … that the blessing might reflect glory to God. It is the design of God to reveal Himself in His providence and in His grace. The object of our prayers must be the glory of God, not the glorification of ourselves.” Ye Shall Receive Power, 27.

[All emphasis added.]

To be continued …

A network engineer, Jana Grosboll lives near Derby, Kansas. She may be contacted by e-mail at: janawwjd@yahoo.com.

Receiving God’s Blessing, Part II

In a spiritual sense, the word blessing means God’s approval. How can we receive God’s blessing?

After wronging his brother, Jacob did everything he could to atone for the wrong. (Read Genesis 32:3–5, 13–21.) Jacob also realized that God had directed him thus far in his life and had led him to the point where he was. (Genesis 32:9.) He recognized that he was unworthy of God’s favor and mercies and that God had blessed him with property and possessions. (Genesis 32:10.) He thanked God for what He had done for him, and he asked God for deliverance from the situation and claimed God’s promises. (Genesis 32:11, 9, 12.)

“Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” “What shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and [of] Barak, and [of] Samson, and [of] Jephthae; [of] David also, and Samuel, and [of] the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” Genesis 32:28; Hebrews 11:32–34. Jacob’s strength was in God, not in himself.

“In surrendering ourselves to God, we reap great advantages; for if we have weaknesses of character, as we all have, we unite ourselves to One who is mighty to save. Our ignorance will be united to infinite wisdom, our frailty to enduring might, and, like Jacob, we may each become a prince with God. Connected with the Lord God of Israel, we shall have power from above which will enable us to be overcomers; and by the impartation of divine love, we shall find access to the hearts of men.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 232.

New Name and Blessing

As we read earlier in Genesis 32:28, Jacob received a new name. His name, Jacob, means heel grabber or supplanter. I dare say he did not appreciate the meaning of his name! The new name he was given represented that his character had now changed. He was no longer the same person that he had been.

The blessing Jacob, now known as Israel, received from God came after the conflict was past. (Genesis 32:29.) Peace comes after or through conflict.

“Jacob specified no particular thing for the Lord to bestow upon him; he sought only a blessing; he knew that the Lord would give him a blessing appropriate to meet the necessities of the case at that time. God blessed him then and there; and on the field of conflict he was made a prince among men. Thus will it be with the agonized ones who prevail with God in the time of Jacob’s trouble.” The Signs of the Times, November 27, 1879.

“Jacob had received the blessing for which his soul had longed. His sin as a supplanter and deceiver had been pardoned. The crisis in his life was past. Doubt, perplexity, and remorse had embittered his existence, but now all was changed; and sweet was the peace of reconciliation with God. Jacob no longer feared to meet his brother. God, who had forgiven his sin, could move the heart of Esau also to accept his humiliation and repentance.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 198.

“The Lord permits conflicts, to prepare the soul for peace.” The Great Controversy, 633.

“Peace comes when the conflict has been met and sustained, through the help and power obtained from Jesus Christ.” Review and Herald, September 11, 1888.

“In this life we must meet fiery trials and make costly sacrifices, but the peace of Christ is the reward.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 215.

After the conflict, God worked on behalf of Jacob and softened Esau’s heart to receive him. (Genesis 33:4.)

How to Receive

We need to ask daily for God’s blessing in our lives above what we wish for or want. God’s blessing in our lives is worth more than our way without His blessing. And just think, when we do not try to tell God what blessing we desire or want for that day, we leave ourselves open to His bountiful blessings—more than we could ever imagine!

Following are statements from the writings of Ellen White that tell us how to receive God’s blessing and what are some possible results from God’s blessing.

“The end of all things is at hand. Are we ready to meet Christ when He shall appear? Will He say to us, ‘Come, ye blessed of My Father; enter into the city’? [Matthew 25:34.] When we see the great reward that is in store for the faithful, how our hearts should reach out after others, that they may receive the light. You know not how many hearts are really thirsting for the waters of life, but here is the Bible to open before them. Will you do it? Will you act like men and women that expect the Lord to come? Will you have living faith, and pray as never before? Will you wrestle with God as Jacob wrestled with Him—‘I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me’? [Genesis 32:26.] And when His blessing rests upon you, you will be anxious to have others receive it.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 139.

“We can do nothing without the help of God. The Spirit of God must work with our efforts, and if God’s blessing attends us, we shall be channels of light. The Lord is willing to give us all an experience, which, if improved, will bring us from the lowlands of earth into close, heavenly relationship with God, and every fiber of selfishness will be uprooted from our natures.” Reflecting Christ, 205.

“The blessing of God is a precious gift, and it is to be counted of such worth that it will not be surrendered at any cost. The blessing of God maketh rich, and it addeth no sorrow.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 232.

“When difficulties and trials surround us, we should flee to God, and confidently expect help from Him who is mighty to save and strong to deliver. We must ask for God’s blessing if we would receive it. Prayer is a duty and a necessity; but do we not neglect praise? Should we not oftener render thanksgiving to the Giver of all our blessings? We need to cultivate gratitude. We should frequently contemplate and recount the mercies of God, and laud and glorify His holy name, even when we are passing through sorrow and affliction….

“The Lord’s merciful kindness is great toward us. He will never leave nor forsake those who trust in Him. If we would think and talk less of our trials, and more of the mercy and goodness of God, we would find ourselves raised above much of our gloom and perplexity. My brethren and sisters, you who feel that you are entering upon a dark path, and like the captives in Babylon must hang your harps upon the willows, let us make trial of cheerful song. You may say, How can I sing, with this dark prospect before me, with this burden of sorrow and bereavement upon my soul? But have earthly sorrows deprived us of the all-powerful Friend we have in Jesus? Should not the marvelous love of God in the gift of His dear Son be a theme of continual rejoicing? When we bring our petitions to the throne of grace, let us not forget to offer also anthems of thanksgiving. ‘Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.’ Psalm 50:23. As long as our Saviour lives, we have cause for unceasing gratitude and praise.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 268, 269.

“Let us confess our sins, and let us be sure that we go to the bottom, and make thorough work for repentance. Will you do this? Will you prepare the way for God to bless you? Shall we not see of the salvation of God in this meeting? We may see it; we may have it. Let us not do anything that will hinder it from coming to us.” The General Conference Bulletin, April 2, 1903.

“A sense of the gratitude due to God will lead him to improve every opportunity for expressing thanksgiving, which will be accepted as a testimony of loyalty. Faithfulness toward God in the performance of good works will bring God’s blessing. As we show ourselves faithful in fulfilling our trust, our influence leads others to do likewise. They are filled with thanksgiving and praise to God as the one to whom praise is due. Those who are not with us in the faith are given a practical evidence of the power of the truth to sanctify the naturally selfish heart.” Review and Herald, September 19, 1899.

“If we desire to have God’s blessing, we must practice Christ’s self-denial and self-sacrifice. Study the Word of God. Walk and work as Christ walked and worked. Men must put away the ambitious schemes which have puffed them up and exalted them in their own estimation, when they should always keep humble. Let those who desire to follow a course of action which represents the life of Christ, hear His words, ‘He that will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.’ [Luke 9:23.]” Battle Creek Letters, 38.

“The deepest poverty, with God’s blessing, is better than houses and lands, and any amount of earthly treasure, without it. God’s blessing places value on everything we possess; but if we have the whole world without his blessing we are indeed as poor as the beggar, for we can take nothing with us into the next world.” The Signs of the Times, April 1, 1875.

“We have a wise, loving heavenly Father, who hears the prayers of His children. But He does not always give them what they desire. He withholds that which He sees would not be for their good. But He bestows on them all that they need. He gives them that which is necessary for growth in grace. When we pray, we should say, ‘Lord, if what I ask for is for my good, give it to me; but if it is not, withhold it, but give me Thy blessings.’ The Lord hears our petitions; He understands our situation, and He will supply the very thing we need. He will strengthen our faith and increase our spirituality. The Lord is good and merciful, perfect in understanding and infinite in wisdom.

“There are those who pray for temporal blessings which they think will bring them worldly prosperity. God sees that such blessings would spoil their spiritual life. He gives them an understanding mind, showing them that it is not best for them to have riches, and that they must be satisfied with His grace and peace and love.” The Upward Look, 369.

Above all things in this life is to have God’s blessing in our lives that we may do what is pleasing to Him.

[All emphasis added.]

A Network Engineer, Jana Grosboll lives near Derby, Kansas. She may be contacted by e-mail at: janawwjd@yahoo.com

Keys to the Storehouse – A Blessing to Walk in His Ways

A most wonderful way to converse with the Lord is to find a quiet area in your home, open His Word to Psalm 119:1–3 and begin listening to the Lord as He talks to you in these three verses.

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.”

Quite often we choose not to walk in God’s ways. Right now God is telling us that there is a blessing for those who will walk in His ways. Are you listening to His voice talking to you through His Holy Spirit? If you are, you will have a longing to keep His Word and to walk in His ways, to walk in the law of our Lord. The Holy Spirit will give you a sorrow in your heart for not walking in His ways as you should have been. As you meditate upon this, your heart yearns to reach out to the Lord and respond. Right now, take this moment to respond to the Lord with the words from verses 17 and 18.

“Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

Then continue with verses 33–37.

“Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.”

Your heart has now responded to the Holy Spirit’s drawing by asking for Him to deal bountifully with you and to teach you His ways and to give you understanding so that you shall keep His law with your whole heart and will receive the blessings He has promised. God will not pass by a prayer response such as this. He has promised that if you delight yourself in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

You can now honestly say:

“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:8, 9, 11.

God’s storehouse is a most lovely place to enter. Will you use this Key to enter now, to sit in His presence where you will continually find fullness of joy and receive all of the blessings that God wants to give you?

The Spelling of Love. Rebuke or Discipline or The Greatest Blessing

he topic of this study is a necessary precursor for many other studies. To grasp this truth will change our entire viewpoint and make an eternal life difference in how we view our God, His Word, and life on this earth.

Jesus and His disciples had left Judea and passed through Samaria on their way to Galilee. The Bible says, “Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give Me to drink” (John 4:6, 7 KJV).

In just minutes after meeting this woman Jesus turned the conversation from a drink of water to the woman’s personal relationships. When He tells her to call her husband she replies that she has no husband. In response He said, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly” (John 4:17, 18 NKJV).

Put yourself in this woman’s shoes. A total stranger, a stranger of a hated people, has just walked into your space, space that you have chosen carefully and well to shield yourself from public contact. This stranger then initiates conversation, and within just a few minutes is laying bare those very secrets that compelled you to draw water during the hottest hours of the day, those same hours when others choose the cooler comforts of home!

“Christ, at Jacob’s well, laid open the sinful life and character of the woman of Samaria. ‘Unnecessary, uncourteous,’ say many.” The Signs of the Times, June 15, 1876. Is this your view also? Are you among the “many” that are referred to here?

Let’s turn to another story. “There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe’ ” (John 4:46–48 NKJV). Again, let us put ourselves in the shoes of this nobleman. Here he is in a heart-wrenching situation, seeking healing for his greatest earthly treasure—his son who is at the point of death. Moments may very well determine life or death—and Jesus meets him with reproof.

Spirit of Prophecy expounds on this: “When the nobleman came to Him asking Him to heal his son, He [Jesus] met him with a reproof for their unbelief. ‘Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.’ Thus was his eager entreaty met. He was not only greatly disappointed, but chagrined.” The Signs of the Times, June 15, 1876. What would have been your response?

Now we turn to yet another scenario. At the very time when sin first entered this world, God instituted a ceremony, carried out by divine decree, twice a day—the sacrificial service. Of this service Inspiration says, “The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder … of his sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 68. [Emphasis supplied.] God Himself designed, ordained, instituted and instructed Adam and Eve regarding this service. It was God who intended it to be a perpetual, that means ongoing or continuous reminder of their sin. Twice a day God, in love, saying, “You are a sinner. You are a sinner.” Why?

We read another incident in the life of Jesus, “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:12, 13 KJV).

“He [Jesus] looked upon them and, with indignant sorrow, He poured out the money of the changers; He overthrew the tables, and with a whip of small cords, drove the cattle and people out of the court. With majestic authority He commands, ‘Take these things hence; make not My Father’s house a house of merchandise’ (John2:16). ‘It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.’ ” The Signs of the Times, June 15, 1876.

Pointed, public rebuke of sin. And this was not the rabble, the outcasts of society, the lower classes. Inspiration continues, “This language was close and cutting indeed. It was not addressed to the rabble, but to the chief priests, to the teachers of the people.” Ibid.

Jesus, the gentle, meek, loving, mild, long-suffering, patient, courteous, kind Saviour, rebuked and reproved those who would seem to be perfect strangers, those in power, those who had a high opinion of themselves and of their righteousness.

These are just a few examples of the courteous rebuke in Scripture. We could add Nicodemus, David, Cain, Saul—the first king of Israel, Saul who turned to Paul, and the list goes on. Somehow, I think we have a real problem or difficulty accepting the reality of this side of Christ. But as Inspiration says, there was a wise purpose in everything Christ said and did. So, what was His purpose? What was, and is, His purpose in being so pointed about our sin?

There is a very compelling and real reason. REBUKE or DISCIPLINE truly spell LOVE. How so? Here is why.

“Christ, at Jacob’s well, laid open the sinful life and character of the woman of Samaria.” Pointed, explicit exposure of sin. Why? Here is the reason. “Jesus knew that this was the only way to reach the case. But how many would complain of such a way of saving souls. When the nobleman came to Him asking Him to heal his son, he met Him with a reproof for their unbelief. ‘Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.’ Thus was his eager entreaty met. He was not only greatly disappointed, but chagrined. …” Ibid.

Speaking of people’s assessment of Jesus’ treatment of the nobleman Inspiration says, “But how many in these days would have allowed the feelings of their own natural heart to overbear their judgment, and become impatient and unreconciled to Jesus’ manner of working? They would have said, ‘Why pain and seemingly disappoint the father, when He might have healed his son at once with His word.’ ” The Inspired word explains. “He [Jesus] designed that the repulse should expand the feeble faith of the parent, and it had this effect.

“His work was to bless and save. He covered His glory with humanity, bringing from Heaven the very best gifts which could be given to man; spoke peace, gave messages of light and hope. But all these gifts were considered as matters of course; the gift was received but the Giver forgotten. They walked in the light with no thought of gratitude to Him from whom its beams proceeded. When the chastisement came in reproof, in warning, or by affliction, to save from apostasy and ruin, then there was a turning upon Jesus with a defiant, stubborn, impenitent resistance which was fearful. And why, says the proud, perverse spirit, must I be crushed by rebuke? Why must I be humiliated? They forget all the light, all the favors previously given, and feel that they are abused because God takes with them the only course which will bring them to a knowledge of themselves, that they may find peace in Him through submission, penitence for sin, and confiding trust in God. For this reason God sends to the church the greatest blessing He can give them in a knowledge of themselves. Satan is alluring them to sin that they may be lost; God gives a clear presentation of their sins that they may repent and be saved. The greatest danger of the world is, that sin does not appear sinful. This is the greatest evil existing in the church; sin is glossed over with self-complacency. Blessed indeed are they who possess a sensitive conscience; who can weep and mourn over their spiritual poverty and wanderings from God; who are poor in spirit and can receive the reproof God sends them; and who, with confessions and brokenness of heart, will take their places, all penitent, in humiliation at the cross of Christ. God knows it is good for men to tread a hard and humble path, to encounter difficulties, to experience disappointments, and to suffer affliction. Faith strengthens by coming in conflict with doubt, and resisting unbelief through the strength of Jesus.

“They who despise reproof will be left to their own devices.” Ibid.

Friends, Jesus rebukes because He knows it is the greatest blessing He can give us, a knowledge of ourselves; that is, an understanding that we are sinners, exposed to the wrath of a holy God, doomed to the second death. He does this so that we will come to Him and be cleansed from sin, healed from the fatal disease of sin. He knows that we cannot be saved in our sin, so He points out that sin that we might repent and be saved from it.

Let’s turn to a few illustrations of the practical outworking of this principle. We will begin with two examples of people that rejected the “greatest blessing,” or love (R-E-B-U-K-E), Jesus’ true, principled love.

“Judas saw the sick, the lame, the blind, flock to Jesus from the towns and cities. He saw the dying laid at His feet. He witnessed the Saviour’s mighty works in healing the sick, casting out devils, and raising the dead. He felt in his own person the evidence of Christ’s power. He recognized the teaching of Christ as superior to all that he had ever heard. He loved the Great Teacher, and desired to be with Him. He felt a desire to be changed in character and life, and he hoped to experience this through connecting himself with Jesus.” The Desire of Ages, 717.

This description sounds like that of a converted, dedicated person. But Jesus knew the depths of Judas’ heart. Christ knew that Judas had a covetous disposition, and that, left untreated, this evil would work his ruin.

Then we read, “Christ’s discourse in the synagogue concerning the bread of life was the turning point in the history of Judas. He heard the words, ‘Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you’ (John 6:53). He saw that Christ was offering spiritual rather than worldly good. He regarded himself as farsighted, and thought he could see that Jesus would have no honor, and that He could bestow no high position upon His followers. He determined not to unite himself so closely to Christ but that he could draw away. He would watch. And he did watch.” Ibid., 719.

And then still further in the chapter, Inspiration records these tragic words: “In all that Christ said to His disciples, there was something with which, in heart, Judas disagreed. Under his influence the leaven of disaffection was fast doing its work. The disciples did not see the real agency in all this; but Jesus saw that Satan was communicating his attributes to Judas, and thus opening up a channel through which to influence the other disciples. This, a year before the betrayal, Christ declared. ‘Have not I chosen you twelve,’ He said, ‘and one of you is a devil’ (John 6:70)?

“Yet Judas made no open opposition, nor seemed to question the Saviour’s lessons. He made no outward murmur until the time of the feast in Simon’s house. When Mary anointed the Saviour’s feet, Judas manifested his covetous disposition. At the reproof from Jesus his very spirit seemed turned to gall. Wounded pride and desire for revenge broke down the barriers, and the greed so long indulged held him in control. This will be the experience of everyone who persists in tampering with sin. The elements of depravity that are not resisted and overcome, respond to Satan’s temptation, and the soul is led captive at his will.” Ibid., 720.

Judas’ spirit rose up in pride and in opposition to the rebuke of Jesus, though the heart of our Saviour was bleeding with pain over the sin cherished in one of His loved disciples. Because Judas refused the lesson in the rebuke, he later became the betrayer of Divinity, the very One who had come to save him from himself, from his sin, from his pride and offer to him the precious boon of eternal life. The greatest blessing rejected brought eternal ruin.

“When Cain saw that his offering was rejected, he was angry with the Lord and with Abel; he was angry that God did not accept man’s substitute in place of the sacrifice divinely ordained, and angry with his brother for choosing to obey God instead of joining in rebellion against Him. Notwithstanding Cain’s disregard of the divine command, God did not leave him to himself; but He condescended to reason with the man who had shown himself so unreasonable. And the Lord said unto Cain, ‘Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?’ Through an angel messenger the divine warning was conveyed: ‘If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door’ (Genesis 4:7). The choice lay with Cain himself. If he would trust to the merits of the promised Saviour, and would obey God’s requirements, he would enjoy His favor. But should he persist in unbelief and transgression, he would have no ground for complaint because he was rejected by the Lord.

“But instead of acknowledging his sin, Cain continued to complain of the injustice of God and to cherish jealousy and hatred of Abel. He angrily reproached his brother, and attempted to draw him into controversy concerning God’s dealings with them.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 73, 74.

For what purpose did God rebuke both Judas and Cain? Was it from vengeance, from anger, from retaliation or revenge? No, it was from a heart yearning with love. Hear the words of this same God to a group of people who were in rebellion, in rejection of His warnings and reproofs.

“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel” (Ezekiel 33:11)? Friends, do you hear the pathos, the longing in the voice of our God? He sees the end of sin not as a human can see it. He sees the reward of humility and repentance. It is a great heart of love that rebukes.

Let us turn to two examples of rebuke received.

“The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, ‘There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

“ ‘Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.’

“David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’

“Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’ ” “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’ ” (2 Samuel 12:1–7, first part, 13 NIV).

David accepted the rebuke. He was forgiven. He was restored to a relationship with His God, the Life-Giver.

“When Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

“When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs’ ” (Galatians 2:11–14 NIV)?

Inspiration says of Peter’s response to this rebuke, “Peter saw the error into which he had fallen, and immediately set about repairing it as far as possible.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 72. Peter, one of the lead apostles, publicly rebuked by Paul, gratefully acknowledging his error, accepted the rebuke, and immediately did what he could to repair the damage.

If we are to inherit eternal life, we must learn to not only accept rebuke, but appreciate it for what it is, God’s love, His yearning, His purpose to save us.

God reproves because He loves. And His instructions to us are life. We must learn to see, understand and value this aspect of our God, and the absolute necessity for it in our own lives, not the life of our neighbor, our friend, our husband or wife, but in our own life.

There is a beautiful description God gave us of how we are to accept His rebuke. It is my prayer that you will study this instruction carefully, prayerfully, and cherish the attitudes portrayed in it.

“Those who are reproved by the Spirit of God should not rise up against the humble instrument. It is God, and not an erring mortal, who has spoken to save them from ruin.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 257.

“It is not pleasing to human nature to receive reproof, nor is it possible for the heart of man, unenlightened by the Spirit of God, to realize the necessity of reproof or the blessing it is designed to bring. As man yields to temptation, and indulges in sin, his mind becomes darkened. The moral sense is perverted. The warnings of conscience are disregarded, and its voice is less clearly heard. He gradually loses the power to distinguish between right and wrong, until he has no true sense or his standing before God. He may observe the forms of religion and zealously maintain its doctrines, while destitute of its spirit. His condition is that described by the True Witness: ‘Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked’ (Revelation 3:17). When the Spirit of God, by message of reproof, declares this to be his condition, he cannot see that the message is true. Is he therefore to reject the warning? No. God has given sufficient evidence, so that all who desire to do so may satisfy themselves as to the character of the Testimonies; and, having acknowledged them to be from God, it is their duty to accept reproof, even though they do not themselves see the sinfulness of their course. If they fully realized their condition, what would be the need of reproof? Because they know it not, God mercifully sets it before them, so that they may repent and reform before it shall be too late. ‘Those who despise the warning will be left in blindness to become self-deceived; but those who heed it, and zealously go about the work of separating their sins from them in order to have the needed graces, will be opening the door of their hearts that the dear Saviour may come in and dwell with them.’

“Those who are most closely connected with God are the ones who know His voice when He speaks to them. Those who are spiritual discern spiritual things. Such will feel grateful that the Lord has pointed out their errors.” Ibid., vol. 5, 682, 683.

This instruction requires the setting aside of pride and protection of self, but, of what do we have to be proud? We are sinners. Why deny the truth and lose the opportunity of cleansing, of healing, of eternal life? We would consider it foolish for one to reject and become angered over a medical diagnosis of an illness that would be terminal without treatment. Sin is no different. Sin is a terminal disease—and there is a cure, a complete, total, perfect cure! But in order to receive that treatment, it requires the acceptance of rebuke and discipline, private or public, and maybe both. Is eternal life worth it to you? Is a home in the Kingdom of Glory and a seat on the throne with our Saviour for eternity worth accepting, with thanksgiving and gratitude, the rebuke of the God who loves us and knows that rebuke is our only hope of that salvation?

Remember, “God gives a clear presentation of their sins that they may repent and be saved. The greatest danger of the world is, that sin does not appear sinful. This is the greatest evil existing in the church; sin is glossed over with self-complacency. Blessed indeed are they who possess a sensitive conscience; who can weep and mourn over their spiritual poverty and wanderings from God; who are poor in spirit and can receive the reproof God sends them; and who, with confessions and brokenness of heart, will take their places, all penitent, in humiliation at the cross of Christ. God knows it is good for men to tread a hard and humble path, to encounter difficulties, to experience disappointments, and to suffer affliction. Faith strengthens by coming in conflict with doubt, and resisting unbelief through the strength of Jesus.” The Signs of the Times, June 15, 1876.

Please, contemplate this truth. Choose to appreciate God’s spelling of the word love. Appreciate REBUKE or DISCIPLINE for what they really are, God’s heart of yearning love for us, seeking to reach us in the only way that He can truly save us.

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