Character

A Leader’s Character

by

A new beginning, a new experiment, a nation for the people, ruled by the people, but under God. The Europeans did not think this would work. They thought it would end up in anarchy and ruin. Two hundred plus some years ago, our forefathers set out to establish a new nation, and, as Lincoln said, “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” This was an altogether new experiment, one that amazed the world, that a nation could be ruled by its own citizens, but under God.

In 1787, several of the greatest minds America has ever produced gathered in Philadelphia to attend what became known as the Constitutional Convention. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Governor Morris, and others were in attendance to write a constitution. They knew they were sailing in uncharted waters, they knew they were embarking on a new, untried plan to unify the colonies under one nation. And it was a unification that was to affect all nations. As Morris prophesied when he said, “The whole human race will be affected by the proceedings of this convention.” Morris’ declaration cannot be disputed. After the Constitution became the supreme law in the United States on March 4, 1789, America quickly ascended to astounding heights—becoming the most powerful and dominant nation the world has ever known.

To what extent can the awesome development and growth be attributed in America’s humble beginning? In the Bible, Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a mustard seed ‘which is indeed the least of all seeds: but when grown it is the greatest among herbs.” Matthew 13:32. And, as in the parable of the sower in the field, Christ said that unless that small seed starts right, in fertile ground, it can never develop. (See Matthew 13.)

As far as human governments go, the United States started about as right as any government that man has ever produced. Critics may say what they will about why it started right, but the founding fathers agreed on one issue, it was founded upon religion and morality. These are the two fundamental building blocks upon which America was built.

A “New Israel”

The founding fathers may not have known that America’s earliest settlers were, in fact, descendants of Israel, but they likened America to a “New Israel.” Historians and political commentators alike recognize this fact.

William Bennett wrote, “What made this country different from all others was a prevalent belief that God played a direct and active hand in founding a people. Like the Jerusalem of old, America’s ‘New Jerusalem’ was to become God’s promised land to the oppressed—an example to all humankind.” Our Sacred Honor, 366.

Probably the first American statesman to see a parallel between the Exodus and early American history was Benjamin Franklin. According to Milt Machlin, author of Joshua’s Altar, Franklin “described the independent colony on America’s shores as ‘God’s new Israel.’

“Without God’s blessing,” Bennett wrote, “many of the founders, especially Washington, believed that this country would never have come into being.” It was a belief that it was God’s will for America to stretch from sea to shining sea.

Fundamental Building Blocks of American Society

George Washington, America’s first President, championed this cause: that high morals and sincere religion had to be the fundamental building blocks of American society if it was to succeed and prosper. In his first Inaugural Address, on April 30, 1789, President Washington said, “The foundations of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality.” In other words, what we do in our homes does matter! For Washington, this was not a peripheral issue. It was the foundation of our national policy!

At the end of his presidential oath, Washington added the words, “So help me, God.” Every President since has followed in his tradition. And, according to Washington Irving, after our first President concluded his oath, he bowed down humbly and kissed the Bible. Without religion and morality, Washington knew the American “experiment” was doomed to fail.

Benjamin Franklin, a self-proclaimed non-churchgoer, was, nevertheless, very religious. In his autobiography he listed 13 points to follow for attaining moral perfection, the last of which was to imitate Jesus. During the Constitutional Convention, when the delegates arrived at an impasse, it was Franklin who offered this solution: “Pray for the assistance of heaven.” How’s that for a non-churchgoer!

In his Notes on the State of Virginia, even Thomas Jefferson, not considered very religious by many, demanded this of the American people: “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?”

If you do not have access to American history in your home, take a trip to the library and read some. Check out a book on American history and study for yourself. You might learn some things that you never knew. See what priority our forefathers placed upon religion and morality. It was the chief cornerstone upon which this country was built.

The Power to Govern Ourselves According to the Ten Commandments

John Adams, our second President, said, “Statesmen may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.” And James Madison said, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not on the power of government, but upon the capacity of each and every one of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

James Madison knew that “the whole future of American civilization” was at stake! And if we Americans fail to govern ourselves by the Ten Commandments, this country is going to collapse into anarchy! The same holds true for any country. Madison gave us a wonderful definition of character and its importance. It is also his prophecy for America.

Our Founding Fathers created the constitution. It will be perilous if we ignore their deep understanding. The Constitution was established only for a people with strong morals. But we have degenerated greatly in this area. Without character our liberties will lead to deep division and anarchy. Only character can halt this natural flow of events!

What makes our forefathers’ statements so weighty is that they agree with God!

The Civil War almost destroyed America. Only the faith of Lincoln and the American people got us through that tragedy.

In 1954, Supreme Court Chief Justice, Earl Warren, wrote, “I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible and their belief in it.” Our forefathers knew that decaying morals meant a decaying nation!

Justice Stewart Potter said, it was impossible to define character. But many of our forefathers knew character meant not committing adultery and not lying. They knew that character meant keeping the Ten Commandments.

Is Character Necessary for Leadership?

The Bible reveals that character and effective leadership are as inseparable as oxygen and fire.

There are many references to God-fearing leaders in the Bible. God also recorded many of their weaknesses. King David was called a man after God’s own heart, (See Acts 13:22) but then he committed adultery, lied, and committed murder. Did that mean David was able to get away with his crimes? No. Let us look in the Bible to find out what happened. When God confronted David about his sin, David knew that no matter how he fooled his people into believing that he was a righteous leader, he could not fool God. David was overwhelmed with shame and remorse. He replied sorrowfully, “I have sinned against the Lord.” 2 Samuel 12:13. David repented (See Psalm 51.) He changed from his wickedness and God forgave him.

Facing the Consequences

However, the aftermath of David’s interlude with sin was not pretty. He suffered, and so did the nation. Even though he repented, God told him the sword would never pass from his house. While he was alive, (See 2 Samuel 12:10.) Israel was always at war.

God also told David, “I will raise up evil against you out of thine own house.” 2 Samuel 12:11. David’s son, Absalom, tried to kill his father. During Absalom’s rebellion, Israel erupted into civil war, during which tens of thousands of David’s own countrymen were slaughtered. Adonijah, another son of David, also rebelled against his father. On top of all that trouble, God sentenced to death the child Bathsheba conceived in adultery. This was the chain of events David’s sin triggered, and it would have been far worse if he had not repented.

Joseph was a man of upstanding character. Egypt prospered under his direction. In fact, when a dreadful famine struck the region, surrounding nations came to Joseph for help because he saved the excess during prosperous times. He did not lavishly spend more than he had. He saved for the future. He did not borrow from others to pay off mounting debts. He had no debts. All of Egypt and the surrounding nations benefited.

The Character of Their Leader is the Character of the People

After Joseph died and a new king arose who did not know Joseph, the new king feared the power and wealth of the Israelites, so he made slaves of them. For over 400 years the Israelites were subjugated to their Egyptian taskmasters. Then God delivered the ancient Israelites out of Egypt by the hand of one of their own, Moses. At last freed from religious persecution and the oppression of slavery, they departed with shouts of joy and singing praises to God. At Mt. Sinai, God delivered His moral code of ethics to Moses on two stone tablets. Then Moses returned to the people and told them all God had said and what God expected of them in morality and religion. If they agreed to abide by this strict moral standard, in return, they could have absolute freedom and abundant prosperity. Very quickly the people answered in unison, “All that the Lord hath said, we will do.” Exodus 24:7.

But they did not! Shortly into their journey, the Israelites became more concerned about their desire and lusts than they were about what was right in God’s eyes. And so they wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years, prohibited by God from entering the Promised Land. After their generation died, a new one matured which trusted in the words of Joshua, Moses’ successor. With a high hand, they crossed the Jordan River, routed the walled city of Jerico and settled in the Promised Land—a prosperous land flowing with milk and honey. Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and prospered and had success.

But when Joshua died, Israel lost an extraordinary leader. They also lost their passion for serving God and for subjecting themselves to an exalted moral standard; they turned to other religions. They were morally deteriorated. Their families divided, the nation suffered. Occasionally, while in the midst of a sore trial, the people would cry out to God for deliverance, and God would respond. He would send a leader who feared Him and kept His Commandments; a leader who was a man of truth; who was not led away by his own lusts. And that upright statesman would lead them out of the hole they had dug for themselves.

But when that leader died, they again forgot their God. Finally, it says in Judges 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

So what was the end result of their miraculous deliverance from the oppression of Egypt? Anarchy! There was no standard or purpose. There was no real political authority. Everyone continued to do what seemed right in their own eyes. And the final outcome of their anarchy? The great nation of Israel was eventually ripped apart and separated into two nations, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah. God pled with both kingdoms to return to their past history that had afforded them much prosperity, but they rejected God’s pleas and His law—to their own shame.

In 721 B.C., the people of the northern kingdom of Israel were uprooted out of their own land by the ruthless and cruel Assyrian nation, thrust into slavery, and lost from world view to this day. Judah did not fare much better. They were overrun by the Babylonian Empire and made slaves in 604 B.C.

After such a promising start, the ancient nation of Israel rejected God and His moral standard, turned to anarchy, became divided, and eventually went into captivity.

Spiritual Applications

Our ancestors—biblical Israel—fell as a nation because every man was doing what he thought was right. That means the people did not trust their press, their politicians, or their religious leaders. What is the answer? Well, the answer is in today’s headlines, and everywhere we look! The people were profoundly degenerate and cared only for themselves. That led to their downfall.

The Bible tells us how to handle these situations; however, there is no relief if we do not heed. Any good history book will teach us that we are on a collision course with disaster. Today, “New Israel” is on course to follow in the same path our ancestors took. We have forsaken our God and the ideals of our forefathers. Every man does what he deems right. No one seems to care about the character of our leaders. Why should we, when we do not care about our own character?

Today, Americans reason that religion and morality are nice, but certainly not necessary for the overall well being of the nation. We have been led to falsely assume that private morality and public duty are separate issues. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln would have been appalled.

America may not care about the morality of its leaders, but what does God think? Does He care? The answer to that question is the most distressing of all. (See 2 Samuel 23:3, Proverbs 29:2, 4, Proverbs 29:12, Proverbs 29:14.)

“The anger of the Lord shall not return, until He have executed, and till He have performed the thoughts of His heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly,” [understand thoroughly] Jeremiah 23:20.

How could this prophecy be any clearer? We see it happening all around! These prophecies are being fulfilled now.

Why God is Angry

Here is why God is so angry. “I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.” Jeremiah 23:14.

Where is all of this leading? Our leaders lead the people into the most disgusting sexual sins of all. It is the grossest kind of immorality. That is the way lust works. A person starts with one lust. It soon fails to stimulate his evil desire. Then he twists his mind to a more disgusting lust until we have become Sodom and Gomorrah!

God thunders that our Sodom and Gomorrah society condemns all of us! Our nation has rebelled against our Creator, the living God. The depth of our sins is staggering. America spends over $4 billion annually on pornography. Of course this is only one problem. Our people have “sown the wind, and shall reap the whirlwind.” Hosea 8:7.

If we do not stop this process, our nation will become like Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 19.) Then God will have to destroy us like He did them! “Behold a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.” Jeremiah 23:19.

God is going to send a grievous whirlwind—the great tribulation. That is going to be the worst time of suffering ever. (See Daniel 12:1.)

It has been said; any free society founded upon liberty, yet without a sacred moral code to govern the actions of individuals cannot stand. It can only end in anarchy. Because America has forsaken the ideals of our Founding Fathers, because we have forsaken our God—that is where we are headed!

As it turns out, the Europeans were right…The grand American experiment has failed!

Which Goal?

by

Unless there is a goal to be reached, very little effort is put forth by anyone for anything. All successful businesses, all competitive sports and all other worthy or unworthy enterprises have a goal. That goal governs the thoughts, words and actions of the individuals concerned.

As Christians, we too must have a goal, and that goal is to be much higher and nobler than any worldly enterprise. There is only one way we are going to reach that goal, and that is if our thoughts, words, and actions are governed by our determination to reach the standard which we have set.

Setting a Goal

The first thing we need to do is to set our goal. Basically, our goal should be eternal life with Jesus, which means living in heaven and in the earth made new where there will be no sin, no pain, no death, no sorrow, no angry words spoken, no disappointments and no deceptions. It will be a life filled with activity and wholesome association.

To reach any goal we need to know the requirements to see if we have the ability to perform them. Let us look at this for a few minutes. The requirements are set down by God Himself. In Isaiah 13:12, God has promised to make a man more precious than fine gold even than the golden wedge of Ophir. And in Matthew 5:48 He says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” I would say those requirements are pretty stringent.

But God would never make a requirement, or a goal, that can not be reached; so let us spend a little time on what we must do to reach our goal. In order for gold to become purified it must go through the process of refining, which requires tremendous heat; and that heat represents trials and afflictions. Are we willing to endure the heat of trials such as unjust criticism, unjust treatment or being scoffed at? Are we able to suffer losses without complaining or becoming irritable?

They Forgot Their Leader

These things may sound very trite and simple, but remember that millions of Israelites lost their lives in the desert just because they complained of their situation. They forgot who their leader was; they forgot that every trial was for the purpose of purifying their characters so they would have a better society of people to live with when they got to Canaan. Can you imagine being very, very thirsty and then tasting water so bitter you could not drink it and not saying one impatient word about it? or wandering in the wilderness for 40 years eating the same food day after day, and still keeping a sweet disposition? Remember “all these things happened unto them for enamples: and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1Corinthians 10:11.

A Poor Foundation

So how do we reach the goal. There is only one way, and that is to keep our eyes riveted on the life of Jesus. We cannot take time to look any other place. We have no time to look at the supposed mistakes that our brothers and sisters are making. I once knew a minister who used to say, “Other peoples’ mistakes are a poor foundation on which to build your conversation.” That statement has helped me many times.

The story is told in the Bible about the time that Joseph sent his brothers from Egypt back to Canaan, to bring their families and their father to Egypt where there was food. The admonition Joseph gave them was “. . .See that you fall not out by the way.” Genesis 45:24. That is good admonition for us as we are traveling to our heavenly Canaan, for if we fall by the way we will have missed our goal completely and lost our heavenly home.

Where Are Your Eyes Focused?

There are many ways that we could fall out by the way. We could start focusing our eyes on the things of the world; or we could start focusing our attention on the failings of the General Conference brethren; or even spending time trying to figure out why our historic Adventist brothers and sisters are doing what they are doing; or making suppositions about the meanings of what they are preaching.

Focusing our eyes on things of this world—what does that mean? Are we admiring our neighbor’s good car, wishing for and working to have a far better one than we can really afford? Are we dressing with the intention of looking like the worldly models and being pleasing to the eyes of our worldly acquaintances, or are we dressing to represent Jesus, here on earth? Are we loving the entertainments, fashions and fine things of this world, above the worship of our heavenly Creator? Are we watching TV, or reading the newspaper when we should be devoting our time to Bible study or reading the Spirit of Prophecy? Where are we spending our time and energy? Are we just making a living, or are we spending a couple hours a day with the inspired writings and in prayer or even devoting some time for prayer and fasting?

We need to get our eyes riveted on Jesus and realize the purpose for which we were created and given life here on earth. We are told about an experience Peter had when Jesus was on earth. Peter was so happy to see Jesus walking on the water that Peter asked if he could join Him. Jesus bid him come. When Peter got out on the water he was elated that he could actually walk on the water, (Matthew 14:22–36) but as soon as he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves on the sea, he began to sink.

Taking Our Eyes Off Jesus

If we for one minute take our eyes off of Jesus, we too will sink. Let us look at some of the other ways that we take our eyes off Jesus. Have you ever had someone come and tell you of all the mistakes the men at Silver Springs, Maryland are making? Have you ever gone over and over their failures and the way they are investing God’s money and what they are saying about celebration or the new theology? There is nothing wrong with being aware of the conditions in our world or in the church, but there is a difference in being aware of these things and spending time and mental energy dwelling on them, hashing over situations and mistakes.

I am sure that Peter was aware of the fact that he was walking on water. But when he got to thinking about himself, saw the waves and began worrying about his situation, he began to sink. We must be aware of the kind of world in which we are living. But if we begin looking at ourselves, at our situation, at the problems in the church and lose sight of the fact that God is leading and that He will see His work through, then we too will sink. We must be divested of self and determined to do as Jesus would do if He were in our situation. God’s will, will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. The truth will triumph. The question is, Will we triumph with it?

To Glorify God in All Things

The advancements in the modes of travel and communication are given to us for one great purpose—to hasten the Gospel to all the world? When we realize that, we can rightly enjoy our computers, telephones, e-mails, airplanes, cars, and whatever can be used to help save souls from the final destruction of the inhabitants of this world.

When we travel down the fine freeways, that are built to make travel easier and swifter, do we remember that God gave these things to us to expedite His work more efficiently? We need to make use of every modern convenience to which we have access, to glorify God and to help hasten the work of getting the Three Angels’ Messages out to the inhabitants of this troubled world.

We have a goal to be reached, a saving message to be given to the world, and we have not a moment to lose in accomplishing our task. Every dollar we have, and every bit of influence we can exert, is to fulfill that one great purpose. If we keep our eyes riveted on Jesus, and put our all to the task, we will reach our goal.

Jesus tells us that without Him we can do nothing, (John 15:5). In another place He said that with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26), so with God’s direction you and I can reach our goal.

Consecrated Daily

“Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, ‘Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.’ This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus, day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.

“A life in Christ is a life of restfulness. There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but there should be an abiding, peaceful trust. Your hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ. Your weakness is united to His strength, your ignorance to His wisdom, your frailty to His enduring might. So you are not to look to yourself, not to let the mind dwell upon self, but look to Christ. Let the mind dwell upon His love, upon the beauty, the perfection, of His character. Christ in His self-denial, Christ in His humiliation, Christ in His purity and holiness, Christ in His matchless love—this is the subject for the soul’s contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you are to be transformed into His likeness.” Steps to Christ, 70, 71.

Reflecting His Character

We have been promised that the glory of God would circle the earth. In Numbers 14:21, it says, “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.” If we, His followers, develop in us His character, He will use us to accomplish His purpose. My plea is, Let nothing detract us from the purpose for which we were created and that is to reflect the image of God perfectly. Let us ask ourselves, when we communicate with one another, are we reflecting the character of Christ or are we aiding the “accuser of the brethren?” (Revelation 12:10.)

“In the lives of God’s people the truths of His word are to reveal their glory and excellence. Through His people Christ is to manifest His character and the principles of His kingdom.

“Satan seeks to counterwork the work of God, and he is constantly urging men to accept his principles. He represents the chosen people of God as a deluded people. He is an accuser of the brethren, and his accusing power is employed against those who work righteousness. The Lord desires through His people to answer Satan’s charges by showing the results of obedience to right principles.

“These principles are to be manifest in the individual Christian, in the family, in the church, and in every institution established for God’s service. All are to be symbols of what can be done for the world. They are to be types of the saving power of the truths of the gospel. All are agencies in the fulfillment of God’s great purpose for the human race.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 296.

May we, by the grace of God, who claim to be God’s children and call our selves Seventh-day Adventists, fulfill the purpose for which we are placed in this world.

Editorial – Character Perfection

by

Some people have said that nobody is perfect, but that is not correct. Jesus is perfect, and you and I are to become as He is.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure” (1 John 3:2, 3).

When the Lord returns He is coming back to receive a church—“That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

“The longest journey is performed by taking one step at a time. A succession of steps brings us to the end of the road. The longest chain is composed of separate links. If one of these links is faulty, the chain is worthless. Thus it is with character. A well-balanced character is formed by single acts well performed. One defect, cultivated instead of being overcome, makes the man imperfect, and closes against him the gate of the Holy City. He who enters heaven must have a character that is without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Naught that defileth can ever enter there. In all the redeemed host not one defect will be seen.” The Youth’s Instructor, January 17, 1901.

When has a person reached perfection? “When self is merged in Christ, love springs forth spontaneously. The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within—when the sunshine of heaven fills the heart and is revealed in the countenance.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 384.

“Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’ (John 15:12); when we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts.” The Desire of Ages, 641.

The Gideon Story

by

1 Corinthians 10:11 talks about the experiences of the Children of Israel, and Paul says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” We are going through the same experiences they went through, so let us look at one of these experiences.

Judges 6, tells about a man who felt forsaken and discouraged. The Lord came to encourage him, and told him he was a mighty man.

Why so Many Problems?

Gideon felt like replying, Lord, I am not. He said, if the Lord is with us, why have all these calamities happened to us? “‘. . . Where are all His miracles which our Fathers told us about, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.’” Judges 6:13.

Gideon did not hold any prominent position, and he did not belong to one of the strong tribes like Judah or Ephraim. In addition to that, Gideon said, I am the least of my father’s house, so why are you calling me a mighty man? “Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?’” And Gideon replied, “‘O My Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’” Ibid., 14, 15.

The Lord said, Go!

Then Gideon asked for a sign. If I have found grace in Your sight, if I have found favor in Your sight, please show me a sign that it is You who talked with me. Please do not go away until I can fix you something to eat.

The Lord said, I will wait until you come back.

Gideon “went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour.…He put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.”

“The Angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And he did so. Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.” Ibid., 17–21.

Then Gideon was scared. He said, I have been talking with God. Alas!

The Lord said, Do not be afraid. Do not fear.

Keep that in mind, because dealing with fear is a big part of the Gideon story.

I Am Going to Work Through You

Notice the first part of the instruction God gave Gideon. He already told him He was going to work through him to defeat the Midianites, a war-like people who were the enemies of God’s people. But before Gideon could go deal with the Midianites, he had some work to do at home.

Here are some questions for the men to think about. How are things in your family? If you are a pastor or an elder, how are things in your church? God holds you responsible for what is going on in your families. In the Day of Judgment, God is going to ask us a question that He is not going to ask our wives. You can read that in the Law of Moses.

If a woman made a vow, and her husband contradicted it, she was free from that vow. But let me tell you, if a man makes a vow, he had better fulfill it, because he is responsible to the Lord. He is responsible for what happens in his home. And, if he is a pastor or an elder, he is responsible for what happens in his church.

We are living in a generation where anything goes, and many fathers, pastors, and elders have let their responsibility slip. We have things going on in our homes and churches for which we are not going to want to give account in the Day of Judgment.

1 Samuel 2, tells of a man who did this very thing. It says Eli advised his sons not to do evil, but he did not enforce what he said. He and his sons lost their souls over it, and many thousands of people also lost their souls.

How Are Things in Your Home?

Before God can use any man to win a victory over his enemies, things have to be right in that man’s house, and things were not right in Gideon’s family. The Lord told him, “‘Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.’ So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.” Judges 6:25–27.

Are there idols in your family? Are you allowing it to happen? If you are, God is going to hold you responsible. A father has responsibilities. Ellen White wrote to fathers that they should not allow their son to curse, use tobacco or alcoholic beverages in the home.

But what if they say, Dad, I have the power of choice and I am going to do it anyway?

Then you have a responsibility to say, You can do it if you want, but you cannot do it in my home, you will have to leave, because I want the angels of God to dwell upon my family, and I cannot allow that in my home.

People, today, are mixed up about love. They think love means that you just let anything happen. God is love, but there are certain things God would not allow to take place in heaven, and when some angel said, We are going to do it anyway, the Lord said, Then you are going to have to get out.

God cannot work miracles for His church through a man whose family is not in order. Of course, we must pray and ask the Lord to help us to not be harsh, overbearing, severe, and unchristlike in our words and behavior. People have to understand that, in our homes, there is a law—not our law, but the law of God. We are His children, therefore we abide by those laws, and disobedience is not allowed.

This principle is all through the Bible. Jacob said, we need to have a revival in our family. I am the father, you have idols and I want you to get rid of all your foreign gods. And they gave them to Jacob, and he buried them. Jacob recognized that he could not have the blessing of God on his family while some of them were worshipping idols. (See Genesis 35:1–4.)

What Are Your Idols?

If there are idols in your house, the Lord is not going to be able to bless you and your family. If you are a father, you need to rid your house of idols.

God made a covenant with Abraham. “‘This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.’” Genesis 17:10–11. This was between God and all of Abraham’s descendants.

One of Abraham’s most famous descendants was Moses. God called Moses to deliver Israel, but God could not allow him to deliver Israel until Moses had straightened out some things in his own house.

On his way to deliver Israel, Exodus 4:24–26 tells us that the Lord met Moses and sought to kill him. Why? You see, Zipporah had a horror of blood and suffering, so she had not allowed Moses to circumcise their son. [Because Moses had allowed this to continue, God could not let him go deliver the Children of Israel until the problem in his house was corrected.] Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet. So God let him go.

Are You Following Divine Instructions?

Is your family in order? Is the Lord going to be able to use you to defeat His enemies and bring victory to His people? Not if your house is not in order.

Is your church in order? Paul gives the necessary qualifications for a Bishop: “One who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?).”
1 Timothy 3:4, 5.

There are Seventh-day Adventist Churches and homes all over the world that are not in order, and we need to do something about it! A deacon is a servant of the church. That is what the Greek word diakonos means, and these are the qualifications of servants of the church: “Their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.” 1 Timothy 3:11, 12.

God is going to have an orderly people, because they see it is the way God operates. If you really love God, you will obey His commandments.

I recognize that, no matter how humble, no matter how gentle, no matter how tactful you attempt to be, occasions will arise when people in the family will rebel.

Walking Alone

Ellen White says if you decide to do what is right and walk with the Lord, you might have to walk alone, like Enoch. (See the Youth’s Instructor, April 28, 1898.) I have often pondered that statement, because Enoch was a married man who had children, yet, she said he had to walk alone. I would rather be like Enoch and walk alone than be like Eli!

When you attempt to follow the instruction God has given to help your family come into order, you get in big trouble, and so did Gideon.

When the men of the city arose early in the morning, the altar of Baal was torn down; the wooden image had been cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. When they found out Gideon had done it, they told Joash to bring Gideon out to them so they could kill him. (See Judges 6:28–30.) He knew he was going to have trouble, so he did it secretly, at night.

When you attempt to follow the Lord’s instructions, by getting the idols out of your house and bringing your family into harmony with what God has said, you will be accused of being a fanatic; an overbearing father; an unenlightened person, a hard taskmaster, and all sorts of things.

And if you are an elder and try to help your church come to order, you will be accused of all those things, and more. People will accuse you of being unchristlike. When you attempt to follow the instructions needed to get your family or church in order, you will get in trouble, just like Gideon did.

Accusations Hurled Against the Reprover

People will say the same things about you that they said about Gideon. “You have wronged us. You are guilty. You have destroyed our property. You have destroyed our religion. You are a blasphemer. Since you have wronged us, you ought to be punished.” They will say, “You are too severe. The least you could have done is let us have the idols and let us get the market value out of them. You did not even allow us to recover our investment.”

And here is a real common one: “You took away our power of choice. You did not even let us choose; you have taken away our freedom.”

Let us just examine that for a minute. Did Gideon take away their power of choice? Gideon did not ask them if he could tear their idols down; the Lord told him to do it, and he did it. So did he take away their power of choice? It might seem like he did when you first look at it, but there is something you may have forgotten.

We all make agreements. When we get married, we make a holy, sacred and binding agreement, and it involves contractual relations, covenant promises. These people, who were so angry with Gideon, they and their forefathers had entered into covenant promises with the Lord. (See Judges 6.)

Gideon was not taking away their power of choice when he destroyed the idols. They had already promised not to worship idols! The choice had already been made. Those men had free choice, too. They could have decided to go back and live in Egypt, where they could have worshipped all the idols they wanted. They were free to separate from Israel and go back, but they had not. They wanted to be part of Israel, and being part of Israel meant no idol worship.

I appeal to the men who are reading this article to pray and ask the Lord if you are fulfilling your obligations. It may seem like your family is rebellious now, but the very people who seem rebellious now, can rise up in the Day of Judgment, your wife and your children, and say, Why did you not enforce the law of God in our home?

Where Are the Leaders?

We need leadership today. We need men who will say, “In my house, we are going to serve the Lord. We are going to live according to the Bible and the writings of the Testimonies of God’s Spirit. That is the way we are going to live here, because we have made a covenant to do that.” If you married a woman who was a Seventh-day Adventist, she has already made that decision. You are not asking anything unreasonable to say, “I want everybody in my family to obey God’s Word and to obey the Spirit of Prophecy.” Let me tell you young men, you better not marry somebody who has not made that decision, or you are in trouble.

Gideon was scared. I do not know if you have ever been in that state of mind. I have been, many times. Lord, I am so perplexed. You say do this, and I do not even know how to get started. So Gideon asked the Lord for a sign, and the Lord gave him a sign, but Gideon was still struggling to develop faith.

Lord, please do not be angry with me, he said. Let me ask you for one more sign. (See Judges 6:36–40.) Friends, with the situation in the world today and what we are soon going to go through, if we do not develop faith like Gideon had, we are not going to make it. You develop faith by proving His promises, and you are not going to make it through the Time of Trouble without it.

Gideon decided to do what the Lord told him to do. He issued a summons. He made some enthusiastic, zealous, impassioned appeals, and his countrymen flocked to him—all except the people from Ephraim. 32,000 men came. Even with 32,000 men the enemy outnumbered them about four to one!

God Will be Victorious!

The Lord said, You have too many people. (See Judges 7:2.) If this army goes out and they gain the victory, they will decide they did it themselves.

Friends, God’s work is soon going to be finished, and Gideon’s 300 are going to chase the enemies out of the world. The victory is going to be won in a way so you and I will know that we did not do it.

Gideon was astonished! Lord, you know whom I am up against! God said, I want you to do what Moses told you to do. Before you go to war, tell any man who is afraid to go home.

So Gideon did what the Lord told him to do, and with a heavy heart he watched 22,000 men go home. The majority of his army left. (See Judges 7:3.) They went home because of fear. Fear is a universal part of the human experience. Gideon had been struggling with fear, that is why he asked for those signs. He had received three signs so far, but he was going to receive more. God knew he needed something to bolster his faith and courage.

One of these days, we will find out what it is like to have the majority leave us. If you think that we have been forsaken now, read Testimonies, vol. 5, 80, 81. When the National Sunday Law is enforced, we are going to find out what it means to have the great majority of those who call themselves Seventh-day Adventists leave us. Why? Because of fear! If you are afraid, you are not going to make it.

So You Want to be One of the 144,000?

I have been aghast over the years when I have heard people say they hope that Jesus will come soon so that they will not have to die. They have no idea at all what they are talking about.

In the time of trouble, the 144,000, if they could have the assurance that their sins were forgiven, would not shrink from torture or death. If you are going to be part of the 144,000, you are not going to be afraid of death or torture.

During the Dark Ages they had many forms of torture, and some of the most awful were some of the most simple. In Inter-America, South America and in Europe they took men and women and tied an iron strap around their waist so that they were anchored to a big pillar. Another iron strap would be tied around their neck so that their head was anchored, and another around their ankles so they could not move. From above, they would drip a drop of water on their head.

They would let drop after drop of water fall. It was called The Drip, one of the most terrible forms of torture there is. Each hour they would turn the hourglass, and by the time four or five hours had gone by, the nerves were so irritated that every drop of water hitting their head felt like being pounded with a hammer. By the time five or six hours had passed, they could literally go insane, losing all their mental and physical functions.

When a prisoner was tied to one of those pillars, they, and their tormentors, knew exactly what was going to happen, and they knew what the consequence would be.

Those being tortured would say, Lord, unless You help me and deliver me, I am sunk. And unless the Lord helped them, the time would come when they would say anything and do anything to be free from that bang, bang, bang on their head. The 144,000 are going to be people who will not shrink from something like that.

Overcoming Fear

How are you going to overcome the problem of fear? As I read through the Bible, I find that fear is the universal experience of a man who is alone. There is only one Biblical solution to the problem of fear, and that is to have Jesus with you. If Jesus is not with you, you are going to be afraid. If He is with you, you will not be afraid. There is no human solution for fear. Isaiah 41:10 has the solution. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” You do not need to be afraid, because God says He is going to be with you.

There were several times during Jesus’ life on earth when the disciples were afraid, until Jesus came. For instance, the disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee and they saw Jesus coming. They thought He was a spirit, and they were terrified. “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer. It is I; do not be afraid.’” Matthew 14:27. “Jesus came and touched them and said, ‘Arise, and do not be afraid.’” Matthew 17:7.

The Presence of Jesus Removes Fear

You see, it is the presence of Jesus that will take away your fear. There is nothing else that will do it. When we are faced with the kind of experiences that we will be going through, there is no psychology, no human rationalization that can deliver us from fear.

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:5, 6.

Gideon only had 10,000 men left. The enemy outnumbered him twelve to one. The Lord comes to tell him that he still has too many. The Lord said, We are going to put the people to a test, and we are going to separate them into two groups.

Meeting the Test

You and I are being tested day by day. Most often, we do not even know it! These people did not know that they were being tested. Very often we are tested in every phase of life. One of the things that amazes me about God is how He works through such simple things.

This was a simple test. He said, Take your soldiers and bring them down to the water. I am going to test them. The people who get down on their knees and drink the water, put them all to one side. The people who walk down to the water, bring it up with their hand and lap like a dog, you put them in another group. So Gideon did that. (See Judges 7:4, 5.)

9,700 soldiers knelt down, leaving only 300 who did not. The Lord said, Take the 300. (See Verse 6.) This was such a great test of Gideon’s faith that the Lord knew he needed some more special help. So the Lord told him, Go down to the camp of the Midianites tonight and you will hear something.

When Gideon got down there, he heard these soldiers talking about a dream one of them had. In his dream a loaf of bread rolled down the mountain, hit a tent and destroyed it. The other soldier said, That is the sword of the Lord and Gideon. The Lord has given the Midianites into the hand of Gideon. When Gideon and his servant heard that, Gideon said, the voice of God is speaking through those Midianites. I know it. The Lord has delivered them into my hand, and I am going to do what the Lord said to do, and we are going to do it now! (See Verses 10–14.)

It is not enough to be without fear. 10,000 were without fear. If you are going to go through to the end, it is not enough to be fearless. What did those 300 men have that the others did not have?

Character Revealed

The simplest event of life reveals character. One of the differences was that the 300 had a sense of urgency. They said, God’s business has to be done now. It has to be our number one priority!

Do you have a sense of urgency? Would you be willing to go into the Time of Trouble right now, or do you want to wait for another generation? What is really top priority in your life? Do you think it is time to finish the work?

People write me, I believe in The Great Controversy, but I do not believe it is time yet to do what you are doing with it. I think we need to distribute The Desire of Ages and Steps to Christ all over the world first. Well, when do you think it will be time?

Others call, or write, “I am opposed to these newspaper ads because I do not think we should do it now.” Let me ask you, friend, when would you like the Loud Cry to occur? Some future generation? Is that what you are waiting for?

You see, the difference between the 300 and the others was the others were going to take their time to get a big drink of water, but the 300 said, This is urgent. We will get a little water on the way, but we are going now!

How Long Must God Wait

How long is God going to have to wait before there is a group of people who are willing to go into battle now? Concerning this battle recorded in Judges 7 and 8, Ellen White wrote, “The most complete system that men have ever devised, apart from the power and wisdom of God, will prove a failure, while the most unpromising methods will succeed when divinely appointed and entered upon with humility and faith.…He [God] is just as willing to work with the efforts of His people now and to accomplish great things through weak instrumentalities.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 554.

I am so happy for that statement. We are all weak, but the Lord said He is willing to work through weak instrumentalities and to do mighty things. “If they would cherish true humility, the Lord could do much more for His people.” Ibid., 553. Although that is a comment on Gideon, it also includes us.

If I would be humble and manifest faith, how much more would the Lord do? Mrs. White says that most of the time, the Lord cannot do for us what He wants to do. (See That I May Know Him, 227.)

Do You Not Want to Go Home?

Do you want your family, your local church, the other churches in your sisterhood of churches, to be in a condition where God can finish the work? I propose that we fast and pray and ask the Lord to help us come into a spiritual condition so He can do for us what He wants to do. What happened after this battle is going to happen again.

“No words can describe the terror of the surrounding nations when they learned what simple means had prevailed against the power of a bold, warlike people.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 553.

If God had done this through 30,000 people, they would not have felt such terror, but when those surrounding nations heard that 300 people had defeated and destroyed an army of 120,000, they knew that it was of God.

Character is What Counts!

What we are up against is not humanly possible either. But that does not matter because of the God we serve. You see, it is God’s work, and success does not depend on numbers. It never has! God can deliver by few as well as by many. It is the character that counts.

Sometimes when people have decided to keep the Sabbath for the first time, it seems like they are all alone; their family is against them; their employer is against them; their friends are against them; everybody they know seems to be against them. Many times I have told such people, “If you were the only person in the whole world who was keeping the Sabbath, it would still be right, and you would still be victorious. Study the story of Noah!”

We know from the story of Gideon, that success does not depend on numbers, and we know that God is going to finish His work in a way that is going to bring glory to Him, and not to us. I want to have the character of the 300. I know that I am not worthy, but it is not a matter of worth.

If you want to be part of this little group, say, “Lord, help me to follow directions. Help me to get my family and my church in order so You can work through us. Help us to have faith and just follow directions so we can have this character experience.”

The Consecrated Way, Part III

by

In this series, we have been studying The Consecrated Way, which is the sanctified way, as outlined in 2 Peter 1. It is found in climbing Peter’s ladder, working our way up round by round. Each time we take a step up, we find ourselves being called to a grander, nobler purpose in the plan of God.

Called to a Higher Calling

If those of us who are Christians had been climbing this ladder all along in our experience, long ago we would have reached a point when Jesus could have come, and we would be in glory. (See Evangelism, 695.) But we are still here, which tells me that there is still need for us to be exhorted, through the Scriptures, to the higher calling that God has given to us.

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance . . . .” 11 Peter 1:4–6.

What is temperance? Normally when we think about this word, the first thing that comes to our mind is the counsel to stay free and clear of the consumption of alcohol and of tobacco. But the concept of temperance goes much farther than just these two things.

It covers the full gamut of lifestyle; it calls for us to exercise the choice of our will for right or for wrong. Looking at Vines’ New Testament Dictionary for the meaning of the word temperance, we find that it comes from a Greek root word that means strength, and that makes good sense. Those of us of the older generation, who have kind of reached the pinnacle and are going down the other side, know that we suffer from a loss of strength. We are not as strong as we used to be. My mind tells me that I am sixteen. My body tells me something entirely different. The problem is trying to reconcile those two things together to where we live a balanced life. God has the answer for a balanced life. It is found in the word temperance, meaning strength. How are you going to expend your strength?

Exercising Self-Control

The development of the word beyond the root meaning is that of self-control. In the conflict between the forces of good and evil, it is extremely necessary that we, possessing the sinful nature that we do, exercise self-control, by God’s grace. The various powers that God has given to us in the area of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual are capable of abuse.

The right use of these powers demands the controlling of the will under the operation of the Spirit of God. Temperance, when it is rightly exercised, allows the development of character to take place and allows us to become, through the precious promises that God has given, partakers of the divine nature.

Putting this all into the context of our text, we see that temperance follows knowledge. This suggests to us that what is learned, and temperance is learned, should be put into practice. The Bible is filled with narratives which portray both the positive and the negative aspect of being temperate.

We will look at two individual examples in Scripture—Samson on the one hand, Daniel on the other. Samson was a man for whom God had great plans. He was called to serve God at a time when the spiritual level of Israel was dragging in the dust. The Philistines had overrun their nation; they were sniping them from every corner, harassing, causing them problems in every way, and Israel was weak.

Of themselves, Israel had little temperance. They had little strength. They had no power to overcome the Philistines. God called a man to be the example of self-control and strength, but he became a total wreck of humanity. So that which God intended should achieve grand and noble purposes and prepare the way for the Messiah to come, never really came to fruition.

God, the Pediatrician

During this time of apostasy, when there was wide-spread, national declension, there were a faithful few who were pleading with God for deliverance from oppression. In the course of time, God responded to their needs with this great man of strength. The Lord very carefully instructed his parents on how they were to prepare themselves, as well as the child, in habits of temperance.

“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman [Samson’s mother], and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” Judges 13:3, 4.

This is the instruction that God gave to the parents in preparation for the child that would come. This woman was barren, and in Israel, that was a shame. I have discovered that every time God has a plan for something marvelous to take place in the way a child is going to come into being, He closes the womb so that there can be no question in the mind but that God has His hand in the matter and that the instruction given should be carefully followed.

He tells this woman, Prepare yourself; you are going to have a child. Leave the wine bottle alone, and stay away from barbecues. It is still good instruction today. The baby was born and grew up, and the mother instructed the child to follow the ways of the Lord. Unfortunately, as happens too much of the time, the child did not continue in the habits of temperance.

But I Want Her!

Instead, we find that he went down into the town called Timnath, and there he fell where he should not fall. “And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.” Judges 14:1, 2.

Where did it really start? When he went to Timnath? No. He fell when he failed to follow the counsel that his parents had received at the hand of God. “Now therefore get her for me to wife.” Ibid. I do not care what your counsel is; I want this woman! How much self-control is being displayed here? None!

There was no respecting his parents’ wishes. They took the instruction that was given, but they decided to take their own course. They did not want to offend this child, apparently their only child, a spoiled child, an indulged child, a child who, from an early age, had no self-control. “Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all thy people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines?” Verse 3.

Did Samson say, I really need to think this thing through; I do believe there is probably someone who would fit the bill? No! He had no temperance, no self-control, no strength. “And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.” Ibid.

Timnath was a city located in the territory of Dan, a tribe that lost out totally in the kingdom. Dan did not follow the instruction of the Lord, or they would be numbered among the faithful tribes. Timnath was inhabited by Philistines. What were the Israelites to do as far as the Philistines were concerned when, coming out of Egypt, out of the wilderness experience, they moved into the land of Canaan? They were to destroy them. (See Deuteronomy 4:37, 38; 7.) They were to move in and take total possession and dispossess the heathen. But they settled down instead, so when little Samson grew up, he found this Philistine girl. They began to eat and drink and make merry together and Samson’s self-control was no where to be found.

Led Into Total Darkness

Eventually a point was reached in which Samson lost every bit of his strength. His eyes were put out, and he was left in bondage to the enemy of God. Do you know why such a story as this is in the Bible? That story applies to us right now, and it tells us our end, if we have no greater self-control than did Samson. The devil led him down an alley where it was total darkness.

If you think that happened only in the days of Samson, you had better think again, because if you give the devil an opportunity, he is going to lead you down an alley into total darkness too. Your eyes will also be put out, in bondage to the enemy of God. The story goes that, while Samson was in darkness, he had time to reflect. He began to review his life, and he said, I need to make some changes; I need to repent of my sin. I need to confess to God.

He repented, and God restored his strength long enough for him to make an attack against the Philistines and to destroy the temple in the process. But it cost him his life. If you have ever had a hesitation about whether there is a God in heaven Who cares about you, Who is working on your behalf, then you need to read the story of Samson as found in Judges 13 and 14 and then read Hebrews 11.

Samson is listed in the victors’ hall of fame. A man who went into total darkness and yet, through repentance, confession, and restoration, was honored by God. He destroyed the temple, but the grand and noble future that the Lord had planned for him never happened, because he could not control himself. He failed to practice temperance.

God’s Health Laws

No doubt Samson lost his keen sense of right and of wrong when he first began to dabble with that which was forbidden to him. God made every provision, instructed his parents before his birth: “The angel’s prohibition included ‘every unclean thing.’ The distinction between articles of food as clean and unclean was not a merely ceremonial and arbitrary regulation.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 562.

Today, there are those who try to tell us that this health business is just arbitrary and ceremonial, but it has its authority in the Bible! It was “based upon sanitary principles. To the observance of this distinction may be traced, in a great degree, the marvelous vitality which for thousands of years has distinguished the Jewish people.” Ibid.

The Jews are still benefiting today from those health laws that God gave a long time ago. “The principles of temperance must be carried further than the mere use of spirituous liquors. The use of stimulating and indigestible food is often equally injurious to health, and in many cases sows the seeds of drunkenness. True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful. There are few who realize as they should how much their habits of diet have to do with their health, their character, their usefulness in this world, and their eternal destiny.” Ibid.

That is a powerful statement! The apostle Paul, speaking of these instances that took place in the Old Testament, stated, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

1 Corinthians 10:11. Do you believe that we are in the time of the end in the world? Then these things apply.

On the other side, those of you who realize how much your habits of diet have to do with health, character, and usefulness in this world, can be found applying the knowledge of the Scripture to bring about positive development.

Daniel’s Temperance

A Bible character, who exemplifies all the attributes of temperance in his life, is Daniel. Before we look at the chapter where we find this story, let us look at Daniel 12. Daniel, of course, is the only book that has been sealed, and it tells us so. “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Verse 4.

On Peter’s ladder, add to knowledge temperance. “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” Verse 9. The book of Daniel is not just a historical book about the life of Daniel. It is a book that has special meaning for us in these last days, particularly down near the end of time.

This book was to be sealed until the time of the end. Its meaning and its most profound application did not come into play until the time of the end, but when the time of the end arrived, the meaning exploded, literally around the world.

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.” Daniel 1:1. Do you have the feeling that Israel constantly repeats history? There is a reason for it. “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.” Verses 2–4.

Daniel Purposed

Already diligent habits had been brought to the surface by certain captive individuals who were gifted in many areas. They had health; they had character development, and they had usefulness in the world. And the king said, When you find these youth, bring them to me. Out of all of this class, at least four individuals came to the top.

Verse 6 says, “Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.” And we find that early in their experience in the court of Babylon they began to undergo a change: “Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.” Verse 7.

But new names were not all that the Babylonians wanted to impress upon these young men. They wanted to change them entirely, to give them not only new names, but also new food. Verse 5 says, “And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.”

I wonder what those who ate the provisions looked like at the end of three years. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.” Verses 8, 9.

Daniel purposed in his heart; he won the favor of the eunuchs’ supervisor, and he came out on top. “There are many among professed Christians today who would decide that Daniel was too particular, and would pronounce him narrow and bigoted. They consider the matter of eating and drinking of too little consequence to require such a decided stand,—one involving the probable sacrifice of every earthly advantage. But those who reason thus will find in the day of judgment that they turned from God’s express requirements, and set up their own opinion as a standard of right and wrong. They will find that what seemed to them unimportant was not so regarded of God.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 30.

A Peculiar People

“Our habits of eating and drinking show whether we are of the world or among the number whom the Lord by His mighty cleaver of truth has separated from the world. These are His peculiar people, zealous of good works. God has spoken in His word. In the case of Daniel and his three companions there are sermons upon health reform.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 372.

There are only two ways put forth in the Bible as far as life is concerned—there is the right way and there is the wrong way. The Bible knows no other way. It is either all right, or it is all wrong. There is no gray area in Christianity. We like to believe that there are gray areas. This is why we are where we are right now. We convince ourselves that it does not really matter.

The prince of the eunuchs tried to tell Daniel that there was a gray area. Daniel said, No, as far as I am concerned, there is no gray area. I have had people tell me, Well, you know, I am not a bad person; I do not do this, and I do not do that, naming sins that are obviously wrong. It may well be true that they do not do those things, but if they are not surrendered completely to the Lord Jesus Christ, they can be just as lost as is someone who does all the things they have not done.

If we are doing what we know is wrong, there is no neutral point. That is just where the devil wants us to be. He will keep moving us farther and farther away from the Lord, just like he did Samson. He did not take Samson down to Timnath when he was five years old. The seduction of Samson took a long period of time. Perhaps Samson climbed the hill and stood looking down at the city for a while, every day moving just a little bit closer to temptation, until he was in the city. And he found a woman who pleased him, and he said to his parents, Get her for me; she pleases me well.

Satan Plays to Win!

You do not just pick up and go home when you decide that the game is over. Not in the devil’s court. He does not play the game that way. He plays for keeps, and once you have come into his court and started to play his game, he immediately claims you as his own, and you do not just get up and go home. He has played with a lot of people like you before. When the game was over, he had them bound up so much in his way of fun that they wanted to go back for a repeat performance. Finally they lost their perspective as to where home really is, and they are just as happy in the devil’s house as they were in their own home.

“As the Lord co-operated with Daniel and his fellows, so He will co-operate with all who strive to do His will. And by the impartation of His Spirit He will strengthen every true purpose, every noble resolution. Those who walk in the path of obedience will encounter many hindrances. Strong, subtle influences may bind them to the world; but the Lord is able to render futile every agency that works for the defeat of His chosen ones; in His strength they may overcome every temptation, conquer every difficulty.” Prophets and Kings, 487.

There is no area so big that we cannot get a handle on it—if we allow the Lord to work.

There is a real key in the Scripture concerning the area of temperance in proper eating and drinking. It is found in Matthew 24:37, 38, where Jesus talks about what it is going to be like in the last days: “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark.”

They were eating and drinking in apparent abandonment. Self-control was forgotten. We all need to eat and drink every day in order to maintain health, strength, life, and happiness, but self-control is the problem for many of us. That is the reason why the Lord mentions the days of Noah.

Character Development

Do we need to be reminded that God has a plan? He has given us, as Seventh-day Adventists, a health message. He has given us Scripture that rehearses for us the positive and the negative influences of our eating habits. The most important aspect of the health message is character development—having strength of mind to make right choices, so we have power in the brain to understand where God would have us be.

That is the reason for the health message. It is to produce healthy bodies, which have healthy minds, which are able to comprehend the truth for this hour of earth’s history. Otherwise the mind will be so clouded that truth will fly right by and never be realized.

One of the great thrusts the devil is making in the last throes of this earth is against our minds, and it comes through eating and drinking the wrong things. That is why God’s end-time prophet, Ellen White, wrote about the health message. We must read and study her books, so the message of temperance can be realized in our lives.

Enlightened Conscience

Drive down any street. Notice the billboards. They have very seductive, welcoming commercials of abandonment to fleshly appetites. Think of the television commercials. Probably 90 percent of the commercials make an appeal to the appetite.

Do you know why they do that? Because the advertising is successful. They get people to go out and buy the product that they are advertising, and it dumbs them down. The brain goes. The Spirit of Prophecy says that all of this prepares the way for drunkenness. I believe that means more than just the consumption of alcohol. (See The Ministry of Healing, 334; Testimonies, vol. 4, 578.)

Daniel took his stand for God, conscientious and righteous even in little matters of his food and drink, and this laid a ground work for developing a character which would pass untarnished and unscathed through 70 years of political life.

Daniel went through 70 years without one blemish or one tarnished spot in his career or in his personal life. Daniel’s decision was not a mere whim or strange notion of an extremist. His conscience was enlightened by the Word of God, which is the only safe guide for us to have.

Our minds are the only link that we have between ourselves and heaven. Do not think for a moment that the devil does not know that also. He is going to do everything that he can to ruin the plan of God. What we eat either builds the mind or tears it down. If it tears it down, it gives Satan free access, and we do not even realize it.

“I’m Okay—You’re Okay”

Satan comes in on the sly and begins to control, and all the while we are satisfied that we are all right and that everything is under control, never realizing that he is pulling the strings. Can we afford to allow such a thing to happen this late in life, this late in earth’s history? Are there areas in which we need to reform?

We can never use as an excuse that we did what we did because of what someone else did. We need to think for ourselves. We need to be moved by the spirit of God, not by what others think of us. This is what Daniel did. This is why he had such a noble record.

A Crisis is Coming

In these last days we are going to be faced with a crisis called the Mark of the Beast. Do you think it is possible that temperance can play a part in the issue of the Mark of the Beast? I would suggest that it will. Think about it for a minute. A crisis is coming. We have been warned about it. Eating and drinking the way that God has commanded is part of that preparation.

“And beside this . . . add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance . . . .” 2 Peter 1:5, 6.

To be continued . . .

The Consecrated Way, Part VI – Brotherly Kindness

by

This month we continue the series on climbing Peter’s ladder of Christian perfection, gaining those attributes that are preparatory for the Lord’s return. 2 Peter 1:3–7 says,

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness . . . .”

Every rung in the ladder is important. The rung of brotherly kindness causes Christians to really stretch to grab hold, because it is not an easy achievement, even though we might think loving our brethren is one of the easier things to do. Most Christians have a tendency to divide their religious operations into two categories—their personal relationship with God and their personal relationship with their fellow man.

Rightfully so, because it is in the two tables of the law that these areas are divided. We like to convince ourselves that we are balanced in these two aspects of our lives. It is indeed God’s desire that we be balanced in these areas, but there is a tendency to become unbalanced. When that happens, there are always consequences.

Self or Others

One of the reasons the gospel has not gone any farther than it has is because the personal witness of the Christian is tied up within himself. There is the cultivation of personal piety, or what we call today having a personal relationship to God, to the neglect of other important factors, such as what we are doing to help those near us have a better, closer relationship with God.

Are we only interested in developing our own relationship, so we can become more holy, more acceptable to God, or are we interested in helping those around us become more God-like?

There has always been a danger of cultivating an inward religion to the neglect of working on behalf of others. Such cultivation is displayed in luxurious sanctuaries and in forgetting the desperate needs of the community at large. It seems there are those who donate large sums of money for projects of beauty and luxury so that their names might forever be associated with the structures, yet, at the same time, a call can go out for funds for mission projects and be met with silence.

Split Congregation

Some time ago, while I was employed as a conference pastor, I attended a workers’ meeting where I had the opportunity to visit with the conference evangelist’s wife. She told me about the church where she grew up, in a large eastern city. She said that the church consisted of a split congregation.

It was not split in the theological sense, like we experience today in Adventism, but there was a split as far as brotherly kindness was concerned. All the well-to-do people sat on one side of the church. On the other side sat all the average and below average people, as far as money was concerned. I sensed a real brotherly kindness object lesson as the story unfolded.

One day, those on the well-to-do side of the church decided that they would dress up the sanctuary a little bit. So, because most of them were on the church board, they voted to put some stained-glass windows in the church—but only on their side. The poor people could look at plain glass, as far as they were concerned, but they wanted stained glass to look at. They felt that it would help their Christian experience, while worshipping in the sanctuary, if they could look at their stained glass and know that they had a part in putting it there.

I have often wondered how those folks felt who could not afford to have the stained-glass windows on their side of the church. Did they feel that they were close to those who sat on the other side? Could they go to them with a spiritual or physical need?

Did they feel they could approach the stained glass members and find a responsive heart, because brotherly kindness was being exercised within the body of the congregation? Did they feel that they could pray with these people and have good fellowship? This was a well-known Adventist church, but brotherly kindness was lost in such a project.

Philadelphia

Brotherly kindness can be found operating at its finest when we are doing things for others who are members of the household of faith. Go to any dictionary and you will find that brotherly means an affectionate feeling for those of the same family.

The Greek word that is used for the word brotherly kindness is philadelphia. Brotherly love actually is the more accurate translation. It is a word that is usually reserved for members of the same family. It is a special bond, which only happens when children are raised with respect and appreciation and love for their brothers and sisters of the same blood. How much closer is that brotherly affection in the family of the household of faith!

Is there a reason why the apostle Peter uses the word philadelphia, brotherly love, brotherly kindness? Incidentally, 11 Peter 1:7 is the only place in the Bible where it is translated as brotherly kindness. It is translated as brotherly love everywhere else. It is the same Greek word for those of the same blood. Are you of the same blood as those who are seated on the opposite side of the church from you? If you are not, you have not yet grabbed hold of this rung of Peter’s ladder.

There are many instances where brothers and sisters have given their lives to save another member of the family. There is a closeness, which nothing can break. There is also the other side—where there is no bond and there is even denial that there is a family tree. Do you know of instances like that? This is especially sad when these people say they are Christians. Jesus knows nothing of this kind of attitude and certainly it is something that was strange to Peter also when he wrote about brotherly kindness, brotherly love.

There is only one way that you can even begin to reach the rung of the ladder of brotherly love, or brotherly kindness, and that is if you have successfully climbed the other rungs of the ladder. You cannot stand on the ground floor and reach up and grab hold of the rung of brotherly kindness. Brotherly kindness follows godliness in Peter’s list.

Continue to Climb

Do you remember the vision that Ellen White had about the group who were traveling to the holy city? Every little way, as the path became more difficult, they would stop and reassess their situation. With each stop they would leave something behind so they could continue to climb. At every change, some members of the company were also left behind; they turned back. (See Testimonies, vol. 2, 594–597.) When we are climbing Peter’s ladder, we see that there is somewhat of a fulfillment of this vision.

We are called to continue to climb to reach the goal that is before us. We are either to keep climbing, and reach the goal, or we turn back. We cannot stop. It is either up or it is down. But if we turn back or stop climbing, we never reach the goal of character perfection, which alone qualifies us for eternal life. This is the reason why I believe that Mrs. White says there is not one in twenty who are ready to close their probation. If their probation were to close, she says that many would be without salvation just as surely as would be the common sinner. What an awesome thought! (See Christian Service, 41.)

On Which Rung Are We?

The well-to-do Adventists, that I told you about earlier, are really a representation of ourselves to one degree or another. We take people to court that we do not like. We encourage people of different color or culture to worship by themselves, not with us. We have given preference to the rich and to the famous, and if you disagree with us, you are no longer our brother!

Is it possible that God permits us to create the situations in which we find ourselves to see just how we will react to them?

Have we climbed the ladder from faith to virtue? From virtue to knowledge? From knowledge to temperance? From temperance to patience, and from patience to godliness? But now are we grunting and grunting, trying to reach up and grab hold of the rung of brotherly kindness. Let us face it; let us be honest. There are people we do not like, people that we do not care to even be around. This is never appropriate in the grace that is so available to us to strengthen us, to pull us up to and over this rung.

Attitude of Jesus

Have you ever met a person whom you admire, who really has a handle on the character challenge of this rung? They are out there. Have you ever thought about what a tremendous thing it would be if every Seventh-day Adventist could be like those people who are no respecter of persons? That is to say, they love all people, regardless of race, religion, culture, education, economic level, or station in life?

In the Jewish church of Jesus’ day there was no such thing as brotherly kindness. The rich and the famous felt that God was blessing them and that all others were little better than dogs, the dogs being the Gentiles. They certainly could not love them. But those who were a little better than dogs were scorned to despair.

When Jesus came, He tried to tell the people that they must love one another, that they should hold up one another. As a reward for His words, they nailed Him to a cross! If we would take the attitude that Jesus had about brotherly kindness and apply it to the person with whom we are most at odds, what do you suppose would happen to our own experience with the Lord? What would it do for our family and for our church?

Essential Rung

Ellen White says, “we need to take this step, to add this quality to our characters.” My Life Today, 98. Do you know why? What if the person whom you dislike the most made it to heaven with you, and the Lord had built his mansion right next to yours? How would you get along? Would you plant fast-growing trees that grow tall so you would not have to look over into his yard?

Jesus delays His return because of us. We have climbed; we have gotten rid of all offensive sins, but do we have brotherly kindness? Do we have brotherly love? Do we have the right attitude?

Have we placed more than just our hand on the rung? Are we standing on the rung with our feet? Have we really climbed up on to that rung and have now gained the victory of brotherly love and brotherly kindness?

A New Commandment

Some words from The Acts of the Apostles indirectly come to bear on this topic, although not written specifically about brotherly kindness. When Jesus was resurrected and went back to heaven, there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 tells us what this did for the church. Ellen White comments on the transition that took place after the descent of the Holy Spirit. “After the descent of the Holy Spirit, when the disciples went forth to proclaim a living Saviour, their one desire was the salvation of souls. They rejoiced in the sweetness of communion with saints.” The Acts of the Apostles, 547.

I do not think for one minute that there was one group on one side who said, “Let us put some stained-glass windows on our side, and let these guys over here just kind of look out through the old window glass.” It says that they rejoiced in the sweetness of communion with saints. “They were tender, thoughtful, self-denying, willing to make any sacrifice for the truth’s sake. In their daily association with one another, they revealed the love that Christ had enjoined upon them. By unselfish words and deeds they strove to kindle this love in other hearts.” Ibid.

You cannot give away what you do not have. “Such a love the believers were ever to cherish. They were to go forward in willing obedience to the new commandment.” Ibid. What was the new commandment? They were to love one another. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another.” John 13:34. It was not really new; it was old! They just had not been practicing it for generations. They hated one another!

Jesus tried to bring something back that had been a part of the plan of redemption for centuries. “So closely were they to be united with Christ that they would be enabled to fulfill all His requirements.” The Acts of the Apostles, 547, 548. If you are collecting statements about what the power of God can do for you in your life, this is one you want to mark!

That means loving one another. “Their lives were to magnify the power of a Saviour who could justify them by His righteousness.” Ibid., 548. The Holy Spirit was poured out upon these people. They sold everything they had; they put the money in a common pot. This one has needs, let us supply that need. Another has this need, let us supply it. They displayed brotherly love, brotherly kindness. (See Acts 2:38–47.)

Walk in Darkness

But a change came. Have you ever wondered why the early rain of the Holy Spirit dried up? Why those miracles did not continue to go forward like they did under the original outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost? What was the change? What began to turn the whole tide from the sweetness of communion that the saints were having with one another?

How did this philadelphia attitude, that was pervading everywhere through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, change? What took place? “The believers began to look for defects in others. Dwelling upon mistakes, giving place to unkind criticism, they lost sight of the Saviour and His love. They became stricter in regard to outward ceremonies, more particular about the theory than the practice of the faith. In their zeal to condemn others, they overlooked their own errors. They lost the brotherly love that Christ had enjoined, and, saddest of all, they were unconscious of their loss.” Ibid. Do any bells go off for you, as far as a time-oriented message for us is concerned?

It is called Laodicea, is it not? The church did not know. “They were unconscious of their loss. They did not realize that happiness and joy were going out of their lives and that, having shut the love of God out of their hearts, they would soon walk in darkness.” Ibid.

Sometimes we have a tendency to think that the greatest fear we can have is the danger of the world. We think that somehow we have to build a fence around ourselves so that the world does not encroach upon us and we lose our way, our salvation. I do not want to minimize our need to stay clear of the world. I think we need to have a great consciousness of the dangers that are out there, but there is a greater danger. “It is not the opposition of the world that most endangers the church of Christ,” Ellen White wrote. “It is the evil cherished in the hearts of believers that works their most grievous disaster and most surely retards the progress of God’s cause. There is no surer way of weakening spirituality than by cherishing envy, suspicion, fault-finding, and evil surmising. On the other hand, the strongest witness that God has sent His Son into the world is the existence of harmony and union among men of varied dispositions who form His church.” Ibid., 549.

Let It Begin With Me

How sad it would be to have climbed the ladder of Peter, struggling to reach for the rung of brotherly kindness, but not quite being able to get our fingers around it, because we cannot stand the people who are around us. Where does brotherly kindness start? It really starts with each one of us. We each have to do everything that we can do to display brotherly kindness, brotherly love.

Do we have to see everything eye to eye? No! Can I respect you if you see things differently than I do? Absolutely! Somehow we must come to grips with our condition as a people and as a movement, or we are going nowhere. Our hair will grow grayer while we wait for the Reaper to come.

He is tarrying a little while, in mercy. He is waiting for us to get our act together, so the enemy cannot say “Behold how these people, standing under the banner of Christ, hate one another.” Ibid., 550.

I want the testimony of the church of which I am a part to be, Behold, look how much they love one another! “Of the special sense in which this love should be manifested by believers, the apostle writes: ‘A new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.” Ibid., 548, 549.

Mrs. White goes on to say that when the believers, under the power of the Holy Spirit, sensed, in the fullest way, what Jesus actually did for them in dying on the cross, there was a conversion that took place that cannot be equaled by any other experience in the life. The deep conversion experience is needed to turn the life from self to others. But even when we have that deep conversion experience, there is a tendency after a while for it to wane, and we lose sight of what God has called us to do. In its place the exaction, the formalism and the ceremonies that she talks about begin to creep in and replace the conversion experience. There is a place for all of that, but not to the neglect of brotherly love. When Peter wrote the texts recorded in 11 Peter 1, I fully believe that he was able to see the unraveling that was taking place since the day of Pentecost. How sad it must have been for him.

Reaching the rung of brotherly kindness is preparation for the final rung, charity—love, Godly love, agape love. “That man [or woman] only who has unselfish love for his brother [or sister] has true love for God.” Ibid., 550. Have we done everything possible to climb up to the rung of brotherly kindness and to make it a reality in our lives, so that once our feet are firmly placed on that rung we are ready to reach over into that godly love to which God has called us?

To be concluded . . .

Bible Study Guides – Hebrews 2:9-18

by

January 19-25, 2003

MEMORY VERSE: “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:17.

SUGGESTED READING: The Desire of Ages, 24, 25.

INTRODUCTION: “Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the Son of God? No; the two natures were mysteriously blended in one person—the man Christ Jesus. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When Christ was crucified, it was His human nature that died. Deity did not sink and die; that would have been impossible. Christ, the sinless One, will save every son and daughter of Adam who accepts the salvation proffered them, consenting to become the children of God. The Saviour has purchased the fallen race with His own blood.

“This is a great mystery, a mystery that will not be fully, completely understood in all its greatness until the translation of the redeemed shall take place. Then the power and greatness and efficacy of the gift of God to man will be understood. But the enemy is determined that this gift shall be so mystified that it will become as nothingness (Letter 280, 1904).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1113.

1 For whom did Christ die? Hebrews 2:9, last part; Romans 5:8.

NOTE: “Christ died for all; and we are assured in His word that He is more willing to give His Holy Spirit to them that ask Him than are earthly parents to give good gifts to their children. The prophets and apostles did not perfect Christian character by a miracle. They used the means which God had placed within their reach; and all who will put forth the same effort will secure the same results.” The Sanctified Life, 83.

“Christ died for every son and daughter of Adam; and when the Son of God has expressed such amazing love, making this great sacrifice for the sinner, in order that through faith in him he need not perish but have everlasting life, how can the subjects of this great love be indifferent, and stand in sin and disobedience, and not heartily confess Christ without one moment’s delay? How can any one love to do evil?” Review and Herald, January 16, 1894.

2 Christ died for everyone, but who will be saved? John 3:16; 6:40. Compare 2 Peter 2:1.

NOTE: “Every soul may be saved if he believes in Christ as his personal Saviour. [But] not all will be saved. Not because Jesus does not want them to be saved, for He is drawing every soul.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 151.

“If any of us are not saved, it will be because we have chosen the service of Christ’s great adversary and the companionship of those who are his followers.” Gospel Workers (1892), 457.

3 Why were the sufferings of Christ necessary? Hebrews 2:10, 17.

NOTE: “When the angels should witness the agony and humiliation of their Lord, they would be filled with grief and indignation and would wish to deliver Him from His murderers; but they were not to interpose in order to prevent anything which they should behold. It was a part of the plan of redemption that Christ should suffer the scorn and abuse of wicked men, and He consented to all this when He became the Redeemer of man.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 65.

4 Describe the Son of God’s character? Hebrews 4:15; 7:26. Compare Hebrews 9:28; Ephesians 4:13.

NOTE: “Christ, the captain of our salvation, was made perfect through suffering. His followers will encounter the enemy many times, and will be severely tried; but they need not despair. Christ says to them, ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ [John 16:33.]” Pacific Union Recorder, December 17, 1903.

5 How is it that the sanctifier and sanctified are all of one? Hebrews 2:11; John 17:21.

NOTE: “The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. In mind, in purpose, in character, they are one, but not in person. By partaking of the Spirit of God, conforming to the law of God, man becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ brings His disciples into a living union with Himself and with the Father. Through the working of the Holy Spirit upon the human mind, man is made complete in Christ Jesus. Unity with Christ establishes a bond of unity with one another. This unity is the most convincing proof to the world of the majesty and virtue of Christ, and of His power to take away sin.” Sons and Daughters of God, 286.

6 Who are the brethren of Christ? Matthew 12:50. Compare Matthew 7:20, 21.

NOTE: “With grace in their hearts, believers are to work the works of Christ, placing themselves, soul, body, and spirit on His side, as His human hand, to impart His love to those who are out of the fold. Believers are to associate together in Christian fellowship, regarding one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord. They are to love one another as Christ loved them. They are to be lights for God, shining in the church and in the world, receiving grace for grace, as they impart to others. Thus they are constantly kept in spiritual nearness to God. They reflect the image of Christ.” Pacific Union Recorder, August 1, 1901.

“The true brethren of Christ are those who guard the interests of their brethren and sisters. How inappropriate it is to condemn others, when every soul is to be saved, not on his own merits, but by the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour! We are all erring, finite creatures, accountable to God for our words, works, and influence.” Review and Herald, October 24, 1893.

7 Of whom will Christ be ashamed? Mark 8:38.

NOTE: “The fearful and unbelieving, who are punished with the second death, are of that class who are ashamed of Christ in this world. They are afraid to do right and follow Christ, lest they should meet with pecuniary loss. They neglect their duty, to avoid reproach and trials, and to escape dangers. Those who dare not do right because they will thus expose themselves to trials, persecution, loss, and suffering are cowards, and, with idolaters, liars, and all sinners, they are ripening for the second death.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 630.

8 What nature did Christ assume and why? Hebrews 2:14, 16, 17.

NOTE: “Christ did not make believe take human nature; He did verily take it. He did in reality possess human nature. [Hebrews 2: 14 quoted.] He was the son of Mary; He was of the seed of David according to human descent. He is declared to be a man, even the Man Christ Jesus.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 247.

“He came as a helpless babe, bearing the humanity we bear. [Hebrews 3:14 quoted.] He could not come in the form of an angel, for unless He met man as man, and testified by His connection with God that divine power was not given to Him in a different way to what it will be given to us, He could not be a perfect example for us.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 2, 111.

9 By His death, who will be destroyed? Hebrews 2:14, last part.

NOTE: “With a holy sadness Jesus comforted and cheered the angels and informed them that hereafter those whom He should redeem would be with Him, and that by His death He should ransom many and destroy him who had the power of death.” Early Writings, 151.

“It was difficult for the angels to endure the sight. They would have delivered Jesus, but the commanding angels forbade them, saying that it was a great ransom which was to be paid for man; but it would be complete and would cause the death of him who had the power of death.” Ibid., 170.

10 What did Christ come to this earth to accomplish? John 3:17; 10:10; 1 John 5:11.

NOTE: “Christ is life itself. He who passed through death to destroy him that had the power of death is the Source of all vitality. There is balm in Gilead, and a Physician there. Christ endured an agonizing death under the most humiliating circumstances that we might have life. He gave up His precious life that He might vanquish death. But He rose from the tomb, and the myriads of angels who came to behold Him take up the life He had laid down heard His words of triumphant joy as He stood above Joseph’s rent sepulcher proclaiming: ‘I am the resurrection, and the life.’ ” The Faith I Live By, 51.

11 What effect does the fear of death have on man? Hebrews 2:15.

NOTE: “Satan then consulted with his angels, and they there considered what they had gained. It was true that they had kept some timid souls through fear of death, from embracing the truth; but many, even of the most timid, received the truth, and immediately their fears and timidity left them, and as they witnessed the death of their brethren, and saw their firmness and patience, they knew that God and angels assisted them to endure such sufferings, and they grew bold and fearless. And when called to yield their own lives, they maintained their faith with such patience and firmness as caused even their murderers to tremble.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 124, 125.

12 By whom alone can this fear and bondage be removed? Hebrews 2:16–18.

NOTE: “Christ came to give to the world an example of what perfect humanity might be when united with divinity. He presented to the world a new phase of greatness in His exhibition of mercy, compassion, and love. He gave to men a new interpretation of God. As head of humanity, He taught men lessons in the science of divine government, whereby He revealed the righteousness of the reconciliation of mercy and justice. The reconciliation of mercy and justice did not involve any compromise with sin, or ignore any claim of justice; but by giving to each divine attribute its ordained place, mercy could be exercised in the punishment of sinful, impenitent man without destroying its clemency or forfeiting its compassionate character, and justice could be exercised in forgiving the repenting transgressor without violating its integrity.

“All this could be, because Christ laid hold of the nature of man, and partook of the divine attributes, and planted His cross between humanity and divinity, bridging the gulf that separated the sinner from God.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 260, 261.

“Christ in the weakness of humanity was to meet the temptations of one possessing the powers of the higher nature that God had bestowed on the angelic family. But Christ’s humanity was united with divinity, and in this strength he would bear all the temptations that Satan could bring against him, and yet keep his soul untainted by sin. And this power to overcome he would give to every son and daughter of Adam who would accept by faith the righteous attributes of his character.” Review and Herald, January 28, 1909.

From the Pen of Inspiration – God’s Estimate of Character

by

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” [Hebrews 8:10.]

When the law of God is written in the heart, it will be shown in a pure and holy life. The commandments of God are no dead letter. They are spirit and life, bringing the imagination and even the thoughts into subjection to the will of Christ. The heart in which they are written will be kept with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. All who love Jesus and keep the commandments will seek to avoid the very appearance of evil; not because they are constrained thus to do, but because they are copying a pure model, and feel averse to everything contrary to the law written in their hearts. They will not feel self-sufficient, but their trust will be in God, who alone is able to keep them from sin and impurity. The atmosphere surrounding them is pure; they will not corrupt their own souls or the souls of others. It is their pleasure to deal justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before God. [Micah 6:8.]

The danger that lies before those living in these last days, is the absence of pure religion, the absence of heart holiness. The converting power of God has not wrought in transforming their characters. They profess to believe sacred truths, as did the Jewish nation; but failing to practice the truth, they are ignorant both of the Scriptures and the power of God. [Mark 2:24.] The power and influence of God’s law are around about, but not within, the soul, renewing it in true holiness. Therefore the Lord sends his appeals to them to urge upon them the practice of what is right. The appeals of his Spirit are neglected and rejected. The barriers are broken down, and the soul is weak, and for want of moral force to overcome, is polluted and debased. They are binding themselves in bundles as fagots, ready to be consumed at the last day. [Matthew 13:30.]

The Jewish priests were required to be in person all that was symmetrical and well proportioned, that they might reflect a great truth: “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.” [Isaiah 52:11.] The Lord required not only a well-proportioned mind and symmetrical body of the Jews who ministered in holy office, but he required also pure and uncorrupted minds. And he requires no less of us, in this dispensation, in the ministry of the gospel. His called and chosen are to show forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. The same Bible that contains the privileges of God’s people and his promises to them, contains also the sacred duties and the solemn obligations he requires of the shepherd who has charge of the flock of God, so that the people can see by comparing the living preacher with the divine picture whether he has credentials from heaven in likeness of character to him who is the Chief Shepherd. God designs that the teacher of the Bible should in his character and home life be a specimen of the principles of the truth which he is teaching to his fellow-men.

What a man is, has a greater influence than what he says. The quiet, consistent, godly life is a living epistle, known and read of all men. [11 Corinthians 3:2.] A man may speak and write like an angel, but in his practices resemble a fallen fiend. God will have the believers of the truth zealous to maintain good works. [Titus 2:14.] As they occupy high positions, they will be tested by a higher standard. They will be sifted, defects and vices will be searched out; for if such exist, they will be developed in words and deportment. True character is not something shaped from without, or put on, but it is something radiating from within. If true goodness, purity, meekness, lowliness, and equity are dwelling in the heart, that fact will be reflected in the character; and such a character is full of power.

The officers who were sent to take Jesus reported that never man spake like this man. [John 7:46.] But the reason of this was, that never man lived like this man; for if he had not so lived, he could not so have spoken. His words bore with them a convincing power, because they came from a heart pure, holy, burdened with love and sympathy, beneficence and truth. How rejoiced are those who hate God’s law, to find spot and stain of character in one who stands in defense of that law! They are only too glad to cast a reproach upon all the loyal and true, because of the faults and impure practices of a few. There is eloquence in the quiet and consistent life of a pure, true, unadulterated Christian. We shall have temptations as long as we are in this world. But instead of injuring us, they will only be turned to our advantage, if resisted. The bounds are placed where Satan cannot pass. He may prepare the furnace that consumes the dross; but instead of injuring, it can only bring forth the gold of character purer than before the trial.

God would not permit Balaam to curse Israel; but Satan compassed their overthrow. [See Numbers 23–25.] Balak, by the advice of Balaam, laid the snare. Israel would have resisted their enemies in battle bravely, and come off conquerors; but when they were invited to idolatrous feasts, and indulgence in wine had clouded their minds, they did not resist temptation. And the sin of the Hebrews brought destruction upon them, as warfare with the nations and the enchantments of Balaam could not do. Their covering and protection were removed from them. They became separated from God, and he turned to be their enemy. [Isaiah 63:10.] The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and his judgments fell upon them. The plague immediately broke out, and those who were most guilty were its victims. They realized that “the wages of sin is death.” [Romans 6:23.]

The very same Satan is now working to the same end, to weaken and destroy the people of God as they are on the borders of the heavenly Canaan. He knows his time is short, and with his subtle temptations he will work with tremendous power to ensnare them upon their weak points of character. Those who have dishonored their minds and affections by placing them where God’s Word forbids, will not scruple to dishonor God by various species of idolatry, and they will be left to their vile affections. It is necessary to guard the thoughts, to fence the soul about with the injunctions of God’s holy Word, and to guard constantly against being betrayed into sin.

There is to be a people fitted up for translation to heaven, whom Enoch represents. They are looking and waiting for the coming of the Lord. The work of preparation for this event will go on with all who will co-operate with Jesus in his efforts in their behalf. He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. [Titus 2:14.] God has made every provision that we may become intelligent Christians, filled with a knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. [Colossians 1:9.] A theoretical knowledge of the truth is essential, but such a knowledge of even the greatest truth will not save us; our knowledge must be practical. God’s people must not only know his will, but they must practice it also. Many will be purged out from the number of those who know the truth, because they are not sanctified by it. The truth must be brought into their hearts, sanctifying them, and cleansing from all earthliness and sensuality in the most private life. Every secret act is as if we were in the presence of God and holy angels, as all things are open before God, and from him nothing can be hid.

It is only through Christ that his people can resist temptation, and become men and women of high and holy purpose, of noble integrity, who will not be swayed from truth, right, and justice. The Christian must be much in prayer. Prayer takes hold upon Omnipotence, and gains us the victory. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. And those who thus make Christ their daily companion and familiar friend will feel that the powers of an unseen world are all around them, and by looking unto Jesus they will become assimilated to his image. Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, October 1, 1889.

Ellen G. White (1827–1915) wrote more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books during her lifetime. Today, including compilations from her 50,000 pages of manuscript, more than 100 titles are available in English. She is the most translated woman writer in the entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of either gender. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Mrs. White was appointed by God as a special messenger to draw the world’s attention to the Holy Scriptures and help prepare people for Christ’s second advent.

The Ups and Downs of the Christian Experience

by

There are many examples in the Bible of the ups and downs of the Christian experience. No disciple had more ups and downs than Peter. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus told Peter, “You are Petros [Peter], and upon this petra [large rock] I will build My church.” Then He said, “I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Verse 19.

Follow Me

In these verses, we see Peter on a mountaintop experience with the Lord. The Lord is giving him wonderful promises, promises that the gates of Hades will not prevail against this church. A few verses later, Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan.” Verse 23. Jesus called Peter Satan himself, because the devil was using him at that point in time. Peter is the only apostle to whom Jesus referred directly in this manner.

Another experience with Peter is given in John 21. In this chapter, several of the disciples were out in the sea fishing overnight but had no success catching fish. As it grew daylight, a person on the shore called to them, asking if they had any fish. When they responded that they did not, the man told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat. When they did this, the net was so full of fish and so heavy that they could not pull it into the boat. The disciple John then told Peter that it was the Lord standing on the beach, about 300 feet away. Peter became so excited that he put his outer garment on, jumped into the sea, and swam to see the Lord. He could not wait for the boat to get there with the fish. After they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
” ‘Simon of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He saith to Him, ‘Yes, Lord: You know that I love You.’ He said, ‘Feed My sheep.’ ” Verse 15. That single question test is repeated three times.

Then Jesus added, ” ‘Most assuredly I say to you, that when you were younger you girded yourself and walked where you wished, but when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands [Jesus is talking about Peter being crucified—he would stretch forth his hands and be crucified just as Christ was crucified], and another will gird you [when you are nailed to a cross you cannot do anything for yourself] and lead you where you do not wish.’ And this He said, giving a sign by what death he [Peter] would glorify God. And this saying, He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ ” Verses 18, 19.

Ellen White, commenting on this experience with Peter, says, “Jesus walked alone with Peter, for there was something which He wished to communicate to him only. Before His death, Jesus had said to him, ‘Whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now; but thou shalt follow Me afterwards.’ To this Peter had replied, ‘Lord, why cannot I follow Thee now? I will lay down my life for Thy sake.’ John 13:36, 37.” The Desire of Ages, 815. What did Jesus mean, you cannot follow Me now? Peter did not then have the courage to go to the cross with Christ. What did he do that night? He denied Christ three times. (See Mark 14:66–72.) But he did follow Christ to the cross later.

Ellen White continues, “When he said this, he little knew to what heights and depths Christ’s feet would lead the way. Peter had failed when the test came, but again he was to have opportunity to prove his love for Christ. That he might be strengthened for the final test of his faith, the Saviour opened to him his future.” Ibid.

Not Singing Now

Peter did not have any idea of the heights and depths he would encounter as he followed Christ. Just as Peter had that experience, the early church had that experience; the children of Israel had that experience; the remnant church has that experience. God’s people, over and over again, have gone over heights that were so high they did not imagine they could be so wonderful. But then they have gone to depths that they could not imagine could be so awful. One of the things I want to concentrate on in this study is why God allows these kinds of things to happen. There are some people who wish that we could just smooth off the high places and fill in the low places and have everything level, but that is not the way the experience of God’s people will be. It goes high, and it goes low.

For example, when the armies of Pharaoh all drowned in the Red Sea, “Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Jehovah, and they spoke saying, ‘I will sing to Jehovah.’ ” Exodus 15:1. That is the time that Miriam took the timbrel (see verse 20), and they had a wonderful, exciting experience. They were so happy they could express it only by song, and they composed a song right on the spot. Miriam was the musician, and they sang the song recorded in this chapter. If we are faithful, we are going to sing the song of Moses some day.

But notice what happens just a few days later. They are not singing now! They are out in the desert. There is not enough water to drink, and the children of Israel come to Moses and Aaron to ask if they had brought the whole congregation out there to the desert to let them die of thirst. (See verses 22–24.) They said it would have been better if Jehovah had just killed them back in Egypt. They were not on a high experience now; they were in the depths of discouragement, depression, trouble, and worry. They got so upset that they lost all their faith in God.

Friends, when things happen that you thought could not happen, do you still trust in the Lord, or do you lose your trust? They lost their trust.

Keep Trusting

We see this same experience repeated in the lives of Daniel and his three companions, when they were taken captive to Babylon. They went up and down, up and down. They were afraid that they might lose their lives if they insisted on a different diet than the king provided. They chose to request it anyway, and the Lord blessed them. Not only did they have better health and appearance, but they excelled in school so that they were smarter than all the others, and the king decided to make them part of his special advisors. (See Daniel 1:11–20.) Life seemed wonderful!

A little while later, though, they were threatened with being put to death. The king had a dream; nobody could explain it, so the “wise” men were all to be killed. Daniel pleaded for 24 hours leniency. He and his three friends had a prayer meeting, asking the Lord for help. The Lord gave them the answer! He showed Daniel what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed. When this information was relayed to the king, Daniel and his three friends were immediately exalted to places of honor. (See Daniel 2:1–19, 48, 49.) All the wise men in the whole kingdom thought well of them, because they had saved their lives.

But a little while later, as the four worthies became more exalted, the other wise men became jealous. Soon they gathered in the Plain of Dura, and the king became furious when these Jewish captives would not bow down to the golden image he had made. Now they were down in discouraging circumstances again. They were thrown into the fiery furnace for not bowing to the image. The Lord delivered them from the fire, and then they were exalted again. (See Daniel 3.)

Read the first six chapters of the book of Daniel, and see how many times they go up and down. The exciting thing about this story is that these young men had faith, and when they hit the bottom, they did not lose their faith and trust in God; they kept praying. They did not do like the children of Israel and say, “It would have been better for us if we had just died rather than be taken captive and go through this.”

The True Church

Their experience, from a human point of view, was totally unexplainable. People said to them, “Oh, you belong to the true church, do you? Well, where is your church? Where is your temple? We burned it down! Our gods are better than your God. Oh, you have the true religious service? You do not have a religious service anymore; there are no priests functioning. We do not observe any of the ceremonial law, it is all over.”

I asked some students one time, When Daniel and his three companions were in Egypt, where was the true church? Some people got angry that I even asked that question. Where was it? It seemed like it had ceased to exist, and we little comprehend how their faith was tested. There was nobody to explain how and why all these things were. If God really does have a people in the world, why are we in this mess? Daniel had to study this out, and his prayer in Daniel 9 shows that he figured out how and why all of this had happened. But he did not lose faith and trust in God even then. In fact, Daniel 9 is a chapter where Daniel is interceding to the Lord for His people—a people that it appeared did not exist anymore, but Daniel knew God had a people.

History Repeated

Those kinds of things are going to happen again. God’s people are not always going to be up on a high; they are sometimes going to be down low, when it looks like everything is going to ruin. Ellen White wrote: “Times that will try men’s souls are just before us, and those who are weak in the faith will not stand the test of those days of peril.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 273. Are you weak in faith, or are you strong in faith? To get through the low times, you will have to have a faith that will not quit when everything is unexplainable.

Ellen White says that the people are going to mock us in the last days. They will say, “Oh, you think that you are the true church? You think that you are God’s special people and that this handful of motley people are the only people in the world who have the truth?” She says, “The time that will try men’s souls are just before us. We shall then have no advocate to rebuke the devil and plead in our behalf.” Review and Herald, September 22, 1896. Are you ready for that? Are you ready for the time when you have no attorney, no advocate to make a plea in your behalf?

Are You a Deserter?

Not just Peter, but all of the disciples had these same types of experiences. In the first 13 verses of John 6, we read about the feeding of the 5,000. It is such an important story that it is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You can be sure that any story found in all four of the gospels has special significance and needs careful study. Notice what happens, and how exciting it gets. “Therefore, the men seeing this miracle which Jesus did, said, ‘Truly this is the prophet. The one coming into the world.’ Therefore, Jesus, knowing that they were about to come and seize Him in order that they might make Him king, separated again into a mountain alone.” John 6:14, 15.

Were they excited? Jesus had just taken five barley loaves and two fish and fed 5,000 men besides women and children. They were so excited; they said, “If we have this man, when we go to fight and take over the Romans, there will be no problem. He can feed the whole army, and if anybody gets injured, He will be able to heal them. Victory will be assured. We will be the masters of the world.” That was their fondest hope—to conquer the Roman Empire and rule the world, and now they knew how to do it. The disciples had this same hope.

After wanting to make Him king, when Jesus tried to explain the true meaning of the loaves the next day, the Bible says, “Many of His disciples said, ‘This is a hard saying, who is able to hear it?’ And Jesus knowing in Himself that they grumbled concerning this said to them, ‘Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of man going up where He was before? . . . But there are some of you which do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones they were which should not believe and who it was that should betray Him. And He said, ‘On account of this, I have said to you that no one is able to come to Me except it be given him from My Father.’ After this, many of His disciples went away, and did not follow Him or walk with Him anymore. Therefore, Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Are you also going to go away?’ ” John 6:60–62, 64–67.

Many followers forsook Jesus. Ellen White says, “Praise and flattery would be pleasing to their ears; but the truth is unwelcome; they cannot hear it. When the crowds follow, and the multitudes are fed [that was the previous day when they were way up high, but today they hear something that brings them way down low], and the shouts of triumph are heard, their voices are loud in praise; but when the searching of God’s Spirit reveals their sin, and bids them leave it, they turn their backs upon the truth, and walk no more with Jesus.” The Desire of Ages, 392.

A Different Spirit

“As those disaffected disciples turned away from Christ, a different spirit took control of them.” Ibid. Have you ever seen that happen in Adventism? Have you seen people who are fired up, and the Holy Spirit is working on their hearts? They are convicted, and they say they want to be with the revival and reformation movement within Adventism; they want to be ready for the Latter Rain; they want to be ready for Jesus to come; they want to be with the people who are going to go through to the end. Crowds follow, and the multitudes are fed with spiritual food, and it is exciting. But as time goes on, the Holy Spirit puts His finger on their problems. If we are really going to follow Christ all the way, we need to give up the sin in our lives; we need to change our lives.

With different people it is different things. There are many who come so far in their Christian experience, but they reach a point of decision, perhaps on a seemingly small issue, and they cannot go beyond it. Ellen White writes about this: “At every advanced point the heart is tested and tried a little closer. If the professed people of God find their hearts opposed to this straight work, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, if they would not be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. Said the angel: ‘God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people.’ Some are willing to receive one point; but when God brings them to another testing point, they shrink from it and stand back, because they find that it strikes directly at some cherished idol. Here they have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus. They prize something higher than the truth, and their hearts are not prepared to receive Jesus. Individuals are tested and proved a length of time to see if they will sacrifice their idols and heed the counsel of the True Witness. If any will not be purified through obeying the truth, and overcome their selfishness, their pride, and evil passions, the angels of God have the charge: ‘They are joined to their idols, let them alone,’ and they pass on to their work, leaving these with their sinful traits unsubdued, to the control of evil angels. Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 187.

So, you see, someone who has gone a certain distance in the revival and reformation movement, saying they want their life to come into perfect harmony with the Bible and with the Spirit of Prophecy, may come up to a certain point where finally the Holy Spirit puts a finger right on some cherished sin, and they cannot give it up.

The Bible says that, as the disaffected disciples turned away from Christ, a different spirit took control of them. Have you ever seen that happen? A person, or a whole group of people, goes a certain distance, but they finally reach a point where they say, No, I can’t go any further. I can’t go along with that; that is too much. And they turn, and they do not even know what has happened, but those watching can see that a different spirit has taken hold of them. I have seen it happen so many times, and usually the person to whom it is happening does not realize what is occurring. An observer, from the outside, can clearly see what is happening, and they can see that the person is not even the same person that they were two months before. In the Scriptures it happened in one day—a different spirit took control.

What happened when this different spirit took control? “As those disaffected disciples turned away from Christ, a different spirit took control of them. They could see nothing attractive in Him whom they had once found so interesting.” The Desire of Ages, 392.

Someone may say, “I used to belong to such and such a home church, but I don’t even want to belong to a home church anymore. I’m going to go somewhere else to worship.” In fact, they often fight what they once supported and promoted. This is not a game, where you just go here or don’t go there. When you are not supporting the revival and reformation movement, eventually you are fighting it.

To be concluded . . .

Pastor Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life Ministry and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas.

The Ups and Downs of the Christian Experience, Part II

by

A person may go a certain distance in their walk with Christ, in their Christian growth, but then they reach a point where they say, No, I can’t go any further.  I can’t go along with that point of doctrine; that is too much.  They do not even know what has happened, but those watching can see that a different spirit has taken hold of them.  In the Scriptures it happened in one day—a different spirit took control.  (See John 6:60, 66.)

What happened when this different spirit took control?  “As those disaffected disciples turned away from Christ, a different spirit took control of them.  They could see nothing attractive in Him whom they had once found so interesting.”  The Desire of Ages, 392.

Notice what they did next:  “They sought out His enemies, for they were in harmony with their spirit and work. They misinterpreted His words, falsified His statements, and impugned His motives.”  Ibid.

Let’s just get this straight.  Who were Christ’s enemies?  Were they the Romans?  No!  Christ’s enemies were the professed, faithful, and true church!  They were the people who professed to be God’s people in the world.  They, not the Romans, were the enemies of Christ.  Christ was never in trouble with the Romans; the Romans only crucified Christ at the insistence of the Jews.  So when the disaffected disciples sought out His enemies, whom did they seek?  They went down to the big church; they went down to mainline Adventism in those days.  They went there because they were more in harmony with them.  This happened about 30 A.D., one year before the crucifixion.  One year before that time, around Passover of 29 A.D., the mainline church had taken an official position rejecting Christ (see The Desire of Ages, 200) at the time He healed a man at the pool of Bethesda (See John 5).  At that time, messengers had been sent all over the country to say that Jesus was an imposter.  So when these people left Christ, they went to the very ones who opposed what Christ was doing, because they were more in harmony with them.

False Reports

There is a spiritual war taking place in the world and in Adventism today, and you cannot just sit and watch.  You are going to be on one side or the other!  God is arranging things so that what is really in our hearts is going to be revealed.  When these followers went back to the mainline church, the church that had been opposing Christ for over a year, they misinterpreted His words.  It should be comforting to us to know that Jesus, Who was perfect, went through such misunderstandings.  Our words are not perfect; we are frail, mortal, defective human beings.  But Jesus was perfect, and even His motives and words were impugned and misinterpreted; His statements were falsified.

Why did they do that?  Ellen White explains:  “They sustained their course by gathering up every item that could be turned against Him; and such indignation was stirred up by these false reports that His life was in danger.”  The Desire of Ages, 392, 393.  The disciples who had left Christ had to justify what they were doing.  Have you ever noticed that when human beings are doing something, especially when they know it is wrong, they have to have a good reason for doing it?  Whether there is one or not, they have to think one up; otherwise they could not live with themselves.  The former followers had to sustain that what they were doing was the right thing to do, so they had to conjure up all of these false statements.

Were there some items that could be turned against Christ?  Yes, there were.  Did Christ have some followers who were making mistakes in those days?  You know that He did, because their mistakes are recorded in the Scriptures.  Were there people who had a pretty checkered past following Jesus?  Oh, yes.  People who were looked down upon as the most evil people in society had decided to follow Jesus, because He gave hope to the chief of sinners.  No matter how bad their past was, they could come to Him.  He promised that He would forgive their sins, take away their guilt, and give them the power to live a new life.  There were cheating tax collectors and prostitutes who were interested in a better life, and even though their past had been very checkered, they found the idea of having their guilt taken away and living a better life very, very attractive.

Jesus allowed all of these people to follow Him, so there were a lot of things that could be used against Jesus—all of these defective, low-life people who were following Him.  All of that information was gathered up, and some Bible studies were written for this occasion.  The purpose of the Bible studies was to prove, from the Old Testament, that Jesus of Nazareth was not the Messiah.

Counter Bible Study

Have you ever had someone give you a Bible study in an effort to prove that the seventh day is not the Sabbath?  Have you ever had someone give you a Bible study to prove that when somebody dies they don’t really die?  That is the type of Bible study that was developed.  I have actually trembled to think that if I had lived in that day and time, I may have been buffaloed by their misinterpreted Scriptures.  They were very convincing and effective.  They were so effective that Jesus questioned the twelve remaining disciples to see if they, too, would leave Him.  It appears that most of the 70 disciples that Jesus had sent out turned against Him.  Ellen White says that Christ winnowed His followers again and again until at one time there were only eleven men and a few faithful women for the beginning of the Christian church.  (See Testimonies, vol. 5, 130.)

Christ actually took His followers through more low experiences than He took them into high experiences.  They did have high experiences: there was Peter’s confession of faith; the time when they saw Him feed the 5,000; the times when they saw Him raise the dead—they saw it!  Wouldn’t that make shivers run up and down your skin to see that happen?  They saw that it only took a look, a touch, or a word and the most grievous physical disease would instantly disappear.  They had some high times.  They saw that if He said to someone, I am not going to condemn you, go and sin no more, that person’s life was turned around; they saw them set free from the spiritual disease which had held them in bondage all of their life.  It was exciting, but Jesus also took them through some low experiences, so deep, that when they started following Him they could not even have imagined what they would have to go through.

Highs and Lows

“The news spread swiftly that by His own confession Jesus of Nazareth was not the Messiah.”  The Desire of Ages, 393.  The disaffected disciples twisted His words.  He never said that He was not the Messiah, but since He did not do what they thought the Messiah had to do, they decided He could not be the Messiah.  Have you ever had anyone twist your words?

Mrs. White continues, “And thus in Galilee the current of popular feeling was turned against Him, as, the year before, it had been in Judea.”  Ibid.  The year before had been the experience at the pool of Bethesda when the popular feeling of Judea turned against Him.  Now the popular feeling in Galilee turned against Him.  When the mainline church had turned against Jesus, the disciples were not too worried, because there was a grass-roots revival and reformation movement among the common people that was centered in Galilee, and they thought it would overturn everything that the church leaders in Jerusalem could do.  So, as long as this popular feeling in Jesus’ favor continued in Galilee, there were thousands of people who came to see Jesus.

They were on a high then.  When you see 5,000 men plus women and children who have come to see the Lord all fed, you have to follow Him.  You have a church!  And the disciples were not worried right at that moment what the priests and leaders said.  So what?  Look at all the people!  They had a big group with which to work.  But those 5,000 people all disappeared.  The popular feeling turned against Jesus, and there were very few who followed Him.  Can you imagine it?—the Saviour of the world, the One who came to redeem the world, had lost most of His followers.  Would you have hung on?  That was a low experience, down in the very depths.

To Whom Shall We Go?

Jesus turned and said to the twelve, “Do you also wish to depart?”  John 6:67.  That is an interesting question.  You would think that by the time you only had twelve followers left you would do something to start a campaign to get more.  But instead, Jesus asked, “Are you going to go, too?”  But Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go?”  John 6:68.  You ask us if we want to leave You, but if we leave You, where are we going to go?

I remember a few years ago when my brother was fired as a pastor from the Kansas-Nebraska Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.  When he was fired, they cut off his salary.  They thought that would be the end of him.  That has been the end of a lot of preachers.  We will never know until the Day of Judgment how many preachers the Seventh-day Adventist Church has ruined by just cutting them off.  They may now be pumping gas, fixing cars, or doing whatever they can to support their families.  People used to say that things like that were an isolated instance, but that is not true.  It has happened all over the world.  When I travel, I meet people from many different countries that have had this happen to them.  When my brother kept preaching, after he had been cut off, people were amazed.  They would ask, Where are you going to go?  Who are you going to join?  A lot of people think that you have to be with some organization or you cannot keep going.  They have not read about John the Baptist.

When people would ask these questions, Marshall would reply just as did Peter, To whom are we supposed to go?  What we have been doing we have been doing because we have been convicted by the Word of God that we have to do this.  Are we going to turn back on our convictions now, because it is unpopular, because we have been financially cut off, because everybody is trying to destroy us?  Should we have decided that our convictions were wrong because of the pressure, or were we going to stand for that which we had been standing?  There was no place to go.  We still had to stand for what we believed.

The remaining disciples could have gone back to mainline Adventism in those days.  Jesus told them they could, if they wanted to do so.  There were only twelve—and they were not on the mountain anymore; they were way down deep in the pit of despair.  “To whom shall we go?”

Ellen White says, “ ‘To whom shall we go?’  The teachers of Israel were slaves to formalism.  The Pharisees and Sadducees were in constant contention.  To leave Jesus was to fall among sticklers for rites and ceremonies, and ambitious men who sought their own glory.”  The Desire of Ages, 393.  To leave Jesus is to fall into human control.   The Spirit of Prophecy says that when a preacher goes to any of our large convocations, tell the people for their own soul’s sake, and for Christ’s sake, to not make flesh their arm.  The church of Christ is not to come under human control.   (See Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 375.)

Why did Jesus allow all of these awful things to happen?  Why does He allow His people to go through these low periods?  Why did He allow it with the children of Israel, with Daniel and the three worthies, or with the disciples?  Ellen White says: “When Jesus presented the testing truth that caused so many of His disciples to turn back, He knew what would be the result of His words; but He had a purpose of mercy to fulfill.”  The Desire of Ages, 394.

Mercy of God

Did you know that what Adventism is going through right now is because of the mercy of God?  People question, What is happening?  There are people who were with the home church movement, that were with the revival and reformation movement, who have left and gone other places.   Many people think that we should all be discouraged because of this.  We should not be discouraged at all!  We should be praising the Lord for His mercy!  Do you know how much more difficult it would be for God’s people if what has happened in the last five years would happen after the national Sunday law is passed?  It would be so much more difficult that a number of us would probably lose our souls.  You see, the Lord could not take those 5,000 men plus the women and children, 15,000 or 20,000 people, with Him and let them follow Him all the way to the cross, because when He came to His trial, they would have rejected Him.

Let us think this through.  What if the disciples, who saw these 15,000 or 20,000 followers, said, We do not have to worry about the priests and elders in Jerusalem; we have all of these people.  We have a strong movement here in Judaism.  But then when the whole group comes all the way up to the cross . . . they leave.  What do you think would have happened to the disciples then?  It was hard the year before, but if they had stayed on that high,—with all of those people, with all of that human support, and they had all left at the trial and crucifixion of Jesus,—the disappointment would have been so overwhelming that they could not have stood it.  It was overwhelming enough as it was.

Are you aware that we are approaching another time that is going to test and try men’s souls?  God is getting His people ready for that time.  Are you thankful that God does not just allow you to stay on a mountain high and then all of a sudden allow the biggest test of all time to hit you?  Are you thankful that He takes you through some low places first so that you can get some experience in faith?   If Jesus had not brought this test beforehand, some of His disciples may not have made it; some of the twelve might have been lost.  The Lord knew it all beforehand, and He said, I am going to do you a favor.  I am going to bring the test a year beforehand, while I am still with you, so that you will not fail.

What is happening today in Adventism is by the mercy of God, and we should be praising the Lord every day.  God is allowing people to reveal what is really inside.  If He let it go on and they all revealed their true characters after the national Sunday law is passed, it would be too much.  We could not take it.

Mrs. White wrote, “He foresaw that in the hour of temptation every one of His beloved disciples would be severely tested. . . .  Had no previous test been given, many who were actuated by merely selfish motives would have been connected with them. . . .  These self-seeking ones would, by renouncing their allegiance to Jesus, have brought upon the disciples a bitter, heart-burdening sorrow, in addition to their grief and disappointment in the ruin of their fondest hopes.  In that hour of darkness, the example of those who turned from Him might have carried others with them.  But Jesus brought about this crisis while by His personal presence He could still strengthen the faith of His true followers.”  The Desire of Ages, 394.

Does your faith hang on, not just at the high time, but when God’s people go down through a dark valley?  That is the kind of faith we are going to have to have, because we are coming to a period of time when it could easily look to each one of us that we are the only believers left.  It could look that way.

Cleansing

These same experiences happened in the beginning of the Second Advent Movement.  From the beginning of 1844 to the beginning of 1846, the number of believers went from between 50,000 and 100,000 down to 200 or 300.  They went from a high to a low, but there were some people that hung on.  There was a cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Christ’s ministry and there was a cleansing of the temple at the close.  Ellen White says, “He will purify His church even as He purified the temple at the beginning and close of His ministry on earth.”  Testimonies, vol. 9, 228.

Did God cleanse the Advent movement at its beginning?  Yes, He did.  Is He going to cleanse it at the close?  Yes, He is.   He cleanses it by bringing people down from a high and bringing them into the depths of a testing, trying experience.  When that happens to you, are you going to hang on?

I met a man who told me that a few years ago he was going to a home church where there were 60–70 members. Then they all left except four or five.  Praise the Lord for the four or five that are left, and get on with the work!  I am not saying that we should not pray for the people who left; some of them might come back, and that would be good.  Probation has not yet closed, and people can still decide that they are going to follow the Lord all the way.  But friends, God is preparing a people who are going to receive the Latter Rain.  It is not just any or every Adventist who is going to receive the Latter Rain.  Oh no, it will be just a little handful compared with all who profess the faith.  If we are going to be part of that group, we are going to have to hang on—not just when it is easy, when everyone is shouting and the multitudes are fed, when it is popular, when there are 15,000 or 20,000 saying, Let’s do it; Let’s have the Latter Rain and the Loud Cry, finish the work, and go to heaven!

The Lord reads the hearts of those doing all that shouting, and He says, It is time to do a little purging here, and He takes that group of people into a valley, and when that happens, suddenly you discover, as did Gideon, that the great majority are not really with you.  Are you going to hang on then?

We have been promised that there is going to be an army that will remain solid as a rock right through to the close.  Do you want to be part of that army?  I pray that you do.

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life Ministry and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas.