Character

Strive to be Among Them, Part II

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A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26.

“The youth especially stumble over this phrase, ‘a new heart.’ They do not know what it means. They look for a special change to take place in their feelings. This they term conversion. Over this error thousands have stumbled to ruin, not understanding the expression, ‘Ye must be born again.’ [John 3:7.]

“Satan leads people to think that because they have felt a rapture of feeling, they are converted. But their experience does not change. Their actions are the same as before. Their lives show no good fruit. They pray often and long, and are constantly referring to the feelings they had at such and such a time. But they do not live the new life. They are deceived. Their experience goes no deeper than feeling. They build upon the sand, and when adverse winds come, their house is swept away. . . .

“When Jesus speaks of the new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new heart is to have a new mind, new purposes, new motives. What is the sign of a new heart?—a changed life. There is a daily, hourly dying to selfishness and pride (The Youth’s Instructor, September 26, 1901).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1164.

The 144,000

The hundred and forty-four thousand have overcome as Jesus overcame. They have learned to handle life’s problems just like Jesus handled life’s problems. They have walked as carefully as Jesus walked through this world.

“Walk continually in the light of God. Meditate day and night upon His character. Then you will see His beauty and rejoice in His goodness. Your heart will glow with a sense of His love. You will be uplifted as if borne by everlasting arms. With the power and light that God imparts, you can comprehend more and accomplish more than you ever before deemed possible.” The Ministry of Healing, 514.

The hundred and forty-four thousand have submitted their wills so completely that they have overcome every sin and every evil temper, and they now are preparing their characters to go through Jacob’s trouble.

“ ‘To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.’ [Revelation 3:21.] We can overcome. Yes; fully, entirely. Jesus died to make a way of escape for us, that we might overcome every evil temper, every sin, every temptation, and sit down at last with Him.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 144.

The Character of Christ

“ ‘When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.’ [Mark 4:29.] Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 69.

“A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this world to the next. . . . To everyone engaged in this work Christ says, I am at your right hand to help you.

“As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent.” Ibid., 332, 333.

“By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness.” Ibid., 312.

Martyrs in the Last Days

“It is not always safe to ask for unconditional healing. . . . He knows whether or not those for whom petitions are offered would be able to endure the trial and test that would come upon them if they lived. He knows the end from the beginning. Many will be laid away to sleep before the fiery ordeal of the time of trouble shall come upon our world.—Counsels on Health, 375 (1897).” Last Day Events, 255.

“ ‘They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.’ John 16:2.

“Every individual in our world will be arrayed under one of two banners.

“The two armies will stand distinct and separate, and this distinction will be so marked that many who shall be convinced of truth will come on the side of God’s commandment-keeping people. When this grand work is to take place in the battle, prior to the last closing conflict, many will be imprisoned, many will flee for their lives from cities and towns, and many will be martyrs for Christ’s sake in standing in defense of the truth.

“By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation [the United States] will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. . . .

“As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return. The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time of Jacob’s trouble. The cries of the faithful, persecuted ones ascend to heaven. And as the blood of Abel cried from the ground, there are voices also crying to God from martyrs’ graves, from the sepulchers of the sea, from mountain caverns, from convent vaults: ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?’ [Revelation 6:10.]

“When the fifth seal was opened, John the Revelator in vision saw beneath the altar the company that were slain for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. After this came the scenes described in the eighteenth of Revelation, when those who are faithful and true are called out from Babylon.

“Christ will restore the life taken; for He is the Life-giver: He will beautify the righteous with immortal life.” Maranatha, 199.

Beasts of Revelation 13

At Satan’s personation, referred to in The Great Controversy, 624, the whole world wonders after the beast of Revelation 13. As we study carefully the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 976, 977, we see that the image to the first beast will be made when the Sunday laws are passed, and every Seventh-day Adventist will be tested by either rejecting or accepting the message.

With the acceptance by the second beast of Revelation 13, the United States of America, comes enforcement of that image which brings national ruin. At this point, the books have been opened and the judgment has been set.

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9, 10.

The warning of the third angel’s message of Revelation 14:9–12 has been rejected by the world. The weak, the old, and the young who have been faithful, loyal, and obedient to the Commandments of God, without a single compromise with sin, have been laid to rest, waiting for the resurrection. They have kept the Sabbath fully according to Isaiah 58:13, 14: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken [it].”

Representatives in All Churches

Possibly thousands of martyrs will have paid the supreme sacrifice for defending present truth. Many people from other churches will be part of this group.

“The Lord has His representatives in all the churches. These persons have not had the special testing truths for these last days presented to them under circumstances that brought conviction to heart and mind; therefore they have not, by rejecting light, severed their connection with God. Many there are who have faithfully walked in the light that has shone upon their pathway. They hunger to know more of the ways and works of God. All over the world men and women are looking wistfully to heaven. Prayers and tears and inquiries go up from souls longing for light, for grace, for the Holy Spirit. Many are on the very verge of the kingdom, waiting only to be gathered in.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 70, 71.

Final Generation

The hundred and forty-four thousand are the Enochs of the final generation. They have prepared their characters, their minds, and their bodies for this hour so they can pass through Jacob’s trouble without failing. They can walk through the fire that is described in 11 Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”

This verse has a dual application for the end of time and the end of the millennium. They walk through the fire as did the three worthies in Daniel’s time. And let us remember that Jesus was in that fire with them.

They are now ready to be God’s witnesses of what God does in fallen human beings.

All rebellion has been removed and Jesus can now take them through the universe throughout the ages. Man can overcome as Jesus overcame.

“God’s ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach. . . . There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God.

“The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness. As the Son of man was perfect in His life, so His followers are to be perfect in their life.” The Desire of Ages, 311.

Nahum 1:9 tells us that sin will never rise again. The hundred and forty-four thousand are traveling through the universe as perfect examples of what God can do when man merges his will with God’s will.

“When our will is swallowed up in the will of God, and we use His gifts to bless others, we shall find life’s burden light. He who walks in the way of God’s commandments is walking in company with Christ, and in His love the heart is at rest.” The Desire of Ages, 331.

Willing to be Made Willing

For 6,000 years, according to the population of each generation, there have been only a few in every generation that have been willing to be made willing to obey all of God’s requirements in the commandments. There may have been billions of people living in the time of the flood, but only eight made it into the ark. Also, in Sodom, we find that only three were willing to be rescued from the fire with which God consumed that city. Jesus said, “For many are called, but few [are] chosen.” Matthew 22:14.

Also, from Isaiah 1:9, we know that there will be only a very small remnant that God can trust. There will be two classes that are savable at the end. First are those who have been redeemed from all rebellion. Many will be like the thief on the cross. Rebellion has been extinguished so completely that Jesus has justified them; the Holy Spirit has sanctified them, and they are safe to save. The second group is the hundred and forty-four thousand. A third group is the rebellious of all the divisions of people in the world that will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming.

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” 11 Thessalonians 2:8.

The identification of the hundred and forty-four thousand is that they have no guile and they are considered by God as virgins. This means that they have no deceptions, and their understanding of present truth is absolutely pure. God considers them absolutely perfect—not what they have done, but what God has done in them. Their wills have been swallowed up in the will of God. Their characters have been so perfectly formed after the great pattern of Jesus that they handle every situation as Jesus would.

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4–7.

50 Statements—Living Saints

Christian Experience and Teachings, 58, 96, 178; The Desire of Ages, 632; Early Writings, 15, 35, 240, 273, 287; The Faith I Live By, 351; Last Day Events, 272; Life Sketches, 65, 103; Lift Him Up, 379; Maranatha, 287, 288, 305, 308; My Life Today, 352; Patriarchs and Prophets, 477; A Sketch Of The Christian Experience And Views Of Ellen G. White (1851), 11, 18; Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 143, 188, 208; Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 31; Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 83; The Story of Jesus, 177; The Story of Redemption, 411; Testimonies, vol. 1, 59, 184; The Upward Look, 311; A Word To The Little Flock (1847), 14, 20; The Day-Star, January 24, 1846, Letter from Sister Harmon, Portland, Maine, December 20, 1845; Review and Herald, July 21, 1851, December 31, 1857; The Signs of the Times, April 8, 1889; The Watchman, October 3, 1905; The Little Remnant Scattered Abroad, vol. 1, April 6, 1846; The Little Remnant Scattered Abroad, vol. 3, April 7, 1847; The Youth’s Instructor, August 1, 1852, April 1, 1854, August 1, 1856; Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 106; Ellen G. White: The Early Years, vol. 1, 1827–1862, by Arthur L. White (1985), 57, 207, 261, 270.

Elder Ron Spear served as field secretary for the Review and Herald, working at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. In the early 1980s, Ron Spear felt impressed that God was calling him to begin publishing a magazine that would feature the fundamental truths of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The first issue of Our Firm Foundation came out in the fall of 1985. Many readers have said that the magazine reflects the spiritual values and content of the “old” Review and Herald. Hope International publishes many books, tracts, and study helps on doctrine, health, and current issues facing the church. Elder Spear may be contacted through Hope International by telephone at: 309-343-1844, or by e-mail at: office@hopeint.org.

A Character of Habits

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Have you ever wondered what makes a person who he is? When Jesus comes, our bodies will be changed when the mortal body that we now have puts on immortality. (See 1 Corinthians 13 and 15.) But we will still be the same people, even though our appearances will have changed. Do you know why? It is because what makes us who we are is our character, and this character is formed by our habits.

When Jesus comes, I am sure that we will not recognize some people. Imagine someone who was very old and perhaps deformed because of an accident. When you meet them, all the scars will be gone, and they will appear young and healthier than they ever were during their life on this earth. You probably will not recognize them by their appearance, but you will know them, because they will have the same habits and personalities as they had when you knew them in this world.

Job knew that he would be the same person when he met His God. While he lay suffering from boils all over his body, he looked forward to the great day when he would meet his Maker. He said about this, “Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. [How] my heart yearns within me!” Job 19:27. Job’s body was so sick and wounded that he may not have been recognizable to his friends, but when Jesus comes, he will not have any boils; he will have a completely new, healthy body. Yet, he will still be the same person. He will have the same thoughts, the same emotions and the same habits that he had in this life.

“We shall be individually, for time and eternity, what our habits make us.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 452. Now, that can be a very wonderful thought if our habits are good, or it can be a rather discouraging thought if our habits are not good. Thank the Lord that our habits can change, because every one of us has some habits that we would like to change. However, changing our habits is not an easy thing to do. Jeremiah wrote, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? [Then] may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.” Jeremiah 13:23. Day by day, as we form habits, they become more and more firmly established, and someday, when we are sealed, they will never be able to be changed either we will be sealed with good habits, or we will be sealed with bad habits.

However, there is no need to become disheartened. The Lord can help us do what looks impossible to us, and would be impossible for us if we had only our own strength. Later in this article we will study how the Lord can help us do the seemingly impossible, but first I would like to look at one other aspect of habits that we need to study carefully.

Eternal Loss

Did you know that there are not only bad habits, which will keep us out of Heaven if they are not overcome, but also good habits which we need to cultivate? There are some habits that may not be such that they would keep us out of heaven, but they could greatly affect us throughout eternity. For years, I struggled with what it means when Ellen White describes these habits. Consider it with me carefully, and we will see if we can better understand it:

“For all that we might become through the right use of our talents God holds us responsible. We shall be judged according to what we ought to have done, but did not accomplish because we did not use our powers to glorify God. Even if we do not lose our souls, we shall realize in eternity the result of our unused talents. For all the knowledge and ability that we might have gained and did not, there will be an eternal loss.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 363.

I have read and re-read that passage and wondered, How could that be? How could it be through the billions and billions of years of eternity that there would be an eternal loss because I did not develop some talent here on earth? If I do not learn to play the piano well here, I will have a million years to practice up there. What difference does it make? If I do not learn to speak correctly here, I will have a million years to learn there. All that really matters is that I make it there, right? And yet, this statement startled me. I thought, “What in the world does this mean? Could I get to heaven, and yet not have all that I could have had, and have to endure some eternal loss?”

I also pondered over what Paul says about this in 1 Corinthians 3:11–15: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation [with] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on [it] endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

Paul is here talking about people who will be saved in heaven, but they will be saved with a loss. Jesus taught in the parable of the talents that the one who had the most talents was given another one. Could it be that those who develop their talents in this life will receive more talents in heaven? That seems to be indicated in Mathew 10 and Matthew 25, but it goes even beyond that. We take our characters with us to heaven. Those characters that are firmly established on earth will be the characters that will last throughout eternity.

Habits Develop Early

Why is it that those who do poorly in grade school continue to do poorly in high school and college? Is it simply because they do not have the knowledge to make it? No, it is because the habits they developed in grade school go on with them to high school, and the habits they had in high school go on with them to college.

Young people go to college and think, “I have not done well in the past, but now I will turn over a new leaf.” I tried to do this, and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I had to seek the Lord’s help, and I thank Him that He brought me through.

Some young people start college with such poor habits that they flunk. (That is like those who will not make it to heaven at all.) Others have not developed the best habits, but at least they make it through college by plodding along. Although they never really develop their abilities to the utmost, they at least still graduate. And yet, throughout their lives, they carry a loss, because they did not learn all that they could have.

There is one more group of college students. These are the ones who have learned to utilize their time, learned to concentrate, developed their memories, and learned how to listen during their early school years, and they carry these skills into their college years. They are blessed throughout life.

This is the way it will be in heaven. Some will not make it at all, because they have developed such bad habits. Others who have not developed specific bad habits, but have not developed all the talents God has given them, when they get to heaven, will carry the loss throughout eternity.

Habits Seldom Changed

When is the easiest time for habits to be developed? Ellen White counseled parents:

“What the child sees and hears is drawing deep lines upon the tender mind, which no after circumstance in life can entirely efface. The intellect is now taking shape, and the affections receiving direction and strength. Repeated acts in a given course become habits. These may be modified by severe training, in after life, but they are seldom changed.” Child Guidance, 199, 200.

You know by your own experience that this is true. Very few people ever change the habits they develop in their youth. These habits are retained throughout life, usually with little modification. However, God’s prophet did not leave us without hope. Although these bad habits are “seldom changed,” it is not impossible to change them if we allow God’s Spirit to work in our hearts.

It is true, however, that the older one gets, the harder it is to change, but we cannot let this be an excuse. Hard or not, now is the time to make the needed changes. If a person is 50 years old, he or she may say, “I am too old to change now. If I were 15 years old, I could have done it, but I guess I will just have to wait until I get to heaven to change my habits.” That will not happen!

If it is hard to change after 50 years, how hard do you think it will be to change after 500 or 5,000 years? Now is the time to change our characters. Someone says, “Oh, heaven is not like that. Whatever we have been like here, if we simply make it, somehow we will immediately be little saints when we get to heaven.”

Lucifer found a way to become discontented, rebellious, and jealous. It all happened in heaven, which shows that it can go on there. That is why God has to make sure that our characters are developed here, so we will be safe to be saved in heaven. Our characters will not be changed after we arrive in heaven. The personality that we have here is the personality that we will have there. Job said, “When God comes, I will see Him for myself. It will be me, not someone else.” It will be our characters that we take to heaven—if we get there, by God’s grace.

Fitting Up Place

The following are several quotations from the pen of inspiration on this subject. Here we can see exactly what God’s expectations are for us.

“We are here to form perfect characters for heaven.” Review and Herald, July 13, 1886.

“An important work is before us. We are to obtain a moral fitness for heaven.” Ibid., July 6, 1886. That is what this life is all about. Just like college is to prepare us intellectually to carry on a business or a profession, so this life is the fitting up place for heaven.

“Those who would be saints in heaven, must first be saints upon the earth; for when we leave this earth, we shall take our characters with us.” Ibid., August 19, 1890. Whatever you want to be like in heaven, that is what you must be like here.

Heaven will be a happy place for everyone who gets there, because no one will get there who has not learned to be happy. In The Signs of the Times, November 14, 1892, we read: “Let no unkind words fall from the lips of those who compose the home circle. Make the atmosphere fragrant with tender thoughtfulness of others. Only those will enter heaven who in probationary time have formed a character that breathed a heavenly influence. The saint in heaven must first be a saint upon the earth. The habits of speech, the character of our actions, put a mold upon us; and that which we cultivate in our association with others in this life, goes down into the grave with us, and will be unchanged when we shall come up from the grave. Many are deceiving themselves by thinking that the character will be transformed at the coming of Christ; but there will be no conversion of heart at His appearing. Our defects of character must here be repented of, and through the grace of Christ we must overcome them while probation shall last. This is the place for fitting up for the family above.”

“How long a time are you designing to take to prepare to be introduced into the society of heavenly angels in glory? In the state which you and your family are in at present, all heaven would be marred should you be introduced therein. The work for you must be done here. This earth is the fitting-up place. You have not one moment to lose. All is harmony, peace, and love in heaven. No discord, no strife, no censuring, no unloving words, no clouded brows, no jars there; and no one will be introduced there who possesses any of these elements so destructive to peace and happiness. Study to be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up for yourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that you may lay hold on everlasting life.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 705, 706.

“What can be done for you? Do you design to wait until Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven? Will He make you all over new when He comes? Oh, no, this will not be done then. The fitting up must be done here. All the hewing and squaring must take place here upon earth in the hours of probation. You must be fitted up here; the last blow must be given here.” Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White, vol. 2, The Progressive Years 1862-1876, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., 95.

Grace Sufficient

The longer one waits to begin the overcoming process, the more difficult it becomes, but thank the Lord that no one is so old and so entrenched in habits that God cannot change him or her if they really want to change. God has promised extra grace—grace sufficient for every need.

This extra measure of grace is given to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the angels, and their help is available in this life only. We have not been promised these extra gifts in heaven, for it is here in this life that the grace is needed. Without this added grace, we are in the situation that Paul described in Romans: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but [how] to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do.” Romans 7:18, 19.

Paul realized that without help he could do nothing at all about his evil tendencies, so what did he do? Did he just sit back and say, “Well, God, you will just have to accept me as I am, because I cannot change; I know that You will take care of perfecting my character when I get to heaven”? No! He cried, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Verses 24, 25. He realized that alone he could do nothing, and that he could not take his sinful character to heaven, so he looked to Christ as his hope.

Overcoming With the Spirit

Paul explained more about this hope in Romans 8: “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God [did] by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3, 4.

Paul had some habits of the flesh that he wanted to overcome, but could not in his own strength. Have you ever been convicted about something that needed to be changed in your life, but you have tried and found you cannot change? That is where Paul was. Some have been convicted about smoking. They have tried and tried, and they just cannot break the addiction. They are slaves to this wicked habit. Other people are impatient. They do not want to be, nor do they mean to be impatient, but they try hard, and they are still impatient. It is seemingly impossible to overcome the habit. Some are afflicted with habits of laziness. They do not have enough get-up-and-go to even read their Bibles or the Spirit of Prophecy. There are still others who have developed habits of lust over years and years. They are constantly thinking thoughts of lust, and they cannot break free from them. The list of evil habits that we have goes on and on: gluttony, fretfulness, worrying, daydreaming, envying, and more.

We want to overcome, but we cannot, just as it was with Paul. What is our only hope? Paul tells us: “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13. [Emphasis added.]

There has to be a new birth in each of our lives. There must be a crucifying of the old life and a resurrection to a new life. Jesus came down to make this possible. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.

It takes the crucifixion, death, and burial of the old life, and a resurrection to a new life of holiness. Is that possible? Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. This is not just an empty phrase. It is a promise, and it is guaranteed by the infinite power of the God of the universe.

Replacing the Old with the New

We must put off our acquired habits that do not reflect the sunshine of obedience and the trust of heaven. Yet we must not just give up our bad habits; we must also develop good habits. The Christian life is not just a matter of “do not do this” or “do not do that.” It also involves developing what is good.

It is not good enough to simply overcome fretfulness. We must then go on to cultivate cheerfulness. It is not good enough to just overcome lust. We must then learn to develop the true, holy, and sanctified love that God wants each one of us to have. It is not good enough to just overcome worrying. We must develop a faith that will carry us through every trial and every perplexity. It is not good enough to just overcome grumbling. We must develop an attitude of praise and thanksgiving that, as Paul said, is thankful in every situation.

The parable in Luke 11:24–26 is about a man who had an unclean spirit. That means he had bad habits that he could not overcome, and these were such bad habits that the devil actually took over his life in some of these areas. The Lord came and cast out the demon and set this man free. The demon then went out from this man, we are told in verse 24, and went “through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none.” So then this demon said, “ ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with [him] seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last [state] of that man was worse than the first.” You cannot have an empty life forever. Sooner or later that vacuum will be filled with something. If it is not filled with what is good, it will be filled with what is evil. Today is the only day that God has given us to develop habits that will make us the kind of people who will be happy in heaven throughout eternity.

Stop and Think

When Jesus comes, there will be two classes of people: those who have changed and those who have remained the same. “Therefore, if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 11 Corinthians 5:17.

Again recall the statement that we looked at in the beginning, from Testimonies, vol. 4, 452. “We shall be individually for time and for eternity what our habits make us.” Stop and think about the habits that you have formed throughout your life. What habits do you have that must be overcome, that will keep you from entering heaven? What talents have you neglected developing? Do you want to suffer an eternal loss because you did not gain all the knowledge or ability you might have?

Let us fix our minds on the goal to be won, and press toward the mark. Now is the probationary time that we have been allotted. Do not despair, my dear friends, our Savior and all the host of heaven are near to help you in this work. No one is too weak or too sinful to be saved, if they will fully surrender themselves to God. This is my prayer for each of you.

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

The Pen of Inspiration – Christ Our Life

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“Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:28, 29.

This statement was called out by a remark previously made with reference to the salvation of the soul. Jesus was presenting before his hearers, the Pharisees and Sadducees, the great principles of true religion; for they had become corrupt through sin, and were ignorant both of the Scriptures and the power of God. He would impress upon his hearers that all who will finally be heirs of the kingdom of heaven must be satisfied with nothing short of a conversion, a moral change, which is equal to a new creation.

The scribes and Pharisees listened in amazement to such words as these: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.” [John 5:24.] The conversion of the soul is, as it were, a resurrection from the dead. It is like a re-creation to those, who, through the transforming power of the grace of God, have passed from death unto life. Those who listened to the Saviour’s words did not believe them. They said in their hearts, This is an impossibility. Jesus discerned their incredulity, and added: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.” [John 5:25.]

Now we want to keep in mind these two great facts: the change that takes place at conversion, and that which takes place at the resurrection of the dead. There are but two classes brought to view in the text. They are not divided into many grades, one composed of very great sinners, another of persons not so guilty, and still others of persons a little less guilty; but the two classes stand distinct. They are those who have accepted Christ, and those who have not.

There is no way to reach the city of God but by the cross of Calvary. As we lift this cross, which is covered with shame and reproach in the eyes of men, we may know that Christ will help us; and we need divine aid. The sinner has lived in sin; he must die to sin, and live a new life of holiness to God. Paul wrote to the Colossians: “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” [Colossians 3:3.] The apostle here refers to the death to sin, the death of the carnal mind, and not to the death of the body.

Let me emphasize the importance of making Christ our hope and refuge every day of our lives. It is a pleasing fable that is presented to us in this age, that if we only believe in Christ, that is all that is required; works have nothing to do with our acceptance with God. Many trample the law of God under their feet, cherishing in their hearts the delusive thought that it is not binding on them. This is not the truth. In the resurrection all will come forth, they that have done good and they that have done evil, and the fate of each will be decided according as his works have been. All good works spring from genuine faith, and the fruits in the works show the character of the faith. Hence it is by our works that we shall be judged.

We each have a work to do in character-building. As we advance in this work, Satan stands ready to oppose us, and there are crosses to take up, and obstacles to be overcome; but our efforts may be a success. When we take hold on the merits of Christ, we shall overcome. He has made it possible for every one to gain eternal life. Many, looking forward to the solemn realities of the future, tremble in their hearts as they question. How will it be with me in the Judgment? To what fate shall I awaken, when all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live? This is a question for us to decide each for himself. All stand on an equal footing. We are all free moral agents; we may accept God’s terms—keep his commandments and believe on Christ—and live; or we may disbelieve, pursue our own course, and perish.

The distance from earth to heaven may seem very great, for sin has fixed a great gulf; it has separated man from God, and has brought woe and misery upon the human race. But Christ throws himself into the gap. He it is that opens communication between man and God. He is the ladder that Jacob saw in his vision, the base resting on the earth, and the top reaching into the highest heaven. . . .

The God of the universe has given our cases in the Judgment into the hands of his Son, one who is acquainted with our infirmities, and knows that we are but dust. He has taken our nature upon him, and has himself felt the force of our temptations; he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. When man rebelled, Christ became his surety and substitute. He undertook the combat with the powers of darkness; and when through death he destroyed him that had the power of death, the highest honors were bestowed upon him. He ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and sat down at the right hand of God;—the very Jesus who had borne the curse of sin for us. And there was given him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. To him God has delegated his power; he has the keys of death and the grave.

And they that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth. Jesus shall come, and the angels of God with him; and the glory of his appearing shall flash on human eyes as the vivid lightning or as a consuming fire. He will descend with a shout and with the voice of a great trumpet, and those that hear that vivifying voice will spring rejoicing from the grave. And they will recognize the voice that awakens them to immortal life as that of Him who said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” [Matthew 11:28.] . . .

Now we have opportunity to prepare for the solemn scenes before us. We may be converted to God, and have a change of character; but when Christ shall come there will be no time for this. The change then will be with our bodies. “This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” [1 Corinthians 15:53.] A new year is opening before us, and what shall its record be? You look back upon the past year, and you see many things that you would be glad to have different, that you wish had been better. How will it be with the new year that is just opening? Shall we not at its commencement present ourselves to God, an acceptable offering, to work, to suffer, and to endure according to his will? Shall we not, every one of us, live a life of faith in the Son of God?

Bible Echo, January 15, 1889.

The Three Coats of Joseph

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The three coats of Joseph and his experiences wearing them illustrate the life of the Christian, the Christ-like life. In Patriarchs and Prophets, 239, we are told that the life of Joseph illustrates the life of Christ. As we study Joseph’s three coats or garments, we will see both the awful consequences of sin and the grandeur and wonder of God’s plan for all who love and obey Him.

Joseph’s first coat is mentioned in Genesis 37:3. It says, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he [was] the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of [many] colors.” Israel, of course, refers to Jacob, and a tunic is an outer garment or overcoat. This coat got Joseph into a lot of trouble. Apparently none of Joseph’s older brothers had ever been given a coat like this.

Perils of Polygamy

If you have read the preceding chapters in Genesis, you have seen the terrible results of polygamy. God never designed for a man to have more than one wife.

God created only one wife for Adam, but Jacob actually had four wives. He first had Leah and Rachel, and each of them had a maidservant whom she wanted to have children to compete with her sister, so they each gave their maidservant to Jacob for wives.

As the older sons grew, their mothers were teaching them to watch and see whether or not their father was showing special favor to another child. Growing up in that kind of an environment, the brothers learned to be suspicious and jealous of each other. It was impossible to have a happy family under those conditions. Jacob’s life was made very bitter, and his children grew up resenting each other and being jealous and envious of each other, and, eventually, even developing hatred for each other. Joseph’s 11 brothers did not treat each other with that brotherly love, kindness, and honesty that the Bible requires. They were always fighting and quarreling among themselves, and they especially hated Joseph because of his beautiful coat.

Jacob had not intended to practice polygamy; he had been tricked into it. And that was a result, of course, of his own treachery and trickery of his brother. The Lord allowed him to reap what he had sown.

Garment of Character

Seeing Joseph’s colorful coat, the other brothers were convinced that their father intended to give Joseph the birthright, and they were jealous. They were angry, but why? Why did Jacob love Joseph so much? True, he was the firstborn of Rachel, the one woman Jacob truly loved, but there was a reason why Jacob gave this coat to Joseph that most people do not understand. “His [Jacob’s] affections centered upon Joseph because of his purity and true excellence of character.” The Signs of the Times, December 18, 1879. God loves beauty, but the thing that God loves the most is beauty of character.

Did you know there are some people that God loves especially—just as Joseph was a special son? Jacob loved him more than all the rest of his children, because he saw in Joseph a purity and excellence of character that was in none of the others. As Jacob looked upon his family, he knew it was through his family that the Messiah was to come, that the gospel was to go to the world. As he saw the terrible wickedness, he wondered, “How will the promises of God ever be fulfilled?” But when he saw the purity and excellence of character in Joseph, he was encouraged.

Are you a special friend of God because of your purity and excellence of character? Jesus is looking still today for some special friends, and the thing that appeals to Him the most is a person who hungers for righteousness and who wants purity and excellence of character.

God is love, and if you are going to communicate His love to somebody else, you have to first receive it yourself; you must open your heart to receive it. The disciple John opened his heart completely to Christ. He entered into a close sympathy and fellowship with Jesus, closer than any of the other disciples. That is why the writings of the apostle John are so important for us to study. It is through that man, Ellen White said, that the deepest spiritual teachings of Christ are communicated to the world. (The Desire of Ages, 292.)

This is the type of experience that Joseph had. He entered into a close relationship with his father, and he was loved by his father, not so much because he was the son of Rachael, but because of his purity and excellence of character. And so his father gave him a beautiful robe. It was a beautiful garment that represented his purity and excellence of character, and the Lord wants to give you one of those beautiful garments. He wants to give you one of those beautiful garments of character.

In the Bible, our clothes are used to represent our character, and God wants to give each one of us a beautiful garment. Isaiah 52:1 reads: “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you.”

Be Ready

God is coming soon to receive those who have on the beautiful garments. Are you putting on, day by day, a beautiful garment of character? That is your job. That is what is involved in being prepared to meet Jesus. In the Book of Revelation, we read: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7. What does it mean to be ready?

Look at verse 8. “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” There it is—your garment. What is the garment? It is your character. Jesus has a beautiful garment for each one of us. He says, “Awake, and put on your garment. Get ready. There is going to be a great marriage feast, and you need to have on the garment. You need to be ready.”

We need to have a wedding garment, a garment of righteousness, so we will be able to go to the wedding feast. God wants you to be clothed with a garment of salvation. That garment of salvation is a robe of righteousness. What is righteousness? It is right doing. What is unrighteousness? All unrighteousness is sin. (I John 5:17.) God wants to take away from each of us the garment of unrighteousness; He wants us to be clothed in a garment of righteousness.

Two Steps

The plan of salvation involves two steps. The first is that the blood of Jesus must cover our sins so that our guilt is taken away. That happens when we repent and confess and consecrate our lives to Jesus. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9. That is, He will cleanse our robe of character, wash it. In Ephesians 5, we are told that we are to be washed from our sins.

There is a second step to the plan of salvation. Jesus has a plan to change us inside, so we will start living a different life. This is called the new birth, the regeneration, or the creation of a new heart by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5. This is the step that many Christians today do not understand. It is not enough to have your sins forgiven. The Holy Spirit must come into your life and create a new heart, purify your heart, and give you the ability to live a new life.

“The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He [Jesus] could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail.” The Desire of Ages, 671. Do you understand that? Without the Holy Spirit operating in your life, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross will not save you. “Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.” Ibid.

No matter what the besetment is in your life, God wants to take that away; He wants to cleanse you and through the Holy Spirit regenerate within you the power to live a Christ-like life. Then you will have a garment of character that is beautiful. Those who go to heaven, every single one of them, will have one of these beautiful garments. (See Ephesians 5:25–32.)

Garment of Lust

Joseph got into trouble, and he was sold as a slave. His brothers took his beautiful coat of many colors and dipped it into blood. In Egypt, he received other garments as a slave, and he really did get into trouble. Genesis 39:7–21 tells what happened to Joseph’s second garment.

There is Joseph’s second garment, left in the hand of Potiphar’s wife as he fled from the garment of lust. He got away. He was innocent, but he got blamed for it. That often happens in this world. If you and I are going to be saved, we are going to have to do the same thing Joseph did. We must escape the lust that is in this world.

Physical, sensual temptations have in all ages been some of the devil’s most successful temptations. He was not, however, successful in the case of Joseph.

The devil has been so successful with physical temptations that the very first thing he tried on Jesus was a physical temptation, a temptation to appetite. One of the longest articles that Ellen White wrote in the Testimonies is called, “An Appeal to the Church.” The whole article is about these physical temptations. Several excerpts from this chapter are given here:

“Corruption was teeming everywhere. … base passions controlled men and women generally, … among the masses crimes of the darkest dye were continually practiced, and they were reeking in their own corruption. The nominal churches are filled with fornication and adultery, crime and murder, the result of base, lustful passion; but these things are kept covered. Ministers in high places are guilty; yet a cloak of godliness covers their dark deeds, and they pass on from year to year in their course of hypocrisy.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 449.

“Those who do not control their base passions cannot appreciate the atonement or place a right value upon the soul. Salvation is not experienced or understood by them. The gratification of animal passion is the highest ambition of their lives. God will accept nothing but purity and holiness; one spot, one wrinkle, one defect in the character, will forever debar them from heaven, with all its glories and treasures.

“Ample provisions have been made for all who sincerely, earnestly, and thoughtfully set about the work of perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Strength, grace, and glory have been provided through Christ, to be brought by ministering angels to the heirs of salvation. None are so low, so corrupt and vile, that they cannot find in Jesus, who died for them, strength, purity, and righteousness, if they will put away their sins, cease their course of iniquity, and turn with full purpose of heart to the living God. He is waiting to strip them of their garments, stained and polluted by sin, and to put upon them the white, bright robes of righteousness; and He bids them live and not die.” Ibid., 453. [Emphasis added.]

Jesus wants to save us, if we are willing for these garments to be stripped away. When Potiphar’s wife caught hold of Joseph’s garment, he just left the garment and ran outside. He knew that was a dangerous situation, and that he had to get away from it.

“Professed Christians, if no further light is given you than that contained in this text [Romans 6:12, 11], you will be without excuse if you suffer yourselves to be controlled by base passions.” Ibid., 454.

And then, “The more the animal passions are indulged, the stronger do they become, and the more violent will be their clamors for indulgence. Let God-fearing men and women awake to their duty. Many professed Christians are suffering with paralysis of nerve and brain because of their intemperance in this direction. Rottenness is in the bones and marrow of many who are regarded as good men, who pray and weep, and who stand in high places, but whose polluted carcasses will never pass the portals of the heavenly city.” Ibid., 477.

God wants to strip away all our stained garments and give us new lives, garments of righteousness and holiness that are in perfect accord with His law.

Garment of Honor

Joseph’s third garment is described in Genesis 41:41, 42: “And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’ Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” Joseph had put on the beautiful garment of character. He had fled from the garment of lust. Now he is given a beautiful garment of honor.

The time is coming when Jesus wants to give to you a garment of honor. Millions have gone down to the grave loaded with infamy because they steadfastly refused to yield to the deceptive claims of Satan. Human tribunals judged them the vilest of criminals, but now God is Judge Himself. (Psalm 50:6.) Now the decisions of earth are reversed. “The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth.” Isaiah 25:8. “The Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to [those who are] bound; … To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1, 3.

“The heirs of God … are no longer feeble, afflicted, scattered, and oppressed. Henceforth they are to be ever with the Lord. They stand before the throne clad in richer robes than the most honored of the earth have ever worn. They are crowned with diadems more glorious than were ever placed upon the brow of earthly monarchs. The days of pain and weeping are forever ended.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 467.

There you have it, friend. If you put on the garment of character, if you flee the garment of lust, the time is coming when God is going to give to you the garment you have never yet worn, a garment of honor, and it will be forever. Jesus will say to you, “You have borne My cross. You have bravely carried My cross, but now, it is time to lay down the cross and put on the crown.” Remember, the cross is temporary, but the crown will be forever.

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

The Filthy Garments

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Many people believe that in the end we are all going to the same place, but the Bible does not teach that. Revelation 20:15 says, “And if anyone was not found with his name written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.”

Revelation 21:27 identifies the ones who will be allowed into the holy city: “There shall in no case enter into it anything or the one doing abomination or making a lie. Rather those having been written in the book of life of the Lamb.”

How do you get your name written in this book? How do you keep your name from being taken out of this book? The tragedy is that in this modern world there are so many in the last generation who will think they are going to be saved, but they will learn at the end that they are lost.

A Prophecy

In this article we will study about our eternal destiny. We will begin with a prophecy concerning the spiritual condition of God’s people just before Jesus comes.

In Matthew 22, we read about the man who did not have on the wedding garment; he was not allowed into the wedding. The prophecy in Zechariah 3 shows that we do not have on the wedding garment. It is a most startling prophecy, because nobody can go to the wedding feast without having on the wedding garment, a garment of character that has no spot or wrinkle.

“And he showed me Joshua the great priest standing before the messenger of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.” Zechariah 3:1. The word Satan is one of the few words in the English language that is a direct transliteration from the Hebrew word satan. The Hebrew name Satan, which means “the adversary,” was given to Lucifer after he fell. He is God’s adversary, and if you are a follower of God, he is your adversary. The different names Satan has in the Bible are significant.

Jesus said that the devil was a liar, but when the devil came to the angels in heaven and to Adam and Eve, he mixed error and truth together. To really be effective at deception, one must tell the truth most of the time. What we see in Zechariah is that the accusation the devil brought was true! “And Jehovah said to Satan, Jehovah gives a rebuke to you, Satan. Jehovah, the one who is choosing among Jerusalem, rebukes you. Is not this a brand that is plucked from the fire?” Verse 2.

Who is this brand that is plucked from the fire? It is you and me. What does it mean when it says that it is “a brand that is plucked from the fire”? That means this is a person who, because of his or her sins, is about to be destroyed, but the Lord says, “I am going to pull you out of the fire.”

Filthy Garments

Joshua had been pulled out of the fire, but notice his condition in verse 3: “And Joshua was clothed in filthy garments.” Now, stop right there. Can you go to the wedding feast in filthy garments? No, you cannot, but this is a description of God’s people. Ellen White wrote much about this. (See Testimonies, vol. 5, 467–476, “Joshua and the Angel.”) Those in filthy garments apply with particular force to God’s people at the end of time, right before probation closes.

We can cover ourselves any way we choose; we can make ourselves look as nice as possible, but God knows what is in the heart, and He tells us that our garments are filthy. You see, all through Scripture, from the fig leaves to the Book of Revelation, garments symbolize character. (See Revelation 19:7, 8.)

This is the crux of what is known as the shaking. The shaking occurs when we realize that we have on filthy garments, and if a miracle does not happen in our lives, we are lost.

“And he answered and said to those standing by him, Take away the filthy garments from him. And he said to him, ‘See I have caused to pass away from you your iniquity, and you shall be clothed in a royal robe.’ ” Verse 4. Taking away the filthy garments means that our iniquity is taken away. (Continue to read through Zechariah 3:7.) God’s children are to have their filthy garments taken away.

Cause of Defilement

What is it that causes God’s people to be clothed in filthy garments? Obviously, a garment that is filthy is a garment that is not pure. It is a garment that is polluted, defiled. In the law of God is spelled out the cause for a man or a woman to become defiled or polluted. That is the first thing that is done in the Bible. The first five books of the Bible explain that explicitly, so we will not make a mistake.

If we are clothed in filthy garments when probation closes, we will be lost. In Revelation 22:11, 12, it says that the one who is filthy is going to stay that way, but those that are saved will have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:14.

Diet

We can be clothed in filthy garments because of the way we eat. Leviticus 11 details the clean and unclean foods, and in verse 44, the Lord said to the children of Israel, “You are not to defile yourselves by eating these things. I am holy so you are to be holy.”

Our Protestant friends may say that this is not in the Ten Commandments, and the law was nailed to the cross. Well, the clean and unclean foods in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 have nothing to do with the ceremonial system of the sanctuary. It has nothing to do with the Levitical priesthood.

Isaiah 66:15–17 talks about the time when the Lord is going to come to this world with wrath to judge the people because of their wickedness. It talks about different classes of people that are going to receive God’s wrath, and it mentions that those who are eating swine’s flesh and the mouse are going to receive the wrath of God.

We need to understand that we can be clothed in filthy garments because of what we eat.

Lewdness

Leviticus 18 talks about lewdness, immodesty; it takes in everything having to do with pornography in all its forms—whether dress, music, reading, or whatever it is. Leviticus 18:24 says, “Do not defile yourselves in any of these things, because in all these things the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you.”

We are living in a time which has become more and more deeply involved in lewdness and immodesty and pornography of all kinds. All such things cause a person to wear filthy garments.

Drama

There was a time when Seventh-day Adventists did not believe in going to the movies.

There are several things wrong with watching drama—whether it is movies in the theater, on the television, or on the video or DVD, or attending a live dramatization in a theater or elsewhere.

Dramatization involves people acting a part. The person who is acting is actually telling a lie. If we watch movies or other drama presentations, we are watching somebody act out a lie. It has become so bad that men take parts where they are acting the part of Jesus Christ. Think about the blasphemy! They take parts as well where they are acting the part of evil spirits.

The movie industry has played a significant part in our society in introducing more and more immodesty of every kind. The people who watch this and who listen to the music with immoral lyrics are clothed in filthy garments.

Restraint

In Exodus 32, God said to Moses, “Your people have corrupted themselves.” “Moses saw the people, that restraint was removed, because Aaron had removed the restraint.” Verses 7, 25.

What restraint was removed? It was the restraint that God ordained should exist between men and women. Men are to keep their hands off women. Ellen White wrote that it is permissible for a preacher, or anyone else, to shake a woman’s hand. But, she cautioned that a woman’s hand should not be held too long or she could be caused to sin. Even the minister or other individuals could sin. (See Testimonies, vol. 5, 598.)

The restraint that God ordained should exist between men and women was removed in the experience in Exodus when they were dancing around the golden calf. It is removed in the dancing that is done today.

Familiarity in speech and in touching is causing God’s people to be clothed in filthy garments.

Honesty

In the Bible, the Lord talks about the stones that we have in our bags. (See Deuteronomy 25:13–15; Leviticus 19:36; Proverbs 16:11; 20:10, 23; Micah 6:11.) In ancient times, when individuals went to buy something, there would be a scale; upon one side of the scale the seller would place his or her weight, and the buyer, on the other side, would place whatever was being bought so the scale would balance. Of course, people who did a lot of buying and selling learned how to work things to their advantage. They had two bags of stones—the heavy bag was used for buying; the bag filled with stones that were light was used for selling.

The Lord counseled that we are not to have two kinds of stones in our bags—a heavy bag and a light bag. We are to have a just weight and a just balance. In other words, we are to be strictly honest.

If we take advantage of one another, we are clothed in filthy garments.

Seven Abominations

Revelation 21:27 tells us that no one will enter into the holy city who works an abomination. An abomination is something that is hated, especially something that God hates. In Proverbs 6:16–19, Solomon identifies seven things God hates: a proud look, a haughty look; a deceitful tongue; hands that shed innocent blood; a heart devising wicked plots or plans; feet that hurry to do evil; a deceitful mouth, a false witness; and one who brings about strife among brethren.

The people involved in these kinds of things have on filthy garments.

Anger, Lust, Hatred

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus showed that the filthy garment begins in the heart. Even if we do not say or do anything, we have hearts that are filthy and polluted.

For example, in Matthew 5:21, 22, we are told, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, you shall not murder, but I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment.” Jesus was not telling us that we could be angry if we have a cause, but if we do not have a cause we cannot be angry, because almost everybody who gets angry has a cause! (See Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 55–57.)

In Matthew 5:27, 28, we are cautioned against lust. Lust has to do with the mind. That is where sin begins. I have heard some people say that we can think whatever we want, just do not do it. That is one of the devil’s lies. Jesus tells us that if we are lusting in our minds, but we do not ever take action, we are still in filthy garments.

Then, in verse 43, Jesus spoke specifically of hatred: “You have heard that it is said of them in old time to love your neighbor and hate your enemies.” Hatred comes from the heart.

If we have a problem with anger, lust, or hatred, we are in filthy garments.

Take Them Away

What does it mean to take the filthy garments away? It means to have our iniquity taken away. It happens at the end of the Day of Atonement.

The Lord says, “In my ways you will go. If my charge you will keep, you will govern my house and keep my courts. You will be men wondered at.” Zechariah 3:8. Those who will be wondering are the people who are not saved, who do not have on the wedding garment.

You see, some of the people who are not saved are claiming today that having on a garment without spot or wrinkle is not possible. But, according to the Bible, there will be some people who have on a garment or character without spot or wrinkle, and they are the only ones going to heaven.

“To the marriage supper of the Lamb will come many who have not on the wedding garment—the robe [Christ] purchased for them with His lifeblood. From lips that never make a mistake come the words, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?’ Matthew 22:12. Those [thus] addressed are speechless. They know that words would be useless. The truth, with its sanctifying power, has not been brought into the soul, and the tongue that once spoke so readily of the truth is now silent. The words are then spoken, ‘Take them out of My presence. They are not worthy to taste of My supper’ (cf. Luke 14:24).

“As they are separated from the loyal ones, Christ looks upon them with deep sorrow. They occupied high positions of trust in God’s work, but they have not the life insurance policy that would have entitled them to eternal life. From the quivering lips of Christ come the mournful words of regret, ‘I loved them; I gave My life for them; but they persisted in rejecting My pleadings, and continued in sin.’ ” The Upward Look, 301.

Friends, the filthy garments must be removed.

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

Bible Study Guides – Glory

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August 10, 2008 – August 16, 2008

Key Text

“I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18.

Study Help: The Acts of the Apostles, 202–210.

Introduction

“Through trial and persecution the glory—the character—of God is revealed in His chosen ones. The believers in Christ, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school of Christ. On earth they walk in narrow paths; they are purified in the furnace of affliction.” The Acts of the Apostles, 576

1. What should we realize about the futility of human glory? Jeremiah 9:23.

Note: “God is the source of all wisdom. He is infinitely wise and just and good. Apart from Christ, the wisest men that ever lived cannot comprehend Him. They may profess to be wise; they may glory in their attainments; but mere intellectual knowledge, aside from the great truths that center in Christ, is as nothingness.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 66.

“It was a very intellectual being, one who occupied a high position among the angelic throng, that finally became a rebel; and many a mind of superior intellectual attainments is now being led captive by his power.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 422.

2. What is written about loving worldly riches? I Timothy 6:9, 10. Give one example. Matthew 26:14–16.

Note: “Worldly policy plans were constantly cherished by Judas. There was no outbreaking sin on his part, but his sharp scheming, the selfish, parsimonious spirit that took possession of him, finally led him to sell his Lord for a small sum of money.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1101.

3. What is worldly wisdom in the sight of God? I Corinthians 1:19–21. What miracle will yet be seen even in some who have been blinded by worldly wisdom?

Note: “Many of the greatest scholars and statesmen, the world’s most eminent men, will in these last days turn from the light because the world by wisdom knows not God. Yet God’s servants are to improve every opportunity to communicate the truth to these men. Some will acknowledge their ignorance of the things of God and will take their place as humble learners at the feet of Jesus, the Master Teacher.” The Acts of the Apostles, 241, 242.

4. Rather than becoming spiritually dwarfed by the temporal scope of worldly knowledge, how are we to make the most of our intellectual endowments? II Timothy 2:15.

Note: “Ignorance will not increase the humility or spirituality of any professed follower of Christ. The truths of the divine word can be best appreciated by an intellectual Christian. Christ can be best glorified by those who serve Him intelligently. The great object of education is to enable us to use the powers which God has given us in such a manner as will best represent the religion of the Bible and promote the glory of God.

“We are indebted to Him who gave us existence, for all the talents which have been entrusted to us; and it is a duty we owe to our Creator to cultivate and improve upon the talents He has committed to our trust. Education will discipline the mind, develop its powers, and understandingly direct them, that we may be useful in advancing the glory of God.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 160.

“Whatever may be your calling, it is essential that you improve your abilities by diligent study. Young men and women should be urged to appreciate the heaven-sent blessings of opportunities to become well disciplined and intelligent. They should take advantage of the schools that have been established for the purpose of imparting the best of knowledge. It is sinful to be indolent and negligent in regard to obtaining an education. Time is short, and therefore because the Lord is soon to come to close the scenes of earth’s history, there is all the greater necessity of improving present opportunities and privileges.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 216.

5. Where is true wisdom to be found? I Corinthians 1:23, 24, 30.

6. In what kind of knowledge should God’s children glory? I Corinthians 1:31; Jeremiah 9:24.

Note: “If sinners can be led to give one earnest look at the cross, if they can obtain a full view of the crucified Saviour, they will realize the depth of God’s compassion and the sinfulness of sin.

“Christ’s death proves God’s great love for man. It is our pledge of salvation. To remove the cross from the Christian would be like blotting the sun from the sky. The cross brings us near to God, reconciling us to Him. With the relenting compassion of a father’s love, Jehovah looks upon the suffering that His Son endured in order to save the race from eternal death, and accepts us in the Beloved.

“Without the cross, man could have no union with the Father. On it depends our every hope. From it shines the light of the Saviour’s love, and when at the foot of the cross the sinner looks up to the One who died to save him, he may rejoice with fullness of joy, for his sins are pardoned. Kneeling in faith at the cross, he has reached the highest place to which man can attain.” The Acts of the Apostles, 209, 210.

7. What will be the result in our life if we partake of that in which the apostle Paul gloried? Galatians 6:14.

Note: “Through the cross we learn that the heavenly Father loves us with a love that is infinite. Can we wonder that Paul exclaimed, ‘God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’? Galatians 6:14. It is our privilege also to glory in the cross, our privilege to give ourselves wholly to Him who gave Himself for us. Then, with the light that streams from Calvary shining in our faces, we may go forth to reveal this light to those in darkness.” The Acts of the Apostles, 210.

8. What is the value of human power in God’s plan? Psalm 20: 7, 8.

Note: “It is impossible for us in our own strength to maintain the conflict; and whatever diverts the mind from God, whatever leads to self-exaltation or to self-dependence, is surely preparing the way for our overthrow. The tenor of the Bible is to inculcate distrust of human power and to encourage trust in divine power.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 717.

9. What warnings should we heed when considering, for example, the tragic episode in David’s life at a moment when he was trusting in his own strength? II Samuel 11:1–4; II Corinthians 10:12.

Note: “David was surrounded by the fruits of victory and the honors of his wise and able rule. It was now, while he was at ease and unguarded, that the tempter seized the opportunity to occupy his mind. … When in ease and self-security he let go his hold upon God, David yielded to Satan and brought upon his soul the stain of guilt.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 718.

“It was the spirit of self-confidence and self-exaltation that prepared the way for David’s fall. Flattery and the subtle allurements of power and luxury were not without effect upon him. … Instead of relying in humility upon the power of Jehovah, he began to trust to his own wisdom and might. As soon as Satan can separate the soul from God, the only Source of strength, he will seek to arouse the unholy desires of man’s carnal nature. The work of the enemy is not abrupt; it is not, at the outset, sudden and startling; it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. It begins in apparently small things—the neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him wholly, the disposition to follow the customs and practices of the world.” Ibid., 717, 718.

10. Describe an example of how divine power can readily outstrip human strength. Isaiah 36:18–20; 37:33–38.

Note: “The God of the Hebrews had prevailed over the proud Assyrian [king]. … Their earnest entreaties for deliverance had been mingled with confession of sin and with many tears. In their great need they had trusted wholly in the power of God to save, and He had not failed them.” Prophets and Kings, 361, 362.

11. What is the only way by which God’s people should defend the truth? Zechariah 4:6, 7, 10.

Note: “The very same difficulties which were created to hinder the restoration and upbuilding of the work of God, the great mountains of difficulty which loomed in Zerubbabel’s way, will be met by all who today are loyal to God and to his work. Many human inventions are used to carry out plans after the mind and will of men with whom God is not working. But it is not boastful words nor a multitude of ceremonies that show that the Lord is working with his people. The assumed power of the human agent does not decide this question. Those who place themselves in opposition to the Lord’s work may hinder for a time, but the same Spirit that has guided the Lord’s work all the way through will guide it today. [Zechariah 4:6 quoted.] …

“The Lord would have every soul strong in his strength. He would have us look to him, receiving our directions from him.” Review and Herald, May 16, 1899.

12. What promise should encourage us in these last days? Joel 2:28, 29.

Note: “If this prophecy of Joel met a partial fulfillment in the days of the apostles, we are living in a time when it is to be even more evidently manifest to the people of God. He will so bestow His Spirit upon His people that they will become a light amid the moral darkness; and great light will be reflected in all parts of the world. O that our faith might be increased, that the Lord might work mightily with His people.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1175.

Additional Reading

“The blessings of redeeming love our Savior compared to a precious pearl. He illustrated His lesson by the parable of the merchantman seeking goodly pearls ‘who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.’ Christ Himself is the pearl of great price. In Him is gathered all the glory of the Father, the fullness of the Godhead. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of God is expressed in His character. Every page of the Holy Scriptures shines with His light. The righteousness of Christ, as a pure, white pearl, has no defect, no stain. No work of man can improve the great and precious gift of God. It is without a flaw. In Christ are ‘hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.’ Colossians 2:3. He is ‘made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.’ I Corinthians 1:30. All that can satisfy the needs and longings of the human soul, for this world and for the world to come, is found in Christ. Our Redeemer is the pearl so precious that in comparison all things else may be accounted loss.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 115.

“As the chosen people of God we cannot copy the habits, aims, practices, or fashions of the world. We are not left in darkness to pattern after worldly models and to depend on outward appearance for success. The Lord has told us whence comes our strength. ‘This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’ Zechariah 4:6. As the Lord sees fit, He imparts to those who keep His way, power that enables them to exert a strong influence for good. On God they are dependent, and to Him they must give an account of the way in which they use the talents He has entrusted to them. They are to realize that they are God’s stewards and are to seek to magnify His name.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 90.

“The Lord did not lock the reservoir of heaven after pouring his Spirit upon the early disciples. We also may receive of the fullness of his blessing. Heaven is full of the treasures of his grace, and those who come to God in faith may claim all that he has promised. If we do not have his power it is because of our spiritual lethargy, our indifference, our indolence. Let us come out of this formality and deadness.” Review and Herald, June 4, 1889.

“It is with an earnest longing that I look forward to the time when the events of the day of Pentecost shall be repeated with even greater power than on that occasion. John says, ‘I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.’ [Revelation 18:1.] Then, as at the Pentecostal season, the people will hear the truth spoken to them, every man in his own tongue. God can breathe new life into every soul that sincerely desires to serve him, and can touch the lips with a live coal from off the altar, and cause them to become eloquent with his praise. Thousands of voices will be imbued with the power to speak forth the wonderful truths of God’s Word. The stammering tongue will be unloosed, and the timid will be made strong to bear courageous testimony to the truth. May the Lord help his people to cleanse the soul temple from every defilement, and to maintain such a close connection with him that they may be partakers of the latter rain when it shall be poured out.” Review and Herald, July 20, 1886.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Lessons from the Life of David – Foundations of Character

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December 30 – January 5, 2019

Key Text

“The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Study Help:  Patriarchs and Prophets, 637–642; The Signs of the Times, June 8, 1888.

Introduction

“David was susceptible to the influence of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord in His providence trained him for His service, preparing him to carry out His purposes. Christ was the Master-builder of his character.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 1018.

Sunday

THE NATURAL WORLD

  • At the beginning where did God place our first parents? Genesis 2:8.

Note: “It was under the trees of Eden that the first dwellers on earth had chosen their sanctuary. There Christ had communed with the father of mankind. When banished from Paradise, our first parents still worshiped in the fields and groves, and there Christ met them with the gospel of His grace. It was Christ who spoke with Abraham under the oaks at Mamre; with Isaac as he went out to pray in the fields at the eventide; with Jacob on the hillside at Bethel; with Moses among the mountains of Midian; and with the boy David as he watched his flocks.’’ The Desire of Ages, 290, 291.

  • How can people today benefit from an early education similar to David’s? Psalm 19:1, 7–14.

Note: “The psalmist connects the law of God in the natural world with the laws given to His created intelligences. [Psalm 19:7–14 quoted.]” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1144.

Monday

THE HEART OF THE PSALMIST

  • How did David utilize his artistic gifts? Psalms 66:1, 2, 16, 17; 105:1, 2.

Note: “The simple shepherd boy sang the songs of his own composing, and the music of his harp made a sweet accompaniment to the melody of his fresh young voice. The Lord had chosen David, and had ordered his life that he might have an opportunity to train his voice, and cultivate his talent for music and poetry. The Lord was preparing him in his solitary life with his flocks, for the work He designed to commit to his trust in afteryears.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 1018.

  • What affirmation did David make as he sang? Psalm 66:18–20.

Note: “Who can measure the results of those years of toil and wandering among the lonely hills? The communion with nature and with God, the care of his flocks, the perils and deliverances, the griefs and joys, of his lowly lot, were not only to mold the character of David and to influence his future life, but through the psalms of Israel’s sweet singer they were in all coming ages to kindle love and faith in the hearts of God’s people, bringing them nearer to the ever-loving heart of Him in whom all His creatures live.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 642.

  • How can appropriate singing be well utilized today? Psalm 100:2.

Note: “With patient calmness He [Christ] met the sneers, the taunts, and the ridicule of His fellow workers at the carpenter’s bench. Instead of retorting angrily, He would begin to sing one of David’s beautiful psalms; and His companions, before realizing what they were doing, would unite with Him in the hymn.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 936.

Tuesday

OUR FINITE PERSPECTIVE

  • What was Samuel’s dilemma when God sent him to anoint one of the sons of Jesse? 1 Samuel 16:1–6.

Note: “As Samuel looked upon his princely bearing, he thought, ‘This is indeed the man whom God has chosen as successor to Saul,’ and he waited for the divine sanction that he might anoint him. But Jehovah did not look upon the outward appearance. Eliab did not fear the Lord. Had he been called to the throne, he would have been a proud, exacting ruler.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 638.

  • What should we learn from this experience of Samuel? 1 Samuel 16:7; John 7:24.

Note: “We may learn from the mistake of Samuel how vain is the estimation that rests on beauty of face or nobility of stature. We may see how incapable is man’s wisdom of understanding the secrets of the heart or of comprehending the counsels of God without special enlightenment from heaven. The thoughts and ways of God in relation to His creatures are above our finite minds; but we may be assured that His children will be brought to fill the very place for which they are qualified, and will be enabled to accomplish the very work committed to their hands, if they will but submit their will to God, that His beneficent plans may not be frustrated by the perversity of man.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 638.

Wednesday

GOD’S CHOICE

  • What were some of the recognized qualifications of the future king of God’s choice? Describe God’s choice and the wisdom of His plan. 1 Samuel 16:18.

Note: “When God called David from his father’s sheepfold to anoint him king of Israel, He saw in him one to whom He could impart His Spirit.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 1018.

“David was not of lofty stature, but his countenance was beautiful, expressive of humility, honesty, and true courage. The angel of God signified to Samuel that David was the one for him to anoint, for he was God’s chosen. From that time the Lord gave David a prudent and understanding heart.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 78.

  • What foundational principles are key in obtaining wisdom and honor? Proverbs 15:33; Ecclesiastes 7:8.

Note: “The elder brothers, from whom Samuel would have chosen, did not possess the qualifications that God saw to be essential in a ruler of His people. Proud, self-centered, self-confident, they were set aside for the one whom they lightly regarded, one who had preserved the simplicity and sincerity of his youth, and who, while little in his own sight, could be trained by God for the responsibilities of the kingdom. So today, in many a child whom the parents would pass by, God sees capabilities far above those revealed by others who are thought to possess great promise.

“And as regards life’s possibilities, who is capable of deciding what is great and what is small? How many a worker in the lowly places of life, by setting on foot agencies for the blessing of the world, has achieved results that kings might envy!

“Let every child, then, receive an education for the highest service.” Education, 266, 267.

Thursday

THE SECRET ANOINTING

  • How did David explain how his experience in shepherding sheep taught him his relationship and experience to the Lord? Psalm 23.

Note: “How sweetly are his [David’s] experiences as a shepherd lad reflected in the words: [Psalm 23:1–4 quoted].” Education, 164.

  • Explain the purpose and result of this secret anointing. 1 Samuel 16:13.

Note: “Samuel had not made known his errand, even to the family of Jesse, and the ceremony of anointing David had been performed in secret. It was an intimation to the youth of the high destiny awaiting him, that amid all the varied experiences and perils of his coming years, this knowledge might inspire him to be true to the purpose of God to be accomplished by his life.

“The great honor conferred upon David did not serve to elate him. Notwithstanding the high position which he was to occupy, he quietly continued his employment, content to await the development of the Lord’s plans in His own time and way. As humble and modest as before his anointing, the shepherd boy returned to the hills and watched and guarded his flocks as tenderly as ever.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 641.

“David, in the beauty and vigor of his young manhood, was preparing to take a high position with the noblest of the earth. His talents, as precious gifts from God, were employed to extol the glory of the divine Giver. … As he beheld the love of God in all the providences of his life, his heart throbbed with more fervent adoration and gratitude, his voice rang out in a richer melody, his harp was swept with more exultant joy; and the shepherd boy proceeded from strength to strength, from knowledge to knowledge; for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.” Ibid., 642.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     What are some of the spiritual benefits of spending time in nature?

2    What personal benefits can we derive from the psalms of David?

3    What should we learn from the lesson given to Samuel?

4    Are we qualified to judge others’ actions?

5    How did David respond to the honor showed?

Pen of Inspiration – Co-operation

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“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 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.”

“Partakers of the divine nature.” Is this possible? Of ourselves we can do no good thing. How, then, can we be partakers of the divine nature?—By coming to Christ just as we are, needy, helpless, dependent. He died to make it possible for us to be partakers of the divine nature. He took upon himself humanity, that he might uplift humanity. With the golden chain of his matchless love he has bound us to the throne of God. We are to have power to overcome as he overcame. To all he gives the invitation: “Come unto me … and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

In order to be partakers of the divine nature, we must co-operate with God. Man is no passive being, to be saved in indolence. Let no one think that men and women are going to be taken to heaven without engaging in the struggle here below. We have a battle to fight, a victory to gain. God says to us, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” How?—“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Man works, and God works. Man is called upon to strain every muscle, and to exercise every faculty, in the struggle for immortality; but it is God who supplies the efficiency.

God has made amazing sacrifices for human beings. He has expended mighty energy to reclaim man from transgression and sin to loyalty and obedience; but he does nothing without the co-operation of humanity. Paul says: “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, … I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The Christian life is a battle and a march. In this warfare there is no release; the effort must be continuous and persevering. It is by unceasing endeavor that we maintain the victory over the temptations of Satan. Christian integrity must be sought with resistless energy, and maintained with a resolute fixedness of purpose.

“Ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” This figure represents human character, which is to be wrought upon point by point. Each day God works on his building, stroke upon stroke, to perfect the structure, that it may become a holy temple for him. Man is to co-operate with God, striving in his strength to make himself what God designs him to be, building his life with pure, noble deeds.

No one is borne upward without stern, persevering effort in his own behalf. All must engage in the warfare for themselves. Individually we are responsible for the issue of the struggle; though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, they could deliver neither son nor daughter by their righteousness.

There is a science of Christianity to be mastered,—a science as much deeper, broader, higher, than any human science as the heavens are higher than the earth. The mind is to be disciplined, educated, trained; for we are to do service for God in ways that are not in harmony with inborn inclination. Often the training and education of a lifetime must be discarded, that one may become a learner in the school of Christ. Our hearts must be educated to become steadfast in God. We are to form habits of thought that will enable us to resist temptation. We must learn to look upward. The principles of the Word of God,—principles that are as high as heaven, and that compass eternity,—we are to understand in their bearing on our daily life. Every act, every word, every thought, is to be in accord with these principles.

The precious graces of the Holy Spirit are not developed in a moment. Courage, fortitude, meekness, faith, unwavering trust in God’s power to save, are acquired by the experience of years. By a life of holy endeavor and firm adherence to the right, the children of God are to seal their destiny.

Wrongs cannot be righted, nor can reformation of character be made, by a few feeble, intermittent efforts. Sanctification is the work, not of a day, or of a year, but of a lifetime. The struggle for conquest over self, for holiness and heaven, is a lifelong struggle. Without continual effort and constant activity, there can be no advancement in the divine life, no attainment of the victor’s crown.

The Review and Herald, April 28, 1910.

Bible Study Guides – God’s Character Revealed

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January 11, 2009 – January 17, 2009

Key Text

“Lift up thy voice with strength; lift [it] up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” Isaiah 40:9.

Study Help: Selected Messages, Book 1, 326–330; Testimonies, vol. 9, 97–108.

Introduction

“The prophet exalted God as Creator of all. His message to the cities of Judah was, ‘Behold your God!’ Isaiah 40:9.” Prophets and Kings, 315.

1 What essential truths were emphasized by Isaiah? Isaiah 40:9, 28–31; 41:10, 13, 14. How should we represent these truths before the world? Matthew 5:16; Philippians 4:8.

Note: “The inhabitants of Judah were all undeserving, yet God would not give them up. By them His name was to be exalted among the heathen. Many who were wholly unacquainted with His attributes were yet to behold the glory of the divine character.” Prophets and Kings, 319.

“Those who wait for the Bridegroom’s coming are to say to the people, ‘Behold your God.’ [Isaiah 40:9.] The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them. The light of the Sun of Righteousness is to shine forth in good works—in words of truth and deeds of holiness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 415, 416.

2 What prophecy, given to Moses and to Isaiah, is to reach its complete fulfillment today? Numbers 14:21; Isaiah 35:1, 2.

Note: “God’s glory, His character, His merciful kindness and tender love—that which Moses had pleaded in behalf of Israel—were to be revealed to all mankind. And this promise of Jehovah was made doubly sure; it was confirmed by an oath. As surely as God lives and reigns, His glory should be declared ‘among the heathen, His wonders among all people.’ Psalm 96:3.

“It was concerning the future fulfillment of this prophecy that Isaiah had heard the shining seraphim singing before the throne, ‘The whole earth is full of His glory.’ Isaiah 6:3. The prophet, confident of the certainty of these words, himself afterward boldly declared of those who were bowing down to images of wood and stone, ‘They shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.’ Isaiah 35:2.

“Today this prophecy is meeting rapid fulfillment. The missionary activities of the church of God on earth are bearing rich fruitage, and soon the gospel message will have been proclaimed to all nations.” Prophets and Kings, 313.

3 Throughout the ages, what misconception has existed about God’s character? Ezekiel 18:25, 29, 30; Isaiah 55:8, 9.

Note: “In Isaiah’s day the spiritual understanding of mankind was dark through misapprehension of God. Long had Satan sought to lead men to look upon their Creator as the author of sin and suffering and death. Those whom he had thus deceived, imagined that God was hard and exacting. They regarded Him as watching to denounce and condemn, unwilling to receive the sinner so long as there was a legal excuse for not helping him. The law of love by which heaven is ruled had been misrepresented by the archdeceiver as a restriction upon men’s happiness, a burdensome yoke from which they should be glad to escape. He declared that its precepts could not be obeyed and that the penalties of transgression were bestowed arbitrarily.

“In losing sight of the true character of Jehovah, the Israelites were without excuse. Often had God revealed Himself to them as one ‘full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.’ Psalm 86:15.” Prophets and Kings, 311, 312.

4 What prophetic assurance shows that God does not forget His faithful ones, even from among the Jews? Isaiah 10:20, 21; Romans 11:5; 9:27, 28.

Note: “Paul shows that God is abundantly able to transform the hearts of Jew and Gentile alike, and to grant to every believer in Christ the blessings promised to Israel.” The Acts of the Apostles, 379.

“In the closing proclamation of the gospel, when special work is to be done for classes of people hitherto neglected, God expects His messengers to take particular interest in the Jewish people whom they find in all parts of the earth. As the Old Testament Scriptures are blended with the New in an explanation of Jehovah’s eternal purpose, this will be to many of the Jews as the dawn of a new creation, the resurrection of the soul. As they see the Christ of the gospel dispensation portrayed in the pages of the Old Testament Scriptures, and perceive how clearly the New Testament explains the Old, their slumbering faculties will be aroused, and they will recognize Christ as the Saviour of the world. Many will by faith receive Christ as their Redeemer.” Ibid., 381.

5 What great concern of Isaiah should be ours as well? Isaiah 55:6, 7.

Note: “My brethren and sisters, seek the Lord while He may be found. There is a time coming when those who have wasted their time and opportunities will wish they had sought Him. God has given you reasoning faculties. He wants you to keep in the line of reason and in the line of labor. He wants you to go forth to our churches to labor earnestly for Him. He wants you to institute meetings for those outside the churches, that the people may learn the truths of this last message of warning. There are places where you will be gladly received, where souls will thank you for coming to their help. May the Lord help you to take hold of this work as you have never yet taken hold of it.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 106, 107.

6 What assurance must we fully appropriate for ourselves before we can effectively help others? Isaiah 44:21, 22.

Note: “Have you, reader, chosen your own way? Have you wandered far from God? Have you sought to feast upon the fruits of transgression, only to find them turn to ashes upon your lips? And now, your life plans thwarted and your hopes dead, do you sit alone and desolate? That voice which has long been speaking to your heart, but to which you would not listen, comes to you distinct and clear, ‘Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.’ Micah 2:10. Return to your Father’s house. He invites you, saying, ‘Return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee.’ ‘Come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.’ Isaiah 44:22; 55:3.

“Do not listen to the enemy’s suggestion to stay away from Christ until you have made yourself better, until you are good enough to come to God. If you wait until then you will never come. When Satan points to your filthy garments, repeat the promise of the Saviour, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’ John 6:37. Tell the enemy that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin. Make the prayer of David your own: ‘Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.’ Psalm 51:7.” Prophets and Kings, 319, 320.

7 What did Isaiah desire for his people as a result of the temple vision? Isaiah 57:16–19.

Note: “In beholding his God, the prophet [Isaiah], like Saul of Tarsus at the gate of Damascus, had not only been given a view of his own unworthiness; there had come to his humbled heart the assurance of forgiveness, full and free; and he had arisen a changed man. He had seen his Lord. He had caught a glimpse of the loveliness of the divine character. He could testify of the transformation wrought through beholding Infinite Love. Henceforth he was inspired with longing desire to see erring Israel set free from the burden and penalty of sin.” Prophets and Kings, 314.

8 What invitation, given to the inhabitants of Judah, is extended to each one of us? Isaiah 27:5.

Note: “The God whom we serve is long-suffering; ‘His compassions fail not.’ Lamentations 3:22. Throughout the period of probationary time His Spirit is entreating men to accept the gift of life.” Prophets and Kings, 325, 326.

9 What appeal and promise should we remember continually, both as individuals and as a church? Isaiah 1:16–18.

Note: “This invitation comes sounding down along the lines to us to-day. Let not pride, or self-esteem, or self-righteousness keep any one from confessing his sins, that he may claim the promise: ‘He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.’ [Proverbs 28:13.] Keep nothing back from God, and neglect not the confession of your faults to the brethren when they have a connection with them. ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.’ [James 5:16.] Many a sin is left unconfessed, to be confronted in the day of final accounts; better far to see your sins now, to confess them, and put them away, while the atoning Sacrifice pleads in your behalf. Do not dislike to learn the will of God on this subject. The health of your soul, the unity of your brethren, may depend upon the course you pursue in these things. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ‘casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.’ [I Peter 5:7.]” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 239.

10 With what words does Isaiah describe an experience that is to be ours? Isaiah 12:1–6.

Note: “Oh, how many times has your heart been touched with the beauty of the Saviour’s countenance, charmed with the loveliness of His character, and subdued with the thought of His suffering. Now He wants you to lean your whole weight upon Him.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 232.

Additional Reading

“Very earnest and touching is the apostle’s appeal that his Corinthian brethren consider anew the matchless love of their Redeemer. ‘Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,’ he wrote, ‘that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.’ [II Corinthians 8:9.] You know the height from which He stooped, the depth of humiliation to which He descended. Having once entered upon the path of self-denial and sacrifice, he turned not aside until He had given His life. There was no rest for Him between the throne and the cross.

“Point after point Paul lingered over, in order that those who should read his epistle might fully comprehend the wonderful condescension of the Saviour in their behalf. Presenting Christ as He was when equal with God and with Him receiving the homage of the angels, the apostle traced His course until He had reached the lowest depths of humiliation. Paul was convinced that if they could be brought to comprehend the amazing sacrifice made by the Majesty of heaven, all selfishness would be banished from their lives. He showed how the Son of God had laid aside His glory, voluntarily subjecting Himself to the conditions of human nature, and then had humbled Himself as a servant, becoming obedient unto death, ‘even the death of the cross’ (Philippians 2:8), that He might lift fallen man from degradation to hope and joy and heaven.

“When we study the divine character in the light of the cross we see mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with equity and justice. We see in the midst of the throne One bearing in hands and feet and side the marks of the suffering endured to reconcile man to God. We see a Father, infinite, dwelling in light unapproachable, yet receiving us to Himself through the merits of His Son. The cloud of vengeance that threatened only misery and despair, in the light reflected from the cross reveals the writing of God: Live, sinner, live! ye penitent, believing souls, live! I have paid a ransom.

“In the contemplation of Christ we linger on the shore of a love that is measureless. We endeavor to tell of this love, and language fails us. We consider His life on earth, His sacrifice for us, His work in heaven as our advocate, and the mansions He is preparing for those who love Him, and we can only exclaim, O the height and depth of the love of Christ! ‘Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’ ‘Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.’ I John 4:10; 3:1.

“In every true disciple this love, like sacred fire, burns on the altar of the heart. It was on the earth that the love of God was revealed through Christ.” The Acts of the Apostles, 332–334.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Walk with Jesus

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In Acts 4:13, it says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Let’s look at this phrase that says, “And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

“As the priests listened to the apostles’ fearless words, ‘they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.’

“Of the disciples after the transfiguration of Christ it is written that at the close of that wonderful scene ‘they saw no man, save Jesus only.’ Matthew 17:8. ‘Jesus only’—in these words is contained the secret of the life and power that marked the history of the early church. When the disciples first heard the words of Christ, they felt their need of Him. They sought, they found, they followed Him. They were with Him in the temple, at the table, on the mountainside, in the field. They were as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from Him lessons of eternal truth.

“After the Saviour’s ascension, the sense of the divine presence, full of love and light, was still with them. It was a personal presence. Jesus, the Saviour, who had walked and talked and prayed with them, who had spoken hope and comfort to their hearts, had, while the message of peace was upon His lips, been taken from them into heaven. …Their union with Him was stronger now than when He was with them in person. The light and love and power of an indwelling Christ shone out through them, so that men, beholding, marveled.” The Acts of the Apostles, 64, 65.

“After the disciples had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the priests and rulers marveled at the words which they spake, for they knew them as unlearned and ignorant men. But they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.

“Their teaching was a second edition of the teachings of Christ, the utterance of simple, grand truths that flashed light into darkened minds, and converted thousands in a day. The disciples began to understand that Christ was their Advocate in the heavenly courts, and that He was glorified. They could speak because the Holy Spirit gave them utterance.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1055, 1056.

We read in Acts that they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Are our lives such that people can notice that we have been with Jesus? If our lives are going to be a reflection of Jesus’ life, we must spend time with Him.

In Job 22:21, it says, “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.” Now is the time to spend time getting to know God so that we can reflect His character.

“When the mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite with the Infinite, the effect on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate. In such communion is found the highest education. It is God’s own method of development. ‘Acquaint now thyself with Him’ (Job 22:21), is His message to mankind.” The Acts of the Apostles, 126.

If you are going to reflect something, you must know what the object you want to reflect looks like. If you want to tell someone else about some place on earth, you must spend some time getting to know about it in order to relate it to that person. If you want to be like Jesus you must know what Jesus’ life was like while on this earth.

Jesus was an influential person. He had a powerful draw with people. Jesus’ life was such a charged life. There are many things that characterized His life and made Him such an attractive person.

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45. Jesus came to serve people.

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38. Wherever Jesus was, He was doing good and helping people who were in trouble.

“The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.” John 7:46. “And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?” Luke 4:22. When Jesus spoke, His words held people. He was not rude but gracious in speech. The words that came out of His mouth were a blessing.

People were attracted to Jesus. “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left [their] nets, and followed him.” Matthew 4:18–20. Never has there been another person who had such power with people. When Jesus passed and asked someone to follow Him, immediately they did it. Jesus had a drawing power. People were attracted to Him.

Jesus prayed for (loved) His enemies. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” Luke 23:34.

“Christ’s work is to be our example. Constantly He went about doing good. In the temple and the synagogues, in the streets of the cities, in the marketplace and the workshop, by the seaside and among the hills, He preached the gospel and healed the sick. His life was one of unselfish service, and it is to be our lessonbook. His tender, pitying love rebukes our selfishness and heartlessness.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 31.

As you study the life of Jesus, you realize that He was always looking out for other people. He had great compassion and sympathy for others. He was looking for people He could help. His was a totally selfless life.

“He exercised the greatest tact, and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He fearlessly denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity, but tears were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes. He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, that refused to receive Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They rejected Him, the Saviour, but He regarded them with pitying tenderness, and sorrow so deep that it broke His heart. Every soul was precious in His eyes. While He always bore Himself with divine dignity, He bowed with tenderest regard to every member of the family of God. In all men He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save.” The Desire of Ages, 353.

Have you fallen in love with Jesus? Are you attracted to Him? Are others attracted to Him when they look at your life, my life? Are we constantly looking for ways to help others? Can others see that we have been with Jesus?

“Christ ever manifested a heavenly courtesy in dealing with human souls. His life was a life of constant self-denial and self-sacrifice. Those who are numbered with the overcomers will be those who have practiced the virtues of Christ.” The Upward Look, 290.

“Keep the perfume of Christ’s character in your own words and actions. Let querulous complaints forever cease. Then there will flow into your heart the sunbeams of the righteousness of Christ. God will bless you, and make you a blessing. …

“What manifestations will appear when Christ, abiding in the heart, is shining in the faces of those who love Him and keep His commandments. Truth is written there. The man is transformed into Christ’s image. A worldling may pass by and not mark the change, but those who have had communion with Christ discern the expression of Christ in word, in spirit. The influence upon the heart is seen in a habitual gentleness, a more than human love. The sweet peace of heaven will be in the soul, and will be revealed in the countenances.” Ibid., 28.

“Your greatest danger will be that you will not see the need of contemplating the character of Christ with a set purpose to imitate His life and conform your character to His character. You are to show a marked difference between your character and that of the world. ‘For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power’ (Colossians 2:9, 10).” Ibid., 27.

We must be studying the life of Christ so that we can imitate His character and so that others will see Him reflected in us as the priests took note that the disciples had been with Jesus.

There are many other things about the life of Christ that we need to study and put into practice.

“Never underrate the importance of little things. Little things supply the actual discipline of life. It is by them that the soul is trained that it may grow into the likeness of Christ, or bear the likeness of evil. God help us to cultivate habits of thought, word, look, and action that will testify to all about us that we have been with Jesus and learned of Him!” Child Guidance, 129, 130.

“It is the little things of life that develop the spirit in men and women and determine the character. … In words, in tones, in gestures, in looks, you can represent the spirit of Jesus. He who neglects these little things, and yet flatters himself that he is ready to do wonderful things for the Master, will be in danger of failing altogether. Life is not made up of great sacrifices and wonderful achievements, but of little things.” My Life Today, 172.

A network engineer, Jana Grosboll lives in Derby, Kansas. She may be contacted by email at: janawwjd@yahoo.com.