Character

Bible Study Guides – Weighed in the Balances

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October 25, 2009 – October 31, 2009

Key Text

“Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord [is] a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.” I Samuel 2:3.

Study Help: Prophets and Kings, 522–538; Testimonies, vol. 8, 247–251.

Introduction

“God judges every man according to his work. Not only does He judge, but He sums up, day by day and hour by hour, our progress in welldoing.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 987.

1 When Belshazzar inherited the Babylonian throne at a young age, what traits were readily seen in his character? Daniel 5:1.

Note: “Belshazzar gloried in his power and lifted up his heart against the God of heaven. Many had been his opportunities to know the divine will and to understand his responsibility of rendering obedience thereto. He had known of his grandfather’s banishment, by the decree of God, from the society of men; and he was familiar with Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion and miraculous restoration. But Belshazzar allowed the love of pleasure and self-glorification to efface the lessons that he should never have forgotten. He wasted the opportunities graciously granted him, and neglected to use the means within his reach for becoming more fully acquainted with truth. That which Nebuchadnezzar had finally gained at the cost of untold suffering and humiliation, Belshazzar passed by with indifference.” Prophets and Kings, 522, 523.

2 How did Belshazzar blatantly display his irreverence for the sacred vessels of God? Daniel 5:2–4. Explain how still greater profanations occur today, even among professed believers.

Note: “It is a truth which should make every one of us weep, that those living in these last days, upon whom the ends of the world are come, are far more guilty than was Belshazzar. This is possible in many ways. When men have taken upon themselves the vows of consecration, to devote all their powers to the sacred service of God; when they occupy the position of expositors of Bible truth, and have received the solemn charge; when God and angels are summoned as witnesses to the solemn dedication of soul, body, and spirit to God’s service—then shall these men who minister in a most holy office desecrate their God-given powers to unholy purposes? Shall the sacred vessel, whom God is to use for a high and holy work, be dragged from its lofty, controlling sphere to administer to debasing lust? Is not this idol worship of the most degrading kind?—the lips uttering praises and adoring a sinful human being, pouring forth expressions of ravishing tenderness and adulation which belong alone to God—the powers given to God in solemn consecration administering to a harlot; for any woman who will allow the addresses of another man than her husband, who will listen to his advances, and whose ears will be pleased with the outpouring of lavish words of affection, of adoration, of endearment, is an adulteress and a harlot.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 434, 435.

3 What amazing sight stopped the party? Daniel 5:5.

Note: “In the midst of the revelry, Belshazzar saw the bloodless hand of an uninvited guest tracing upon the wall of the palace words that gleamed like fire,—words which, though unknown to that vast throng, were a portent of doom to the new conscience-stricken revelers. The boisterous mirth was hushed, and they shook with a nameless terror as their eyes fastened upon the wall. Where but a few moments before had been hilarity and blasphemous witticism, were pallid faces and cries of fear.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 20, 21.

“If they could not understand the writing, why were they so troubled? The writing on the wall gave evidence that there was a witness to their evil deeds, a guest not invited or welcome to their idolatrous feast, and his presence convicted of sin, and foretold doom and disaster. Before them passed, as in panoramic view, the deeds of their evil lives, and they seemed to be arraigned before the Judgment, of which they had been warned.” The Signs of the Times, July 20, 1891.

4 How did Belshazzar react? Daniel 5:6. Why should this impress us to reexamine our own lives? Ecclesiastes 11:9.

Note: “Belshazzar was the most terrified of them all. He it was who above all others had been responsible for the rebellion against God which that night had reached its height in the Babylonian realm. In the presence of the unseen Watcher, the representative of Him whose power had been challenged and whose name had been blasphemed, the king was paralyzed with fear. Conscience was awakened.” Prophets and Kings, 524, 527.

“The same Witness that recorded the profanity of Belshazzar is present with us wherever we go. … You may feel that you are at liberty to act out the impulses of the natural heart, that you may indulge in lightness and trifling, but for all these things you must give an account. As you sow, you will reap, and if you are taking the foundation from your house, robbing your brain of its nutriment, and your nerves of their power by dissipation and indulgence of appetite and passion, you will have an account to render to him who says, ‘I know thy works.’ [Revelation 3:15.]” The Review and Herald, March 29, 1892.

5 What was the frantic desire of Belshazzar? Daniel 5:7–9.

Note: “In vain the king tried to read the burning letters. But here was a secret he could not fathom, a power he could neither understand nor gainsay. In despair he turned to the wise men of his realm for help. His wild cry rang out in the assembly, calling upon the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers to read the writing. … But of no avail was his appeal to his trusted advisers, with offers of rich awards. Heavenly wisdom cannot be bought or sold. … They were no more able to read the mysterious characters than had been the wise men of a former generation to interpret the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar.” Prophets and Kings, 527.

6 How was Daniel’s name brought up during this crisis? Daniel 5:10–12. What was known about him? Daniel 5:13, 14.

Note: “There was in the palace a woman who was wiser than them all,—the queen of Belshazzar’s grandfather. In this emergency she addressed the king in language that sent a ray of light into the darkness.” The Youth’s Instructor, May 26, 1898.

7 Describe the prophet’s introduction to the king. What should the prophet’s warning make us realize? Daniel 5:15–28.

Note: “Before that terror-stricken throng, Daniel, unmoved by the promises of the king, stood in the quiet dignity of a servant of the Most High, not to speak words of flattery, but to interpret a message of doom.” Prophets and Kings, 529.

“When Daniel was brought in before Belshazzar, as the king and his nobles sat at their sacrilegious feast, he plainly told the king that the calamity to come upon Babylon was the result of a disregard of heaven-sent light. He disregarded the light given to Nebuchadnezzar, and thereby lost the benefits he might have received had he been obedient to the light. God gives His people lessons to instruct them and lead them to reform. If they do not receive and practice these lessons, their neglect will surely bring judgments upon them.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 98, 99.

8 How did God’s judgment affect the king and the entire nation? Daniel 5:29–31.

Note: “Belshazzar was without excuse, for abundant light had been given him to reform his life. …

“His great sin was that, notwithstanding God had given him light, he refused to walk in the paths of righteousness.” The Signs of the Times, July 20, 1891.

“God ascribes the fall of Babylon to her gluttony and drunkenness. Indulgence of appetite and passion was the foundation of all their sins.” Counsels on Health, 110.

9 What must we take into serious consideration if we do not want to be found wanting? I Samuel 2:3.

Note: “The fact that you conscientiously believe a lie will not save you from ruin, when the truth might have been yours.” The Signs of the Times, July 27, 1891.

“Those who are ‘do-nothings’ now will have the superscription upon them, ‘Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.’ [Daniel 5:27.] They knew their Master’s will, but did it not. They had the light of truth, they had every advantage, but chose their own selfish interests, and they will be left with those whom they did not try to save.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 237.

10 What may keep us out of the kingdom? Proverbs 16:2; Hebrews 4:13; James 4:17.

Note: “The church cannot measure herself by the world nor by the opinion of men nor by what she once was. Her faith and her position in the world as they now are must be compared with what they would have been if her course had been continually onward and upward. The church will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary. If her moral character and spiritual state do not correspond with the benefits and blessings God has conferred upon her, she will be found wanting.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 83.

“Men are weighed in the balance and found wanting when they are living in the practice of any known sin. It is the privilege of every son of God to be a true Christian moment by moment; then he has all heaven enlisted on his side.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 440, 441.

Additional Reading

“‘If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.’ [Matthew 19:17.] Very many who profess to be Christ’s disciples will apparently pass along smoothly in this world, and will be regarded as upright, godly men, when they have a plague spot at the core, which taints their whole character and corrupts their religious experience. ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ [Matthew 22:39.] This forbids us to take advantage of our fellow men in order to advantage ourselves. We are forbidden to wrong our neighbor in anything. We should not view the matter from the worldling’s standpoint. To deal with our fellow men in every instance just as we should wish them to deal with us is a rule which we should apply to ourselves practically. God’s laws are to be obeyed to the letter. In all our intercourse and deal with our fellow men, whether believers or unbelievers, this rule is to be applied: ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself.’

“Here many who profess to be Christians will not bear the measurement of God; when weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, they will be found wanting. Dear brother, ‘come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.’ [II Corinthians 6:17, 18.] What a promise is this! But we are not to lose sight of the fact that it is based upon obedience to the command. God calls you to separate from the world. You are not to follow their practices, nor conform to them in your course of action in any respect. …

“God calls for separation from the world. Will you obey? Will you come out from among them, and remain separate and distinct from them? ‘For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?’ [II Corinthians 6:14.] You cannot mingle with worldlings, and partake of their spirit, and follow their example, and be at the same time a child of God. The Creator of the universe addresses you as an affectionate Father. If you separate from the world in your affections, and remain free from its contamination, escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust, God will be your Father, He will adopt you into His family, and you will be His heir. In place of the world, He will give you, for a life of obedience, the kingdom under the whole heavens. He will give you an eternal weight of glory and a life that is as enduring as eternity.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 43, 44.

“God is weighing our characters, our conduct, and our motives in the balances of the sanctuary. It will be a fearful thing to be pronounced wanting in love and obedience by our Redeemer, who died upon the cross to draw our hearts unto Him.…To be weighed in the balance and found wanting in the day of final settlement and rewards will be a fearful thing, a terrible mistake which can never be corrected.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 370.

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

New Bottles

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“We want to understand the time in which we live. We do not half understand it. We do not half take it in. My heart trembles in me when I think of what a foe we have to meet and how poorly we are prepared to meet him. The trials of the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first coming of Christ, have been presented before me again and again to illustrate the position of the people of God in their experience before the Second Coming of Christ—how the enemy sought every occasion to take control of the minds of the Jews, and today he is seeking to blind the minds of God’s servants.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 406.

As we analyze this statement, it becomes apparent that we could learn a great deal by studying the experiences of the Jews at the time of the First Advent. This is a type of what we are going to go through just before the Second Advent. There was a very powerful group of leaders among the Jewish people of that time. They were wealthy, highly educated and their counsel was accepted as the voice of God. These men claimed to be the thought leaders of the people of God and they had control of their church organization. They did not believe all of the inspired writings, but they claimed that they believed the most important parts. In other words, they had no confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy. Ellen White said that they were skeptics, materialists. But, despite all this, they were in control of the professed church, in Jesus’ day.

They did not believe the historic message that God had given to the children of Israel. These Sadducees were even guilty of removing some of the primary landmarks that God had given to His people, some of the peculiar truths, which had made them different from the world. Educated in Greek schools, such as the one in Alexandria, Egypt, they adopted many worldly philosophies. Today, we would call them “liberal Adventists.” (And yes, they were “Adventists,” because they were looking forward to the First Advent of Christ. They were even Seventh-day Adventists because they kept the Sabbath.) Under the control of Satan’s delusive power, they had left the historic doctrines that God had given to His people, and the majority of the people went along with them. If you had been a self-supporting worker, such as John the Baptist, you might have thought that this group was one of the most dangerous developments among God’s people. They held a lot of influence among the leadership in Jerusalem, and they even had connections with the Romans.

Many people, today, think that those who have removed the doctrines concerning the sanctuary, the investigative judgment, the necessity of overcoming sin, the divine authority of the Spirit of Prophecy and other landmark Adventist doctrines are the greatest danger to the truth. Of course, we would never deny that we need to spend time attacking and trying to correct these falsehoods. Jesus publicly condemned the sophistries of the Sadducees in His day. However, there was another influence even more dangerous which Jesus put much more effort into counteracting. This group was so insidious that even Jesus’ own disciples were strongly influenced by it. These men were called Pharisees.

When we try to focus our energies attacking the errors of Sadduceism (liberalism), I say to myself, are we missing the point? That is dangerous and we should be opposed to it, but that is not the biggest danger.

 

What is Pharisaism?

 

What is Pharisaism and how do we avoid being influenced by it? Ellen White described Pharisaism as the spirit of human nature, manifested in all ages among the human family. Jesus said concerning the Pharisees: “The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not.” Matthew 23:2, 3.

Pharisaism is the spirit of self-exaltation, seeking to be in control of others and of the work. In a speech, in 1901, Ellen White declared that God’s work is to advance without asking permission or support from those who have taken to themselves a kingly power (Pharisaism). (See General Conference Bulletin, April 3, 1901.)

“For years a degree of Pharisaism has been springing up amongst us . . . A spirit which desires to rule . . . but very little of the spirit which leads men to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him . . Human inventions and human plans are eclipsing sacred things, and excluding divine instruction. . . They rule without a vestige of the authority of God . . . and others are becoming leavened by this wrong influence.” 1888 Materials, 1558, 1559. Jesus told His disciples, in Matthew 16, to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. We hear much today about properly constituted church authority, but the Pharisees did not have any divine authority for what they were doing.

The essence of Pharisaism, as described in Hosea 10, is professed service to God when a person is actually working for himself. It results in a critical, unforgiving spirit that is devoid of love. Those who exhibit this spirit show a resistance to the truth and are involved in evil surmising. Where does evil surmising come from? Ellen White says, “Surmisings are a repast from the enemy, a banquet of his own preparing.” Review and Herald, October 17, 1899.

She warns that there is far more Pharisaism among our people than they suppose. “It is a spirit of wanting to be first . . . A spirit of criticism toward others . . . Envy, jealousy, suspicion, faultfinding, and false witnessing . . . A spirit of retaliation is secretly at work: yet those who are thus creating disaffection and disunion . . . all the while claim to be firm believers in the truth. Such do not practice the spirit of the truth. The leaven of their evil surmisings permeates the company where it exists.” Review and Herald, December 18, 1888. Simply speaking, Pharisaism leads people to make a profession of that which is true, while their lives are not in harmony with their profession.

When Jesus came to this earth, a war was waged between His humble, self-sacrificing spirit and the spirit of Pharisaism—the predominate spirit in the church among the professed people of God at that time.

 

New Wine Must Have New Bottles

 

Jesus said, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wine skins, and both are preserved.” Matthew 9:16, 17.

You cannot put new wine into old wineskins. You cannot unite the teachings of Christ with Pharisaism. Many people have tried it, but always to their own destruction. Ellen White says, “The principles of Christ’s teaching [could not] be united with the forms of Pharisaism. Christ was not to close up the breach that had been made by the teachings of John. He would make more distinct the separation between the old and the new . . . The effort to unite the teachings of Jesus with the established religion would be vain. The vital truth of God, like fermenting wine, would burst the old, decaying bottles of the Pharisaical tradition.” The Desire of Ages, 278, 279.

When Jesus came, what He taught could not be united with the insidious and deceptive forms of Pharisaism. This group, which outwardly professed the truth, had made a god out of their church organization. The words of Christ, Ellen White says, were an arraignment of the whole system of Pharisaism. He declared, that by placing their requirements above the divine principles, the rabbis were putting themselves above God.

Remember, that the experience of the children of Israel at Christ’s first coming illustrated the position of God’s people just before the Second Coming. Can the forms of Pharisaism be united with the truth anymore today than they could two thousand years ago? No, never! What is the only hope for us, then?

“Only in Christ Jesus will the church near the period of Christ’s coming be able to stand. She is required of her Redeemer to advance in piety, and to have increased zeal, understanding better as she nears the end that her own high calling is of God in Christ Jesus.” 1888 Materials, 333.

I often hear people say today, “It is all right. Just let the tares grow. The tares and the wheat have to grow together until the harvest. This apostasy will just have to continue until Jesus comes.” How does God’s prophet answer this? She said that as we (the church) approach the end, we are required of our Redeemer to advance in piety and to have increased zeal. We must have a better understanding of our high calling in Christ Jesus.

However, the devil has a far different plan. He intends to leaven the camp with so many tares and so much Pharisaism that the wheat will be choked out. And the success that he is having is almost unbelievable. Parents come to us from all over the country, telling us sad stories of what has happened to their children. They say, “My children are all out in the world. They grew up in an Adventist home, they went to an Adventist church, they went to an Adventist school, and now they are gone.”

 

A Reformation and a Coming Out

 

Ellen White wrote, “Pharisaism (is) . . . leavening the camp . . . Seventh-day Adventist Churches were affected; . . . but the Lord had given me a message, and with pen and voice I would work until this leaven was expelled and a new leaven was introduced, which was the grace of Christ.

“I was confirmed in all I had stated in Minneapolis, that a reformation must go through the churches.” 1888 Materials, 356, 357. God is telling us that we cannot go to heaven the way we are. There must be a reformation in our lives and in our churches. Inspiration says, “Reforms must be made, for spiritual weakness and blindness were upon the people who had been blessed with great light . . . As reformers they had come out of the denominational churches, but they now act a part similar to that which the churches acted. We hoped that there would not be the necessity of another coming out.” Ibid.

That last sentence has direct bearing on the home church movement that is springing up all over the world. Some of us that should be leaders in Adventism are so blind. The Lord is taking the work into His own hands. I see people without education, training or knowledge, starting churches all over the world. God is at work. If you and I do not do our part to save our children and the people around us, the Lord will use someone else, and we might lose our souls.

Continuing from 1888 Materials, 356, 357: “While we will endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace, we will not with pen or voice cease to protest against bigotry.”

Bigotry is Pharisaical control—human control over the church. Human beings are never to control the church of God. Read that in The Desire of Ages, 414, 415. She says, “Many will close their ears to the message God sends them and open their ears to deception and delusion . . . Our brethren separate themselves from God, by reason of the homage they give to human beings.” 1888 Materials, 357, 358.

“There was much talk, but very little of the mind of Christ . . . The enemy often employed them in his service . . . Under the influence of the great deceiver they would take a position to oppose the most sacred things of God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 219.

“There must be no rings of men to unite together in unholy fellowship to strengthen each other in ways and ideas that are opposed to the spirit of God . . . Unless they were changed in spirit and confessed their mistakes, they would go into greater deceptions.” 1888 Materials, 359, 360.

“As long as you maintain this spirit of Pharisaism, God’s Spirit will not, cannot work with you.” Ibid., 410.

 

Pharisaism and Christ’s Teaching Do Not Mix

 

We must realize that preaching and teaching and all religious service is utterly vain, worthless, and helpless unless the Spirit of God is working. As long as the leadership maintains the spirit of Pharisaism, God’s Spirit will not work with them, because they do not feel their utter dependence upon Him. When they humble their hearts before God, they will see the danger of Pharisaism in every church. That includes home churches. As the disciples lived and worked with Jesus, and listened to His teaching, they began to understand what really counted in religion. It is important to have a faith that works by love in the heart and purifies the mind and soul.

The more they understood that principle, the more they knew that there was no place for union with the old religion of the Pharisees. The disciples found that an effort to unite the teachings of Jesus with the established religion would have been a mistake.

As Ellen White says, “The new doctrines, like fermenting wine would have burst the old decaying bottles of the Pharisaical tradition.” Signs of the Times, September 19, 1892. To the Pharisees, the teaching of Jesus was new in almost every respect. It was unrecognized, unacknowledged as truth. They professed to have great respect for the religion of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Moses. Nevertheless, when Christ taught the original truths that had been committed to the fathers, His teaching was new to the Pharisees.

That is the exact condition we are in today. Historic Adventists are not teaching something new, although we meet that accusation frequently. The reason people think it is new is because the doctrines they hold have been perverted. We are teaching the original truths that were given to Adventism, just like Jesus was teaching the original truths that were given to the fathers. They were new to the Pharisees, but they were actually the old, original theories.

In this type of situation, the devil comes with a very skillful, sly temptation. The leaders in Adventism were tricked by this in Minneapolis, in 1888. The people were confused about what the truth was. When a message was presented to them, which they thought was new (it was really just the good old truth), they rejected it. Their minds were so distorted that they said, “We must cling to the old-theories (their distorted beliefs).” The result was that they had no part in the message that God was sending to His people, right then.

Today, just as at the First Advent, Christ is looking for new bottles. Bottles which are not warped and perverted by long-held traditions and fallacies. Ellen White wrote about this in Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 333: “Now, those who have had years in this same experience, know not God nor Jesus Christ whom He has sent, and should such go forth as representatives of Jesus Christ? These men will never give the right mold to other minds; they have not grown up to the full stature of men and women in Christ. They simply have the name of Christians but are not fitted for the work of God, and never will be until they are born again, and learn the A.B.C. in true religion of Jesus Christ. There is a little hope in one direction. Take the young men and women, and place them where they will come as little in contact with our churches as possible, that the low grade of piety which is current in this day shall not leaven their ideas of what it means to be a Christian.”

God is finding new bottles today. I am amazed as I travel and visit God’s people. God is taking people who have been drug addicts, and those who have been involved in all kinds of crime, and He is showing them the gospel, and they are accepting it. Among this class, who have a willing heart and are not self-sufficient, God is finding new bottles to carry on His work.

Ellen White gives us the promise that if we were willing to become new bottles, the Lord will fill us with wine. Do you want to be a new bottle? Do you want to say, “Lord, I want to be converted? I do not want to have a Pharisaical heart anymore. Take the desire for kingly power out of my heart. I am willing to do whatever You say. I am willing to take my place among the brethren.” If this is your sincere prayer, the Lord will answer you.

 

Question & Answer – What Constitutes Character?

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… the thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character.

Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 660

 A:

“A character formed according to the divine likeness is the only treasure that we can take from this world to the next. Those who are under the instruction of Christ in this world will take every divine attainment with them to the heavenly mansions. And in heaven we are continually to improve. …

“Mental ability and genius are not character, for these are often possessed by those who have the very opposite of a good character. Reputation is not character. True character is a quality of the soul, revealing itself in the conduct.

“A good character is a capital of more value than gold or silver. It is unaffected by panics or failures, and in that day when earthly possessions shall be swept away, it will bring rich returns. Integrity, firmness, and perseverance are qualities that all should seek earnestly to cultivate; for they clothe the possessor with a power which is irresistible—a power which makes him strong to do good, strong to resist evil, strong to bear adversity.

“Strength of character consists of two things—power of will and power of self-control. Many youth mistake strong, uncontrolled passion for strength of character; but the truth is that he who is mastered by his passions is a weak man. The real greatness and nobility of the man is measured by his powers to subdue his feelings, not by the power of his feelings to subdue him. The strongest man is he who, while sensitive to abuse, will yet restrain passion and forgive his enemies.

“If it were considered as important that the young possess a beautiful character and amiable disposition as it is that they imitate the fashions of the world in dress and deportment, we would see hundreds where there is one today coming upon the stage of active life prepared to exert an ennobling influence upon society.” Maranatha, 223.

Beware the Mockingbird

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One of Jesus’ most instructive parables is recorded in John 10. He talks about the fold and the sheep, the shepherd and the robbers, the thieves and the hireling, and about going in and out of the door. In this article we will study one of the subjects of this parable: how to know the true shepherd from the false.

Jesus said: “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” John 10:4. [All emphasis supplied.] How is it that the true sheep know the voice of the Shepherd from all the other voices? they can pick out a fake, and will not listen to him?

Verse 8 says, “All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.” The sheep knew when they heard the voice of the thieves and robbers that tried to tell them where to go and what to do, and it was not the right voice. Jesus said that even the true sheep, which were not yet in the true fold, would recognize His voice. “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” Verse 16.

He emphasized the point by repeating it over and over: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Verse 27. Do we know the voice of the Shepherd? How do we distinguish between the real and the fake? the pretender and the true? Jesus gave the answer as He was explaining the parable to His disciples. He said, “If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not.” Verse 37.

We need to learn this lesson today as much as they. “If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not.” Verse 37. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about teachers. He said, “Beware.” That is one of the first principles for us to learn—Beware. There are a lot of fakes out in the world who are telling you which way to go and what to do. Before we study the rest of Jesus’ instruction in this passage, let us think about the first word: BEWARE. In other words, be wary of who you are listening to.

One day this spring I was in the garden gathering greens for lunch. We were going down the row of mustard greens trying to find some that the worms had not eaten up and that were not too tough.

As I was bending over cutting a few greens, I heard a cardinal singing—at least I thought it was a cardinal. I questioningly stood up and looked around, because the “cardinal’s” song was coming from the direction of the tree that the  mockingbird usually sings from. Almost simultaneously, before I had a chance to tell for sure if I was hearing the cardinal or the mockingbird, I heard another bird start singing. It was coming from the direction of the cardinal’s nest. The song was loud and crystal clear, and I recognized every note as that of the cardinal.

As I carefully listened. I realized what I had already suspected—the mockingbird could not fake the cardinal’s song perfectly. I was already wary of the mockingbird, because a couple of days earlier, as I was walking outside, I thought I heard a cardinal. I looked around to see if I could find the cardinal with his beautiful coat of crimson red. And when I spotted the singing bird at the top of the pine tree across the road, it was the mockingbird. But by the time I saw his gray and white colors he was already faking a different song. He was then singing the eastern meadowlark’s song. That is how the mockingbird does. He sings a snatch of this and a trill of that, but never a separate and entire melody. He borrows from here and from there, but he does not have his own song to sing. Beware. What you think is a cardinal may turn out to be a mockingbird.

There are many mockingbirds in our world today. They sing one song for a while, and then another song, none of which are their own songs. They see something they like and go for that, then they see something else they like better and start towards that. They make promises that they cannot keep because they are not theirs to deliver. How disappointed people become when they discover they have been listening to a mockingbird.

The mockingbirds say, Listen to me. I sing a beautiful song. I have happiness. Follow me. I am the real thing. Mockingbirds are everywhere. You can find them on billboards, in magazines. You can find them in church. Sometimes the mockingbird sings inside of us. It is a song of “Please do this and it will make you happy,” a lustful desire, an unholy ambition.

Can you distinguish between the real and the fake? Do you know when you are hearing the voice of the mockingbird or the real thing? Many people are easy prey for false teachers because they sing the song of the mockingbird themselves. They sing a “snatch of this, a trill of that, but never a separate and entire melody.” The Ministry of Healing, 472.

What song are you singing? Does Jesus really, truly live inside of you? Or are you singing the song of the mockingbird? The mockingbird says, I am a Christian, I have the truth. But really, Christ does not live inside. Unless He lives inside of us, we are the mockingbirds. And if we are fooling ourselves, we will for sure be fooled by others who can deceive even better than we.

When Jesus was on earth, the people had some heated arguments concerning Him being a fake. One of those discussions is recorded in John 7. “And there was much murmuring among the people concerning Him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but He deceiveth the people.” John 7:12.

Jesus then gave a promise to His people. It is a promise, that if we remain until the end, we will be tested for ourselves. He said, “If any man will do His will, He shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself.” John 7:17.

Then Jesus gave the key to recognizing a fake. “He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but He that seeketh His glory that sent Him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” Verse 18. The one that has learned by God’s grace to sing the true song is the one that is seeking God’s glory and self is dead. But the one that seeks his own glory is a fake. He is not to be listened to.

There will be fakes until the end of sin. God gave us the acid test that will never fail to uncover a deceiver. What is this test between the real and the fake? How can you tell if it is a mockingbird singing the cardinal’s song?

We read earlier of Jesus’ instruction to beware of being deceived. He continued on to teach us how to tell a fake. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Matthew 7:15–19.

Do not think that because a person can pray and preach, that is good fruit. “Prayer, exhortation, and talk are cheap fruits, which are frequently tied on; but fruits that are manifested in good works, in caring for the needy, the fatherless, and widows, are genuine fruits, and grow naturally upon a good tree.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 24. Here is pictured a most deceptive situation. Instead of producing genuine fruit from the tree, someone has just tied on the right words. The simple will be deceived by it. “The simple believe every word.” Proverbs 14:15. How many people are fooled by good words. There has to be more than words! There has to be some doing. The Lord has warned us that this is a frequent situation. If all there is are convincing words—beware.

What can prayer, exhortations and sermons be? They can be fruit that is just tied on to an evil tree. People hear what they consider a good sermon and are ready so quickly to follow a man. Prayer, exhortation and talk can be only cheap fruit that is tied on any tree. The fruit we need to look for is what is manifested in good works in caring for the needy, the fatherless, and the widows. These are genuine fruits and they naturally grow on a good tree.

James told us: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27.

We can only survive by knowing what God has identified as good fruits and bad fruits. The good fruits come from a genuine Christian. But when there are bad fruits, the person can still talk in a genuine way. If there is only one bad fruit in the life, we need to remember Jesus’ instruction: a good tree cannot produce a bad fruit. Beware. Do not be fooled by the mockingbird. Look at the fruit. The mockingbird can sing the cardinal’s song, but he cannot produce a single cardinal egg because he is not a cardinal. He can only sing like the cardinal. We must learn to never ignore bad fruit with the excuse that their talk seems genuine.

That is why Jesus said later in His discussion with the Jews in John 7: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgement.” John 7:24.

We hear so much about not judging that sometimes we forget that God has commanded us to judge! While we are never to judge the motive, we are to judge the fruit. If we do not follow this instruction, we will surely be fooled! Do not be fooled by righteous sounding talk!

There are several passages in God’s Word that describe bad fruit. We must prayerfully consider each one. Bad fruit must first be rooted out of our own lives, or we cannot discern it in others. No one can distinguish the real from the fake if there is still bad fruit in his own life.

In brackets we will describe some of these fruits with words that are more common to most of us. These descriptive words came from Websters’s dictionary.

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness [lustful wantonness; wantonness is the causing of sexual excitement or being unduly extravagant], idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations [to strive to be equal to or to excel someone else, in other words, competition], wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings [noisy parties or merry-making], and such like.” Galatians 5:19–21.

There is another list of bad fruit in Colossians 3. We will list only the ones not mentioned in the book of Galatians. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; . . . inordinate [disorderly, unregulated, exceeding reasonable limits] affection, evil concupiscence [coveting sexual activities, strong sexual desire], and coveteousness which is idolatry . . . anger, wrath,malice [desiring pain, injury, or distress to another], blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.” Colossians 3:5–9.

“Filthy communication out of your mouth.” The definition for that is out of the Bible. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” Ephesians 5:11, 12. It is filthy communication when you speak of the evil things that are listed above. Filthy things, sexual things, impure things, wrathful things, angry things, hateful things. Do not speak of those things which are done of them in secret. Filthy communication is bad fruit.

James teaches us how to recognize a fake. “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” James 1:26.

How about the people that just talk, talk, talk? God has told us. “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin.” Proverbs 10:19. How often we would be saved from defeat if we heeded these words of God. Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Luke 6:45.

Matthew says it even more forcefully: “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:36, 37.

Another bad fruit is not having a love for sound doctrine. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3, 4.

People who cannot endure a plain “Thus saith the Lord,” are showing that they are growing evil fruit. They want to invent some doctrine that is pleasing to the ear. When you see it, beware.

God’s people love the Word of God, they obey the truth. Here is the fruit on the gospel tree of a true Christian. “God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrine and the basis of all reforms . . . Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord in its support.’ ” The Great Controversy, 595.

Here is another list of bad fruits: “Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:2–5.

Are you following the plainest command of Scripture? When people have these bad fruits in their lives, we want to pray for them and love them and work for their salvation, but the idea of continuing with them goes against the Word of God. They will become the deceiver of our soul. If you listen to the deceptive song long enough, you are going to be deceived. Just one bad fruit in this whole list is enough to deceive you.

We have been warned that one evil that is cherished can ruin the whole soul. You do not need to have all of them, just one. It will be like a little worm that will eat out your soul. “From such turn away.” Turn away from the sin and from the people who refuse to turn away from sin.

As you look at this fearful list of bad fruit, pray over it for yourself. Pray that God will give you the discernment to not be fooled and that all bad fruit will be removed from your life. Until we are clean ourselves, we can quite easily be deceived by the false shepherd. That is why so many are being deceived today; they secretly love some cherished sin themselves, so they are fooled by those who are better fakers than they are. There is always someone who is a better faker than you are.

Are you able to identify the real from the fake when it comes to God’s true church? There is a fake church. You know what I mean, the church that sings the song “I am the church, I am the church,” but is not producing the fruits of righteousness. Rather it is manifesting the fruits of darkness. Beware, you may be listening to the mockingbird’s borrowed song instead of the real thing.

The cardinal does not know anything different than to sing his own song. He is genuine. But the mockingbird borrows a snatch of this and a trill of that, and if you are not careful, it can fool you. Whatever the occasion demands, that’s the song that he can sing.

All of us have been like the mockingbird. We’ve been deceived by the great deceiver. But Jesus came to deliver our souls from this great deception. He wants to make us genuine again. Through his grace we can be changed into His image. We will sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. It will not be a borrowed song either. It will be the song of our experience. But to learn that song we will have to endure some trials.

“In the full light of day, and in hearing of the music of other voices, the caged bird will not sing the song that his master seeks to teach him. He learns a snatch of this, a trill of that, but never a separate and entire melody. But the master covers the cage, and places it where the bird will listen to the one song he is to sing. In the dark, he tries and tries again to sing that song until it is learned, and he breaks forth in perfect melody. Then the bird is brought forth, and ever after he can sing that song in the light. Thus God deals with His children. He has a song to teach us, and when we have learned it amid the shadows of affliction we can sing it ever afterward.” The Ministry of Healing, 472.

God has put us all in a school. I hope we all endure it. He wants us all to endure it. It is a school to distinguish the fake from the real, to tell the genuine from the spurious, the true from the false. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden . . . and learn of Me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28, 29.

Jesus’ school has sometimes been held in the most unconventional places. His school rooms were not ones that we would pick. One time for His school room He chose a boat for His classroom and the teacher was a mighty storm. The pupils were His disciples, and they learned great lessons in Jesus’ school. They learned the lessons so well that they took the gospel to the whole world in one generation. They could tell the genuine from the spurious, the true from the false. They became strong to rebuke sin and quick to have mercy on the repentant sinner.

I wonder if we who are to give the last message of warning to a perishing world need to be in a school like the disciples were. Have you been in attendance in Jesus’ school before? In conclusion let us think of the disciples in that terrible storm on the lake. It had been a calm day and they wanted to crown Jesus as King. He commanded them to get in the boat. Never was a command of Jesus so hard to obey. They got in that boat against their will. They were not thinking clearly because “love of honor had blinded them.” The Desire of Ages, 380. They reasoned in their unbelief “until they brought upon themselves great spiritual darkness. They questioned, Could Jesus be an impostor, as the Pharisees asserted?” Ibid. Obviously, they could not yet always tell the genuine from the false.

So God sent them a teacher. Often when we have great trials to battle against, they teach us how weak we are and work out some of the unbelief that is in our hearts. That is how it was for the disciples; every one had to work hard to keep the boat afloat. The disciples labored with all their strength to keep the boat afloat amidst the strong winds and heavy gales. But they finally gave up their efforts as hopeless. While the hungry waves talked of death amid the storm, a light form is seen walking upon the foam-capped billows. This Presence should have brought them blessing and hope, but they were terrified. They thought it was a precursor of death. But suddenly they hear a voice, amid the roar of the tempest. It was Jesus. He said, “Be of good cheer. It is I, Be not afraid.” They recognized the voice. How did they know that voice? They had heard it before and they knew the sound. The known voice is heard above the tumult of the storm, “Be not afraid; it is I.”

“That night in that boat was to the disciples a school where they were to receive their education for the great work which was to be done afterwards. The dark hours of trial are to come to every one as a part of his education for higher work, for more devoted, consecrated effort. The storm was not sent upon the disciples to shipwreck them, but to test and prove them individually. Before the great trouble shall come upon the world such as has never been since there was a nation, those who have faltered and who would ignorantly lead in unsafe paths will reveal this before the real vital test, the last proving comes, so that whatsoever they may say will not be regarded as voicing the True Shepherd. The time of our educating will soon be over. We have no time to lose in walking through clouds of doubt and uncertainty because of uncertain voices.” 1888 Materials, 1002.

We should never, never follow the voice of one just because he can talk right. Beware, it could be a mockingbird! Just picking up the right song for the occasion does not prove that the voice is from the true Shepherd. The good fruit has to be in the life. It is the same for us. We have people who look to us, our own children and others. Are we singing the genuine song? Or are we a fake, like a mockingbird? Let us ask the Lord to give us the real, the genuine and not the fake and the spurious.

 

A House Divided

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We live in a world of crisis. Very soon the world, and especially God’s people, will experience a crisis more severe than any that has ever occurred. In the 1850s, the United States was going through a crisis, a crisis more severe than it had ever experienced in its short history. The turning point was reached on June 16, 1859.

It happened in Springfield, Illinois. There, a tall man, who had gone through bankruptcy, failed in business and lost in politics, time after time, was preparing to make a very controversial political speech. Many people thought he was a failure and that he would never succeed. Yet, here he stood in the midst of a momentous crisis, preparing to give a speech that his advisors told him would be political suicide. His friends urged him not to do it. But he would not turn back.

This man’s name was Abraham Lincoln. After he gave the speech, one of his friends told him that his political career was ruined. Abraham Lincoln turned to him and said, “Some day you will find out that those were the most important words that I have ever spoken.”

That speech was the turning point in American history. It is one of the most amazing speeches that you could ever read. In the third paragraph Lincoln made this startling pronouncement: “This government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” We would not be the nation we are today if he had not given that speech and stood for the principles that he laid out so clearly.

Lincoln went on to point out that there were very powerful forces at work, in the nation, whose intent was to cause all the states to accept slavery. He showed how ridiculous his political opponents were who said that they were not pro-slavery, when they actually practiced it. They were saying one thing and doing something else. It was a dangerous speech to make, because the men who he had condemned were some of the most powerful men in America. One of the reasons that this speech had such an effect on our country was because the title for that speech was taken from the words of Jesus, in Matthew 12. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” Matthew 12:25.

The first sentence that Abraham Lincoln spoke that day, in Springfield was: “If we could first know where we are and whither we are tending we could better judge what to do and how to do it.” He was talking about the United States government and whether or not we would allow slavery in our states. He said: “It will become all one thing or all the other.” It works just the same with our spiritual walk. Jesus said that a house divided will not—absolutely cannot—stand.

Where does the division come from in a divided house? This is one of the great topics of the Bible. In Revelation 12 the story is told of Lucifer having a difference of opinion with God, on some vital issues. The largest of these “differences of opinion” concerned who would be God. God said, There is no one else who is qualified to be God except Me. Lucifer said, Yes, but I want to be part of the Godhead, too.

This difference of opinion led to division, the division led to rebellion and rebellion led to war. Satan’s plan was to lead the world into a rebellion against God. But Jesus said, “A house divided shall not stand.” This has been a great comfort to me, because I know that the devil’s house is divided and cannot stand no matter how powerful it seems to be.

However, this is the frightening part. With all his power, the devil is trying to cause divisions among God’s people because he knows that if we are divided, we cannot stand either.

It was Jesus’ purpose, when He came to this world, to heal all the divisions. This was one of the central themes of Paul’s preaching. He said in 2 Corinthians, “Therefore from now on we regard no one according to the flesh even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:16–20.

The natural heart is at enmity against God. (Romans 8:7.) How can this be solved? The worldly way is to force your enemy into submission, but the use of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government. Jesus did not come to this world with a club or a gun, instead He came to display to mankind what God was like. Jesus said to His disciples, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” John 14:9. The character, which Jesus displayed, showed how much God hates sin and knows that it must be destroyed, but also how much He loves sinners. In His great love, God made a way so that the guilt of our sin can be taken away and we can be reconciled to Him.

This reconciliation process can only occur when our lives are brought into conformity with God’s law.

As long as we are breaking God’s law, we are at enmity with His character, because His law is a transcript of His character. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15. The one that does not love Me, does not keep My word, and he is not reconciled to Me. John 14:21–23.

Paul talked to the Ephesians about the time when they were at enmity with God. He said, “At that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one spirit to the Father.” Ephesians 2:12–18.

 

Answers for Division

 

We are living in a world and a church that is divided. This division is seen among all those who profess to be Christians around the world; not only Seventh-day Adventist Christians. How are we to relate to all of these divisions? The first thing that we must not do is quarrel. (See 2 Timothy 2.) It is part of our human nature to get in an argument when someone disagrees with us, but that is not God’s way.

Inspiration tells us, “When Christians contend, Satan comes in to take control. How often has he succeeded in destroying the peace and harmony of churches? What fierce controversies, what bitterness, what hatred, has a very little matter started! What hopes have been blasted, how many families have been rent asunder by discord and contention.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 244.

So then, what are we to do about the division? Some people say that we just need to wait and God will shake out all the tares, and then everything will be all right. I know some people that have been sitting and waiting for this to happen for years and years. Can we just sit there and say, “Lord, shake those bad people out of the church so that those of us that are left can have harmony?”

Before it is over, the angels will bind up the tares and remove them. There is no question that we are very close to that happening, because we are in the beginning stages of the Sunday law crisis. However, we must not sit back and say, “Lord, bind those people up and get them out of here.” We must say, “How about me? Will I be one of the ones that is bound up or will I be part of the wheat when this all happens?”

We have a work to do. This is how Sister White described it. “A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work.” Review and Herald, March 22, 1887.

I cannot simply sit back and say, “Lord, remove the tares.” I have to say, “Lord, I need to be revived. I need to have true piety, true godliness inside. You have told me that my greatest need is for a revival.”

Revival means to come back to life. The people that need to be revived are those that are almost dead spiritually. Their need is very urgent. God’s people are almost spiritually dead. This experience is so vital that Sister White said it is our most urgent need.

If this should be our first priority, then it is more important than making physical preparation for the future? I have heard many say that we need to go to the mountains or go to this island to be safe from the coming crises, but, there is no place in the world that is safe. Instead of trying to figure out what I should do to survive on a physical level (and this is not necessarily wrong) my first priority should be to seek for a revival of true godliness.

Sister White counsels that next “There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord.” Ibid. The Bible says that God is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask than a parent is to give gifts to his children. The problem is that we are not prepared to receive it. We must seek the Lord and ask for a change of heart so we will be ready to receive it.

 

Four Steps to Revival

 

How do we experience this revival of true godliness and gain God’s blessings? The Review and Herald lists four steps that we need to follow.

The first is confession. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Some people have thought that confession is something that you do as a child before you are baptized, but not one of us will experience a revival until we have confessed our sins.

If you think that you have nothing to confess, I encourage you to go to the Lord and ask Him what you need to confess. I have found that the Holy Spirit can point out many things to people, very quickly.

Confession is a subject that we need to study and practice. Ministers, elders, deacons, Sabbath School teachers, even if they have been Christians for forty years, all need to understand the subject of confession. The time is coming when it will be too late to confess our sins—a time when it will be forever too late! That is why we must now take advantage of the time and plead with the Lord, asking, “Is there anything in my life that I need to confess? Please show me what it is.” A divided house will never be healed if there is no confession.

The second step to revival is humiliation. If you are wondering why we must bring up this point, it is because the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy speak of it often. The prophet Isaiah recorded: “For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, Whose name is holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit.” Isaiah 57:15.

Do you want the Holy Spirit to work on your heart? Then come to God knowing, as Paul did, that in your “flesh there is no good thing.” Romans 7:18. If we want a revival, we must come to the Lord, not only asking what it is that we need to confess, but, also, with a humble spirit, realizing that we have no merit or goodness of our own. We must depend totally on Christ’s goodness, righteousness and grace, for we have none of our own.

James said, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.” James 4:10. The way to reach a high position is to assume a lowly place before God. He can lift you higher than anyone else ever could.

The third step to revival is repentance. We will never heal the division by fighting with each other and forcing others to accept our views. We must come to the Lord with confession, humiliation and repentance. The divided house will never be healed unless there is repentance. Repentance is being sorry for sins and turning away from them. True repentance can be found at the foot of the cross. The cross is for you and me as individuals. Christ died for our sins. That is what sin cost. If you stay there, it will change your mind about sin and this is what repentance is all about. If you have not changed your mind about sin, you have not repented.

Repentance is something that only God can give you. He will give it to you if you will come to the cross. The problem is that most people have pictures of the cross and some even have images of the cross around their necks or in their cars, but they do not understand what it means. For them, the cross is just an emblem, with a meaning that they do not begin to understand.

The fourth step that is vital to revival is earnest prayer. This is something we need to do as individuals and as families. We need to do it in the church to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us the blessings of the Holy Spirit, revival, true godliness, healing, reconciliation and unity that God wants to bring in among His people. We will never have a revival unless we pray earnestly and say, “Lord, I want the people in my church to experience a revival.”

The Bible clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit is promised to everyone, on certain conditions. It is up to us to read the Bible and find the conditions. We have already seen several of the conditions: confession, humiliation, repentance and, earnest prayer. But we need to pray that the Lord will show us any other conditions so that we can be revived and receive the Holy Spirit.

 

What We Need to Fear

 

It is common for people to be fearful because of what they see happening in the world around them. From appearances, it seems that there will be no peace, civil or religious liberty, anywhere in the world. People get scared because of what is out there, but the Lord tells us what we really need to fear. “We have far more to fear from within than from without. The hindrances to strength and success are far greater from the church itself than from the world . . . But how often have the professed advocates of the truth proved the greatest obstacle to its advancement! The unbelief indulged, the doubts expressed, the darkness cherished, encourage the presence of evil angels, and open the way for the accomplishment of Satan’s devices.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 122.

Our greatest fear should be for what is within our church. Inspiration tells us that the evil traits cherished “open the way for the accomplishment of Satan’s devices.” Ibid. What a fearful warning! We should be grateful that God in His mercy has shown us exactly how we can close the door so the devil cannot walk into our churches.

“The adversary of souls is not permitted to read the thoughts of men; but he is a keen observer, and he marks the words; he takes account of the actions, and skillfully adapts his temptations to meet the cases of those who place themselves in his power. If we would labor to repress sinful thoughts and feelings giving them no expression in words or actions, Satan would be defeated.” Ibid., 122, 123.

Everyone is tempted with sinful thoughts and feelings, but if we will resist and repress them and never let them pass our lips, the devil will be defeated. If instead we start talking our feelings, the devil knows just how to tempt us. Sister White continued, “How often do professed Christians, by their lack of self-control, open the door to the adversary of souls! Divisions, and even bitter dissensions which would disgrace any worldly community, are common in the churches, because there is so little effort to control wrong feelings, and to repress every word that Satan can take advantage of.” Ibid., 123.

If all of God’s people would say, “Lord, help me to repress every word that Satan can use,” the door would be closed and the devil would not be able to come in and work havoc among God’s people.

Instead, all too often, God’s people open the door. “As soon as an alienation of feeling arises, the matter is spread before Satan for his inspection, and the opportunity given for him to use his serpent-like wisdom and skill in dividing and destroying the church. There is great loss in every dissension.” Ibid.

Sometimes war is necessary. God is willing to fight to keep from having His kingdom divided. (See Revelation 12.) But so much dissension is unnecessary. Sister White continued: “Personal friends of both parties take sides . . . A house divided against itself cannot stand. Criminations and recriminations are engendered and multiplied. Satan and his angels are actively at work to secure a harvest from seed thus sown. “Worldlings look on, and jeeringly exclaim, ‘Behold how these Christians hate one another! If this is religion, we do not want it.’” Ibid.

How sad! We must do something to change this condition. And we have been told just what to do. “Let us confess and forsake every sin.” Ibid. After we have done this we can pray that the Holy Spirit will “come into our assemblies and impart His rich grace.” Ibid.

This is exactly what the devil does not want us to do. “There is nothing that Satan fears so much as that the people of God shall clear the way by removing every hindrance, so that the Lord can pour out His spirit upon a languishing church, an impenitent congregation.” Ibid., 124.

It is time for us to make confession in humiliation, receive repentance and pray for revival. If Satan had his way, this would never happen. (See Ibid.) Will we let Satan have his way? He wants to keep the house divided so that it cannot stand. And we can be sure that God will take care of the division, but when He takes care of the division, do we want to be swept out the back door in the shaking?

Here is what Ellen White says is the condition in the church during this fearful time when the door of salvation and probation is about to close. “Alas, what pride is prevailing in the church, what hypocrisy, what deception, what love of dress, frivolity, and amusement, what desire for the supremacy! All these sins have clouded the mind” Ibid., 125.

We need to go to the Lord on our knees and say, “Lord, I want a change to happen inside. Show me by Your Holy Spirit what I need to confess. Show me how I need to humble myself so that every detail in my life is pleasing in Your sight.”

We are headed for the judgment. Jesus is coming soon and when He comes, you will either be ready or you will not. If we will be ready, we must receive the Holy Spirit and we cannot receive the Holy Spirit if we are unprepared. “The Spirit of God can never come in until she [the church] prepares the way. There should be earnest searching of heart. There should be united, persevering prayer, and through faith a claiming of the promises of God.” Ibid., 126.

Time is short, and very soon it will be too late to be saved. If you are going to be saved, you need to do something now. Confess your sins and come to the Lord with humiliation, relying fully on Him.

The people that do that will have revival. There will be healing and the house will not be divided any longer. Are we going to have to have a civil war like they had in the time of Lincoln in order to heal the division? Yes, we have to go through the conflict. There is no other way. But this is a spiritual war and you do not win a spiritual war with physical weapons. You win by confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer to God, that you will receive the Holy Spirit and be revived. Let us all pray that the Lord will give us this experience, not just individually, but as a church.

 

The Song of Moses and of the Lamb

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And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgements are made manifest.” Revelation 15: 2–4.

Just before John describes the seven last plagues poured out upon those who worship the beast and his image, he shows us a picture of what will happen to the righteous. Having been shown the struggle and suffering of the 144,000 against the mark of the beast, he is permitted to look ahead to see their ultimate triumph. We need to be certain in our minds that God will triumph in His people. No matter how dark the prospect may appear to us, God is in control and His purposes will triumph. “The Lord will work in behalf of all who will walk humbly with Him. He has placed you in a position of trust. Walk carefully before Him. God’s hand is on the wheel. He will guide the ship past the rocks into the haven. He will take the weak things of this world to confound the things that are mighty.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 267.

What was the song of Moses? You can read it in Exodus 15:1–19. The children of Israel had been brought out of Egypt with unprecedented evidence of the Lord’s power. The might of Egypt, the mightiest empire on earth, had been humbled by the power of God. So demoralized were the Egyptians by the manifestations of God’s power that they begged God’s people to go, and loaded them with riches. (Exodus 12:33, 35–36.)

So the people of Israel marched out of Egypt. But instead of going toward the Promised Land by the direct road of the way of the land of the Philistines, as they might have expected, God led them another way by the southerly route, by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. (Exodus 13:17–18.)

Then, to make things worse, God told them to turn off the road and go toward the Red Sea. They were to make their camp by the seaside. (Exodus 14:1–2.) The sea was before them, behind them were the mountain fastnesses through which the Lord had brought them, a maze of deep canyons. To their south, on the right hand, the mountains reached to the very edge of the sea. (See Patriarchs and Prophets, 283.) To the north, on their left, barring their way, was a large Egyptian fortress. And pursuing them was the army of Pharaoh, six hundred chosen chariots, together with all the chariots of Egypt, an army which Josephus says consisted of 50,000 horsemen and 200,000 infantry. Even if, by some miracle, they could cross the sea, what awaited them? On the other side of the sea was barren desert, nothing to eat or drink. What possible human hope was there of salvation?

At this point, the faith of the people failed. They were hemmed in by dangers. They could not see the purpose of God. They fully expected to die on the beach, slaughtered by the Egyptian army. They longed to return to the slavery from which God had freed them. (Exodus 14:11–12.) But the words of Moses expressed utter confidence in the power of God. “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you to day: for the Egyptians, whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:13–14.

As Moses prayed, the Lord answered. “Wherefore criest thou unto Me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get Me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” Exodus 14:15–18. Now the Egyptians would know that the God of Moses was the true and only God.

Suddenly, with awful splendor, the great cloud which had gone before them in their journeyings so far, swept over their heads and placed itself between the people of Israel and the Egyptians. “But lo, they see the pillar of fire rise from the front, and pass grandly to the rear of the Hebrew host; as a massive wall between them and the Egyptians, a bright light to the Hebrews, a cloud of thick and awful darkness to their enemies.” Signs of the Times, March 10, 1881.

All that long and fearful night, it shone upon the people of Israel lighting their way as they hurried into the channel cut through the deep waters by that strong east wind. To the Egyptians, it was a cloud of deep darkness. As they realized that the Israelites were escaping across the sea, they hurried to pursue. In the midst of the sea, their chariot wheels became detached from their chariots and they tried to turn and flee. (Exodus 14: 25.) The resulting confusion, as that enormous army jostled and pushed, the rear going forward and the vanguard trying to turn and come back, caused a total catastrophe, as the morning light broke. Moses stretched out his rod over the sea and the waters, which had been congealed into high walls (Exodus 15:8), collapsed into the dry channel. The Egyptian army was overwhelmed in the midst of the sea.

Paul described this experience as a kind of baptism for God’s people. (See 1 Corinthians 10:2.) The Israelites were faced with a choice, to go forward in faith through the waters to a new life of trust in the power of God, or return to the old life of slavery and death. They could hearken to the voice of God’s prophet (Hosea 12:13) or give in to their doubts. This is the choice every person who contemplates baptism faces. The people of Israel chose to go forward as Moses, the prophet of God, directed them. And they experienced the saving power of God. (2 Chronicles 20:20.) The Lord did not leave them to die. Everyone had a real experience of the saving power of God when he passed through the sea.

It was then that Moses led the people in a great song of rejoicing, the song of Moses. It was clear to all whose power had won the victory. “The Lord is my strength and song and He is become my salvation.” Exodus 15:2. “Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11. “Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed. Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.” Exodus 15:13. “Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which Thou hast made to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established.” Exodus 15:17.

The people of Israel never forgot the events of that night. Moses, in his closing message to the people he had led for forty years, rehearsed to them the main facts of their deliverance from Egypt. With the exception of Caleb and Joshua, the entire generation of men that passed through the Red Sea had died in the wilderness. Those who were now men had been but children when the Lord had so marvelously demonstrated His power.

“The thrilling incidents of this night passage had been oft repeated to the Israelites; but never before had it been so vividly portrayed. All who had taken an active part on this occasion, with the exception of Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, had died in the wilderness. Those who were now responsible men, were children at the time of their passage through the Red Sea, and they had not correct and distinct ideas of this wonderful manifestation of God’s power in their deliverance. This important event, rehearsed by Moses with earnestness and solemn eloquence, softened their hearts, and increased their love, their faith and reverence for God. Moses repeated the song of thanksgiving which he had composed, and which thousands of the Hebrew host united in singing on the shores of the Red Sea, not only men, but women also lifting up the voice of praise, joining to pour forth their exultant, Heaven-inspired gratitude. This song is one of the most sublime and thrilling expressions of triumph and of praise to be found in all the annals of history. Moses recounts the wonderful deliverance which God has wrought for His people and extols His justice and faithfulness and love.” Signs of the Times, March 10, 1881.

Many times in the Old Testament, this wonderful story is recounted. Joshua 4:23, Psalm 77:19–20, Psalm 106:7–12, Psalm 78:13, Psalm 114:3. The New Testament writers also recalled this mighty deliverance. 1 Corinthians 10:1, Hebrews 11:29.

“This song and the great deliverance which it commemorates, made an impression never to be effaced from the memory of the Hebrew people. From age to age it was echoed by the prophets and singers of Israel, testifying that Jehovah is the strength and deliverance of those who trust in Him. That song does not belong to the Jewish people alone. It points forward to the destruction of all the foes of righteousness and the final victory of the Israel of God. The prophet of Patmos beholds the white-robed multitude that have ‘gotten the victory,’ standing on the ‘sea of glass mingled with fire,’ having ‘the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.’ Revelation 15:2–3.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 289.

The redeemed will one day sing the same song. But, before we can sing that song, we must have that experience. For this song is a song of experience. ” ‘Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.’ Psalm 115:1. Such was the spirit that pervaded Israel’s song of deliverance, and it is the spirit that should dwell in the hearts of all who love and fear God. In freeing our souls from the bondage of sin, God has wrought for us a deliverance greater than that of the Hebrews at the Red Sea. Like the Hebrew host, we should praise the Lord with heart and soul and voice for His ‘wonderful works to the children of men.’ Those who dwell upon God’s great mercies and are not unmindful of His lesser gifts, will put on the girdle of gladness and make melody in their hearts to the Lord. The daily blessings that we receive from the hand of God, and above all else the death of Jesus to bring happiness and heaven within our reach, should be a theme for constant gratitude. What compassion, what matchless love, has God shown to us, lost sinners, in connecting us with Himself, to be to Him a peculiar treasure! What a sacrifice has been made by our Redeemer, that we may be called children of God! We should praise God for the blessed hope held out before us in the great plan of redemption, we should praise Him for the heavenly inheritance and for His rich promises; praise Him that Jesus lives to intercede for us.

” ‘Whoso offereth praise,’ says the Creator, ‘glorifieth Me. ’Psalm 50:23. All the inhabitants of heaven unite in praising God. Let us learn the song of the angels now, that we may sing it when we join their shining ranks. Let us say with the psalmist, ‘While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.’ ‘Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee.’ Psalms 146:2; 67:5.

“God in His providence brought the Hebrews into the mountain fastnesses before the sea, that He might manifest His power in their deliverance and signally humble the pride of their oppressors. He might have saved them in any other way, but He chose this method in order to test their faith and strengthen their trust in Him. The people were weary and terrified, yet if they had held back when Moses bade them advance, God would never have opened the path for them. It was ‘by faith’ that ‘they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land.’ Hebrews 11:29. In marching down to the very water, they showed that they believed the word of God as spoken by Moses. They did all that was in their power to do, and then the Mighty One of Israel divided the sea to make a path for their feet.

“The great lesson here taught is for all time. Often the Christian life is beset by dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before and bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, ‘Go forward.’ We should obey this command, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness, and we feel the cold waves about our feet. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every shadow of uncertainty disappears and there remains no risk of failure or defeat, will never obey at all. Unbelief whispers, ‘Let us wait till the obstructions are removed, and we can see our way clearly;’ but faith courageously urges an advance, hoping all things, believing all things.

“The cloud that was a wall of darkness to the Egyptians was to the Hebrews a great flood of light,illuminating the whole camp, and shedding brightness upon the path before them. So the dealings of Providence bring to the unbelieving, darkness and despair, while to the trusting soul they are full of light and peace. The path where God leads the way may lie through the desert or the sea, but it is a safe path.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 289–290.

How does John describe the song of the redeemed? “Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty.” They know by experience the wonderful works of God. They have experienced the miracles of God’s providential power. “Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.” They recognize that God has dealt justly with them and with all men. “Who shall not fear Thee?” To fear God is to keep His Commandments. (See Revelation 14:7. Compare also Psalm 34:11–14, Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 8:13, Ecclesiastes 12:13–14.) “And glorify Thy name?” To give glory to God is to reveal His character in our own. (See Revelation 14:7.)

“For Thou alone art holy.” (These are holy people who say these words. See Revelation 14:5, Revelation 22:11.) But all is ascribed to God. Nothing is theirs. “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory.” Psalm 115:1.

“The power of an ever-abiding Saviour is greater now than ever before, because the emergencies are greater; and yet we are weak in spiritual life and experience. Oh, how much we have lost as a people by our lack of faith! We have suffered loss to our own souls, and have failed to reveal to others, by our words and in our character, what Christ is and will be to everyone who comes to Him believing. He is ‘made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.’ To give glory to God is to reveal His character in our own, and thus make Him known. And in whatever way we make known the Father or the Son, we glorify God. False views of God, and hence of Christ, are largely entertained today. Well may we offer the prayer of Moses, ‘Show me Thy glory.’ What did the Lord answer? ‘I will make all My goodness pass before thee.’ God might have answered Moses: ‘Why do you ask this question? Have I not revealed to you my glory in the deliverance of my people from Egyptian bondage? Did I not deliver you by the right arm of my power, and lead you dry shod through the midst of the Red Sea? Did I not reveal My glory in giving you bread from heaven? Did I not bring you water out of the flinty rock? Have you not looked upon My glory in the pillar of fire by night, and the cloud by day?’ Moses might have answered that all this only kindled his desire for greater manifestations of God’s power. The Lord granted the prayer of Moses, and He desires to answer us in the same way. We need to have our perceptions quickened, our hearts enlarged, that we may comprehend His glory—His goodness, His forgiveness, His forbearance, His inexpressible love.” Signs of the Times, October 17, 1892.

It will only be those who have a genuine, experimental knowledge of Christ’s saving power who will sing the song of Moses. They know the wonder-working power of God; they know that God is totally fair in His dealings with them; they have learned to fear the Lord. In their lives they glorify God, and they ascribe all the credit for their victory over the power of sin to God and nothing to themselves. Their only concern is that all they do will be to the glory of God. This is why they will also sing the song of the Lamb, the song of praise for the self-denying, self-sacrificing love of Jesus.

They will say, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever.” Revelation 5: 9–14.

Why is Jesus worthy? Because of His self-denying, self-sacrificing love, a love that must be manifested in the lives of all those who would sing the song of the Lamb. May each one of us know the power of God to deliver us from the slavery of self and sin. May each of us manifest in our every thought, word and action, the self-denying, self-sacrificing love of Jesus. Then we will truly be able to sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.

Dangers of Compromise

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We need to have the story of Jesus written in our hearts. God has promised, under the new covenant, to write His law into our hearts and minds—our hearts representing our affections and our minds representing our intellectual aspects. We need to believe and to love His law and the story of Jesus, and it needs to be more dear and precious to us than life itself. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11. We need to come to the place that we would give our life for Christ’s sake because we love Him that much, and we do not want anything to separate us from Him.

This was the experience Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had when they refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image. We also need that experience; for things are happening all around us—increase of crime, wars and rumors of wars, and the judgments upon the land. (See Matthew 24.) The United Sates is speaking like a dragon.

But, we are not to be fearful. The Bible says in 1 John 4:18 that perfect love casts out all fear. We need that perfect love to cast out all fear. There is a tendency to become frightened about what the Bible tells us is going to occur in the last days. It is comforting to know that Jesus is coming again soon to redeem us. But, the Bible also speaks of a “time of trouble,” which may not appear very comforting to us. It is natural for us to be afraid. “And you will hear of wars, and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:6. We are not to be troubled, or to fear, or have apprehension for the future, because we know that Christ will carry us through. If we are planted on the rock, nothing can shake us. We are to lift up our heads, because our redemption draws near.

“We have nothing to fear for the future except we forget how the Lord has led us in the past.” Life Sketches, 196. It is important that we remember the past, because what happened in the past is applicable to us today. “These things are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11. That is us. We must study history so that we will not be led astray in the future. It only makes sense that if someone else has gone through an experience that we are to go through, that we look and see how they handled it. It is well to learn from their mistakes, failures and success. We do not need to worry about the future if our soul is right with God.

Beware of Men

In Matthew 10:17-19, Jesus is speaking to His disciples when he sent out the twelve. He is telling them (as well as us) what they were going to encounter. He says, ” But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in the synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak.” These things happened over and over again. Many people have gone through these experiences. And we will face such things too. But we are not to be frightened, for Jesus will be with us.

During the Protestant Reformation, the Papacy tried many different tactics to destroy it. Persecution did not work, but one scheme was almost successful. If God had not intervened, the Protestant Reformation would have failed, because they were on the very verge of accepting the bait.

When Luther was brought before the diet, he boldly declared that nothing was going to shake him. He said, “Here I stand. I can do no other. May God help me.” The diet was baffled. Here was one man, one lone monk with no backing, standing before all the great men of the empire, and they could not shake him. We need to stand as Luther, as the three worthies, and Daniel stood. We dare not swerve our allegiance to God.

Shortly after Luther’s experience came one of the grandest moments for the Protestant Reformation, namely the “Protest of the Princes.” Instead of one man standing before the diet, they had some of the most powerful princes in the empire; and they stood on the offensive, not on the defensive.

They had peace for a few years, but then came one of the most formidable obstacles to the Protestant Reformation—the Augsburg Diet in 1529 and 1530. The Elector and Princes were going to what seemed sure death. Their heads and morale were hanging low. It was then that Luther composed the song “A Mighty Fortress.” It was timely and uplifted their spirits. It would be well for us to memorize that song.

Charles V had come back. He had vanquished Italy, and he controlled almost all of Europe. The pope had given him the order, “Crush Lutheranism.” He marched up to Augsburg with that sole purpose. The princes and the Elector knew it was dangerous, but Luther encouraged them. He said, “Go ahead, confess Christ before the great men in this world.” The Papists met them with warm friendship. They were trying to get them to yield to compromise. But that did not work. Next, they threatened persecution and death. That did not work either. Then they tried the most successful inducement and the most to be feared. The Romans said, “OK, we’ll send three of our theologians and you send three of yours. We’ll try to come to an agreement.” This was the new and most formidable of the dangers. This plan almost crushed the Protestant Reformation.

Luther Begs to Be Excused

First, the Romanist party made amazing compromises and concessions. The Protestants put together a confession of twenty-one points. There were only three that the Protestants and Romanists were wrangling over. The Roman party made it appear that they had won the Reformation. They knew that if they could get the Protestants to yield once, they would eventually yield on everything. Unfortunately, the Protestants, agreed at first. But Luther, from his hideout, wrote letters. Let me read from one. “I learned that you have begun a marvelous work, namely, to reconcile Luther and the pope, but the pope will not be reconciled, and Luther begs to be excused.” The Reformation was saved. He knew that when they began to yield, they stepped off the platform to sure ruin. Yielding will always bring ruin. We cannot compromise.

Whenever the church has yielded to compromise, the result has always been a losing battle. The early church was pure in the days of the apostles, but they compromised, and now we have the Roman Catholic Church, which The Great Controversy says, is “The masterpiece of Satan.” Compromise is spiritual suicide on the installment plan. We cannot pull down the banner even a little bit. It may appear to look good, but it is not. That is what resulted in the dark ages. The Waldenses compromised and many lives were lost. The Bohemians compromised and their nation was bathed in blood. This sad history is for us to ponder.

We read from The Great Controversy, 607: “As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages as inducements to renounce their faith. But, their steadfast answer is, ‘show us from the word of God our error,’ the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances. Those who are arraigned before the courts make a strong vindication of the truth, and some who hear them are led to take their stand to keep all the commandments of God.” The early Christians let down the standard to convert pagans and it resulted in converting the church to paganism.

We too, are going to have to answer for our faith. We must stand firm. Our God is a mighty fortress. He will uphold us, and give us strength. We must say as Luther, “Here I stand. I can do no other. May God help me.” The Great Controversy says that if Luther would have yielded in one point, Satan would have won the victory. Neither can we yield in one point.

Dare to be a Daniel

Daniel was thrown into the den of lions because he prayed with his windows open, as he always did. He did not compromise on one point, and God shut the lions mouths. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could have bowed down to tie their shoes. But that would have been compromising. They knew very will that it could result in their death, but they stood firm. Even though the “greatest” man in the world opposed them.

Their steadfast adherence to right converted Nebuchadnezzar. That is encouraging, if we stand for the right, souls may be converted. Before this, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were tested on the point of appetite. Because they stood firm on the word of God then, they were able to stand the more severe trials.

We must set our face as firm as a flint now, if we stand later. “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5. Right now we are deciding if we are going to stand as did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, or, if we are going to bow down as all the other Hebrews did. We are choosing under which banner we are going to be arraigned. We are either with Luther saying, “Here I stand. I can do no other,” or we are compromising.

Little Things

Some people excuse themselves saying, “God understands.” God does understand your situation, and He tells you in His word what you need to do. The devil is in the business of giving excuses, not God. We read in Romans 1:20, that we are all without excuse. There is no excuse if it goes against God’s word. Daniel and his three friends stood firm in the little things. Because they had proved faithful in that which was least, they could be trusted with that which was more. “What if Daniel and his companions had made a compromise with those heathen officers and had yielded to the pressure of the occasion by eating and drinking as was customary with the Babylonians? That single instance of departure from principle would have weakened their sense of right and their abhorrence of wrong. Indulgence of appetite would have involved the sacrifice of physical vigor, clearness of intellect, and spiritual power. One wrong step would probably have led to others until their connection with Heaven being severed, they would have been swept away by temptation.” Sanctified Life, 23. It is the little things in life that make up the sum of life’s big things.
Too many times we think that little things do not matter much. But, little choices set us on the path which we are going to take. When a tree is young, if you bend it, it will grow bent. There are some funny looking trees, because they were bent that way when they were saplings. By compromising in little things, we prepare ourselves to compromise in big things.

Compromise and indifference in a religious crisis is one of the sins that God hates the most. We cannot flatter ourselves that we will stand when we are forced by law to disregard the Sabbath, if we do not keep the Sabbath now. It’s not just in the Sabbath, it’s in everything of our lives. “It is the grossest presumption for mortal man to venture upon a compromise with the Almighty in order to secure his own petty temporal interest.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 249. God says what he means and He means what He says. Right now in the little things, we are determining our destination. “It is as ruthless a violation of the law to occasionally use the Sabbath for secular business as to entirely reject it, for it is making the Lord’s commandments a matter of convenience.” Ibid. It is just the same to compromise in any other point. It is the principle.

Solomon compromised. This was what led to his ruin. He knew that polygamy was against God’s law, but it was a very common practice. And the first wife he took, appeared to be converted, but eventually he set up an idol to another god, which he and his children worshipped—because he took one wrong step. If we, like Solomon, take that one wrong step down—it is much easier to take the next one. We are developing habits that determine where we are going to stand. One little compromise in sin will eventually crowd out all the good.

Do you think that the Jews at their first departure from the right had any intentions of crucifying the Son of God? No, none whatsoever. But they took the one wrong step, and it led to that terrible sin. The fall of any person can be traced back to one departure from the right. We cannot, even in the slightest thing, compromise. It will not work. God considers it the grossest presumption to compromise in the smallest thing.

Compromise is the most dangerous thing we can do for our souls. In the history of the Israelites there are many examples of failure, but fortunately, there are encouraging examples also—Daniel, and his three companions, Joseph and others.

There is a song with these words: “Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone dare to have a purpose firm, dare to make it known.” We must dare, like Daniel, to stand for the right no matter what. We cannot depart in the slightest, because it will lead to us going all the way, renouncing everything, and being lost.

Right now we are deciding if we are going to be numbered on the Lord’s side. If we know to do right, and do not do it, we will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and found wanting. Different people have different temptations and problems. It may not be the Sabbath issue. It could be something else. We dare not depart slightly, we must stand firm as a rock. The record says of Jesus that “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51. That is what we must do—set our face steadfastly to go to the New Jerusalem. We must not allow anything to hinder us. WE must not compromise in the slightest, because it will be our ruin if we do. Many pleasing allurements and inducements may be held out, but we cannot compromise. We must, as did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, stand erect, not allowing anything to sway us.

Do You Hear the Call?

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Revelation 14:7 tells us to “fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His judgment is come.”

The Lord is telling us that the hour of judgment is now upon us and it is our responsibility to “fear God and give glory to Him.” But what does this mean and how do we do it?

“It was the privilege of the Jewish nation to represent the character of God as it had been revealed to Moses. In answer to the prayer of Moses, ‘Show me Thy glory,’ the Lord promised, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before thee.’ Exodus 33:18, 19. ‘And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.’ Exodus 34:6, 7. This was the fruit that God desired from His people.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 285.

When in the mount Moses asked to be shown God’s glory, God showed him His character attributes. Here we see glory shown as character. Character is defined as, “the thoughts and feelings combined make up the moral character.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 310.

If God’s glory is shown to be His character, and the thoughts and feelings make up the moral character, then we must give glory to God by developing moral characters—through our thoughts and feelings.

Paul tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. What is it that we have come short of? The glory of God, His character—His thoughts and feelings. We have all sinned and come short of the thoughts and feelings of God.

Romans 8:18 tells us that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” The glory that Paul is referring to is character. God’s character will be revealed in His followers in thoughts and feelings.

We are all being called, but for what purpose? II Thessalonians 2:14 states, “Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The calling is to obtain the glory, the thoughts and feelings of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what are we told in Revelation 14:7: “Fear God and give glory to Him.”

Paul also says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5. We need to examine ourselves to see what spirit rules supreme in our minds.

There is a wonderful statement in Numbers 14:21: “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” Here is a promise that all the earth will be filled with the glory of God! The thoughts and feelings of God will fill the earth.

Heaven rejoiced at the thought of the creation of man: “All heaven took a deep and joyful interest in the creation of the world and of man. Human beings were a new and distinct order. They were made ‘in the image of God,’ Genesis 1:27, and it was the Creator’s design that they should populate the earth. They were to live in close communion with heaven, receiving power from the Source of all power. Upheld by God, they were to live sinless lives.” The Review and Herald, February 11, 1902.

In Isaiah 40:3–5, it states, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord—His character, His thoughts and feelings—reflected in His people on the earth.

“Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Isaiah 60:1. Again, we see the glory of the Lord being the moral character of His people.

“The Lord Jesus Christ is the author of our being, and He is also the author of our redemption, and everyone who will enter the kingdom of God will develop a character that is the counterpart of the character of God.

“The Lord, by close and pointed truths for these last days, is cleaving out a people from the world and purifying them unto Himself. Pride and unhealthful fashions, the love of display, the love of approbation—all must be left with the world if we would be renewed in knowledge after the image of Him who created us.

“By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature.

“It is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, which Jesus said He would send into the world, that changes our character into the image of Christ; and when this is accomplished, we reflect, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord.” God’s Amazing Grace, 246.

“When Adam came from the Creator’s hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker. ‘God created man in His own image’ (Genesis 1:27), and it was His purpose that the longer man lived the more fully he should reveal this image—the more fully reflect the glory of the Creator.” Education, 15.

This is God’s purpose for you and me. The longer the life, the more fully God’s character will shine through us. We are in need of self-examination to assess what is happening in our lives. Are we pleading to God for His character to shine through us and accepting those character traits so freely offered? As we pray for God to transform our characters and purify our thoughts and feelings we must allow the Spirit to bring forth the fruits of love, joy, peace, and gentleness to soften our own temperament.

The choice is ours to determine whom we reflect. Sometimes we do not see the ugliness that we have accumulated over the years, and become content with who we are. David recognized the deceptiveness of his heart and prayed, “Search me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23, 24. When we pray that prayer God will honor that sincere desire and search our heart. He will cause something to happen in our life that reveals exactly what is in there. Be prepared and be ready to turn whatever it is over to Him, that is not part of a heavenly character, when it is made known. This is what Paul calls working out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12.)

We are told, “Through His people Christ is to manifest His character and the principles of His kingdom.

“Satan seeks to counterwork the work of God, and he is constantly urging men to accept his principles.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 296. Once God brings these defects of character to light, a choice becomes necessary, and it is soon obvious that Satan is seeking and working hard to counteract the pleadings of God’s Spirit and have you reflect his character instead of our Lord’s. Watch and pray always!

“Wrongdoing and all thoughts and feelings condemned by the law are to be overcome.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 235, 236. This is essential, as they do not reflect God’s glory—God’s character, God’s thoughts and feelings. If they are not God’s thoughts and feelings, not God’s character, then they represent Satan’s character! Satan continually urges us to accept his principles. If we follow the principles of Satan’s kingdom, reflecting the glory/character of Satan, we are not giving glory to God as we are commanded in Revelation 14:7.

We are told that “God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; man makes the character. The mind is the Lord’s garden, and man must cultivate it earnestly in order to form a character after the divine similitude.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 341.

Watch and Cultivate

To do this we must begin with a prayer, which should always be, Father, let this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5.) Please, “Search me O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23, 24. Pray this with all your heart.

Another prayer that God is longing to answer is, “Create in me a clean heart, oh God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10.

“Let your cry be to God, Convert my inmost soul. Plead with God for the transforming power of His grace … Your soul’s salvation is in great peril, and now do not, I plead with you, deceive your own soul.” In Heavenly Places, 24.

When you pray these prayers, God will allow circumstances to come to you to show you what is really in your heart. He will allow these circumstances to test you and try you so that you may know exactly what changes need to be made.

“Temptation is allowed to come upon us to discover the character [the thoughts and feelings] we possess and to improve our defects.” Ibid., 24.

Praise God for temptations and trials.

The way we react to these situations, whether it be with anger or frustration, reflect either the character of God, giving glory to Him, or the character of Satan, giving glory to him. Give glory to God every moment. Life is so uncertain, and we never know what the next hour will bring.

Plead with God, “Search me O God and know my heart.” Psalm 139:23. Allow the Lord to show you what is in the deep recesses of your heart, to see your real self through testing and trial, and then be ready to pull out the weeds. Cultivate the garden of the mind so that God will be glorified; then be ready at that moment to be still and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10.)

We are told about our future companions in The Review and Herald, September 1, 1885: “The angels never fly into a passion, never are envious, selfish, and jealous. No harsh or unkind words escape their lips. And if we are to be the companions of angels, we too must be refined and courteous. And we have none too much time to change our wrong habits, reform our defective characters, and obtain a fitness for the society of those with whom we expect to associate not long hence. All harshness and severity, coarseness and unkindness, must be overcome in this life; for they are Satanic. Now is the very time for us to do the work. We can have no second probation. If we do not improve these hours of privilege, we would not improve a second probation should it be granted to us. It is now, while it is called today, that we are not to burden our hearts and continue to make Christ ashamed of the unsanctified words and deportment of us who bear his name.”

“All jangling and unpleasant, impatient, fretful words are an offering presented to his Satanic majesty. And it is a costly offering, more costly than any sacrifice we can make for God, for it destroys the peace and happiness of whole families, destroys health, and is eventually the cause of forfeiting an eternal life of happiness.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 310.

Be careful not to insult Christ. “The greatest insult we can inflict upon Him, is to pretend to be His disciples while manifesting the spirit of Satan in our words, our dispositions and our actions.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1160.

In understanding what it is to “fear God and give glory to Him” we do not want to insult our Redeemer by giving glory to Satan! Cultivate Christlike thoughts. Watch, and in the moment of danger—before giving glory to Satan by reflecting his character—send up a prayer for help and then be still and wait on the Lord. “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3. This should be our prayer each moment, and God will hear you!

“Fear God and give glory to Him.” Destroy the devil’s darkness by letting His light shine through you.

Judy Hallingstad is part of our LandMarks team. She can be contacted by email at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Bible Study Guides – Free From Mixture

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January 10, 2010 – January 16, 2010

Key Text:

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

Study Help: Psalm 15; Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 24–27; My Life Today, 263.

Introduction

“As the wax takes the impression of the seal, so the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God, and retain the moral image of Christ. We are to become partakers of the divine nature, realizing in our experience the vigor and perfection of spiritual life.” The Review and Herald, November 1, 1892.

1 Many people want to see God, but according to Jesus, who will see Him? Matthew 5:8.

Note: “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” Psalm 15.

“Always kind, courteous, ever taking the part of the oppressed, whether Jew or Gentile, Christ was beloved by all. By His perfect life and character, He answered the question asked in the fifteenth Psalm: ‘Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.’ In childhood and youth His course was such that when engaged in work as a teacher, He could say to His disciples, ‘If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love: even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.’ [John 15:10.]” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 402.

2 Read John 1:12. As we “receive” or associate ourselves with Christ, what gift are we also receiving? Where does this “holiness” or “state of purity” come from? Ephesians 4:20–24. Once “received,” what are we then to do? Colossians 2:6.

Note: “No man receives holiness as a birthright, or as a gift from any other human being. Holiness is the gift of God through Christ. Those who receive the Saviour become sons of God. They are His spiritual children, born again, renewed in righteousness and true holiness. Their minds are changed. With clearer vision they behold eternal realities. They are adopted into God’s family, and they become conformed to His likeness, changed by His Spirit from glory to glory.” God’s Amazing Grace, 120.

3 Being pure, meaning free from mixture or containing no material from a foreign country, does this apply to the inward man or the outward man? II Corinthians 4:16.

Note: “Those who receive the Saviour become sons of God. They are His spiritual children, born again, renewed in righteousness and true holiness. Their minds are changed. With clearer vision they behold eternal realities. They are adopted into God’s family, and they become conformed to His likeness, changed by His Spirit from glory to glory.” God’s Amazing Grace, 120.

4 To what has God not called us? I Thessalonians 4:7.

Note: “In his anxiety that the believers at Thessalonica should walk in the fear of God, the apostle pleaded with them to reveal practical godliness in the daily life. ‘We beseech you, brethren,’ he wrote, ‘and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.’ … ‘For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness’ [I Thessalonians 4:1, 2, 7].” The Acts of the Apostles, 262.

5 When we are filled with uncleanness, mixtures from a foreign country, what needs to happen? Ezekiel 36:25–27.

Note: “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.” God’s Amazing Grace, 100.

6 What important advice did Paul tell Timothy and what we need to follow? I Timothy 5:22, last part.

Note: “To know what constitutes purity of mind, soul, and body is an important part of education. Paul summed up the attainments possible for Timothy by saying, ‘Keep thyself pure.’ I Timothy 5:22. Impurity of thought, word, or action will not be indulged by the child of God. Every encouragement and the richest blessings are held up before the overcomers of evil practices, but the most fearful penalties are laid upon those who profane the body and defile the soul.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 103.

7 What is the Lord going to do in our lives with all of the dross, which is refuse or anything worthless—rubbish, and tin, which is a mixture of two or more metals or something that reduces purity? Isaiah 1:25; Isaiah 4:4.

Note: “To sin, wherever found, our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29. In all who submit to His power the Spirit of God will consume sin. But if men cling to sin, they become identified with it. Then the glory of God, which destroys sin, must destroy them. …

“Wherever men came before God while willfully cherishing evil, they were destroyed. …

“Only the pure in heart could abide in His presence.” The Desire of Ages, 107, 108.

8 When we have received the Lord, what must we do? Romans 6:19–22.

Note: “Holiness is wholeness to God. The soul is surrendered to God. The will, and even the thoughts, are brought into subjection to the will of Christ. The love of Jesus fills the soul, and is constantly going out in a clear, refreshing stream, to make glad the hearts of others.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1076.

9 Being a child of God means bearing a likeness to Christ in character. What will happen to all of those who are “pure in heart,” who are free from mixture and contain no “foreign material?” Revelation 7:2, 3.

Note: “ ‘And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure’ [I John 3:3]. In a little while every one who is a child of God will have His seal placed upon him. O that it may be placed upon our foreheads! Who can endure the thought of being passed by when the angel goes forth to seal the servants of God in their foreheads? …

“The seal of the living God will be placed upon those only who bear a likeness to Christ in character.

“As wax takes the impression of the seal, so the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God and retain the image of Christ.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 969, 970.

10 Knowing what purity really means, what should be our most earnest prayer to our Heavenly Father? Psalm 51:10–12.

Note: “One of the most earnest prayers recorded in the Word of God is that of David when he pled, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God’ [Psalm 51:10]. God’s response to such a prayer is, A new heart will I give you (Ezekiel 36:26). This is a work that no finite man can do. Men and women are to begin at the beginning, seeking God most earnestly for a true Christian experience. They are to feel the creative power of the Holy Spirit. They are to receive the new heart, that is kept soft and tender by the grace of heaven. The selfish spirit is to be cleansed from the soul. They are to labor earnestly and with humility of heart, each one looking to Jesus for guidance and encouragement. Then the building, fitly framed together, will grow into a holy temple in the Lord.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1165.

Additional Reading

“ ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life’ [Proverbs 4:23]. Diligent heart-keeping is essential to a healthy growth in grace. The heart in its natural state is a habitation for unholy thoughts and sinful passions. When brought into subjection to Christ, it must be cleansed by the Spirit from all defilement. This can not be done without the consent of the individual.

“When the soul has been cleansed, it is the duty of the Christian to keep it undefiled. Many seem to think that the religion of Christ does not call for the abandonment of daily sins, the breaking loose from habits which have held the soul in bondage. They renounce some things condemned by the conscience, but they fail to represent Christ in the daily life. They do not bring Christlikeness into the home. They do not show a thoughtful care in their choice of words. Too often, fretful, impatient words are spoken, words which stir the worst passions of the human heart. Such ones need the abiding presence of Christ in the soul. Only in His strength can they keep guard over the words and actions.

“In the work of heart-keeping we must be instant in prayer, unwearied in petitioning the throne of grace for assistance. Those who take the name of Christian should come to God in earnestness and humility, pleading for help. The Saviour has told us to pray without ceasing. The Christian can not always be in the position of prayer, but his thoughts and desires can always be upward. Our self-confidence would vanish, did we talk less and pray more. …

“Let the prayer go up to God, ‘Create in me a clean heart;’ for a pure, cleansed soul has Christ abiding therein, and out of the abundance of the heart are the issues of life. The human will is to be yielded to Christ. Instead of passing on, closing the heart in selfishness, there is need of opening the heart to the sweet influences of the Spirit of God. Practical religion breathes its fragrance everywhere. It is a savor of life unto life.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1157.

“Genuine conversion is needed, not once in years, but daily. This conversion brings man into a new relation with God. Old things, his natural passions and hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong, pass away, and he is renewed and sanctified. But this work must be continual; for as long as Satan exists, he will make an effort to carry on his work. He who strives to serve God will encounter a strong undercurrent of wrong. His heart needs to be barricaded by constant watchfulness and prayer, or else the embankment will give way; and like a millstream, the undercurrent of wrong will sweep away the safeguard. No renewed heart can be kept in a condition of sweetness without the daily application of the salt of the Word. Divine grace must be received daily, or no man will stay converted.” Our High Calling, 215.

“The Lord purifies the heart very much as we air a room. We do not close the doors and windows, and throw in some purifying substance; but we open the doors and throw wide the windows, and let heaven’s purifying atmosphere flow in. The Lord says, ‘He that doeth truth cometh to the light’ [John 3:21]. The windows of impulse, of feeling, must be opened up toward heaven, and the dust of selfishness and earthliness must be expelled. The grace of God must sweep through the chambers of the mind, the imagination must have heavenly themes for contemplation, and every element of the nature must be purified and vitalized by the Spirit of God.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 940.

Lesson Studies were prepared by Judy Hallingstad of the LandMarks staff. She can be contacted at judyhallingstad@stepstolife.org .

Bible Study Guides – Whose Garment are you Wearing?

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February 28, 2010 – March 6, 2010

Key Text

“And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” Jude 23.

Study Help: Sons and Daughters of God, 100; “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1178.

Introduction

“With garments of sin and shame the enemy clothes those who have been overpowered by his temptations, and then he declares that it is unfair for Christ to be their Light, their Defender.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1178.

1 Is it possible to “clothe” ourselves with our own anger, cursing or foul language? Is that the garment you would like to wear? Psalm 109:18, 19.

Note. “If our lips have need of cleansing, if we realize our destitution, and come to God in contrition of heart, the Lord will remove the uncleanness. He will say to his angel, ‘Take away the filthy garments,’ and clothe him with ‘change of raiment’ [Zechariah 3:4].” The Review and Herald, December 22, 1896.

“If in word and spirit you represent the character of Christ, then you are Christians; for to be a Christian is to be Christ-like. The tongue will testify of the principles that characterize the life; it is the sure test of what power controls the heart. We may judge our own spirit and principles by the words that proceed from our lips. The tongue is always to be under the control of the Holy Spirit.” The Review and Herald, May 26, 1896.

2 Where does this anger and foul language begin? Matthew 12:34–36.

Note. “Then let them not be used in bringing from the treasure of the heart words that will dishonor God and discourage those around you, but use them for the praise and glory of God, who has formed them for this purpose. When the cleansing coal is applied from the glowing altar, the conscience will be purged from dead works to serve the living God; and when the love of Jesus is the theme of contemplation, the words coming from human lips will be full of praise and thanksgiving to God and to the Lamb.” The Review and Herald, December 22, 1896.

3 When there is an evil treasure in our hearts that brings forth evil, what do we need and where do we find it? Ezekiel 36:26, 27.

Note. “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.

“Then a spirit of kindness will be manifested, not by fits and starts, but continually. There will be a decided change in attitude, in deportment, in words and actions toward all with whom you are in any way connected. You will not magnify their infirmities, you will not place them in an unfavorable light. You will work in Christ’s lines.” Sons and Daughters of God, 100.

4 The enemy wants to clothe us with his garments of character. What other garment descriptions are we warned about? Psalm 73:6–9.

Note. “With garments of sin and shame the enemy clothes those who have been overpowered by his temptations, and then he declares that it is unfair for Christ to be their Light, their Defender.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1178.

5 Knowing that the enemy’s garments are garments of death, full of leprosy, which garment would you like to be clothed with? Isaiah 61:10.

Note. “Every true turning to the Lord brings abiding joy into the life. When a sinner yields to the influence of the Holy Spirit, he sees his own guilt and defilement in contrast with the holiness of the great Searcher of hearts. He sees himself condemned as a transgressor. But he is not, because of this, to give way to despair; for his pardon has already been secured. He may rejoice in the sense of sins forgiven, in the love of a pardoning heavenly Father. It is God’s glory to encircle sinful, repentant human beings in the arms of His love, to bind up their wounds, to cleanse them from sin, and to clothe them with the garments of salvation.” Prophets and Kings, 668.

6 With what will the Lord replace the spirit of heaviness? Isaiah 61:3.

Note. “There is nothing in us from which we can clothe the soul so that its nakedness shall not appear. We are to receive the robe of righteousness woven in the loom of heaven, even the spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 965.

7 Since our filthy garments will not be taken from us, what are we told to do? Philippians 2:12, last part.

Note. “The work of overcoming is a great work. Shall we take hold of it with energy and perseverance? Unless we do, our ‘filthy garments’ will not be taken from us. We need never expect that these will be torn from us violently; we must first show a desire to rid ourselves of them. We must seek to separate sin from us, relying upon the merits of the blood of Christ; and then in the day of affliction, when the enemy presses us, we shall walk among the angels. They will be like a wall of fire about us; and we shall one day walk with them in the city of God.” The Review and Herald, November 19, 1908.

8 If we do not want to be found naked, what are we to do? Revelation 16:15.

Note. “Trial is part of the education given in the school of Christ, to purify God’s children from the dross of earthliness. It is because God is leading His children that trying experiences come to them. Trials and obstacles are His chosen methods of discipline, and His appointed conditions of success. He who reads the hearts of men knows their weaknesses better than they themselves can know them. He sees that some have qualifications which, if rightly directed, could be used in the advancement of His work. In His providence He brings these souls into different positions and varied circumstances, that they may discover the defects that are concealed from their own knowledge. He gives them opportunity to overcome these defects and to fit themselves for service. Often He permits the fires of affliction to burn, that they may be purified.

“God’s care for His heritage is unceasing. He suffers no affliction to come upon His children but such as is essential for their present and eternal good. He will purify His church, even as Christ purified the temple during His ministry on earth. All that He brings upon His people in test and trial comes that they may gain deeper piety and greater strength to carry forward the triumphs of the cross.” The Acts of the Apostles, 524, 525.

9 To all that overcome and have not defiled their garments, what is promised? Revelation 3:4.

Note. “It is right to love beauty and to desire it; but God desires us to love and seek first the highest beauty, that which is imperishable. No outward adorning can compare in value or loveliness with that ‘meek and quiet spirit’ [I Peter 3:4], the ‘fine linen, white and clean’ (Revelation 19:14), which all the holy ones of earth will wear. This apparel will make them beautiful and beloved here, and will hereafter be their badge of admission to the palace of the King. His promise is, ‘They shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy.’ Revelation 3:4.” The Acts of the Apostles, 523, 524.

10 Read Zechariah 3:2–7. Tell in your own words what these verses mean to you and which garment you prefer.

Note. “Satan seeks to bring us into temptation, that the evil of our characters may be revealed before men and angels, that he may claim us as his own. In the symbolic prophecy of Zechariah, Satan is seen standing at the right hand of the Angel of the Lord, accusing Joshua, the high priest, who is clothed in filthy garments, and resisting the work that the Angel desires to do for him. This represents the attitude of Satan toward every soul whom Christ is seeking to draw unto Himself. The enemy leads us into sin, and then he accuses us before the heavenly universe as unworthy of the love of God. But ‘the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?’ And unto Joshua He said, ‘Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.’ Zechariah 3:1–4.

“God in His great love is seeking to develop in us the precious graces of His Spirit. He permits us to encounter obstacles, persecution, and hardships, not as a curse, but as the greatest blessing of our lives. Every temptation resisted, every trial bravely borne, gives us a new experience and advances us in the work of character building. The soul that through divine power resists temptation reveals to the world and to the heavenly universe the efficiency of the grace of Christ.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 116, 117.

Additional Reading

“Pride and weakness of faith are depriving many of the rich blessings of God. There are many who, unless they humble their hearts before the Lord, will be surprised and disappointed when the cry is heard: ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh.’ Matthew 25:6. They have the theory of the truth, but they have no oil in their vessels with their lamps. Our faith at this time must not stop with an assent to, or belief in, the theory of the third angel’s message. We must have the oil of the grace of Christ that will feed the lamp and cause the light of life to shine forth, showing the way to those who are in darkness.

“If we would escape having a sickly experience, we must begin in earnest without delay to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. There are many who give no decided evidence that they are true to their baptismal vows. Their zeal is chilled by formality, worldly ambition, pride, and love of self. Occasionally their feelings are stirred, but they do not fall on the Rock, Christ Jesus. They do not come to God with hearts that are broken in repentance and confession. Those who experience the work of true conversion in their hearts will reveal the fruits of the Spirit in their lives. Oh, that those who have so little spiritual life would realize that eternal life can be granted only to those who become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust!

“The power of Christ alone can work the transformation in heart and mind that all must experience who would partake with Him of the new life in the kingdom of heaven. ‘Except a man be born again,’ the Saviour has said, ‘he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ John 3:3. The religion that comes from God is the only religion that can lead to God. In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will lead to watchfulness. It will purify the heart and renew the mind, and give us a new capacity for knowing and loving God. It will give us willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 155, 156.

Lesson Studies were prepared by Judy Hallingstad of the LandMarks staff. She can be contacted at judyhallingstad@stepstolife.org .