Faith

The Christian’s Privilege

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“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 1:11–13

What is the difference between a right and a privilege?

According to legal scholars, a right is something that cannot be legally denied, such as the right to free speech, press, religion, and raising a family. A privilege is something that can be given and taken away and is considered to be a special advantage or opportunity that is available only to certain people.

This explains the difference in secular law between a right and a privilege. I would like to suggest, however, that in the religious realm, a right and a privilege are pretty much the same. We talk of the privilege we have to bow before the throne of grace and carry our petitions to the source of infinite power. While this is indeed a privilege, a special advantage or opportunity that is available only to certain people—and that would be those who believe in a superior power—it is also something that cannot be legally denied. While laws may well be passed that prohibit in a certain degree open prayer, nothing can stop someone from silently praying.

We indeed have a right to pray. While it is also considered a privilege to bow before our Creator, legally we cannot be prevented from praying. The time may well come when we have to pray silently, but as true believers, we know that God hears even our silent prayers.

In nearly every one of Paul’s letters, he exhorts his readers to understand the wonderful privileges they have as followers of Christ. He often expressed these privileges in terms of prayers. This is especially evident in his letter to the Ephesians.

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:14–19

Here Paul writes of his desire that the brethren at Ephesus might come to understand the height, the fullness of the Christian’s privilege. He opens before us, in the most comprehensive language, the marvelous power and knowledge that we might possess as sons and daughters of the Most High. It is our privilege “to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man,” to be “rooted and grounded in love,” to “comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge.” But the prayer of the apostle reaches the epitome of privilege when he prays that “you might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

This is the exact same condition that Christ experiences in His relationship to His Father. “For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9. Paul prays for that same fullness for us!

Let’s take a deeper look at this prayer. Paul prays that his readers—and indeed all Christians—might comprehend the love of Christ; then he acknowledges that that love passes knowledge.

It is incomprehensible.

It is an interesting contrast in understanding that we can comprehend the love of Christ, although it passes knowledge. The Greek word that is translated passes in this text can also be translated exceeds or excels. Christ’s love for us exceeds knowledge, although we can comprehend it and are aware of it. It is revealed to us in the fragrance of every flower, the song of every bird, the beauty of the sunrise. Indeed, throughout nature God’s love is revealed to us when we sense and perceive that love as He wants us to, as He has given us the privilege to, and indeed, the right to.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul sets forth the rich blessings granted to the children of God. He says: We “do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” Colossians 1:9–11

Another prayer; another set of privileges for the Christian. Here, Paul prays that the Colossians, and again, all Christians, may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. What exactly does that mean? Knowing and doing God’s will is a salvational issue. There is absolutely no hope of my crossing the Jordan if I am not actively engaged in seeking to know His will and following through with action. If it were not important, the Holy Spirit would not have moved upon Paul to compose that prayer.

A walk worthy of the Lord.

Paul also prays that Christians may walk worthy of the Lord and be fruitful in every good work. Whether or not a person is worthy can be a hot topic. It is true that on my own I cannot now nor will I ever “walk worthy of the Lord,” as Paul puts it. However, as we all know, it is the Christian’s privilege to be clothed, by faith, in the righteousness of Christ, and therefore, be found worthy of everlasting life.

Indeed, we are promised in Zechariah 3 that the Angel of the Lord will perform the miracle of miracles by removing those character traits that defile us—our filthy garments—and replacing them with His own righteous nature.

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at His right hand to oppose him.

“And the Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’

“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, ‘Take away the filthy garments from him.’ And to him He said, ‘See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.’

“And I said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

“Then the Angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, and likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk among these who stand here.

“ ‘ “Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the Branch. For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua: upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ ” Says the Lord of hosts, ‘ “And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day,’ ” says the Lord of hosts, “Everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree.” ’ ” Zechariah 3:1–10

I don’t fully understand every verse of Zachariah 3; however, the final verse depicts a time of peaceful and tranquil Christian fellowship that the saved will experience after the destruction of the enemy of peace. This experience is a privilege that is open to all.

We can engage in endless discussions about the legal difference between a right and a privilege. But in religious terms, I don’t think it matters that much. Although legally, while a right cannot be denied, I can choose to reject salvation. If I choose to disregard the privileges that I have as a believer in the salvation that Christ has afforded me by His death on the cross, I have no right to reside where the peace and blessings of Jesus reign supreme, and where “everyone will invite his neighbor under his vine and under his fig tree.” If I, by my own choices, am lost, then there is no place for me among the saved, neither here nor there.

It is my hope, indeed my prayer, that all who succeed in overcoming, which it is our privilege to do, will have a fruitful vine and a shady fig tree near their country homes in the earth made new and enjoy wonderful fellowship as we invite others to join us there.

John R. Pearson is the office manager and Steps to Life board member. He can be reached by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.

Talk Faith, and Move Forward

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“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee: As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.”

John 17:1–4

While we know Christ in one sense, that He is the Saviour of the world, it means more than this. We must have a personal knowledge and experience in Christ Jesus, an experimental knowledge of Christ, what He is to us, and what we are to Christ. That is the experience that everyone wants. Now, I cannot have it for any of you, nor can you have it for me. The work that is to be done for us, is to be through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit of God upon human minds and human hearts. The heart must be purified and sanctified. …

What is the matter with us? “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” It shall be given him. There are no “ifs” nor “ands” about it. “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering” (James 1:5, 6).

You pray, and ask God for wisdom, strength, and efficiency, and feel you must have them. But perhaps, right after that prayer, it will seem as though a hellish shadow of Satan was cast right athwart your pathway, and you see nothing beyond. What was that? Why, the devil wanted to obscure your faith in that cloud. But there is no necessity for you to do that. Is feeling to be our criterion, or is it to be the word of the living God? Are we to sink our faith in the cloud? That is what Satan wants us to do. But we should not give him so much pleasure as that. What are we going to do? …

“Ask in faith, nothing wavering.” Don’t let one single suggestion of the devil come in. It is to be “nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea” (verse 6). The Lord will do great things for us if we will only show our trust in Him. …

When we come to the hardest places, we may know that all heaven is interested and will bear us up, if we will not fail or be discouraged. Cling to the mighty One. Do not talk unbelief at all, because the more you talk unbelief the more unbelief you will have; and the more you talk darkness, the more darkness you will have; and the more you talk light, the more light you will have; and the more you talk faith, you will have faith. …

You must put your foot right on the Word, and say, I believe; I will believe; I will press to the mark of the prize, and everything that hinders me shall be swept away; I will not allow anything to interpose between my soul and God.

No, the dark shadow of Satan will come right across our pathway if we let our faith sink into it. But we must do as the eagle does when he is in the cloud and bewildered in the fog. He does not go one way and another as though distracted, but presses upward through the cloud, until he comes into the light above. And so we should press upward beyond the hellish shadow of Satan, when he tries to eclipse the rays of light that come from God.

Now, we want the life of Christ in our hearts to make us one, and there will be united action. We must press to the mark of the prize of the high calling which is in Christ Jesus our Lord; and what we need is that living, active faith that takes God at His word. We must have it, and God will let us have it if we will.

We must not be discouraged. We want to get rid of unbelief; we do not want to talk it, or act it, or think it, but press forward to the mark of the prize of the high calling that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. … I know that the time has come when God’s people should put on their beautiful garments. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” It is the word of infinite power that He wants you to eat and drink. He wants you to eat His flesh and drink His blood, and then the power of God will be in your midst. Then the voice will be touched with a peculiar power. …

… Do not think about your brethren and sisters for fear they are not ready, but think about yourself. You want to know where you are, and to know that Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. You want to be constantly singing, and when you do that you will stop your criticizing. If you are beholding Him, you will not have time for anything else. And if you see His face, it will be reflected in your face, and all this mourning and groaning is dishonoring God, for “whoso offereth praise, glorifieth God. …”

Just keep praising God, and when the devil tempts you, sing. When Christ was a child He was tempted in every way, and what did He do? He sang psalms, and praised God, and there was music in His voice. And there was an impression made upon the hearts and minds of those who heard Him. He wants you to have heaven in view, and heaven is a good deal nearer than you think. God’s holy, anointed ones are right by you, and here is His church, the greatest object of His love that it is possible for Him to have. He is watching over every one of us.

I love Him because He first loved me. I love Him because He gave His life for me. And God forbid that I should be a coward. When the children of Israel went out to fight, God told them to sing, and as soon as they began to sing, their enemies fled, for they saw the whole army of heaven before them. They were afraid of their destruction and fled. God wants us to vanquish the enemy. Let us pray as we never prayed before. We do not pray half enough. … May God bless you, and may the Spirit of God be with us. Sermons and Talks, Vol. 1, 303–311

Abraham’s Test of Faith

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“Faith claims God’s promises and brings forth fruit in obedience. … Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures. …

“It is not enough to believe about Christ; we must believe in Him. The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him as a personal Saviour; which appropriates His merits to ourselves. Many hold faith as an opinion. But saving faith is a transaction, by which those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with God. Genuine faith is life. A living faith means an increase of vigor, a confiding trust, by which the soul becomes a conquering power.” Gospel Workers, 260, 261

The subject of faith is one of great importance. Let’s begin our study by looking at 14 points about faith:

  1. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him [God].” Hebrews 11:6, first part
  2. Only those who have faith in God are actually part of the true church, but church membership does not give you faith (Luke 16:19–31). “The closing scenes of this earth’s history are portrayed in the closing of the rich man’s history. The rich man claimed to be a son of Abraham, but he was separated from Abraham by an impassable gulf—a character wrongly developed. Abraham served God, following His word in faith and obedience. But, the rich man was unmindful of God and of the needs of suffering humanity. The great gulf fixed between him and Abraham was the gulf of disobedience. There are many today who are following the same course. Though church members, they are unconverted. They may take part in the church service, they may chant the psalm, ‘As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God’ (Psalm 42:1); but they testify to a falsehood. They are no more righteous in God’s sight than is the veriest sinner.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 269, 270

Mrs. White is describing church members who are not converted; they are members of the professed church, but not of the true church. The Bible and Spirit of Prophecy make a very sharp distinction between the true church and the professed church. “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His.’ ” 2 Timothy 2:19, first part. Members of the true church and the professed church all make a profession, but not everyone making a profession is a part of His true church. Mrs. White uses the terminology “the professed church” hundreds of times in her writings, making a distinction between it and the true church.

So how can you know whether you are a professed or true member of God’s church? “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.” Galatians 3:7. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Verse 26. “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Verse 29

  1. Everyone who has faith in God will be saved. Period. No exceptions. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47
  2. Jesus predicted that in the last days of earth’s history there would be a great lack of faith, a time of prevailing unbelief. “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8, last part
  3. Lack of faith is one of the main problems of the Laodicean church (Revelation 3:14–22).
  4. Some have more than others, but every person has a measure of faith. “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3, last part

Researchers have given polygraph tests to some who say they do not believe in God. The results? They failed the test. There are many stories of an atheist or agnostic who, when confronted with a terrible situation, cried out, “Lord, help me!” And the Lord did. God has given every man some faith on which to build greater faith.

  1. The time of Noah was a time of little faith and big unbelief. They did not believe what Noah said, until the rain came. In the last days, just before Jesus comes again, He said it would be just as it was then (Matthew 24:37–39).
  2. If you desire your faith to grow, you must exercise it. Everyone has some faith, but would you like to have more? “How to exercise faith should be made very plain. To every promise of God there are conditions. If we are willing to do His will, all His strength is ours. …

“It [faith] grows as exercised in appropriating the word of God. In order to strengthen faith, we must often bring it in contact with the word.” Education, 253, 254. That statement is worth a lot of study. God says to us, “If you will do this, I will do that.” We do our part, He does His; that is when miracles begin happening in our lives.

  1. For faith to become strong, it must be tested. This is true with any endeavor be it spiritual, mental, or physical. If you want to become physically strong, you must exercise and use your muscles. In school, students are tested to determine what they have learned. To become spiritually strong, you must be tested, and, as children of God, we should expect to be tested.

“Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’ But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.” John 6:5, 6. If Jesus already knew what He was going to do, why did He ask the question? To test Philip. Sadly, he failed the test. It is important to be tested so that we can grow spiritually in Christ.

  1. If you desire to have strong faith, you must regularly study your Bible. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. Mrs. White says we should study our Bible every morning and evening. Some people say they don’t have time to study their Bible more than once a day. Do you have time to eat more than once a day? Yes, because it is necessary if you’re going to be healthy. For your spiritual health, it is necessary to make the time to immerse your mind in the word of God at least twice a day; and that is the minimum. Think of Daniel. Temptations, trials, and struggles in Babylon led him to study the word three times a day. It was so important to him that he did not stop even when he knew it would mean being thrown into the lions’ den.
  2. Faith always obeys the word of God. No obedience, no faith.
  3. “Every failure on the part of the children of God is due to their lack of faith.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 657. Why do we fail? Lack of faith. Do you realize that if you have enough faith, you never have to fail in your Christian experience?
  4. “Through faith in Christ, every deficiency of character may be supplied, every defilement cleansed, every fault corrected, every excellence developed.” Education, 257. If you have faith in Christ, everything you need for the perfecting of your character will be supplied, and every defilement will be removed.
  5. “Faith is trusting God—believing that He loves us and knows best what is for our good. …

“… Faith receives from God the life that alone can produce true growth and efficiency.” Ibid., 253

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8. Faith is best understood when looked at from the standpoint of human experience. Abraham, one of the great men of faith in the Bible, had faith so great that he is called the father of the faithful and the friend of God. There were three big tests of faith in Abraham’s life. Each bigger than the one before it, each requiring greater faith.

When Abraham was around 70 years of age, still a relatively young man in those days, God gave him his first test of faith by directing him to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees—today the southern part of Iraq—and go to a place that He would reveal to Him. Ur of the Chaldees was a highly civilized city with many “modern” things—running water, street lights at night, paved roads, and masonry buildings. Abraham had lived there all his life with his father and mother and other relatives. Now, God says to him, “Leave your family and all you know, and I will show you where to go.”

Abraham stepped out in faith, gathered his family and herds of cattle and sheep, and headed out to follow God’s instructions. Everyone wanted to know where he was going, but he couldn’t tell them because he didn’t know. The only explanation he could give was that the Lord wanted him to go. They thought he was crazy; it’s possible that Abraham felt a little crazy. Abraham loved his family, but he left them, knowing he would likely never see them again, and he did it because he had faith in God’s direction.

“It was no light test that was thus brought upon Abraham, no small sacrifice that was required of him. There were strong ties to bind him to his country, his kindred, and his home. But he did not hesitate to obey the call. He had no question to ask concerning the land of promise—whether the soil was fertile and the climate healthful; whether the country offered agreeable surroundings and would afford opportunities for amassing wealth. God had spoken, and His servant must obey; the happiest place on earth for him was the place where God would have him to be.

“Many are still tested as was Abraham. They do not hear the voice of God speaking directly from the heavens, but He calls them by the teachings of His word and the events of His providence. … Who is ready at the call of Providence to renounce cherished plans and familiar associations? Who will accept new duties and enter untried fields, doing God’s work with firm and willing heart?” Patriarchs and Prophets, 126, 127

Hard as Abraham’s first test was, the next was still harder. The first recorded promise that God had given Abraham is found in Genesis 12:2, first part, 3, last part. Leave your home, family, all you know, and “I will make you a great nation. … And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

“Then Abram said, ‘Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!’ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.’ Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:3–6

A child. The Lord told Abraham that he and Sarah would have a child and from this child his descendants would be as innumerable as the stars and the sand on the seashore. Abraham was about 85, past the age for begetting children, but the Bible says he believed God. We can always believe that what God says He will do, will be done. But one of the biggest problems for us in developing faith is that when God promises something, we expect to see it happen right now, and God doesn’t always tell us when what He says will happen. Often faith and patience go hand in hand, and that was the case for this particular test.

The time came when Sarah, about 75 years old, passed her childbearing years, and still the promised child had not been born. So she did what was customary in those days. She encouraged Abraham to take a secondary wife, her servant girl Hagar, to bear the child for her. This practice was so common in those days that archeologists have found that a provision was often included in marriage covenants allowing a husband to take a secondary wife in order to preserve the family name—an acceptable practice to them, but not to God.

Abraham followed Sarah’s counsel and Hagar had a son they named Ishmael, which means God will hear. The Bible says that God came down and Abraham told Him about Ishmael and that now he had an heir. But the Lord told Abraham that Ishmael was not the child of promise. He reminded him that the child would be born of Abraham’s wife, not a surrogate, and certainly not a child conceived by fornication.

Both Abraham and Sarah were beyond the age of conceiving children. In fact, it seemed so ridiculous that they would have a child at their ages that Sarah laughed in her heart. The Lord asked her why she laughed. Was there anything too hard for the Lord to do? They soon realized the answer to that question when they did have a son. They named him Isaac, which means laughter.

Abraham had failed his second test of faith. He did not believe that God could fulfill His promise of a child in His time and His way. So, he attempted himself to solve what appeared to be an insurmountable problem for God. Because of this failure, Abraham was given a third and unimaginable test of faith.

“Abraham was directed of God to go up to Mount Moriah, and there offer up his son as a burnt offering. There the Lord tested Abraham by a most fearful trial. In taking Hagar for his wife, he showed distrust in the promises of God. If he had patiently waited for the promise to be fulfilled in God’s own time and manner, and had not sought to make a providence himself, he would not have been subjected to this the closest test that was ever required of man.” The Signs of the Times, April 1, 1875

Isaac was about 20 years of age when God sent Abraham to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Can you imagine the confusion in Abraham’s mind? Though, as any man, Abraham had made mistakes, and at times lacked faith in God, he believed God to be merciful and loving. How could He ask this of him?

“Then He [the Lord] said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ ” Genesis 22:2

Abraham went to Isaac and explained that the Lord wanted them to go to a distant mountain to offer a sacrifice. Before dawn, they and their servants, set out for the land of Moriah. Mrs. White says that the first day was the longest day of Abraham’s life.

Usually when they traveled together, Abraham and Isaac would talk, but it seemed to Isaac on this journey that his father didn’t feel like talking. They walked all day, and when night came, Isaac and the servants went to bed and slept. But Abraham couldn’t sleep; instead he prayed all night. Tormented by the devil, he suggested to Abraham that God couldn’t actually mean for him to kill Isaac; He’d be breaking His own law. But Abraham knew what God had told him to do, and he knew that God could decide anything that He chose. And as a man of faith, he would obey. Remember, faith always obeys the word of God. Abraham asked the Lord to help him to be obedient, if possible, without having to sacrifice Isaac, but there was no answer.

The next morning they got up, ate breakfast, and went on their way again. The second longest day of Abraham’s life began.

By evening, he had not slept for 36 hours. Exhausted, as the others slept, again he pleaded with the Lord to send an angel to explain why He was asking Abraham to sacrifice his son. God had spoken to him many times in answer to his prayer, but again there was no answer.

On the third day, God gave Abraham a sign. He saw a bright, glorious cloud over Mount Moriah. The time had come. He had to obey God. When he saw the sign, he told the servants to remain behind, that he and Isaac would go on alone. Abraham could not bear for anyone but God to witness what was about to happen. He continued to plead with the Lord to take his own life rather than the life of Isaac, but the Lord said that Isaac must be the one.

As they made their way up the mountain, Isaac pointed out that they had wood and fire, but that there was no animal for a sacrifice. Abraham could only answer that Jehovah would provide the lamb. The Hebrew word Jehovah-jireh means, God will provide. At the top of the mountain, they built an altar together. Unable to put it off any longer, Abraham with quivering lip and shaking voice, told Isaac that God had instructed that he was to be the burnt offering. Imagine the fear Isaac must have felt! He was a strong young man and he could have escaped, but Isaac was also a man of faith. He would not violate a command of God.

After helping Abraham place the wood on the altar, Isaac allowed himself to be bound upon the altar. Abraham expressed to him how much he loved him; that his obedience to God in no way indicated a lessening of that love. Father embraced son and they shed what they believed would be the last tears they would shed together in this world.

Mrs. White tells us that Abraham believed that God could restore Isaac’s life. This took genuine faith because God had not yet resurrected a human being and would not do so until He raised Moses, hundreds of years later.

Abraham took the knife, lifted it up, and as he brought the knife down, his hand was suddenly stopped. A voice was heard from heaven. “But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ So he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ ” Genesis 22:11, 12

“Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.” Verse 13

“ ‘By Myself I have sworn,’ says the Lord, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.  In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’ ” Verses 16–18. Faith always obeys.

“God estimated Abraham’s obedience and unswerving faith, and gave him the name of ‘Father of the faithful.’ The example of Abraham is recorded in sacred history for the benefit of his believing children.” The Signs of the Times, April 1, 1875. Why was this done?

“This great act of faith teaches the lesson of implicit confidence in God, perfect obedience to His requirements, and a complete surrender to the divine will.” Ibid.

Everything that you and I have belongs to the Lord—time, money, talents, ourselves. He has lent these things to us to prove us. God recorded this story in the Bible to give us an example of perfect faith and obedience, so that we might understand and better comprehend how real was the great self-denial and infinite sacrifice made by our Father in heaven when He gave His Son to this world. Unlike Isaac, there was no one to stay the hand when Jesus went to His trial. No one to say, “Enough!” The angels were not permitted to interfere. Jesus Christ was insulted, mocked, and derided. He was given up to die a shameful, violent, torturous death—our death.

Abraham knew that God’s promises were infallible and that it was better to obey God, no matter what, than to disobey. If God had come to Abraham and told him to give up all he owned—gold, flocks, herds, silver, land—that would have been easy for him. If God had asked him to surrender his own life for His sake, Abraham would have given it. Mrs. White says that if God had asked him for any of those things, he would have gladly turned it over, including his own life. But God’s test was harder than surrendering his own life.

I hear people say, “I wish I could obey the Lord and pay my tithe and keep the Sabbath, but I don’t have the money and I don’t have the time” and they think they are going to live with Abraham someday? “The deepest poverty, with God’s blessing, is better than houses and lands, and any amount of earthly treasure, without it.” Ibid. It is God’s blessing that places a value on everything that we possess. Without it, we can have the whole world, but we will be poor. Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Mark 8:36

Friend, you are better off obeying God, no matter what your problems might be, than being disobedient and enjoying the blessings of this world for a time. The Psalmist said, “Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.” Ecclesiastes 8:12

“Those who profess to be looking for the soon coming of our Saviour, should have Abrahamic faith, a faith that is valued because it has cost them something, a faith that works by love, and purifies the soul. The example of Abraham is left on record for us upon whom the ends of the world have come. We must believe that God is in earnest with us, and that He is not to be trifled with. He means what He says, and He requires of us implicit faith and willing obedience.” The Signs of the Times, April 1, 1875

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

The Law of the Harvest

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The flood had done its work and the earth had been devastated. The ark had rested upon the mountain and Noah and his family stepped out to see the devastated wilderness before them wondering what lay ahead. The Lord spoke to them in Genesis 8:21 and 22 NKJV saying, “The Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.’ ”

The first principle of the law of the harvest is the principle of faith. Imagine how much faith it took for Noah to believe what God said. Every living thing, man and beast, had gone out of the ark, but there was still something very precious remaining in the ark: seed. What would they do with that seed? If they decided to eat it, they would survive for a while. If they planted it and it did not grow, the human race would come to its end right at that point. Would they believe God and bury that precious seed in the earth and believe that it would grow and provide food for the family, just as God said?

Seed was the most precious thing in the ark. Have you considered that no seed is sown in knowledge, but rather in faith? Today, the most precious thing in all the storage houses and warehouses of America is still seed. Automobile factories could close and all of the lots be emptied of cars; steel mills and textile factories could close down. In fact, all industries could cease to produce, and we’d still get along. But if there is no seed, then mankind is finished. The most precious thing in all America today is seed; without it, there would be no food.

Remember, seed is sown in faith, not knowledge, so every time you plant a seed you are expressing your faith that seedtime and harvest will not cease. California grows one-third of all the fruit and one-fourth of all the vegetables that are eaten in the whole of America. The state also grows one-fourth of all the vegetables that are eaten in the 50 states. Ninety percent of the apricots, dates, figs, grapes, lemons, plums, dried prunes, walnuts, broccoli, avocadoes, nectarines, olives and almonds are grown in California.

What would happen to America if the farmers of California lost faith in sowing seed? What if they thought seed was too expensive, not worth the investment unless they know it was going to grow? The government would get itself together, all the way up to the president, who would call the governor asking what is going on in California. The governor would tell the president that the farmers have lost faith in whether the seed will grow, so they won’t plant until they know for sure. The president would insist that the governor find a way to get the farmers to plant the seed. But just how do you prove that a seed will grow? There is absolutely no way to prove it.

Every seed that has ever been planted, has been planted in faith that seedtime and harvest will not cease. Early pioneers carried seed in their wagons across the country so they could plant it when they reached their new home. One man, an apple producer from the East, wanted to move out West. He had developed some excellent apples, so he took a wagon, covered the whole bed with dirt and planted the apple seedlings in the dirt. He nurtured them all the way across the plains, finally settling close to Portland, Oregon, where he started the apple industry in the Northwest that still thrives there today.

The second principle is brought to view in Psalms 126:5, 6 NKJV: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” This is the principle of inconvenience. What this means is there is no easy way, no easy time, no easy place to sow a seed. If you’re not willing to accept the inconvenience, there will be no harvest. Seed sowing is not easy. Ask anyone who was raised on a farm and they’ll testify to that.

I remember well springtime on the farm. The tractor was used to work the fields, but the garden plot was too small for the tractor, so the soil had to be turned with a shovel or spade. Once the soil was turned, a rake was used to make it smooth, then you would use the hoe to make furrows in the ground. For tiny seeds the furrow would be shallow and once planted, the furrow would be closed by hand, with just a little dirt; otherwise, it would kill the seeds. The same process was followed for the larger seeds, but as you pull the hoe down the row, the furrows are deeper. Once these seeds are planted down the row, the hoe is used to pull the dirt back over to cover the seeds.

To plant potatoes, the potato is cut into sections with at least one growing eye sprout on each section. The sections are loaded into a bucket or a bag and carried down the row. To dig the hole for the potato section, you used a spade pushing it deep into the soil and rocking it back and forth. A section of potato is dropped into the resulting hole, the spade removed, and the dirt packed down over the potato. This is repeated for every potato section planted.

All that digging and turning the soil and dragging the hoe back and forth from one end of the garden plot to the other begins to make you feel all twisted around and makes your muscles ache. And burying that spade deep into the soil and rocking it back and forth and packing it back down with your foot only adds to the ache.

Planting tomatoes is harder. Tomato plants are delicate and must be handled with great care. If you were planting a whole field of tomatoes, you could use a tractor or a team to create the furrow, but you would still have to handle the plants by hand. Once the furrow has been made, the tomato plant is placed carefully into the soil, gently gathering earth around it with your hands. You then move on placing one plant after another into the ground.

It doesn’t take long to begin to feel that all this bending and standing is hard on the back and maybe a waste of time and energy, so you stay bent over until finally even that begins to cause an ache and you end up on your hands and knees crawling down each row until you just have to go to the rag box in the house and find rags to tie around your knees. Can you imagine the amount of crawling you can do working on a farm? Miles and miles on your hands and knees. There’s just no easy way to sow a seed. If you do not accept the principle of inconvenience, you will never have a harvest.

The third principle of the law of the harvest is brought to view in 2 Corinthians 9:6 KJV – the principle of apparent waste. “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” He that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly.

While teaching at Atlantic Union College, I decided to look for a small church not far from the college to do some seed sowing. I found one about 50 miles away in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It was a small church with seven elderly members. I took some students with me to the Haverhill Church to see if we could get something going. We gathered the members together and laid out our plan to do outreach in the community, maybe pass out some literature. But the members said they had tried to hand out literature about ten years before and it didn’t work.

Let me ask you, how much success would a farmer have if he sowed seed once in ten years? All nature testifies with a resounding voice on this subject. If you could ask an oak how many acorns it drops in one year to make sure another oak tree grows, what do you suppose would be its response? That tree might say 10,000 every year.  Friends, “He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he that soweth abundantly shall reap also abundantly.”

My wife had a rose bush in our front yard. I asked her how many roses she thought that bush typically produced. She said probably 100 three or four times a year. Let’s do some calculating. The rose bush produces four or five hundred flowers each year and every flower becomes a seed pod with at least 30 or 40 seeds in it. How many seeds is this one rose bush producing every year to make sure that another rose bush grows?

Count the seeds in an apple. I’ve been told there are eight. I talked to a man who had an apple tree in his yard. He gave it very tender care and said that in one year he got 52 bushels of apples off that one tree. If there are about 40 apples in a bushel, that’s more than 2,000 apples and 2,000 apples multiplied by eight seeds will make 16,000 seeds from that one apple tree just to make sure that the apple trees don’t die out. All nature testifies with a single voice and the principle of apparent waste dictates that you must sow many, many, many seeds.

There is a difference in seed sowing in the ground and seed sowing in human hearts. The ground stays there. You put seeds in the ground, and you can watch what happens. But you can’t do that when you’re sowing seed in human hearts. You can put a seed in someone’s heart today, but they may not stay put; in fact, you might never see them again. But that doesn’t invalidate seed sowing. Remember, the principle is of apparent waste, not of actual waste. It’s not wasteful to sow that many seeds because the seeds are being watched over by the Holy Spirit and the Lord has promised that seedtime and harvest will not cease.

The final principle is found in Matthew 13:1–8 KJV, where we read the well-known parable of the sower who went forth to sow. “The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto Him, so that He went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And He spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”

One day at Princeton University a little white-haired man went to the blackboard and carefully wrote down, “E=mc2.” And he stood back and looked at that for a while and he said, I think that’s it. That formula produced the hydrogen bomb, the atom bomb and nuclear fission. Powerful, formula. I’d like to suggest that Matthew 13:1–8 contains a formula greater than that, the One=3030.

We will use the lowest factor that Jesus gave, the thirtyfold. Jesus said, the one seed that grows will produce thirtyfold. Take a piece of paper and lay it on a large table. In the center of that piece of paper make a dot to represent the one seed that grew. Around that dot make thirty more dots and that’s the principle of one equals thirty. But remember, this is to the 30th power because every one of those 30 seeds is a good seed. We’re ignoring the ones that are wasted because you scattered your seed like the seeds of autumn and so you have one good seed in every one of those 30 positions. Make 30 dots around each of those 30 dots. Now you have 900. And then you make 30 dots around every one of the 900 dots; now you have 27,000. Then you make 30 dots around every one of those 27,000 dots and you come up with something like 810,000. That is the principle of enormous power.

You may not see it because man doesn’t stay in one place all the time, so you have to go by faith; you have to believe that the Lord of the harvest has guaranteed that when the seed is sown there will be wonderful fruit. For example –

A Seventh-day Adventist lady had some tracts and while shopping at the little grocery store in the small town where she lived she said to the grocer, “You might like to read this” and she lay the tract on the counter. The grocer glanced at it, but wasn’t interested. When the next customer came by with her bag of groceries, he picked up the tract and put it in her bag. She got home and emptied the bag and said, “Where did that thing come from? Well, it’s some kind of a religious tract. I’m not interested in it, but my neighbor across the fence is a religious man.” He was out working in his backyard, so she went out and leaned across the fence, “Would you like to have this, neighbor? It’s a religious tract of some kind.”

“Sure, sure, I’d like to have it.” He read it. Long story short, he was converted by that tract and subsequently, not only did he become a Seventh-day Adventist, but he also became a Seventh-day Adventist minister. His name was Leo Wheeler and through his ministry W.H. Smith and another man named Ashton, came into the faith and they also became Seventh-day Adventist ministers. Through their preaching, a man named Charles Longacre came into the faith and became a Seventh-day Adventist minister. For years he was the Secretary of Religious Liberty in the General Conference relating to the congressmen on questions of religious liberty. Under his preaching two other men became Seventh-day Adventists and became union presidents and one of the men became the president of the Inter-American Division, and he brought in others, seven ministers, two union presidents, one division president and one general conference secretary that we know about, and many, many others we don’t know anything about. That’s what one tract did, just one good seed.

Some years ago, in Colorado on the western slope hill country, two young Seventh-day Adventist ministers went into a small town, pitched a tent and held evangelistic meetings. Attendance was poor. Nobody decided to be baptized. There were only a couple of interested ladies left behind when they left. As they made their way down the mountain, they felt defeated and discouraged even discussing going into other lines of work. They left that small town, but the Holy Spirit stayed back to nurture the seeds sown.

One of the interested ladies was Mrs. Johns. She had two sons, Varner and Alger. Those two sons went on to pastor some of our largest churches for many years.

A gentleman in the town was concerned about Mrs. Johns after she began to keep the Sabbath. So he took his Bible one Sunday afternoon and went to her house to straighten her out. It wasn’t long before he was keeping the Sabbath. He sold his lumber yard, got what training he could get and became a Seventh-day Adventist minister. His name was Vandeman. He had a son named George, George Vandeman. All of that came from what appeared to be apparent waste up in the hills of Colorado.

I had the opportunity at a northern California camp meeting to talk to Alger Johns. I wanted to verify this tent meeting story. Alger Johns told me I didn’t know the half of it. Between him and George Vandeman they were able to name 14 individuals who through the influence of that little tent meeting became Seventh-day Adventist ministers. You see the principle of enormous power goes on and on.

On a smaller scale, I am reminded of my own mother’s experience. She married my father, who was superintendent of a logging camp in Falls City, Oregon. One Sabbath afternoon, two boys about 12 years old, came to their door passing out tracts about the Sabbath. My mother took one. Being a very devout Methodist, she instantly recognized that it was mistaken and sat down with her Bible to prove it wrong. Before very long she was keeping the Sabbath and while that didn’t make very much difference for a while, by the time she died at 88 years of age, there were 30 of her family keeping the Sabbath. And because of her, through my evangelistic work, a few more than 5,000 people were brought to the truth. Some of them became pastors and have spread the message. All from two little boys handing out tracts in a small town in Oregon.

“The good seed sown may lie some time in a cold, worldly, selfish heart, without evidencing that it has taken root; but frequently the Spirit of God operates upon that heart, and waters it with the dew of heaven, and the long-hidden seed springs up and finally bears fruit to the glory of God.” Evangelism, 64.

Years ago, I was doing evangelistic work in the Hawaiian Islands. We pitched a tent on the Makaha shore. There were probably 35 persons baptized as a result of that series. But there was a young college student spending the summer out on the islands. He came to the meetings, talked to us a great deal and asked a lot of questions. I really wanted to see this young man serving the Lord. But he disappeared, apparently back to the States. I assumed I would never see him again.

Twelve years later found me teaching in the Bible department at Atlantic Union College in Massachusetts. There was an evangelist in Vermont whom I knew slightly. It was near Christmas one year when he walked into my office and asked me if I remembered a young fellow who had come to the meetings in Makaha, Hawaii. I did remember him, I said. The evangelist told me the young man was now a Doctor of Science at the University of Vermont. The evangelist related that as he talked with the man, he asked if this was his first exposure to the truth. The man replied, “No, twelve years ago I spent a summer in the Hawaiian Islands and there was a fellow named Larson who was preaching in a tent on the Makaha Reef and that’s where I first heard the Adventist message.” It took twelve years for that seed to grow. But that young man, his wife and their 12-year-old daughter were all baptized together.

By faith, we must accept the fact that God is doing something we cannot see, but one day we will see the whole harvest and we will be astonished.

We read in Christ’s Object Lessons, 38: “A sower from a higher world, Christ came to sow the seeds of truth.” A humbling work for the King of the universe to come to sow seeds in the hearts of men.

“Christ had come, not as a king, but as a sower; not for the overthrow of kingdoms, but for the scattering of seed; not to point His followers to earthly triumphs and national greatness, but to a harvest to be gathered after patient toil and through losses and disappointments.” Ibid., 35.

“The same laws that govern earthly seed sowing govern the sowing of the seeds of truth.” Ibid., 33.

Remember the four principles of the harvest:

  • Act in faith. No seed is ever planted in knowledge; it’s always done with faith in the word of the Lord.
  • There is no easy way, no easy time, no easy place to sow a seed.
  • Apparent waste. All nature says with a single voice, scatter the seed everywhere, the harvest is sure.
  • Enormous power. The Holy Spirit nurtures the seeds planted and they grow exponentially.

Dr. Ralph Larson completed forty years of service to the Seventh-day Adventist church, as pastor, evangelist, departmental secretary, and college and seminary teacher. His last assignment before retiring was chairman of the Church and Ministry Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Far East. Upon retirement, he continued his service, diligently working with and giving counsel to those within the historic movement.

Do Not Be Afraid

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The time is coming when all the inhabitants of the earth will have decided whom they will follow. Some will be inside the holy city looking out, while others are on the outside looking in. Some, perhaps many of the latter group may desire to be inside, but realize that it is too late.

Many of us have loved ones who have little interest in spiritual things and our hearts ache for them. The sadness you see manifested at the funeral of a loved one will in no way compare with the loss and eternal separation from loved ones that will occur at the end of time. So, cry out and ask the Lord, How can I witness to my family? What can I say and do so they can find out about the love of Jesus?

The sin problem began when Lucifer came to doubt the love of God. Today, there is much resistance to the gospel. People are becoming hard hearted because they don’t understand the love of God. Sometimes, when we have tried to show people the prophecies and end time events which almost scare them to death, we realize that nothing is going to make sense to them if they don’t understand the love of God. In fact, what is the point of having eternal life if you don’t have a love relationship with the Creator of all things?

We find in the New Testament both the reason why people get scared when they are in trouble as well as the remedy. It is a fact that troublous times are coming before Jesus returns. The devil would like to get us so terrified that we give up. But we can be just the opposite and experience perfect peace in the midst of everything that goes on.

The Bible speaks of a time when the apostles became really terrified.

“He [Jesus] said to them [His disciples], ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him’ ” (Mark 4:35–41)!

The ship was full of water and about to sink. Jesus awoke, not as the Master of sea and sky and nature, but as a man. However, He ever trusted in His Father’s might and knew that His Father had control of it. He knew that the devil had sent the storm in an attempt to drown Him and His disciples.

It is the devil who sends a lot of storms into our lives. He is a troublemaker, and as long as he is around there will be trouble. Jesus had peace. He knew that it was not the time for them to die. His work was not yet complete, nor was that of the disciples who would take the gospel to all the world.

One time, Ellen White was on a boat in a terrible storm and many people were terrified and screaming. Someone turned to her and asked, “ ‘Are you not terrified? I suppose it is a fact that we may never reach land.’ I told her I had made Christ my refuge … if my work was not done, all the waters of the ocean could not drown me.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 85, 86. The devil cannot kill you if God still has a work for you to do in the world.

Luke describes the scene this way: “It happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.’ And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him’ ” (Luke 8:22–25)! According to the words of Jesus, the disciples were afraid because they didn’t have faith.

The opposite of being terrified is to be at perfect peace. In every situation, Jesus had the peace of heaven. Paul had that same peace, which enabled him to stand unflappable amid the constant opposition of the Jews. Some wonder why the Lord allowed there to be so many millions of martyrs. By witnessing the peace that their faith gave them, many people were won to the Gospel that may not have been otherwise.

John Calvin, a devout Roman Catholic, was one who watched the martyrdom of a Protestant. Looking at the martyr’s face, he saw no fear, for he had perfect peace. It was the practice of the church to martyr people in public to induce fear in the spectators. However, the Lord gave them peace and those spectacles had the opposite effect. John Calvin saw in the martyr a peace that he didn’t have. He went back and studied his Bible and became a Protestant believer.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “And having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). Let your mind take this in. If you have peace in your heart, it will show on your face; if you have terror in your heart, those emotions are reflected on your face.

Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit in his book to the Galatians. He says that among the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, and peace. If these fruits are not manifested as we witness, the gospel will fall on deaf ears. (See Galatians 5:22, 23.)

Those who have faith have peace, but you cannot have faith until you know that you are a child of God.  Paul wrote, “And you … who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:1–3). This describes a person who has not experienced the gospel. They are by nature the children of wrath under the control of the devil.

John 9 tells of a blind man that Jesus healed. The Pharisees began to investigate the healing. Beginning in verse 24 they ask Jesus again about it saying, “So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, ‘Give God the glory! We know that this Man [Jesus] is a sinner.’ ” Then “He answered and said, ‘Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.’ Then they said to him again, ‘What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?’ Then they reviled Him and said, ‘You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.’ The man answered and said to them, ‘Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears Him’ ” (verses 25–31).

Notice, the blind man understood theology better than the Pharisees. He said, if a man is a sinner he can’t go to God; he can’t exercise faith in God. God is not going to listen to him, but if a man fears Him and does His will, then He can have faith in Him. A person living in sin, does not experience the gospel and by nature is the child of the devil. It is impossible for that person to have faith in God, because he or she is not His child and does not have the privileges of a child. In order to have faith in God, you need to experience the gospel so that you can be adopted and experience what Paul calls the “adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:5, last part).

There are two kinds of children in the world. In Genesis 3:15 God said to the devil, “I will put enmity [hatred] between you and the woman, and between your seed [descendants] and her Seed [descendants].” Some people are the seed of the woman; some people are the seed of the devil. The seed of the woman are the ones who have experienced the gospel and have experienced the adoption of sons. You cannot have faith until you know that you are a child of God. Those who have not experienced that are by nature the children of wrath and the children of the devil.

The gospel, simply explained, needs to be preached over and over again. There are Christians who have attended church for years who do not have a clear understanding of the gospel and do not have peace. Many people are terrified about a possible economic collapse or impending war and all sorts of things. Somehow, we have to explain to them what the gospel is, because only by experiencing it will you have internal peace, no matter how much trouble there is in the world.

Jesus said, “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer [courage], I have overcome the world” (John 16:32, 33). In other words, there is going to be trouble on the outside, but in Him you will have peace on the inside. When that happens, it will be visible and show on your face.

How does a person experience the gospel and have peace in our troubled world?

First, a sinner needs to understand that he needs help, which is contrary to the modern teachings of many psychologists and sociologists. Maybe you’ve heard of books like “I’m Ok—You’re Ok.” By the way, that is a lie. In fact, I’m not okay and you’re not okay either. This is not a criticism, but a fact. A sinner must first recognize that he is lost and that he needs someone to save him or he will never get out from the problem he is in. He needs to realize that he is in a pit and he cannot get out without help. Without this realization the gospel can do nothing for him.

One of the biggest problems evangelists in the United States face today is that people believe they are rich, increased with goods and in need of nothing and are therefore satisfied. In that case, there is nothing a preacher, teacher, or Christian can do to help them. But when a person is susceptible to the influence of the Holy Spirit, they begin to realize that one ray of light from the throne of God makes painfully distinct the destitution and sinfulness of their soul.

Jeremiah said, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil” (Jeremiah 13:23). He also said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). Desperately wicked in the original Hebrew means literally incurable. The heart is deceitful above all things and it is incurable. It is just as incurable as any physical disease and leads to eternal death without divine help.

There are moralists who have been trying to “help” themselves for years. They study psychology and take educational courses to learn how to be better people or how to train people to help themselves. For example, consider the problem many face with overeating. National surveys reveal that it is harder to overcome overeating than to overcome either smoking or tobacco. The reason is that with smoking and tobacco you can just plain quit, but you have to eat to live. Therefore, eating must be controlled and that is a lot harder than just quitting something. You must recognize your need of help to receive help from the Lord.

When you recognize your need and come to the cross, you will experience what the Bible calls repentance. Many Christians, failing to recognize their need of help in overcoming, have a whole array of darling sins, the sins that they are in love with. Darling sins are really hard to overcome because you love doing them. 1 Corinthians 15:3 says that “Christ died for your sins,” and John wrote that “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4 KJV).

Know that Jesus died the awful death on the cross because of each one of our darling sins. Think about it – how can partaking in my darling sin be enjoyable when it caused so much suffering to Jesus? That is what the Bible calls repentance. Repentance means the sin is no longer darling to me anymore, but heinous. I am sorry I ever did it and I don’t want to do it again.

“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4)?

The basic meaning of the Greek word that is translated repentance means to change your mind. The sin that you once loved you now hate. You now see how much Jesus, whom you once hated loves you, and you want to change. When you begin to love Jesus, you will hate your sins. That is repentance. It involves not only being sorry for your sins but turning away from them.

The Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18). Think seriously about those darling little sins that never seemed that bad. Repentance increases and deepens as we go through the Christian life (see Christ’s Object Lessons, 160). It is not just something you experience once before you are baptized; it is something you continue to experience throughout your life.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). If my sin involves something that I did that injured somebody else, in addition to telling the Lord I’m sorry, I must go and tell that person that I am sorry.

Some people, because of death, will even have to make confessions in heaven. David will have to confess to Uriah the Hittite in heaven. The apostle Paul will need to have a conversation with Stephen about the part he played in his martyrdom as well as all the other deaths he was responsible for before his conversion. Repentance is not only making our peace with God; it is making peace with the one we have injured. That includes making restitution if there is something we can restore. If we kill somebody, we can’t make restitution, but if we’ve stolen goods, we can make restitution. Confession involves confessing to God and making restitution if it’s possible and determining not to do it again. This is our work before the close of probation.

Sin must be confessed whatever the consequences. There are people who have to decide whether they want to confess what they have done and even go to jail and be clear before God, or whether they want to cover it up and then answer to the Lord when He comes. The Christian religion involves making things right as soon as you realize the wrong.

Jeremiah says, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). After the resurrection Jesus asked Peter one question, repeating it three times. The question was, “Do you love Me?” (See John 21:15—17.) Do you really love Me? Have you made a commitment? That’s what faith is all about; in fact, in Greek the word that is translated to have faith or to believe means to believe something enough to make a commitment. For example, John 2:24, 25 says, “Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” The word translated in this passage as commit is translated faith or belief elsewhere. Faith means to acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and Savior and make a full commitment to God.

Commitment is one of the most important things in life. One of the greatest tragedies of our modern-day society is that we have lost the ability to commit. When people get married, they verbally make a commitment, yet a big percentage of those relationships end in divorce. Many more, refusing to commit to marriage, simply live together, making it easier to make their escape when the relationship sours. With no commitment there is no security; there is no peace or joy or trusting happiness, for you never know if your partner is going to walk out on you when something better shows up.

Marriage is an illustration of the relationship that God’s people have with the Lord (Ephesians 5, Revelation 19, Song of Solomon, Ezekiel 23, Hosea). In Jeremiah 3:14, the Lord says, “I am married to you.” You cannot marry someone if they don’t commit, and you cannot be a child of God until you are ready to commit to Him. Confession and repentance must be followed up with a commitment if you are to be adopted into the family of God. Jesus said, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say” (Luke 6:46)?

The thief on the cross got it. Addressing Jesus, he said, “ ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom’ ” (Luke 23:42). He knew he was a sinner and needed salvation. When he addressed Jesus as his Lord and Savior, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise” (verse 43). The gospel is not complicated. He made a commitment and was saved. Won’t you do the same and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 3) and experience the peace that passes understanding?

The Roman Catholic Church states that “The reason for the uncertainty of the state of grace lies in this: that without a special revelation nobody can with certainty of faith know whether or not he has fulfilled all the conditions that are necessary for achieving justification.” Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, ©1974, 262. Under that system there is no peace, but a continual trying to do more in order to fulfill the conditions, never sure whether you have done enough. That was the problem Martin Luther faced. He climbed the Holy Stairs of the Lateran Palace on his knees, working and working and wondering if what he did was ever enough. Paul said salvation is only available by faith alone.

“We conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds [works] of the law” (Romans 3:28).

“Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt [obligation]. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:4, 5).

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). When your sins have been forgiven and you have made the commitment, you are a child of God, not because of what you have done, but because of what Jesus has done and is doing.

As we approach the end of the world, we have been warned that there will be trouble such as there has never been before Jesus returns. Seek to experience the gospel as never before so your faith will be strengthened. Know that Jesus is in charge even if it doesn’t look like it right now. The devil can’t do anything to you without the Lord allowing it and whatever He allows is for your good and often for somebody else’s good as well.

Remember, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Whatever is going on in your life, you may be tempted to be terrified, but tell the Lord you want faith to not be afraid and to experience the gospel and receive the Holy Spirit and experience perfect peace.

The peace you experience will be noticed and desired by others, opening the door for you to witness. Jesus said that the harvest is ripe. People are looking for answers to this world’s problems and we can be used to help them find the Saviour. We can be reflectors of His image. When they see that we have the joy of the Lord and have perfect peace amongst turmoil that even the devil cannot take away, they will desire Him too.

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

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

Keys to the Storehouse – Faith Triumphs Over Fear

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Life often deals out situations that seem so hard to navigate, and this past year surely has been no exception. On top of all the normal every-day struggles, we have had to survive the COVID-19 storm and for those living in the United States, the appalling lead-up to the Federal elections. It makes one wonder just how much they can endure. To cope, we can either choose faith or fear.

Think about the disciples on a boat when a life-threatening storm erupted on the lake. They were unprepared to face the danger, realizing that at any moment they might die. While they all panicked, Jesus, who was with them, slept peacefully through the storm. Instead of trusting His reaction to the storm, the disciples allowed the situation to dictate their reaction.

Jesus’ gentle rebuke, asking them why they were afraid, was intended for them to realize their lack of faith that He could see them through the storm. So how should we respond when passing through storms over which we have no control?

Trust in Him who does have control over the wind and waves of life. The situation may not change, but we can always choose to trust God. When storms come, do we focus on the size of the storm or on the One who already knows the outcome? Any situation can be navigated with His wisdom and peace.

It is so easy to be fearful when we are unable to control the outcome. We are called to live by faith and trust in the One who does know our future and is in the business of saving all who seek Him. There are always two choices when one is overwhelmed: either focus on the circumstances or on Jesus. He will walk by the side of those who depend on Him. No storm that anyone will ever face is more powerful than our Saviour. Remember, Jesus is always beside us and will guide us safely to the heavenly shore.

Father, thank You for the promise You have made to never leave us or forsake us. Give us the courage to always keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who alone can overpower any situation we find ourselves in and walk with us through the storms of life until we triumph at last. Amen.

Living Faith Needed

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In this life we must meet fiery trials and make costly sacrifices, but the peace of Christ is the reward. There has been so little self-denial, so little suffering for Christ’s sake, that the cross is almost entirely forgotten. We must be partakers with Christ of His sufferings if we would sit down in triumph with Him on His throne. So long as we choose the easy path of self-indulgence and are frightened at self-denial, our faith will never become firm, and we cannot know the peace of Jesus nor the joy that comes through conscious victory. The most exalted of the redeemed host that stand before the throne of God and the Lamb, clad in white, know the conflict of overcoming, for they have come up through great tribulation. Those who have yielded to circumstances rather than engage in this conflict will not know how to stand in that day when anguish will be upon every soul, when, though Noah, Job, and Daniel were in the land, they could save neither son nor daughter, for everyone must deliver his soul by his own righteousness.

No one need say that his case is hopeless, that he cannot live the life of a Christian. Ample provision is made by the death of Christ for every soul. Jesus is our ever-present help in time of need. Only call upon Him in faith, and He has promised to hear and answer your petitions.

Oh, for a living, active faith! We need it; we must have it, or we shall faint and fail in the day of trial. The darkness that will then rest upon our path must not discourage us or drive us to despair. It is the veil with which God covers His glory when He comes to impart rich blessings. We should know this by our past experience. In that day when God has a controversy with His people this experience will be a source of comfort and hope.

It is now that we must keep ourselves and our children unspotted from the world. It is now that we must wash our robes of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is now that we must overcome pride, passion, and spiritual slothfulness. It is now that we must awake and make determined effort for symmetry of character. “Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7, 8, 15). We are in a most trying position, waiting, watching for our Lord’s appearing. The world is in darkness. “But ye, brethren,” says Paul, “are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4). It is ever God’s purpose to bring light out of darkness, joy out of sorrow, and rest out of weariness for the waiting, longing soul. What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world are receiving the worldly mold and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth—these are receiving the heavenly mold and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity.

Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates for heaven. Go forward, my brethren and sisters. … Search the Scriptures for yourselves, that you may understand the fearful solemnity of the present hour.

Testimony Treasures, vol. 2, 69–71.

Question – What is the “faith of Jesus” in Revelation 14:12?

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“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

“The third angel’s message is the proclamation of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ. The commandments of God have been proclaimed, but the faith of Jesus Christ has not been proclaimed by Seventh-day Adventists as of equal importance, the law and the gospel going hand in hand. I cannot find language to express this subject in its fullness.

“ ‘The faith of Jesus.’ It is talked of, but not understood. What constitutes the faith of Jesus, that belongs to the third angel’s message? Jesus becoming our sin-bearer that He might become our sin-pardoning Saviour. He was treated as we deserve to be treated. He came to our world and took our sins that we might take His righteousness. And faith in the ability of Christ to save us amply and fully and entirely is the faith of Jesus.” Selected Messages, vol. 3, 172.

“There are clear, decided distinctions to be restored and exemplified to the world in holding aloft the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. The beauty of holiness is to appear in its native luster in contrast with the deformity and darkness of the disloyal, those who have revolted from the law of God. Thus we acknowledge God, and recognize His law, the foundation of His government in heaven and throughout His earthly dominions. His authority should be kept distinct and plain before the world; and no laws are to be acknowledged that come in collision with the laws of Jehovah. … The loyal and true bear the credentials of heaven, not of earthly potentates. All men shall know who are the disciples of Christ, chosen and faithful, and shall know them when crowned and glorified as those who honored God and whom He has honored, bringing them into possession of an eternal weight of glory.” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, 207.

Bible Study Guides – The Faith Of Abraham

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April 22 – April 28, 2001

Memory Verse “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Romans 4:20.

Study Help: Conflict and Courage, 56; The Faith I Live By, 115–120.

Introduction

“The so-called faith that does not work by love and purify the soul will not justify any man. ‘Ye see,’ says the apostle, ‘how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.’ James 2:24. Abraham believed God. How do we know that he believed? His works testified to the character of his faith, and his faith was accounted to him for righteousness. We need the faith of Abraham in our day, to lighten the darkness that gathers around us, shutting out the sweet sunlight of God’s love, and dwarfing spiritual growth. Our faith should be prolific of good works; for faith without works is dead.” The Faith I Live By, 115.

“By Faith Abraham…”

  • What challenge to his faith did Abraham face and how did he respond? Hebrews 11:8; Genesis 12:1–4.

note: “It was no light test that was thus brought upon Abraham, no small sacrifice that was required of him. There were strong ties to bind him to his country, his kindred, and his home. But he did not hesitate to obey the call. He had no question to ask concerning the Land of Promise,—whether the soil was fertile, and the climate healthful; whether the country offered agreeable surroundings, and would afford opportunities for amassing wealth. God had spoken, and His servant must obey; the happiest place on earth for him was the place where God would have him to be.” Christian Service, 181.

  • What sort of life did this step in faith bring to Abraham? Hebrews 11:9.

note: “Abraham had no possession in the earth, ‘no, not so much as to set his foot on.’ Acts 7:5. He possessed great substance, and he used it to the glory of God and the good of his fellow men; but he did not look upon this world as his home. The Lord had called him to leave his idolatrous countrymen, with the promise of the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession; yet neither he nor his son nor his son’s son received it. When Abraham desired a burial place for his dead, he had to buy it of the Canaanites. His sole possession in the Land of Promise was that rock-hewn tomb in the cave of Machpelah.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 169.

“Let There Be No Strife”

  • When conflict arose, how did Abraham respond? Genesis 13:7–9.

note: “Here the noble, unselfish spirit of Abraham was displayed. How many under similar circumstances would, at all hazards, cling to their individual rights and preferences! How many households have thus been rent asunder! How many churches have been divided, making the cause of truth a byword and a reproach among the wicked! ‘Let there be no strife between me and thee,’ said Abraham, ‘for we be brethren;’ not only by natural relationship, but as worshipers of the true God. The children of God the world over are one family, and the same spirit of love and conciliation should govern them. ‘Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another’ (Romans 12:10), is the teaching of our Saviour. The cultivation of a uniform courtesy, a willingness to do to others as we would wish them to do to us, would annihilate half the ills of life. The spirit of self-aggrandizement is the spirit of Satan; but the heart in which the love of Christ is cherished, will possess that charity which seeketh not her own. Such will heed the divine injunction, ‘Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others’ (Philippians 2:4).” Conflict and Courage, 47.

  • What error did Lot’s selfishness lead him to commit? Genesis 13:10–13.

note: “The most fertile region in all Palestine was the Jordan valley. There were cities also, wealthy and beautiful, inviting to profitable traffic in their crowded marts. Dazzled with visions of worldly gain, Lot overlooked the moral and spiritual evils that would be encountered there.…He ‘chose him all the plain of Jordan,’ and ‘pitched his tent toward Sodom.’ How little did he foresee the terrible results of that selfish choice! Lot chose Sodom for his home because he saw that there were advantages to be gained there from a worldly point of view. But after he had established himself, and grown rich in earthly treasure, he was convinced that he had made a mistake in not taking into consideration the moral standing of the community in which he was to make his home. The dwellers in Sodom were corrupt; vile conversation greeted his ears daily, and his righteous soul was vexed by the violence and crime he was powerless to prevent. His children were becoming like these wicked people, for association with them had perverted their morals. Taking all these things into consideration, the worldly riches he had gained seemed small and not worth the price he had paid for them.” Conflict and Courage, 48.

“My Covenant Is With Thee”

  • What promise did God make to Abraham? Genesis 12:2. (Compare Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:14–17; Genesis 15:1–6; Genesis 17:1–8.)

note: “The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden, when after the Fall there was given a divine promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. To all men this covenant offered pardon and the assisting grace of God for future obedience through faith in Christ. It also promised them eternal life on condition of fidelity to God’s law. Thus the patriarchs received the hope of salvation. This same covenant was renewed to Abraham in the promise, ‘In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.’ Genesis 22:18. This promise pointed to Christ. So Abraham understood it (see Galatians 3:8, 16), and he trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It was this faith that was accounted unto him for righteousness. The covenant with Abraham also maintained the authority of God’s law. The Lord appeared unto Abraham, and said, ‘I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.’ Genesis 17:1. The testimony of God concerning His faithful servant was, ‘Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.’ Genesis 26:5. And the Lord declared to him, ‘I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee.’ Genesis 17:7.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 370.

  • How does the Bible reveal that the covenant God made with Abraham is the ‘new covenant’ which God wishes to make with us also? Galatians 3:8, 9, 14–16. (See Hebrews 6:13, 17, 18.)

note: “Though this covenant was made with Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could not be ratified until the death of Christ. It had existed by the promise of God since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it is called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of this covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law. Another compact—called in Scripture the ‘old’ covenant—was formed between God and Israel at Sinai, and was then ratified by the blood of a sacrifice. The Abrahamic covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ, and it is called the ‘second,’ or ‘new, covenant, because the blood by which it was sealed was shed after the blood of the first covenant. That the new covenant was valid in the days of Abraham is evident from the fact that it was then confirmed both by the promise and by the oath of God—the ‘two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie.’ Hebrews 6:18.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 370, 371.

“I Will Establish My Covenant With Him”

  • How did Abraham and Sarah seek to fulfill God’s promise for Him? Genesis 16:1–3.

note: “Abraham had accepted without question the promise of a son, but he did not wait for God to fulfil His word in His own time and way. A delay was permitted, to test his faith in the power of God; but he failed to endure the trial. Thinking it impossible that a child should be given her in her old age, Sarah suggested, as a plan by which the divine purpose might be fulfilled, that one of her handmaidens should be taken by Abraham as a secondary wife. Polygamy had become so widespread that it had ceased to be regarded as a sin, but it was no less a violation of the law of God, and was fatal to the sacredness and peace of the family relation. Abraham’s marriage with Hagar resulted in evil, not only to his own household, but to future generations.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 145.

  • How did the Lord emphasize to Abraham that Isaac, not Ishmael, was the son of the promise? Genesis 17:19–21.

note: “When Abraham was nearly one hundred years old, the promise of a son was repeated to him, with the assurance that the future heir should be the child of Sarah. But Abraham did not yet understand the promise. His mind at once turned to Ishmael, clinging to the belief that through him God’s gracious purposes were to be accomplished. In his affection for his son he exclaimed, ‘O that Ishmael might live before Thee!’ Again the promise was given, in words that could not be mistaken: ‘Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish My covenant with him.’ Yet God was not unmindful of the father’s prayer. ‘As for Ishmael,’ He said, ‘I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him,…and I will make him a great nation.’” Patriarchs and Prophets, 146.

“He Was Called The Friend Of God”

  • What may we learn of Abraham through his treatment of strangers? Genesis 18:2–5. (Compare Hebrews 13:2.)

note: “Three travelers are passing near. They make no appeal for hospitality, solicit no favor; but Abraham does not permit them to go on their way unrefreshed. He is a man full of years, a man of dignity and wealth, one highly honored, and accustomed to command; yet on seeing these strangers he ‘ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground.’ Addressing the leader he said: ‘My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant’ (Genesis 18:2, 3). With his own hands he brought water that they might wash the dust of travel from their feet. He himself selected their food; while they were at rest under the cooling shade, Sarah his wife made ready for their entertainment, and Abraham stood respectfully beside them while they partook of his hospitality. This kindness he showed them simply as wayfarers, passing strangers, who might never come his way again.” Conflict and Courage, 50.

  • When the Lord revealed the mission of the angels to Abraham, how did he react? Genesis 18:23–32.

note: “With deep reverence and humility he urged his plea: ‘I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes.” There was no self-confidence, no boasting of his own righteousness. He did not claim favor on the ground of his obedience, or of the sacrifices he had made in doing God’s will. Himself a sinner, he pleaded in the sinner’s behalf. Such a spirit all who approach God should possess. Yet Abraham manifested the confidence of a child pleading with a loved father. He came close to the heavenly Messenger, and fervently urged his petition. Though Lot had become a dweller in Sodom, he did not partake in the iniquity of its inhabitants. Abraham thought that in that populous city there must be other worshipers of the true God. And in view of this he pleaded, ‘That be far from Thee, to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked:…that be far from Thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ Abraham asked not once merely, but many times. Waxing bolder as his requests were granted, he continued until he gained the assurance that if even ten righteous persons could be found in it, the city would be spared. Love for perishing souls inspired Abraham’s prayer. While he loathed the sins of that corrupt city, he desired that the sinners might be saved. His deep interest for Sodom shows the anxiety that we should feel for the impenitent. We should cherish hatred of sin, but pity and love for the sinner.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 139–140.

“God Will Provide Himself A Lamb”

  • How was Abraham’s faith ultimately tested? Genesis 22:2.

note: “It was to impress Abraham’s mind with the reality of the gospel, as well as to test his faith, that God commanded him to slay his son. The agony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from his own experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for man’s redemption. No other test could have caused Abraham such torture of soul as did the offering of his son. God gave His Son to a death of agony and shame. The angels who witnessed the humiliation and soul anguish of the Son of God were not permitted to interpose, as in the case of Isaac. There was no voice to cry, ‘It is enough.’ To save the fallen race, the King of glory yielded up His life. What stronger proof can be given of the infinite compassion and love of God? ‘He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?’ Romans 8:32.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 154.

  • What was Abraham’s response to God’s command and what was his reward? Genesis 22:15–18.

note: “Abraham had greatly desired to see the promised Saviour. He offered up the most earnest prayer that before his death he might behold the Messiah. And he saw Christ. A supernatural light was given him, and he acknowledged Christ’s divine character. He saw His day, and was glad. He was given a view of the divine sacrifice for sin. Of this sacrifice he had an illustration in his own experience. The command came to him, ‘Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest,…and offer him…for a burnt offering.’ Genesis 22:2. Upon the altar of sacrifice he laid the son of promise, the son in whom his hopes were centered. Then as he waited beside the altar with knife upraised to obey God, he heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me.’ Genesis 22:12. This terrible ordeal was imposed upon Abraham that he might see the day of Christ, and realize the great love of God for the world, so great that to raise it from its degradation, He gave His onlybegotten Son to a most shameful death. Abraham learned of God the greatest lesson ever given to mortal. His prayer that he might see Christ before he should die was answered. He saw Christ; he saw all that mortal can see, and live. By making an entire surrender, he was able to understand the vision of Christ, which had been given him. He was shown that in giving His only-begotten Son to save sinners from eternal ruin, God was making a greater and more wonderful sacrifice than ever man could make.” Desire of Ages, 468, 469.

Inspiration – Our Mighty Helper

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It is our privilege to say with Paul, “I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20.) And yet how many are making laborious work of walking in the narrow way of holiness. To many the peace and rest of this blessed way seems no nearer today than it did years in the past. They look afar off for that which is nigh; they make intricate that which Jesus made very plain. He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The plan of salvation has been plainly revealed in the word of God, but the wisdom of the world has been sought too much, and the wisdom of Christ’s righteousness too little. And souls that might have rested in the love of Jesus, have been doubting, and troubled about many things.

You must trust Jesus for yourselves, appropriate the promises of God to yourselves, or how can you teach others to have humble, holy confidence in Him? You feel that you have neglected duties, that you have not prayed as you should. You seem at a distance from God, and think that He has withdrawn from you; but it is you who have separated from Him. He is waiting for you to return. He will accept the contrite heart. He has assured us that He is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him than parents are to give good gifts to their children. We are polluted with sin; but it is possible for us to be healed from its leprosy. We are to look to the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The important future is before us; and to meet its trials and temptations, and to perform its duties, will require great faith, energy, and perseverance. But we may triumph gloriously. Not one waiting, watching, praying, believing soul will be ensnared by the devices of the enemy. All heaven is interested in our welfare, and awaits our demand upon its wisdom and strength. If any of us are not saved, it will be because we have chosen the service of Christ’s great adversary and the companionship of those who are his followers.

The Lord is willing to do great things for us. We shall not gain the victory through numbers, but through the full surrender of the soul to Jesus. We are to go forward in His strength, trusting in the mighty God of Israel.

You should never be surprised, you should never be without your armor on. Be prepared for any emergency, for any call of duty. Act promptly. God would have you minute men. Many times workers are too precise, too calculating. While they are getting ready to do a great work, the opportunity for doing a good work passes unimproved. The worker moves on as though the whole burden rested upon himself, a poor, finite man, when Jesus is ready to carry him and his burden too. Brethren, trust self less, and Jesus more. He is willing to save the souls for whom we labor. Because He lives to intercede for us, we shall see of His great power. He “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Jesus wants us to ask for help; He wants us to cast our helpless souls on Him; and He will give us according to our faith.

People who are self-sufficient, and feel that so much depends upon themselves, give Jesus no room to work, and but little credit when He does work. They trust in their own ability, forgetting the words of Christ, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). The man that is self-righteous, and wise in his own eyes—rich and increased in goods, having need of nothing—cannot ask in faith, and receive, because he trusts in himself, and feels no lack. His works testify that he labors out of Christ. It is those who feel themselves sinful before God, poor and helpless, that Jesus loves to help; for they will appreciate His aid. They have a longing desire to do the Master’s work, and, knowing that the power is not of themselves, they take hold of the mighty arm of God, and by faith claim His promises.

God is not pleased when His servants remain weak, wanting in courage, in faith, in hope, in love, and consequently inefficient laborers in His cause. God has given men reasoning powers, not to remain inactive or to be perverted to earthly and sordid pursuits, but that these powers may be developed to the utmost, and used in His service, to advance the interests of His kingdom.

A high standard of purity and nobility of character is set before the Christian, and he can attain to this excellence only through the aid of Christ. But many suffer grief, pain, and disappointment, because they are unwilling to fill the humble place which God’s providence assigns them, where they will remain unnoticed and unknown. They love the supremacy, and their anxiety leads them to work against their brethren, fearing that others will be preferred above themselves. Envy, malice, jealousy, and distrust are cherished, and Jesus cannot dwell where these traits are entertained. He invites those who are ambitious of preferment to come to Him, and at the foot of the cross of Calvary learn His meekness and lowliness of heart. If any are qualified for high positions of trust, the Lord will lay the burden, not on them, but on those who have tested them, and can understandingly urge them forward.

The followers of Christ should not praise and flatter one another; for Satan will do a plenty of this work, and if persons have a high opinion of their own ability, it will prevent them from learning in the school of Christ. Let none censure and condemn others; for in doing this they are co-laborers with him who is the accuser of the brethren, who would steal from their hearts every particle of love for one another. Christians will not seek to tear one another down in order to build up self, but all will endeavor to strengthen and encourage one another.

We should make it our daily care to cultivate sympathy and affection for one another. This is the fruit that grows on the Christian tree; it does not produce the briers and thorns of hatred and strife. The harsh, unsympathetic words we sometimes hear spoken, and the hardheartedness we see manifested, are wholly satanic, and this spirit must be supplanted by the spirit of Christ. Jesus bids us, “Love one another, as I have loved you. … By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34, 35). He is our mighty Helper; and if He abides in our hearts, we shall manifest His spirit. We shall love one another; we cannot help it; for He is love.

Gospel Workers, 456–460.