Jesus

The Door – What Does it Represent?

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Within the Bible passage of John 10:1–30 there are many wonderful lessons, one of which is the study on the door. Every person who is saved must go through this door.

Jesus tells the story in which He says:

  1. The person who does not go through the door of the sheepfold, but goes up or gets in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

Still today, if a person enters another’s house other than by the door it is because they do not belong there and they are there for no good reason. They are most probably a thief or a robber.

  1. The one that goes through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (See John 10:2.)
  2. Jesus says, I myself am the Door of the sheep. (See John 10:7.) How can Jesus be the Door and yet go through the door?
  3. Remember, Jesus said He is the Door. “Through Me, if anybody enters in, he will be saved.” John 10:9. This is good news. If you go through this door, you will be saved. There are no exceptions. Not one person who goes through this door will be lost.
  4. The sheepfold has only one door. Everybody in the fold who has not gone through the door is a thief and a robber.
  5. The fold is the church, but the only people who are actually members of the church are the ones who have gone through the door. Suppose a robber comes to your house entering through the window. Though he may be in the house, he is not a member of your household.

In the same way the fold is the church, and only those who have entered through the door are actually members, all others in there do not really belong. Even though they may look like part of the flock, they are not, but imposters.

  1. The Shepherd is the Door. Remember, Jesus said that He was the Door.
  2. If you go through a door, there is both a time before going through it and a time after going through it.
  3. Jesus said He went through the door. That means there was a time before Jesus went through the door and there was a time after He went through the door.
  4. Everyone who gets into the sheepfold without going through the door will be lost, because they are a thief or a robber. The book of Revelation makes it very clear that there will be no thieves or robbers in heaven.
  5. The fold is the church and the door is the entrance into the church. All who enter through the door will be saved without exception.
  6. In Matthew 17, Jesus warned to beware of wolves that are in sheep’s clothing. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing within the church and although they profess to be members of the church, they are not members of the household of God; they are the children of the devil dressed in sheep’s clothing. One way to identify them is by their backbiting. Sheep do not backbite.
  7. At some time all of the sheep must go through the door.

Remember, all who go through the door receive eternal life—without exception. So what does the door represent and what does it mean to go through it? Jesus said that He was the Door but He also said that He went through the door. Since Jesus went through the door, there was a time before He went through the door and a time after He went through it. Since there was a time before He went through, we know for sure that the door does not represent the divinity of Christ, because there never has been a time when Christ was not divine.

“Christ was one with the Father before the foundation of the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it resplendent with divine, original glory.

“Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God. … In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. …

“His divine life could not be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ before His incarnation is not measured by figures.

“Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore. The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. [He was with the Father, but He was a distinct person from all eternity. There never was a time when that was not so.] He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right.

“He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent.” The Faith I Live By, 46.

The following tells us that Jesus was Jehovah. In John 8:56–59, it says, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day and he saw it and was glad. Then the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’ Then they took up stones to throw at Him.”

Why did they take up stones to throw at Him? Because the Jews knew the significance of what He had just said but which some people today do not understand.

“With solemn dignity Jesus answered, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM’ [John 8:58].

“Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One.” The Desire of Ages, 469, 470.

There are many references in the Bible that indicate very clearly that Jesus Christ is Jehovah. But because that is the case, the door cannot represent Christ’s divinity because He said He went through the door. There was a time before and a time after He went through the door.

Both the Shepherd and the sheep all go through the door, and all who will be saved, also have to go through it. The door cannot represent our humanity, because there has never been a time in our existence when we have not been human. The door cannot represent either divinity or humanity, so what does it represent?

In an article written in The Review and Herald, March 10, 1892, Ellen White states, “The only way in which salvation could be provided for man was through the union of divinity with humanity. Christ in human flesh alone could bridge the gulf that sin had made.”

Notice, Jesus was divine, but man could not be saved by His divinity alone. He must also become a man so His divinity could join with our humanity.

We are also told: “Christ came to our world, sent of God to take human nature upon him. The mysterious union was to be formed between human nature and the divine nature. … The great condescension on the part of God is a mystery that is beyond our fathoming. The greatness of the plan cannot be fully comprehended, nor could infinite Wisdom devise a plan that would surpass it. It could be successful only by the clothing of divinity with humanity, by Christ becoming man, and suffering the wrath which sin has made because of the transgression of God’s law.” Ibid., October 22, 1895.

There is a door that the Shepherd (Christ) entered through (John 10:2). There was a time that He was fully divine, but when He entered through the door, He was not only divine, but also a human being. The door then represents a union of divinity and humanity. Jesus said that only those who enter that way will be saved. It takes more than mere humanity to enter through that door. Jesus entered by uniting His divinity to our humanity. We must enter by uniting our humanity with His divinity. This unity is clearly taught in the Bible and is the only way.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” II Peter 1:2–4. It goes on to say that if you will do this you will have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God.

“In Christ dwelt all the fullness of the God-head. But the only way in which He could reach men was to vail His glory by a garb of humanity. The angels beheld the hiding of His glory, that divinity might touch humanity.” The Signs of the Times, January 20, 1898.

That is what it meant for Jesus to go through the door. He is the Door. He took our humanity upon His divinity so that He became both divine and human. Without the union of divinity with humanity the plan of salvation will not work. To enter through the door, humanity must be united, linked up, part of, His divinity. We are to become partakers of the divine nature.

“Divinity took the nature of humanity, and for what purpose? That through the righteousness of Christ humanity might partake of the divine nature. This union of divinity and humanity, which was possible with Christ, is incomprehensible to human minds. The wonderful things to take place in our world—the greatest events of all ages—are incomprehensible to worldly minds; they cannot be explained by human sciences.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 332.

Our minds cannot understand how we can become a partaker of divine nature. The Bible says that spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

There are many Christians today who do not seem to understand this and think that all you have to do is say, “I believe in Jesus” and that is it. That is not it! You must go through the door. Belief is wonderful if you understand the meaning of the Greek word—to make a commitment.

“The powers of heaven shall be shaken. Christ is coming in power and great glory, but His coming is not such a mystery as the things to take place before that event. Man must be a partaker of the divine nature in order to stand in this evil time, when the mysteries of satanic agencies are at work. Only by the divine power united with the human can souls endure through these times of trial.” Ibid.

Have you gone through the door? There is a wide difference between a pretended union and a real connection with Christ. Jesus illustrates this fact in the parable of the vine (John 15). He said He was the vine and we are the branches. The outer branches that are not connected directly to the vine get cut off and thrown into the fire.

This represents those who are in the fold but have not gone through the door. They profess Christianity, they may belong to a church or may be an elder, a preacher, an evangelist, or have some other position, but they have not gone through the door. They do not have that inner connection where the life of the vine comes into the branch. If the inner life of the vine reaches out to the branch, it is alive and bears fruit. But if the branch is connected to the vine with just an outer connection and not a living connection, then it dies and will be cut off. All who are in the fold but have not gone through the door are thieves and robbers and are only there temporarily.

“To know the truth, to claim union with Christ, and yet not to bring forth fruit, not to live in the exercise of constant faith—this hardens the heart in disobedience and self-confidence. Our growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness, all depend on our union with Christ and the degree of faith we exercise in Him. … Everyone who is united to Christ will depart from all iniquity.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 48, 49.

“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands having this seal. The Lord knows those who are His and let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” II Timothy 2:19.

Those connected to Christ will depart from all lawlessness. Those entering the fold by jumping the fence do not belong there.

“Every individual, by his own act, either puts Christ from him by refusing to cherish His spirit and follow His example, or he enters into a personal union with Christ by self-renunciation, faith, and obedience.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 46.

How does a person enter into a union with Christ?

Renounce self—no longer trust self. This is one of the most difficult things for people who are successful. After talking to the rich young ruler, Jesus told His disciples that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24). Because we are human, we have a tendency to judge others as well as ourselves by outward appearance, but to enter through the door requires a change of heart and a new spirit. You cannot go through the door by just changing your appearance. Nicodemus, one of the religious leaders in the time of Christ, became sarcastic when Jesus told him he was not ready to go to heaven (John 3). Jesus said that unless you are born of the water and the spirit, unless you receive a new spirit and a new heart, there is no way to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

That new spirit, the divine spirit, is made manifest when you go through the door. Humanity linked up with divinity! Many people have a desire to be a Christian but are often trapped in one of their darling sins. They have not gone through the door and received the Holy Spirit, which gives power to do certain things that before have been impossible and to stop doing those things that previously you had not been able to stop.

The gospel is offered as a free gift to all. There are people in prison for all manner of sin—murder, rape, theft, to mention just a few. When the person, guilty of any sin, is willing to go through the door and receive the Holy Spirit, he/she will receive a new heart and a new mind and will begin to live a new life. The blood of Jesus Christ, which can take away all uncleanness, will forgive his/her sins. There are many people who want to be saved in their sins without going through the door. They consider their sins not too big, and if the rapist and the murderer can be saved, well, they never robbed a bank or murdered anyone or did anything really bad! Surely their little sins would be overlooked. No! Jesus told Nicodemus that unless he was born of the Holy Spirit; unless he went through the door, he was not really part of the church, but just playing church.

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one spirit.” I Corinthians 12:13. Baptism by water is a symbol. The Jews had symbols. Every sacrificed lamb represented Jesus. John said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29. Jesus was the true Lamb of God. Many people offered animal sacrifices having the symbol without understanding what that symbol represented. Caiaphas, the high priest and the leaders of the Jewish church all offered animal sacrifices and will still be lost because they only knew the symbol and not the real thing.

All who put their trust in Jesus, surrendering their lives totally to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ and receive His Spirit, will be saved, but there will be many people who have been baptized by water who will be lost. Baptism by water is a symbol, but unless baptized by the Holy Spirit, they are just playing church.

“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ ” Acts 2:38. Paul met some others who had been baptized by John but did not understand the baptism of the Holy Spirit so they were re-baptized (Acts 19:1–7). After going through the door, becoming united with the divine nature, care must be taken to stay connected with Christ.

“This spiritual relation can be established only by the exercise of personal faith. This faith must express on our part supreme preference, perfect reliance, entire consecration. Our will must be wholly yielded to the divine will, our feelings, desires, interests, and honor identified with the prosperity of Christ’s kingdom and the honor of His cause, we constantly receiving grace from Him, and Christ accepting gratitude from us.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 229.

“All Christ’s followers have as deep an interest in this lesson as had the disciples who listened to His words. In the apostasy, man alienated himself from God. The separation is wide and fearful; but Christ has made provision again to connect us with Himself. The power of evil is so identified with human nature that no man can overcome except by union with Christ. Through this union we receive moral and spiritual power.” Ibid., 230.

It is impossible to overcome sin without going through the door and entering into Christ.

“A union with Christ by living faith is enduring; every other union must perish. Christ first chose us, paying an infinite price for our redemption; and the true believer chooses Christ as first and last and best in everything. But this union costs us something. It is a union of utter dependence, to be entered into by a proud being. All who form this union must feel their need of the atoning blood of Christ. They must have a change of heart. They must submit their own will to the will of God. There will be a struggle with outward and internal obstacles. There must be a painful work of detachment as well as a work of attachment. Pride, selfishness, vanity, worldliness—sin in all its forms—must be overcome if we would enter into a union with Christ. The reason why many find the Christian life so deplorably hard, why they are so fickle, so variable, is that they try to attach themselves to Christ without first detaching themselves from these cherished idols.” Ibid., 231.

In order to attach yourselves to Christ you must be detached from the world—detatched from everything that involves sin.

Jesus says the way that leads to destruction is broad but the door of salvation is narrow. Entering through this door, sins must be left outside. Are you willing to do that? This is why there are a lot of Christians who want to jump over the fence and get into the fold another way. They are not willing to go through the narrow door, too narrow for their baggage. The Lord is soon going to clean house and all the thieves and robbers will be cast out.

Do you still want to go through the narrow door where all sins must be left on the outside? All who enter there will be saved without exception. No matter how weak you are, when united with divine power, the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse you from all uncleanness and the power of the Holy Spirit will give you the power to live a new life. You will have a new heart and a new spirit with new desires and everything will be changed. Paul said that if any man is in Christ Jesus, old things are passed away and he is a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17). Do you want that experience in your life?

If you are willing to go through the door, the Lord is willing to give you the Holy Spirit that will empower you to live a different kind of a life. Whatever your struggle in this life, if you are willing to go through the door, there is no problem that Jesus cannot solve through the power of the Holy Spirit, as long as you are willing to make a commitment.

We thank God that there is a door to salvation and that if we are willing to make a complete commitment of our lives to Jesus Christ He will give to us the Holy Spirit so that we may receive a new heart, a new spirit, a new mind and a new life.

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist 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 – Jesus Longed to See!

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“Jesus longed to see.” That is quite a statement to think upon. It makes you want to know what He longed to see!

A rich young man came to Jesus inquiring what he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, to which he replied, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” (See Matthew 19:20.) In those words, there was seen no need. “He [Jesus] longed to see in him a humble and contrite heart, conscious of the supreme love to be given to God, and hiding its lack in the perfection of Christ.” The Desire of Ages, 519.

Jesus longs to see in each one of us

A humble heart:

  • A heart expressing dependence
  • A heart expressing unworthiness
  • A heart willing to submit, willing to yield and to be obedient

Did He see this in the young ruler? No. Does He see this humble heart in you? Jesus longs to see

A contrite heart:

  • A heart that is broken in spirit because of a sense of sin
  • A sincere sorrow for sin
  • A deep repentance

Did He see this in the young ruler? No. Does He see a contrite heart in you? To receive the love of God, your supreme love of self must be surrendered and its deficiency hid in the perfection of Jesus.

“Christ read the ruler’s heart. Only one thing he lacked, but that was a vital principle.” Ibid.

Imagine, thinking to keep the commandments for his whole lifetime and yet still lacking the vital principle necessary for his spiritual life and future. Jesus saw in this young man the potential to represent Him and become a divine force among men. “He longed to make him like Himself, a mirror in which the likeness of God would be reflected. …

“He needed the love of God in the soul. This lack, unless supplied, would prove fatal to him; his whole nature would become corrupted.” Ibid.

We too could ask this same question of Jesus. If we give ourselves to Christ, we can grow in the atmosphere of His presence. However, if we choose to remain lacking, refusing the love of God, our whole nature will become corrupt. This means:

  • It will decay
  • It will be polluted
  • It will be perverted
  • It will be rotten

Jesus longed to see a willingness to be a coworker—but, sadly, the young man turned away.

  • He chose not to receive a humble and contrite heart.
  • He chose not to recognize the supreme love to be given to God.
  • He chose not to hide his lack in Jesus.

“With what earnest, anxious longing, what soul hunger, did the Saviour look at the young man, hoping that he would yield to the invitation of the Spirit of God!” Ibid., 520.

The young man “wanted eternal life, but would not receive into the soul that unselfish love which alone is life, and with a sorrowful heart he turned away from Christ.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 393.

That same invitation is offered today: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” Joshua 24:15.

“The Redeemer longed to create in him that discernment which would enable him to see the necessity of heart devotion and Christian goodness.” The Desire of Ages, 519.

But he refused and turned away! What will you do?

Father: I want Jesus to see in me a humble and contrite heart, conscious of the supreme love to be given to Thee. I choose to open my heart fully to receive Christ so I may be transformed into Your likeness, which is my only hope of salvation. Please help me to hide all that I lack in the perfection of Jesus so that I will not become corrupt and lose life eternal as did that young man long ago. Amen.

Another Love Story

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Jesus’ prayer for His disciples was not for them alone, but for you and me and all those who appreciate His will, His work, and His words. He prayed for all those who follow Him in Spirit and in truth.

He said, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are.”

At that point, the disciple Judas had already left. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture may be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” Verses 12–18.

Christ was about to take on another role, but His disciples were left to continue preaching and ministering to this world. They would now learn much more as they taught others. Christ’s life was one of continual giving and imparting to others. “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word.” Verses 19, 20.

Jesus continued, “And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are One [referring to Himself and the Father]: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.” Verses 22, 23.

The key to being ready when Jesus returns is having “Christ in us,” so when the Father looks at us, He sees the reflection of His Son.

We do not fully understand the love that Christ has for us. As a child, we may recite John 3:16, but as we start to investigate, we find that eternity will not exhaust the study of His love for man.

One of the things I learned when I got married was that every proclamation of love will be tested. What if your mate loses an arm or a leg; are you going to fall out of love with him or her? Love is a principle, and true love overcomes every obstacle.

The more I try to search out Christ, the less I understand what love is. God is love. “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world.” Verse 24.

Christ wanted those whom the Father gave Him to be with Him. That is true love.

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted.” Matthew 28:16, 17. Here was a Saviour who was crucified, sentenced to death, and was now once again with them, yet some doubted.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Verse 18. Giving the disciples the gospel commission, He said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Verses 19, 20.

“The time had come for Christ to ascend to His Father’s throne. As a divine conqueror He was about to return with the trophies of victory to the heavenly court. Before His death He had declared to His Father, ‘I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.’ John 17:4.” The Desire of Ages, 829.

On the cross Christ said, “It is finished.” John 19:30. He declared that all the requirements to redeem the world had been met. He stated, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.” John 17:4.

“After His resurrection He tarried on earth for a season, that His disciples might become familiar with Him in His risen and glorified body. Now He was ready for the leave-taking. He had authenticated the fact that He was a living Saviour. His disciples need no longer associate Him with the tomb. They could think of Him as glorified before the heavenly universe.” The Desire of Ages, 829.

Christ led His disciples to the Mount of Olives. He didn’t lead them to Mount Zion, where the devil said, “I will set my throne in the north, the city of the great king” (see Isaiah 14:12–14) that is representative of the city of the great King, God the Father. Christ was rejected in Mount Zion as their king. He did not take them to Mount Moriah, the site of the sanctuary where He was rejected as their priest. He avoided these two hallowed spots and went to where He often visited the house of His friend Lazarus, near the Mount of Olives. The Garden of Gethsemane was there, the place where He often found peace.

Christ ascended that Sunday morning. It was the feast of 50 days or what we call Pentecost. Christ had stayed with His disciples 40 days for them to get accustomed to Him as a risen Saviour. On that fortieth day, He led them to the top of the Mount of Olives. Of this, Ellen White wrote: “Now with the eleven disciples Jesus made His way toward the mountain. As they passed through the gate of Jerusalem, many wondering eyes looked upon the little company, led by One whom a few weeks before the rulers had condemned and crucified.” Ibid., 830.

As He led them up into the mountain, He passed through Gethsemane. One of the disciples’ biggest arguments or contentions throughout the three and a half years was who would be the greatest. But as He walked up to the Mount of Olives, through Gethsemane, not one of them was prideful or boastful, realizing that was the place where they all had deserted Him. All pride had been removed from them. It was almost a sense of guilt they felt, realizing their desertion. But Christ knew it would happen, and He foretold it. As they continued, Jesus talked to His disciples, teaching the same lessons that He had spoken to them for the past three and a half years.

As He reached the top of the mountain, and while still addressing the disciples, His face started to light up as He began to ascend. The disciples were amazed as they watched and strained to get even the last glimpse of Him.

A cloud of angels was waiting to welcome back their King. But even as that was happening, His heart was still with His disciples. He told them, “I want you to go to Jerusalem and wait” (see Luke 24:49). It took them ten days to come into one accord, working out their differences.

The Parallel Story

Invisible to the mortal eye was another scene in heaven. As Jesus departed from this earth and from the ones He loved, there were others patiently waiting for Him to welcome Him home.

“Christ had ascended to heaven in the form of humanity. The disciples had beheld the cloud receive Him. The same Jesus Who had walked and talked and prayed with them; Who had broken bread with them; Who had been with them in their boats on the lake; and Who had that very day toiled with them during the ascent of Olivet—the same Jesus had now gone to share His Father’s throne. And the angels had assured them that the very One whom they had seen go up into heaven, would come again even as He had ascended.” Ibid., 832.

I am sure those angels wanted to be part of that procession to welcome back their King. “These angels were of the company that had been waiting in a shining cloud to escort Jesus to His heavenly home. The most exalted of the angel throng, they were the two who had come to the tomb at Christ’s resurrection, and they had been with Him throughout His life on earth. With eager desire all heaven had waited for the end of His tarrying in a world marred by the curse of sin. The time had now come for the heavenly universe to receive their King. Did not the two angels long to join the throng that welcomed Jesus? But in sympathy and love for those whom He had left, they waited to give them comfort.” Ibid.

When the disciples went back to Jerusalem, they were expected to be sad, depressed, and broken, but what they saw was the absolute opposite. They were happy and joyous, because their Saviour was alive, and they knew now that He was at the right hand of God the Father pleading their cause.

“The disciples no longer had any distrust of the future. They knew that Jesus was in heaven, and that His sympathies were with them still. They knew that they had a friend at the throne of God, and they were eager to present their requests to the Father in the name of Jesus. In solemn awe they bowed in prayer, repeating the assurance, ‘Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.’ John 16:23, 24. They extended the hand of faith higher and higher, with the mighty argument, ‘It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.’ Romans 8:34. And Pentecost brought them fullness of joy in the presence of the Comforter, even as Christ had promised.

“All heaven was waiting to welcome the Saviour to the celestial courts. As He ascended, He led the way, and the multitude of captives set free at His resurrection followed. The heavenly host, with shouts and acclamations of praise and celestial song, attended the joyous train.

“As they drew near to the city of God, the challenge is given by the escorting angels—

‘Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.’

“Joyfully the waiting sentinels respond—

‘Who is this King of glory?’

“This they say, not because they know not Who He is, but because they would hear the answer of exalted praise—

‘The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.’

“Again is heard the challenge, ‘Who is this King of glory?’ for the angels never weary of hearing His name exalted. The escorting angels make reply—

‘The Lord of hosts;
He is the King of glory.’

Psalm 24:7–10.

“Then the portals of the city of God are opened wide, and the angelic throng sweep through the gates amid a burst of rapturous music.

“There is the throne, and around it the rainbow of promise. There are cherubim and seraphim. The commanders of the angel hosts, the sons of God, the representatives of the unfallen worlds, are assembled. The heavenly council before which Lucifer had accused God and His Son, the representatives of those sinless realms over which Satan had thought to establish his dominion—all are there to welcome the Redeemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph and to glorify their King.” Ibid., 833, 834.

All this was going on while the disciples were getting themselves together into one accord. Normally you don’t hear about that parallel story. It is very important, because the church here had no clue what was happening in the heavenly courts. That is going to be repeated.

Paul says the things that are written are for our learning, and our admonition, and our instruction (Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11; II Timothy 3:16). This is going to be repeated. When Christ was on earth, He was a Saviour—a Lamb. At His ascension He took on the role of High Priest.

When He takes the role as a King, mediation will cease. There will be no more a priest pleading for the people. He is returning as Christ the King. When He comes back the second time it will not be to invite people into the first apartment of the sanctuary. The devil is portraying Christ as coming back as a priest, which means that you can still confess your sins. But He is coming back as a King. When Michael (Christ) stands up and removes His priestly vestures and puts on His kingly robe, we need to take that seriously. At that time, all will have to live in the presence of God without a mediator. There will be no forgiveness for sin after that time.

“And I [John] saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion [another name of King] of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain.” Revelation 5:1–6.

The individual who opens up the book is a King and Saviour. There is only One person Who fits that description.

“And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne. And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.” Verses 7–11.

This was a huge celebration. Christ ascends, there are a lot of beings, and there is a throne.

“But He waves them back. Not yet; He cannot now receive the coronet of glory and the royal robe. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph; He presents to God the wave sheaf, those raised with Him as representatives of that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming. He approaches the Father, with Whom there is joy over one sinner who repents; Who rejoices over one with singing. Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled. When upon the cross He cried out, ‘It is finished,’ He addressed the Father. The compact had been fully carried out. Now He declares: ‘Father, it is finished. I have done Thy will, O My God. I have completed the work of redemption. If Thy justice is satisfied …’ Here is our Mediator. If Thy justice is satisfied, ‘I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.’ John 19:30; 17:24.” The Desire of Ages, 834.

Christ allowed His intentions to be known that His desire was that wherever He would be, those whom the Father had given to Him would be there also and He was going away to prepare that place.

The response came from the Father. “The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ’s toiling, struggling ones on earth are ‘accepted in the Beloved.’ Ephesians 1:6.” Ibid.

Those who accept the gift of salvation are adopted into the Beloved “with joy unutterable.” Let’s go back a little bit. “Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. ‘Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.’ Psalm 85:10. The Father’s arms encircles His Son, and the word is given, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ Hebrews 1:6.”

“With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of life. The angel host prostrate themselves before Him, while the glad shout fills all the courts of heaven, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.’ Revelation 5:12.” Ibid., 834.

John, the youngest of the disciples, in his old age, was shown a vision where Jesus explained to him the workings of the heavenly court. He heard somebody speaking to him: “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks.” John saw Jesus doing the priestly work. He was in the first apartment of the sanctuary. “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters.” Revelation 1:12–15.

The devil is going to come back with that description. Those who do not understand the workings of the earthly sanctuary will be deceived. The devil is going to personate Christ to deceive the world with a message of peace and safety and to forgive sins. The majority will say, “O, here comes our priest; our king is coming, and when he comes, He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But, at the Second Advent, Jesus does not come to bring peace and safety or cleansing from sin, for the judgment is already completed before He comes.

In 1844, at the end of the 2,300 days prophesied by Daniel (Daniel 8:14), Christ moved into another apartment, the Most Holy Place where the ark of God is, where justice is combined with mercy. Justice is inside the ark—the Law of God. The mercy seat covers the law with the Shekinah glory. Justice and mercy meet in the Most Holy Place. God is both just and merciful. Jesus fulfilled justice by taking our place, suffering the second death for our sins. The plan of redemption has been completed and now there must be an investigation into those who are worthy of His atonement.

Do you really appreciate what God has done for you? Matthew 7:20 says, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” You need to know yourself by your fruit. Do you truly appreciate what Christ has done? There are things that must be let go of to appreciate the sacrifice that was made. He says, “Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary.” Psalm 77:13.

Christ prayed, “Lord, I will that those whom thou hast given Me, be where I am.” Christ has ascended. That is where I want to be—with Him.

Bertrand Harry works for Steps to Life in the audio/video department. 

Where This World is Headed

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Have you ever been deceived by having a false hope? Jesus taught that many people in the last days will believe they are saved, will but come right up to the end of the world and find out that they are lost for eternity. Don’t let it happen to you! Find out what is involved in gaining eternal life.

Whether a person has life or death in this world depends upon his or her choices. That is true not just for this temporal life alone but also for eternity. Whether a person receives eternal life or eternal death is dependent on the choices made in this life. The apostle Paul said, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 KJV. All in this world, whether they are righteous or wicked, whether they are Christian or non-Christian, whether they are good or bad, will die unless they are still alive when Jesus comes. But this death is not the death about which you need to be concerned. There will be many people who will be resurrected and then die again the second death. The Bible talks clearly about the second death in Revelation 20 and 21.

One wonders why somebody would choose to die the second death. In I John 3:4 KJV, it says that sin is the transgression [or the breaking] of God’s law, and in Romans 6:23, it says, “The wages of sin is death.” Paul here is referring to the second death and not to the first death. The wages of sin is death, that death that will go on forever. A person who suffers the second death will never be alive again; they will be dead forever. They will be blotted out of existence. You can read about that in both the Old and the New Testaments—in Obadiah, Jeremiah and Revelation. There is only one way that you can escape the second death, and that is for your sins to be removed from you. The Bible says that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death.

The only way for sin to be removed is to have your guilt transferred to somebody else whose righteousness or innocence could be transferred to you to remove any guilt. The Bible teaches that this is exactly what happens in the plan of salvation. The apostle Paul said, “For He made Him [that is, God made Christ] Who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:21. Jesus did not know any sin. It says, in I John 3:5, “In Him there is no sin.” He knew no sin. He was righteous, but the One Who was righteous took upon Himself our sins. Our sins were transferred to Him, and His righteousness was transferred to us. This is clearly taught in both the Old and the New Testaments.

If your guilt can be transferred to somebody else, then he has to pay the penalty of your guilt, allowing you to escape the penalty. Notice how truly this is stated: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5, 6. So, the iniquity, the sin, the transgression, the guilt can be transferred. If it could not be transferred, it would be impossible for you to be saved, and you would have to die because the wages of sin is death.

In the beginning, the accusation that Satan brought against the government of God was that He could not be just and also forgive sin. But God can be both just and righteous while also forgiving sin. The death of Christ on the cross proves that God could both forgive sin and also be righteous and just. At the cross, justice and mercy met, the penalty for sin was paid. God can also be merciful and forgive those who accept the sacrifice that was made on their behalf. “Whom God set forth as a propitiation [that is, to pay the price] by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Romans 3:25, 26. Now, there is only one way to be saved, and that is to believe in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:15 makes it very clear that those who lived under the Old Covenant are saved by the same sacrifice as those who live under the New Covenant. In fact, God gave to the children of Israel a picture of the plan of salvation, a picture of the everlasting covenant by which a person can be saved from their sins. This picture is called the Old Covenant, and it is centered in the earthly sanctuary service that was given to the children of Israel to explain in detail the workings of the plan of salvation. Under the Old Covenant, when a person sinned, he brought an animal sacrifice to the sanctuary where he had to place his hands on the head of that sacrifice and confess his sins (Leviticus 4, 5). There had to be repentance and confession of sin. Repentance is being sorry for sin and turning away from it.

David said, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Once the sins were confessed over the head of the animal, it had to be killed. By this act the lesson was to be learned that the wages or consequence of sin is death. They also understood that the sacrifice was a symbol, or that it pre-figured the fact that some day in the future the seed, a descendant of Eve, was going to come and pay the price of their sins if they would confess and forsake them.

They understood also that the guilt from their sins could be transferred to the animal sacrifice. Paul said that the animal sacrifices could not take away sin, but that it was a symbol for them to understand how it worked. Their guilt was transferred symbolically to the sacrifice. When their guilt was transferred to the sacrifice, and because the wages of sin is death, the sacrifice had to die. They were forgiven and they could be free.

They understood that someday Somebody was going to come Who would be their substitute. Their guilt would be transferred to Somebody else. “The life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Leviticus 17:11. The blood represented the life, and when the animal was sacrificed, it was a substitute for the life of the sinner. Their sins were transferred in figure, in type, as a symbol to the animal sacrifice. The animal sacrifice became the sin bearer. The animal sacrifice, usually a lamb, was also symbolic of the real substitute that was to come.

Who is the real sin bearer?

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ ” John 1:29. Jesus is the true sin bearer, the only One Whom your sin can be transferred onto and Who can take it away. Since the blood represents the life, it is the blood that takes away the guilt. In other words, your guilt is transferred to the substitute, and the life of the substitute is sacrificed in the place of your own life. The guilt of your own life is transferred onto His life. Your guilt is transferred from your blood to His blood. In other words, His life, His blood receives the pollution, receives the defilement from your guilt. Remember, God has made Christ to be sin, Who knew no sin (II Corinthians 5:21).

Why is He sin when He didn’t know any sin, and never sinned?

The Bible is very clear, over and over again, that Jesus never sinned. In fact, He once said to the Jews, “Which of you convicts Me [or convinced Me] of sin?” John 8:46. They couldn’t answer. The Bible says over and over again that He did no sin, and there was no sin in Him. But God made Him to be sin, because your guilt was transferred to Him. In Hebrews Paul spoke about this very fact, of how sin is forgiven: “According to the law almost all things are purified [or purged] with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22. The blood of the sacrifice, which had become defiled by the guilt of the repentant sinner, was taken into the sanctuary, representing the fact that God has a record in His sanctuary of every sin that has ever been committed. The sanctuary then became defiled from the defilement of God’s repentant people, and it had to be cleansed in type, and this cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, in type not in reality, happened once a year on the Day of Atonement. And it was clearly necessary because of the uncleanness of the transgressions, the sins of the children of Israel.

Describing the cleansing of the sanctuary, the Bible says, “So he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions, for all their sins. And so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness. … He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his fingers seven times, cleanse it, and sanctify it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” Leviticus 16:16–19 literal translation. The sanctuary became polluted because of the defilement that had been registered there by the confession of sins throughout the year. Daily, the people were forgiven and their guilt was transferred, by the blood, into the sanctuary. It was appointed that once a year, on the Day of Atonement, they were not just forgiven, but cleansed from all defilement. “For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” Leviticus 16:30. All year long you could go and confess your sins, sacrificing your lambs, but if you did not participate in the Day of Atonement, you were cut off from the children of Israel. It was absolutely a vital necessity that you not only be forgiven but that you be cleansed, that is, to have your sins taken away from you, and that was symbolized to happen on the Day of Atonement.

Paul says, in Hebrews 8 and 9, that everything that happened in the earthly sanctuary is a symbol or type of what happens in the heavenly sanctuary. When is the heavenly sanctuary cleansed? As was the earthly sanctuary, the heavenly sanctuary also has to be cleansed. Concerning this cleansing we read, “It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience. … But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the holy places once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:9, 11, 12 literal translation. Paul goes on to say that just as the earthly sanctuary had to be cleansed, also the sanctuary in heaven has to be cleansed. “Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these.” Verse 23. In other words, it was necessary for the earthly sanctuary to be purified with the animals—the type. But the heavenly things themselves, that is the sanctuary in heaven, the holy places in heaven, with better sacrifices than these—the sacrifice of Christ. “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood of another.” Verses 24, 25 literal translation. The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary would be cleansed once, not every year as in the earthly system.

Holy places are a more correct translation than either holy place or most holy place as many translations have. Paul says that it is not once a year like it was in the Old Covenant. He makes it very clear, in verse 26, that this will happen in the end of the ages; it is in our time, the last days when the sanctuary is cleansed—when the sins of the people are taken away. When sins have been confessed, they are forgiven, but they are not taken away from you. But the plan of salvation involves not only forgiveness of sins, but having the sins actually taken away from you, or as Peter describes it, blotted out. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, Who was preached to you before, Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19–21.

Peter, like Paul, indicates that the blotting out of sin, the taking away of sin, occurs in the end of the world. This was also taught by the prophet, Daniel. Paul says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Notice how Paul links the concept of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary with the judgment; then he continues, “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Hebrews 9:27, 28. When Jesus comes a second time, He will not come as the sin bearer. He came the first time to bear your sins to the cross and to pay the price for your sins. John the Baptist said, “Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29.

When Jesus comes a second time, He will not be coming as a priest. He will not be coming as a sin bearer. He will be coming as the King of kings, and Lord of lords; He will be coming apart from sin. That simply means that when Jesus comes again, unless your sins have already been taken away from you, you cannot be saved. He is not coming to save you then. He is coming to save the people who have already been saved by His grace. He is not coming to offer sinners an opportunity or a second chance. Those who have rejected the plan of salvation will be lost. Jesus is not coming a second time to offer the plan of salvation. When He comes again it is to take the people home, those who have already accepted the salvation He provided at His first coming. He has nothing else to offer that was not available by His one sacrifice.

The apostle Paul goes into detail about this in Hebrews 10. He says in the first verse that “the law was a shadow” (that is, the Old Covenant) and that it can never, with those animal sacrifices that were offered, make the worshipper perfect. It cannot really take your sins away from you, because if it could, then they would cease to be offered. That is not hard to understand. If, after the Day of Atonement, the people’s sins really were taken away from them, they wouldn’t be sinning anymore, and if they weren’t sinning anymore, they wouldn’t be bringing a sacrifice to the sanctuary, and if they weren’t bringing sacrifices to the sanctuary, there wouldn’t be anything to atone for the next year. But in the Old Covenant it happened every year, because the blood of bulls and goats can’t really take away sin. You can read that in verses 3 and 4. But Paul goes on to show that it is not enough to have your sins forgiven. That was covered by the daily service in the earthly sanctuary. Before you can go to heaven, your sins have to be taken away, or blotted out; they have to be removed from you. And this is done, as Paul says, in the end of the world (Hebrews 9:26).

According to Zechariah 3, it will happen in one day. And when that happens, there will be no more offering for sin (Hebrews 10:15–18). Why? The plan of salvation is over. Some people are already saved; their sins have been taken away. Others are still living in sin, and they will never be saved. When the plan of salvation is over, if you are living in sin, you are lost. When your sins are taken away, then there is no more offering for sin. The plan of salvation is over. You don’t need it anymore. Jesus says, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.” Revelation 22:11, 12. If you are righteous, Jesus said, “Let that person be righteous still. He can remain righteous and holy. His sins have been taken away.” But if you are still living in sin, you are unrighteous. Then you are unjust and not holy. You are either unjust or filthy. When this pronouncement is made, you will stay that way, because the plan of salvation is over. You are either saved or it is too late to be saved.

This is where our world is headed. There will be only two classes of people left—those who are saved; those who reflect the image of Jesus (I John 3), and those who are not saved; those who reflect the lawless character of Satan. In which group are you going to be? This world is headed for its climax, and soon it will be too late to change your mind. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served … But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.

Bible texts are NKJV unless otherwise stated.

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

Editorial – The Humanity of Jesus

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What should each of us learn from the humanity of Jesus?

“We need not place the obedience of Christ by itself as something for which He was particularly adapted, because of His divine nature; for He stood before God as man’s representative, and was tempted as man’s substitute and surety. If Christ had a special power which it is not the privilege of a man to have, Satan would have made capital of this matter. But the work of Christ was to take from Satan his control of man, and He could do this only in a straightforward way. He came as a man, to be tempted as a man, rendering the obedience of a man. Christ rendered obedience to God, and overcame as humanity overcome. We are led to make wrong conclusions because of erroneous views of the nature of our Lord. To attribute to His nature a power that it is not possible for man to have in his conflicts with Satan, is to destroy the completeness of His humanity. The obedience of Christ to His Father was the same obedience that is required of man. Man cannot overcome Satan’s temptations except as divine power works through humanity. The Lord Jesus came to our world, not to reveal what God in His own divine person could do, but what He could do through humanity. Through faith man is to be a partaker of the divine nature, and to overcome every temptation wherewith he is beset. It was the Majesty of heaven Who became a man, Who humbled Himself to our human nature; it was He Who was tempted in the wilderness and Who endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself. The Signs of the Times, April 10, 1893.

“The power of an angel could not make an atonement for our sins. The angelic nature united to the human could not be as costly, as elevated, as the law of God. It was the Son of God alone Who could present an acceptable sacrifice. God Himself became man, and bore all the wrath that sin had provoked. This problem, How could God be just and yet the justifier of sinners? baffled all finite intelligence. A divine person alone could mediate between God and man. Human redemption is a theme which may well tax the faculties of the mind to the utmost. The reason that Christianity is not more elevated is because there is so little effort put forth in the great, grand, holy work of struggling for immortality. Satan is constantly trying to make the salvation of the soul an indifferent matter—that man has but little to do to secure this priceless treasure. This is why eternal things are not discerned; this is why there is a cheap, spurious article passed off as religion. … We cannot be saved in indolence and inactivity. … We have to wrestle against pride and against the human passions, which the light of God’s word reveals.” The Youth’s Instructor, August 31, 1887.

 

The School of Christ

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Those who want to learn about law, attend the school of law. To learn about art, you go to the school of art, or to become a doctor and learn about medicine you go to medical school. If you want to know about Christ, you must go to the school of Christ. This school does not exist physically with a building or special location nor does it have many teachers, but it exists spiritually for the salvation of all who attend.

The concept of the school of Christ is revealed in Matthew, where an invitation is given to all to enroll. “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. In My school, says Jesus, you can bring your burdens, all of your problems, and you will find rest. In no other school, with its assignments and homework, will you find rest.

Some people today pay thousands of dollars to therapists, hoping to learn how to solve their problems, while others spend their money on alcohol or drugs so they can forget them. Their minds are so stressed that they question the meaning and purpose of life. Often they try to manufacture a meaning for themselves by finding the perfect relationship, only to be let down and disappointed when their expectation is not reached. That dream is like sand. The harder you try to grab it, the faster it flows through your fingers, leaving a feeling of misery and emptiness. Whatever problems you have, whether physical, mental, emotional, psychological, social or spiritual, Jesus has the only answer. He bids, “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.”

Attendance at the school of Christ is completely voluntary and there is no graduation. You can attend your whole life and never run out of subjects to study. The teacher is Jesus. The textbook is the Bible, which tells about Him.

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39. It is almost impossible to get a good grade without opening that textbook.

Without studying the textbook all that is left is man’s opinions or human philosophy, which is worthless and like building on sand without a firm foundation.

When you come to His school, Jesus promises you rest. But there is a condition. Remember, with every promise of God there is a condition. Why? Because there is God’s part and also man’s part. God cannot twist your arm to save you, nor can He twist your neck to force you to obey Him or twist your ears to get you to listen to Him. He offers you power and gives you promises. He tells you what He can do, but it is up to you, and it is your choice to listen to Him.

The Condition

“Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:29, 30.

  1. take My yoke
  2. learn of Me
  3. accept My meekness and My lowliness

If you allow Him to fulfill all these things in your life, then “ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

The Bible says, “I will give you rest.” The secret of rest is right there, taking the yoke of Christ, to learn from Jesus to be meek and lowly. This is hard for some men or women to take, but there is a power in meekness. There is a power in humility, not to be hateful when someone else takes the ball away from you and makes more points than you do, or to be happy when someone else achieves ahead of you.

We live in a competitive world and we are pushed and shoved into being better than other people until the mentality is “I have to be the best.” Yes, God asks you to be the best, but to be best is to learn to do well at the lowest point in life and to be meek and humble. When you learn to say, “I am nothing and God is everything,” you will have power. The higher you try to climb, the dizzier you get, and the more likely you are to fall. You had better stay low, because you are nothing but dust! You had better humble yourselves, for when you die you return to the dust from which you came. The school of Christ teaches humility. There is no other university that can teach meekness and humility like the school of Christ.

This discourse is not to discourage education because knowledge and good science is essential, but caution must be exercised against the pride, strife and the competition. To be the best, yet without that perfect rest, is not the best. Jesus said to take His yoke in order to find that perfect rest.

The Yoke of Jesus

A yoke is an instrument that puts two oxen or two animals together, so they can work and move together. When Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you,” it means to be bound up with Him. By not wearing the yoke of Christ, we wear another yoke by default—the yoke of sin. This yoke is heavy.

“The yoke of my transgressions is bound by His hand.” Lamentations 1:14. Jesus said that he that commits sin is a servant to sin. So this yoke of transgression binds you to commit to, to go after, or to work for sin and transgression. Before you can wear the yoke of Christ, the yoke of transgression needs to be broken. When you come to Christ and ask for forgiveness, when you confess, and repent, Jesus will forgive you and break the yoke of transgression.

Wearing the yoke of Christ means you go wherever He goes. When you have the yoke of Christ, you will never say, “I will do.” You will say, “I submit to the working of God’s grace in my heart.” You stop saying, “I will do this, and I will do that. I will be good, I will walk the ways of righteousness. I will obey.” Instead you will say, “With Christ, all things are possible,” because you are not depending upon yourself. You are not carrying the load alone. You will say, “With Christ’s help, I shall experience His righteousness working in me,” because you are not depending upon yourself. You are not carrying the load alone. With Christ, you are yoked up and walk together.

Having your yoke of transgression broken is one thing, but to put on the yoke of Christ is another. People like to be forgiven of their sins, but we need to learn how to wear the yoke of Christ and to walk in His ways. Jeremiah 2:20 says, “… when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest.” These people were wandering because their yoke of transgression had been broken, but they did not wear the yoke of Christ.

If you go where Jesus goes you will not wander away from Him playing the harlot. Speaking of the Israelites the Bible says, “For of old time, I have broken thy yoke.” Here God is speaking to the Israelites. “For of old time I have broken thy yoke [of transgression], and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress.” Ibid. Here is described a life depending upon self. They declare to God that they will not transgress. This sounds like the Israelites before Mount Sinai when God said, “If you keep My commandments, I will make you a holy nation.” And they say, “All that You have said we will do.” (See Exodus 19:6–8.)

Without the yoke of Christ, all wander away. The Bible says, “under every green tree.” What does it mean, “every green tree”? Many times, pagan temples were set up under the trees. That is still practiced in India and Japan and in some other countries in the world. So they wander away from God and they commit spiritual adultery. The Bible says, “playing the harlot.” Ibid. Playing the harlot is the most disgraceful sin that the church can commit. It is essential to have the yoke of Christ, so that we will not wander away from God and become spiritual harlots. That yoke must be put on every day.

Whether you like it or not, you have a yoke. Either you have the yoke of transgression, or you have the yoke of Christ. Either you serve God as your Master or you serve the world as your master. There is no middle ground. Attempting to walk in the middle ground makes a most miserable person, because it is being double-minded and very unsettling with absolutely no rest. The only way to have rest in this life is to wear the yoke of Christ, which has the power to keep you as a pure virgin, committed only to Christ.

Learn of Me

Jesus said, “Learn of Me.” To learn of Jesus is to learn from His example of meekness and lowliness. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps.” I Peter 2:21. Jesus also set an example of suffering, that we should follow His steps. If there is one thing that this generation has a hard time accepting, it is a life of suffering. Everything has to be comfortable, easy and relaxing.

There’s a lot to be learned from suffering and God purposefully puts some thistles and thorns in the ground. He allows the ground to be a little bit rough and rocky to give man some sweat, to give him some callouses on his hands, and some roughness in his life so that his life can be molded according to the character of God. If you are suffering for Christ’s sake, rejoice! That suffering will mold and shape your image according to the image of God.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations” (James 1:2), or may I include trials and problems. Let us rejoice when we suffer for Christ’s sake. Follow His example. Even in suffering, Jesus says, “Learn of Me for I am meek and lowly in heart.” Meekness is keeping yourself loving, kind and patient, even when you feel it is your right to be unloving to someone who does not deserve your kindness.

Mothers, do you have some pressure in your home from your children? Do you have pressure from your coworkers? The meekest man in the Bible, besides Jesus, was Moses. We often find it hard raising two children, but Moses led more than one million people, most of whom complained and murmured for the whole 40 years in the wilderness. There was a lot of pressure upon Moses’ shoulders, yet he learned to say, “God, this is your people. If you destroy them, please take my name out of the book of life, because I love them.” Moses had all the right reasons to let them be burned by the wrath of God, but he would rather die eternally for them than let God give up on them. When you are that meek, lowly and humble, then you are experiencing the power of God.

Sometimes we think that to be angry, shouting and screaming means power. But having true power is to know how to put your power under submission to the power of God. When injustice is done to you and you think you have the right for revenge, submit your rights to God, allowing Him to work for you and the other person. It is real power when you exercise patience and pray for them.

Follow My Example

Jesus says, “Follow Me.” Jesus set an example of living a pure life without sin. We should follow His steps in the school of Christ, where Jesus will teach you that this is possible, but not by your own power or wisdom. Your persevering and sweating efforts are good, but not good enough. It is not by your interpretation of what you think a Christian should be. No word of envy, jealousy, or revenge will come out of your mouth, no words of evil surmising that destroy another person’s character. Beautiful words can be spoken, but if your heart is not connected with Jesus it can be seasoned with jealousy, hatred and selfishness. We can be very deceptive and full of guile!

When Jesus was reviled He reviled not again. When He suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him Who judges righteously. When provoked, the natural reaction is to be angry. In that moment, pray to the Lord: God, take my life. I want to walk where you are. Please help me to be meek and humble.

And when you are threatened—no revenge! This is a really important lesson to learn, especially as we are in the very last days of earth’s history. “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God, and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Revelation 7:2, 3.

We understand that four angels are holding back the four winds, which represent worldwide destruction. This is talking about the great time of trouble, the great tribulation when probation has closed and the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from this world, but not from God’s people.

Without the Holy Spirit the world will be under the full control of Satan. And when that takes place, the people will be possessed with the deceptions of Satan. They may walk and talk intelligently, but they will have Satanic hatred for God’s people. What you see in many of the cities of today—rape, murder and kidnapping—is only the tip of the iceberg compared to what Satan can do when he has full control over the people. But the Bible says God will protect His people. No plagues can come nigh to God’s people (Psalm 91:10). Thousands will fall on the right side, ten thousand will fall on the left side, but God will protect His people (Psalm 91:7), those who have the seal of the living God.

The seal is equal to a sign (Romans 4:11). The sign is the Sabbath (Ezekiel 20:12, 20). Those who have the seal of the living God in their forehead will accept the Sabbath. However, this does not mean that just keeping the seventh-day Sabbath will save you.

Not every person who keeps the seventh-day Sabbath, right now, will be protected in the time of trouble. It’s not only keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, but living the true meaning of the word Sabbath. The word Sabbath means rest. So when you have the seal of the living God in your forehead, you have the Sabbath in your forehead. If you have the Sabbath in your forehead, you have rest in your forehead. But where do we get the rest in our forehead? Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you, learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your soul.”

So how can we prepare ourselves to receive the seal of the living God?

We must go to the school of Christ. And what of the number that were sealed with the seal of the living God? “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand” [Revelation 7:4]. Whether that number is literal or symbolic we need to have the seal of the Sabbath rest.

The hundred and forty-four thousand have the characteristics of the school of Christ. The Bible says, “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their forehead.” Revelation 14:1. One hundred and forty-four thousand standing with the Lamb! The Lamb is meek and humble. The only way the hundred and forty-four thousand are able to stand with the Lamb is because they have learned to be meek and lowly.

They had learned those characteristics in the school of Christ. And they had “their Father’s name written in their forehead.” That means they had their Father’s character in their foreheads or in their minds. “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps [victory] and they sung as it were a new song” [verses 2, 3]. They sang a new song, the song of victory.

Two things are necessary to write a song—words and melody. They were singing a new song, which means they were singing new words and a new melody. Words are the expression of thoughts and melody expresses feelings. Singing a new song is the expression of thoughts and feelings. Thoughts and feelings combined together determine the moral character. The hundred and forty-four thousand know how to sing a song, the song of Jesus, the song of God’s character.

“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins” [verse 4]. Remember, when you have the yoke of Christ, you don’t wander away, playing the harlot, but you stay a virgin. This lesson is learned in the school of Christ. “For these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth” [verse 4]. Why do they follow “the Lamb whithersoever He goeth”? Because they have the yoke of Christ. Where did they learn that lesson? In the school of Christ.

“And in their mouth was found no guile.” Jesus, our example, had no guile found in His mouth. And, “they are without fault, before the throne of God” [verse 5]. That means without sin. In the school of Christ they learned to follow the example of Jesus.

Will there be people who truly follow the example of Jesus and attend the school of Christ? They do not graduate, but they remain in the school and reflect God’s character before the Second Coming of Christ. Will there be a group of people? Yes, the hundred and forty-four thousand. These will see Jesus without experiencing death; they will be translated as was Enoch (Genesis 5:24). There will be many others who study in the school of Christ who will not live but rest until Jesus comes.

Jesus says, “Come to My school. I want to prepare you to become part of the hundred and forty-four thousand.”

Tuition Fee

“If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26. This means God comes first above everything, even above yourself, even above your family members. This Bible text is not teaching hate. Jesus simply says it will seem as if you hate them if you follow God first, when it goes against their wishes, and hopes and dreams for you. To attend the school of Christ is to have a determination. In a quiet place on your knees pray:

Jesus, I know I have to attend Your school; otherwise, there is no rest in my soul. I’ve been wandering around, playing the harlot; I’m just going anywhere and everywhere that I like to go. And I know every time I looked for some kind of rainbow, it was invisible; it wasn’t there. I looked for some hope and dream and I gave my money and my effort, but at the end all I found were broken cups and broken hearts. O, God, I have tried everything; the only thing that I know that can help me is You. Jesus, take me; I’m already broken and wounded; heal me. My mind is going everywhere; please stabilize me. Make me strong in Your love and in Your trust. Give me Your rest. I need Thee every hour.

The very first class in the school of Christ begins as you open up your eyes in the morning. Jesus is right there waiting for you to attend His first class. And throughout the day, He not only gives you homework, but He will walk with you and do your homework with you. And every evening, He reviews the assignments and the homework with you to teach you how you can do better the next day.

School is not a one-day thing; it lasts a lifetime. Let’s learn to follow Christ so that others will also see the power of God working in our lives and someday we can be part of the hundred and forty-four thousand and sing the song of triumph and victory.

This message was shared by Judy Hallingstad. She is part of the LandMarks team and may be contacted by email at: judyhallingstad@stepstolife.org.

Bible Study Guides – Intermediate Education

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June 10, 2012 – June 16, 2012

Key Text

“That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.” Psalm 144:12.

Study Help: The Ministry of Healing, 395–406; Education, 214–222.

Introduction

“The children and youth, with their fresh talent, energy, and courage, their quick susceptibilities, are loved of God, and He desires to bring them into harmony with divine agencies. They are to obtain an education that will help them to stand by the side of Christ in unselfish service.” The Ministry of Healing, 395.

1 PRIORITIES IN PLANNING

  • What list of top priorities should be instilled in a young heart full of dreams about his or her future? I Timothy 6:5–12; II Corinthians 4:18.

Note: “The young should be taught that both their present and their future well-being depend to a great degree on the habits they form in childhood and youth. They should be early accustomed to submission, self-denial, and a regard for others’ happiness. They should be taught to subdue the hasty temper, to withhold the passionate word, to manifest unvarying kindness, courtesy, and self-control.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 67.

“From a worldly point of view, money is power; but from the Christian standpoint, love is power.” The Adventist Home, 195.

“Be not controlled by the desire for wealth, the dictates of fashion, or the customs of society. Consider what will tend most to simplicity, purity, health, and real worth.” The Ministry of Healing, 363.

“If we do not live to bless others, we are unfaithful stewards, and we shall never receive the heavenly benediction, ‘Well done.’ But God will have a peculiar people, of whom it is written, that Christ is not ashamed to call them brethren.” The Review and Herald, June 27, 1893.

2 YOUTHFUL JESUS, OUR EXAMPLE

  • What was seen in the boy Jesus? Romans 12:1, 2; I Peter 1:18, 19.

Note: “He [Jesus] was not willing to be defective, even in the handling of tools. He was perfect as a workman, as He was perfect in character. By His own example He taught that it is our duty to be industrious, that our work should be performed with exactness and thoroughness, and that such labor is honorable.” The Desire of Ages, 72.

  • How can we follow more closely young Jesus’ example? Luke 2:52.

Note: “It was the simplicity of the life of Christ, and His freedom from pride and vanity, that gave Him favor with God and man. He did not seek to attract attention for distinction. His life was characterized with firmness, yet He was ever respectful and obedient. He submitted to the restraint imposed upon children. He took pleasure in discharging His obligations to His parents and to society, without yielding His principles or being contaminated with the impure influence surrounding Him in Nazareth.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 1, 1873.

“Parents must exercise increasing watchfulness, that their children be not lost to God. If it were considered as important that the young possess a beautiful character and amiable disposition as it is that they imitate the fashions of the world in dress and deportment, we would see hundreds where there is one today coming upon the stage of active life prepared to exert an ennobling influence upon society. …

“The efforts of the best teachers must often bear little fruit, if fathers and mothers fail to act their part with faithfulness.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 69, 70.

“With what care parents should guard their children from careless, loose, demoralizing habits! Fathers and mothers, do you realize the importance of the responsibility resting on you? Do you allow your children to associate with other children without being present to know what kind of education they are receiving? Do not allow them to be alone with other children.” Child Guidance, 114.

3 A CHRIST-CENTERED CURRICULUM

  • What is a key to planning a Christian curriculum? Psalm 127:1.

Note: “It should be the great aim in every intermediate school to do most thorough work in the common branches.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 210.

“The value of song as a means of education should never be lost sight of. Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure and more of cheerfulness and hope and joy. Let there be singing in the school, and the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their teachers, and to one another.” Education, 168.

  • How can a vital principle of true Christianity be taught even in such subjects as geography and history?

Note: “It is acquaintance that awakens sympathy, and sympathy is the spring of effective ministry. To awaken in the children and youth sympathy and the spirit of sacrifice for the suffering millions in the ‘regions beyond,’ let them become acquainted with these lands and their peoples. In this line much might be accomplished in our schools. Instead of dwelling on the exploits of the Alexanders and Napoleons of history, let the pupils study the lives of such men as the apostle Paul and Martin Luther, as Moffat and Livingstone and Carey, and the present daily-unfolding history of missionary effort. Instead of burdening their memories with an array of names and theories that have no bearing upon their lives, and to which, once outside the schoolroom, they rarely give a thought, let them study all lands in the light of missionary effort and become acquainted with the peoples and their needs.” Education, 269.

“When heavenly intelligences see that men are no longer permitted to present the truth, the Spirit of God will come upon the children, and they will do a work in the proclamation of the truth which the older workers cannot do, because their way will be hedged up.

“Our church schools are ordained by God to prepare the children for this great work.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 203.

4 SCIENCE THAT HONORS GOD

  • Why can intermediate subjects be of deep interest? Romans 11:33.

Note: “We would not discourage education, nor put a low estimate on mental culture and discipline. God would have us students as long as we remain in the world. Every opportunity for culture should be improved. The faculties need to be strengthened by exercise, the mind to be trained and expanded by taxing study; but all this may be done while the heart is becoming an easy prey to deception. Wisdom from above must be communicated to the soul. … The Bible is not to be tested by men’s ideas of science, but science is to be brought to the test of the unerring standard.

“Yet the study of the sciences is not to be neglected. Books must be used for this purpose: but they should be in harmony with the Bible, for that is the standard. Books of this character should take the place of many of those now in the hands of students.

“God is the author of science. Scientific research opens to the mind vast fields of thought and information, enabling us to see God in His created works. Ignorance may try to support skepticism by appeals to science; but instead of upholding skepticism, true science contributes fresh evidences of the wisdom and power of God. Rightly understood, science and the written word agree, and each sheds light on the other. Together they lead us to God by teaching us something of the wise and beneficent laws through which He works.

“When the student recognizes God as the source of all knowledge, and honors Him, submitting mind and character to be molded by His word, he may claim the promise, ‘Them that honor me I will honor.’ 1 Samuel 2:30. The more studiously the intellect is cultivated, the more effectively it can be used in the service of God if it is placed under the control of His Spirit.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 425, 426.

  • What can even children be instructed to do for the sick and the suffering? I Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:15.

Note: “Children are to be instructed in the special truths for this time and in practical missionary work. They are to enlist in the army of workers to help the sick and the suffering. Children can take part in the medical missionary work and by their jots and tittles can help to carry it forward.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 203.

5 PRACTICAL ABOVE ALL

  • What are some important aims we should have for our youth, and how and why can these be promoted? Psalm 144:12; Daniel 1:17.

Note: “Now, as in the days of Israel, every youth should be instructed in the duties of practical life. Each should acquire a knowledge of some branch of manual labor by which, if need be, he may obtain a livelihood.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 307.

“Young girls should have been instructed to manufacture wearing apparel, to cut, make, and mend garments, and thus become educated for the practical duties of life. For young men, there should be establishments where they could learn different trades, which would bring into exercise their muscles as well as their mental powers. If the youth can have but a one-sided education, which is of the greater consequence—a knowledge of the sciences, with all the disadvantages to health and life, or a knowledge of labor for practical life? We unhesitatingly answer, The latter. If one must be neglected, let it be the study of books.” Counsels on Health, 180.

“In the study of agriculture, let pupils be given not only theory, but practice. While they learn what science can teach in regard to the nature and preparation of the soil, the value of different crops, and the best methods of production, let them put their knowledge to use. … Such an ambition [to do the work in the best possible manner], together with the invigorating effect of exercise, sunshine, and pure air, will create a love for agricultural labor that with many youth will determine their choice of an occupation. Thus might be set on foot influences that would go far in turning the tide of migration which now sets so strongly toward the great cities.” Education, 219, 220.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What change is needed in the heart of the materialistically-minded?

2 How did Jesus differ from most of our youth, and what does this show?

3 How can the spirit of service be entwined into our basic curricula?

4 In what ways can true science bring blessings to the world?

5 How can better agricultural studies greatly help today’s society?

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

Bible Study Guides – Elementary Education

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May 27, 2012 – June 2, 2012

Key Text

“The child [Jesus] grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him.” Luke 2:40.

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 66–74; The Adventist Home, 181–194.

Introduction

“In the life of Christ, we see the only safe pattern for all children and youth.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 1, 1873.

1 GOD SHELTERED HIS SON

  • What experience in the early life of Jesus reveals God’s emphasis on the importance of a quiet, peaceful infancy? Matthew 2:1, 9–15.

Note: “The Lord provided a way for Joseph to preserve his own life, and the life of Jesus, and that of the mother, by their fleeing into Egypt. He provided for the necessities of their journey, and for their sojourn in Egypt, by moving upon the wise men of the East to go in search of the infant Saviour, and to bear Him valuable offerings as a token of honor. … The earthly parents of Jesus were poor. The gifts brought to them by the wise men sustained them while in the land of strangers.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 26.

  • Rather than remain in Egypt, to where were Jesus’ parents later directed, and why? Matthew 2:19–23.

Note: “His [Jesus’] childhood and youthful life is an example for parents as well as children, that the more quiet and unnoticed the period of childhood and youth is passed, and the more natural and free from artificial excitement, the more safe will it be for the children, and the more favorable for the formation of a character of purity, natural simplicity, and true moral worth.” Lift Him Up, 32.

2 TEACHING GENTLE MERCY

  • In today’s world of artificial excitement, noise, and distractions, why must parents make firm efforts to ensure a quiet, peaceful environment for training their little ones? Proverbs 1:33; Isaiah 32:18.

Note: “His [Jesus’] quiet and simple life, and even the silence of the Scriptures concerning His early years, teach an important lesson. The more quiet and simple the life of the child—the more free from artificial excitement, and the more in harmony with nature—the more favorable is it to physical and mental vigor and to spiritual strength.” The Desire of Ages, 74.

  • If moving to a more peaceful environment and sacrificing time for our child seems inconvenient, what should we as parents consider?

Note: “The church needs men of a meek and quiet spirit, who are long-suffering and patient. Let them learn these attributes in dealing with their families. Let parents think a great deal more of their children’s eternal interests than they do of their present comfort.” Child Guidance, 267, 268.

“The education and training of their children to be Christians is the highest service that parents can render to God.” The Adventist Home, 268.

  • In the case of Jesus, what key lessons prevailed in His home school under the tutelage of Joseph and Mary? Psalm 116:5; Luke 2:40; James 5:11, last part.

Note: “Jesus was the fountain of healing mercy for the world; and through all those secluded years at Nazareth, His life flowed out in currents of sympathy and tenderness. The aged, the sorrowing, and the sin-burdened, the children at play in their innocent joy, the little creatures of the groves, the patient beasts of burden—all were happier for His presence. He whose word of power upheld the worlds would stoop to relieve a wounded bird. There was nothing beneath His notice, nothing to which He disdained to minister.” The Desire of Ages, 74.

3 A WONDERFUL EDUCATION

  • What kinds of things did Jesus study as a boy, and how can we learn from His example? Psalm 119:16; Job 38:18, 22–27, 33; 39:1, 2.

Note: “Since He [Jesus] gained knowledge as we may do, His intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures shows how diligently His early years were given to the study of God’s word. And spread out before Him was the great library of God’s created works. He who had made all things studied the lessons which His own hand had written in earth and sea and sky. Apart from the unholy ways of the world, He gathered stores of scientific knowledge from nature. He studied the life of plants and animals, and the life of man. From His earliest years He was possessed of one purpose; He lived to bless others. For this He found resources in nature; new ideas of ways and means flashed into His mind as He studied plant life and animal life.” The Desire of Ages, 70.

  • What motive did young Jesus have in learning things? Proverbs 9:9.

Note: “Continually He [Jesus] was seeking to draw from things seen illustrations by which to present the living oracles of God. The parables by which, during His ministry, He loved to teach His lessons of truth show how open His spirit was to the influences of nature, and how He had gathered the spiritual teaching from the surroundings of His daily life.

“Thus to Jesus the significance of the word and the works of God was unfolded, as He was trying to understand the reason of things. Heavenly beings were His attendants, and the culture of holy thoughts and communings was His. From the first dawning of intelligence He was constantly growing in spiritual grace and knowledge of truth.

“Every child may gain knowledge as Jesus did. As we try to become acquainted with our heavenly Father through His word, angels will draw near, our minds will be strengthened, our characters will be elevated and refined. We shall become more like our Saviour. And as we behold the beautiful and grand in nature, our affections go out after God.” The Desire of Ages, 70.

4 AN INTEREST SHARED

  • How important is proper timing in education? Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2.

Note: “Small children should be left free as lambs to run out of doors, to be free and happy, and be allowed the most favorable opportunities to lay the foundation for sound constitutions. Parents should be their only teachers, until they have reached eight or ten years of age. They should open before their children God’s great book of nature as fast as their minds can comprehend it.” The Health Reformer, September 1, 1872.

“Do not send your little ones away to school too early. The mother should be careful how she trusts the molding of the infant mind to other hands. Parents ought to be the best teachers of their children until they have reached eight or ten years of age.” Christian Education, 170.

  • Impressionable as children are, and prone to imitate their peers, why is schooling outside the home not to be urged too early? Exodus 23:2.

Note: “The school in the home should be a place where children are taught that the eye of God is upon them, observing all that they do. If this thought were deeply impressed upon the mind, the work of governing children would be made much easier. In the home-school our boys and girls are being prepared to attend a church school when they reach a proper age to associate more intimately with other children.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 5.

  • What is God’s plan when parents are not able to teach their children full time beyond the age of eight or ten, and why? Job 36:10.

Note: “Those mothers that want to keep their children at home, and are fully competent and would prefer to discipline them herself, why, no one has any objection to that. They can do that. But provision is to be made so that the children of all who have any connection with this food factory and sanitarium [at St. Helena, California] … should be educated. We must have it stand to reach the highest standards.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 219.

5 A NEED IN EVERY LOCALITY

  • What should be the priority of parents when choosing where to educate their children? Psalm 101:3; II Corinthians 6:17, 18.

Note: “In planning for the education of their children outside the home, parents should realize that it is no longer safe to send them to the public school, and should endeavor to send them to schools where they will obtain an education based on a Scriptural foundation.” Child Guidance, 304.

“In some countries parents are compelled by law to send their children to school. In these countries, in localities where there is a church, schools should be established, if there are no more than six children to attend.” Ibid., 308, 309.

  • Why should church schools be an important goal? Isaiah 54:13.

Note: “Work as if you were working for your life to save the children from being drowned in the polluting, corrupting influences of the world.

“We are far behind our duty in this important matter. In many places schools should have been in operation years ago. Many localities would thus have had representatives of the truth who would have given character to the work of the Lord. Instead of centering so many large buildings in a few places, schools should have been established in many localities.

“Let these schools now be started under wise direction, that the children and youth may be educated in their own churches.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 199, 200.

“Children of eight, ten, or twelve years are old enough to be addressed on the subject of personal religion. Do not teach your children with reference to some future period when they shall be old enough to repent and believe the truth.” Child Guidance, 490, 491.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What characterized the early education of the boy Jesus?

2 What should today’s couples consider when having children?

3 Why did Jesus study the life of both plants and animals?

4 When can children healthfully be placed in a school environment?

5 What is essential about the school environment of our children?

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

The Devil’s Discouragement

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Many people make a decision to become a Christian, but before they actually get baptized and join the body of Christ, the devil discourages them so much that they give up. He attempted to discourage Jesus to thwart the plan of salvation, and he is still actively doing the same thing today.

“They could find no rest from the accusings of a troubled conscience. Thus Satan worked to discourage the people, to lower their conception of the character of God, and to bring the faith of Israel into contempt. He hoped to establish the claim put forth when he rebelled in heaven—that the requirements of God were unjust, and could not be obeyed. Even Israel, he declared, did not keep the law.

“While the Jews desired the advent of the Messiah, they had no true conception of His mission. They did not seek redemption from sin, but deliverance from the Romans. They looked for the Messiah to come as a conqueror, to break the oppressor’s power, and exalt Israel to universal dominion. Thus the way was prepared for them to reject the Saviour.” The Desire of Ages, 29, 30.

Satan did well his evil work, and God’s chosen people did reject Him. “Humanity, becoming more degraded through ages of transgression, called for the coming of the Redeemer. Satan had been working to make the gulf deep and impassable between earth and heaven. By his falsehoods he had emboldened men in sin. It was his purpose to wear out the forbearance of God, and to extinguish His love for man, so that He would abandon the world to satanic jurisdiction.” Ibid., 34, 35.

Thank God that His forbearance and patience is greater than any evil intent of the devil. There are people in the world who emulate the character of their master, the devil, and are so wicked that you think they could never be loved. But Jesus loves them, and they can be saved just the same as anyone.

The devil tried to extinguish God’s love for man, making men and women so wicked and creating so much wickedness in the world that God would give up on them. “Satan was unwearied in his efforts to overcome the Child of Nazareth. From His earliest years Jesus was guarded by heavenly angels, yet His life was one long struggle against the powers of darkness. That there should be upon the earth one life free from the defilement of evil was an offense and a perplexity to the prince of darkness. He left no means untried to ensnare Jesus. No child of humanity will ever be called to live a holy life amid so fierce a conflict with temptation as was our Saviour.” Ibid., 71.

“No one upon earth had understood Him, and during His ministry He must still walk alone. Throughout His life His mother and His brothers did not comprehend His mission. Even His disciples did not understand Him. He had dwelt in eternal light, as one with God, but His life on earth must be spent in solitude. …

“Alone He must tread the path; alone He must bear the burden.” Ibid., 111.

Maybe you have been tempted to be discouraged because it seemed like there was nobody in the world who understood you. This was literally true in the life of Jesus. There was nobody. Not His mother, not the people in His family, not His disciples, not John the Baptist; there was literally nobody who understood. If that has been your experience, do not be discouraged thinking you are all alone in the world; you have a Saviour Who knows all about that. He walked through it His whole life.

“Satan excited the evil passions of men, in order to fasten his rule upon them. When God’s written word was given, Satan studied the prophecies of the Saviour’s advent. From generation to generation he worked to blind the people to these prophecies, that they might reject Christ at His coming.” Ibid., 115.

Lucifer was cast out of heaven, and ever since, he has made a determined effort to find revenge by causing others to share his fall. This he does by causing them to undervalue heavenly things and to set their hearts upon things of earth. At the Saviour’s baptism, Satan was among the witnesses. “Satan saw that he must either conquer or be conquered. The issues of the conflict involved too much to be entrusted to his confederate angels. He must personally conduct the warfare. All the energies of apostasy were rallied against the Son of God. Christ was made the mark of every weapon of hell.” Ibid., 116. He was the focal point of all demonic attack. We do not know the number of evil angels that were cooperating to bring about the downfall of Jesus Christ.

“Many look on this conflict between Christ and Satan as having no special bearing on their own life. … But within the domain of every human heart this controversy is repeated. Never does one leave the ranks of evil for the service of God without encountering the assaults of Satan. The enticements which Christ resisted were those that we find so difficult to withstand. They were urged upon Him in as much greater degree as His character is superior to ours. With the terrible weight of the sins of the world upon Him, Christ withstood the test upon appetite, upon the love of the world, and upon that love of display which leads to presumption. These were the temptations that overcame Adam and Eve, and that so readily overcome us.” Ibid., 116, 117.

“The words from heaven, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’ (Matthew 3:17), were still sounding in the ears of Satan. But he was determined to make Christ disbelieve this testimony. The word of God was Christ’s assurance of His divine mission. He had come to live as a man among men, and it was the word that declared His connection with heaven. It was Satan’s purpose to cause Him to doubt that word. If Christ’s confidence in God could be shaken, Satan knew that the victory in the whole controversy would be his. He could overcome Jesus. He hoped that under the force of despondency and extreme hunger, Christ would lose faith in His Father, and work a miracle in His own behalf. Had He done this, the plan of salvation would have been broken.” Ibid., 119.

“Of all the lessons to be learned from our Lord’s first great temptation none is more important than that bearing upon the control of the appetites and passions. In all ages, temptations appealing to the physical nature have been most effectual in corrupting and degrading mankind. Through intemperance, Satan works to destroy the mental and moral powers that God gave to man as a priceless endowment.” Ibid., 122. This will develop more fully in the very last days of earth’s history.

“Our only hope of eternal life is through bringing the appetites and passions into subjection to the will of God.

“In our own strength it is impossible for us to deny the clamors of our fallen nature. Through this channel Satan will bring temptation upon us. Christ knew that the enemy would come to every human being, to take advantage of hereditary weakness, and by his false insinuations to ensnare all whose trust is not in God.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 151.

“The period of Christ’s personal ministry among men was the time of greatest activity for the forces of the kingdom of darkness. … Jesus was revealing to men the character of God. He was breaking Satan’s power, and setting his captives free. New life and love and power from heaven were moving upon the hearts of men, and the prince of evil was aroused to contend for the supremacy of his kingdom. Satan summoned all his forces, and at every step contested the work of Christ.

“So it will be in the great final conflict of the controversy between righteousness and sin.” The Desire of Ages, 257. Satan is going to summon all of his forces to attack in any way possible those who choose to follow Christ.

“There were none on earth who could comprehend His divine mission, or know the burden which He bore in behalf of humanity.” Ibid., 326. Nobody on earth understood what He was trying to do, so He was all alone, even in the midst of many people.

When Jesus told the disciples of His crucifixion, it was contrary to what they’d always been taught. It seemed like they could not believe it, and Peter immediately began to argue with Jesus Who gave Peter the most severe rebuke He had ever given to any of His disciples. He said, “You get behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23).

Jesus addressed Peter as Satan because it was he who spoke through Peter. “Satan was trying to discourage Jesus, and turn Him from His mission; and Peter, in his blind love, was giving voice to the temptation. The prince of evil was the author of the thought. His instigation was behind that impulsive appeal. In the wilderness, Satan had offered Christ the dominion of the world on condition of forsaking the path of humiliation and sacrifice. Now he was presenting the same temptation to the disciple of Christ.” Ibid., 416. Peter fell for it. He was not willing to see the cross in the Christian religion.

“Satan, the author of sin and all its results, had led men to look upon disease and death as proceeding from God—as punishment arbitrarily inflicted on account of sin. Hence one upon whom some great affliction or calamity had fallen had the additional burden of being regarded as a great sinner.

“Thus the way was prepared for the Jews to reject Jesus. He who ‘hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows’ was looked upon by the Jews as ‘stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted;’ and they hid their faces from Him. Isaiah 53:4, 3.” Ibid., 470. They could not believe that He could be the Messiah if He allowed Himself to be in this kind of situation or condition.

“To the heart of Christ it was a bitter task to press His way against the fears, disappointment, and unbelief of His beloved disciples. It was hard to lead them forward to the anguish and despair that awaited them at Jerusalem. And Satan was at hand to press his temptations upon the Son of man. Why should He now go to Jerusalem, to certain death? All around Him were souls hungering for the bread of life. On every hand were suffering ones waiting for His word of healing. The work to be wrought by the gospel of His grace was but just begun. And He was full of the vigor of manhood’s prime. Why not go forward to the vast fields of the world with the words of His grace, the touch of His healing power? Why not take to Himself the joy of giving light and gladness to those darkened and sorrowing millions? Why leave the harvest gathering to His disciples, so weak in faith, so dull of understanding, so slow to act? Why face death now, and leave the work in its infancy? The foe who in the wilderness had confronted Christ assailed Him now with fierce and subtle temptations. Had Jesus yielded for a moment, had He changed His course in the least particular to save Himself, Satan’s agencies would have triumphed, and the world would have been lost.” Ibid., 486.

It’s almost too huge to comprehend. The salvation of our world rested totally, 100 percent, on one Person. The devil knew that if he could overcome that one Person, he would have the whole world.

You are not alone if the devil tempts you to be discouraged, and it doesn’t even mean you don’t have a correct religious experience, because the same temptations to discouragement and despair were pressed upon Jesus.

“At this time [a few days before the crucifixion] Christ’s work bore the appearance of cruel defeat. … To His disciples the case seemed hopeless.” Ibid., 621. Has it ever seemed hopeless to you to be a Christian?

“In the wilderness of temptation the destiny of the human race had been at stake. Christ was then conqueror. Now the tempter had come for the last fearful struggle. For this he had been preparing during the three years of Christ’s ministry. Everything was at stake with him. If he failed here, his hope of mastery was lost; the kingdoms of the world would finally become Christ’s; he himself would be overthrown and cast out. But if Christ could be overcome, the earth would become Satan’s kingdom, and the human race would be forever in his power.” Ibid., 686, 687.

Ellen White reveals what the devil told Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Satan told Him that if He became the surety for a sinful world, the separation [from His Father] would be eternal. He would be identified with Satan’s kingdom, and would nevermore be one with God.

“And what was to be gained by this sacrifice? How hopeless appeared the guilt and ingratitude of men! In its hardest features Satan pressed the situation upon the Redeemer: The people who claim to be above all others in temporal and spiritual advantages have rejected You. They are seeking to destroy You, the foundation, the center and seal of the promises made to them as a peculiar people. One of Your own disciples, who has listened to Your instruction, and has been among the foremost in church activities, will betray You. One of Your most zealous followers will deny You. All will forsake You. Christ’s whole being abhorred the thought. That those whom He had undertaken to save, those whom He loved so much, should unite in the plots of Satan, this pierced His soul. The conflict was terrible. Its measure was the guilt of His nation, of His accusers and betrayer, the guilt of a world lying in wickedness. The sins of men weighed heavily upon Christ, and the sense of God’s wrath against sin was crushing out His life.” Ibid., 687.

“[In the Garden of Gethsemane] Satan and his confederacy of evil, the legions of apostasy, watched intently this great crisis in the work of redemption. The powers of good and evil waited to see what answer would come to Christ’s thrice-repeated prayer. Angels had longed to bring relief to the divine sufferer, but this might not be. No way of escape was found for the Son of God.” Ibid., 693.

“Satan led the cruel mob in its abuse of the Saviour. It was his purpose to provoke Him to retaliation if possible, or to drive Him to perform a miracle to release Himself, and thus break up the plan of salvation. One stain upon His human life, one failure of His humanity to endure the terrible test, and the Lamb of God would have been an imperfect offering, and the redemption of man a failure.” Ibid., 734. Herod even said that he would set Him free if He would work a miracle. If He had done that, we all would be lost.

“The principalities and powers of darkness were assembled around the cross, casting the hellish shadow of unbelief into the hearts of men. When the Lord created these beings to stand before His throne, they were beautiful and glorious. Their loveliness and holiness were in accordance with their exalted station. They were enriched with the wisdom of God, and girded with the panoply of heaven. They were Jehovah’s ministers. But who could recognize in the fallen angels the glorious seraphim that once ministered in the heavenly courts?

“Satanic agencies confederated with evil men in leading the people to believe Christ the chief of sinners, and to make Him the object of detestation. Those who mocked Christ as He hung upon the cross were imbued with the spirit of the first great rebel. He filled them with vile and loathsome speeches. He inspired their taunts. But by all this he gained nothing.” Ibid., 760, 761. No sin was found in Christ, not one fault.

After describing this terrible battle that went on throughout Christ’s whole life, Ellen White describes the scene as He approached His Father in heaven after His ascension. “He approaches the Father, with whom there is joy over one sinner that repents; who rejoices over one with singing. Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled. When upon the cross He cried out, ‘It is finished,’ He addressed the Father. The compact had been fully carried out. Now He declares: Father, it is finished. I have done Thy will, O My God. I have completed the work of redemption. If Thy justice is satisfied, ‘I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.’ John 19:30; 17:24.

“The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ’s toiling, struggling ones on earth are ‘accepted in the Beloved.’ Ephesians 1:6. Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. ‘Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.’ Psalm 85:10. The Father’s arms encircle His Son, and the word is given, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ Hebrews 1:6.

“With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of life. …

“Love has conquered. The lost is found. …

“The family of heaven and the family of earth are one.” Ibid., 834, 835.

Just as Satan worked to discourage Jesus and cause the world to be lost, he does the same today to discourage individuals so they will give up and then be lost. One way the devil discourages people is with health problems. He knows when your body is sick and weak and your mind is affected. He came to Christ with his most severe temptations when He was weary, hungry, tired and when He hadn’t had anything to drink. No matter how sick or weak you are, you can trust yourself to Jesus Christ. “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25.

Another way the devil discourages is through financial problems. With the economic downturn we have in the United States today, people are afraid that they will lose their jobs if they ask for the Sabbath off. They are afraid to take that risk.

There are people who could have become physicians, dentists, lawyers or engineers, but could not qualify for their professions because in their countries they would not be able to keep the Sabbath. Instead they had to choose another area of work. The devil uses these temptations to discourage them. Remember, Jesus was the prince of heaven, and He became poor in this world to save you. If you become poor by following Jesus, you will have an everlasting reward that’s worth more than all the money you could make as a physician, lawyer, engineer or anything else.

Another major temptation is to become discouraged because of the character defects of other Christians, whether they are family members or other Christians in the church. It is always easy to see other people’s faults and call them a bunch of hypocrites.

The church of God around the world is going through a shaking process that is getting more severe. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken. (See Hebrews 12:27.) Once the shaking process is over, all hypocrisy will be out of the church. If you fall into the category of hypocrite now, fall at the foot of the cross of Jesus and be converted, and instead of being shaken out, become a sincere Christian and be saved.

When Jesus returns, He is not coming to bring salvation. He brought salvation when He came to the world the first time. The next time He comes, He is coming back to judge the world. Those who belong to Him will be taken out of this world.

Those people who are alive when Jesus comes again, every single one that is taken up from this world, will have been a member of the church. In the book of Revelation, chapters 7 and 14 refer to the sealing. Other chapters are addressed specifically to the churches. In chapters 2 and 3 we are told that only those that belong to the church and overcome will have salvation. Look at Revelation 1:6; it says, “[He] has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.”

The book of Revelation makes it very clear that in the last days all who do not have the seal of God will suffer His judgments. For instance, “They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” Revelation 9:4.

Revelation 10:11 talks about a time coming when the church will have to prophesy a second time to many nations and languages. We’re living in that time right now. In Revelation 11:1 and 2, it says, “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.’ ” The holy city here mentioned is the church. Revelation 3 is about the church. The whole book of Revelation talks about the church, and if you want to be ready for Jesus to come, you must be a member.

If the devil fails in discouraging you over the character defects of others, he will start working on your own defects. Every human being, without exception, has character defects they have to struggle with and overcome. The devil tells you that you have done it a thousand and one times now; you are never going to make it so give up! Do not believe his lies.

As long as we are in this world, we will struggle to overcome. Don’t be discouraged by that, because it is just part of the situation. Jesus had to struggle the whole time He was in this world. The devil came at Him over and over, trying to get Him discouraged. He does the same thing with the whole human race. We all inherited a sinful human nature from Adam and Eve, so do not be discouraged.

Ellen White wrote, “The apostle Paul declares, ‘I know that in me [that is, in my flesh,] dwelleth no good thing’ (Romans 7:18). To those who have tried so hard to obtain by faith so-called holy flesh, I would say, You cannot obtain it. Not a soul of you has holy flesh now. No human being on the earth has holy flesh. It is an impossibility.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 32. Can anybody in this world say, “I’m holy”? Not unless they want to be a liar.

Do not let the devil deceive you, because you have to continually struggle. Every Christian has the same experience. It may be over different incidences or character defects but there is no human being that does not have to struggle. That is why we have been given the privilege of prayer. The Lord has promised, “If you ask Me, I will give you all the help that you need.” The Bible says that, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” I Corinthians 10:13.

(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 Free Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Children’s Story – The Perfect Helper

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It was wintertime, and Amber was excited! Amber had always lived where it was too warm for very much snow, but now her family was living in Colorado. The ground was white with a thick blanket of snow; better yet, the pond was frozen solid.

Five-year-old Amber had never ice skated before, but the neighbor had given her a pair of ice skates and she couldn’t wait to try them out.

“Mom, can we go to the pond now?” Amber pleaded, on the first bright moonlit night.
“Yes, dear, just as soon as your dad gets home,” her mom answered.

So when Daddy got home they were off to the pond. After lacing up her skates, Amber eagerly stood up on the ice. But in the same moment—Oops!—she was sitting on the ice!

“Daddy!” she cried.

And Daddy was there in an instant to help her. Then, with Daddy’s hand holding hers, he pulled her across the ice. Oh, what fun! She knew her daddy would help her.

During the next few weeks, Amber was back on the ice. And, with her daddy’s help and the help of her other friends, she learned to skate. Soon she wasn’t slipping and falling anymore! All of her daddy’s help paid off. She had finally learned to skate!

Even though Amber didn’t suceed immediately, her daddy was always there to help her get up when she fell. Soon, much to her daddy’s joy, he didn’t have to hold her hand anymore. But do you know who is an even bigger Help? It’s Jesus!

Just like Amber’s daddy, Jesus is always there to help us up when we fall back into a bad habit or when we fail at something we have tried to do. All we have to do is pray and Jesus will put out His hand and help us up. And He doesn’t just pick us up. He helps us not to fall again!

And just like the joy Amber’s daddy had when she could skate on her own, Jesus is even happier when we break some bad habit we’ve had, or repent of some sin and resist the temptation to do it again. The Bible says in Luke 15:10; “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

Never forget that even though we overcome bad habits or sins, we will always need Jesus by our side to help us do what’s right. That’s why Jesus is the perfect helper; there’s nothing He can’t help us do. So when you feel hopeless, remember, Jesus is there. It says in the Bible, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5. And that’s a promise! I’m thankful for that, aren’t you?

The End