overcome

Let Us Hear the Conclusion of the Whole Matter

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My expertise is accounting. I realized that the most expert accountant ever is our Creator, who keeps the most accurate record books that anyone has ever kept. The result of that record-keeping is noted in the scripture found in Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good, or evil.” The righteous Judge will assess the value of every work I have ever performed and determine its worth, weighed against His perfect law.

In secular accounting, there is what I call the master equation: Assets minus liabilities equal net worth. Stated another way, the value of what you own (assets), minus what you owe (liabilities), equals your net worth.

In accounting, things of value are called assets. For example, cash is an asset. Theoretically, any time you spend that cash, you gain something of equal value. It might be another asset, such as food or clothing. It might be a service, such as a doctor’s visit. Or it might be relief from a liability, which decreases your liabilities and increases your net worth. It’s sad to say, but some folks have a negative net worth due to outstanding debts. More about that later.

Fortunately, God does not keep His heavenly records the same way secular accountants do, something we need to recognize if we are to appreciate the value of a soul.

The First Transaction

Inspiration describes the ultimate accounting transaction, the payment of the debt we incurred as the result of Adam’s fall:

“It is at an immense cost that we have been placed on the high vantage ground where we can be liberated from the bondage of sin, which has been wrought by the fall of Adam. … Never can we understand the value of the human soul until we realize the great sacrifice made for the redemption of the soul upon Calvary.” Christ Triumphant, 215. One asset, Christ’s life, was exchanged for another asset, the human soul.

In business law, consideration is “a promise, performance, or forbearance bargained by a promisor in exchange for their promise.” Consideration is the main element of a contract. Without consideration by both parties, an agreement cannot be enforceable.

In the simplest terms, a consideration is the benefit a party to the contract receives from the deal negotiated in the contract. It’s the answer to the question: “What does each party receive by entering this contract?”

A legally binding and legitimate contract must include the consideration, or the expectation of each individual or entity who is a party to the contract.

In most cases, a consideration comes in one of the following ways:

  1. The promise to do something that you are not already legally obligated to do.
  2. The promise not to do something that you otherwise would have the right to do.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1, 2

Verse 2 sets before us the greatest accounting transaction ever. Christ gave His life, an incredibly valuable asset, for the joy of seeing you and me saved from a life of sin.

Although there was no legal obligation for Christ to pay with His life for my sin, payment had to be made. “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23. What did Christ purchase by His sacrifice? “Eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Hebrews 12:2 shows us the consideration that each party in the agreement included in the contract. Remember, consideration can be a promise to do something you are not legally obligated to do. Christ was not legally obligated to give His life for mine, but He agreed to do so. Our part of the contract is to believe in Him as our Redeemer.

One party to the contract is those involved in easily besetting sin, but who overcome and receive eternal life. The other party to the contract is Christ, who received absolute and inexplicable joy knowing that there are those who have and will accept His sacrifice and have chosen and chose to follow Him, thereby fulfilling both parts (the giving and receiving) of the contract.

“The vows which we take upon ourselves in baptism embrace much. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are buried in the likeness of Christ’s death and raised in the likeness of His resurrection, and we are to live a new life. Our life is to be bound up with the life of Christ. Henceforth the believer is to bear in mind that he is dedicated to God, to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit. He is to make all worldly considerations secondary to this new relation. Publicly he has declared that he will no longer live in pride and self-indulgence. He is no longer to live a careless, indifferent life. He has made a covenant with God. He has died to the world. He is to live to the Lord, to use for Him all his entrusted capabilities, never losing the realization that he bears God’s signature, that he is a subject of Christ’s kingdom, a partaker of the divine nature. He is to surrender to God all that he is and all that he has, employing all his gifts to His name’s glory.

“The obligations in the spiritual agreement [contract/covenant] entered into at baptism are mutual. As human beings act their part with wholehearted obedience, they have a right to pray: ‘Let it be known, Lord, that Thou art God in Israel.’ The fact that you have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is an assurance that, if you will claim Their help, these powers will help you in every emergency. The Lord will hear and answer the prayers of His sincere followers who wear Christ’s yoke and learn in His school His meekness and lowliness.” Testimonies, Vol. 6, 98, 99

This passage speaks in detail about the covenant, the contract, between God and mankind, and the mutual contractual obligations found in the contract. Mutual obligations are the essence of a legal contract in business law—the consideration of each party in the contract. Our part—acknowledging the supremacy of the Godhead. Their part—providing help in every emergency. And I will assert that this help is not restricted to emergencies. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

The Consideration that Separates

Scripture and Inspiration provide many other examples of this amazing transaction.

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation 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. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:21–28

These texts provide at least three examples of an accounting transaction. First, verse 24 states that we are justified by His grace. One thing of value, His grace, provides for another thing of value, our justification.

Verse 25, the transaction with a capital T is noted: God set forth His Son as payment for sins that were previously committed. His payment entitles Him to my service on His behalf.

Verse 28 describes justification as a highly valued asset. It is provided for by faith, another valued asset, given by God to each of us. With exercise, the seed of faith grows into a fruit-bearing plant.

John also makes note of this incredible transaction.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:7–10

Of course, we find the ultimate transaction in John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

This text is the best of many that provide examples of the consideration required for a contract to be considered legal and enforceable in business law. Christ gave His life as payment. In return, our belief in Him is required for the everlasting life provision of the contract to be fulfilled.

Another way—a more painful way—to look at this transaction is that Christ gave His life, and in return, He received my sins and the resultant penalty—the shedding of His blood—required as payment for my sins. A penalty so severe that it caused Him to cry out in agony, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me.” Matthew 27:46

It is consideration of the point at which He was separated from His Father by our sins and experienced the second, eternal death that should make us realize the absolute sinfulness of sin and the unavoidable consequences of engaging in it.

The Overcoming Transaction

In Revelation 2 and 3, we are given seven promises as rewards for those who are successful at overcoming. This set of transactions requires the same consideration as our part of the transaction. These are the promises made to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3.

To Ephesus, the patient and hard-working, is the promise that they will eat the fruit from the tree of life in the garden of Eden. “When the tide of iniquity overspread the world, and the wickedness of men determined their destruction by a flood of waters, the Hand that had planted Eden withdrew it from the earth. But in the final restitution, when there shall be ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ it is to be restored more gloriously adorned than at the beginning.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 62. If we are patient and hard-working saints, we then can anticipate the same reward.

To Smyrna, who suffers for Christ’s sake, is promised the crown of eternal life, being spared from the second death. This promise is also made to the saints who bear the characteristics of the Smyrnans and who have overcome the assaults from the synagogue of Satan.

To Pergamos, a two-fold promise is given. The overcomers who maintain their faith, even amid the enemy’s fiery darts, will be privileged to eat of the hidden manna, and Jesus will give a white stone, written with a new name, which no man knows except the one who receives it. It will be interesting to discover God’s assessment of us as He gives us each a new name. I wonder if this will be a name in confidence between each saint and his Maker or if it will be shared with all.

To Thyatira, whose patience exceeds their works and who overcome by doing the works of Jesus until the end, will receive power over the nations. “You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Psalm 2:9

To Sardis, the overcomers whose lives are undefiled, reflecting an unspotted character, will receive garments of white, with their names retained in the book of life, and Christ will “confess” their names in heaven, acknowledging their right to be there.

To Philadelphia, the untainted ones who keep God’s command to persevere, He promises to keep them from the hour of trial, which soon will come upon the entire world, testing all who dwell on Earth (Revelation 3:10).

This promise is multi-faceted. He who overcomes, I will:

  1. make him a pillar in the temple of My God;
  2. he shall go out no more;
  3. I will write on him the name of My God;
  4. give the name of the city of My God, which is New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God;
  5. I will write on him My new name.

To Laodicea, he who overcomes even as I also overcame, will sit with Me in My throne.

“The heavenly temple, the abiding place of the King of kings, where ‘thousand thousands [one million] ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand [100 million] stood before Him’ (Daniel 7:10), that temple filled with the glory of the eternal throne, where seraphim, its shining guardians, veil their faces in adoration—no earthly structure could represent its vastness and its glory.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 357

Seven times we are admonished to overcome. What must we overcome?

“There is work, earnest work, to be done for the Master. The evils condemned in God’s word must be overcome. You must individually battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The word of God is called “the sword of the Spirit,” and you should become skillful in its use, if you would cut your way through the hosts of opposition and darkness.” Christian Education, 117

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:10–17

A surface reading of this passage seems to contradict God’s word and inspired writings. Inspiration says that we are to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. But Ephesians says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood.

It has been said that these apparent contradictions arise because of our lack of understanding rather than there being an actual contradiction. Note that in Ephesians, the actual phrase states, “… we wrestle not against flesh and blood.” “Flesh and blood” is a commonly-used idiom for people. What Paul is telling the Ephesians is that our warfare is not with other people, but with higher authorities, particularly the rulers of the darkness of this world. Granted, those rulers of darkness use people as their weapons, but it is essential that we realize that our real battle is not with the agents of Satan, but rather with Satan himself. And only the word of God can give us the victory over him.

Inspiration is telling us that the flesh that we must overcome is our own carnal nature, the natural, innate cravings of our physical existence.

It is interesting to note how often in both Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy our natural character, the one we are born with, is spoken of as fallen, impure, and corrupt. Nowhere, exactly nowhere, in either source of divine enlightenment, is it stated or even implied that we are born completely innocent and pure and that at some indeterminate point our characters suddenly become corrupt. What is often termed as the “age of accountability” should more correctly be viewed as the point at which we realize that we are sinners, not by action alone, but also by nature. That our sinful actions are simply an outward display of our inward condition.

“Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” Matthew 12:34, 35

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.” Matthew 15:18

“ ‘How degenerate is your heart!’ says the Lord God, ‘seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.’ ” Ezekiel 16:30

“The propensities that control the natural heart must be subdued by the grace of Christ before fallen man is fitted to enter heaven and enjoy the society of the pure, holy angels.” The Acts of the Apostles, 273

“When the word of God is set aside, its power to restrain the evil passions of the natural heart is rejected. Men sow to the flesh, and of the flesh they reap corruption.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 41

“… the evil tendencies of the natural heart can be overcome only by earnest effort in the name and strength of Jesus.” Ibid., 56

“The servants of Christ are not to act out the dictates of the natural heart.” The Desire of Ages, 353

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Ephesians 2:1–3

Clearly, the natural heart is imbued with Adam’s sinful character.

A Transaction by Faith

Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8 all detail another interesting transaction involving Jesus.

“On the way to the ruler’s house, Jesus had met in the crowd a poor woman who for twelve years had suffered from a disease that made her life a burden. She had spent all her means upon physicians and remedies, only to be pronounced incurable. But her hopes revived when she heard of the cures that Christ performed. She felt assured that if she could only go to Him she would be healed. In weakness and suffering, she came to the seaside where He was teaching, and tried to press through the crowd, but in vain. Again she followed Him from the house of Levi-Matthew, but was still unable to reach Him. She had begun to despair, when, in making His way through the multitude, He came near where she was.

“The golden opportunity had come. She was in the presence of the Great Physician! But amid the confusion she could not speak to Him, nor catch more than a passing glimpse of His figure. Fearful of losing her one chance of relief, she pressed forward, saying to herself, ‘If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole.’ As He was passing, she reached forward, and succeeded in barely touching the border of His garment. But in that moment she knew that she was healed. In that one touch, was concentrated the faith of her life, and instantly her pain and feebleness gave place to the vigor of perfect health.

“With a grateful heart she then tried to withdraw from the crowd; but suddenly Jesus stopped, and the people halted with Him. He turned, and looking about asked in a voice distinctly heard above the confusion of the multitude, ‘Who touched Me?’ The people answered this query with a look of amazement. Jostled upon all sides, and rudely pressed hither and thither, as He was, it seemed a strange inquiry.

“Peter, ever ready to speak, said, ‘Master, the multitude throng Thee and press Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me?’ Jesus answered, ‘Somebody hath touched Me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me.’ The Saviour could distinguish the touch of faith from the casual contact of the careless throng. Such trust should not be passed without comment. He would speak to the humble woman words of comfort that would be to her a wellspring of joy—words that would be a blessing to His followers to the close of time.

“Looking toward the woman, Jesus insisted on knowing who had touched Him. Finding concealment vain, she came forward tremblingly, and cast herself at His feet. With grateful tears she told the story of her suffering, and how she had found relief. Jesus gently said, ‘Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.’ He gave no opportunity for superstition to claim healing virtue for the mere act of touching His garments. It was not through the outward contact with Him, but through the faith which took hold on His divine power, that the cure was wrought.

“The wondering crowd that pressed close about Christ realized no accession of vital power. But when the suffering woman put forth her hand to touch Him, believing that she would be made whole, she felt the healing virtue.” The Desire of Ages, 343–347

Her faith called forth Christ’s virtue—His healing power. Christ offered her healing; she believed she would be healed, and she was. Healing had been acquired by faith.

I who have nothing and owe what I can never repay, am loved by He who has everything and was willing to sacrifice it all to pay what I could not. My value is now seen by the light that illuminates His blood-stained face, His nail-scarred hands, and His voice that cried out—for me—“It is finished.” My part in this transaction is to believe, surrender, and obey. God’s is to redeem and transform.

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org

Tempted Like We Are

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“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Hebrews 4:15

This study will be on a very sacred, very emotional subject. Religion has an emotional aspect that is unavoidable. So we will study this emotional aspect as well as the spiritual and intellectual aspects of religion.

Hebrews 4:15 is a familiar and favorite text for many Christians. It tells us some wonderful things about the nature of our great High Priest in heaven. Mrs. White says that Jesus’ work as our great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary is just as necessary to our salvation as His death on the cross. Today, the majority of the Christian world knows that Jesus died for our sins, but they do not understand that He is now ministering in heaven, and that without His ministration we would be lost even though He died on the cross.

The Baker Letter

Mrs. White addressed this text in a letter she wrote to Elder W. L. H. Baker and his wife in 1895. In Adventist circles, it is simply referred to as the Baker letter. One sentence from this letter reads: “It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals that Christ could be tempted in all points like as we are, and yet be without sin.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 19

Mrs. White is very clear that how Christ can be tempted like we are and yet be without sin is a mystery, intentionally left unexplained to mortals. There are things in the Bible that we don’t understand all the time. We may understand a small amount of it, but there remains much that we do not understand.

Since it is this statement from the Baker letter that has led me in the past not to preach on Hebrews 4:15, perhaps it is most appropriate that I provide some background regarding Elder Baker. Elder Baker was a mid-westerner and a Seventh-day Adventist minister. He was a missionary, along with his wife, to Australia evangelizing throughout Australia and Tasmania and while there, he became president of a number of conferences in Australia. Later in life, he returned to the U.S. until his death in 1933. However, at the time Mrs. White’s letter was written, the Bakers had become discouraged in their evangelistic work. Mrs. White wrote the Baker letter, in part, to encourage them. God knows every detail about every discouragement that we may be going through, and at just the right time He sends encouragement to His children. But along with the encouragement, He may also send correction.

The Baker letter has become so well-known and equally controversial because it contains plain, explicit, and strong statements regarding the nature of Christ, and these statements completely contradict and destroy the theological position of many conservative Seventh-day Adventist ministers and teachers.

When I first read the Baker letter, the statements on the nature of Christ were no problem for me. I had already read the following in Testimonies, Vol. 2, 201, 202:

“In Christ were united the human and the divine. His mission was to reconcile God and man, to unite the finite with the infinite. This was the only way in which fallen men could be exalted through the merits of the blood of Christ to be partakers of the divine nature. Taking human nature fitted Christ to understand man’s trials and sorrows, and all the temptations wherewith he is beset. … Christ condescended to take man’s nature and was tempted in all points like as we, that He might know how to succor all who should be tempted. …

“Our Saviour identifies Himself with our needs and weaknesses, in that He became a suppliant, a nightly petitioner, seeking from His Father fresh supplies of strength, to come forth invigorated and refreshed, braced for duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. As the sinless One, His nature recoiled from evil. He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin. His humanity made prayer a necessity and privilege. He required all the stronger divine support and comfort which His Father was ready to impart to Him, to Him who had, for the benefit of man, left the joys of heaven and chosen His home in a cold and thankless world.”

However, that is not the case for almost everyone around me. Through the years I have listened and read and watched many times as Seventh-day Adventist ministers and theologians have attempted to explain away the Baker letter. To accept it would destroy their theology regarding the nature of Christ. All manner of methods have been devised to try to explain it away.

One explanation for why Mrs. White wrote the Baker letter was that Elder Baker might have believed in Adoptionism—an early Christian nontrinitarian theological doctrine most popular in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd centuries, which holds that Jesus was adopted as the Son of God at His baptism, His resurrection, or His ascension, denying the eternal pre-existence of Christ—and the letter was Mrs. White’s attempt at correcting this misconception. And that could easily be true. However, if that is all we get from the Baker letter, then we have completely missed other significant points.

My brother Marshall learned of the Baker letter at the Seventh-day Adventist seminary from certain conservative professors. In brief, they taught that we should not use just one private letter to establish doctrine. But that is a most interesting explanation since these very same ministers have used and would use a single private letter written to a prominent Seventh-day Adventist minister if it supported something that they agreed on, accepting the letter without question.

If you accept the Baker letter at face value, you will realize immediately that it completely destroys the positions on the nature of Christ held by a host of conservative Adventist ministers, theologians, and teachers, many of whom are and have been friends of mine for many years.

When I was young, the Baker letter was not available in its entirety. Excerpts could be found back then, but today, the entire letter is printed in Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 14–30, prefaced by an explanation about the letter.

Tempted in All Points as We Are, yet Without Sin

Let’s now go back to Hebrews 4:15, the text that no human being can understand, and see if there is any element of the verse that we can understand. “We do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” This Bible text is used by many today as proof that Jesus had all the same natural tendencies and propensities to sin that fallen men have, which is what the Baker letter strongly and repeatedly contradicts.

Inspiration teaches that our tendency to wrong doing is an imperfection of character and that imperfection of character is sin, but Paul says that even though Jesus was tempted just like as we are, He was without sin. So, if we cannot fully understand this text—remember, Mrs. White said, “It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals”—is there anything in the text that we can understand?

I believe there is.

“The Elder Brother of our race is by the eternal throne. He looks upon every soul who is turning his face toward Him as the Saviour. He knows by experience what are the weaknesses of humanity, what are our wants, and where lies the strength of our temptations … .” The Desire of Ages, 329. He knows why my temptations are so difficult for me to overcome, and why I feel like I just can’t overcome them. He understands, and that should give all of us confidence in Him because He promised that He would deliver us and make us victors over all sinful temptations.

Jesus knows our wants, He knows by experience the weaknesses of humanity, and He knows and understands just how strong our temptations are. How? Because He was tempted just like we are, though without sin.

The dictionary defines a want as “something that is desired, but not possessed.” Why do I want it? I desire something either because I need it, or because I derive pleasure from it. So a want is something that is desired, whether it be a desire for something needed or a desire for pleasure. So the weaknesses of humanity lie in the desire for life’s necessities and pleasures. David wrote about the wants of man in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want … .”

Touched with Our Infirmities

What does it mean for Jesus to be touched with our infirmities and feelings?

A little background on how the Baker letter became so well known. For 88 years, it was just a letter among many that Mrs. White wrote during her lifetime, though unavailable in her published works. But in the early 1980s, the letter was released and published.

We as individuals do not always think the same way. Our experiences in life, our culture, even our gender can be filters through which we process, see, and understand things, but in different ways. That doesn’t mean that one person’s mind is inferior to another’s; it is simply that we think differently, but with the ability to arrive at the truth of an issue from different directions.

Christ was tempted in a way that we cannot imagine. For years I’ve wanted to know how He could be tempted as I am.

Touched means that He feels sympathy. It is comforting to know that we have someone in heaven, who has all power, and who is touched with our feelings standing at the throne of God. Jesus is able to sympathize with our problems so we can feel free to come to Him and talk to Him about any problem that befalls us. We need not go through life trying to bear our problems and burdens alone. So Paul says we need to come with confidence to the throne of grace because we will find there the mercy and grace to help in time of need.

How does Jesus know by experience what the weaknesses and wants of humanity are? Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 182, states “A man of our flesh, He was compassed with the weakness of humanity. The circumstances of His life were of that character that He was exposed to all the inconveniences that belong to men, not in wealth, not in ease, but in poverty and want and humiliation.” It says He was surrounded by these things. He personally experienced poverty, want, humiliation. “We know that the Lord Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, and He knows how to succor [help] all who shall be tempted.” Ibid., Vol. 14, 334. We need to understand that when we are tempted, no matter what the temptation is, that Jesus knows how to help us. When we’re tempted and it seems like there is no way out—we’re never going to win—it is time, of all times, that we need to cry out to the Lord for the deliverance He has promised.

As human beings, our minds seem to think that helping us means that the temptation is taken away. Lord, we say, just deliver me from this temptation. Sadly, very often it just doesn’t work that way. Sometimes the Lord says that He will take a temptation away. I have known people who have smoked for many years, many packs of cigarettes per day. They have tried to quit smoking many times, but they just can’t do it. They cry out to the Lord for help, and help is supplied and they are freed from the addiction of cigarettes and no longer have any desire to smoke. It is true that sometimes the Lord takes the temptation away, but more often the Lord does not take it away. It is His will for you and for me not to yield to temptation, calling upon Him for the help needed to resist it.

Let’s take a short look at the three Hebrew worthies. They had this exact experience. They said our God is able to deliver us from you, King Nebuchadnezzar, but if He does not, then let it be known that we will not worship your image. The king was so angry that he had the furnace stoked until it was seven times hotter than it was before, and into the fire Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were tossed. It was so hot that the soldiers who threw them into the furnace died instantly. Imagine it: their hands and feet are bound, and they are thrown into the flames like bundles of dried grass, but these young men were willing to die rather than to disobey God’s commandment not to worship idols.

It’s one thing to be able to walk around with the Lord. We likely think that He will prevent all the bad things from happening. But then, there you are, standing in front of a fiery furnace stoked seven times hotter than before and God doesn’t keep you from being thrown into the fire. Instead He joins you in the flames.

As we draw closer to the end of the world, it will appear that all of God’s children will be killed while standing firm in their faith. The Bible says it will happen. But if I am to be one of God’s children at the end of time, I must be His child right now—believing in Him, obeying His law, and worshiping no other god or idol. Then God will send the help I need to remain firm in my faith in Him.

We may be weak, hungry, and thirsty. We may experience sorrow and grief, pain and suffering. Jesus, our Creator, is the source of all strength and power. He holds up the universe and all the heavenly bodies it contains. So, friend, you can be sure that He can sustain you. He left all of it behind to become a man so that he could suffer as we suffer, and thereby be able to offer aid. Jesus experienced physical suffering, poverty, and humiliation so that He could understand us.

“In His humanity, He suffered physical weariness and weakness, hunger, thirst, and sadness.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 14, 334

“By experiencing in Himself the strength of Satan’s temptation, and of human sufferings and infirmities, He would know how to succor [aid] those who should put forth efforts to help themselves.” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1875

In our human nature alone, the power of temptation is too great for us to bear. “Feeling the terrible power of temptation, the drawing of desire that leads to indulgence, many a man cries in despair, ‘I cannot resist evil.’ ” The Ministry of Healing, 174

Sadly, a person with this mindset is fertile territory for a preacher preaching that you don’t need to overcome sin. This type of theology is so popular because that is man’s experience. A man may try a hundred, a thousand times, and still be unable to resist the temptation that his natural, sinful self drives him to desire, until he finally yields.

Desire is a power of the mind. The terrible power of temptation lies in the wants, the desires of man (James 1:13–15). Keep in mind that infirmities are related to either a weakness of the body or a weakness of the mind. There is an intimate relationship between the weaknesses of humanity and the power of temptation. The greater the desire the more powerful is the temptation.

“God requires every soul to be pure and holy. We have hereditary tendencies to wrong. This is a part of self that no one need carry about. It is a weakness of humanity to pet selfishness, because it is a natural trait of character. But unless all selfishness is put away, unless self is crucified, we can never be holy as God is holy.” The Faith I Live By, 140

Paul writes in Romans 6 about crucifying the old man. The crucifixion of the old man is the putting to death of our natural selfishness. Selfishness is a natural trait of character, and we desire, by nature, to hold it close, but the Bible says that we must crucify the old man and be reborn as a new man if we are to be one of God’s children.

A superficial reading of these passages by people who have permitted their minds to become clouded regarding what constitutes sin can lead to the gross error of attributing to the humanity of Christ the same tendencies to wrong that we inherited from Adam. “The sowing of seeds of selfishness in the human heart was the first result of the entrance of sin into the world.” The Workers’ Bulletin, September 9, 1902. On the very day that Adam and Eve sinned, the seeds of selfishness were sown in their hearts, and have been passed down in the hearts of all of Adam’s posterity since. It is crucial that we understand that our natural, sinful humanity is selfish, but the humanity of Christ had not one thread of selfishness.

What is selfishness? “All selfishness is covetousness, and is, therefore, idolatry.” The Review and Herald, May 23, 1907. Idolatry is the breaking of the second commandment and covetousness is the breaking of the tenth commandment. If all selfishness is covetousness and idolatry, then all selfishness is sin and sin is the transgression of the law in whatever form or fashion it is found. “The law requires righteousness—a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give.” The Desire of Ages, 762

By nature, we are not righteous, and we cannot be made righteous by anything that we do. It is only by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and our complete surrender to this transforming power in our hearts that we are able to be made righteous.

How does Jesus know what the weakness of humanity is like?

“For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18

“For we have not a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

“Thank God we have a High Priest who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities, for He was in all points tempted as we are.” Christ Triumphant, 218. In that sentence, the word for means “because.” Jesus was touched with the feeling of our infirmities because He was tempted and suffered in all points like as we are.

What caused Jesus to suffer?

“The human nature of Christ was like unto ours, and suffering was more keenly felt by Him; for His spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin. Therefore, His desire for the removal of suffering was stronger than human beings can experience.” The Signs of the Times, December 9, 1897

“Christ hates sin. From Him evil met with stern rebuke. But while He hates sin, He loves the sinner. Laying aside His riches and glory, He came to this earth to seek for us, sinful, erring, unhappy, that He might lead us to heaven. He humbled Himself, and took upon Him our nature, that He might make us like Himself, pure and upright, free from defilement. He suffered more than any of you will ever be called to suffer. He gave His all for you. What have you given for Him?” Ibid., July 9, 1902

“Christ made His soul an offering for sin. Thus He made it possible for man to hate sin—that which requires such an offering, such a sacrifice, to rescue the sinner from its terrible influence.” Pacific Union Recorder, July 3, 1902

Why did Jesus have to experience suffering to such a degree? All I know is that He had to go through it to save us. Because His spiritual nature hated sin, His desire for the removal of the suffering of His human body and mind was so much stronger than what you or I will ever experience that it made His temptation all the greater.

“Jesus was not insensible to ignominy [deep humiliation and disgrace]. He felt the disgrace of sin as much more keenly than it is possible for man to feel it, as His divine and sinless nature was exalted above the nature of man. We should never entertain the thought that the Majesty of Heaven, so holy and undefiled, was not acutely sensitive to scorn and mockery, abuse and pain.” The Signs of the Times, January 6, 1881

He came to endure temptation as we do so that He would know how we feel. He lived His human life so that we could know that there is no temptation so great that it cannot be rejected when we look to Jesus for help. His life was a perfect combination of divinity and humanity. “He … took upon Him our nature, that He might make us like Himself, pure and upright, free from defilement.” Ibid., July 9, 1902

“He is a brother in our infirmities, ‘in all points tempted like as we are’; but as the sinless one His nature recoiled from evil; He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin.” A Call to Stand Apart, 26

Jesus endured struggles and torture of soul because His sinless nature was acutely sensitive to scorn, mockery, abuse, and pain. He went through all of this because He wanted to save you.

Do you understand how serious God is about saving you? It doesn’t matter what your past is. It doesn’t matter what other people think about you. Do you understand that if you surrender your life to Him, He will save you, not in, but from your sin?

“We say we do believe that Jesus Christ died, but is He your personal Saviour? Here is the faith part of it. … Do you grasp Him by the living hand of faith? Do you reach out your hand to Him and say, as did Peter, ‘Save, Lord, or I perish’? He will save you.” Reflecting Christ, 356

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

Called to Victory

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Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. … O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. … Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

Let those who are engaged in the Master’s service study these eloquent words. What is the object of divine compassion?—The uplifting of fallen humanity. For this purpose messengers from the throne of God are sent to this earth. In Second Kings, we read how holy angels came on a mission to guard the Lord’s chosen servants. The prophet Elisha was in Dothan, and thither the king of Israel [Syria] sent horses and chariots and a great host to take him. “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.” And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

Angels of God came down in mighty power, not to rule or exact homage, but to minister to those who should be heirs of salvation. They came in mighty power to camp round about the Lord’s faithful servants.

Depend on this: If you study the word of God with a sincere desire to gain knowledge, God will fill your soul with light. The mysteries of heaven will become the treasures of your mind. Your work will be approved by God, and your influence will be a savor of life. Never complain. Let not your lips utter perverseness. Do not talk darkness because appearances are against you. We are in a world of sin and crime. As we work for the Master, we shall feel pressure for want of means, but God will hear and answer our petitions. Let your language be, “The Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”

Look on the bright side. If the work is hindered, be sure that it is not your fault, and then rejoice in the Lord, even though the experience through which you are passing may be hard and grievous. Heaven is full of joy. It resounds with the praises of the One who has made such a wonderful sacrifice for the redemption of man. Should not the church on earth be full of praise? Should not Christians publish throughout the world the joy of serving Christ?

The Lord desires us to be strong in His strength and joyful in His love. Thus we reveal the power of redeeming grace. We may triumph in the keeping power of the Redeemer. Through faith in Him we may gain victory after victory over self.

Those who enter heaven must learn on earth the song of heaven, the keynote of which is praise and thanksgiving. Only as they learn this song can they join in singing it with the heavenly choir.

Never let your courage fail. The Christian always has a strong helper in the Lord. When, because you are unable to obtain the needed help, you come to a pause in your earnest efforts, cast your burden on the Lord. Be content to leave it there, knowing that He is faithful who has promised. The What and How of the Lord’s helping we know not; but this we do know: The Lord will never fail those who put their trust in Him. When He has fully proved His workers, He will bring them forth refined as gold tried in the fire.

The lessons that God sends will always, if well learned, bring help in due time. “Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Put your trust in God. Pray much, and believe that in His good work the Lord will guide you step by step. Trusting, hoping, believing in the Lord, holding fast the hand of Infinite Power, you will be more than conquerors. In God you will have victory and success. You will see the salvation of the Lord.

Work in faith, and leave the results with God. Pray in earnest faith, and the mystery of God’s providence will bring its answer.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” At times it may seem that you cannot succeed. Hindrances will come. You will be tested and tried. But work and believe, putting faith and life and hope and courage into your work. After you have done what you can, wait for the Lord, declaring His faithfulness, and He will bring His word to pass. Wait not in fretful anxiety, but in undaunted faith and unshaken trust.

“For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, August 20, 1902

How to Overcome the Devil

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“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.’ ”

Revelations 12:9–12

Why are there so many tears and disasters? So much worry, sorrow, pain, suffering, and death? The answer is in these scriptures. Satan was cast down, set loose on this earth to wreak havoc, and the Bible says that he will deceive the whole world. Every man and woman has been deceived at some time by this arch deceiver.

I wish that we could, just in the smallest degree, understand the significance of his deceitfulness. From the time you were born, he has studied your life, and for whatever reason, by one means or another, he has become a master artist at deceiving you. Every time we sin, we have been deceived into thinking that Satan’s plan is superior to God’s plan.

Some time ago, I was studying the Bible with a woman in Pennsylvania. Every doctrine we studied from the Bible—the state of the dead, the Sabbath, and many other doctrines—she accepted.

But when we began to study diet—pork specifically—she began to have issues. You see, diet is the downfall of so many people. We all know that the Bible says pork is an unclean food, unfit for mankind to eat, and those who are holy and pure do not eat pork or any other food the Bible identifies as unclean.

Sadly, this woman liked pork. You can see how the devil’s deceptions were working against her. If she didn’t like pork, then it would have been no temptation to her and, like all the other doctrines she had so eagerly accepted, she would have gladly given up unclean foods including pork. But she did like pork, and soon she began the process of rationalization.

Perhaps you have done the same thing. So-and-so does something that is wrong, so it’s okay for me to do it, too. Unfortunately, friends, the old adage, “two wrongs don’t make a right” is absolutely true. Excusing our sin by pointing out someone else’s, doesn’t make our sin any less sinful, nor does it deliver us from the resultant consequences.

Still, the devil wanted to keep her from fully and faithfully following Jesus, and to do this he had a terrible deception ready to use against her. Remember, he is the master deceiver. He had studied this woman her whole life and knew just what he should do.

About a month into our studies together, in fact it was during the same time that she was struggling with the truth regarding diet, she had lost her six-year-old daughter, and, oh, how she grieved over the death of her child. It is dangerous to reject truth because we sacrifice the protection of Jesus completely and leave ourselves open to all kinds of deception.

In her home, the daughter’s bedroom was at the top of the stairs on the second floor. One day, she looked up those stairs, still grieving, and for one fleeting moment, she saw her daughter standing there looking at her, smiling, and then she was gone. In that moment, she knew that her daughter was all right, that she was in heaven, and had come down to give her assurance and peace.

Also, in that moment, she decided that the Bible was wrong, or at least the way we were interpreting it was wrong. But the Bible doesn’t need an interpreter, for it plainly says regarding the dead, “The dead know not anything, neither have they any more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.” Ecclesiastes 9:5

The devil’s deception was so powerful that she believed she had truly seen her daughter, and she was so truly deceived that she determined that everything she had learned and accepted to that point was wrong, and she rejected everything. Satan knew right where to strike. Tragically, this woman loved her daughter and unclean foods more than she loved the truth, and unless she repents of her rejection and again accepts the truth, it will cost her salvation.

Satan has a master file of your life and mine. He has traced every event. He and his angels have studied every aspect of your life. They know your special desires, weaknesses, and insecurities. They know what offends and irritates you the most, and how to upset you.

Is There Anything That Can Cause You to be Lost?

Is there anything in this world that means more to you than the truth as it is in Jesus Christ? Your spouse and children? Family or friends? A job, a position of power, wealth, or possessions? Are you proud of your looks? Do you enjoy the flattery of the world? Do you desire attention? Have you been driven to a dark place because of illness, loneliness, or discouragement?

Is there anything that could cause you to give up the truth and turn away from the Holy Spirit? If there is, then rest assured Satan will bend all his power to bring about your destruction.

God wants you to be happy, but if you seek to follow Him, know that the devil will pull out all the stops to work against you. He has a temptation, probably more than one, that is tailor-made just for you. You see, not all temptations are successful against all people. While one person may struggle with addiction to smoking, drinking, or drugs, another may struggle with gambling or pornography, and another with pride and envy. Yes, the devil has a specific portfolio of temptations for each of us.

We will all be tempted, tested, during our lifetime. No one can expect to have a free ride to the pearly gates. Sooner or later, we will have to meet the devil face to face. We are never alone because the Holy Spirit is always with us to provide the power we need to overcome him. But, just as Jesus did in the wilderness of temptation, we will have to face the devil in battle, and we must be prepared to be conquerors.

The Only One

“The great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.” Revelation 12:9

Except for One.

Of all of the people who have ever lived in the world, there was only One who was never deceived, the Man Christ Jesus. There is no one who has ever been tempted more than He.

For more than thirty years, Satan had prepared, focusing all his energies into the destruction of Jesus. Throughout His entire life, he had sought to weaken Jesus, to cause Him to give up His faith and confidence in His Father. The time had come. Jesus was about to have that face-to-face confrontation that we ourselves will one day have with Satan.

“Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” Luke 4:1, 2

John the Baptist had baptized Jesus in the Jordan, and the Father had declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17. But now God was leading Jesus to the wilderness for the fight of His human life. God took Him to the wilderness and left Him there, with no food or shelter, nothing but the hard ground for a bed, and no earthly protection against wild beasts or other dangers. Jesus had the power to provide for Himself, but the Father had ordained that He should come to earth and live as an ordinary man, trusting completely in Him for all of His needs.

Satan determined that Jesus would be overcome, understanding that “he must either conquer or be conquered. … All the energies of apostasy were rallied against the Son of God. Christ was made the mark of every weapon of hell.” The Desire of Ages, 116

Turn These Stones

Even in His weakened and starved condition, Jesus’ trust in God remained strong and He continued to pray until a beautiful angel came to Him, an answer, it seemed, to His prayer.

“He claimed to have a commission from God to declare that Christ’s fast was at an end. As God had sent an angel to stay the hand of Abraham from offering Isaac, so, satisfied with Christ’s willingness to enter the bloodstained path, the Father had sent an angel to deliver Him; this was the message brought to Jesus. The Saviour was faint from hunger, He was craving for food, when Satan came suddenly upon Him. Pointing to the stones which strewed the desert, and which had the appearance of loaves, the tempter said, ‘If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.’ ” Ibid., 118

God accepted Your sacrifice here in the wilderness. He has accepted Your submission to His will. Now He has given You permission, “ ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ ” Matthew 4:3

Let’s look at this temptation. Yes, it was a test on appetite. But this angel said something, just a small word, that should give anyone a clue that he might not be what he appeared to be: “If.” “If You are the Son of God … .” Would God treat His Son this way? is the insinuation. An angel from heaven would know who Jesus is. This angel was not sent from God. Jesus discerned who he was. Imagine the added temptation for Him not to show this imposter just exactly who He is.

Why was Jesus not deceived as mankind usually is? Jesus recognized Satan because His relationship with and faith in His Father prevented even His humanity from being deceived.

But why is mankind so easily deceived?

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception, among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10

Without a saving relationship with Jesus, we will be unable to see Satan for who he is. He will come to us in a way that looks good, but it won’t be good, and if we do not have a love for the truth, we will be deceived.

Jesus loved truth more than He loved life itself. He would rather die than sacrifice even one of God’s precepts. God had said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” This was the word of God regarding who Jesus was. Knowing who Satan was from the beginning, Jesus did not enter into controversy with him. He would not parley with temptation and simply replied to Satan, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” Luke 4:4

If You Will Worship Me

From there Satan took Jesus up on a high mountain. From this vantage point, he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world laid out in all their glory, along with all the people who lived in them, the very people Jesus had left heaven for, those He had come to save.

Satan said, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

In that moment, Jesus saw a narrow path strewn with stones and thorns and thistles. As the path stretched tortuously up, He saw a cross, and hanging on that cross is a man; He sees Himself. Here is the choice: a mere act of homage or the cross.

Without hesitation, Jesus replies, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Luke 4:8

At the Cross

I am so happy that Jesus chose the cross, for it was through that choice that He gained the victory over Satan and his temptations and deceptions, and brought victory to us. For it is by that blood that we are saved and can find salvation from the temptations and deceptions Satan will surely bring to each one of us.

Do you spend time with the cross every day? Do you suppose that you can overcome Satan on your own? Do you think you are strong enough? It was at the cross that Satan was overcome. If we are to find victory over Satan and his deceptions, then we must go to the cross.

Revelation 12 says that Satan will deceive the whole world, but there are some who gain the victory.

“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb (Christ) and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.’ ” Verses 10, 11

Christ gained the victory on the cross, and it is to the cross that we also must go to find victory. It is accomplished by the union of the divine and human, uniting our lives with the life of Christ.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?’ ” Matthew 16:24–26

How few today have found that personal victory over Satan. Have we? Can we know that we have experienced the same victory that we find in the life of Christ?

“Communion with Christ—how unspeakably precious! Such communion it is our privilege to enjoy if we will seek it, if we will make any sacrifice to secure it.” Maranatha, 74

Oh, Taste and See

What we need is an experimental religion. Putting God to the test, claiming His promises and finding them true. Think of the three worthies, who refused to eat from the king’s table. They did what was right, and they were blessed as a result and were a living testimony for all around them. Daniel continued to pray three times a day in spite of the king’s decree, knowing he would be thrown in the lion’s den. But He trusted that God would save Him, and He did.

“Experience is knowledge derived from experiment. Experimental religion is what is needed now. … Some—yes, a large number—have a theoretical knowledge of religious truth, but have never felt the renewing power of divine grace upon their own hearts. … They believe in the wrath of God, but put forth no earnest efforts to escape it. They believe in heaven, but make no sacrifice to obtain it. … They know a remedy for sin, but do not use it. They know the right, but have no relish for it. All their knowledge will but increase their condemnation. They have never tasted and learned by experience that the Lord is good.

“To become a disciple of Christ is to deny self and follow Jesus through evil as well as good report. … Every darling indulgence that hinders our religious life must be cut off. … Will we put forth efforts and make sacrifices proportionate to the worth of the object to be attained?” Ibid.

That’s when it becomes yours. That’s when you’ve experimented with the promises of God and found them true. That’s when you develop a testimony. Not one in twenty, we are told, have an experimental knowledge of religion (Messages to Young People, 384). Oh, they may know how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, about Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness, Bible stories like Daniel and the lion’s den, but they have never had an experience like that, nor have they ever relied fully and only on the naked promises of God for deliverance. They have never sacrificed everything for a personal knowledge of God’s saving power.

We are not saved by good sermons nor by listening to CDs, watching DVDs, or reading books. Going to church will not save us. Even physically being with Jesus, as the disciples were, will not save us. We must have a close, intimate relationship with Jesus, a joining of the divine with the human. The experiences and trials that we live through in this life are meant to teach us that we can and must trust in God.

So, Here’s the Question

Do I have this experience, a testimony of victory in my own life? Remember what Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb (Christ) and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

Think again of the three worthies, standing before the golden image on the plain of Dura. How easy it would have been to just kneel and pray to God. They wouldn’t have been worshiping the image, but their testimony would have looked the same as everyone around them. It would have appeared that they were worshiping the image. It would have shown lack of faith in God. Instead, they did what they knew was right, at the very real risk of their lives, believing that God would save them if it was His will to do so, and they learned that God is faithful to those who put their faith in Him.

What would you have done?  Would you have knelt and prayed to God, rationalizing that you weren’t really worshiping that image? You could have come away from that experience saying, “Well, the Lord saved me from death.” But you wouldn’t have had a testimony. The three worthies received their testimony by going into the fiery furnace. They put their faith in God to the test, they did what was right even though it would mean death, and they found that He is faithful.

We have a testimony when we lose our job rather than work on the Sabbath. We have a testimony when to human eyes there are more bills to pay than money to pay them with and we still pay tithe first. We have a testimony when we pray and ask God for healing, but accept whatever His answer might be, even if it is not healing. When everything is against us and we have nothing but trust in God’s promises, then we have a testimony.

Too many of us do not have a testimony to bear for God because we have never tried Him. We bow down to the idol because we are afraid of the fiery furnace.

“Many look on this conflict between Christ and Satan as having no special bearing on their own life; and for them it has little interest. 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 it 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.” The Desire of Ages, 116, 117

Our testimony comes when we stand the test through the strength of God, and though Satan works to deceive the world, we overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. When Jesus’ wilderness experience becomes ours, when the divine has united with the human, then we can overcome the devil.

Friends, Satan is seeking to deceive the whole world, and he is successfully doing so for much of it today. But he can be overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony.

I invite you, morning by morning, to come to the foot of the cross, meditate upon the sacrifice of Christ, and then step out on the promises of God and determine to do what God says, come what may, and see how the Lord will work, so that you also might have a testimony.

[Emphasis supplied.]

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

The Key to Overcoming

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Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Matthew 16:24

Ellen White’s book Confrontation deals in great detail not only with the wilderness temptations of Christ, it also explains how Christ came off victorious as Satan used every means imaginable in his efforts to cause Him to fail in His mission, and shows how Christ’s success in resisting and overcoming can be ours.

In the wilderness, we know that Christ’s victories were gained through “Thus saith the Lord.” And of course, that is how we are to gain the victory over temptation as well.

However, it is clear from the details presented in this book that Christ did more than quote scripture in His constant confrontations with the enemy—He continually denied self.

In His assumed humanity, Christ faced the same temptations we face. “Appetite and passion, the love of the world, and presumptuous sins were the great branches of evil out of which every species of crime, violence, and corruption grew.” Op. cit., 47

That being the case, we can quickly and easily recognize that by overcoming those three temptations—also referred to in inspired writings as the world, the flesh, and the devil and in John’s first epistle as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—by gaining the victory in these three critical areas, we are well advanced on the narrow way to the kingdom of glory.

There is no temptation faced by man that is as severe as the temptations Christ endured after forty days of fasting.

It is important to remember that not only during His wilderness trial but throughout His life, “He did not for a single moment doubt His heavenly Father’s love, although He was bowed down with inexpressible anguish. Satan’s temptations, though skillfully devised, did not move the integrity of God’s dear Son. His abiding confidence in His Father could not be shaken.” Op. cit., 41

If we are to come off victorious, we must have that same abiding confidence, a confidence that will give us the victory in every daily trial.

On page 43, is this interesting statement: “Although Christ was suffering the keenest pangs of hunger, He withstood the temptation. He repulsed Satan with the same scripture He had given Moses to repeat to rebellious Israel when their diet was restricted and they were clamoring for flesh meats in the wilderness, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ In this declaration, and also by His example, Christ would show man that hunger for temporal food was not the greatest calamity that could befall him.”

Think about that final sentence for a moment. Although Christ quoted the words that He had instructed Moses to give to the children of Israel when they were murmuring and complaining about their diet, Inspiration says that this statement applies to a much broader area than just temporal food. When we are living by “every word” of God, the application goes well beyond mere hunger for temporal food.

To get a broader understanding of our challenge to overcome appetite, we need to analyze a sentence from pages 50 and 51: “Our Saviour fasted nearly six weeks that He might gain for man the victory upon the point of appetite. How can professed Christians with enlightened consciences, and with Christ before them as their pattern, yield to the indulgence of those appetites which have an enervating influence upon the mind and body? It is a painful fact that habits of self-gratification at the expense of health and moral power are at the present time holding a large share of the Christian world in the bonds of slavery.”

Let’s break down that passage a little. Notice that it states, “… yield to the indulgence of those appetites,” plural.

We commonly think of appetite in terms of a desire for temporal food. However, the dictionary defines appetite as “a strong desire or liking for something, a craving.” Thus in its broadest application, our appetites include food, certainly, but also a craving for any number of things, such as fashion, conspicuous consumption in all its varied forms, preeminence, power, wealth. A hard look in a mirror will reveal more than just the wrinkles we have acquired as we have aged—especially in the mirror of God’s law.

Another word in that passage we need to understand is enervating. It might initially be assumed that it means energizing. However, it means just the opposite: “to cause [someone] to feel drained of energy or vitality; to weaken.”

With this understanding, let’s rephrase the rhetorical question asked in the passage quoted from pages 50 and 51: How can professed Christians yield to the indulgence of cravings that deplete the mind and body of energy?

In order to enable us to resist those cravings, Christ left heaven. There is a wonderful explanation of the victory He gained for us by leaving heaven and how it can be ours.

“Because man fallen could not overcome Satan with his human strength, Christ came from the royal courts of heaven to help him with His human and divine strength combined. Christ knew that Adam in Eden with his superior advantages might have withstood the temptations of Satan and conquered him. He also knew that it was not possible for man out of Eden, separated from the light and love of God since the fall, to resist the temptations of Satan in his own strength. In order to bring hope to man, and save him from complete ruin, He humbled Himself to take man’s nature, that with His divine power combined with the human He might reach man where he is. He obtained for the fallen sons and daughters of Adam that strength which it is impossible for them to gain for themselves, that in His name they might overcome the temptations of Satan.” Op. cit., 45

It is abundantly and encouragingly clear from this paragraph that we are entirely dependent on Christ for the ultimate victory.

On page 57, in the section entitled “Christian Temperance,” we find much guidance regarding temperance versus intemperance. The initial paragraphs are especially powerful.

“God gives man no permission to violate the laws of his being. But man, through yielding to Satan’s temptations to indulge intemperance, brings the higher faculties in subjection to the animal appetites and passions, and when these gain the ascendancy, man, who was created a little lower than the angels—with faculties susceptible of the highest cultivation—surrenders to the control of Satan. And he gains easy access to those who are in bondage to appetite. Through intemperance, some sacrifice one half, and others two thirds, of their physical, mental, and moral powers, and become playthings for the enemy.

“Those who would have clear minds to discern Satan’s devices must have their physical appetites under the control of reason and conscience. The moral and vigorous action of the higher powers of the mind are essential to the perfection of Christian character, and the strength or the weakness of the mind has very much to do with our usefulness in this world and with our final salvation. The ignorance that has prevailed in regard to God’s law in our physical nature is deplorable. Intemperance of any kind is a violation of the laws of our being.”

“The great enemy knows that if appetite and passion predominate, the health of body and strength of intellect are sacrificed upon the altar of self-gratification, and man is brought to speedy ruin. If enlightened intellect holds the reins, controlling the animal propensities and keeping them in subjection to the moral powers, Satan well knows that his power to overcome with his temptations is very small.” Op. cit., 58

“Sin drove man from paradise; and sin was the cause of the removal of paradise from the earth. In consequence of transgression of God’s law, Adam lost paradise. In obedience to the Father’s law, and through faith in the atoning blood of His Son, paradise may be regained.” Op. cit., 15

“The indulgence [of appetite] … counteracts the force of truth, and weakens moral power to resist and overcome temptation. …

“The adversary of souls is working in these last days with greater power than ever before, to accomplish the ruin of man through the indulgence of appetite and passions. … Unnatural desires for these indulgences are not controlled by reason or judgment.” Op. cit., 60

“Men and women indulge appetite at the expense of health and their powers of intellect, so that they cannot appreciate the plan of salvation. What appreciation can such have of the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, and of the victory He gained upon the point of appetite. It is impossible for them to have exalted views of God, and to realize the claims of His law.” Op. cit., 62

Note well this sentence: “The scene of trial with Christ in the wilderness was the foundation of the plan of salvation, and gives to fallen man the key whereby he, in Christ’s name, may overcome.” Op. cit., 63

Now contemplate this question: After being presented with all of this wonderful light from the pen of Ellen White, what is the foundation of the plan of salvation and the key whereby we, in Christ’s name, may overcome? That foundation and that key is nothing other than self-denial.

Throughout His life, Christ manifested self-denial to perfection. If you think back through the details we are given of His daily confrontations, His perfect self-denial gave Him the victory every time.

He could indeed have turned the stones to bread to satisfy His hunger. He could have given Satan evidence of His heavenly Father’s loving watchcare by jumping from the top of the temple. He could have accepted all the kingdoms of the world offered Him by Satan (though in truth, they were already His, even after they had fallen under the sway of the enemy). He could have wiped the bloody sweat from His brow in the garden of Gethsemane and returned to His heavenly throne. He could have come down from the cross when taunted to do so by His enemies.

But to our eternal benefit, He denied self at every opportunity. By emulating His selflessness, His self-denial, we, too, can be victorious.

Op. cit. – all quotations are taken from the source first identified – Confrontation

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org

To Him Who Overcomes

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It is recorded in several places in Scripture that one day there will be an almost complete reversal of the ranking of mankind so that those who are now last will become first, and those who are now first will become last. What is it that will determine a person’s ranking in society at that time?

Matthew 19 records that Jesus said that those who are first will be last, and the last will be first. He had stated this principle earlier in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) where He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

There are two groups of people involved in this rearrangement of society. Revelation 21:5–7 describes one group: “ ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’ And He said to me, ‘It is done!’ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.’ ”

Verse 8 describes the other group: “ ‘But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.’ ”

These two groups are again described in Revelation 22:14, 15, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”

Revelation 21:5–7 tells us that the one who is promised salvation and an inheritance is the one who overcomes. In the messages to the seven churches (Revelation 2 and 3), every church is given a promise, if they overcome.

Ephesus – “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7

Smyrna – “He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” Verse 11

Pergamos – “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” Verse 17

Thyatira – “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father.” Verses 26, 27

Sardis – “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the book of life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5

Philadelphia – “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” Verse 12

Laodicea – “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Verse 21

The church at Pergamos is known as the compromising church. There are many people today who worship in compromising churches, and to them the Lord is saying that if they overcome, they will be given hidden manna to eat.

What is this hidden manna? We find the story of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness in Exodus 16. They had no water to drink and no food to eat, but the Lord promised them that He would provide water and send them food from heaven. And the Lord promised each morning for six days a small, round substance, like white coriander seed, like wafers made with honey, that the people were to gather for food. Not knowing what it was, they called it manna which means “What is it?”

What was this manna and what is the difference between it and the hidden manna spoken of in Revelation 2:17? Jesus answered that question for us in John 6:47–51. “Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

Of course, the Jews got a little miffed when He said that, and they said, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” Jesus responded, “My flesh truly is food, My blood truly is drink. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” They were accusing Jesus of teaching cannibalism, but Jesus was using symbolic language. Verse 63 makes it very clear what He was talking about. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” Jesus wasn’t talking about literally eating His flesh and drinking His blood. The Bible attributes many names to Jesus and one of those names, found in John 1, is “The Word of God.”

The manna sent to the children of Israel in the wilderness was physical food meant to sustain the body during their wandering. But the hidden manna is Jesus, the true Bread that will give you eternal life if you eat it, and you do this by consuming His word. The word of God is powerful. It is powerful to recreate in a person new life, new desires, a new spirit, a new mind. To consume the Bread of God means receiving Jesus into your life and then living by His word.

When Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted, the devil tempted Him to turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:3, 4). But Jesus’ response was, “… ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” ’ ”

To be in the kingdom of heaven, to have salvation, to live forever, you must eat the word of God, receiving it into your mind and heart, and then living according to that word. If you live according to the word, then you have received the hidden manna, and your life will be changed; you will be given a new name.

These days, there’s not much in a name. Most people name their children after someone famous or an ancestor or a character in a book or movie, because it sounds nice. But from the beginning of earth’s history, a person was given a name because it expressed something about the person. The Bible records some of these names. For instance, Jesu or Jesus means a Saviour or Deliverer. Elijah, that mighty Old Testament prophet, means Jehovah is my God. Daniel, who wrote so extensively about judgment, means God is my judge.

When you receive the word of God into your life, when your life is changed, then your new name will be in harmony with the character that you have developed; and as promised to the overcomer of the church of Ephesus, you will eat again of the tree of life.

Looking at the promise to the church of Thyatira, the Lord said that the overcomer would “rule over the nations with a rod of iron.” We see this in both the Old and New Testaments. Psalm 2:7–9 says, “ ‘I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, You are My Son. Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron: You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Speaking of what would happen at the end of the world, Isaiah 11:4 says, “But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.”

In Revelation 19:13–16, John writes in symbolic language about the Second Coming of Christ, “He [Jesus] was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: king of kings and lord of lords.”

There is coming a time when everything in this world is going to be completely reversed. Today, there are people who believe in Christ—the overcomers—all over the world being persecuted, oppressed, and in great difficulty. However, when all things are overturned, they will be delivered, because their names are found written in His book, whereas those who may seem now to have all the power and money and fame, but who are not overcomers, will, when Christ comes, be destroyed.

Those imprisoned, persecuted and in all manner of trouble, but who love the Lord and obey His law, because of the promise given to the people in the church at Thyatira, will fulfill what Jesus said, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

One other thing was promised to the overcomer of the church of Thyatira: “And I will give him the morning star.” Revelation 2:28

This is one of the most wonderful promises in the Bible. Friends, who and what is the Morning Star? Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:19, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts.”

“ ‘I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.’ ” Revelation 22:16.

Jesus is the Morning Star. If you are an overcomer, you will have the Morning Star in your heart, the character of Christ will become your character.

What are we to overcome, and how do we do it? The Bible makes this very clear. First, John says in 1 John 5:4, that he that “is born of God overcomes the world.” Then he says, speaking of the world, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15–17

The lust of the flesh (desire for unlawful sexual pleasure), the lust of the eyes (desire for possessions), the pride of life, and the desire for the praise and approbation of men, all are pleasing to the worldly man. However, these are the very things that must be overcome and eliminated from the life of the born-again child of God.

To be an overcomer, one must overcome the world, for everyone who is born of God overcomes the world. But how? “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:7, 8

Paul expressed the same principle in Ephesians 4:27–29: “Nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

Both Paul and James say to resist the devil and make no room in our lives for him. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:11, 12, just how to do that. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

And Peter is just as direct, “Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

We do not have to chase after the things of the world nor yield to the temptations put before us. The Holy Spirit can and will give us the power to overcome all of them. Paul dwells upon this repeatedly in his epistles. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Romans 8:1–9, first part

Friends, we must seek the new birth experience, to fill ourselves with the Holy Spirit, so that the devil can find no place in us for him to dwell anymore. The Holy Spirit is waiting to create in us a new heart and a new spirit so that we may overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil and that we may have eternal life.

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

Question – Why do I have to change?

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Question:

The Bible says God accepts you where you are.  If that is true, then why do I have to change?

Answer:

Yes, God does accept you as and where you are. As sinners, we have no way to change ourselves for the better so that we can come to Him ready for heaven. But this does not mean that we should believe that God does not require a change of heart. He does not leave us where He found us.

“The religion of Christ never degrades the receiver; it ennobles and elevates. Upon certain conditions we are assured that we may become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. … Through faith in Christ, and obedience to the requirements of His law, we are offered a life that shall run parallel with the life of God.” The Review and Herald, May 5, 1891

“Transformation of heart means an entire change of the entire man. ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,’ Christ declared (John 3:3). This change of heart is unseen; for it is an inward work, and yet, it is seen, because it works outward from within.

“Has the leaven of truth been at work in your heart? Has it absorbed the whole heart, the whole affections by its sanctifying power? …

“Our first work is with our own hearts. The true principles of reform should be practiced. The heart must be converted and sanctified else we have no connection with Christ.” This Day With God, 48

“When Jesus speaks of the new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new heart is to have a new mind, new purposes, new motives. What is the sign of a new heart?—A changed life.” Our High Calling, 159

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:7, 9–11

Achieving Perfect Flight

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Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

We are all familiar with the statement Christ made in His Sermon on the Mount to be perfect. It is a verse that Adventists accept as an enabling command. In the nominal Christian world, there are some who try to ignore or explain it away, while many others expect that at some point in their life’s journey, perhaps at the second coming or at the resurrection, Jesus will accomplish this act for them with a wave of His miracle-working hand.

Allow me to use a metaphor as a means of clarifying the challenge we face as Bible-believing Christians.

Suppose that instead of telling us to be perfect, God told us to fly. We know that He wouldn’t tell us to do that without also providing the means for us to fulfill the command.

We might be tempted to say, “I can’t fly.” Well, of course we cannot fly by ourselves, but God says, “I have an airplane, I have a pilot, and I have fuel.”

The airplane is the Bible and the hope it so unfailingly supplies; the Pilot is Jesus and the faith we have in Him to fulfill His promises and His enablings; and the fuel is the working of the power of the Holy Spirit and our trust in the working of that power in response to our prayers of faith.

These elements are also exactly what we need to enable us to achieve perfection. Although God provides the means, it is up to us to use them correctly and faithfully. The Bible is our instruction manual telling us how to fly—how to obey and overcome, thereby achieving the perfection that we seek in our sphere and the fulfilled hope that we harbor and yearn for so dearly.

Jesus is our Pilot, our Guide, who has trodden the narrow way before us. His life is clearly laid out as our example. As Adventists, we have been blessed not only with the description of Christ’s character in the sacred canon of God’s word, but we also have The Desire of Ages, an incredibly detailed and uplifting look into His daily life and faultless character. As fuel—the energy we need—we have the Holy Spirit to empower us as we seek to know and do God’s will.

Most importantly, though, we have the privilege of prayer. Inspiration tells us that prayer is (1) “the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse.” Steps to Christ, 94, and (2) a means—“We cannot bring Christ down, but, through faith, we can lift ourselves up into unity and harmony with the perfect standard of righteousness.” The Review and Herald, October 30, 1888. What a privilege we have of beginning and ending each day’s activity in conversation with our Creator!

So, indeed, we can fly. We can achieve the obedience necessary to be awarded robes and crowns, palm leaves of victory, and golden harps!

Passages found in chapters 27 and 28 in Messages to Young People should provide us great encouragement as we seek to fly a straight course over the Jordan to the promised land.

“We have little idea of the strength that would be ours if we would connect with the source of all strength. We fall into sin again and again, and think it must always be so. We cling to our infirmities as if they were something to be proud of. Christ tells us that we must set our face as a flint if we would overcome. He has borne our sins in His own body on the tree; and through the power He has given us, we may resist the world, the flesh, and the devil. Then let us not talk of our weakness and inefficiency, but of Christ and His strength. When we talk of Satan’s strength, the enemy fastens his power more firmly upon us. When we talk of the power of the Mighty One, the enemy is driven back. As we draw near to God, He draws near to us. …

“Many of us fail to improve our privileges. We make a few feeble efforts to do right, and then go back to our old life of sin. If we ever enter the kingdom of God, we must enter with perfect characters, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Satan works with increased activity as we near the close of time. He lays his snares, unperceived by us, that he may take possession of our minds. In every way he tries to eclipse the glory of God from the soul. It rests with us to decide whether he shall control our hearts and minds, or whether we shall have a place in the new earth, a title to Abraham’s farm.” Messages to Young People, 105

“Christ has made every provision for us to be strong. He has given us His Holy Spirit, whose office is to bring to our remembrance all the promises that Christ has made, that we may have peace and a sweet sense of forgiveness. If we will but keep our eyes fixed on the Saviour, and trust in His power, we shall be filled with a sense of security; for the righteousness of Christ will become our righteousness. …

“We dishonor Him by talking of our inefficiency. Instead of looking at ourselves, let us constantly behold Jesus, daily becoming more and more like Him, more and more able to talk of Him, better prepared to avail ourselves of His kindness and helpfulness, and to receive the blessings offered us.

“As we thus live in communion with Him, we grow strong in His strength, a help and a blessing to those around us. If we would only do as the Lord desires us to, our hearts would become as sacred harps, every chord of which would sound forth praise and gratitude to the Redeemer sent by God to take away the sin of the world.” Ibid., 107

“While true faith trusts wholly in Christ for salvation, it will lead to perfect conformity to the law of God. Faith is manifested by works.” The Review and Herald, October 5, 1886

And faith is the element that brings together all of the components we need to be able to fly safely through this sin-filled world to the world beyond the Jordan.

There are several scriptures, when used together as we kneel before the throne of grace in conversation with our Maker that should give us great hope and encouragement as we recognize the love God has shown for us erring mortals by inspiring Paul to write them.

Through the inspiration and guidance these scriptures provide, we are privileged to pray that the Holy Spirit will enable us to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Jesus Christ so that we may set our minds, our affections, on things above and not on things of the earth, allowing us to be hid with Christ in God, thereby, by faith, quenching the fiery darts of the wicked one (2 Corinthians 10:5; Colossians 3:2, 3; Ephesians 6:16).

Thanks to inspiration, we know that Satan uses the avenues of the soul—our senses—in his efforts to dislodge us from the path of truth and righteousness. However, if, when Satan injects unholy thoughts into our consciousness, either by what we see, hear, or sense in any way, we can remember the promises and the enabling commands that these verses provide. Then by making the conscious effort to direct our thoughts to things above, we are able to thwart the enemy’s efforts and can abide safely under the shelter of the Almighty, taking safe refuge under His wings.

We can indeed achieve perfect flight!

[Emphasis supplied.]

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org

Acceptable in the Sight of God

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“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

1 Timothy 2:5

There are more than two billion people in the world who claim the name of Jesus as their Saviour, calling themselves Christians. Yet Jesus said that few will be found worthy to go to heaven when He comes back. That is a sad thing to think about. Out of two billion professed Christians, a small amount, only a remnant, will truly, completely follow Him.

Jesus warned Jerusalem and the people of that day that sudden destruction was coming to the city and they would need to flee when they saw the signs. To His disciples He said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37)!

Jesus knew that very few would be saved from destruction just years later when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman armies. But for all His true believers and followers, He gave this warning in Matthew 24:13-16: “… Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”

In 70 AD, the Christians who remembered the warning, fled the city when the opportunity was presented, thus escaping the devastation that occurred in Jerusalem. The temple was totally destroyed, with not one stone left on top of another and only a remnant of people were saved. “And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward” (Isaiah 37:31).

Throughout the history of the world, we have been given warnings of coming destructions, yet we have not understood. The lack of understanding is because we have not truly studied and asked the Lord to help us know His truth. Jesus is our God and Mediator as it says in 1 Timothy 2:5, and He is also our Teacher. He desires every man, woman, and child to be saved. “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3, 4).

The problem God has is convincing His people who claim Him as their Saviour, to “come to the knowledge of the truth.” Jesus has given us an ample amount of evidence of His truth, yet His professed followers do not believe it, and if we do not believe His truth, how can we be saved? Jesus does not want us to be deceived by false teachers or false prophets. He wants us to study for ourselves and find His truth in the word of God. Jesus said to His disciples in John 8:31, 32, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

We must abide or live by the word of God if we are to know and understand the truth. Those who do only a casual reading or none at all, will lose heaven. They will be deceived into believing things that are not true. Peter talks a lot about this in his epistles. He warns us of the deception that was coming even in his time. Now it has been almost 2,000 years later and false teachings are throughout Christendom. Speaking of these teachers, he writes in 2 Peter 2:18, 19: “For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.”

When we talk about false teachers, we are talking about ministers, pastors, priests, Bible workers, or anyone who states something that is not according to the word of God. And the only way we can know if it is true or not is to study the Bible for ourselves and not rely on the interpretation of others. We should do a thorough study of any subject that we hear people talking about. The truth will only set us free if we are studying the truth for ourselves.

Who will be saved? That is a question that has been asked by each person who desires to go to heaven. Jesus told us through His revelation to John that there was a certain criterion to being saved. It was not instantaneous, but rather a commitment. Jesus said, “ ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God’ ” (Revelation 2:7). “ ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death’ ” (Revelation 2:11). “ ‘He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels’ ” (Revelation 3:5).

These are but three of the seven times Jesus encouraged us to follow His example and overcome. What must we overcome? Sin! We are all condemned under the sentence of death because of our sins. In fact, Paul reminds us that every man has sinned, and the punishment for that sin is death. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

We are all born with a sinful nature. No one can overcome that sinful nature except through Jesus Christ. In order to overcome sin, we must submit to Christ in all things. We must give up the things of this world. This world and the things in it have been contaminated by Satan, and he is now the owner of the worldly attractions, the big cities, the excitements that all lead to sin.

Jesus has come to take us out of that type of living. He says, “Come to Me, all you who … are heavy laden [with sin] and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He will help us overcome every temptation that Satan puts forth to make us fall into sin, but we must ask for that help. Jesus will never force us to do anything that we do not want to do.

However, He will not allow anyone into heaven who has not overcome sin in his life. That is why He sends us the Holy Spirit to help protect and mold our character to learn to hate sin and its consequences. Jesus gave us His gift of grace so that we could be free from the condemnation of sin. Once we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we must overcome sin through His power. “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (Romans 6:22).

When we submit our will to the will of Jesus, He frees us from being slaves of sinful acts and gives us the power to resist sin. But be not deceived, if we do not overcome sin, we will be lost. Even though Jesus gave us the gift of His life, which paid for the sins of the world, if we continue in sin, then we have not truly accepted His gracious gift. It would be like saying, “I don’t want it” and throwing it back in His face.

Truth seems to be a fleeting thing these days. Everyone has their own definition of truth. Most “truth” that you see in the newspapers or on television, and especially on the Internet, is “truth with a twist,” spun to promote Satan’s agenda.

Jesus, however, can be trusted to give the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He has only one agenda and that is to save mankind from Satan’s rule. Jesus states His truth clearly and without compromise. The truth of Jesus is not of this world, and His truth has nothing to do with any worldly agenda. His truth is centered on how to live a life that will be accepted in heaven. So how do we become acceptable in God’s sight?

“Our Saviour, during all His sojourn on earth, shared the lot of the poor and lowly. Self-denial and sacrifice characterized His life. All the favors and blessings we enjoy are alone from Him. We are stewards of His grace and of His temporal gifts. The smallest talent and the humblest service may be offered to Jesus as a consecrated gift, and with the fragrance of His own merits He will present it to the Father. If the best we have is presented with a sincere heart, in love to God, from a longing desire to do service to Jesus, the gift is wholly acceptable.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 280.

We must first accept Christ as our Saviour and Mediator and turn away from our sins. We can only do this through love for Him. We love Him because He first loved us, and through that love we submit our will to Him. Next, we must learn what it means to love. Love for God is obeying all that He asks of us. Understanding His truth starts with keeping God’s commandments. Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

If we are going to keep the commandments of God, then we must love each other. The apostle John writes, “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us the commandment” (1 John 3:23). Jesus gave the same commandment in John 15:12: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Some believe this means just to love your friends, and possibly some of your church members. But Jesus made it clear we are to love everyone as He loves them. He went around doing good to people who never accepted Him as their Saviour. He fed them with fishes and bread, He told us that if a man requires our cloak, we are also to give him our shirt (Luke 6:29). He said when we feed or clothe the poor, visit those in prison, giving them the words of Life, it is the same as if we were doing it to Him (Matthew 25:34–45). Paul said to live a peaceful life and obey the government and laws of the land. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1, 2).

Obviously, if the governments of the world require us to break God’s law, then we have to make the choice to follow God rather than man. Peter and John had to make that choice when they were told not to preach in the name of Jesus. They followed Jesus and gave the gospel to the world anyway, even under torture. (Read Acts 4 and 5.) It is notable that they disobeyed to preach the word of God. God says to obey those He has set up over the nations unless to do so breaks one of His ten commandments. His commandments are clear and to the point. He does not ask us to add to them or take away from them to support our own ideas. In fact, He offers a curse on those who do. “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:32).

If we are to know His truth, we will be seeking to understand what is written in His word. We will not be deceived by idol worship because the Bible plainly says not to worship or even bow down in front of any object (Exodus 20:4, 5). We will know that dead loved ones cannot visit us, and they are not in heaven today, because the Bible clearly says that they are in the grave and have no consciousness (Ecclesiastes 9:5). As we study, we will see that God has a better plan for our lives. He does not torture non-believers in a fiery place to burn forever, but will utterly destroy all who will not follow Him (Malachi 4:1). We will know that the Bible shows that the Sabbath is a special time that God has made to spend with each of us and will keep it even when the new earth is created (Isaiah 66:22, 23).

To be acceptable to God, we have a work to do. Our work will be more precious than gold and silver. We will become transformed into a different type of person. Paul writes, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). This “living sacrifice” is a daily submission to God for holiness and service to others. Our thoughts should be contemplating Jesus all day long. We should not let the things of this world influence our thoughts, but our thoughts must dwell continually on doing the work of God.

“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice” (Proverbs 21:3). This is the definition of a full submission to Jesus. Paul sums up what it means to be accepted by God in Ephesians 5:8–10: “… (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.” I pray we are all striving to find out what is acceptable to Jesus and our Father in heaven so that we can spend eternity with Them and the unfallen worlds.

Michael C. Wells is director of Anointing Oil Ministries.

Bible Study Guides – Problems to Overcome Part 2

by

July 18 – 24, 2021

Key Text

“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).

 Study Help: Counsels on Stewardship, 133–140.

Introduction

“All money lovers … will one day cry in bitter anguish: ‘Oh, the deceitfulness of riches! I have sold my soul for money.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 3, 544, 545.

Sunday

1 DECEPTION

1.a. How does Satan often pervert the heart and the mouth of people who take business advantages? Jeremiah 6:13; Acts 5:3, 4.

 1.b. How earnestly did King David struggle against deceit? Psalms 52:2, 3; 101:7; 120:2; Proverbs 30:8.

 1.c. As faithful stewards must often be in contact with deceitful people, what prayer should they send up to the throne of grace? Psalm 43:1, last part.

1.d. How does God often permit a deceitful person to be the victim of his or her own tricks? Psalm 7:14–16.

Monday

2 DISHONESTY

2.a. How is a dishonest person described? Proverbs 6:12, 13, 14, 16–19.

2.b. How does the Lord consider those who are dishonest in their financial transactions? Deuteronomy 27:17–19; Proverbs 11:1; 20:23.

Note: “The accounts of every business, the details of every transaction, pass the scrutiny of unseen auditors, agents of Him who never compromises with injustice, never overlooks evil, never palliates wrong. …

“Against every evildoer God’s law utters condemnation. He may disregard that voice, he may seek to drown its warning, but in vain. It follows him. It makes itself heard. It destroys his peace. If unheeded, it pursues him to the grave. It bears witness against him at the judgment. A quenchless fire, it consumes at last soul and body.” Education, 144, 145.

2.c. What will happen to gain that is acquired dishonestly? Proverbs 13:11; 15:27; 21:6.

Note: “This is a question that demands consideration by every parent, every teacher, every student—by every human being, young or old. No scheme of business or plan of life can be sound or complete that embraces only the brief years of this present life and makes no provision for the unending future. Let the youth be taught to take eternity into their reckoning. Let them be taught to choose the principles and seek the possessions that are enduring—to lay up for themselves that ‘treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth;’ to make to themselves friends ‘by means of the mammon of unrighteousness,’ that when it shall fail, these may receive them ‘into the eternal tabernacles’ (Luke 12:33; 16:9 RV).” Education, 145.

Tuesday

3 INJUSTICE

3.a. What is the command regarding partiality? Leviticus 19:15.

Note: “Do not show partiality to one or more, and neglect other of your brethren because they are not congenial to you. Beware lest you deal harshly with those who you think have made mistakes, while others, more guilty and more deserving of reproof, who should be severely rebuked for their unChristlike conduct, are sustained and treated as friends.” The Review and Herald, March 12, 1895.

3.b. What does the faithful steward relate to disadvantaged persons? Psalm 82:2–4.

Note: “God requires that His people should not allow the poor and afflicted to be oppressed. If they break every yoke and release the oppressed, and are unselfish and kindly considerate of the needy, then shall the blessings promised be theirs. If there are those in the church who would cause the blind to stumble, they should be brought to justice; for God has made us guardians of the blind, the afflicted, the widows, and the fatherless. The stumbling block referred to in the word of God does not mean a block of wood placed before the feet of the blind to cause him to stumble, but it means much more than this. It means any course that may be pursued to injure the influence of their blind brother, to work against his interest, or to hinder his prosperity.

“A brother who is blind and poor and diseased, and who is making every exertion to help himself that he may not be dependent, should be encouraged by his brethren in every way possible. But those who profess to be his brethren, who have the use of all their faculties, who are not dependent, but who so far forget their duty to the blind as to perplex and distress and hedge up his way, are doing a work which will require repentance and restoration before God will accept their prayers. And the church of God who have permitted their unfortunate brother to be wronged will be guilty of sin until they do all in their power to have the wrong righted.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 519, 520.

Wednesday

4 POOR COMPANY

4.a. While the Lord is our great Counselor, from whom may we seek counsel on this earth? Proverbs 13:20.

Note: “The only safe course for the youth is to mingle with the pure, the holy, and thus natural tendencies to evil will be held in check. By choosing for their companions such as fear the Lord, they will seldom be found disbelieving God’s word, entertaining doubts and infidelity. The power of a truly consistent example is very great for good.” In Heavenly Places, 172.

4.b. What is the benefit of not counselling with ungodly persons? Proverbs 14:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:6.

Note: “Let the youth choose the influence of, and become associated with, men and women of bad principles and practices, … and they are polluted. Silent and unconscious influences weave their sentiments into their lives, become a part of their very existence, and they walk on the very brink of a precipice and sense no danger. They learn to love the words of the smooth tongued, the honeyed words of the deceiver, and are restless, uneasy, and unhappy unless they are carried to the pinnacle of someone’s flattery. … To walk in the counsel of the ungodly is the first step toward standing in the place of sinners and sitting in the seat of the scornful.” In Heavenly Places, 172.

“It is wrong for Christians to associate with those whose morals are loose. An intimate, daily intercourse which occupies time without contributing in any degree to the strength of the intellect or morals is dangerous. If the moral atmosphere surrounding persons is not pure and sanctified, but is tainted with corruption, those who breathe this atmosphere will find that it operates almost insensibly upon the intellect and heart to poison and to ruin. It is dangerous to be conversant with those whose minds naturally take a low level. Gradually and imperceptibly those who are naturally conscientious and love purity will come to the same level and partake of and sympathize with the imbecility and moral barrenness with which they are so constantly brought in contact.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 125.

Thursday

5 THE FUTILITY OF ACQUIRING RICHES

5.a. How much of our earthly riches do we retain when we die? Psalm 49:16, 17; Ecclesiastes 5:13–15; 1 Timothy 6:7.

5.b. What can we take with us to the great judgment of humanity? Matthew 16:26; Proverbs 11:4.

 Note: “The redeemed will be welcomed to the home that Jesus is preparing for them. There their companions will not be the vile of earth, liars, idolaters, the impure, and unbelieving; but they will associate with those who have overcome Satan and through divine grace have formed perfect characters. Every sinful tendency, every imperfection, that afflicts them here has been removed by the blood of Christ, and the excellence and brightness of His glory, far exceeding the brightness of the sun, is imparted to them. And the moral beauty, the perfection of His character, shines through them, in worth far exceeding this outward splendor. They are without fault before the great white throne, sharing the dignity and the privileges of the angels.

“In view of the glorious inheritance that may be his, ‘what shall a man give in exchange for his soul’ (Matthew 16:26)? He may be poor, yet he possesses in himself a wealth and dignity that the world could never bestow. The soul redeemed and cleansed from sin, with all its noble powers dedicated to the service of God, is of surpassing worth; and there is joy in heaven in the presence of God and the holy angels over one soul redeemed, a joy that is expressed in songs of holy triumph.” Steps to Christ, 126.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    What are the results of a deceptive communication?

2    How does dishonesty affect the one who deceives?

3    How do faithful stewards treat others in their financial dealings?

4    Who is the faithful steward’s financial counselor?

5    What should remind us of the temporal nature of material wealth?

Copyright 2011, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.