Having No Root

We can look around the world today, and we can see that Jesus is soon to come. The signs are fulfilling rapidly. Almost all of the signs that Jesus told His disciples, in Matthew 24, have already been fulfilled. We can see that Jesus is coming very, very soon, and that should fill us with hope. While we are in this world we have trials and troubles. We have to meet temptations. But it is all for our own good. We would not enjoy Heaven as much if God just took us there without trying us.

One reason we have trials is that God is going to make sure that Heaven is not going to be desecrated again. Before God can take us to Heaven, it must be demonstrated that we would not start this rebellion all over again.

What we must concentrate on now is being faithful, so that we can be there. When we are going through trials we need to think about the beauties and the glories of Heaven. If we could get just one glimpse of the New Jerusalem, we would not want anything on this earth again. Revelation tells us that the New Jerusalem has streets made of gold, walls of jasper, and twelve gates, each made of a single pearl. The beauty is unsurpassed!

Heaven is beyond our brightest conceptions. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. We can try to picture the best thing possible to our imagination, and it is going to be much better than that.

We are told that we do not have one single tree on this earth which would compare to the trees in the garden of Eden. (See The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 1, 66.) We have some beautiful trees on this earth. Think of the lofty redwoods and the giant sequoias. These do not even compare to what was in the garden of Eden.

How many people do you think could sit under the canopy of the biggest tree in the world? In one of the descriptions of Heaven, Mrs. White tells us that all the righteous will sit down underneath the tree of life. (See Early Writings,16.) I cannot even begin to imagine a tree of that size.

We could continue to list all the amazing and beautiful things that are going to be in Heaven, but the best thing about Heaven is that we are going to get to meet our Savior there. Our Savior who left Heaven, and came here to redeem us. He did all that so that we might not receive our deserved reward—death, but instead go to Heaven to live eternally with Him.

It is sad, but the vast majority of the world is not going to accept His gift. Many will choose to follow their own sinful ways. But He loves us so much that died for just you, or for just me.

Revelation 13:3 tells about a time when it will look like very few are going to be saved. It says: “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed and all the world marveled and followed the beast.” All the world, except for the few that have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, are going to be united in worshipping and following the beast.

Why will so much of the world be deceived? Consider what Jesus said in Matthew 24:24: “For false christs and false prophets will arise, and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Almost the whole world is going to be taken captive by the delusion that you do not need to obey God’s law. If possible, even the very elect would be deceived. That should make us pray harder and study God’s Word more earnestly.

The devil is going to have many temptations that appear good. “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth, in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.” Revelation 13:13, 14.

Today people are all looking at signs and outward appearances. They are dazzled by miracles, or what they consider supernatural signs. The devil is well aware of this and he is going to show signs, and many miracles, so that, if possible, the very elect will be deceived.

How can we keep from being deceived? We must be rooted and grounded in the Word of God, and know what we believe and why we believe it.

Matthew 13:5, 6 tells us about a group of people who did not know why they believed what they did. “Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had not depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away.” This group of people readily accepted the truth. They appeared at first to be flourishing plants, but their roots were not deep.

What happens to them? “Yet, he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately, he stumbles.” Matthew 13:21. When the sun arose, when the persecution and tribulation came, they withered away.

Persecution and tribulation are represented here as the sun. Can a plant grow without the sun? It cannot. Neither can a Christian grow and be strong without trials. We need trials and persecution to prepare us for Heaven, so that we will be ready for it, and be able to enjoy it.

The law of Heaven is self-sacrifice. Jesus came and gave all for us. What if you had not given anything for Him? Far from being a curse, our trials and our persecutions are actually the greatest blessings of our lives, and God in His mercy today, is preparing us to stand when it really gets hard. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” If we are seeking God first in everything we do, He will take care of us when the difficult times come.

You do not need to be frightened by the things ahead of us. God has promised to give us the grace to go through whatever we need to go through. Dwight Moody said, “I don’t have the faith of a martyr. I haven’t needed it yet.” God gives us grace and faith proportionate to what we need. If God calls us to give up our lives as a witness for Him, He will give us all the grace we would need to be faithful to Him.

God’s power is not shortened. His hand is not held back. He will do His part if we are willing to do ours. Now is the time for us to send down roots, so that we are not like the stony ground hearers. Then when the trial comes, we will not wither away.

 

The Majority

 

“And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.” Matthew 10:19. During the time of trouble, you are going to be asked to prove what you believe. You will have to stand alone. How will you answer when they say, “All the world believes this. You cannot be right, because everybody believes this.”

Just because the majority believes it, is it the truth? In the 1600s, scientists believed a very interesting thing. They believed that if you put a piece of meat out in the open air, flies would just spring up from the meat. They called it spontaneous generation. Everyone believed that theory. They also thought that if you took an old sweaty shirt and threw it on some hay in a bucket, mice would automatically appear. Everybody believed that, but did that make it right? No. A man called Redi came along, and said, “No, this is not true.” He put the meat in a jar, and put a screen over it, and no flies were found on the meat. He did the same experiment with the sweaty shirt and the mice. His experiments completely disproved that theory. He also proved that the truth is still the truth no matter who does or does not believe it.

Galileo said that the earth goes around the sun. But the rest of the world believed that the sun goes around the earth. For hundreds of years it had been taught that the earth was the center of the universe. But did that make it right? No. It did not matter how many people believed it. It still was not true. If only one person believed it, in fact, if no one believed it, the truth would still be the truth.

Neither was the majority right in Christ’s day. At the beginning of His ministry many people flocked after Him to hear His teachings and benefit from His miracles. But how many actually stayed with Him till the end? Not many. Most of the people had such a distorted idea of what Christ’s kingdom was going to be that they were offended by His words. You can read about it in John 6:66 “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”

 

The Majority Are Shaken Out

 

In the 1840s there was a big movement called the great awakening. Hundreds of thousands of people accepted it, but when the great disappointment came, almost all lost faith. There were only a few hundred who held to God’s Word, and studied to find the truth. There was a shaking then, but God’s Word says that there is going to be an even stronger shaking in the last days. “See that you don’t refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” Hebrews 12:25–28. Everyone is going to be shaken. Only those that are rooted and grounded, and know what they believe from God’s Word will remain.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Hebrews 12:28. Paul tells us that the kingdom that God is going to establish will be unshakable. Why? Because anyone who is a part of that kingdom will have already gone through the shaking, and were immovable, because they were clinging to Christ.

Christ is the rock. When I think about this, I like to think of a barnacle. A barnacle is not very big, but it clings to the rock. When the storms come, and the waves beat against it, it clings securely to the rock. We must be like that. Only those that are clinging to the Rock, that are becoming a part of Him, that are engrafted into the olive tree, are going to stand through the shaking.

Isaiah 17 tells us something more about the shaking. ” ‘In that day it shall come to pass that the glory of Jacob will wane, and the fatness of his flesh grow lean. It shall be as when the harvester gathers the grain, and reaps the heads with his arm; it shall be as he who gathers heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. Yet gleaning grapes will be left in it, like the shaking of an olive tree, two or three olives at the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in its most fruitful branches,’ says the Lord God of Israel.” Isaiah 17:4, 6.

Isaiah compares the shaking to the harvest of the olive tree, when they shake the tree and almost all the olives fall on the ground. All the olives that fall on the ground he compares to the lost, but he says, a few will remain. Only a few faithful will remain.

Another example in nature is the evergreen tree. We have two kinds of trees. When cold winter weather comes, the deciduous trees loose all their leaves and are completely bare. The evergreen tree, in contrast, is green all through winter. That is how we need to be as Christians. When the cold winds blow, and the howling blizzards whirl around us, will we drop our leaves? Will we give up our faith? Or, instead, will we be like a palm tree in the desert? The sun beats upon it, and rain rarely comes, but if you dig down, the palm tree has connected to the water deep beneath the surface. It has roots that go down deep, where it reaches fresh water. We need to continually be sending our roots down deeper to that Living Water, our source of life, Christ Jesus.

 

Do You Know Why You Believe Me?

 

When Sabbath-keepers are brought before courts, to be tried for their faith, it is going to be all over the world. It is not going to be just an isolated instance. Just think, if all the cameras were on you, and they asked you, “Why are you going against the majority? Why do you refuse to be obedient to the laws of the land?” and you say, “I am not going to break the Sabbath and receive the mark of the beast—because my parents told me not to.” What kind of an impression do you think that would make? Or, “I am not going to obey you because, my minister told me I shouldn’t.”

Peter said: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15.

Do you want to be among the faithful when Jesus comes? If you do, you will be like the description that David gave in Psalms 92:12-15: “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

“When the love of Jesus is abiding in the soul, many who are now but withered branches will become as the cedars of Lebanon, ‘whose root is by the great waters.’ The cedar is noted for the firmness of its roots. Not content to cling to the earth with a few weak fibers, it thrusts its rootlets, like a sturdy wedge, into the cloven rock, and reaches down deeper and deeper for strong holds to grasp. When the tempest grapples with its boughs, that firm-set tree cannot be uprooted. What a goodly cedar might not every follower of Christ become if he were but rooted and grounded in the truth, firmly united to the Eternal Rock.” Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1151.

This should be our goal, and what we strive for each day. I want to be like one of those olives, that when the shaking comes, will cling to the branch. I want to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God. Now is the time for each of us to study God’s Word more fervently. We are not going to be rooted and grounded by spending 10 or 15 minutes here and there in God’s Word. It won’t work. We have to be studying it with a more intense earnestness than ever before. May the Lord help you to be rooted and grounded in Him—unshakable, no matter what comes.

 

Examples of Human Steadfastness

The steadfast stance that most biblical characters of old displayed to the world in the face of trials, discomfort, persecution, infidelity, and death, is foolproof to those of us who are following in their steps today, battling with deprivation, injustice, threats, trials, and sore distress.

The Spirit that instills this precious and special grace in historic Christians, provides lessons and experiences of wonderful strength and comfort as we go through hard times, preparing to meet storms of opposition and fierce and intense persecution.

Words of hope and of steadfastness beautifully emblazoned in the Bible and in all the writings of Ellen White, present in a marked manner four major points, I believe: (1) that human steadfastness bears witness to the faithfulness of God’s golden promises, (2) that it ever clearly and practically shows forth God’s abiding presence and sustaining grace, (3) that it testifies to the power of faith to withstand the powers of the world, (4) that it bears witness to the power of One mightier than Satan.

I cannot think of anything that furnishes us with such an inspired thought like this one in Refecting Christ, 357: “God does not prevent the plottings of wicked men, but He causes their devices to work for good to those who in trial and conflict maintain their faith and loyalty. Often the gospel labourer carries on his work amid storms of persecution, bitter opposition, and unjust reproach. At such times let him remember that the experience to be gained in the furnace of trial and affliction is worth all the pain it costs. Thus God brings His children near to Him, that he may show them their weakness and His strength. He teaches them to lean on Him. Thus He prepares them to meet emergencies, to fill positions of trust, and accomplish the great purpose for which their powers were given them.

“In all ages God’s appointed witnesses have exposed themselves to reproach and persecution for the truth’s sake. Joseph was maligned and persecuted because he preserved his virtue and integrity. David, the chosen messenger of God, was hunted like a beast of prey by his enemies. Daniel was cast into a den of lions because he was true to his allegiance to heaven. Job was deprived of his worldly possessions, and so afflicted in body that he was abhorred by his relatives and friends; yet he maintained his integrity.

“Jeremiah could not be deterred from speaking the words that God had given him to speak; and his testimony so enraged the King and Princes that he was cast into a loathsome pit. Stephen was stoned because he preached Christ and Him crucified. Paul was imprisoned, beaten with rods, stoned, and finally put to death because he was a faithful messenger for God to the Gentiles. And John was banished to the isle of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Refecting Christ, 357.

The words of inspiration pay a glowing tribute to the adherents of truth in the early centuries when all the powers of earth and hell arrayed themselves against the followers of Christ. The following words from the powerful book The Great Controversy say it all: “These persecutions, beginning under Nero about the time of the martyrdom of Paul, continued with greater or less fury for centuries. Christians were falsely accused of the most dreadful crimes and declared to be the cause of great calamities-famine, pestilence, and earthquake. As they became the objects of popular hatred and suspicion, informers stood ready, for the sake of gain, to betray the innocent. They were condemned as rebels against the empire, as foes of religion, and pests of society. Great numbers were thrown to wild beasts or burned alive in the amphitheaters. Some were crucified; others were covered with the skins of wild animals and thrust into the arena to be torn by dogs. Their punishment was often made the chief entertainment at public fetes (sic). Vast multitudes assembled to enjoy the sight and greeted their dying agonies with laughter and applause.

“Wherever they sought refuge, the followers of Christ were hunted like beasts of prey. They were forced to seek concealment in desolate and solitary places. ‘Destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.’ Hebrews 11:37, 38. The catacombs afforded shelter for thousands. Beneath the hills outside the city of Rome, long galleries had been tunneled through earth and rock; the dark and intricate network of passages extended miles beyond the city walls. In these underground retreats the followers of Christ buried their dead, and here also, when suspected and proscribed, they found a home. When the life-giver shall awaken those who have fought the good fight, many a martyr for Christ’s sake will come forth from those gloomy caverns.

“Under the fiercest persecution these witnesses for Jesus kept their faith unsullied. Though deprived of every comfort, shut away from the light of the sun, making their home in the dark but friendly bosom of the earth, they uttered no complaint. With words of faith, patience, and hope they encouraged one another to endure privation and distress. The loss of every earthly blessing could not force them to renounce their belief in Christ. Trials and persecution were but steps bringing them nearer their rest and their reward.

“Like God’s servants of old, many were ‘tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.’ Hebrews 11:35. They rejoiced that they were accounted worthy to suffer for the truth, and songs of triumph ascended from the midst of crackling flames. Looking upward by faith, they saw Christ and angels leaning over the battlements of heaven, gazing upon them with the deepest interest and regarding their steadfastness with approval. A voice came down to them from the throne of God: ‘Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life. Rev. 2:10.’” Great Controversy, 40, 41.

The Ground of Steadfastness

Jesus said in Matthew 24:9, that “they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.” Smart as we may be, with our eyes wide open if we do not have that grace which establishes our souls and elevates and ennobles our character, we will lose ground when we are sorely tested. It is priceless advice that the heart be established with grace. Satan knows when to flatter and soothe our conscience, and when to launch his fierce attacks. The only thing that provides impregnability is when the heart is seasoned with the grace of God.

The devil may assail you with untold hardships; he may set loose the elements of affliction, with their powerful canons, but if you have faith, fortitude, and complete reliance on Christ, you will be unscathed. “That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love may have power.” Ephesians 3:16, 17.

We recall the earthquakes that spoiled the city of Philadelphia mentioned in the book of Revelation. The city was in the Roman province of Asia, in the west of modern Asiatic Turkey. It was founded by Eumenes, king of Pergamum, in the second century B.C., and named after his brother Philadelphus. It was situated near the upper end of a broad valley leading down through Sardis to the sea near Smyrna. It lay at the threshold of a very fertile tract of plateau country, from which much of its prosperity was derived. The area was subject to frequent earthquakes. A very severe one, in A.D., 17, totally destroyed the city, and as the shocks continued intermittently the people took to tarrying outside the city in tents.

The letter to the “angel of the church in Philadelphia” (Revelation 3:7–13) probably alludes to some of the circumstances of the city. As Philadelphus was renowned for his loyalty to his brother, so the Church, the true Philadelphia, inherits and fulfills his character by its steadfast loyalty to Christ (verses 8, 10). As the city stands by the “open door” of a region from which its wealth is derived, so the church is given an “open door” of opportunity to reflect the great attributes of Christ. In contrast to the instability of life in a city prone to earthquakes, those who “overcome” are promised the ultimate stability of being built into the temple of God; and whereas the city had taken new names from the emperors, those who “overcome” will be given new names which will denote their permanent membership of the city of the true God (verse 12).

Unwavering Stones

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 3:5 (RSV). The import of these exhorting words to the church at Thessalonica to be steadfast, is equally directed to us today, for that power of evil which was present even in the days of Paul has continued its baleful work of suppression and persecution. It will crescendo as we near the close of time.

We are not to hope for immediate deliverance as we go through hard times. We are to do our work bravely and in the fear of God, not resigning ourselves to idle waiting. We should never let our anticipation of better times fade, in spite of the fact that the daily round of life and the opposition that we must meet appear doubly forbidding. These passages that follow provide us with incentives not to waver. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18. “For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17,18.

“In the family and in his intercourse with men, as a husband and father, a friend, a citizen, he was the steadfast, unwavering servant of God.

“In the midst of a life of active labour, Enoch steadfastly maintained his communion with God. The greater and more pressing his labours, the more constant and earnest were his prayers. He continued to exclude himself at certain periods from all society. After remaining for a time among the people, labouring to benefit them by instruction and example, he would withdraw, to spend a season in solitude, hungering and thirsting for that divine knowledge which God alone can impart.

“His faith waxed stronger, his love became more ardent with the lapse of centuries.” Gospel Workers, 52.

A Witness to the World

The servants of the Lord have no honor or recognition in the world. Christ does not proffer to His followers the hope of gaining earthly glory and riches; of living a life free from trial. His followers are to lead a life of self-denial and of reproach. Christ had to vigorously contend with opposing elements of all sorts. His every word and act brought forth divine compassion; and His opposition to the world incurred intense wrath.

“So it will be with all who will live godly in Christ Jesus.” Acts of the Apostles, 476. As we go through life with the prospect of being unfairly treated by an unpitying confederacy of evil men, our attitude should testify to the power of faith to withstand the powers of the world. We read with admiration the exploits of those “of whom the world was not worthy.” Hebrews 11:38. The Scriptures tell us that those Christians “through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness . . . Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life.” Hebrews 11:33–35.

“The early Christians were indeed a peculiar people. Their blameless deportment and unswerving faith were a continual reproof that disturbed the sinner’s peace. Though few in numbers, without wealth, position, or honorary titles, they were a terror to evildoers wherever their character and doctrines were known.” Great Controversy, 46.

We are to exhibit such spirit as a witness to the world of the faithfulness of God’s promises, of His presence and grace.

“It is the work of faith to rest in God in the darkest hour, to feel, however sorely tried and tempest-tossed, that our Father is at the helm. The eye of faith alone can look beyond the things of time to estimate aright the worth of the eternal riches.” Acts of the Apostles, 575.

Despise to become an Arnold or a Judas

At times a catalogue of atrocities committed against those of sound faith, fails to push us on, despite all odds, to preserve and maintain primitive godliness. Christ views such a situation as treacherous. With many, this comes about when they turn from the truth, and sneer at their former convictions. Paul says in Hebrews 3:14 that such Christians do not share in Christ. “For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.” (RSV).

“Having once started in this way, they usually continue in it until the worldly element prevails and they sneer at their former convictions. They despise the simplicity manifested when their hearts were tender, and they find excuse to elude the sacred claims of the Church and of the crucified Redeemer . . .

“By ambition or indolence, skepticism or self-indulgence, Satan allures the young from the narrow path of holiness cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in. They do not generally leave this path all at once. They are won away by degrees. Having taken one wrong step, they lose the witness of the Spirit to their acceptance with God. Thus they fall into a state of discouragement and distrust.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 41,42.

The time we are living in and what is ahead of us is fraught with unfavorable conditions and adverse circumstances. It is therefore very important that we learn how to have brazen feet. “For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yes, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear.” Job 11:15.

“Those who study the Bible, counsel with God, and rely upon Christ will be enabled to act wisely at all times and under all circumstances. Good principles will be illustrated in actual life. Only let the truth for this time be cordially received and become the basis of character, which the allurements of pleasure, the fickleness of custom, the contempt of the world-loving, and the heart’s own clamors for self-indulgence are powerless to influence. Conscience must be first enlightened, the will must be brought in subjection . . .

“We have marked illustrations of the sustaining power of firm, religious principle. Even the fear of death could not make the fainting David drink the water of Bethlehem . . . The gaping lions could not keep Daniel from his daily prayers . . . Mark the character of Joseph. Virtue was severely tested, but its triumph was complete . . . The Lord was with him, and His word was law.

“Such firmness and untarnished principle shines brightest in contrast with the feebleness and inefficiency of the youth of this age . . . Just at the time when firmness and principle are most required, you will find him giving way; and if he does not become an Arnold or a Judas, it is because he lacks a fitting opportunity.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 43,44.

Mark Kojo Nuamahis a Minister and an Administrator at the Historic Seventh-day Adventist Church Headquarters in Ghana.