March 19-25, 2000
MEMORY VERSE: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.
STUDY HELP: The Ministry of Healing, 503–516.
INTRODUCTION: “I know that in many hearts the inquiry arises, ‘Where shall I find Jesus?’ There are many who want His presence, want His love and His light; but they know not where to look for Him for whom their hearts yearn. And yet Jesus does not hide Himself away; no one need search for Him in vain. ‘Behold,’ He says, ‘I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.’ Revelation 3:20. Jesus invites us to accept His presence; we are to open the door of the heart, and let Him in. But He will not share a divided heart. If it be given to the service of mammon, if selfishness and pride fill its chambers, there will be no room for the heavenly Guest; He will not take up His abode with us until the soul-temple has been emptied and cleansed. Yet there is no need of making a failure in the Christian life. Jesus is waiting to do a great work for us, and all heaven is interested in our salvation.” Our High Calling, 55.
“I Know Thy Works”
1 With what words, does the Lord open His message to each of the churches? Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15.
NOTE: “The eye of the Lord is upon all the work, all the plans, all the imaginings of every mind; He sees beneath the surface of things, discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is not a deed of darkness, not a plan, not an imagination of the heart, not a thought of the mind, but that He reads it as an open book. Every act, every word, every motive, is faithfully chronicled in the records of the great Heart-searcher, who said, ‘I know thy works.’” Life Sketches, 322.
2 What will be considered in the judgment? Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; Matthew 7:21–23.
NOTE: “Sad will be the retrospect in that day when men stand face to face with eternity. The whole life will present itself just as it has been. The world’s pleasures, riches, and honors will not then seem so important. Men will then see that the righteousness they despised is alone of value. They will see that they have fashioned their characters under the deceptive allurements of Satan.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 318.
“Neither Cold Nor Hot”
3 How does the Lord see His church in the time of the judgment? Revelation 3:15.
NOTE: This verse is part of the message to the church of the Laodiceans. The word “Laodicea” means “a people judged.”
“Love of self excludes the love of Christ. Those who live for self are ranged under the head of the Laodicean church who are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. The ardor of the first love has lapsed into a selfish egotism. The love of Christ in the heart is expressed in the actions. If love for Christ is dull, the love for those for whom Christ has died will degenerate. There may be a wonderful appearance for zeal and ceremonies, but this is the substance of their self-inflated religion. Christ represents them as nauseating to His taste.” Our High Calling, 348.
4 What will the Lord do with those Christians who remain lukewarm? Revelation 3:16.
NOTE: “Says the True Witness, ‘I would thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth.’ Satan is willing you should be a Christian in name, for you can suit his purposes better. You can have a form and not true godliness, and Satan can use you to decoy others in the same self-deceived way. Some poor souls look to you, instead of looking to the Bible standard. They come up no higher than you; they are as good as you, and are satisfied.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 262.
“Rich and Increased with Goods”
5 How do the Laodiceans see themselves? Revelation 3:17.
NOTE: “Indolence and pride…are apt to grow out of a consciousness that we have the truth and strong arguments which our opponents cannot meet; and while the truths which we handle are mighty to the pulling down of the strongholds of the powers of darkness, there is danger of neglecting personal piety, purity of heart, and entire consecration to God. There is danger of their feeling that they are rich and increased with goods, while they lack the essential qualifications of Christians. They may be wretched, poor, blind, miserable, and naked. They do not feel the necessity of living in obedience to Christ every day and every hour. Spiritual pride eats out the vitals of religion. In order to preserve humility, it would
be well to remember how we appear in the sight of a holy God, who reads every secret of the soul, and how we should appear in the sight of our fellow men if they all knew us as well as God knows
us. For this reason, to humble us, we are directed to confess our faults, and improve this opportunity to subdue our pride.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 210, 211.
6 How did Jesus describe those who have an appearance of godliness but are not godly in heart? Matthew 23:25–28.
NOTE: “What greater deception can come upon human minds than a confidence that they are right when they are all wrong! The message of the True Witness finds the people of God in a sad deception, yet honest in that deception. They know not that their condition is deplorable in the sight of God. While those addressed are flattering themselves that they are in an exalted spiritual condition, the message of the True Witness breaks their security by the startling denunciation of their true condition of spiritual blindness, poverty, and wretchedness. The testimony, so cutting and severe, cannot be a mistake, for it is the True Witness who speaks, and His testimony must be correct.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 252, 253.
“I Counsel Thee”
7 What remedy is first proposed for the spiritual pride of the Laodiceans? Revelation 3:18, first part.
NOTE: “God calls for a spiritual revival and a spiritual reformation. Unless this takes place, those who are lukewarm will continue to grow more abhorrent to the Lord, until He will refuse to acknowledge them as His children. A revival and a reformation must take place, under the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Revival and reformation are two different things. Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life, a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, a resurrection from spiritual death. Reformation signifies a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, habits and practices. Reformation will not bring forth the good fruit of righteousness unless it is connected with the revival of the Spirit. Revival and reformation are to do their appointed work, and in doing this work they must blend.” Review and Herald, February 25, 1902.
“But we must have a knowledge of ourselves, a knowledge that will result in contrition, before we can find pardon and peace. The Pharisee felt no conviction of sin. The Holy Spirit could not work with him. His soul was encased in a self-righteous armor which the arrows of God, barbed and true-aimed by angel hands, failed to penetrate. It is only he who knows himself to be a sinner that Christ can save.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 158.
8 What further remedy is offered to the Laodiceans? Revelation 3:18, middle part.
NOTE: “Only the covering which Christ Himself has provided can make us meet to appear in God’s presence. This covering, the robe of His own righteousness, Christ will put upon every repenting, believing soul.…This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising. Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 311, 312.
9 What final gift is needed to enable us to protect ourselves from self-deception? Revelation 3:18, last part
NOTE: “We need, O so greatly, keen discernment, clear spiritual eyesight. Our eyes need to be anointed with the heavenly eyesalve, that we may see all things clearly. The great and solemn truths for this time are to be proclaimed.…Our lesson for the present time is, How may we most clearly comprehend and present the gospel that Christ came in person to present to John on the Isle of Patmos—the gospel that is termed, ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass.’ ‘Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,…for the time is at hand.’ We are to proclaim to the world the great and solemn truths of Revelation. Into the very designs and principles of the church of God these truths are to enter.…We have a most important work to do,—the work of proclaiming the Third Angel’s Message. We are facing the most important issues that men have ever been called to meet. All should understand the truths contained in the three messages; for they are essential to salvation.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 175. (See also Testimonies, vol. 6, 294.)
“Blessed Are They”
10 Who are the ones who will have the right to enter the New Jerusalem and eat from the Tree of Life? Revelation 22:14.
NOTE: “Those who make bold assumptions of holiness give proof in this that they do not see themselves in the light of the law; they are not spiritually enlightened, and they do not loathe every species of selfishness and pride. From their sin-stained lips fall the contradictory utterances: ‘I am holy, I am sinless. Jesus teaches me that if I keep the law I am fallen from grace. The law is a yoke of bondage.’ The Lord says, ‘Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.’ We should study the Word of God carefully that we may come to right decisions, and act accordingly; for then we shall obey the Word and be in harmony with God’s holy law.” Faith and Works, 95.
11 What is the basis of obedience to God’s Law? Joshua 22:5; Romans 13:8–10.
NOTE: “While we are to be in harmony with God’s law, we are not saved by the works of the law, yet we cannot be saved without obedience. The law is the standard by which character is measured. But we cannot possibly keep the commandments of God without the regenerating grace of Christ. Jesus alone can cleanse us from all sin. He does not save us by law; neither will He save us in disobedience to law. Our love to Christ will be in proportion to the depth of our conviction of sin, and by the law is the knowledge of sin. But as we see ourselves, let us look away to Jesus, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity. By faith take hold of the merits of Christ, and the soul-cleansing blood will be applied. The more clearly we see the evils and perils to which we have been exposed, the more grateful shall we be for deliverance through Christ. The gospel of Christ does not give men license to break the law, for it was through transgression that the floodgates of woe were opened upon our world.” Faith and Works, 95, 96.
12 How does John link obedience to God’s Commandments and love to Him and our fellow men? 1 John 5:2, 3.
NOTE: “There are those who profess holiness, who declare that they are wholly the Lord’s, who claim a right to the promises of God, while refusing to render obedience to His commandments. These transgressors of the law claim everything that is promised to the children of God; but this is presumption on their part, for John tells us that true love for God will be revealed in obedience to all His commandments. It is not enough to believe the theory of truth, to make a profession of faith in Christ, to believe that Jesus is no impostor, and that the religion of the Bible is no cunningly devised fable. ‘He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments,’ John wrote, ‘is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.’ ‘He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him.’ 1 John 2:4, 5; 3:24.” Acts of the Apostles, 562, 563.
13 What vision did John see of those who will be saved in Christ’s eternal kingdom? Revelation 7:9–17; Revelation 21:23, 24.
NOTE: “There the redeemed shall ‘know, even as also they are known.’ The loves and sympathies which God Himself has planted in the soul shall there find truest and sweetest exercise. The pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious social life with the blessed angels and with the faithful ones of all ages who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, the sacred ties that bind together ‘the whole family in heaven and earth’—these help to constitute the happiness of the redeemed. The nations of the saved will know no other law than the law of heaven. All will be a happy, united family, clothed with the garments of praise and thanksgiving. Over the scene the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy, while God and Christ will unite in proclaiming, ‘There shall be no more sin, neither shall there be any more death.’” The Adventist Home, 544.