By Beholding We Become Changed

“How can a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” Psalm 119:9–16 NKJV

It is very important to study God’s word to memorize and to saturate our minds with the eternal truths God has given us in His word. In Gospel Workers, 250, we are told the following:

“The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. By His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God as He had spoken it to all the Old Testament writers. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.”

This is a packed paragraph. What is it that gives life to the world? It is the life of God. Does not the entire Bible bear out this concept, that God is the Creator, the life-giver? Beginning with Genesis 1:1 through to Revelation, God is revealed as the Creator, the Life-giver. Sin has caused a rift in our connection, our communion with God and it is actually only because of His mercy that we live. God, in His mercy, His grace, His long-suffering, and His love, has ordained (shall we say, created?) a means by which we may regain that connection with Him. “The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word.”

God has ordained that through the study of His word He restores His life to each one of us and through us to others. There is no mystery, no mystical way to a connection with God. It is achieved only through a practical, earnest, consistent, deep, long-term study of His word.

Do you want life? We all say we want life. But let’s think about the reality of our desire. If there is a banquet of food on my dining room table and I say I want to eat because I am hungry, what is the real truth if I find myself doing innumerable other things and simply not going over to the table and eating the food? Do I really want the food? Am I really hungry? No. So, in the same way is the statement about wanting life. Think about this. Where do we find life? “The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word.”

Are you as intent upon “life,” eternal life, as you are upon your daily temporal bread? This is a question to answer before your God and in the honesty of your inmost soul. God already knows the answer, but it is important for you to know for yourself the answer to that question.

Since sin is the basic problem in this world, the issue that separates us from God and causes death, what is necessary and what is the means God has provided in order to recover us from this situation?

What does His word (which contains the life of God) say about this? “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:9–11. We must study this Word; we must hide this Word in our hearts.

Jesus, the example for our lives, lived out the principle of sin having no more dominion over us. The Desire of Ages, 123, tells us how He was able to do this: “And how this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. ‘It is written,’ He said. And unto us are given ‘exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust’ (II Peter 1:4). Every promise in God’s word is ours. ‘By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4) are we to live. When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the word. All its strength is yours. ‘Thy word,’ says the psalmist, ‘have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.’ ‘By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer’ (Psalms 119:11; 17:4).” [Emphasis supplied.]

Jesus, Divinity in human flesh, lived by and through the word of God. It was His means of resisting temptation, His power for victory. Who are we to believe that we have less need of this word, this feast of salvation, other than our Saviour? Today, if in reality, the “tree of life” from the Garden of Eden was within your physical grasp, would you not drop anything you were doing to eat of the fruit of that tree? I say to you that this tree is within your physical grasp. Today we call it the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy. In Western countries, Bibles and even most books of the Spirit of Prophecy are available to the majority of people. “The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word.” The “tree of life” gave life; God’s word gives life. But do we grasp as readily after “His word” as we would were the tree of life from the Garden of Eden within our grasp? Sobering thought.

My Life Today, 28 gives us this insight: “It is of the greatest importance that you continually search the Scriptures, storing the mind with the truths of God. … You need the treasures of God’s word hidden in your heart.” When are we to search the Scriptures? God says continually.

“The heart that is stored with the precious truths of God’s word is fortified against the temptation of Satan, against impure thoughts and unholy actions.

“Keep close to the Scriptures. The more you search and explain the Word, the more your mind and heart will be fortified with the blessed words of encouragement and promise.

“Let us commit its precious promises to memory.” My Life Today, 28.

“The great and essential knowledge is the knowledge of God and His word. … There should be a daily increasing of spiritual understanding; and the Christian will grow in grace, just in proportion as he depends upon and appreciates the teaching of the word of God, and habituates himself to meditate upon divine things.

“In giving us the privilege of studying His word, the Lord has set before us a rich banquet. Many are the benefits derived from feasting on His word, which is represented by Him as His flesh and blood, His spirit and life.” God’s Amazing Grace, 303. [Emphasis supplied.]

“The word of God is the standard of character. In giving us this word, God has put us in possession of every truth essential to salvation.” Gospel Workers, 250.

What is the central theme of the Bible? The book Education, 125, says, “The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan.” This redemption plan is not left undefined. The definition follows immediately. The redemption plan is “the restoration in the human soul of the image of God.” In other words, it is the getting rid of sin from our lives so that we can be reunited with God! Then it goes on to say, “He who grasps this thought has before him an infinite field for study. He has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure house of God’s word.” Ibid., 126.

The central theme of God’s word, and remember that God’s word is “the life of God, which gives life to the world,” is the plan of salvation. And if we understand this thought we have the key which unlocks the “whole treasure house of God’s word.”

“The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. By His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God as He had spoken it to all the Old Testament writers.” What tremendous food for thought is contained in those sentences. But I want to focus on what follows in the next sentence. It says, “The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.” Gospel Workers, 250.

Our only source of power is the whole Bible, the central theme of which is the plan of salvation. It is important to rightly know and understand what is in this book. In fact, as we read earlier, it is “the great and essential knowledge.” If something is essential, it is not possible to do without that something.

Let’s read some instruction about the study and meditation of God’s word directly from Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:6–9 NIV: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” This pretty much encompasses all of life and makes perfect sense when we understand that it is sin that causes separation from God and ultimately eternal death and that it is by His word that God “gives life to the world.” Should not the study of His word be at the center of our lives? That is the instruction that God has given to His people, and that instruction been never changed.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1, 2 NKJV. Again, God’s word is the meditation day and night. Why? The psalmist gives us the answer.

He says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7–11 NKJV. Do you want to be converted, wise, rejoicing, enlightened, clean? Do you desire God’s word, His means of restoring life, more than you desire gold? Is that borne out by your actions? Is His word truly sweeter to you than honey?

We have learned that it is God’s word that gives life. If we are going to partake of this life, we need to study His word, which itself tells us that it is to be our “meditation day and night”; we are to talk of it “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” So God’s word is to be our life. I am not saying that we should not have jobs, take care of gardens, and take care of the daily necessities of life. But whatever we are doing “our thoughts and desires can always be upward.” Our High Calling, 161.

What will this do for us practically in our Christian walk? Christ’s Object Lessons, 355, answers this question. It says, “Looking unto Jesus we obtain brighter and more distinct views of God, and by beholding we become changed.” Do you want to become like Jesus? Do you want to be changed? That is what we have to do if we want eternal life with Him. So that means that we must behold Him. How do we behold Jesus? The Scriptures tell us in John 5:39 KJV, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” It is through this earnest, diligent study that we gain a knowledge of God and become changed into His likeness.

Are there guidelines as to how we are to study God’s word? We have already mentioned the need to store God’s word in our hearts, and we might first think of memorization, and that is good and necessary. But before we look at memorization, there is another aspect of studying the word of God that I would like to address.

Steps to Christ, 90, has some wonderful instruction on how to study the Word so that we receive the necessary benefit. “There is but little benefit derived from a hasty reading of the Scriptures. One may read the whole Bible through and yet fail to see its beauty or comprehend its deep and hidden meaning. One passage studied until its significance is clear to the mind and its relation to the plan of salvation is evident, is of more value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite purpose in view and no positive instruction gained.”

We read earlier in the book Education, 125, “The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God.” We can read the whole Bible through without thought or care in a hasty manner and gain no benefit. God longs for your salvation, so He instructs us to study one passage of the Bible until we understand how it relates to this plan.

“Keep your Bible with you. As you have opportunity, read it; fix the texts in your memory. Even while you are walking the streets you may read a passage and meditate upon it, thus fixing it in the mind.” Steps to Christ, 90. In this way, through the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit (remember that we are always to pray before studying the Word), we come to understand how each passage relates to the plan of salvation, or the new covenant, and we fix it in the mind, or in other words, memorize.

Here are some practical suggestions how to memorize.

Practical Memorization Techniques

“The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. By His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God as He had spoken it to all the Old Testament writers. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.” Gospel Workers, 250.

My Life Today, 28: “It is of the greatest importance that you continually search the Scriptures, storing the mind with the truths of God. … You need the treasures of God’s word hidden in your heart.”

“The great and essential knowledge is the knowledge of God and His word. … There should be a daily increasing of spiritual understanding; and the Christian will grow in grace, just in proportion as he … habituates himself to meditate upon divine things.” God’s Amazing Grace, 303. [Emphasis supplied.]

These references are a small sampling of those we could cite as evidence that searching and studying God’s words and committing them to memory with a soul hunger for God and His truth is of the utmost importance to our lives, not only our temporal lives, but even more importantly, our eternal lives.

I suspect that to some of us, the very word memorize creates an immediate mental block. But I don’t believe it needs to. From the study that we have just done, it is very clear that we need to store God’s word in our hearts, and that God commands us to do so. So a logical question would then be, would God require something of me that is not possible? No, God is a God of tender mercy, love and patience. He would not command us to do something that is impossible. Therefore, if God will not ask us to do something it is impossible for us to do, then the only other option is that it is something we can do. So we can feel positive toward this memory work. There are many studies that prove the fact that if we have a positive attitude towards something, we are more successful in doing it. So I am going to ask that you discard your doubts, your dread, your reservations and fears, and even your ideas of can’t and replace them with “God asks me to do this, so I know that through His strength I can do this.”

Just do it. If you don’t feel like doing it, do it anyway, because you love your Saviour and Lord and because you want to become like Him. If you don’t have the desire, ask the Lord for the desire. After all, God says that if we ask anything of Him that is His will, He will do it. We have already studied out the fact that memorizing Scripture is His will for us. Therefore, if you don’t have the desire to memorize Scripture, here is some encouragement.

  1. Do it anyway because God asks you to.
  2. Do it because you love your Lord and Saviour.
  3. Ask Him for the desire to do it. Remember, He may not answer right away. He may want to see how serious you are about doing what He asks because He asks. Don’t give up! Trust Him.
  4. Keep in mind that your eternal life depends on obedience.

Before you begin pray for God to help you understand with spiritual understanding what you want to memorize, that He will be your teacher and for the Lord to help your memory. Again, realize that He may not answer right away to test your commitment.

Do what you can to help your own memory. Here are some suggestions.

  1. Analyze what the passage or text is saying so that it makes sense and so that you understand it and it is logical to you.
  2. Is there a sequence of events? If so, outline the passage at least in your mind.
  3. Does one line expand on or explain the previous one?
  4. Memorize one line or section at a time and add to it as you master each section or line.
  5. Repeat the passage out loud. There is value in speaking the words out loud as well as in contemplation of the thought of what they are saying.
  6. Write out what you want to memorize. You can take it with you to pull out anytime you have an opportunity to practice.
  7. Review frequently. Studies show that three 5-minute sessions of memory work throughout the day are more effective than one 15-minute session.
  8. Take the time to write and rewrite the chosen passage, thinking about it and what it says while you write.
  9. Work on memorizing with a friend by repeating the passage or quote to each other.

These are just a few memorizing techniques that you might try to commit God’s word to memory, to hide it in your heart. I am sure you will come up with some on your own as you work toward this goal. As you do this in obedience to God’s command, God will bless you. That is a promise.

Remember, the main goal, the key objective in studying and storing the word of God is to learn of Christ, our only means of salvation. “The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. … The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.”

But there are other wonderful benefits as well. Do you want to be wise? Would you like a strong intellect? Do you want a breadth of mind, and a nobility of character? Where can you get these characteristics? Here is the answer: “There is nothing more calculated to strengthen the intellect than the study of the Scriptures. No other book is so potent to elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If God’s word were studied as it should be, men would have a breadth of mind, a nobility of character, and a stability of purpose rarely seen in these times.” Steps to Christ, 90. This is just a hint of the wonderful effects that the study of God’s word has on the life and mind.

Today, make a commitment for your life’s sake and for the sake of the Saviour Who left all of heaven for you. Make a deliberate decision to choose life. How do you do that? By partaking of the feast that God has set before you in His word, by which He brings life to the world. Choose to study His word. Choose to hide His word in your heart, for in His word “God has put us in possession of every truth essential to salvation.” Gospel Workers, 250.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

Whose Servants Are Ye?

Friends, I believe that right now is preparation time in which we need to put into practice everything that we have been preaching for years. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16. The Bible tells us in this verse that there are only two ways that you can yield yourself, “whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.” You see, the one way of yielding is to yield to sin that leads to death, and the other way is the way of righteousness that leads to eternal life. (See Romans 5:21.) You cannot serve two masters. Whose servants are ye?

“We believe without a doubt that Christ is soon coming. This is not a fable to us. It is a reality. We have no doubt, neither have we had a doubt for years, that the doctrines we hold today are present truth, and that we are preparing for the Judgment. We are preparing to meet Him who is to appear in the clouds of heaven with the holy retinue of angels, to escort Him on His way, to give the faithful and the just the finishing touch of immortality. When He comes He is not to cleanse us of our sins. He is not then to remove from us the defects in our characters. He will not then cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. He will not do this work then. Before that time this world will all be accomplished, if wrought for us at all. Then those who are holy will be holy still. They are not to be made holy when the Lord comes. Those who have preserved their bodies, and their spirits, in holiness, and in sanctification, and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. And when He comes, those who are unjust, and unsanctified, and filthy, will remain so forever. There is then no work to be done for them which shall remove their defects, and give them holy characters. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue his refining process, and remove their sins, and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation. It is now that this work is to be accomplished for us.” Signs of the Times, September 18, 1879

The message contained throughout Romans is a message about the gospel and righteousness by faith. It is a message that tells us that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God; and there is no one who is righteous, no not one. But when we look in Romans 6:12, the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is? “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” We do not have to yield to the lusts of this sinful nature. The good news is that you do not have to serve sins and the lusts thereof.

When I was in the world, before I knew the power of the gospel, I was controlled by my lusts. Lust is a product of the sinful, carnal heart. It is part of the fallen nature. If you look at my Bible, you will find that the book of Romans is the most marked up book in it. I have said occasionally that I love this book because it was Paul’s message to the Italians.

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 18:44. It says right here in the very beginning of this verse that lusts are from the devil. He feeds our carnal hearts with lies. Who will you yield yourselves servants to obey? Your lusts, or your Lord? Whose servants are ye?

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Galatians 5:17. Do you notice the word contrary in this verse? It does not say they are similar, they blend; it says they are contrary one to the other. They are opposites. This verse is also telling us that of our own strength, we cannot do the things that we would.

“’If we indulge anger, lust, covetousness, hatred, selfishness, or any other sin, we become servants of sin. ‘No man can serve two masters’ (Matthew 6:24). If we serve sin, we cannot serve Christ. The Christian will feel the promptings of sins, for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit; but the spirit striveth against the flesh, keeping up a constant warfare. Here is where Christ’s help is needed. Human weakness becomes united to divine strength, and faith exclaims, ‘Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’” Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 516

I think about my own life, when I was living in times past, when the old man and all the lusts of the flesh did control my mind. It is stated so well here: “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.” Ephesians 2:2, 3. That is a heavy statement, isn’t it? When I was walking according to the way of the world, I was walking in the path of and controlled by the devil.

“The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past.” Ibid. Remember, that Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; and now these verses are saying that we all have had our conversation in times past, “in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Ibid. Friends, my flesh controlled my mind whether it was drugs, alcohol, or sex. It pulled me this way and that way, and I had no freedom. No matter how much I wanted to be free from my flesh, I could not break loose! When the Holy Spirit called me and He began to woo me, what did he say to me? “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” Ephesians 4:22. “Danny, put off the old man.”

When I began to understand the Bible, I hungered and thirsted after righteousness. I went to the foot of the cross and said, “Lord, God, I am a deceitful, wicked man. I am controlled by the lusts of my flesh. My conversation is that of the old man, and I do not know how to do the things that I would. I do not know how to do what is right.” And the Word of God said, “Be renewed [Danny], in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ibid., verses 23, 24

“’What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirits, which are God’s.’ This expression, ‘bought with a price’ means everything to us. In consideration of the price paid for us, shall we not yield our bodies and souls up to Him who has bought us with His blood? Shall not that which he has redeemed be kept in a wholesome and pure and holy a condition as possible?” Spalding and Magan Collection, 209

Not only are we to yield our mind to Him, but we are also to take care of this temple which he has blessed us with; and that incorporates the health message and the eight laws of health.

John the Baptist ate simple food, locusts and honey. Daniel in the courts of Babylon chose pulse. Today, we have more light on health than any people on the face of the earth, but how are we walking? Are we walking according to times past, according to the way of the world, or according to a new man who is renewed in righteousness and right doing? This statement goes on and shares here some interesting thoughts. “Christ has redeemed us; our very flesh he has saved at an infinite cost, giving His own flesh for the life of the world. The lower passions have their seat in the body, and work through it. The words, ‘flesh,’ or ‘Fleshly lusts’ or Carnal lusts,’ embrace the lower, corrupt nature: we are commanded to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts. How shall we do it? Shall we inflict pain on the body? [Martin Luther did that.] No; but put to death the temptation to sin. The corrupt thought is to be expelled. Every thought is to brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. All animal propensities are to be subjected to the higher powers of the divided throne. Our bodies are to be regarded as Christ’s purchased possession. The members of the body are to become the instruments of righteousness.” Ibid. [All emphasis supplied.] If we are yielding to the lusts of the flesh, we do not really have the mind of Christ.

“None can glorify God in their body, as He requires, while they are living in transgression of the law of God. If the body violates the seventh commandment, it is through the dictation of the mind. If the mind is impure the body will naturally engage in impure acts.” Review and Herald, March 8, 1870

From reading this statement, do you better understand now why she always said to guard the senses? Do not look at pornography. Do not watch television that shows you adultery or using the Lord’s name in vain. If the mind is impure, the body will naturally engage in impure acts.

“Purity cannot exist in the soul of one who yields his body to impure acts. If the body is serving lust, the mind cannot maintain consecration to God. To preserve a sanctified mind, the body must be preserved in sanctification and honor. The mind will serve the law of God, and yield willing obedience to all its claims. Then, with the apostle, such can yield their members as instruments of righteousness unto God. ‘Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, that ye should obey it in the lust thereof.’ The freedom which the apostle describes as the privilege of Christ’s followers will never be experienced by those who delight to trample underfoot the law of God…. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Sprit.’ The apostle charges the Galatians to ‘walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh.’ He further states: ‘And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.’” Ibid.

“‘The prince of this world cometh,’ said Jesus, ‘and hath nothing in Me.’ [John 14:30] There was in Him nothing that responded to Satan’s sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us.” The Desire of Ages, 123

This is the gospel. Not that Jesus came only to justify sinners, but He came to set the captives free!—that we do not even have to yield to sin, not even by a thought.

“Christ’s humanity was united with divinity; he was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And He came to make us partakers of the divine nature. So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us. God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to perfection of character.” Ibid.

How did Christ overcome? “And how this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. But what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan?—By the word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. ‘It is written,’ he said. And unto us are given ‘exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ [2 Peter 1:4] Every promise in God’s Word is ours.” Ibid.

Paul tells us: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1. Purify our hearts is the message from the Lord. Follow righteousness. Realize that when you follow sin and lust, you are not following Christ. It is only when you follow righteousness that you are following Him.

When Paul tells us to exhort with longsuffering and doctrine, he tells us this because the day is coming “when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3, 4. When will people turn away from the Word of God and turn to fables? Basically, it is because when they did not love the truth, they were deceived. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11) You see, friends, people want their own way.

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.” 2 Peter 3:3

I believe that we are living in a very dangerous time right now because I believe that these scoffers, these men who are giving messages today, are also spoken of in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. It says here about these ministers of unrighteousness, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And not marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

I will not give you fables. I love you all too much. I have to tell you again that you cannot serve two masters and be in a safe condition with God.

There are two more inspired statements from Ellen White that I want to share with you.

After quoting 2 Timothy 4:3, 4 she says, “The apostle does not here refer to the openly irreligious, but to professed Christians who have indulged inclination until they are enslaved by their own ungoverned passions—‘led away with divers lusts.’ Such desire to hear doctrines that will not interfere with their sinful curse, or condemn their pleasure-loving propensities. Hence they are offended by the plain words of the faithful servants of Christ, and choose those teachers who will praise and flatter them instead of rebuking their sins. These teachers ‘they heap to themselves’ as special favorites. Even among the professed ministers of Christ, there are many who do not preach the word, but the opinions of men. They have turned away their ears from truth. The Lord has spoken to them in His Word; but they do not care to hear His voice, because it condemns their practices.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 323

“Sins exist in the church that God hates, but they are scarcely touched for fear of making enemies. Opposition has risen in the church to the plain testimony. Some will not bear it. They wish smooth things spoken unto them. And if the wrongs of individuals are touched, they complain of severity, and sympathize with those in the wrong. As Ahab inquired of Elijah, ‘Art thou he that troubleth Israel?’ they are ready to look with suspicion and doubt upon those who bear the plain testimony, and like Ahab overlook the wrong which made it necessary for reproof and rebuke. When the church departs from God they despise the plain testimony, and complain of severity and harshness. It is a sad evidence of the lukewarm state of the church.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 283, 284

When the church does not want to hear rebuke, when they do not want to hear, “Put your sins away. Be careful of lust. You cannot serve two masters,” if they will not accept the message, it is evidence that they are in a lost condition!

You cannot serve two masters; you cannot be part the world’s and part Christ’s; it must be one or the other. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:7, 8

To be of a divided mind is unfaithfulness in God’s eyes (See James 4:4), because when you are not following Christ all of the way, you are trying to serve two masters. It is like being married to two husbands, and God says, “I want a pure wife. I want one who will follow Me all of the way and not be caught up in spiritual adultery.”

One way or the other, God’s people have to get off the fence. If you take the course of sin, it will lead to greater sin, until you will finally be lost. But friends, choose the way of righteousness to true holiness, because very soon the Lord is coming for those who are holy. When He returns, whose servant will you be?

The End

A Sentence of Death – The Beginning of Life

And the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman taken in adultery. And standing her in the midst, they said to Him, ‘Teacher, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. You, then, what do you say?’ They said this, tempting Him so that they might have reason to accuse Him. But bending down, Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger, not appearing to hear. But as they continued to ask Him, He lifted Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.’ And again bending down, He wrote on the ground. And hearing, and being convicted by conscience, they went out one by one, beginning at the oldest, until the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. And bending back up, and seeing no one but the woman, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are the ones who accused you? Did not one give judgment against you?’ And she said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I give judgment. Go, and sin no more.’ ” John 8:3–11 NKJV.

This story is a powerful illustration of a stark reality as expressed in the following quote from Selected Messages, Book 1, 219. It says, “They [sinners] must feel themselves sinners, exposed to the wrath of God, before they will realize their need of a Saviour.”

The Desire of Ages vividly portrays the position of the woman caught in adultery, the reality of her situation, and poignantly illustrates the reality. Try to wear her shoes, empathizing with her in her position, feeling her shame and terror, her abjection, wretchedness, and despair. After all, we are told in Revelation 3:14–17 that this is indeed our state, not just hers. So take into your very soul the reality of her situation, because it is your own.

The Desire of Ages, 460–462: “A group of Pharisees and scribes approached Him, dragging with them a terror-stricken woman, whom with hard, eager voices they accused of having violated the seventh commandment. Having pushed her into the presence of Jesus, they said to Him, with a hypocritical show of respect, ‘Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest Thou’ (John 8:5)? …

“Jesus looked for a moment upon the scene—the trembling victim in her shame.

“The woman had stood before Jesus, cowering with fear. His words, ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone’ (John 8:7), had come to her as a death sentence. She dared not lift her eyes to the Saviour’s face, but silently awaited her doom.”

Picture the scene. The woman, caught in the very act, shamed and embarrassed, dragged through the streets before the eyes of all, and cast at the feet of Jesus, facing the death she knew she deserved.

But she was painfully, terrifyingly aware of more than this. Not only was she facing death, death by stoning, she was facing an eternity without her Lord and Saviour. She knew she was a sinner. She knew of the purity and holiness of Jesus. She was brought face to face with death—eternal death; terrifying, hopeless, forever lost. She knew she was not ready to die.

Yet, there she was, caught in the act of adultery, surrounded by the temple dignitaries, accusing, pointing fingers, condemning, seeking her death. She heard the hard, judging voices, pressing upon Jesus for His decision, and with downcast eyes, and fearful heart she awaited the whistle of stone flying through the air and the first crushing blow.

But as she waits, the seconds stretching into eternity, nothing happens. No stone whistles through the air to wound, to bruise, to destroy. Only a painful silence descends upon the air, and eventually the shuffling of feet fading into the distance reaches her ears. Time passes, and lo, she is left alone with Jesus. “In astonishment she saw her accusers depart speechless and confounded; then those words of hope fell upon her ear, ‘Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.’ Her heart was melted, and she cast herself at the feet of Jesus, sobbing out her grateful love, and with bitter tears confessing her sins.” The Desire of Ages, 462.

Her encounter with death, physical and eternal, was to her the turning point to a new life, a new life in Jesus, a life free from the degradation and shame of sin. It is this same encounter that we each one must face in order to appreciate, and hunger and thirst for the redeeming grace of a Saviour.

“They [sinners] must feel themselves sinners, exposed to the wrath of God, before they will realize their need of a Saviour.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 219. The woman realized, in her encounter with death, that she was a sinner. There was not a shadow of a doubt in her mind. She realized the reality of the following words from the same book, page 342: “He [the sinner] has nothing of his own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin, utterly repulsive to a pure and holy God.” This was an inescapable, brutal truth to her. I believe that she had reached the point stated in Testimonies, vol. 5, 620: “We must realize how terrible are the pains of the second death.” She tasted this stark reality.

But the story does not end there. It is rather, in fact, simply the beginning; the beginning of a new and different life, a life in Jesus, free, pure, joyous, full of gratitude and thanksgiving, with a heart overflowing with love for our Saviour and Redeemer.

“This was to her the beginning of a new life, a life of purity and peace, devoted to the service of God. In the uplifting of this fallen soul, Jesus performed a greater miracle than in healing the most grievous physical disease; He cured the spiritual malady which is unto death everlasting. This penitent woman became one of His most steadfast followers. With self-sacrificing love and devotion she repaid His forgiving mercy.

“In His act of pardoning this woman and encouraging her to live a better life, the character of Jesus shines forth in the beauty of perfect righteousness. While He does not palliate sin, nor lessen the sense of guilt, He seeks not to condemn, but to save. The world had for this erring woman only contempt and scorn; but Jesus speaks words of comfort and hope. The Sinless One pities the weakness of the sinner, and reaches to her a helping hand. While the hypocritical Pharisees denounce, Jesus bids her, ‘Go, and sin no more.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 462.

What made the Pharisees hypocritical? It was nothing more or less than pretending that they were without sin, without need, but rather rich and increased with spiritual good. Jesus never told them “Go, and sin no more.” They never received of Jesus’ mercy, His grace, His power to overcome sin and live a life of purity and peace. Why? Because they did not see themselves as “sinners, exposed to the wrath of God.”

It was after her traumatic encounter with death, and her ensuing rescue that, with a heart full of gratitude and filled with love for her Saviour, that the woman, enabled by His power of love fulfilled the command of Jesus, “Go and sin no more.”

Although there is no conclusive proof that the woman taken in adultery is Mary, the similarity of the two situations is evident. Whether or not the two are the same is immaterial, for in both situations, the repentance of the sinner is clear. The following statement from the book The Spirit of Prophecy, although spoken of Mary at Simon’s banquet, could rightfully be said of the woman taken in adultery:

“Though she had been very sinful, her repentance was sincere, and Jesus, while reproving her guilt, had pitied her weakness and forgiven her. Mary’s heart was filled with gratitude at the compassion of Jesus. Seven times she had heard His stern rebuke to the demons which then controlled her heart and mind, and she had listened to His strong cries to His Father in her behalf. She knew how offensive everything impure was to the unsullied mind of Christ, and she overcame her sin in the strength of her Saviour. She was transformed, a partaker of the divine nature.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 377.

“Jesus knows the circumstances of every soul. You may say, I am sinful, very sinful. You may be; but the worse you are, the more you need Jesus. He turns no weeping, contrite one away. He does not tell to any all that He might reveal, but He bids every trembling soul take courage. Freely will He pardon all who come to Him for forgiveness and restoration.

“Christ might commission the angels of heaven to pour out the vials of His wrath on our world, to destroy those who are filled with hatred of God. He might wipe this dark spot from His universe. But He does not do this. He is today standing at the altar of incense, presenting before God the prayers of those who desire His help.

“The souls that turn to Him for refuge, Jesus lifts above the accusing and the strife of tongues. No man or evil angel can impeach these souls. Christ unites them to His own divine-human nature. They stand beside the great Sin Bearer, in the light proceeding from the throne of God. ‘Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us’ (Romans 8:33, 34).” The Desire of Ages, 568.

Dear friends, fellow sinners, do you recognize that you have “nothing of his (your) own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin, utterly repulsive to a pure and holy God?” Do you feel yourself a sinner, “exposed to the wrath of God?” If you do not, for your soul’s sake, and for the sake of Him Who spilled His blood on Calvary, plead with God to show you your wretchedness and sin. Plead that He will open your eyes to the reality in which you stand before Him. Then He will fulfill His promise. Of our Father it is said, “God’s plan is not to send messengers who will please and flatter sinners, He delivers no messages of peace to lull the unsanctified into carnal security. But He lays heavy burdens upon the conscience of the wrongdoer, and pierces his soul with sharp arrows of conviction. The ministering angels present to him the fearful judgments of God, to deepen the sense of his great need and prompt the agonizing cry: ‘What shall I do to be saved?’ The very hand that humbles to the dust, rebukes sin, and puts pride and ambition to shame, lifts up the penitent, stricken one, and inquires with deepest sympathy: ‘What wilt thou that I shalt do unto thee’ (Mark 10:51)?” Testimonies, vol. 4, 178.

“When man has sinned against a holy and merciful God, there is no course for him to pursue so noble, as to sincerely repent and confess his errors in tears and bitterness of soul. This God requires of him and will accept of nothing less than a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” The Signs of the Times, February 12, 1880. And then His promise is “He lifts up the penitent, stricken one, and inquires with deepest sympathy, ‘What wilt thou that I shalt do unto thee?’ ” Ibid.

Let us join this woman taken in adultery, bowed at the feet of Jesus, trembling, recognizing our shame, our sin, our degradation. It is the truth. It is our reality just as much as it was hers. Let us accept that we are sinners; accept that we are “exposed to the wrath of God;” accept that we have “nothing of [our] own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin, utterly repulsive to a pure and holy God.” It is then, and only then that we will realize our need of a Saviour. And it is only as we recognize our need that we will seek—and receive healing. It is then, as with her, that Jesus will say to us, “Neither do I give judgment. Go, and sin no more.”

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

Lord’s Prayer Series – Deliverance from Evil

Proper guidance is vital to success in any endeavor. Many people are open to accepting guidance for their physical and mental lives, but, tragically, when it comes to their spiritual life, they depend on faulty, erring guidance systems.

In the gospel of Luke, as the Lord’s model prayer comes to a conclusion, we read these words of Jesus: “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Luke 11:4. The phrase, “lead us not into temptation …’’ is a prayer for divine leadership. Not only are we to ask for our daily bread and ask to be forgiven, but we also need daily guidance and leadership as we face life’s daily temptations.

A woman taken in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus with the accusation, ‘Now Moses said that a person taken in adultery like this should be stoned. But what do You say?’ They said this to lay a trap for Jesus, because if He said, ‘No, give mercy to her,’ then they would go to the people and say, ‘He doesn’t believe in the law of Moses.’ But if He said, ‘She should be stoned,’ then they would go to the Romans and say, ‘This man said that this woman should be stoned.’ ” The Jews did not have authority on their own to use capital punishment without the Roman’s permission. Either way that Jesus answered their question would get Him in trouble.

Scripture continues that Jesus stooped down and started to write on the ground the sins of the people who had brought this woman to Him, beginning with the oldest. As He wrote they became embarrassed. The Bible says, “… beginning with the eldest until the last and there was nobody left.” “When Jesus had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.’ ” (See John 8:1–11.)

Notice the blessed assurance that Jesus provided the sinner. He assured her that “Neither do I condemn you.” Your sins are forgiven. It was immediately followed by the command to go, sin no more. The command to “go,” calls for progress and advancement, which always requires guidance. All moving things need to be directed. Unless directed in their proper course, they will come to a tragic end. That is true for airplanes, ships, cars, or any moving object. They must be directed. We are not left to travel alone, undirected, down the dark pathway of life. God has promised that if we ask Him, He will guide us, directing us with His eye.

The consciousness that human wisdom is faulty, causing us to make mistakes, leads us to request divine guidance for the future. The phrase, “lead us not into temptation” is considered by many Bible students to be the most difficult of all the petitions of the Lord’s prayer. In fact, some theologians believe that the early church, consisting of the early Christians in the first century, misunderstood it. As a result, the apostle James corrected their misunderstanding.

To impress the fact that it was not God Who was the source of our temptations, He said, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted of God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:12–17.

God is not tempted with evil and He does not tempt anyone. Part of the problem comes because of the faultiness of human language. An example of this is Genesis 22.1. Some versions of the Bible read, “It came to pass after these things that God tempted Abraham.” So people have been confused when in one place it says that God tempted Abraham and in the New Testament it says that God does not tempt anybody. Most modern translations say in Genesis 22 that God tested Abraham. There are many places in the Bible where God tests people. However, He does not tempt people or try to persuade or entice them to sin. That is the work of the devil and of the fallen human nature of man.

The main source of temptation is within us as we read in James 1. Therefore, a mere prayer for pardon is not sufficient; we need guidance or direction in our life. The original word for temptation used in the Lord’s Prayer literally means trial or test as it is translated in many other places in the Bible. For example, in James the 1:2–4 it says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

This is not a prayer that we will be kept from temptation, but that we will be divinely led during our temptation so that we will be kept from yielding to it. If we were to ask not to have temptation, we would be making a request that is impossible to be fulfilled in this world of sin. God never asks for us to do the impossible. Even Jesus Christ did not escape temptation. Notice what it says about His temptations in Hebrews 4:14–16, speaking of Jesus Christ: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 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. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Notice that even Jesus had temptations. The Bible speaks of His being tempted by the devil. He was in all points tempted as we are (Hebrews 4:15). Temptation must not be confused with sin. “He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin …” Jesus did not yield to the temptation. There is no other way that you and I can develop the moral character that we need to enter the kingdom of heaven except through overcoming temptation.

As the gospel song says, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin.” [Yield Not To Temptation, Horatio R. Palmer, 1868.] All people are tempted, but all people do not yield to the temptation. It is through this process of resisting temptation that we grow in grace (II Peter 3:18). In Revelation 2 and 3 to each one of the Christian churches the promise of eternal life is given on the basis of being an overcomer. Even right at the end of the Bible in Revelation 21:6, 7 it says, “He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and 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.’ ” To turn away from sin and overcome is a principle that is repeated throughout the Bible.

In the Bible, sometimes the Lord is spoken of as doing something Himself that He just permits someone else to do. God does not originate or approve of all the things that He allows to happen in this world but He does permit trials and afflictions to come to both good and evil people. The reason for this is so that we might overcome the temptation and become partakers of His holiness (see Hebrews 12).

The tests, the trials, the afflictions that we have in this life sometimes turn out to be blessings in disguise. In fact, in Romans 8:28, there is a promise that is so wonderful that it is very hard to believe while going through the trial. It says, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Now, it doesn’t say that all things are good, but that He can work all things, even those most difficult for us, into something that ultimately results in good, according to His purpose.

God allows the trials to come so that we can discern the impurities of our character so that they, through His grace, can be removed. Often we do not recognize the divine leadership and purpose in our trials and temptations that God allows to come to us, but someday it will all be made plain. We read many stories in the Bible of people who experienced terrible trials and discouragements and could not understand why God allowed such things to happen to them. Jacob once lamented that, “All these things are against me” (Genesis 42:36). He had lost Joseph and now Benjamin was going to be taken away. He thought that he was going to lose the only children he had from the one woman that he really loved. Although he thought that all these were against him, in a few weeks he not only had Benjamin back, but Joseph as well.

The Lord worked out all things together for good, although Jacob thought for a time everything was against him and it would all work out terribly. The same thing happened with David. For approximately ten years, David fled for his life before an infuriated king who stirred up the people against him, forcing him to live in caves and haunts in many desolate places wondering how he would ever become the king of Israel, as the Lord had promised him. But in spite of all those things, God eventually worked it out.

Romans 8:28 says that if you love God, all things will work together. It is not our responsibility to work it all out. God will work it out so that all things, even the evil things that happen to us, will be pulled together to work it out for our good in the end. This is very difficult to believe while going through severe tests and trials, but that is the Bible promise. The prophets Malachi and Isaiah have said that all of God’s children have to go through the furnace of affliction or trial. Trust God, for He has a purpose in our trials. When they are over, something wonderful is going to happen.

In this world, with our limited human vision, we struggle to see through the confusion, broken promises, disappointment and thwarted plans, but the Bible promises that when we reach the end of the Christian journey, we will be able to see in all of it a grand and overruling purpose and divine harmony. Malachi prophesied what the Lord will do in the last days. “He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:3.

The Bible clearly predicts that God’s remnant people, His children in the very last days of earth’s history, will go through a great tribulation, but it also promises that the Lord will bring them out of it.

Notice what John wrote in Revelation 7:9, 10: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues [languages], standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ ”

Then it says in verses 13, 14 that one of the elders answered and asked the apostle John, who was having this vision, “Who are these?” “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ ”

You see, God is going to lead His children out of the great tribulation that is coming upon this world. The Bible says that the devil has come down to this world having great wrath. In Revelation 12:12, it says, “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 he has a short time.”

The devil knows that his days are numbered and that he has a short time to work out his plans of wickedness. He does have control of the majority of human beings in this world but in an effort to have full control of the world, he puts forth his last effort to take out those who claim Christ. If you have read the rest of the story you know that he does not win, for there will be a multitude that nobody can number that have come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes of character and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. It may not appear that way at present, but Satan is a loser.

We are not left alone to fight our adversary. Jesus said, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.” Revelation 3:10. The promise here made is that during the refining and purifying process, there will be divine guidance that we will be kept from falling. Temptation is always inspired by the devil, but it was the Spirit of God that led Jesus Christ into the wilderness to meet the temptation and to conquer it.

The person who asks for pardon for past offenses against God will then make every effort to avoid future transgressions and seek for the blessing of holiness or sanctification. The Bible tells us what the devil uses to tempt people. Understanding the source of the temptations will help to know how to meet them. The Bible says, “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 [or craving] 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.” I John 2:15–17.

Divine assistance is needed in meeting these trials or temptations, but the Bible pronounces a blessing on the person who endures. Notice this text again in James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

If we expect God to keep us when we are in temptation, we need to see to it that we do not deliberately walk into temptation. It is an interesting thing that some people pray and say, “Lord, lead me not into temptation” then presume to be protected when they deliberately walk in temptation’s way.

In the Garden of Gethsemane on the night that Jesus was betrayed, He gave some advise to His disciples that they neglected at that time. He said, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41.

Notice, it is because we are in constant danger of entering into temptation that we should pray not to be led where we will be tempted to sin. If we are sincere in our prayer, we will avoid walking directly into the allurements of the flesh which so easily tempt us.

The Bible predicts that a multitude of people in the last days will lose eternal life because, instead of praying to be guided away from temptation, they deliberately walk into temptation and have pleasure in unrighteousness. Paul says to these people, “God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” II Thessalonians 2:11, 12.

How is it with you friend? Are you praying that the Lord will guide you and lead you so that you will not walk into the way of temptation, or do you seek pleasure in unrighteousness? The choice is ours; help is only a prayer away. All the resources of heaven have been commissioned to save lost man so put your trust in Jesus today. Reflect on the words of the gospel song:

So I thank God for the mountains,

And I thank Him for the valleys,

I thank Him for the storms He’s brought me through.

‘Cause if I never had a problem,

I wouldn’t know that He could solve them,

I wouldn’t know what faith in His Word could do.

Through it all, through it all,

I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,

I’ve learned to trust in God.

Through it all, through it all,

I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.

Andrea Crouch

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

Where God is Working

The third chapter of 1 Corinthians is rapidly becoming one of my favorite books in the New Testament. It is really one of the great books in the Bible about who and what the church is. Verse 2 of the first chapter says, “To the church of God which is at Corinth to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus.” We see that the church in Corinth, were those people in that city who were sanctified in Christ Jesus. If you turn to chapter 3, you will find one of the most astounding verses in all of the Bible. In fact, verse 9 was the verse that my brother Marshall used for his very last sermon. It says, “For we are God’s fellow workers.” If you study the Spirit of Prophecy writings carefully, you will find out that this is one of Ellen White’s favorite verses and that she used it over and over again to show how we become workers together with God. There is no higher privilege that any person could have than to actually be a fellow laborer—a fellow worker with God! If you want to be a fellow worker with God, do you think it might be important for you to find out where God is working? Ever since the beginning of time, God has been working. As you study the inspired writings, they always focus the attention on where God is working.

When I studied ancient history, I found out that there were many things going on during Abraham’s time, but inspiration does not go into any of that. It focuses all the attention on where God is working. If you want to be a fellow worker with God, you need to find out where God is working.

Even though Adam had many children, inspiration focuses only on a holy line of men through whom God was working. Seth had a son named Enos, and in his time, the Bible says that men began to call on the name of the Lord. That is where God was working. Then, in the seventh generation from Adam, Enoch was born. That is where God was working, and the people who chose to be fellow workers with God worked in cooperation with Enoch. After Enoch, there was Noah; and if you had been living in Noah’s time and you wanted to be a fellow worker with God, you would be working with Noah.

By the time there had been twenty generations, the whole world had already rejected God twice. God looked over the world and he found a man whose name was Abraham. He said to Abraham, “I am going to fulfill the plan of salvation through you and through your seed [Christ].”

As you study the Bible record, you will find a certain characteristic in common among all those through whom God was working. In speaking of Abraham, God clearly identified what it is that qualifies a person to be a colaborer with Him. “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5. Abraham was obedient.

At the time that God brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, He made them a wonderful promise: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then You shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.” Exodus 19:5

Did this promise have conditions? God made a covenant with them. He said, “If you do this, I will do this for you; you will be My special people.” There have always been conditions.

Have you ever heard people say that there are unconditional promises? I decided to check this out in inspired writings; and when I looked in the writings of Ellen White, she says that all of God’s promises and threatenings are conditional. Do not let anyone tell you, unless they can show you from inspired writings, that any promise is unconditional.

Israel wandered in the wilderness for thirty-eight years longer than they had to because they were not obedient and they rebelled. Finally, when they entered Canaan, they went into apostasy again and started worshiping idols. This went on for hyndreds of years. During this time the tabernacle was still with them, and they kept the yearly feast days.

Do you know where the tabernacle was located during all the period of the judges? It was located in Shiloh, in the land of Ephraim. Many people have almost forgotten that Ephraim was the center of divine worship for over three hundred years. The people of that time thought that it would always be that way.

Look what it says about this in the Psalms. “Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.” Psalms 78:67,68

Why did God reject Ephraim and remove the tabernacle from Shiloh? “The ark remained at Shiloh for three hundred years, until, because of the sins of Eli’s house, it fell into the hands of the Philistines, and Shiloh was ruined.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 514

The leaders of God’s people fell into apsotasy and sin. As a result, the Lord told Eli, “You are not going to be a priest for Me. Your descendants are not going to be My priests forever.”

They were descendants of Aaron—God’s people; but the Lord said, “You are no longer going to be priests.” He rejected Ephraim as the religious center—something that they thought could not happen, happened. “The sanctuary service was finally transferred to the temple at Jerusalem, and Shiloh fell into insignificance. There are only ruins to mark the spot where it once stood. Long afterward its fate was made use of as a warning to Jerusalem.” Ibid.

A few hundred years later the people of Jerusalem thought the same thing. The temple there was the center of divine worship, and they believed that this was where God was working. Hundreds of years after the worship had been transferred from Shiloh, the Lord, through Jeremiah, said: “’Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,’ says the LORD. ‘But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these works,’ says the LORD, ‘and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren—the whole posterity of Ephraim.’” Jeremiah 7:9-15

As we look at history, we see that God cannot work with people who are living in sin. If you want to be a fellow worker with God, you cannot link up and work with people who are living and working in sin. With God, character is what counts; and God is working with people who listen to His voice and who obey.

We are told of Israel:

“Their calamities did not come because they kept the law of God, but because they disregarded that law. God had told them that if they did not obey His commandments, he could not keep His covenant with them. The history of the Israelites is portrayed for our warning. They had great light and exalted privileges; yet they did not live up to that light nor appreciate their advantage, and their light became darkness. They walked in the light of their own eyes, instead of following the leadings of God. Their history is given for the benefit of those who live in these last days, that we may avoid following the same example of unbelief.” Signs of the Times, July 19, 1899

Where was God working in the time of Jesus? When Jesus was brought to the temple to be dedicated, Ellen White says that the priest did not recognize anything unusual. Commenting on this experience she says, “So it is still. Events upon which the attention of all heaven is centered, are undiscerned, their very occurrence is unnoticed, by religious leaders, and worshipers in the house of God.” The Desire of Ages, 56

The attention of all heaven is focused on Christ’s birth! And down here in this world the people who claim to be God’s true people do not even know it has taken place. How can you be a laborer together with God it you do not even know where God is working?

So, during the time when Jesus was here, where was God working? God was working through His Son to bring salvation to a lost world, If you had wanted to be a laborer together with God, you had to connect yourself with Jesus and work with Him.

So, during the time when Jesus was here, where was God working? God was working through His Son to bring salvation to a lost world. If you had wanted to be a laborer together with God, you had to connect yourself with Jesus and work with Him.

The New Testament writers predict that a terrible change is going to take place among those who profess to be Christians. Paul speaks, addressing the elders from the church of Ephesus: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchases with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves [church leaders] men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” Acts 20:28-30

Speaking of this same great apostasy, Paul wrote: “Let no one deceive you by any means: for that Day [the day of Christ] will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4

Peter talked about this apostasy, too. “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” 2 Peter 2:1, 2 [All emphasis supplied.] The word blasphemy means to speak evil of something. As a result of this new teaching, the real way of truth will be evil spoken of.

Notice that both Peter and Paul say that false prophets will secretly bring in destructive heresies. Whenever you find a book that is written to which the authors do not want to put their name, you ought to remember these texts.

Paul identifies this element as the mystery of lawlessness. This apostasy will, therefore, involve the breaking of God’s law and result in the way of truth being evil spoken of. Did this happen?

“The history of God’s people during the ages of darkness that followed upon Rome’s supremacy is written in heaven, but they have little place in human records. Few traces of their existence can be found, except in the accusations of their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical, whether persons or writings, she sought to destroy….Before the invention of printing, books were few in number, and in a form not favorable for preservation; therefore there was little to prevent the Romanists from carrying out their purpose.” The Great Controversy, 61, 62

If you were living in that time and you wanted to be a fellow worker with God, it made all the difference in the world whether or not you understood that God was working with people who were keeping His law. If you did not understand this principle, you could not be a fellow laborer with God. Do you realize, friends, that there have been millions of people who have believed that they were working with the Lord but were working with the devil the whole time?

We find that all of the sixteenth century Reformers upheld God’s law. They did not all understand the binding claims of the fourth commandment, but they did not reject it. There is a great difference between not understanding truth and rejecting it. Martin Luther, a well as John, preached a great deal on the Ten Commandments and believed in them. God was leading a people on step by step.

When you study sacred history, you find that in the latter part of the eighteenth and the early part of nineteenth century, simultaneously, all over the world, God started raising up people from all the various Christian churches with the message that Jesus was coming soon. The great second advent movement emerged. We are not able in our limited space here to go into detail about what happened in the second advent movement, but out of that movement there was a group of people that eventually formed who were called Millerites, Adventists, and later Seventh-day Adventists.

As this group studied, they discovered the messages of the three angels of Revelation 14. Having learned the meaning of the sanctuary message in the books of Hebrews and Daniel, they realized that the day of Judgment was to begin on October 22, 1844. This is not a message that the apostle Paul preached, because it would not have been true during his lifetime. The apostle Paul taught that the Judgment was still in the future. (See Acts 24:25.) Martin Luther did not preach it either. But here is a message that the hour of God’s Judgment has come. You cannot preach that the hour of God’s judgment has come unless you know it has started. But how do we know for sure that it has started? There is only one way that I know of that you know that the hour of God’s judgment has started, and that is from Daniel 8 and 9.

Now, do you understand why the devil has made our understanding of Daniel 8 and 9 a focal point of attack? If he can destroy a person’s confidence in that truth, that person can no longer preach the first angel’s message. And remember, the second and third angels’ messages are built upon the first. You cannot preach the third unless you preach the second, and you cannot preach the second unless you preach the first. And if you do not understand Daniel 8:14 about the twenty-three hundred days, you are no longer a Seventh-day Adventist.

Where is God working today? God is working today with the people who are proclaiming the three angels’ messages. That is where God is working today. If you want to be a fellow laborer with God today, you have to join up with the people who are doing this.

Let me ask you this question. How can you preach the second angel’s message if you do not know who Babylon is according to Revelation 18:1-5? The second angel’s message is going to be a fellow laborer with God today, you have to know this message.

The third angel’s message is a warning against the beast, his image, and his mark. Notice how the message concludes. “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. If you are not even sure that you can really keep the commandments of God, how can you be a fellow laborer with God and preach Revelation 14:12? Have you noticed that it does not say that here are those who are trying to deep the commandments? It says they keep them. You cannot be a fellow laborer with God and be involved in His last work for the world if you cannot proclaim the message, and you certainly cannot proclaim the message if you do not believe it is true. Do you see how dangerous this idea is when people say, “You are going to keep sinning until Jesus comes”?

If you want to know where God is working, the first thing you want to look for is a group of Adventists who really keep the commandments and do not play around and say, “Well, we are doing the best we can.” Listen, friends, the best you can do is not good enough, unless you are keeping the commandments by the power of God. If you give your life to the Lord, He has the power to give you so that you can keep them. If we fail to keep them, when Jesus comes He will be able to show us millions of people who had the same besetting sins that we had, and He will say, “I gave all of these people power to overcome.” What are you going to say then? I want to tell you, you are going to be speechless.

The people described in Revelation 12:17 not only keep the commandments but they have the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 19:10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen White fulfilled this prophecy of giving the gift of prophecy to God’s remnant people. If you want to find the people who God is working through, you want to look for a people who have, believe, and obey the spirit of prophecy. That eliminates the large portion of those who make a profession of waiting for the Lord to come.

Revelation 14:12 points out that God’s people not only keep the commandments but they have the faith of Jesus. You will never find somebody who has the first qualification and does not have the third one because you cannot keep the commandments unless you do have the faith of Jesus. People who have the faith of Jesus will be a sanctified people.

There is another characteristic that, unfortunately, disqualifies many who qualify according to the first three characteristics. Revelation 14:6 tells us that God’s last people will be giving His last message to the world. “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” If you want to find the people through whom God is working and if you want to be a fellow laborer with God, you need to find the people who are determined to take the three angels’ messages to every single person in the world.

When you find those people, you will know what group to work with; you will know how to be a colaborer with God, because that is where God is working. He is working with the people who have these four characteristics: they keep his commandments; they have the spirit of prophecy and live by it; they have the faith of Jesus; and they are out to take the gospel to every single person in the whole world.

The catastrophe that I see taking place in Adventism today is that the great majority of Adventists are going to destruction, and when I try to warn them they say, “You say that we are in total apostasy.” Looking at the destruction of Jerusalem, we get just a little idea of what is ahead for Adventism. The only way that you are going to avoid being part of that destruction is if you are a coworker with God, working where God is working, obedient to his law.

The gospel is not a halfway business. Either you have to get in to it all the way or you might as well get out. Soon time will be no more, and when it is all over, I want to know that I have given it everything I have. I want all of my money, my time, my talents, everything I have, to be in the finishing God’s work. How about you?

The End

Editorial – The Wheat and the Tares, part 2

The parable of the wheat and the tares forcibly teaches the lesson that salvation or damnation is not the result of a moment but is a process which takes place over a period of time. Unfortunately, the idea has become commonly accepted that a person may live a life of sin and at a moment of utmost extremity, call on the name of the Lord, and be saved by a mere profession of faith. But notice what Ellen White says.

“Those who are quieting a guilty conscience with the thought that they can change a course of evil when they choose, that they can trifle with the invitations of mercy, and yet be again and again impressed, take this course at their peril. They think that after casting all their influence on the side of the great rebel, in a moment of utmost extremity, when danger compasses them about, they will change leaders. But this is not so easily done. The experience, the education, the discipline of a life of sinful indulgence, has so thoroughly molded the character that they cannot then receive the image of Jesus. Had no light shone upon their pathway, the case would have been different. Mercy might interpose, and give them an opportunity to accept her overtures; but after light has been long rejected and despised, it will be finally withdrawn.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 269 (See also Testimonies, vol. 1, 81, 82.)

Salvation is not obtained by a simple profession of faith. The faith that is professed must be perfected through a growth in grace. “In the Kingdom of God, position is not gained through favoritism. It is not earned, nor is it received through an arbitrary bestowal. It is the result of character. The crown and the throne are the tokens of a condition attained; they are tokens of self-conquest through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Desire of Ages, 549 (See James 2:14-26.)

In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the wheat, or good seed, represents the gospel of truth. (See Signs of the Times, February 4, 1897.) When this seed is received, it begins to transform the character until the mind perfectly reflects the mind of Christ. (See Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 244.)
As a person is what he thinks in his heart, the person who is transformed into the likeness of Christ, displays a Christlike character—a mature stalk of wheat.

Tares, on the other hand, represent the seeds of evil. Any seed of evil that is allowed to remain in the heart will eventually choke the good seed. “Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire, persistently cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel.” Steps to Christ, 34. As the seed of evil matures in the mind, it eventually becomes evident in a character that is symbolized by tares.

When the person is openly bearing evil fruit—living in open sin—he is to be disfellowshipped from the church but as long as he professes faith and is outwardly living according to the commandments, we are not to judge his character and motive. (See Christ’s Object Lessons, 71.)

Years ago we simply stated that the harvest is the end of the world, which is, of course, true. A careful reading of the parable, however, reveals something about the nature of the harvest.

All farmers know that the harvest is not instantaneous, but the closing period of the growing season. The same is true of the harvest of grace. Speaking of this event, Jesus said: “And in the time of the harvest.” That phrase could also be accurately translated, “during the time of the harvest.” The harvest time is that period in the “end of the age” of grace. It is that period of time when through the third angel’s message a final separation of the wheat and the tares takes place (see Early Writings, 118), when the character of every plant becomes evident and public.

Notice in the following quotation how clearly it is stated that the harvest is a period of time. “Let both grow together until the harvest. Then the Lord sends forth His reapers to gather out the tares, and binds them in bundles to burn, while the wheat is gathered into the heavenly garner. The time of the judgment is a most solemn period, when the Lord gathers His own from among the tares. Those who have been members of the same family are separated. A mark is placed upon the righteous.” Special Testimonies, Series A, 6. Clearly the harvest is a period of time during which the character, which has long been developing through the growing season (the age of grace), is fully developed, and the destiny forever fixed.

Friend, do not be tempted to think that the harvest could not possibly take place without you knowing it. It could be over before you know it! (See Jeremiah 8:20; Early Writings, 71.)

Inspiration – Christ Our Only Hope

Before the foundations of the world were laid, Christ, the Only Begotten of God, pledged Himself to become the Redeemer of the human race, should Adam sin. Adam fell, and He who was partaker of the Father’s glory before the world was, laid aside His royal robe and kingly crown, and stepped down from His high authority to become a Babe in Bethlehem, that by passing over the ground where Adam stumbled and fell, He might redeem fallen human beings. He subjected Himself to all the temptations that the enemy brings against men and women; and all the assaults of Satan could not make Him swerve from His loyalty to the Father. By living a sinless life He testified that every son and daughter of Adam can resist the temptations of the one who first brought sin into the world.

Christ brought men and women power to overcome. He came to this world in human form, to live a man amongst men. He assumed the liabilities of human nature, to be proved and tried. In His humanity He was a partaker of the divine nature. In His incarnation He gained in a new sense the title of the Son of God. Said the angel to Mary, “The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). While the Son of a human being, He became the Son of God in a new sense. Thus He stood in our world—the Son of God, yet allied by birth to the human race.

Christ came in human form to show the inhabitants of the unfallen worlds and of the fallen world that ample provision has been made to enable human beings to live in loyalty to their Creator. He endured the temptations that Satan was permitted to bring against Him, and resisted all his assaults. He was sorely afflicted, and hard beset, but God did not leave Him without recognition. When He was baptized of John in Jordan, as He came up out of the water, the Spirit of God, like a dove of burnished gold, descended upon Him, and a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). It was directly after this announcement that Christ was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Mark says: “Immediately the Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts” (Mark 1:12, 13). “And in those days He did eat nothing” (Luke 4:2).

Meeting Temptation

When Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, He was led by the Spirit of God. He did not invite temptation. He went to the wilderness to be alone, to contemplate His mission and work. By fasting and prayer He was to brace Himself for the bloodstained path He was to travel. How should He begin His work of freeing the captives held in torment by the destroyer? During His long fast, the whole plan of His work as man’s deliverer was laid out before Him.

When Jesus entered the wilderness He was shut in by the Father’s glory. Absorbed in communion with God, He was lifted above human weakness. But the glory departed, and He was left to battle with temptation. It was pressing upon Him every moment. His human nature shrank from the conflict that awaited Him. For forty days He fasted and prayed. Weak and emaciated from hunger, worn and haggard with mental agony, “His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men” (Isaiah 52:14). Now was Satan’s opportunity. Now he supposed that he could overcome Christ.

There came to the Saviour, as if in answer to His prayers, one in the guise of an angel of light, and this was the message that he bore: “If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matthew 4:3).

Jesus met Satan with the words, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). In every temptation the weapon of His warfare was the word of God. Satan demanded of Christ a miracle as a sign of His divinity. But that which is greater than all miracles, a firm reliance upon a “Thus saith the Lord” was a sign that could not be controverted. So long as Christ held to this position, the tempter could gain no advantage.

A familiarity with the word of God is our only hope. Those who diligently search the Scriptures will not accept Satan’s delusions as the truth of God. No one need be overcome by the speculations presented by the enemy of God and of Christ. We are not to speculate regarding points upon which the word of God is silent. All that is necessary for our salvation is given in the word of God. Day by day we are to make the Bible the man of our counsel.

From all eternity Christ was united with the Father, and when He took upon Himself human nature, He was still one with God. He is the link that unites God with humanity. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself liksewise took part of the same” (Hebrews 2:14). Only through Him can we become children of God. To all who believe on Him, He gives power to become the sons of God. Thus the heart becomes the temple of the living God. It is because Christ took human nature that men and women become partakers of the divine nature. He brings life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Selected Messages, Book 1, 226–228.

Keys to the Storehouse – The Prickly Chestnut Bur

Have you ever had somebody observe your attitude and say “ouch”? Why would they say such a thing? Could it be because you have “prickles”?

What a terrible thing to be prickled like a chestnut bur. Have you ever tried to touch a chestnut bur without being pricked? I am sure each of us would love to receive heavenly guests into our home but if our character is full of prickles, they will not abide with us.

“Unless we daily cultivate the precious plant of love we are in danger of becoming narrow, unsympathetic, bigoted, and critical, esteeming ourselves righteous when we are far from being approved of God. Some are uncourteous, abrupt, and harsh. They are like chestnut burs: they prick whenever touched. These do incalculable harm by misrepresenting our loving Saviour. …” Testimonies, vol. 5, 605.

“Never should we lose control over ourselves. Let us ever keep before us the perfect Pattern.

  • It is a sin to speak impatiently and fretfully
  • or to feel angry—even though we do not speak.
  • We are to walk worthy, giving a right representation of Christ.
  • The speaking of an angry word is like flint striking flint: it at once kindles wrathful feelings.
  • Never be like a chestnut bur. …

“When others are impatient, fretful, and complaining, because self is not subdued, begin to sing some of the songs of Zion. While Christ was working at the carpenter’s bench others would sometimes surround Him, trying to cause Him to be impatient; but He would begin singing some of the beautiful psalms, and before they realized what they were doing they had joined with Him in singing, influenced, as it were, by the power of the Holy Spirit, which was there.” In Heavenly Places, 246.

Their prickles were melted!

“The man or woman who preserves the balance of the mind when tempted to indulge passion stands higher in the sight of God and heavenly angels than the most renowned general that ever led an army to battle and to victory. Said a celebrated emperor when on his dying bed, ‘Among all my conquests there is but one which affords me any consolation now, and that is the conquest I have gained over my own turbulent temper.’ [His prickles melted!] Alexander and Caesar found it easier to subdue a world than to subdue themselves. After conquering nation after nation, they fell—one of them ‘the victim of intemperance, the other of mad ambition.’ ” Child Guidance, 95. They died in their prickles!

“But are there not many who are … like a chestnut bur, hurting those with whom they come in contact? … Those who represent Christ will not speak harshly. Their words will be pleasant and helpful.” In Heavenly Places, 321.

“By our joyfulness we reveal that our life is hid with Christ in God, that in Him we find the most blessed companionship, and that through His grace we have a living connection with heaven.” Ibid., 246.

“The highest evidence of nobility in a Christian is self-control.” Sons and Daughters of God, 84. No prickles!

Heavenly Father: I do not want to be as a chestnut bur, full of prickles. Please remove everything that causes harm from my heart so that others may not experience pain from my attitude, words or actions. I would love to have others, along with heavenly guests, find a peaceful atmosphere—no more prickles, in my home or in my presence. Thank you Father. Amen.

Keys to the Storehouse – Oh, What an Excuse!

How often have you heard the excuse, “It is natural”? Or have you used that excuse yourself?

“I have seen professed Christians act out their natural infirmities,

  • let their evil temper get the victory over them, and
  • after the excitement has passed, reflection and reason teaches them they have greatly erred.
  • They excuse themselves by saying,
  • ‘It’s natural for me to be quick, it’s my temperament.’ …

“I have heard the most covetous and selfish, when reproved for these sins, urge the excuse, ‘It’s natural. I was taught to be so.’ O, what an excuse for a Christian, ‘It’s natural.’

  • ‘It’s natural’ to give way to a passionate temper.
  • ‘It’s natural’ to indulge in pride.
  • ‘It’s natural’ to be covetous and selfish.

“Let me ask you professed Christian, are you going into heaven with all these ‘natural’ infirmities unsubdued? No, never! Heaven will not be marred with the presence of any with ‘natural’ infirmities.

“Well since these infirmities must be overcome, what shall we do?

  • Shall we excuse ourselves by saying ‘It’s natural?’ or
  • shall we rather go about the work earnestly to subdue self, and
  • take the steps necessary to be taken, to accomplish the object?

“ ‘It’s natural’ is the excuse that comes from a carnal heart. The axe has not been laid at the root of the tree. There has not been a thorough acquaintance with the heart, and poisonous weeds that choke every good growth have been permitted to flourish there. These evils must be rooted out, these besetments overcome, or lose heaven.

“Look to the rock that is higher than you, plead with God in secret prayer for grace. All these ‘natural’ infirmities can be overcome by grace. But the ‘natural,’ carnal, heart is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be. If the carnal mind is subdued, you will not hear so frequently, ‘It’s natural.’

  • Satan loves to hear this.
  • His angels rejoice that you have not grace sufficient to overcome ‘natural’ infirmities.
  • They triumph at these words, ‘It’s natural.’

“But Jesus says, ‘my grace is sufficient for you.’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). Yes it is sufficient to overcome and subdue the ‘natural,’ carnal, heart.

“Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation (Mark 14:38). Earnest, fervent prayer will avail much when tempted to speak wrong. Say not a word until you first pray, then watch with all your powers. Set a watch before the door of your lips. Jesus knows just how hard you try to overcome, and His all-sufficient grace will be imparted, and with holy trust, you may rejoice in your Redeemer Who giveth you the victory.” The Youth’s Instructor, November 1, 1857. [All emphasis author’s.]

What is Freedom? Are We Free?

There are some people in the United States of America who do not know the reason for the 4th of July celebration and from whom they gained independence. Many Americans are ignorant of their historical roots.

The Bible deals with three aspects of liberty and it would be wise to consider whether we truly have liberty and freedom in our own lives. It is possible to experience liberty even in the midst of lawlessness when our civil liberties are taken from us.

God has told His church that what was not done when there was opportunity in times of peace would have to be done under terrible conditions and even persecution.

The two founding documents of the United States are the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Notice in the following quotation that Ellen White lumps these two together because the Constitution is based upon the principles in the Declaration of Independence. If you attack one, you attack the other. She says, “In that grand old document which our forefathers set forth as their bill of rights—the Declaration of Independence—they declared: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ And the Constitution guarantees, in the most explicit terms, the inviolability of conscience: ‘No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.’ ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ ” The Great Controversy, 295.

We always think of the Bill of Rights as the amendments to the constitution, but here these rights are tied in with the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Christians will have to exercise their freedom of conscience when challenged personally over what God’s law says and what saith the state, called the image to the beast. “It (freedom of conscience) is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate. Congressional documents (U.S.A.), serial No. 200, document No. 271.” Ibid., 295.

Liberties will be eroded, but true liberty comes from God. The psalmist said, “I will walk at liberty for I seek Thy precepts” (Psalm 119:45). Here David is referring to God’s law. Those who seek to know truth and obey God’s law walk in liberty. Precepts here means commandments. In the book of Psalms, particularly Psalm 119, God’s law, His ten commandments, are referred to in many different phrases and words such as precepts, or testimonies, or a law, word, or commandments.

While a fugitive, being hunted by Saul like a wild animal, David could still walk at liberty in his own heart. He could have freedom, knowing he was right with God, even though his personal rights were being taken from him.

The apostle James said that true freedom, or liberty, comes from walking in obedience to God’s law. He said, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:25 KJV). The apostle James calls the law a law of freedom.

Why would God’s law be seen as or described as a law of liberty? An examination of the ten commandments reveals that they were divided and written on two tables of stone, the first four on the first table of stone and the last six on the second table. God knew that the principles governing man’s relationship to Himself and to each other would have to be distinct and separate from one another, just as state and church are to be separate from one another.

The state has been given the responsibility of enforcing the last six commandments that deal with man’s responsibility to his fellow man, but religion has its part in the first table of the law, which deals with man’s relationship with God. The government has no right to infringe upon the first four commandments, which is why they were put on a separate table.

We also notice that within the commandments there are eight commandments of omission and two of commission. In eight commandments God reveals behaviors that are to be eliminated from each life. Freedom would be experienced if adultery, lying, stealing, and coveting other people’s things were eliminated. Many people think that keeping God’s law puts you in bondage, but that is just the opposite of what the Bible says.

An illustration was given of a pastor who asked a man who was smoking for a cigarette. The man had previously accused the minister of being in bondage to the law. On receiving it he put it into his mouth and asked for the lighter. When the lighter was about an inch away from his cigarette he said, “Nah!” He took the cigarette out of his mouth and gave back both the cigarette and lighter.

Then he said to the man, “Now, you do the same. I want you to put it down and never touch it again.”

“Oh, I can’t do that,” said the man.

“No!” said the pastor. “Who is really in bondage?”

You see, if anything has control of your life that does not give freedom and peace in your heart, then you are not at liberty. God’s law is a law of liberty. He says that if you omit the disruptive things from your life and then add the two commandments of commission, the Sabbath and give honor to your father and mother, then your days may be long on the land which the Lord gives you. You will experience complete freedom in your life. No matter what outward force may come against you, you will walk at liberty.

We have been told and can already see evidence that God’s law is going to be challenged in our own country and around the world, but we need not fear, for God is sovereign over all and still in charge.

James 2:10–12, literal translation says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ said also, ‘Do not kill.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but if you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.” God’s law, the law of freedom, will one day judge us. Though you have complete freedom to do whatever you want to in this world, there are always consequences to doing what is contrary to God’s law.

The book The Man That Couldn’t Be Killed is a true story of a man who became a Seventh-day Adventist under Mao Se Tung, the late dictator in China. In his attempt to eradicate all religion, Mao Se Tung sent him to Siberia where the prisoners were forced to make the own prison. While it was being constructed, their accommodation was in caves. There was no need of barbed wire fences because any escape would mean certain death due to their isolation. Refusing to eat the pork that was served, he gave his portion to another prisoner. When the guards found out that he was refusing it, they held him down and shoved pork down his throat. Returning to his room, he stuck his finger in his mouth and gagged himself until the pork was regurgitated.

It would have been easy for him to eat it, as there was nothing else, but he could not do that because, though he was a prisoner, he was walking in God’s freedom. God wants to put us in perfect, total control of ourselves, where, if offered something that is appealing to our sinful human nature but contrary to God’s will, we will not accept it. We must be able to be trusted to be taken to heaven. Unless tried, how can God know who will give Him allegiance under every circumstance.

When we acknowledge our sins and defects of character and turn to Christ for the remedy, we will find that the law is not a law of bondage, but a law of freedom. God’s law is good. “Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin’ ” (John 8:34).

Friends, if you are enslaved to anything you eat, or drink, or to some activity you are engaged in, whether it be your cell phone, your Facebook account and you can’t get away from them, you are not free. Just try laying it aside for a week or two and see how you feel. National Public Radio did a study of everybody in their office, charging them not to look at Facebook for a week. There were some who could not last a couple of hours. In fact, two days is the most any went. Friends, do not be enslaved to anything in this world but experience complete freedom in Jesus.

Jesus said, “ ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed’ ” (John 8:34–36).

There is freedom in Christ. Does your temper enslave you? Do you find yourself impatient, or are you enslaved to evil thoughts? The devil wants to keep you enslaved to the habits you have formed over your life. Many people are enslaved to the bitterness of their own hearts. All they can talk about are the wrongs that somebody did to them in the past. Are you enslaved to those past experiences? Paul said, “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14).

The bitterness connected to being enslaved to the past will defile your own heart. Jesus said, “The Son will make you free” (John 8:36). All desire liberty, but few understand how to get it. In John 8:31 Jesus told the Jews that believed Him that they were enslaved with unbelief. They had hatred in their hearts and harbored jealous feelings. They were envious of Jesus’ ministry. Are these same things also in our lives?

God wants to give us liberty. Speaking about the year of Jubilee, it says in Leviticus 25:10, “And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.”

The famous landmark in the United States with this text written on the very top is the Liberty Bell, which became a rallying cry for slaves. Liberty was being proclaimed throughout all the land and the slaves said, “Hey, we are not free, and this is what you are proclaiming from the word of God?” They also wanted freedom.

“True liberty and independence are found in the service of God. His service will place upon you no restriction that will not increase your happiness.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 88. It is not going to create unhappiness in your life when you are restricted from eating or drinking something, or thinking something, or participating in some activity contrary to God’s will, but it will increase your happiness in the service of God.

“In complying with His requirements, you will find a peace, contentment, and enjoyment that you can never have in the path of wild license and sin.” Ibid. You can not have peace, contentment, and enjoyment when you give yourself up to your own carnal, sinful nature. “Then study well the nature of the liberty you desire. Is it the liberty of the sons of God, to be free in Christ Jesus? or do you call the selfish indulgence of base passions freedom? Such liberty carries with it the heaviest remorse; it is the cruelest bondage.” Ibid.

There are terrible consequences of doing whatever you want without restraint.

Another interesting dichotomy of liberty is found in Daniel 6. It was the envy and jealousy of the governors of Persia that caused them to find an occasion against Daniel to go and tell the king that this man was unfaithful. How much did they find with Daniel to substantiate their claim? Not even one thing. They had to find something Daniel did that would be contrary to the king’s law. So they made a law that no one could pray to any god except the king for 30 days. Daniel was not fazed; he did not change the way he prayed to his God.  Three times a day, as his custom was, he opened his windows toward Jerusalem, and there he prayed (see Daniel 6:10). Daniel experienced perfect freedom, even though there was a law in force to restrict it. He experienced liberty and was in perfect freedom with Christ.

Joseph in Egypt was a slave working for Potiphar. Resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife resulted in his being thrown in jail. However, he was still free in his heart, even though he was incarcerated and his liberty had been taken away.

Another aspect of freedom is found in 2 Corinthians 3. This describes the difference between the Spirit of life and the spirit of the letter of the law. Notice in verse 17, it says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

In John 16 we are told a few things the Holy Spirit does in our lives that sets us free. He says, “Nevertheless I [Jesus] tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper, the Spirit, will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He is come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:7, 8). There is liberating theology within this one text.

When the Holy Spirit comes and convinces of sin and that sin is confessed, there is freedom and liberty. The Holy Spirit then convicts of righteousness, to do what is right, and of judgment. There are consequences for sin and there may be some fixing up to do. The new birth experience is a process of liberty; it is freedom.

There is another function of the Holy Spirit: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come” (verse 13). The Spirit will guide you into truth. Truth is liberating. The opposite of truth is deception—error and lies. Truth will set you free from old deceptions. You cannot deceive God.

God said in Genesis 2:15 and 16 that if you eat of this tree you will die. In chapter 3 verses 1–3, the devil says the opposite of what God said in chapter 2. That was a lie. Eve deceived herself into believing that what the serpent said was actually true, that she would become like God, knowing good and evil. It is amazing that the devil can tell us just the opposite of what God’s word tells us, and we believe it as truth.

People deceive themselves all the time. If God says, “Don’t commit adultery,” somehow people have a text of Scripture to back up why it is acceptable. If God says, “Don’t lie,” they have a reason why they need to lie, some using Rahab as a reason why it is acceptable to lie in certain situations, when the Spirit of Prophecy says there is no situation under the heavens where we can lie. Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

If you know the truth and obey it, you will no longer be deceived. In The Great Controversy, 277, it says, “The spirit of liberty went with the Bible. Wherever the gospel was received, the minds of the people were awakened. They began to cast off the shackles that had held them bondslaves of ignorance, vice, and superstition.” These were shackles of ignorance. There were people in the time of Martin Luther who believed that if they paid for indulgences they would receive a little piece of paper saying their sins were forgiven. Martin Luther was outraged at this and preached what the Bible says—that you have to confess your sins to Jesus and have faith in Him and be forgiven. But they said, “No, I like my piece of paper better.” They were deceived; they were bond slaves of ignorance, vice and many other things. When the Spirit of Liberty went with the Bible, it set them free from all their superstitions. No longer would they believe that their departed little loved one was floating out on the fireflies at night in the summer wind. “They began to think and act as men. Monarchs saw it, and trembled for their despotism.” Ibid.

In The Review and Herald, December 14, 1911, we are told: “It was not the apostle’s work to overturn arbitrarily or suddenly the established order of society. To attempt this would be to prevent the success of the gospel.” This was referring to the slavery in the Roman Empire. Two thirds of the population were slaves and the other one third were the owners of the slaves. Paul’s work to overturn this arbitrarily would not have worked. “But he taught principles which struck at the very foundation of slavery, and which, if carried into effect, would surely undermine the whole system. ‘Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty’ (2 Corinthians 3:17).” Ibid.

When the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from this earth, slavery and bondage will take its place. Ignorance, vice, and superstition will return with falsehood, deception and lies. We see this happening today, which tells us that the Spirit of God is being gradually withdrawn from this earth.

In Luke 4:18, Jesus, quoting from Isaiah 61, described His mission. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance (liberty) to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed … .” Christ’s main reason in coming to this world was to give us freedom, freedom from sin and deception. He came to bring truth. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).

“Through yielding to sin, man placed his will under the control of Satan. He became a helpless captive in the tempter’s power. God sent His Son into our world to break the power of Satan, and to emancipate the will of man.” Our High Calling, 104. To emancipate is to give freedom.

Dare to be a Daniel or a Joseph. They determined to do right even though they knew the consequences were dire. They would rather maintain their relationship with God through prayer and be thrown into a den of lions or into prison. That is being free in this world. God wants us to be able to stand fast in the liberty that Christ has given us to make us free. It is up to you and me whether we choose that freedom or not.

Just think what it would have been if there were not some men who were willing to sign that Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin said, “Well, if we don’t hang together, we’ll hang separately.” And there were some men who were willing to do that and put their names on the document, whether or not it would cost them their lives. That is what is at stake in our world. These brave men pledged everything and we must do the same if we are looking for an eternal inheritance.

All quotes NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Mike Bauler was ordained into the ministry in 2005 and serves as pastor of the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. Prior to locating in Portland, Pastor Bauler served as a Bible worker for Steps to Life Ministries. His goal is to help give the gospel to the greater Portland area with an emphasis in helping his Bible students discover the truths in Bible prophecy, which are so often neglected today. His wife, Amanda, a family nurse practitioner, and their daughters assist him in his ministry.