Category: bible study

Reading Time: 8 minutes

“God has a way to make people right, and it has nothing to do with the law. He has now shown us that new way, which the law and the prophets told us about. God makes people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe in Christ. Everyone is the same. All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ. God gave Jesus as a way to forgive people’s sins through their faith in him. God can forgive them because the blood sacrifice of Jesus pays for their sins. God gave Jesus to show that he always does what is right and fair. He was right in the past when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins. And in our own time he still does what is right. God worked all this out in a way that allows him to judge people fairly and still make right any person who has faith in Jesus. (Rom 3:21-26, ERV)

Romans chapter three stands as one of the clearest revelations of the plan of salvation in all Scripture. It begins in darkness and ends in light. It starts with man’s hopeless condition and ends with God’s glorious remedy. Paul takes away every human excuse, strips away every claim of self-righteousness, and then points us to Jesus Christ as the only hope for a lost world. The chapter can be summarized in four simple truths. 1. All are guilty. 2. The law cannot save. 3. Christ has paid the price. 4. Salvation is received by faith.

The Universal Problem: All Have Sinned

Paul’s argument reaches its climax in Romans 3:10:

“There is none righteous, no, not one.”

The verdict is universal. It does not matter whether one is Jew or Gentile, religious or irreligious, educated or uneducated. Heaven’s courtroom reaches the same conclusion concerning every human being: all have sinned.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

The problem is not merely that we occasionally commit wrong actions. Sin has affected the entire human family. We have fallen short of God’s glory, His character, and His perfect standard of righteousness. This truth is difficult for our human pride to accept. We naturally compare ourselves with other people. Yet God does not compare us with one another. He compares us with His own holiness. Measured against that standard, every person stands condemned.

The plan of salvation cannot be appreciated until we first understand the seriousness of our condition. A physician cannot heal someone who refuses to admit he is sick. Likewise, Christ cannot save those who feel no need of salvation.

The Purpose of the Law

Paul then explains the role of God’s law:

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).

The law was never given as a ladder by which sinners could climb into heaven. The law functions as a mirror. A mirror reveals dirt on the face, but it cannot remove it. God’s law reveals His character and exposes our sinfulness. Our need. It points out the disease but cannot provide the cure.

Many people spend their lives trying to earn acceptance with God through good works, religious ceremonies, moral improvement, or sincere effort. Yet Romans 3 declares that no one can be justified through law-keeping. The law can diagnose the problem, but only Christ can provide the remedy.

The law says, “You are guilty.” The gospel says, “Jesus has paid your debt.” The law points us to our need. The gospel points us to our Savior.

The Great Turning Point: “But Now”

One of the most beautiful phrases in Scripture appears in Romans 3:21:

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested.”

Those two words, “But now,” change everything. After exposing the guilt of the entire world, Paul suddenly directs our attention away from ourselves and toward God. Humanity has no solution. Heaven provides one. The righteousness that sinners need is not something they produce. It is something God provides. The gospel is not primarily about what we do for God. It is about what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. This righteousness was foretold throughout the Old Testament. The sacrifices, the sanctuary, the priesthood, and the prophecies all pointed forward to Christ. What the law and the prophets anticipated, Jesus fulfilled.

Righteousness Through Faith

“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Romans 3:22).

Notice that salvation comes through faith. Faith is not merely agreeing with certain facts. Biblical faith is trusting ourselves entirely to Christ. It is accepting His righteousness instead of presenting our own. The sinner stands before God with empty hands. Faith says: “I cannot save myself.” “I cannot earn forgiveness.” “I cannot manufacture righteousness.” “But I believe Jesus can save me completely.”

This is why boasting is excluded. No one will stand in heaven praising himself. Every redeemed soul will praise Christ alone. The plan of salvation leaves no room for pride because salvation is entirely a gift of grace.

The Cost of Redemption

Romans 3:24 says: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Free to us did not mean cheap to God. Our redemption required the sacrifice of heaven’s greatest treasure. Jesus entered our world, lived the life we should have lived, and died the death we deserved to die. Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. It was at Calvary, where mercy and justice met together.

“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:25).

The cross demonstrates two great truths simultaneously. First, it reveals how serious sin really is. Sin is so terrible that nothing less than the death of the Son of God could atone for it. Second, it reveals how much God loves sinners. He was willing to pay the infinite cost necessary to save them. At the cross we see God’s justice and God’s love embracing one another.

The Just and the Justifier

One of the most profound statements in Romans appears in Rom 3:26:

“That he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

God did not save sinners by ignoring His law. He did not set aside justice. He did not lower His standard. Instead, Christ satisfied the claims of justice on behalf of humanity. Because Jesus bore the penalty of sin, God can remain perfectly just while extending mercy to those who believe. The cross solved the greatest problem in the universe: How can a holy God save guilty sinners without compromising His righteousness? The answer is Jesus.

Romans 3:26 is one of the greatest summaries of the gospel ever written because it answers a question that has echoed throughout the great controversy between Christ and Satan: How can God forgive sinners and still remain perfectly righteous? If God simply excused sin, His law would lose its authority and justice would be compromised. Yet if justice alone were allowed to operate, the entire human race would perish. At the cross, God demonstrated that His law is unchangeable and that His love is immeasurable.

Jesus bore the penalty that justice demanded so that mercy could be extended to all who believe. In Christ’s sacrifice, God proved Himself to be both “just”—faithful to His holy character and law—and “the justifier”—the One who declares repentant sinners righteous. The cross therefore reveals not a conflict between justice and mercy, but their perfect harmony. Satan had charged that God could not be both loving and just.

Calvary forever answered that accusation. There, before the watching universe, God showed that He would rather bear the penalty of sin Himself than abandon those He came to save.

This paragraph also provides a natural bridge into the Great Controversy theme by showing that Romans 3:26 is not merely about individual salvation, but about God’s vindication before the universe as well.

The plan of salvation is not merely a doctrine to admire. It is an invitation to receive. A personal lived experience to be a part of. Every believer must come to the place where Paul brings us in Romans 3:

No confidence in self. No dependence upon works. No trust in personal merit. Complete dependence upon Christ. When we accept Jesus by faith, His righteousness becomes ours. His victory becomes our victory. His standing before the Father becomes our standing before the Father. The believer does not work in order to be saved. The believer works because he has been saved. Obedience becomes the fruit of salvation, not the root or means of salvation.

Romans 3 reveals the entire gospel in just a few verses: We are sinners. The law reveals our guilt. Christ paid our debt. God offers righteousness as a gift. Faith receives what grace provides. The sinner who trusts Christ stands forgiven, justified, and accepted before God.

“The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, is a precious thought.” (Faith and Works 18)

“The moment a sinner accepts Christ by faith, that moment they are pardoned. The righteousness of Christ is imputed to them, and they are no more to doubt God’s forgiving grace.” (1 SM 392)

These statements capture the central message of Romans 3. Salvation is not earned. It is received. Righteousness is not achieved. It is given. Forgiveness is not purchased by human effort. It is granted through faith in Jesus Christ.

Today the same invitation still stands. The cross remains sufficient. The blood of Christ still cleanses. The righteousness of Christ is still available. The grace of God is still extended to every repentant sinner.

The question is not whether Christ has provided salvation. The question is whether we will receive it.

“The Experience of Salvation

In infinite love and mercy God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might be made the righteousness of God. Led by the Holy Spirit we sense our need, acknowledge our sinfulness, repent of our transgressions, and exercise faith in Jesus as Saviour and Lord, Substitute and Example. This saving faith comes through the divine power of the Word and is the gift of God’s grace. Through Christ we are justified, adopted as God’s sons and daughters, and delivered from the lordship of sin. Through the Spirit we are born again and sanctified; the Spirit renews our minds, writes God’s law of love in our hearts, and we are given the power to live a holy life. Abiding in Him we become partakers of the divine nature and have the assurance of salvation now and in the judgment.”

Gen 3:15; Isa 45:22; Isa 53:1-12; Jer 31:31-34; Eze 33:11; Eze 36:25-27; Hab 2:4; Mar 9:23-24; Joh 3:3-8; Joh 3:16; Joh 16:8; Rom 3:21-26; Rom 8:1-4; Rom 8:14-17; Rom 5:6-10; Rom 10:17; Rom 12:2; 2 Co 5:17-21; Gal 1:4; Gal 3:13-14; Gal 3:26; Gal 4:4-7; Eph 2:4-10; Col 1:13-14; Tit 3:3-7; Heb 8:7-12; 1 Pe 1:23; 1 Pe 2:21-22; 2 Pe 1:3-4; Rev 13:8.) [Adventist Fundamental Belief #10]

We have been made right with God because of our faith. So we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:1, ERV)

Faith is not the ground of our salvation, but it is the great blessing–the eye that sees, the ear that hears, the feet that run, the hand that grasps. It is the means, not the end. If Christ gave His life to save sinners, why shall I not take that blessing? My faith grasps it, and thus my faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. Thus resting and believing, I have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. {6BC 1073.9}

“We live by what we believe will happen, not by what we can see.”(2 Cor 5:7, ERV)

The story of three men illustrates the nature of faith nicely:

“Three men were walking on a wall. Feeling. Faith and Fact. When Feeling had an awful fall, and Faith was taken back. Fact remained and brought Faith back. And Faith brought Feeling too.”

Faith and feeling are as distinct as the east is from the west. Faith is not dependent on feeling. We must earnestly cry to God in faith, feeling or no feeling, and then live our prayers. Our assurance and evidence is God’s word, and after we have asked we must believe without doubting. I praise Thee, O God, I praise Thee. Thou hast not failed me in the performance of Thy word. Thou has revealed Thyself unto me, and I am Thine to do Thy will {6BC 1073.10}

May we come to Jesus with nothing in our hands, trusting wholly in His merits, and discover for ourselves the glorious truth revealed in Romans chapter three: that God is both “just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

Reading Time: 5 minutes

“So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.” (2 Corinthians 2:8, ESV)

There are few things more difficult than continuing to love someone who has deeply disappointed me. It is often easier to forgive in theory than to forgive, as well as reaffirm love in practice. I may say the right words, yet keep my distance. I may stop condemning someone while still withholding encouragement, kindness, or acceptance. I can think of times where I did that.

Paul wrote the words of our opening text here to believers who had already confronted a member of their church about some serious wrongdoing. The correction had done its work. Now Paul urged them not to leave the repentant person standing outside in shame. Instead, they were to reaffirm their love. They were to make their forgiveness visible. Bring the person back into unfeigned fellowship.

I am finding that this challenge reaches into everyday life. It touches family disagreements, strained friendships, workplace conflicts, church misunderstandings, and even small offenses that happen in ordinary conversations. And, when someone admits a mistake, do I continue to treat them as guilty, or do I help them experience restoration? When someone stumbles and then turns back to God, do I keep reminding them of their failure, or do I remind them of God’s grace?

I can forgive someone and still keep them at a distance. I can stop speaking about their failure while continuing to remember it every time I see them. I can say, “I forgive you,” yet never fully welcome them back into my confidence, friendship, or fellowship.

The believers in Corinth faced that very temptation. A man had done something wrong. The church had dealt with the matter. The discipline had accomplished its purpose. The man had repented. Yet Paul saw a danger. The church might continue treating him as though he were still defined by his past. So Paul urged them

“I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.”

Notice that Paul did not simply say, “Forgive him.” He told them to “reaffirm” their love. Forgiveness needed to become visible. The repentant man needed more than the absence of condemnation; he needed the presence of acceptance.

Jesus showed what reaffirmed love looks like after Peter denied Him three times. Beside the Sea of Galilee, Jesus did not merely forgive Peter; He restored him, asking three times, “Do you love me?” and then recommissioning him for service (John 21:15-17). Peter was not left under a cloud of suspicion. Christ reaffirmed His love and confidence in him.

I am finding that this is exactly how Jesus deals with me.

“…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! The Lord does not reluctantly receive repentant sinners. He welcomes them. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, He sees them “afar off.” He runs to meet them. Embrace them, and restores them to fellowship. (Luke 15:20-24).

As I reflect on these things, I realize that reaffirming love is one of the clearest ways to reveal the character of Jesus. Anyone can remember a person’s failures. Christ teaches us to remember His grace. Anyone can keep a record of wrongs. Love “keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:5, NIV). Neither will the true follower of Jesus Christ. Anyone can hold someone at arm’s length. Christ invites us all to draw near with the same mercy He has shown to us.

Today, let us ask God to help us not only to forgive, but also reaffirm our love to someone who needs it. You may know someone who needs a kind word, a restored friendship, an encouraging conversation, or a fresh expression of acceptance. As Christ has loved us, may we demonstrate that same restoring love to others.

“The Lord is waiting to manifest through His people His grace and power. But He requires that those who engage in His service shall keep their minds ever directed to Him. Every day they should have time for reading the Word of God and for prayer.{AG 276.2}

Individually we are to walk and talk with God; then the sacred influence of the gospel of Christ in all its preciousness will appear in our lives. {AG 276.3}

There is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian. What a man is has more influence than what he says. {AG 276.4}

The officers who were sent to Jesus came back with the report that never man spoke as He spoke. But the reason for this was that never man lived as He lived. Had His life been other than it was, He could not have spoken as He did. His words bore with them a convincing power, because they came from a heart pure and holy, full of love and sympathy, benevolence and truth. {AG 276.5}

It is our own character and experience that determine our influence upon others. In order to convince others of the power of Christ’s grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives. The gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the gospel by which our own souls are saved. Only through a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour is it possible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. If we would draw sinners out of the swift-running current, our own feet must be firmly set upon the Rock, Christ Jesus. {AG 276.6}

The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man with God. By the power of His grace manifested in the transformation of character the world is to be convinced that God has sent His Son as its Redeemer. No other influence that can surround the human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish life. The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian. {AG 276.7}”

Praise God! Forgiveness removes the debt; reaffirmed love restores the relationship.

When God forgives, He does not merely cancel the record of our sins; He draws us back into fellowship with Himself. In the same way, genuine Christian forgiveness is more than releasing someone from what they owe us. It seeks, whenever possible, to restore the bond that was broken. This is what Paul urged in 2 Corinthians 2:8 when he pleaded with the church to “reaffirm your love” toward the repentant believer. Forgiveness says, “I will not hold this against you.” Reaffirmed love says, “I still want you near me.” And it’s worth noting here how the cross is what brings us near to Him, regardless of how “afar off” we are. (Eph 2:13)

We see this wonderful truth in Christ’s treatment of Peter after his denial. Jesus not only forgave Peter but restored him to friendship and service. As the Bible declares

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32, ESV).

The question might be asked

“Am I living like this today? Am I reflecting Christ to others like this?”

Today, there may be someone in your world who already knows they are forgiven but they wonder if they are still loved. Ask God to show you who needs a word of encouragement like this. A sincere gesture of acceptance, or an invitation back into friendship/fellowship. Christ did not merely erase your debt; He welcomed you back into His heart. By reaffirming your love to others, you become a living witness of that same redeeming grace.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for not treating me according to my failures. For not treating anyone “as they truly deserve.” Where would any of us be if you treated us as we deserve? Thank you for Jesus who was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as he deserves. Thank You for Your patient, restoring love. Teach me to forgive as You forgive and to reaffirm my love toward those who have stumbled or offended. Help me to reflect the grace of Jesus in my home, my church, and my daily relationships. May others see in me the same mercy You have shown to me is my prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reading Time: 6 minutes

“I, the LORD, will teach your children, and they will have real peace.” (ISA 54:13 ERV)

I could probably just stop here and call this my message.

“The Lord Will Teach Your Children”

I recall anxiously wondering what my children were up to when the days came that they could be out of my sight,and able to decide what they were doing and where they were. Being a Christian parent, I added to that stress worrying about this standard or that standard that they might be abandoning. And what kind of trouble was it leading to? Late night calls from friends and hearing police in the back ground arresting one of my children. Standing by the bedside of one of my children in the hospital emergency department. He tried to commit suicide. He had over dosed on Cocaine and a few other things. Doctors were worried his heart would stop. I kept telling him I loved him. I wasn’t mad at him. I just wanted him to fight this so we could try again to do things better.

When I got home that night, I turned on the outside light at the door they would normally enter whenever they did come home. If they came home. I remember saying to God:

“Father, I am leaving the light on for them. Please let them be OK and come home. Even if just for a visit.”

The rest of this message talks a bit about what I meant by

“leaving the light on.”

We are talking about something for them to depend upon. Something to count on. Some day.

Parents of teenagers can easily become discouraged when conversations turn into arguments, values are questioned, and the children they once guided so closely seem to be pulling away. Isaiah 54:13 offers a promise that reaches beyond a parent’s abilities:

“I, the LORD, will teach your children, and they will have real peace.”

For a parent struggling with a teenager, Isaiah 54:13 offers both a responsibility and a relief:

“I, the LORD, will teach your children, and they will have real peace.”

God is not asking parents to stop teaching, praying for, encouraging, or lovingly influencing their children in spiritual matters. Or, anything else. In fact, these are sacred duties entrusted to all parents. But there comes a point when every parent discovers the limits of their human influence. A mother or father can present truth, but they cannot make a child believe it. They can point the way to Christ, but they cannot force a heart to follow Him.

The hardest lesson for parents is learning to surrender the outcome to God. When I left the light on at the back door that night, that was my way of finally saying to Jesus

“please take over Lord. Guide and direct and keep them safe.”

The real question for me then was:

“Whom will I trust more? My own ability to manage and control, or God’s ability to teach and lead my child?”

When parents faithfully do their part and then place their children into God’s hands, they can find peace in knowing that the One who understands every struggle, temptation, and hidden burden of their child’s heart has promised to be their Teacher. Any weakness or failure on the part of the parent/s doesn’t matter once Jesus takes over. The God who calls parents to influence their children is the same God who asks them to trust Him with what only He can do.

Like that night when I left the light on, maybe parents today could rededicate their children to God once they get older and have a mind of their own? Many churches or parents have some kind of dedication for their baby/infant children. A baby dedication is fundamentally an act of parental surrender. The parents acknowledge that the child ultimately belongs to God and that they need His wisdom and grace in raising that child.

The irony is that this surrender is often easier when the child is an infant, because the future challenges are still largely unknown. The teenage years can expose whether that dedication was merely ceremonial or whether it reflected a continuing reality of the parents trusting God with the raising and nurturing of their children. In this respect, there may be great value in parents having a renewed dedication of some kind. Not necessarily in a public church service, but in a private and deliberate act before God. Just between the parent and God at home. In private. They could consciously place their teenager into God’s hands again, acknowledging both their ongoing responsibility to influence and their inability to control. And there would be nothing wrong with daily dedicating our children to God. Acknowledging to Creator who is really in charge. This pattern is seen throughout the Bible.

Hannah first dedicated Samuel to the Lord before he was born (1 Samuel 1:11), but she then had to continue surrendering him year after year as she watched God lead his life.

Abraham’s experience on Mount Moriah was also a form of renewed dedication. God was not asking Abraham to stop being a father; He was asking Abraham to release his claim of ownership and trust God’s purposes for Isaac.

There is a powerful connection here to the promise of Isaiah 54:13:

“All thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”

The verse focuses on the children receiving peace through being TAUGHT BY GOD. And praise God! Any parent who truly believes that promise in Isa 54:13 will often receive that same peace as well. The Bible says we reap what we sow. The parent will receive that same peace, not because every problem immediately disappears, but because the burden shifts from “I must make this work” to “God is teaching my child. I can trust God better and bigger than me, to teach my loved one.”

The parent’s peace grows in proportion to their trust in God’s ability to do what they cannot. Perhaps a simple prayer of dedication for a parent of teenagers might be:

“Creator God, this child ______ is Yours before he/she is mine. I will continue to love, teach, pray, counsel, and set an example, of a loving and lovable parent; but now I surrender my need to control the outcome. Fulfill Your promise to teach my child. Open his/her heart to Your voice, lead him in Your paths, and give him/her the peace that comes from knowing You. (John 14:27). Please, give me peace as I trust You to do what I cannot.”

Such a prayer does not end parental involvement; it redefines it. The parent remains faithful in influence while entrusting the transformation of the heart to God. That may be one of the deepest lessons hidden within Isaiah 54:13. For both the child and the parent to become students in the school of Christ.

One Christian writer sums it up like this:

“God will work with power when in trustful dependence upon Him parents will awake to the sacred responsibility resting upon them…” (Adventist Home 206)

“Let us make a solemn consecration of ourselves and our children to God. They are the property of God, and they are to be trained for His service.” (MS vol. 25, p. 62 (MR No. 1798)

Now is the time for parents to just “leave the light on.”

In a world where many parents carry heavy burdens for wandering, struggling, or distant children, the call is simple. Keep the light on. Not merely in the parent’s heart. But in a way the child knows it is there. Let them know that no matter how far they wander, they are loved, prayed for, and welcome to come home. Welcome in your heart and in your life. They need to trust that there is always something there for them that they can trust. Let them know that the door remains open, that forgiveness is available. Treat them like royalty. Parents, show by your actions that there is always a place for them in the family and before God.

The light that is left on for our children through the darkest night may become a quiet testimony of hope. Something that everyone will look back on with joy. Knowing God was there all the time. Just like He was with His own Son, even when Jesus died on the cross.

The light you leave on for your children can be an assurance that when they are ready to return, they will not be met with rejection, but with grace. Just as our heavenly Father continually leaves the light on for His children, (through His promises) parents can reflect His heart by maintaining a steady, visible witness of love, faith, and welcome until the day their child chooses to come home.

Perhaps your children are still at home. The light can still be left on for them too. Leaving the light on is more than an act of waiting; it is a symbol of unwavering faith, love, and hope. It reflects the heart of God, who never ceases to extend His promises and invitation to His children, no matter how dark their path may become.

For parents of wandering children, the light they leave on represents the assurance that home, forgiveness, and acceptance remain available when they are ready to return.

And this principle is not limited to children who have left home. Children who are still under a parent’s roof also need the light left on for them. A consistent example of prayer, godly character, encouragement, and trust in God’s promises. Whether near or far, every child benefits from knowing there is a place where faith is lived, love is constant, and the way back to God is always illuminated.

All parents can be rest assured that God will teach their children.

If we parents leave the light on, they will see it.

Reading Time: 10 minutes

“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.”(Psalms 4:1 KJV)

Want to hear a strange testimony? There are certain testimonies that everyone understands. “I was sick, and God healed me.” “I was in trouble, and God delivered me.” “I was in need, and God provided.” These are wonderful testimonies. They reveal God’s power and His love for His children. But the psalmist, David, gives a different testimony. He does not simply say, “God delivered me from distress.” He says,

“Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” (Psalms 4:1)

Not after the distress. Not before the distress! But during the distress, God did a new thing. A big thing. This is such a remarkable testimony. Distress normally narrows our lives. It limits our options. It confines us. It holds us still in one place, often it places us in situations we would never choose. Yet David says that the very thing that seemed to restrict him became the means by which God enlarged him.

Friends, the things that appear to bind us are often the very things God uses to set us free. The things we call chains, God sometimes calls wings. The title of our message today could very well be called

“My Fetters Are Wings.”

As human beings, we naturally associate enlargement with increase. More resources. More opportunities. More strength. More freedom. But God often enlarges His children through the opposite process. He enlarged Joseph through slavery. He enlarged Moses through exile. He enlarged David through persecution. He enlarged Daniel through captivity. He enlarged Paul through imprisonment. Again and again God permits circumstances that appear restrictive because He sees something we cannot see.

A bird’s wings become strong by pushing against resistance. A tree’s roots grow deep during drought. Gold is purified in fire. Faith matures through trial.

God’s purpose is not merely to make our circumstances comfortable. His purpose is to prepare a people fit for eternity. This is especially important as we consider the closing scenes of earth’s history. The great controversy between Christ and Satan has always centered on one question:

“Can God produce a people who will remain loyal to Him under every circumstance?”

In Eden, Adam and Eve obeyed while everything was perfect. In the final generation, God’s people will obey when everything around them is collapsing. The issue has never been mere outward obedience. The issue is trust. Will God’s people trust Him when they cannot buy or sell? Will they trust Him when public opinion turns against them? Will they trust Him when earthly support disappears? Will they trust Him when they must live entirely by faith?

The final crisis is not designed by God to destroy His people. It is designed to reveal what His grace can accomplish within His people. What appears to be their greatest restriction will become their greatest enlargement.

The Bible does mention an all nighter.  An east wind that blew all night. Recall Israel at the Red Sea. Exodus 14 tells us that “the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night.” The people were trapped. Mountains on either side. The sea before them. Pharaoh behind them. To human eyes there was no future. Yet God was already working. Notice that the wind blew “all night.” Not just for a moment. Not for an hour. But all night.

The longest nights in a believer’s experience are often the nights when God is preparing a path that we cannot yet see. The people saw only darkness. God saw a highway. The people saw a barrier. God saw a doorway. The people saw the sea. God saw dry ground. Likewise, the final generation just before Jesus comes again will experience what appears to be a very long night of trouble.

Yet while darkness covers the earth, the Spirit of God will be preparing the way for final deliverance. The night itself will become part of the miracle. Perhaps nowhere is this principle more beautifully illustrated than in Daniel 3. God’s people set free by the fiery furnace. Jesus in the fire heated times seven right there in the flames. As the three Hebrews stood before the king of Babylon. Everyone else bowed. But they remained standing. As a result they were bound and thrown into a furnace.

Now, to human eyes they had lost everything. Freedom. Security. Protection. Influence. Life itself seemed moments away from extinction. Yet when Nebuchadnezzar looked into the furnace, he saw something astonishing. And he said

“Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” (Dan 3:24)

The answer came

“Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire.” (Dan 3:25)

The fire consumed only one thing. Their bonds. The very flames intended to destroy them became the means of their liberation. Friends, THIS IS how God works. The enemy thought he was binding them. God was freeing them. The enemy thought he was humiliating them. God was honoring them. The enemy thought he was bringing them closer to death. God was bringing them closer to Christ.

And so it will be in the time of the end. The pressures Satan intends to use against God’s people will ultimately burn away the last remnants of self-reliance. Fear will be consumed. Worldliness will be consumed. Dependence on earthly systems will be consumed. The fire will destroy the bonds, but not the believers.

So, now move from Daniel 3 to Acts 2. The disciples had spent years with Jesus. Yet fear still lingered. Self-interest still lingered. Misunderstanding still lingered. Then came Pentecost.

“And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” (Acts 2:3)

The same God who walked with His servants in Babylon now rested upon His individual servants in Jerusalem. The fire of God’s Holy Educating Spirit again appeared. But notice what happened afterward. Fear disappeared. Cowardice disappeared. Division disappeared. All doubts vanished! The disciples who had once fled from a servant girl now stood fearlessly before rulers and kings. The fire had not consumed them. It had only consumed what hindered them. Everything between their souls and Jesus!

The final outpouring of the Holy Spirit will accomplish a similar work.

Before Jesus returns, God will have a people upon whom His Spirit rests. A people whose loyalty is not dependent upon circumstances. A people whose confidence rests entirely in Christ. A people enlarged by the very distress that the devil used to try and destroy them.

Another picture of the end-time experience is Jacob wrestling with the Angel. Jacob faced the greatest crisis of his life. He feared destruction. He feared judgment. He feared the consequences of his past. Through the long night he wrestled. At sunrise he was physically weaker than before. He walked with a limp. Yet spiritually he was stronger than ever. His weakness became his strength. His surrender became his victory. His distress became his enlargement.

“The sinner cannot depend upon their own good works as a means of justification. They must come to the point where they will renounce all of their sin, and embrace one degree of light after another as it shines upon their pathway. The believer simply grasps by faith the free and ample provision made in the blood of Christ. They believe the promises of God, which through Christ are made unto them sanctification and righteousness and redemption. And if they follow Jesus, they will walk humbly in the light, rejoicing in the light and diffusing that light to others.

Being justified by faith, God’s people carry cheerfulness with them in all of their obedience, in all of their lived experiences. Peace with God is the result of what Christ is to the Christian. The souls who are in subordination to God, who honor Him, and are doers of His Word, will incrementally receive more and more divine enlightenment. In the precious Word of God there is purity and loftiness as well as beauty that, unless assisted by God, the highest powers of humanity cannot attain to.” {adapted from 6BC 1071.10}

Friends, the final generation, just before Jesus comes again will have a similar experience. The Scriptures describe a time when God’s people cling to His promises with unwavering faith while every visible support is removed. Like Jacob, they will discover that the greatest victories are won through complete dependence upon God.

Many believers imagine that the final crisis is primarily about surviving persecution. But the deeper issue is character. God is preparing a people who reflect Christ fully. A people whose faith remains steady regardless of circumstances. A people who reveal the character of Jesus before a watching universe. The final crisis is not simply about exposing Satan. It is about vindicating God’s grace.The Bible says it like this:

“To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Rom 3:26)

This IS the entire flashpoint of everything in the great controversy of Bible prophecy.

The universe will see that God’s power can transform fallen human beings into loyal followers of Christ. Into a people that do perfectly reflect His character to the world, a people who keep the commandments of their God. This is HOW distress becomes enlargement. The very pressures that reveal our weakness also reveal the power of divine grace.

There is nothing in faith, in or of itself that makes it our savior. Faith cannot remove our guilt. Christ is the power of God unto salvation to all them that believe. The justification comes through the merits of Jesus Christ. JESUS has paid the price for the sinner’s redemption. Yet it is only through faith in His shed blood that Jesus can justify the believer. To a real Christian, their fetters become wings when by faith they access Christ’s atonement.

Perhaps some listening today are already experiencing their own personal “time of trouble.” A prolonged illness. A broken relationship. Financial uncertainty. Disappointment. Loneliness. A burden that seems impossible to carry. You may be praying for God to remove the chain. Maybe you want God to get you out of a terrible trial? Sometimes that IS just what God does. But sometimes Jesus transforms our chains into wings.

There was a time when I thought my life was over…I suffered terrible burns to 50% of my body. The scars and the suffering for years made me feel ugly, unwanted. And yet, those very flames were the means and the place where I met Jesus. The scars which multiplied my fetters and chains became wings and God later blessed me with the gift of marriage and two wonderful sons! We called our first son Jonathan because that means “Jehovah Gave,” and our second son Joseph, because that means “Jehovah Added.”

I recall another time recently, when I was out doing home visitations and Bible readings in a remote area. I had just finished visiting one place, and as I was leaving something happened to my car and the transmission just stopped working. For a moment I panicked. But then I thought that the people I just visited need to see a better witness than that. I started telling them about Creator God and how even though I didn’t know how, I just knew that God already had a solution. They thought I was off my rocker to be talking like that in the middle of such a challenge. I ended up waiting hours for a tow truck and during that time neighbors kept coming over and wondering what was happening. And I got to also talk to them about Jesus too. If my car didn’t break down just when and where it did I would not have been able to speak to all of those people about Jesus!

Friend, what if your trial is preparing you for greater usefulness? What if your burden is deepening your dependence upon Christ? What if your limitation is enlarging your capacity for Heaven, and “the things that accompany salvation?” (Heb 6:9). One day the redeemed will look back over their lives and see that many of the things they feared most were actually among God’s greatest blessings. The prison gave Joseph a throne. The furnace gave the Hebrews fellowship with Christ. Patmos gave John Revelation. The cross gave the world a Savior. And the trials of God’s people will prepare them for an everlasting kingdom. (Rev 12:11). The kingdom spoken of in “the everlasting gospel.” (Rev 14:6-7) Then, “at just such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) they will fully understand David’s words:

“Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” (Psalms 4:1)

Their testimony will be:

“My shadows became light.” “My sorrows became strength.” “My chains became freedom.” “My fetters were wings.”

Friends, the question today is not whether distress will come. The question is not even how do I get out of the crises, or through it? But the question is going to be “do we trust Christ when the distress comes? Will we allow Him to use our trials to enlarge our faith? Will we let Him burn away the bonds that still hold us? Will we permit Him to prepare us for the final outpouring of His Spirit? Will we learn now to trust Him completely so that when earth’s last crisis arrives, our confidence rests securely in Him?

Jesus THE Christ (Mat 16:20) is seeking a people who will stand with Him, just as the three Hebrews stood in that fiery furnace. A people who will receive His Spirit as the disciples received it. A people who will cling to Him as Jacob clung to Him. A people who can say with David:

“Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” (Psalms 4:1)

“The salvation that Christ made such a sacrifice to gain for us all, is that which is alone of value, that which saves from sin. Sin being the cause of all the misery and woe in our world. Mercy extended to the sinner is constantly drawing them to Jesus. If they respond, coming in penitence with confession, in faith laying hold of the hope set before them in the gospel, God will not despise the broken and contrite heart. Thus the law of God is not weakened, but the power of sin is broken, and the scepter of mercy is extended to the penitent sinner. {6BC 1072.3}

Our fetters become wings. (Isa 40:31)

The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by the tempest into the narrow defiles of the mountains. Storm clouds shut in this mighty bird of the forest, their dark masses separating her from the sunny heights where she has made her home. Her efforts to escape seem fruitless. She dashes to and fro, beating the air with her strong wings, and waking the mountain echoes with her cries. At length, with a note of triumph, she darts upward, and, piercing the clouds, is once more in the clear sunlight, with the darkness and tempest far beneath. So we may be surrounded with difficulties, discouragement, and darkness. Falsehood, calamity, injustice, shut us in. There are clouds that we cannot dispel. We battle with circumstances in vain. There is one, and but one, way of escape. The mists and fogs cling to the earth; beyond the clouds God’s light is shining. Into the sunlight of His presence we may rise on the wings of faith. {Ed 118.2}

Seeking our own wings through our own fetters, our testimony becomes:

“Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” (Psalms 4:1)

May that be the testimony of God’s people today, and throughout eternity. May your fetters become your wings of faith is my prayer in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Rev 14:12, KJV)

Revelation 14:12 and Revelation 22:11 stand near the close of Scripture, and together they reveal one of the most important truths in the Bible. Revelation 14:12 shows God’s people during earth’s final crisis: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 22:11 shows the close of probation, when every destiny is forever fixed: “He that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

The connection is profound. Revelation 14:12 describes a people whose character is being revealed before the world. Revelation 22:11 describes that same character as permanently settled before the universe. But, the patience, faith, and obedience seen in Revelation 14 do not suddenly appear during the crisis. They are the result of years of daily surrender to Christ. In the everlasting gospel, little things mean big things. When Revelation 22:11 is finally pronounced, Heaven is not creating character; it is recognizing character that has already been formed.

This truth is also illustrated in Christ’s parable of the sower. Speaking of the seed that fell on stony ground, Scripture says there was “not much earth” (Matthew 13:5). The seed sprang up quickly, but because it lacked depth, it could not endure the heat of the sun.

The book called “Streams in the Desert” makes a searching application:

“Shallow! … those who have no real purpose, are moved by a tender appeal, a good sermon, a pathetic melody, and at first it looks as if they would amount to something; but not much earth– no depth, no deep, honest purpose, no earnest desire to know duty in order to do it. Let us look after the soil of our hearts.”

What a vivid description of superficial religion. A person may be stirred by truth, impressed by a sermon, or moved by a spiritual experience, yet never allow God’s Word to sink deeply enough to transform the life. There may be emotion without conviction, interest without commitment, and profession of faith without perseverance and change of character. Such faith flourishes briefly but cannot survive testing.

The saints of Revelation 14 are different. Their faith is rooted deeply in Christ. They have learned to trust Him in ordinary days before they are called to trust Him in extraordinary ones. Their obedience has been practiced in small decisions long before it is tested in the great ones. Their patience has been cultivated through countless trials. Their roots have grown deep.

This is why the final crisis does not destroy them. The heat that withers shallow faith only reveals the strength of faith that is deeply rooted. What appears in Revelation 14 is the visible evidence of what has been growing for years beneath the surface.

The lesson for us today is clear. Character is formed now. Every day we are either deepening our roots in Christ or allowing our experience to remain shallow. Every prayer, every act of obedience, every surrender of self, every step of faith is helping to form the character that will one day be fully revealed. The final events will not create loyalty to God; they will reveal whether loyalty has become part of who we are. This is one reason why Christians can say that with God, “crises equals opportunity.”

Therefore, while mercy still invites and probation still lingers, I pray that we all might heed the counsel:

“Let us look after the soil of our hearts.”

Let us seek more than religious excitement. Let us seek depth. Even in the little things. Let us ask God for a deep and honest purpose to know His will and do it. Then, when the patience of the saints is fully manifest before the world, we will stand among those whose roots are firmly planted in Christ and whose characters have been prepared by His grace.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I ask You to examine the soil of my heart. Remove every hardness, every shallowness, and every obstacle to Your Word having free course in my soul. Give me deep roots in Christ, a sincere love for truth, and a steadfast desire to obey You. Form within me a character that reflects Jesus and can endure every trial. May my faith grow deeper each day until it is settled forever in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reading Time: 9 minutes

“…We Found No One Inside…” (Acts 5:23)

“…The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no one within.”

The authorities had done everything they could to secure the apostles in that prison:

The prison was locked. The guards were standing at their posts. The official security system appeared intact. And yet, the prisoners were gone! plain vanished into thin air! Now this phrase “we found no man within” is more than a report of an empty jail. It is evidence that God had acted in a way that human power could neither prevent nor explain (Acts 5:19).

For the Jewish leaders, the empty prison exposed the limits of their authority. They could arrest the apostles. Lock doors. Post guards. But they could not imprison the work of God. This reminds us of the empty tomb of Christ. The authorities could seal the tomb and post a watch, but when they came to inspect the situation, the One they sought to contain was no longer there (Matt. 28:2-6). In both cases, human power encountered an empty place where it expected to find a captive.

My friends, today I want to propose that the prison can represent various forms of bondage. Fear. Sin. Tradition. Human control. Spiritual oppression. Among many other things. But when Christ sets someone free, observers may return to the place where that person used to be and “find no one inside.” The old prisoner is gone. Paul expresses a similar truth when he says: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

The prison may still be standing, but the captive has been released.

Today, in our so called modern age, we see things like

Empty religion, where many people inspect churches, denominations, or religious systems and find the structure quite intact. The doors are there. The traditions are there. The organization is there. But sometimes they “find no one inside” spiritually. The form remains while the life of God is absent. “There Is No One Inside.”

Jesus once said, and yes, this applies to us today:

“Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” (Rev. 3:1)

A building can be full of people. The Church can have lots of members. And yet no one can be found who wants “Christ in you, the hope in Glory.” A Church can be completely empty of spiritual life. A believer may once have been imprisoned by a particular sin. Months or years later, Satan returns to the same prison cell expecting to find the old captive there. Instead, through Christ’s power, “he found no one inside.” The bondage remains available, but the prisoner has been set free.

The failure of persecution is everywhere in the history of God’s Church. Governments have repeatedly tried to suppress God’s work. They close churches, imprison believers, confiscate literature, and restrict preaching. Yet later investigators often discover that the message has simply spread further than before. The prison is secure.
The guards are present. But the prisoners themselves are gone. The work of God in the hearts of mankind has moved beyond the reach of those barriers.

“Church of the living God,” (1 Tim 3:15) We are “the pillar and ground of the truth!” (1 Tim 3;15). It’s high time to WAKE UP! Because the enemy seeks to hold God’s people under the sentence of death and under the power of this world. Yet when Christ returns, the graves themselves will be emptied out. (Acts 24:15). The greatest prison today my friends is the tomb. And like the apostles’ prison, the tomb of death will not be able to hold those whom God releases. The resurrection is coming because our Jesus is coming! And then it will be noised abroad “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor. 15:55)

Let’s look again at our opening text. Notice that the officers found everything exactly as expected except for the people. The prisoners themselves. The doors were shut. The guards were present. The procedures had worked. The only thing missing was the imprisoned apostles.

Doesn’t this often describes God’s work today? Of course God can accomplish His purposes without necessarily removing the obstacles first. Sometimes the doors remain closed while He delivers His people anyway.

Israel walked through a sea that should have stopped them. Daniel’s friends stand unharmed in a fiery furnace. Christ leaves a sealed tomb. The apostles leave a locked prison. As human beings, we usually focus on the barriers. But God focuses on the people whom He intends to deliver. The result is that others come expecting to find captives and instead “find no one inside.”

That theme runs through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Again and again, people see an obstacle, while God sees a person He intends to save. And today, many of us remain prisoners of the obstacles we see.

The Red Sea — The barrier becomes the pathway. Israel saw an impossible obstacle: “And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?” (Ex. 14:11)

God saw a people He intended to deliver: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.” (Ex. 14:13)

The sea remained a sea until God opened a way through it. The obstacle was real, but it was never the determining factor. In Jericho, the walls were not the issue. Jericho’s walls dominated the spies’ earlier report and the fears of the people. Yet God began with:

“See, I have given into thine hand Jericho.” (Josh. 6:2)

The walls were still standing when God declared victory. Human eyes saw barriers; God saw delivered people. Regarding Daniel’s Friends. Well, the fire was not the story! Nebuchadnezzar focused on the furnace. But Jesus
focused on three faithful men. Afterward the king observed: “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt.” (Dan. 3:25) The fire remained, but the captives were free. In fact, the only thing lost was their bonds (Dan. 3:24-25).

Then there was Daniel in the Lions’ Den. Now, The king saw an irreversible decree and a den of lions. But Jesus saw Daniel. The next morning when the King came to see if Daniel was there, Daniel shared the following testimony:

“My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths.” (Dan. 6:22)

The lions were still there. But they could not touch the one God intended to preserve. (Rom 8:38-39)

Now, with Lazarus, death itself was not the barrier. Just as death could not hold Jesus in the tomb, neither can death hold the believer in the tomb! It’s truly amazing! Everyone around Jesus focused on the tomb. Martha even pointed out the practical impossibility when she said to Jesus:

“Lord, by this time he stinketh.” (John 11:39)

But Jesus focused only on Lazarus. Then came the command: “Lazarus, come forth.” (John 11:43) The tomb that others viewed as a final prison of Lazarus was merely a temporary situation that God might be glorified.

In Acts 12, we see Peter in Prison. This situation closely parallels Acts 5. Herod multiplied security measures, well beyond what was the usual procedure:

“And when Herod had apprehended Peter, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers.” (Acts 12:4).

Now the Greek word translated “quaternion” (tetradion) literally means a group of four. So a quaternion of soldiers was four soldiers assigned as a unit. Since Acts says Peter was guarded by four quaternions, that means there were 16 soldiers in total assigned to his custody. Why so many? Roman military practice often divided guard duty into watches. One quaternion of four soldiers would be on duty at a time while the others waited for their turn. Acts 12:6 gives a glimpse of the arrangement:

“Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.”

Typically, there would be two soldiers who were physically attached to the prisoner. While two more soldiers guarded the entrance. This made escape virtually impossible from a human perspective.

Yet Peter walked out. The chains fell off. The gates opened. And the guards were powerless. God was never concerned by the number of soldiers. Peter was not ever bound permanently even against “four quaternions!”

Paul summarizes things perfectly:

“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” (2 Pet 2:9)

God’s attention is always going to be fixed on the deliverance, not on the apparent impossibility of the circumstances.

Consider the empty tomb. Now this might be the greatest example yet. The authorities had a sealed tomb. A great stone. Many Roman guards. Yet the angel announced:

“He is not here: for he is risen.” (Matt. 28:6)

The very place designed to hold Christ beyond recovery became the perfect evidence that it could not hold Him. Those who came looking for a captive found no one inside. The tomb of Jesus was empty! The tomb of Jesus is still empty today and that my friends is the difference between Christianity and all the other religions and their Gods. They all have someone still in the grave. But MY JESUS could not be kept therein. The angel proclaimed “He is not here, He is risen!” (Mat 28:6)

The Bible truth on Deliverance repeatedly emphasizes that God’s power is revealed precisely where human obstacles appear greatest:

“We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.” (2 Cor. 1:9)

Scripture reasons that if God can raise the dead, then no lesser barrier than death can ever prevent His purpose.

During the end times,deliverance reaches it’s culmination at Christ’s return:

“The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them.” (Rev. 20:13)

Death is what we humans call the final prison. Yet even there, those who come looking for God’s people will eventually “find no one inside.” Every grave that holds a redeemed believer is only a temporary holding place where people await the return of jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (1 Thes 4:13-18)

A verse in the book of Isaiah ties many of these examples together:

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee… when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned.” (Isa 43:2)

Notice what God does not say here. He does not promise there will be no waters, no fire, no prison, no lions, no tomb. Creator’s promise is simply that none of those things will possess the person He intends to deliver. The Bible’s recurring testimony is not that God’s people avoid impossible situations, but that God repeatedly demonstrates HOW impossible situations cannot keep what belongs to Him.

“There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.” (Prov. 21:30)

Human authorities focus on the restraints; God focuses on His servants and His purpose for them. The result is that what appears impossible becomes a testimony to God’s power to save. The Bible says that the key to unlock the prison house of sin is found in true repentance:

“Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” (Acts 11:18)

Repentance is presented as the pathway leading to eternal life throughout the Bible. Peter contrasts perishing with coming to repentance, showing repentance to be God’s appointed alternative to destruction.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15

Jesus’ own gospel message began with a call to repentance and faith.

A particularly strong way to summarize the biblical teaching is:

“Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5).

That verse directly supports the statement that a profession of faith without repentance cannot save, because Jesus Himself says that without repentance the result is perishing, not salvation. Repentance does not earn salvation, but Scripture consistently presents it as the ordained response to God’s grace. Faith and repentance are like two sides of the same coin: we turn from sin and turn to Christ.

If people do not repent, simply claiming to believe in God will not save them. They will still be prisoners of sin. Instead of focusing on our disagreements, our trials, our differences, we should listen to the message of Jesus, the True Witness. When God’s people humble themselves before Him and sincerely seek the Holy Spirit with all their hearts, a powerful witness will be heard everywhere. It will be like the message described in Revelation, where an angel comes from heaven with great power and the whole earth is filled with God’s glory. (Rev 18:1)

When we escape the prison house of sin, people’s faces will shine with the joy and love of God. Their words will be filled with spiritual power as they testify, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

Jesus is eager to pour out the gift of the Holy Spirit on His people in a much greater measure. Every day, believers are praying for God to fulfill this promise, and not one sincere prayer of faith is ever forgotten. Are your prayers among them?

After Jesus returned to heaven, the Holy Spirit came just as He had promised. The Spirit came with great power, like a rushing mighty wind, filling the place where the disciples were gathered. What happened as a result? Thousands of people accepted Christ in a single day.

We have long believed that a mighty angel will come from heaven and that the earth will be filled with God’s glory. When that happens, we will see a great harvest of people coming to Christ, similar to what took place on the Day of Pentecost.

My friends, the Truth is a Presence, not a thing, a fact, or a special statement. There is ONE present, a warm-hearted Friend, an all-powerful Savior and Lord. And this is the joyful truth for weeping hearts everywhere, whatever may be the hand that has drawn the tears; by whatever stream it be that your weeping willow is planted. This is why the prophet Isaiah declared

[My people]…”get up and shine, because your light has come, and the glory of the LORD shines on you.” (Isa 60:1, NCV)

“the glory of the LORD shines on you,” sets the focus on God’s glory illuminating His people. In the context of Isaiah 60:2–3, the reason Jerusalem can “get up and shine” is not because she generates light herself, but because the LORD shines upon her while darkness covers the earth. Nations are then drawn to that reflected light.

This connects closely with passages such as:

Daniel 12:3 — “they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament.”
Matthew 5:14–16 — “Ye are the light of the world… let your light so shine before men.”
Revelation 18:1 — the earth is lightened with the glory of the angel, an end-time echo of Isaiah 60’s theme.

The sequence in Isaiah 60:1-3 is significant: God’s glory shines on His people. His people shine. The nations are drawn to the light. What a wonderful day that will be when the graves are opened and “We Find No one Inside.”

Reading Time: 14 minutes

“And tongues as of fire appeared unto them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them.” (Acts 2:3, MKJV)

Christ’s Promise Fulfilled

The time had now come. The Spirit had been waiting for the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. For ten days the disciples offered their petitions for the outpouring of the Spirit, and Christ in heaven added His intercession. This was the occasion of His ascension and inauguration, a jubilee in heaven. He had ascended on high, leading captivity captive, and He now claimed the gift of the Spirit, that He might pour it out upon His disciples. {6BC 1055.2}

In our opening text for this message, we must note several aspects that really stand out, and that have immense, practical significance for believers today. Throughout Scripture, fire is often associated with the presence of God, and the work of God.

Moses encountered God in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2).
God led Israel by a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21).
God’s glory appeared as consuming fire on Sinai (Exodus 24:17).
Daniel’s three friends met Jesus in the flames of the fiery furnace (Dan 3:6, 21, 25)

The most amazing thing to notice here first is how at Pentecost, the fire did not appear on a mountain or in a sanctuary. Or in any kind of building or organization. The fiery tongues of The Holy Spirit rested, individually on people. This signified that God was now dwelling in His people, individually, through the Holy Spirit. For believers today, this points to the reality that God desires to live and work through individual Christians, wherever they can be found, and not merely through institutions or buildings.

“…as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: (Luke 3:16)

The fire was divided yet remained one. Luke says the tongues of fire were “distributed” among them. (Acts 2:3, MKJV). There was one heavenly gift. One Spirit, but it was shared among many believers. (Eph 2:18, Eph 4:4). This reflects Paul’s later teaching: “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:4)

No single believer received all the gifts or all the work. Each disciple received a portion, that they could each handle, with their own personal, specific gifts for service. For believers today, this teaches that every Christian has a role in God’s mission. The Spirit equips different people differently, but all are part of one body. And all are equipped. Let us consider carefully the fire that sat upon each one. Luke is very careful to say how “it sat upon each of them.” Not merely on Peter. Not only on the apostles. Not just on the leaders. Every disciple present that day in the upper room received this sign. This emphasizes the personal nature of the Spirit’s work. God’s power is not reserved for a spiritual elite. Every surrendered believer may receive the Spirit’s presence, power, and enabling.

Fire Purifies. In Scripture, fire often symbolizes purification. Gold is refined by fire (Malachi 3:2-3). Isaiah’s lips were touched with a burning coal before his prophetic ministry (Isaiah 6:6-7). Before the disciples could effectively witness to the world, God first had to transform them. Pride, jealousy, self-seeking, and unbelief had to give way to humility and love. For believers today, the Spirit does not merely empower; He also sanctifies. The same fire that gives power also purifies character.

Why does the fire appear as tongues? It is very significant that the fire appeared in the form of “tongues.” Immediately afterward, the disciples began speaking so that people from many nations could understand the gospel. The symbol of “fiery tongues” points to speech empowered by God. This connects with Jesus’ promise: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me.” (Acts 1:8). The Spirit was given not merely for personal experience but for witness. The gift of tongues is never a confusing babbling language that no one can understand. For believers today, this affirms that one evidence of the Spirit’s work is that He uses our words to testify about Christ.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life, (for the Life was revealed, and we have seen it and bear witness, and show to you the everlasting Life, who was with the Father and was revealed to us), that which we have seen and heard we declare unto you, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3, MKJV)

As we study the conflict between good and evil, there is another context to be noticed here. At Babel (Genesis 11), human pride resulted in divided languages and scattered peoples. At Pentecost, (Acts 2) the Holy Spirit enabled many languages to communicate one united gospel message.

In a special sense, Pentecost begins God’s work of reversing Babel. Satan divides; the Spirit unites. Satan confuses truth; the Spirit illuminates truth. Satan scatters the flock; Christ gathers them into the fold. The fire resting upon each believer today shows that God advances His kingdom not primarily through force, or fine tuned intellect; but through a transformed people who are literally filled with God’s Holy Educating Spirit.

God’s people are NOT consumed but refined. They are transformed. Notice that the fire did not consume the disciples. In the Old Testament, God’s holiness often appeared as consuming fire. Yet at Pentecost the fire rested upon them without destroying them. The same thing happened with the three Hebrew worthies who were cast into the fiery furnace. (see Dan3). Why is this? Why weren’t they consumed by the fire?

Because through Christ’s sacrifice they could stand in God’s presence. The same holy fire that would consume sin could now dwell with redeemed sinners. God is no longer merely with His people as in the wilderness; through the Spirit He is now within His people, empowering them to carry the light of Christ into a dark world. That’s why isaiah said “Arise! Shine! For thy Light IS come and the glory of The Lord has risen upon you.” (isa 60:1). God’s Holy Spirit was to live in each person. “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Ezekiel 36:27)

While Luke does not explicitly say that the disciples “lost” anything when the tongues of fire rested upon them,Dan 3 explicitly states that the ropes binding Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were burned away. But that is the only thing they lost. In Daniel 3, the fire burned only the bonds: “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire…” (Daniel 3:25). The fire did not destroy the men; it destroyed what held them captive. The fire only destroyed what was between them and Jesus. Today, when we surrender our lives to Jesus the only thing we “lose” is whatever was a barrier between us and Jesus.

In Acts 2, the fire appears to have burned away several kinds of bonds that had previously hindered the disciples. Like fear. Before Pentecost, the disciples often acted out of fear. After Christ’s arrest, they fled (Mark 14:50). Peter denied Jesus (Luke 22:54-62). After the resurrection, they gathered behind closed doors “for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19).

After Pentecost, things had become quite different. These same men publicly and fearlessly proclaimed Christ before crowds and authorities. Self-seeking ambitions that bound them in sin were gone! Before the cross, the disciples repeatedly argued about who would be greatest. Even when they were walking right beside Jesus! Luke 22:24 records a dispute among them over rank. James and John sought positions of honor (Mark 10:35-37).

After Pentecost, the emphasis shifts from personal status to service and mission for others. The fire seems to have consumed much of their pride and ambition. There was so much misunderstanding of Christ’s kingdom. Even after the resurrection they asked: “Lord, will You at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Their expectations still contained elements of an earthly kingdom. After receiving the Spirit, their focus became Christ’s heavenly kingdom and the salvation of souls. As Jesus Himself said it: “the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

There are sometimes many barriers between believers. The disciples had different personalities, backgrounds, and perspectives. Yet before Pentecost they spent time in united prayer:

“These all CONTINUED with one accord…” (Acts 1:14).

The Holy Spirit came upon an already united church. Many commentators have noted that Pentecost did not create unity out of nothing; rather, it would seem that the disciples had first surrendered all of the attitudes that divided them, and then the Spirit sealed that unity with great power and promise.

Now, in Daniel 3, Babylon sought to bind God’s people through coercion. The fire revealed that God’s presence was stronger than Babylon’s chains. In Acts 2, the enemy’s chains were less visible but no less real. Heavy chains of fear, pride, unbelief, selfishness, and misunderstanding. The fire of the Spirit did not destroy the disciples; it destroyed obstacles, it broke the chains that prevented them from fully serving Christ. In Daniel 3, the fire burned away very noticeable physical bonds. In Acts 2, the fire burned the less noticeable, yet very present personality traits that were also bonds, lessening their impact for ministry.

Both stories reveal a similar principle. When God brings His people through His fire, He does not intend to destroy them. He intends to remove whatever keeps them from walking freely with Him. Jesus even said “Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Mat 11:30, MSG)

The book of Malachi also has some possible connection here:

“And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” (Mal 3:3)

A refiner’s fire does not exist primarily to destroy the metal; it removes impurities so the image of the refiner can be seen in it. In the process of refining metals, the raw metal is heated with fire until it melts. The impurities separate from it and rise to the surface. They are skimmed off, leaving the pure metal. Without this heating and melting, there could be no purifying. As the impurities are skimmed off the top, the reflection of the worker appears in the clear, pure surface. As we are purified by God, his reflection in our life will become more and more clear to those around us. Pentecost appears to be exactly that kind of fire. The disciples emerged from it still themselves, yet transformed into freer, bolder, purer, and more fully reflecting of Christ than ever before. The two scenes each reveal different aspects of Christ’s character and mission. Together they form a very powerful and complete picture of the everlasting gospel (Rev 14:6-12) changing hearts and lives.

In Daniel 3 they reflected Christ through faithfulness under trial. Before entering the fiery furnace, the three Hebrews declared:

“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us… But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods…” (Daniel 3:17-18). This reflects Christ in several ways. Unwavering loyalty to God is the first thing we notice. Jesus remained faithful to His Father regardless of the cost. We see that very strongly when Jesus said “Not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42) The three Hebrews, like Jesus, also chose obedience even if it meant death. They did not decide to be faithful because they knew they would be delivered; they were faithful because God was worthy of obedience, and they did not concern themselves with those consequences.

In The Great Controversy, Christ never once yielded to Satan’s temptations (Matthew 4:1-11). Likewise, the Hebrews would not bow, even when everyone else did. In a world of compromise, they stood firm. Their trial in the fiery furnace became a testimony to Babylon. Just as Christ revealed the Father before a watching universe, these young men revealed the reality of the true God before a pagan empire.

Fellowship with Christ in His suffering is what the fiery furnace was about. The desire of the disciple of Christ is that “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” (Phil 3:10) In Daniel 3, the most remarkable part is that Christ Himself appeared in the furnace. “The form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25). “How did Nebuchadnezzar know that the form of the fourth was like the Son of God? He had heard of the Son of God from the Hebrew captives that were in his kingdom. They had brought the knowledge of the living God who ruleth all things.” {4BC 1169.7}

Daniel’s friends reflected Christ most clearly not by escaping the fire but by walking with Jesus in the flames of their persecutions or trials. For believers today, this suggests that Christ is often seen most clearly in us when we remain faithful during our own suffering.

God’s People Reflect Christ Through Spirit-Empowered Mission

At Pentecost, (Acts 2) the emphasis shifts from endurance to witness. Proclaiming Christ. The disciples immediately began speaking about God’s mighty works. Peter’s sermon was centered on Jesus. His life. His death. His resurrection. His exaltation in glory. Just as Christ came to reveal the Father, the disciples now revealed Christ.

Before Pentecost, the disciples often focused on themselves. After Pentecost, their main concern became the salvation of others. This reflects Christ, who “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” (Mark 10:45). God’s true people are followers who become more like Jesus in their sufferings. Jesus prayed for this kind of unity. Jesus prayed: “That they all may be one.” (John 17:21). At Pentecost, that prayer became a highly visible reality. Their unity reflected the unity between the Father and the Son.

Jesus Christ described Himself as: “the light of the world.” (John 8:12). At Pentecost, that light began shining through His followers. The fire resting on them symbolized that they were now being called to carry His light to the nations. “Every nation, kindred, tribe, tongue, and people.” The difference between the two stories is very telling:

Daniel 3	Acts 2
Christ beside them	Christ within them through the Spirit
Faithfulness under persecution	Witness to the world
Refusing to bow	Proclaiming Christ
Fire tests character	Fire empowers mission
Standing before a king	Speaking to entire nations

In both stories, they reflected Christ more fully because self interest was no longer controlling them. The Hebrews valued God’s honor even above their own lives. The disciples valued God’s mission above their own fears. In Daniel 3, Christ was reflected through faithfulness. In Acts 2, Christ was reflected through fruitfulness. And in both cases, the fire revealed what was already true in the heart: a people fully surrendered to God who became living witnesses to the character of Christ before a watching world.

Pentecost will be repeated with far greater power. “It is with an earnest longing that [we can] look forward to the time when the events of the day of Pentecost shall be repeated with even greater power than on that original occasion in Acts, chapter two. John says, “I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.” (Rev 18:1). Then, as at the Pentecostal season, the people will hear the truth spoken to them, every man in his own tongue. {6BC 1055.5}

God can breathe new life into every soul that sincerely desires to serve Him, and can touch the lips with a live coal from off the altar, and cause them to become eloquent with His praise. Thousands of voices will be imbued with the power to speak forth the wonderful truths of God’s Word. The stammering tongue will be unloosed, and the timid will be made strong to bear courageous testimony to the truth. May the Lord help His people to cleanse the soul temple from every defilement, and to maintain such a close connection with Him that they may be partakers of the latter rain when it shall be poured out. The reason this is not happening now is that so many only want to assemble “of their own accord,” not with “one accord.”

Heaven’s Reservoir of Power not Locked

And in the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven as borne along by the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)

“God is willing to give us a similar blessing, when we seek for it as earnestly.” {6BC 1055.3}

“The Lord did not lock the reservoir of heaven after pouring His Spirit upon the early disciples. We also may receive of the fullness of His blessing. Heaven is full of the treasures of His grace, and those who come to God in faith may claim all that He has promised. If we do not have His power, it is because of our spiritual lethargy, our indifference, our indolence. Let us come out of this formality and deadness.” {6BC 1055.4}

Pentecost To Be Repeated With Greater Power

“Then we shall know, if we follow on to know Jehovah. His going out is prepared as the morning; and He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter and former rain to the earth.” (Hosea 6:3)

Be glad then, sons of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God. For He has given you the former rain according to righteousness, and He will cause the rain to come down for you, the former rain and the latter rain in the first month. (Joel 2:23)

And it shall be afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions. And also I will pour out My Spirit on the slaves and on the slave women in those days. (Joel 2:28-29)

If this prophecy of Joel met a partial fulfillment in the days of the apostles, we are living in a time when it is to be even more evidently manifest to the people of God. He will so bestow His Spirit upon His people that they will become a light amid the moral darkness; and great light will be reflected in all parts of the world. O that our faith might be increased, that the Lord might work mightily with His people. {4BC 1175.2}

And after these things I saw another angel come down from Heaven, having great authority. And the earth was lighted up from his glory.” (Rev 18:1)

The message of Revelation 18 is not going to be popular. Few will want to reach about it.

Amid the confusing cries, “Lo, here is Christ! Lo, there is Christ!” will be borne a special testimony, a special message of truth appropriate for this time, which message is to be received, believed, and acted upon. It is the truth, not fanciful ideas, that is efficacious. The eternal truth of the Word will stand forth free from all seductive errors and spiritualistic interpretations, free from all fancifully drawn, alluring pictures. Falsehoods will be urged upon the attention of God’s people, but the truth is to stand clothed in its beautiful, pure garments. The Word, precious in its holy, uplifting influence, is not to be degraded to a level with common, ordinary matters. It is always to remain uncontaminated by the fallacies by which Satan seeks to deceive, if possible, the very elect. {7BC 984.2}

The proclamation of the gospel is the only means in which God can employ human beings as His instrumentalities for the salvation of souls. As men, women, and children proclaim the gospel, the Lord will open the eyes of the blind to see His statutes, and will write upon the hearts of the truly penitent His law. The animating Spirit of God, working through human agencies, leads the believers to be of one mind, one soul, unitedly loving God and keeping His commandments–preparing here below for translation. {7BC 984.3}

It is with an earnest longing that [we can] look forward to the time when the events of the day of Pentecost shall be repeated with even greater power than on that occasion. John says, “I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.” Then, as at the Pentecostal season, the people will hear the truth spoken to them, every man in his own tongue. {6BC 1055.5}

God can breathe new life into every soul that sincerely desires to serve Him, and can touch the lips with a live coal from off the altar, and cause them to become eloquent with His praise. Thousands of voices will be imbued with the power to speak forth the wonderful truths of God’s Word. The stammering tongue will be unloosed, and the timid will be made strong to bear courageous testimony to the truth. May the Lord help His people to cleanse the soul temple from every defilement, and to maintain such a close connection with Him that they may be partakers of the latter rain when it shall be poured out. {6BC 1055.6}

The prophecies in the eighteenth of Revelation will soon be fulfilled. During the proclamation of the third angel’s message, “another angel” is to “come down from heaven, having great power,” and the earth is to be “lightened with his glory.” The Spirit of the Lord will so graciously bless consecrated human instrumentalities that men, women, and children will open their lips in praise and thanksgiving, filling the earth with the knowledge of God, and with His unsurpassed glory, as the waters cover the sea. {7BC 983.9}

Those who have held the beginning of their confidence firm unto the end will be wide awake during the time that the third angel’s message is proclaimed with great power. {7BC 984.1}

The phrase “it sat upon each of them” (Acts 2:3) in the title for this message emphasizes that the Holy Spirit’s presence rested personally and intentionally upon every disciple, not merely upon the group as a whole, signifying how Jesus wants to meet each person just as they are. Right where they are at. The heavenly fire signified God’s approval, power, and commissioning for service. In the time of the end, just before Christ returns, God again promises a special outpouring of His Spirit upon His faithful people so that they may bear witness amid a darkened world. As the disciples were individually marked for their mission at Pentecost, so God’s end-time people will be equipped and empowered, by His Spirit to proclaim His final message with clarity and boldness before the coming of Jesus.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh” (Joel 2:28).

“…Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” (Zech 4:6)

 

Reading Time: 10 minutes

Is My Name Written There?
(Exodus 32:31–33 ; Luke 10:20 ; Malachi 3:16–18 ; Revelation 3:5 ; Revelation 20:11–15)

The one who overcomes…will be clothed in white clothing. And I will not blot out their name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess their name before My Father and before His angels. (Rev 3:5)

One of the most searching questions ever asked is found in an old gospel hymn called “Is My Name Written There?”

Lord, I care not for riches, neither silver nor gold;
I would make sure of Heaven; I would enter the fold.
In the book of Thy Kingdom, with its pages so fair,
Tell me, Jesus, my Saviour, is my name written there?

That question reaches beyond every earthly concern. Will I have enough money? Will I leave a legacy? Will people remember me? The Bible asks a far more important question: “Is my name written in Heaven?”

Jesus once said to the disciples:

“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

So here we see our Lord referring to some kind of book in Heaven where our names will be written. If Christ says that should be our greatest joy, then surely it deserves our deepest attention.

There Really Is a Book

The first clear reference to this book in heaven where names are written is found in one of Israel’s darkest moments. After the worship of the golden calf, Moses stood before God as an intercessor, and pleaded with God:

“Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” (Exodus 32:32)

Moses knew there was a book. He knew names were written there. He understood that being removed from that book meant eternal loss. Yet, his love for Israel was so great that he was willing, if possible, to bear their condemnation.

Now, we do know, of course, that Moses could not become their substitute. The Bible tells us that only Christ could do that.

“The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)”Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)

Moses pointed forward to the greater Mediator, Jesus Christ. But look at how God answered Moses’s prayer:

“Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” (Exodus 32:33)

Scripture is clear on this. Each soul is accountable before God. No one enters heaven because of another person’s righteousness. No one is lost because of another person’s sin.

“The soul that sins, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:20)

What Should We Value Most?

The hymn that we are studying in this message begins with

Lord, I care not for riches, neither silver nor gold;
I would make sure of Heaven; I would enter the fold.

Those words remind us of Jesus’ question:

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

Everything we accumulate in this life will one day pass away. Jesus counsels all to

“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” (Matthew 6:20)

The greatest possession anyone can have is not wealth, influence, or even health. It is citizenship in God’s kingdom. Paul speaking of faithful fellow workers said

“…help those women who labored in the gospel with me and with Clement, and others of my fellow-laborers, whose names are in the Book of Life” (Philippians 4:3)

That is Heaven’s highest honor. To have our names written in “The Book of Life.”

A Book of Remembrance

Malachi gives us another glimpse into Heaven’s books.

“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” (Malachi 3:16)

God notices ordinary people. Jesus listens when His children speak together. Our Creator God remembers those who reverence Him. Hebrews says

“God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love.” (Hebrews 6:10)

Nothing done for Christ is ever forgotten. Every quiet prayer. Every unseen sacrifice. Every act of kindness. Every faithful witness. All are remembered in Heaven. Not one effort for The Lord is ever in vain. (1 Cor 15:58)

Is There Hope for The Worst Sinners?

The second stanza of the hymn speaks for every honest believer

Lord, my sins they are many, like the sands of the sea
But Thy blood, O my Saviour, is sufficient for me.

How true that is. (Gal 6:14, Eph 2:13) The Bible never minimizes our guilt.

“The wage of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Yet our sins are never greater than Christ’s grace. The hymn continues

For Thy promise is written in bright letters that glow
Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them like snow.

Those words echo God’s personal invitation.

“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)
“The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

Not some sin. All sin. Paul, once a persecutor, could testify

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

If Christ could save Saul of Tarsus, who vigorously persecuted Christians, then surely He can save anyone who comes to Him with open, honest heart.

Can We Know Our Name Is Written There?

The refrain asks repeatedly

Is my name written there
On the page white and fair?
In the book of Thy Kingdom
Is my name written there?

“Is My Name Written There?” That is an important question that deserves a biblical answer. Many sincere Christians live with a tortuous uncertainty of their salvation. But Scripture was written so we might have assurance. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13) Jesus promised “Anyone who cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)

We know because we believe His promise. We know because we prove His promises. In Great Controversy, page 632 we read

“we should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises.”

“He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life.” (John 5:24)

We know because His Spirit bears witness.

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16).

We know because His grace is producing new life within us. (2 Cor 5:17)

“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” (1 John 3:14)

We are not saved because we love. We love because we have been saved. Obedience is not the root of salvation. Obedience is not the price of salvation. Obedience is simply the fruit or the results of salvation. Jesus Makes an Extraordinary Promise. To the church in Sardis Christ says:

“They that overcome, I will not blot out their name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5). Imagine that day. Your name spoken by Jesus Himself before the Father. What greater honor could ever be imagined?

Now, Jesus also said:

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, them will I confess also before my Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 10:32). Today we confess Him before the world. Then Jesus will confess us before Heaven.

The Last Great Judgment

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God… and another book was opened, which is the book of life.” (Revelation 20:12)

Then comes one of the most disturbing verses in that Scripture:

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

Nothing will matter more on that judgment day. Not earthly success. Not religious profession. Not human reputation. Only one question remains. Is my name written there?

Dear Jesus, is my name written there?

The hymn ends with confidence instead of uncertainty.

O that beautiful city with its mansions of light
With its glorified beings in pure garments of white;
Where no evil thing cometh to despoil what is fair;
Where the angels are watching, yes, my name’s written there.

John saw that same city

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defiles… but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)

Notice the title. Not merely the Book of Life. It is called “The Lamb’s Book of Life.” Our names are there because of the Lamb who was slain. Because Jesus bore our sins. Because Jesus rose again. Because Jesus ever lives to intercede for us. (Heb 7:25) The final chorus changes from a question into a beautiful testimony. A powerful assurance.

Yes, my name’s written there
On the page white and fair
In the book of Thy Kingdom
Yes, my name’s written there.

That kind of confidence is not presumption. It is faith resting on the promises of God. The Bible opens Heaven just enough for us to glimpse a book. Moses knew about it. David alluded to it (Psalm 69:28). Jesus spoke of it. Paul rejoiced in it. John saw it opened in judgment. And one day soon every person who has ever lived will discover that this book is real. Do you want your name written in The lamb’s Book of Life? Do you want to see the names of your loved ones written there? Today Christ extends His invitation

“Come unto me.” (Matthew 11:28)

“Anyone who comes to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37)

If you have confessed your sins, trusted wholly in the blood of Jesus Christ, surrendered your life to Him, and continue abiding in Him by faith, (John 15:4,6,7) then your confidence rests not in your own goodness but in His unfailing promise. And on that glorious day, when the redeemed shall enter the Holy City and the Lamb welcomes His people home, may the question that once filled our hearts with longing become our everlasting assurance and testimony in song:

“Yes, my name’s written there
On the page white and fair
In the Book of Thy Kingdom,
Yes, my name’s written there.”

Amen. Amen! Come Lord Jesus!

Now, it is worth noting more closely how that the hymn intentionally moves from a fervent question to a rock-solid assurance. The first verse asks, “Is my name written there?” The final verse answers, “Yes, my name’s written there.”

This is just what the Bible shows  too. Believers begin by seeking Christ (John 1:38–39. Then believers come to the full assurance through His promises (1 John 5:13), and ultimately they receive public confirmation when Christ confesses their names before the Father (Revelation 3:5). That movement from anxious inquiry to settled confidence in Christ is a powerful structure for the gospel today. One of the most powerful foundations of Scripture is that it tells one unified story.

From Question to Assurance Throughout the Bible

The Bible begins by introducing the idea that God keeps a record of those who belong to Him. God Has a Book. The first clear mention comes from Moses. “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” (Exodus 32:32) God immediately confirms the reality of that book.

“Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.” (Exodus 32:33)

The Bible doesn’t explain the book because Moses already understands that it exists. David Recognizes the same Book. David later prays concerning those who persist in rebellion when he says: “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living and not be written with the righteous.” (Psalm 69:28). So now we learn another detail. The righteous are “written.” The wicked can be “blotted out.” So much for “once saved, always saved.” People can choose to turn their backs on God, and reject His mercy and guidance. Looking forward in prophetic time, Daniel is shown the closing events of earth’s history. “At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” (Daniel 12:1). Now the book becomes associated with final deliverance. The question is no longer merely whether names are recorded.

Friends,Who will be found written there when probation closes?

Malachi Describes the People in the Book.

Then Malachi provides one of Scripture’s tenderest descriptions. “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” (Malachi 3:16)

Now we learn what characterizes these people. They fear God. They esteem His name. They encourage one another. God delights in remembering them. Notice that Malachi is not describing extraordinary people. He is describing faithful believers of all classes whose hearts belong to God. Then the Bible continues unfolding the picture. Jesus tells His disciples,

“Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

Later He promises “I will not blot out their name out of the book of life.” (Revelation 3:5)

John Sees the Great Judgment.

“Another book was opened, which is the book of life.” (Revelation 20:12) And then he describes the New Jerusalem.
“There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth… but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27) The Bible moves quite naturally from recording, to remembering, to rejoicing, to rewarding.

Another progression that goes even deeper is found in Exodus where Moses asks: “Can my name be blotted out instead of theirs?” But as we previously discovered, a sinner cannot save another sinner.

Friends, We may be assured by God’s promises

“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)

Already the answer is beginning to appear. The problem is not merely having or not having our names in a book. The problem is our sins.

As we see in Isaiah 53, the Servant appears:

“The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) This is how we know that Someone truly can bear another’s guilt. Moses offered to do this. Jesus is The One who accomplished this. (John 3:16)

God Promises The New Covenant.

“I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)

Malachi speaks of a Book of Remembrance for God’s people. Jeremiah says God will remember our sins no more. He remembers His children while choosing not to remember the sins Christ has already borne. And finally, John brings both ideas together. The names are remembered. The sins are gone. Only those written in the Lamb’s Book of Life enter the Holy City.

One of the great themes of the Bible is that God knows:

God knows your name.
God knows your sins.
Christ bore your sins.
Therefore God remembers your name

but God does not remember your sins! That is the gospel.

Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly calls His people by name. “I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine” (Isaiah 43:1). Jesus says of the Good Shepherd, “He calleth his own sheep by name” (John 10:3). At the resurrection, Mary recognizes Jesus when He simply says, “Mary” (John 20:16).

The climax of the hymn here is not merely that our names are written in His book, but that our names are known by His heart. The Lamb’s Book of Life is not an impersonal registry; it is the record of those whom the Shepherd knows, loves, and has redeemed. (John 17:3). That makes the question, “Is my name written there?” profoundly personal rather than merely a strictly juristic question.

Is My Name Written There?

The hymn asks a deeply personal question: “Is my name written there?” Yet the gospel invites us to look beyond ourselves and consider those around us. As we think of our spouses, children, parents, neighbors, friends, and co-workers, another solemn question arises: Are their names written there? The thought should not lead us to judgment, but to compassion, prayer, and faithful witness. In the great controversy between Christ and Satan, every soul is precious to God, and He desires that none should perish. (John 3:15,16,2 Pet 3:9)

The names recorded in Heaven are attached to real people we interact with every day. People who may be struggling, searching, or unaware of God’s love. When we go one step further and we ask whether their names are written there, we are reminded of our privilege and responsibility to reflect Christ’s character, share His truth, and pray earnestly that those we love will one day stand with us before God’s throne, rejoicing that their names too, are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Acts 11:14, Acts 16:31)

Reading Time: 15 minutes

Who Are the People of God?

“…In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:26-29, NIV)

This passage is not primarily a statement about equality or social inclusion, as some people would lead us to believe. It’s not that those things are not important issues. But this text has a much bigger picture to it. The center of Paul’s statement here is identity. Because the gospel is not merely about forgiveness; it is about participating in the very life of Christ. The passage for this message answers one of the most fundamental questions in Scripture:

Who are the people of God?

And Paul’s answer is astonishing. He declared that the people of God are all those who are “in Christ.”

Clothed with Christ

…In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith… for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ…”* (Galatians 3:26-27)

There are moments in life when clothing completely changes how others see us. A judge puts on a robe. A firefighter puts on protective gear. A soldier wears a uniform. I take off my drywall clothes and put on a suit to come to church. Clothing tends to identify people with a particular calling. If I went to a store shopping with my drywall clothes on, I would often get people asking me to come to their place to do some work because they could see that I was a drywaller.

Paul says something infinitely greater has happened to the believer. Believers in Christ Jesus dress in something absolutely “out of this world.”  True Christians wear the very best clothing in the world. And people tend to notice!

The Bible says in our opening text that we have been clothed with Christ Himself.  This is a much bigger picture than just having our sins covered. Or being forgiven! It is much more than receiving a legal declaration of righteousness. When we are in Christ, when we are clothed in His righteousness, Christ Himself becomes the defining reality of our existence.

The Father no longer simply sees forgiven sinners. He sees His Son. He sees Christ in you the hope in glory! Isaiah said it like this:

“He has clothed me with the garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness…” (Isa. 61:10)

But Paul goes even further. The robe is not merely righteousness. The robe is Christ Himself. And one really interesting thing here is how we are clothed in Christ, because we are now entering His Story. Paul immediately connects this special clothing with baptism. Now, baptism is not magic. The water has no saving power. But baptism publicly declares something that faith has already accomplished.

The old identity has died. A new identity has begun.

Just as Israel passed through the Red Sea into a completely new existence, the Christian passes through baptism into participation in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. It is not simply that Christ died for us. Because NOW, we live in Him. “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28). “In Christ we live and move and have our being!”

That little expression, “in Christ,” may be the most amazing phrase Paul ever wrote. Notice the order. Paul does not say:  Obey well enough…Become holy enough…Understand enough doctrine… and eventually God will adopt you.

He says, “You are all children of God through faith.” (Gal 3:26) Sure, obedience matters. Sanctification matters. Character matters. Doctrine matters. But none of these create sonship. They grow out of sonship. When we are adopted as the sons and daughters of God, we want to obey, not to belong. But because we belong.

The New Person.

Here is where Paul reaches one of the most revolutionary statements in Scripture. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female…”  (Gal 3:28). Paul is not pretending that these distinctions disappear. Jews remain Jews. Greeks remain Greeks. Men remain men. Women remain women. The differences still existed. But none of them determined any person’s standing before God.

Before Christ, identity flowed from ethnicity, social status, gender, family, tribe, or achievements of some kind. After Christ, identity flows from only one source. Union with Christ. This is not sameness. It is unity. Just as the Father and Son, and The Holy Spirit are distinct Persons yet perfectly one in purpose and love, believers remain wonderfully different while sharing one life in Christ.

This is because Jesus did not come merely to prepare us to meet God. He came to prepare us to live with God. The unity in the Church, or amongst God’s children, as described here is not organizational unity. It is participation in the very fellowship that has always existed between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It started with Abraham’s Seed. Paul states what may have seemed impossible to his Jewish readers. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed.” Notice Paul does not say “If you are physically descended from Abraham…” Nor does he say, “If you become ethnically Jewish…” The determining factor is Christ. If you are in Christ, you ARE Abraham’s seed.

Earlier in the chapter Paul said that the singular “Seed” promised to Abraham ultimately referred to Christ (Gal. 3:16). Now he reaches his conclusion. If Christ is the Seed…and we are in Christ…then we share His inheritance. Not because we deserve it. Not because we replaced Israel. But because we participate in the life of Israel’s Messiah. The inheritance is not earned. It is shared. Everything belongs first to Christ. Then, astonishingly, everything that belongs to Christ is shared with those united to Him. See Isaiah 53 and Galatians 3.

Isaiah 53 helps explain what Isaiah anticipated. Isaiah says, “By His stripes we are healed.” Paul explains what that healing ultimately accomplishes. The cross does more than forgive guilt. It restores relationship. It heals alienation. It creates a new person. New people. The cross brings estranged sinners into the family life of God.  Healing is not merely physical restoration, though Scripture promises that one day. It is the healing of humanity itself through union with the suffering Servant. Whole person healing and wellness.

The Three Angels’ Message

This also connects well with Revelation 14. The first angel announces the “everlasting gospel.” The everlasting gospel is not simply the announcement that sins can be forgiven.

It is the announcement that, through Christ, fallen human beings are restored to their identity as worshipers who reflect the Creator. The beast creates identity through coercion. Babylon creates identity through confusion and compulsion. Christ creates identity through union with Himself. This is why I have sometimes replied when asked “Who are you?”  “I am the one that Jesus loves.”

The everlasting gospel calls every nation, tribe, language, and people into one family. Sons and daughters of God. And not by erasing their uniqueness, but by clothing them all with Christ.

The most remarkable phrase in our opening passage (Gal 3:26-29) is not “children of God.” Not “heirs.” Not even “Abraham’s seed.” It is simply: “In Christ Jesus.” Everything else flows from those three words. “In Christ Jesus.” Outside Christ there are endless divisions and separateness. “In Christ” there is one new human family called “Christian,” from ‘every nation, tongue, tribe and people. As God’s children, His adopted children, we are called “Christian” because we are like Jesus when we are “in Christ.”

Outside Christ we define ourselves by our past, our failures, our successes, our culture, our politics, our race, or our achievements. In Christ there is one defining reality. Christ is our life.

The Christian life is not just trying harder to become someone else. It is learning, day by day, to live out the identity God has already given us in His Son. That is why Paul can later say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

The “robe” that we put on at conversion is not something we wear over our old life as some sort of covering. To mask what we are.  It is the beginning of an entirely new existence. (2 Cor 5:17) Every day, through faith, we grow into the reality of the One with whom we have already been clothed. (Gal 3:27)

We could note here how that Genesis 32:24-28 reflects the nature of some of the conflict we face as “seed of Abraham.” This passage is such a good example of what we are talking about here.

Now, I wouldn’t say Genesis 32: 24-28 is directly about all believers being as Abraham’s seed, but I do think Jacob’s experience functions as a pattern for what it means to inherit the promises through faith.

Jacob was about to enter the Promised Land. Genesis 32 occurs at a critical moment. Jacob has received God’s promises for twenty years. God has protected him, prospered him, and repeatedly assured him of the covenant. Yet before he enters the land, one obstacle remains. Jacob himself. The greatest danger is no longer Laban behind him. (Gen 31:22-23). His greatest danger was the Jacob within him.

Isn’t that also true of us? We tend to think our greatest enemies are external. Persecution. Temptation. Difficult people. Or even Satan himself. Scripture repeatedly suggests that God’s deepest work is often in dealing with the heart of His own people. There is even a promise about God giving us a new heart. (Ezekiel 36:26). The struggle in the great controversy has always been about identity. Jacob had spent his entire life living up to his name.

“Jacob” means “heel-grabber” or “supplanter.” His whole life had been characterized by seizing. He seized Esau’s heel. He seized the birthright. He seized the blessing. He seized Rachel. Even when God had already promised him the inheritance, Jacob still tried to secure it through his own ingenuity. His own strength and efforts. And that is exactly the opposite of faith.

Faith receives. Jacob grasped. So, when the mysterious Man asks, “What is your name?” it is not because He lacks information. It is an invitation to confession. Jacob must finally admit, “I am Jacob.” “I am the grasping one.” “I am the deceiver.” (Gen 32:27) Only then comes the new name. “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel.” (Gen 32:28)

The way this all happens is very interesting. First, confession. Then transformation. This is very much like Galatians 3. We are not first made heirs because we have become different people. Rather, God gives us a new identity in Christ and then calls us to live out that identity. (see Rom 12:1-2). Praise His Holy name!

Today’s message is saying that the blessing came through surrender. The most amazing paradox of Genesis 2 is that Jacob “prevails” only after he loses. The touch on his hip changes everything. (Gen 32:25) From that moment on, Jacob cannot wrestle in his own strength. He can only cling. Victory is sure when self is surrendered.

Before sunrise Jacob had been wrestling against God. After sunrise he is holding onto God. Jacob is clinging to God. There is an enormous difference.

Perhaps that is what Hosea means when reflecting on this event. “He strove with the Angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor” (Hosea 12:4).

Jacob’s victory was not in overpowering God. Jacob’s victory was refusing to let go of God! Isn’t that what makes the Christian life? Paul says, “You have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Gal 3:27) But what does that look like in experience? What should we see if someone is “clothed in Christ?” Perhaps Genesis 32 gives us the best answer.

The Christian life is a continual surrender of the old “Jacob.” Every day the old self wants to secure God’s promises through self-reliance, self-protection, self-promotion, and self-sufficiency. The Spirit continually brings us to the Jabbok. Not to destroy us. But to change our name.

Notice that Jacob receives a new name before he meets Esau. Nothing outward has changed. Esau is still approaching with four hundred men. The circumstances remain the same. The only thing that has changed…is Jacob.

That is often God’s order. We pray, “Lord, change my circumstances.” God says, “First, let Me change you.” Only then do we discover that the greatest miracle wasn’t what happened around us. It was what happened within us. The things that happen to us or around us are not the miracle. We are the miracle.

When Jacob leaves Jabbok limping, we see a connection to the life of Christ. Jesus leaves Gethsemane wounded. Jacob bears the mark of his encounter. Jesus bears the wounds of ours. But here’s the difference. Jacob limped because of his own weakness. Christ was wounded because of our weakness. And now Paul can say, “You have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Gal 3:27)

In a profound sense, as Christians, we inherit not Jacob’s limp, but Christ’s life. Yet Jacob’s limp becomes a fitting symbol of the believer’s walk. We no longer stride confidently in our own strength. We walk in dependence upon Another. “His strength being made perfect in our weakness.”

Could this be why Paul emphasizes, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed.” Abraham learned to trust God’s promise. Jacob learned that trust often requires God to break through our self-sufficiency. The inheritance does not pass to those who are naturally strong, clever, or capable. It passes to those who, like Jacob at dawn, have come to the end of themselves and can only say, “I will not let You go unless You bless me.”

That cry is not the voice of human determination. It is the voice of faith. And in the Bible, faith is precisely the defining characteristic of Abraham’s true children. It is no accident that the patriarch who spent his life grasping whatever he thought he wanted or needed, ends his greatest struggle simply clinging to God. That movement, from grasping to clinging, captures the transition from the old life in Adam to the new life “in Christ.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of the clearest explanations of what Paul means by “in Christ.” It is often quoted as though it simply means, “Now that you’re a Christian, you should live differently.” While that’s true, Paul’s point is much deeper. He is describing a new creation.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Notice that Paul does not say: “If anyone believes in Christ…” or “If anyone follows Christ…”  Those are certainly Biblically sound ideas. But here his emphasis is on agency, or perhaps we can say “sphere of existence.”

A person is now in Christ. That little phrase changes everything.  A new realm of existence. Think about how Paul uses similar language elsewhere. Before conversion we are “In Adam” (Rom. 5), “in the flesh” (Rom. 8), “in darkness” (Eph. 5).

After conversion we are “In Christ”, “in the Spirit”, “in the light”, etc. Paul is not merely describing a change of opinion. He is describing a transfer from one realm into another. This reminds me of Israel crossing the Red Sea. The same people stood on the opposite shore. The same names. The same faces. The same memories. But they no longer belonged to Egypt. They belonged to God.

Likewise, the believer may look much the same outwardly, but spiritually he or she now belongs to an entirely different order of existence. The phrase “new creation” immediately echoes Genesis. Genesis says “In the beginning God created…” Now Paul says God has begun creating again. This isn’t merely self-improvement. Nor is it merely moral reform. It is the beginning of God’s final purpose for humanity. The same God who once said, “Let there be light,” now shines into human hearts (2 Cor. 4:6).

Paul intentionally links creation and redemption. Salvation is not simply escaping judgment. It is God’s recreation of humanity. This fits so well with Galatians 3.

Notice how naturally the ideas connect. Galatians says, “You are children of God.” You have clothed yourselves with Christ. You are Abraham’s seed. 2 Corinthians explains how that can possibly be true. It is because God has made you part of a new creation. Your deepest identity is no longer determined by your ancestry. Nor by your failures. Nor by your accomplishments. Nor even by your past.

It is determined by Christ.

This is why Paul can say in Galatians “There is neither Jew nor Greek…” He is not denying history. He is saying a greater reality now defines us. Christ as the beginning of the new creation This becomes even bigger when we remember Christ’s resurrection.

Paul calls Christ “the first fruits.” Elsewhere He is called “the firstborn from the dead.” Jesus is not merely the first person to rise. He is the first member of the new humanity. His resurrection is the dawn of the new creation. So, when Paul says we are in Christ, he means we already participate in that new creation life. Not fully. Not yet. But truly. We still await the resurrection of our bodies. Yet eternal life has already begun. (John 3:36)

Now, Jacob received a new name. But he still looked like Jacob. He still remembered his failures. He still walked with a limp. Nevertheless, God declared, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel.” (Gen 32:28) His identity changed before his experience fully reflected it. God saw the potential and where it was going to go. That is remarkably similar to Paul’s thought.

The believer is declared to be part of God’s new creation. Yet we still struggle. We still limp. We are still learning to live according to our new identity. Sanctification is, in one sense, learning to live as the new creation we already are. The life in Christ that we are called to.

Isaiah 53 tells us that “By His stripes we are healed.” Perhaps we can now say what that healing ultimately accomplishes. Christ’s suffering does not merely repair damaged lives. It inaugurates a new creation. The healing Isaiah foresaw is not only the removal of guilt. It is the restoration of humanity itself. The broken image of God begins to be restored. That restoration reaches its climax in the resurrection, but it begins now in everyone who is “in Christ.”

Notice that Paul almost never tells Christians to create a new identity. To begin some modern-day behavior modification program. He tells them to live from the one God has already given them. That’s a profound difference. Churchianity often says, “Become someone worthy, and perhaps God will accept you.” The gospel says “God has united you to His Son. Now learn to live out the reality of who you already are called to be.” That is the heartbeat of the phrase “in Christ.”

It is not simply a description of our relationship with Jesus. It is God’s declaration that the life of the risen Christ has become the defining reality of our existence. Jesus did not come merely to make forgiveness possible. He came to restore humanity to the kind of life that has always existed between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To be “in Christ” is to participate even now in that life. We are not spectators of the new creation; but by God’s grace, we are part of it.

1 Peter 1:5 fits into this picture extraordinarily well because it answers a question that naturally arises from everything Paul has said. If we are “in Christ,” if we are a new creation, if we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise, then one question remains. How do we make it home to Heaven?

We are literally “kept by the power of God.” Peter’s answer is “…those who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:5)

“Kept by the power of God.”

Peter does not say we are kept by the strength of our faith. Nor by the consistency of our obedience. Nor by our theological understanding. He says we are kept by the power of God. This fits perfectly with Jacob. Jacob crossed the Jabbok limping. If the future of God’s covenant depended on Jacob’s strength, the covenant would have ended that morning.

Instead, Jacob was preserved by God’s faithfulness. His limp became a continual reminder that God’s promises rested on God’s power, not Jacob’s. That is exactly Peter’s point.

Peter says, “through faith.” But Peter doesn’t stop there. God’s power works through faith.  Faith is not the power. Faith is how we receive God’s power. Imagine a branch attached to a vine. The life is not in the branch. The life is in the vine. The branch simply remains connected. That is very close to Paul’s idea of being “in Christ.”

Faith is the continual dependence that keeps us consciously abiding in the One who is our life. Galatians says You are children of God through faith. Peter says You are kept by God’s power through faith. Faith is not merely how we begin the Christian life. It is how we continue in it.

We never graduate beyond faith. The Christian life never becomes self-sustaining. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Peter says That new creation is being guarded by God’s own power until the final salvation is revealed.

The new creation is already true. Yet its fullness is still future. The inheritance has already been given. Its complete enjoyment still awaits Christ’s return. Peter says this just one verse earlier: “…an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you…” (1 Pet. 1:4) “…who are kept by the power of God…” The inheritance is guarded. The heirs are guarded. Nothing is left to chance.

Think again about Abraham’s seed. Israel inherited the land because of God’s promise. Yet every day they still had to trust Him. The Jordan did not part because Israel was strong. Jericho did not fall because Israel had better military strategy. The inheritance was entered by continual dependence upon God’s power. Peter is saying something similar about the Christian life.

We are heirs. But we are heirs who walk by faith from beginning to end. Isaiah 53 describes the Servant bearing our sins and healing us. Peter is one of the New Testament writers who explicitly connects believers to Isaiah 53 when he said, “By whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Pet. 2:24)

Peter isn’t merely talking about forgiveness. He’s describing an entirely new life “…that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness.” That sounds very much like Paul’s “new creation.” The healing Isaiah promised is not only the removal of guilt, but the restoration of a life lived in close fellowship with God.

1 Peter 1:5 tells us why that restoration will reach its goal Because God Himself is preserving it. “Kept by the power of God.”

There is an even deeper connection. One theme keeps surfacing: God is not merely preparing people for heaven; He is preparing people to live with Him. 1 Peter 1:5 fits perfectly into that idea. God does not simply hand us salvation and say, “Now don’t lose it.” Rather, the God who calls us into union with Christ is the same God who continually guards, shapes, disciplines, sustains, and preserves us until that union reaches its full expression at the resurrection.

Galatians 3 tells us who we are. Children of God. Clothed with Christ.  Abraham’s seed.  2 Corinthians 5 tells us what we are. A new creation. Genesis 32 shows how God transforms us. By bringing us from self-reliance to dependence. 1 Peter 1:5 tells us why we can have confidence: because the God who began this new creation is Himself keeping us by His power through faith until the inheritance is fully revealed.

That, I think, is why Peter can later speak about believers rejoicing even amid trials (1 Pet. 1:6–9). The trials are not evidence that God has stopped keeping His people. In many cases they are examples of how He teaches them to live as Jacob finally did. Not grasping for blessings in their own strength but clinging to the One whose power alone can bring them safely into the inheritance promised to Abraham.

“…to all who did receive [Christ], to those who believe in his name, he gives the right, He gives the power to become children of God. Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13)

Who Are God’s People? They are “in Christ.” They are kept by the power of God. In Christ alone!

Reading Time: 5 minutes

“The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.” Psalm 72:3

Standing upon a mountain, one cannot help but feel how small the anxieties of life really are. The winds still blow, clouds still gather, and storms still pass across the peaks, yet the mountains remain unmoved. David often looked to the mountains, but Solomon, in this psalm, says something even more remarkable: the mountains themselves will bring peace to the people. But only “by righteousness.”

The peace spoken of here is not merely the absence of conflict. It is the peace that comes when God’s righteous King reigns. Psalm 72 is ultimately a prophecy of Christ. Wherever His rule is welcomed, peace follows. Not because circumstances become easier, but because hearts become anchored in Him.

For the believer today, the mountains can also represent the great challenges that rise before us. Some face mountains of illness, grief, financial hardship, broken relationships, or uncertainty about the future. Others struggle with mountains that no one else can see. Guilt from the past, fear of failure, discouragement, addiction, or the burden of their own sinful nature. Yet there is one mountain greater than them all: the mountain of sin that separates humanity from a holy God. It is a mountain no amount of human effort can climb and no strength of our own can remove. But at the cross, Christ did what we never could.  (Eph 2:13) Through His sacrifice, the mountain of condemnation was overcome. The believer can now say with confidence, “I am washed. I am forgiven. I am free. I am brought near.” Every other mountain in life must be viewed from that higher ground. Whatever difficulty stands before us today is smaller than the grace that has already brought us into peace with God.

Our generation is surrounded by uncertainty. Nations rage, families fracture, truth is questioned, and many live with an undercurrent of fear about the future. Technology has connected the world, yet loneliness has increased. Information is abundant, but wisdom is scarce.

In such a time, God’s answer is not first a change in circumstances but a righteous King.

Standing on that mountain, I realized that the highest peak I had ever faced was not made of rock or snow, but of my own sin and separation from God. Christ has already carried me over that summit. Because I am washed in His blood, forgiven by His grace, and free in His salvation, I can face every other mountain with hope. The difficulties before me may still be steep, but they no longer define my future. The greatest victory has already been won. As I reflected on that day, from the top of the mountain, these words came to me while I thought upon both the climb and the One I met there.

On Top Of The Mountain

Climbing my mountain high
I lost the meaning of my days
Higher yet to climb the why
Search for God, long for praise

His message of hope at the top
For friend and foe alike up there
Deserve their part as harvest crop
Stand in place and let Him share

Mountain prepared a speech or two (Psalms 19:1)
As I struggled to climb up there
Spoke of relationship kind and true
For on the mount He said “I care.”

Sun rises in place, lights my path
Yes, it was ready to shine at night
The more I climbed the less my wrath
For at the top I found God’s Light                                                                                    (by David Battler, all rights reserved)

Every believer has a mountain. Some are visible; others are hidden in the heart. Yet every mountain becomes a place of hope when it becomes a place of meeting with God. The greatest peace is not found at the summit of a hill but at the foot of the cross, where Christ conquered the greatest mountain we could never climb ourselves.

This mountain where I prayed did not remove tomorrow’s challenges. It did something better. It reminded me that above the noise of the valleys stands a kingdom that cannot be shaken. The same God who carved those ridges, raised those forests, and governs the clouds also governs history. His righteousness has not diminished because the world has become more turbulent.

Perhaps that is why mountains have always spoken so powerfully to believers. Like they did to me the day I stood in the enclosed picture on top of The Cardinal Divide. These beautiful mountains preach without words. They declare stability in a restless age, permanence in a temporary world, and majesty that humbles human pride. As followers of Christ, we are called to carry that same quiet confidence into the valleys where we live and work. Onto the mountain tops of our experience. Onto the mountains of difficulty wherein we often are placed or called. All these are God’s workmen whereby we are free in Him and in the power of His name. Our peace does not arise from favorable headlines or comfortable circumstances. It comes from knowing that King Jesus still reigns. Our Creator knows us and still loves us.

“Where Jesus is there is peace, lasting, deep, eternal. Even those things which were once our dread, lose all terror when Jesus is owned as monarch of the heart: death itself, that dark mountain, loses all its gloom. Trials and afflictions, when the Lord is with us, bring us an increase rather than a diminution of peace.” – Spurgeon, Treasury of David

“You may be sure to have peace when your mountains shall bring forth peace… this is the work of righteousness.” Joseph Caryl

When the mountains seem far away and daily pressures close in, remember the lesson they teach us that peace is not found by escaping the world but by standing firmly under the righteous rule of Christ in this messed up world.

“Righteousness is love, and love is the light and the life of God. God’s righteousness is embodied in Christ. We receive righteousness by receiving Him.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 18.

“as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12)

Lord Jesus, in a world filled with uncertainty, I hold forth the wonderful promise in your Word, “Peace I leave with you, not like the world gives give I unto you.” (John 14:27) Creator God, establish Your peace within the hearts of all who read this. Make us steadfast like the mountains You created—not because we are strong, but because You reign in righteousness. Help us to receive and to reflect Your peace to those around us until the day when Your kingdom is fully revealed. Amen.