Galatians 6:14 (UKJV) But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
cross Gal 6:14
“We behold in the cross if Christ our efficiency, our inexhaustible Source of power.” (6BC 112.7)
“Behold in the cross of Christ the only sure guarantee for individual excellence and success. And the more the heart is wrapped up in Christ, the more secure is the treasure in the eternal world.” (6 BC 1112.8)
There is one great central truth to be kept ever before the mind in the searching of the Scriptures—Christ and Him crucified. Every other truth is invested with influence and power corresponding to its relation to this theme. It is only in the light of the cross that we can discern the exalted character of the law of God. The soul palsied by sin can be endowed with life only through the work wrought out upon the cross by the Author of our salvation (6BC 1084.8)
Ephesians 2:13 (UKJV)… in Christ Jesus all of you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Hanging upon the cross, Christ was the gospel. Now we have a message, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.” [John 1:29.]
Will not our church members keep their eyes fixed on a crucified and risen Saviour, in whom their hopes of eternal life are centered?
This is our message, our argument, our doctrine, our warning to the impenitent, our encouragement for the sorrowing, the hope for every believer. If we can awaken an interest in people’s minds that will cause them to fix their eyes on Christ, we may step aside, and ask them only to continue to fix their eyes upon the Lamb of God.
They thus receive their lesson. Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Those whose eyes are fixed on Jesus will leave all. They will die to selfishness. They will believe in all the Word of God, which is so gloriously and wonderfully exalted in Christ. (Ms 49, 1898, par. 41)
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as Eagles,they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isa 40:28-31)
mount up with wings as Eagles (Isa 40:31)
Isaiah describes God’s power to create, his provision to sustain, and his presence to help. God is almighty and all-powerful; but even so, he cares for each of us personally. No person or thing can be compared to God (Isa 40:25). We describe God as best we can with our limited knowledge and language, but we only limit our understanding of him and his power when we compare him to what we experience on earth. What is your concept of God, especially as revealed in his Son, Jesus Christ? Don’t limit his work in your life by underestimating him.(Life Application Notes)
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 119}
In Christ today, God’s people can follow the ways of the eagle to renew their strength. And to glorify His name.
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea Mat 14:25
sabbath
Jesus Felt the Necessity of Being Alone with God
The fourth watch began at three am, and continued till six am. It was therefore between the hours of three and six in the morning that Jesus made his appearance to his disciples.
It had been a day of great trial and stress for Jesus, and when the sun set, the danger was not yet over. There were huge risks in that enthusiastic crowd that surged and swayed upon the mountain side. The miracle of His feeding the five thousand had made a powerful impression upon everyone. It had struck deep into these volatile hearts. And when the cry rang out along the hillside that “Jesus is King!” who could have known where the echoes of that cry might end up? Jesus recognized the peril of the hour. Jesus felt the urgent necessity of prayer. It was a moment in the Master’s life when His greatest desire was to be alone with God. Full of that quiet authority that moved the crowd as wonderfully as it calmed the sea, Jesus urged the disciples to depart, and sent the crowds away. How they would talk as they traveled homeward!
Disciples Learn Dependence in The Storm
Meantime the storm had arrived with great fury. The clouds seemed to have swept away the stars. The wind came screeching through the trees and the countryside. The ocean was rising high. Out in the midst of it toiled the disciples, Masterless, shelterless, helpless. It was a wild night after a weary day. It was a strange fulfillment of their promised rest (Mark 6:31). But we must question if any rest among the hills could have taught them as much as did that unmanageable time in the boat when that storm hit. That very evening they had been telling Jesus what to do. (Mat 14:15). They giving Jesus advice about how to handle that crowd of five thousand men. They were eager to control that huge crowd for Jesus—and now they cannot even manage their little boat. It was a very blessed and very humbling experience for the disciples who were stuck out in that crazy storm.
Being stuck in that storm put the disciples back into their proper place again. It wrote upon their hearts, as if in a picture, that the secret of Christian power today is dependence.
Day by day God instructs His children. By the circumstances of the daily life He is preparing them to act their part upon that wider stage to which His providence has appointed them. It is the issue of the daily test that determines their victory or defeat in life’s great crisis. {DA 382.3}
Those who fail to realize their constant dependence upon God will be overcome by temptation. We may now suppose that our feet stand secure, and that we shall never be moved. We may say with confidence, “I know in whom I have believed; nothing can shake my faith in God and in His word.” But Satan is planning to take advantage of our hereditary and cultivated traits of character, and to blind our eyes to our own necessities and defects. Only through realizing our own weakness and looking steadfastly unto Jesus can we walk securely. {DA 382.4}
No sooner had Jesus taken His place in the boat than the wind ceased, “and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” The night of horror was succeeded by the light of dawn. The disciples, and others who also were on board, bowed at the feet of Jesus with thankful hearts, saying, “Of a truth Thou art the Son of God!” {DA 382.5}
When We Want Jesus We Do Not Recognize Him
The that night wore on, and every wave that dashed against or into the boat deepened the disciples need of Jesus. Increased the fear in their heart. The crowds were home now, the children were asleep, and every light by the lake side was out. Then with the breaking of the day came Jesus. Walking on the water towards their boat. At first, they spied a form, moving along the waves of the sea. Lost for a moment in the rough waves, now dimmed by the torrents of waves and their spray. Though they had longed for Jesus, and prayed for Jesus, and although this actually was Jesus, they did not know Jesus when they saw Him walking on the waves. They cried out for fear.
Sometimes we get the very thing we ask, and we do not recognize it when it comes. Sometimes we are blessed with the very help we need, and yet we are sometimes even more troubled than before. The disciples cried out “It is a spirit!” The demon of the tempest was rushing about and Jesus—where was He? Who can describe their joy when the familiar voice rang over the white crests, “Be of good cheer; it is I. Be not afraid!”
One Stood Out
Now there are times when a man’s character is revealed, and one of these times is often that of storm. When we find Jesus sleeping in the tempest, it teaches us His perfect trust in God. When we rehearse Paul’s conduct in the shipwreck, it opens a window into that noble heart. So here, from all the disciples, one stands out; and amid the spray, and in the driving wind of that wild morning, there falls a shaft of light on Simon Peter. It is Peter who cries across the storm, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee.” It is Peter who flings himself upon the waves to get to Christ. And it is Peter who begins to sink, and would have gone to the depths but for the hand of Jesus. There is the strength and there is the weakness of that hero. There is the story of his life condensed. When the wind ceased, and the ship’s company knelt down to worship Jesus, none felt so deeply as Peter that this was the Son of God.
When trouble comes upon us, how often we are like Peter! We look upon the waves, instead of keeping our eyes fixed upon the Savior. Our footsteps slide, and the proud waters go over our souls. Jesus did not bid Peter come to Him that he should perish; He does not call us to follow Him, and then forsake us. “Fear not,” He says; “for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior.” Isa 43:1-3. {DA 382.1}
Jesus read the character of His disciples. He knew how sorely their faith was to be tried. In this incident on the sea He desired to reveal to Peter his own weakness,–to show that his safety was in constant dependence upon divine power. Amid the storms of temptation he could walk safely only as in utter self-distrust he should rely upon the Savior. It was on the point where he thought himself strong that Peter was weak; and not until he discerned his weakness could he realize his need of dependence upon Christ. Had he learned the lesson that Jesus sought to teach him in that experience on the sea, he would not have failed when the great test came upon him.
{DA 382.2}
Long Delays of Heaven
A violent tempest had been stealing upon them, and they were unprepared for it. It was a sudden contrast, for the day had been perfect; and when the gale struck them, they were afraid. They forgot their disaffection, their unbelief, their impatience. Everyone worked to keep the boat from sinking. It was but a short distance by sea from Bethsaida to the point where they expected to meet Jesus, and in ordinary weather the journey required but a few hours; but now they were driven farther and farther from the point they sought. Until the fourth watch of the night they toiled at the oars. Then the weary men gave themselves up for lost. In storm and darkness the sea had taught them their own helplessness, and they longed for the presence of their Master. {DA 380.3}
Jesus had not forgotten them. The Watcher on the shore saw those fear-stricken men battling with the tempest. Not for a moment did He lose sight of His disciples. With deepest solicitude His eyes followed the storm-tossed boat with its precious burden; for these men were to be the light of the world. As a mother in tender love watches her child, so the compassionate Master watched His disciples. When their hearts were subdued, their unholy ambition quelled, and in humility they prayed for help, it was given them. {DA 381.1}
At the moment when they believe themselves lost, a gleam of light reveals a mysterious figure approaching them upon the water. But they know not that it is Jesus. The One who has come for their help they count as an enemy. Terror overpowers them. The hands that have grasped the oars with muscles like iron let go their hold. The boat rocks at the will of the waves; all eyes are riveted on this vision of a man walking upon the white-capped billows of the foaming sea. {DA 381.2}
Among the many lessons of this miracle we can note three of the more notable ones. First we look at the long delays of heaven. The night must have seemed endless to the twelve. Hour after hour dragged on, and hour after hour brought no word of Jesus. And it was not till the Roman guard in Caesarea had changed for the fourth watch, that the beloved voice was heard over the waves. Had they lost heart and hope? Did they suspect that Jesus had forgotten them? We are always ready to think ill of God, because of God’s great method of delay. But of this be sure that when our need is greatest, God is closest. He may delay, He will not disappoint. We must be schooled out of our impatience somehow. We must be trained in waiting and in trusting. It was not only for a night of prayer that Jesus lingered. It was to teach His own that patience of hope which was to win such triumphs for the Church.
Jesus Comes by The Unexpected Road
Unbelief was taking possession of their minds and hearts. Love of honor had blinded them. They knew that Jesus was hated by the Pharisees, and they were eager to see Him exalted as they thought He should be. To be united with a teacher who could work mighty miracles, and yet to be reviled as deceivers, was a trial they could ill endure. Were they always to be accounted followers of a false prophet? Would Christ never assert His authority as king? Why did not He who possessed such power reveal Himself in His true character, and make their way less painful? Why had He not saved John the Baptist from a violent death? Thus the disciples reasoned until they brought upon themselves great spiritual darkness. They questioned, Could Jesus be an impostor, as the Pharisees asserted? {DA 380.1}
The disciples had that day witnessed the wonderful works of Christ. It had seemed that heaven had come down to the earth. The memory of that precious, glorious day should have filled them with faith and hope. Had they, out of the abundance of their hearts, been conversing together in regard to these things, they would not have entered into temptation. But their disappointment had absorbed their thoughts. The words of Christ, “Gather up the fragments, . . . that nothing be lost,” were unheeded. Those were hours of large blessing to the disciples, but they had forgotten it all. They were in the midst of troubled waters. Their thoughts were stormy and unreasonable, and the Lord gave them something else to afflict their souls and occupy their minds. God often does this when men create burdens and troubles for themselves. The disciples had no need to make trouble. Already danger was fast approaching. {DA 380.2}
Evidently, Christ comes by unexpected roads. That night the twelve were longing for their Master, but they never dreamed that He would come that way. If any sail went beating up the lake, their hopes rose, for Jesus might be there. But even Peter, most sanguine of them all, had never guessed that the waves would be His street. Yet by that unexpected avenue the King approached, and on unlikeliest highways He is coming still. By what strange roads Christ enters human hearts! By what strange ways He comes into our homes! A word, a visit of a stranger perhaps, a sickness or a death—and He is here. We may thank Jesus for our time with our beloved companions of Hunger Want Desolation Impending Destruction Caught in the middle of the terrible storm, it is all so different from what we had looked for, that we do not even recognize it is our Lord. There are ten thousand thoroughfares for Jesus. His ways of entrance into human souls are endless. Let me not bind Him. Let me not limit Him either to my preconceptions or my prayers. He puts to shame my well worn offers of salvation, and comes to all of us by unexpected roads.
We Sink When We Only See the Storm
And lastly, this meets me in the story: we sink when we see nothing but the storm. When Peter looked to Jesus he was safe. But perhaps a wave came and towered like a wall before him, and for the moment he could not see his Lord. He saw the waves, he felt the spray, he heard the wind. But he looked and he saw no face, no arm, no hand, and in that moment Peter began to sink. Do we still detect that presence in the tempest? Do we discern the presence and the love of God in the confusion of our day of trials or troubles? When we see nothing but the storm, we sink. When we see Christ in the madness of the storms in our lives, then we triumph.
Jesus always comes in the storm. It had been a great relief to escape from the pressure of the crowd to His place of prayer, on heights swept by the evening breeze and lighted by the holy stars. But Jesus tore Himself away because His friends needed Him. He is watching us also in the storm and will certainly come to our help. Jesus uses the element we dread the most as the best path for His approach. When the waves were endangering the boat, Jesus walked on them. In our lives are people and circumstances that we dread, it is through these that the greatest blessing of our lives will come, if we look through them to Christ.
We wait for it. We expect His coming. But it is sometimes delayed. The gray dawn was already beginning to spread over the scene. The disciples’ strength was spent. He was not too late to be of service, but just in time to save them from despair. Be of good cheer, and if Jesus bids you come to Him on the water, or in the terrible storm; always believe that His commands are enablings.
Keep looking to Jesus, not at the storm. You, who are wanting to get to Jesus, should make a heroic effort to get to Him. Walking on the water to get to Jesus. Walking on the water might seem to be an idle and useless exhibition. To walk on the water to go to Jesus is another matter. Try it, and may the Lord enable you to get to Jesus in the middle of your worst storm! There is Light in every cloud. Expect it.
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” (2 Pet 3:1-4)
trust pray commit (Psalms 37:5)
In the last days” scoffers will say that Jesus is never coming back, but Peter refutes their argument by explaining God’s mastery over time. The “last days” is the time between Christ’s first and second comings; thus, we, like Peter, live in the last days.
Recent news headlines are proffering to the world some very amazing ideas that are surprising many nations and individuals. To the alarm of the “Western Allies” the current US president Donald Trump has made what appears to be “breath-taking concessions to The Kremlin.”
Apparently, at the time of this writing, all US Military Aid to Ukraine has been suspended, as well as to many other nations. Most of those suspensions are very temporary, depending on the “US interest” that is affected in each case. The prime motivator for such surprising action is said by many commentators to be a bully-type method to force the geopolitical conditioning to be more to the bent of the USA. President Trump is on public record now for saying
“We are going to forge the freest, most advanced, most dynamic and MOST DOMINANT civilization ever to exist on the face of this earth.”
Many feel that the President is now saying things like some people do in the Bible, and that by any means necessary the US will dominate everything and everyone. And that it appears that the promised second coming of Jesus is not in those big plans. With many, it’s like Jesus has either forgotten to come, or has simply scrapped His plans altogether. Is that even possible? Would Jesus do that?
Other geopolitical players are involved. On his top rated news show, Dmitry Kislov, a prominent Russian State mouthpiece who once boasted how Russia could reduce the United States to a smoldering pile of radioactive ash has been talking about a “great troika” dominating the globe: Russia, China, and The USA.” Well, What then, is a “TROIKA?”
By dictionary definition, a troika is thought of as simply the number three. In some books it is called “a group of three men” responsible for controlling administrative or civil authority. In a closer context with how Kislov has used the term, it can be thought of as a modern-day Russian Triumverate. The geopolitical scene today in our world is starting to look like there are amalgamations and competitions between various entities, all seeking world control or dominance. Those who desire to rule over “everything at any cost.”
Is there anything similar to the “TROIKA” idea in scripture?” Perhaps the following will spell it out more clearly?
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Rev 16:13-14, NKJV)
The Bible clearly spells out details of a world-wide triumverate that will accomplish total domination of everything and everyone. What the Bible’s details are on this last days triumverate remain for us to study. But for now, it would appear that big things are afloat in the world geopolitical arena now. Mysteries. Surprises. Nations are angry. But by this we do know. Jesus is coming again! Don’t you think its about time we say that with belief Church? When should we give the second coming of our Lord and Savior the very loud cry that it deserves?
How do we know that Jesus is coming again? Well, John the Revelator was a witness of the terrible scenes that will take place, manifesting as signs of Christ’s coming. He saw armies mustering for battle, and people’s hearts failing them for fear. He saw the earth moved out of its place, the mountains carried into the midst of the sea, the waves thereof roaring and troubled, and the mountains shaking with the swelling thereof. He saw the vials of God’s wrath opened, and pestilence, famine, and death come upon the inhabitants of the earth. {7BC 982.3}
Every form of evil is to spring into intense activity. Evil angels unite their powers with evil men, and as they have been in constant conflict and attained an experience in the best modes of deception and battle, and have been strengthening for centuries, they will not yield the last great final contest without a desperate struggle. All the world will be on one side or the other of the question. The battle of Armageddon will be fought, and that day must find none of us sleeping. Wide awake we must be, as wise virgins having oil in our vessels with our lamps. [see Mat 25:4]
The sources from which these spirits issue, show us in Scripture how that they will work among three great religious divisions of mankind, represented by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, or paganism, Roman Catholicism, and apostate Protestantism.
The Bible says
“I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. (Rev 17:6)
And how do we specifically identify this woman? Just a few verses later we are told:
“And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (Rev 17:18)
Thus is represented the papal power, The Vatican. (not the general body of faithful Catholic believers). With all deceivablness of unrighteousness, by outside attraction and gorgeous display and pomp, deceives all nations; promising them,as did Satan our first parents, all good to those who receive its mark, and all harm to those who oppose its fallacies.
The power which has the deepest inward corruption will make the greatest outward display, and will clothe itself with the most elaborate signs of power. The Bible plainly declares that this covers a corrupt and deceiving wickedness. “Upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great,The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.” {7BC 983.4}
What is it that gives its kingdom to this power? Apostate Protestantism, a power which, while professing to have the temper and spirit of a lamb and to be allied to Heaven, speaks with the voice of a dragon. It is moved by a power from beneath {7BC 983.5}
Could it be that this dragon’s voice is in its early stages of arising when a world power leader states:
“We are going to forge the freest, most advanced, most dynamic and MOST DOMINANT civilization ever to exist on the face of this earth.”
Lets look at the words of Jesus to see what He says about it all:
Signs of the End of the Age
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But anyone who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Mat 24:3-14)
On every occasion when persecution takes place, those who witness it make decisions either for Christ or against Him. Those who manifest sympathy for the ones wrongly condemned show their attachment for Christ. Others are offended because the principles of truth cut directly across their practice. Many stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith they once advocated. Those who apostatize in time of trial will,
to secure their own safety, bear false witness, and betray their brethren. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not be surprised at the unnatural, cruel course of those who reject the light. {DA 630.2}
Many are sucked into the commercial vortex of “end time preparations” yet what will all of these people do with their underground bunkers and hoarded foods and other resources that they have horded away somewhere when the first earth quake hits? Just the other week I was sitting at my desk when an earthquake hit our area in Northern Alberta. My computer monitor was waving back and forth, from side to side for several minutes.
Mathew 24:14 gives us the clearest clue on the better way to be properly prepared for the end times, for the end of time.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world AS A WITNESS to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Mat 24:14, NKJV)
Most churches or individuals will just repeat deftly the part that says “this gospel will be preached in all the world, and the end will come.” But so many just gloss over that part that says “AS A WITNESS.” I have sometimes thought this is a very similar trick to what the devil tries to pull in order to deceive believers. “AS A WITNESS” means something that we saw heard and experienced ourselves. Personally. Like the Apostle once said when he was preaching the everlasting gospel
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3, NIV)
Bible prophecy tells us over and over in so many ways
“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. (Dan 12:1)
The true preparation for this time of trouble such as never was is well summarized by the apostle John when he said “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Rev 12:11, NIV)
All who will can be over comers. Let us strive earnestly to reach the standard set before us. Christ knows our weakness, and to Him we can go daily for help. It is not necessary for us to gain strength a month ahead. We are to conquer from day to day. {7BC 974.3} We become over comers by helping others to overcome, by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. The keeping of the commandments of God will yield in us an obedient spirit, and the service that is the offspring of such a spirit, God can accept {7BC 974.4}
“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” Jeremiah 6:16
Jesus has not forgotten about coming back again. He is just waiting for us. WE CAN COME TO JESUS NOW, JUST AS WE ARE Perhaps the Holy Spirit has impressed you that you have a sinful heart and has opened your eyes to the load of guilt and shame you are carrying. Are you sick of your sins and how they have made you sick in your heart and mind? Do you want to be free from this heavy burden of sin that has destroyed the peace and happiness in your life and in your home? Are you fed up with how sin has messed up your life and is causing you to mess up the lives of those you love? Jesus is the answer. God’s Spirit has brought you here to this point to meet Jesus.
You can come to Jesus exactly like you are right now, full of sin and needing His help—with all your bad habits and addictions, impure or mean thoughts, your jealousy, your anger and hatred— everything! Jesus wants to clean up your heart and help you clean up your life. But for Him to be able to do that, you must first come to Him. Jesus promises, “I will never turn anyone away who comes to me.” The Holy Spirit tells us that if we hear His voice today, not to harden our hearts. The “right time” is now, and the “day of salvation” is today.
No matter what your past has been, Jesus, your Creator, is waiting for you to come to Him. He is holding His outstretched, open arms of love
to you. His heart of love is so big! You can say the following prayer with me now, and step onto the trail to heaven with Him in faith.
Jesus will wrap His arms of love around you. You will then begin your amazing walk with Him on the right road to Heaven. This will be
the most exciting, satisfying journey of your life! John 6:37, Hebrews 3:7,8, 2 Corinthians 6:2
Prayer
Dear Jesus,
I am tired of my old, sinful way of life. I know I am a sinner, and I believe you died for my sins. I come to you just as I am. Please take my hand as I seek the right path to Heaven and lead me on this road to freedom from sin and to everlasting life. In Your name, Amen.
Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. (Exodus 34:2, ESV)
Be ready in the morning to meet God on your 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 friends and foe alike up there
Deserve their part as harvest crop
Stand in place and let Him share
Mountain prepared a speech or two
I struggled to climb high up there
Spoke of relationship kind and true
For in the mount, He said “I care.”
Sun rises in place, lights my path
For it was ready to shine at night
More I climbed the less my wrath
For at the top, I see God’s Light
Upon the peak, my heart embrace
Unveiled the secrets of that sky
The perfect winds, His gentle grace
My earthly woe has said goodbye
By David T Battler, (all rights reserved)
God’s mercy shines through the darkness of His people’s sinful condition and His grace overcomes the despair caused by the doubts or trials of His people.
Am I so angry that I won’t go to Church? What then might be the problem?
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. (Luke 15:28-29)
“Come to me. I will give YOU rest” Mat 11:28
Consider this story of The Prodigal Son. Was it really a story about him or about his older brother who was so angry that he would not go in? Maybe this verse from Proverbs will give us a clue?
The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD has made even both of them. – Proverbs 20:12
Could it be that the older brother’s tongue made him totally deaf?
Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. – AC 22.1
Jesus speaks about several parables in Luke 15 to illustrate the joy that is felt over the recovery of that which was lost. He tells how the woman who had lost one of her ten pieces of silver, sought diligently until she found it, and then called in her neighbors to rejoice with her because she had found that which had been lost.
He spoke the parable of the prodigal son, to show us how God regards those who have strayed away, and have returned again to him. He said:
“A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of the country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself,”–when reason assumed the throne, and he began to consider what he had been doing,–“he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; an bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” {RH, July 16, 1889 par. 1}
We read that the elder son took exception to the way in which the prodigal was received. The elder son had had every spiritual and temporal advantage. He represented that class that do not go to great excesses of vice, and because of this they are filled with self-righteousness. This son is represented as being grieved that he had not received some marked attention because of his good works, and he was envious that his wayward brother should be so welcomed by his father. {RH, July 16, 1889 par. 2}
The prodigal’s soul had been stirred to the very depths by remorse and repentance, and why should not those who have been partakers of light, give the repenting sinner the right help at the right time? Tell them the good news instead of doting on the bad news? At one time, Jesus asked Simon who would love his benefactor most, the one to whom a small debt was forgiven, or the one to whom a large debt was forgiven. Simon answered that the one who had been forgiven most, would love most. (Luke 7:41-43) Those who have been in despair over their course of action, will manifest corresponding gratitude and love in return, as they receive the pardoning love of God.
“…forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Mat 6:12)
I have experienced many people who were in despair over their sins. They would say things like:
“I fear I am past all help.”
Did you know there is a verse that says as long as we are alive, there is hope for us In Christ? (see Eccl 9:4-5)
One man recently told me at our weekly prayer meeting something that really surprised me. We were talking about the resurrection as depicted by the Apostle in 1 Thes 4:13-18. When we got to the part about how the resurrected and living righteous will “rise together” to meet the Lord in the air, he simply said to the group:
“Ill likely be dead and gone by the time all that happens and I highly doubt that I’ll be risen on time for all that. I have not been a very good person and I am sure it will take more time to raise me up than anyone else, so count me out, I guess.”
He said the other even bigger reason he thought this, was because of the verse where we are told:
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Cor 15:52).
And also, where Jesus says:
“as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Mat 24:27)
My friend was thinking that because of how fast these verses say the second coming will be that there will not be enough time for someone as far gone as him to be fully resurrected in time to be included in the resurrection, simply because of the kind of life he has so often lived.
Fortunately for my friend, and for all of us, the Bible does tell us a different story.
Our personal identity is preserved in the resurrection, though not the same particles of matter or material substance as went into the grave. The wondrous works of God are a mystery to humanity. The spirit, the character of a person, is returned to God, there to be preserved for ever. In the resurrection everyone will have their own character. (Rev 22:11) God in His own time will call forth the dead, giving again the breath of life, and bidding the dry bones live. (Ezekiel 37:1-5). From what we can understand, the same bodily form will come forth, but it will be free from disease and every defect. It lives again bearing the same individuality of features, so that friend will recognize friend. Family will recognize family. There is no law of God in nature which shows that God gives back the same identical particles of matter which composed the body before death. God shall give the righteous dead a body that will glorify Him. The prodigals will have nothing to worry about if they come back to Jesus, and give their hearts to Him.
Paul illustrates this subject by the kernel of grain sown in the field. The planted kernel always decays. But there comes forth a new kernel. The natural substance in the grain that decays is never raised as it was before planting. God gives it a new body as it has pleased Him. A much finer material will compose the human body, for it is a new creation, a new birth. (2 Cor 5:17, It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. (1 Cor 15:44)
Are you asking today:
“Is there any hope for me?”
Today, and always, my answer to you would be simple:
“Hope only in God. The Father has bread enough and to spare. Arise, and go to your Father. He will meet you a great way off. He will give you his love and compassion.” The Bible says “God will quiet you with His love…” (Zeph 3:17)
The prodigals in the world around us, in the church we attend,in the homeless camps, in our Indigenous populations, and everywhere that the gospel has been bruted by colonial Christianity. Everywhere that people who have been wounded and harmed by a perverted gospel, Jesus says that all of these beautiful souls that He died for desperately need our personal encouragement. Words of sympathy and love are worth more to them than gold and silver. Why are there so many who stand afar off from the churches when our own Bibles that we so readily proffer to make everyone think like us tell us simply to invite them in?
Some, like the prodigal’s older brother are “angry and will not go in.” Others, are kept out or pushed out by the crimes and abuses of some members who name the name of Christ, but deny the power thereof. Here is how it should be done:
the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev 22:17)
For those of you who do not approve of the prodigals coming into your church, who, like the prodigal’s older brother would have some fancy explanation why they should not be let in the doors of your house of worship, Jesus has the following promise.
“All who are afar off are made near by the blood of Christ.” (Eph 2:13)
It is interesting to note how that Peter came to Jesus, and asked, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” And he said again, “If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
We need to let our hearts break. To be perfectly broken. To let the iron melt out of our souls. Let us be pitiful and courteous. Let us have the spirit of Christ. Let us manifest the compassion of Jesus. (Phil 2:5) Jesus even left his royal throne in heaven to die for us. Jesus clothed his divinity with humanity, and came to this earth, so distorted, cold and unfeeling, so seared by the curse, to meet our common adversary, and deliver us from the bondage of sin and death.
One of my Indigenous friends whom I pray with regularly told me something absolutely amazing. They have had horrific things inflicted and imposed upon them by professing Christians all “in the name of God.” I asked them, “well how on earth can you forgive anyone who treated you like that? They don’t even deserve our time, let alone our prayers. How can they ever be trusted again?” My friend just smiled and said “because it’s what God calls us to do.” Then we had a bit of a chuckle because, as I told them, “they don’t deserve anything from God,” I then realized, as three other fingers were pointing back at me, “well neither do I.” None of us deserve anything from God. While we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us. (Rom 5:8) And now Jesus lives for us that we all might abandon our prodigal life, and return home to our Father’s heart of everlasting love, mercy, and grace:
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Rom 5:10, see also Heb 7:25)
Consider anew this story of The Prodigal Son today, while there is still time. (2 Cor 6:2) Was it really a story about the prodigal? Was it a story about his older brother who was so angry that he would not go in? Consider today friend, which of the two you most closely resemble. Please, consider carefully.
The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD has made even both of them. – Proverbs 20:12
Perhaps the older brother’s tongue made him totally deaf? What about your tongue?
Come Unto Me
(Mat 11:28)
Do hurts of this world; cares of your life
Crush the heart’s hope; pierce like a knife?
The Savior still speaks surely to thee:
‘If ye so labor, come unto Me.’
Families break up, by death do we part
Temptations assault, sinking the heart.
The Savior still speaks surely to thee:
‘If ye so labor, Come unto Me.’
The hurting soul says ‘Can’t come at all!’
As they toss and turn against His call.
The Savior still speaks surely to thee:
‘If ye so labor, Come unto Me.’
Are you dark or lonely, do you sadly frown?
Are you sick or fearful, or lonely or down?
The Savior still speaks surely to thee:
‘If ye so labor, Come unto Me.’
You’re mad or glad, or rich or poor?
You can’t resist some evil lure?
The Savior still speaks surely to thee:
‘If ye so labor, Come unto Me.’
The story of your life may be Galilee
Raging turmoil, no hope you see.
The Savior still speaks surely to thee:
‘If ye so labor, Come unto Me.’
Come unto Jesus; and “rest” you’ll find
Whenever a burden shall tie or bind
Your Savior still speaks surely to thee:
‘If ye so labor, Come unto Me.’
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Psalms 37:7).
rest in the Lord Psalms 37:7
Have you prayed and prayed and waited and waited, and still there is no manifestation? Are you still waiting for God? Are you tired of seeing nothing move? Are you just at the point of giving it all up?
Perhaps we have not waited in the right way? This would take us out of the right place. The place where Jesus can meet you personally.
“With patience wait” (Rom 8:25).
Did you know there are many benefits to “waiting?” “Patience” has many rewards?
Patience takes away worry. Jesus said He would come, and His promise is equal to His presence. Patience takes away our weeping. Why feel sad and despondent? Jesus knows your need better than you do, and His purpose in waiting is to bring more glory out of it all. Patience takes away self-works. The work He desires is that you “believe” (John 6:29), and when you believe, you may then know that all is well. Patience takes away all want. Your desire for the thing you wish is perhaps stronger than your desire for the will of God to be fulfilled in its arrival.
Patience takes away all weakening. Instead of having the delaying time, a time of letting go, know that God is getting a larger supply ready and must get us ready too. Patience takes away all our wobbling.
“Make me stand upon my standing” (Dan 8:18, margin).
In some of Daniel’s testimony as to what happened to him here in vision, he tells us what the angel did after he lost his natural strength:
“He strengthened me.” Dan 10:18.
“I was strengthened.” Dan 10:19.
“Thou has strengthened me.” Dan 10:19.
“Be strong, yea, be strong.” Dan 10:19.
There are, herein, three urgent requirements for us all:
(1) Wisdom to act and speak wisely in the hour of trial
(2) faith that refuses to respond to the surging billows of doubt
(3) humility and contentment with God’s dealings
In making His servants the prophets fit channels for the transmission of the divine message, God deprives them of everything that might indicate human strength and power; then He Himself empowers them with His own strength, and so the more effectively can He use them as He desires. This would be one of may examples of patience and her “perfect work.”
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.(James 1:4)
We can’t really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can we still be kind when others are treating us unfairly? God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for growth. Thank God for promising to be with you in rough times. Ask him to help you solve your problems or to give you the strength to endure them. Then be patient. God will not leave you alone with your problems; Jesus will stay close and help you grow. (2 Pet 3:18,Heb 13:5)
God’s foundations are steadfast and when His patience is within, we are steadfast while we wait. Patience gives worship. Patience with praise is often “long-suffering with joyfulness” (Col 1:11) is the best part of it all.
“…from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; (Col 1:9-11)
How complete this prayer is! There is no limit to the blessings that it is our privilege to receive. We may be “filled with the knowledge of his will.” God’s Holy Educating Spirit would never have inspired Paul to offer this prayer in behalf of his brethren, if it had not been possible for them to receive an answer from God in accordance with the request. Since this is so, we can know that God’s will is manifested to His people whenever they need a clearer understanding of His will.
“Let (all these phases of) patience have her perfect work” (James 1:4) while you wait, and you will find great blessings that you can share with others. (Rev 12:11, 1 John 1:1-3)
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the person who carries out evil devices! (Psalms 37:4-7)
To delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This happens only when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know him better. Knowledge of God’s great love for us will indeed give us delight. To commit ourselves to the Lord means entrusting everything—our lives, families, jobs, possessions—to his control and guidance. To commit ourselves to the Lord means to trust in him (Psalms 37:5), believing that he can care for us better than we can ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently (Psalms 37:7) for him to work out what is best for us.
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”(Deut 31:6)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Mat 6:33-34)
power of His resurrection” (Phil 3:10)
Jesus looks upon every soul who is turning their face toward Him as the Savior. He knows by experience what are the weaknesses of humanity, what are our wants, and where lies the strength of our temptations; for He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He is watching over you, trembling child of God. Are you tempted? He will deliver. Are you weak? He will strengthen. Are you ignorant? He will enlighten. Are you wounded? He will heal. The Lord “tells the number of the stars;” and yet “He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:4,3.
“Come unto Me,” is His invitation. Whatever your anxieties and trials, spread out your case before the Lord. Your spirit will be braced for endurance. The way will be opened for you to disentangle yourself from embarrassment and difficulty. The weaker and more helpless you know yourself to be, the stronger will you become in His strength. The heavier your burdens, the more blessed the rest in casting them upon the Burden Bearer. The rest that Christ offers depends upon conditions, but these conditions are plainly specified. They are those with which all can comply. He tells us just how His rest is to be found. {DA 329.1}
“Take My yoke upon you,” Jesus says. The yoke is an instrument of service. Cattle are yoked for labor, and the yoke is essential that they may labor effectually. By this illustration Christ teaches us that we are called to service as long as life shall last. We are to take upon us His yoke, that we may be co-workers with Him. {DA 329.2}
The yoke that binds to service is the law of God. The great law of love revealed in Eden, proclaimed upon Sinai, and in the new covenant written in the heart, is that which binds the human worker to the will of God. If we were left to follow our own inclinations, to go just where our will would lead us, we should fall into Satan’s ranks and become possessors of his attributes. Therefore God confines us to His will, which is high, and noble, and elevating. He desires that we shall patiently and wisely take up the duties of service.
The yoke of service Christ Himself has borne in humanity. He said, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:8. “I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” John 6:38. Love for God, zeal for His glory, and love for fallen humanity, brought Jesus to earth to suffer and to die. This was the controlling power of His life. This principle He bids us adopt. {DA 329.3}
Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be. (Deut 33:25)
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. (Mat 11:28-29, MSG)
The dew is a source of freshness. It is nature’s provision for renewing the face of the earth. It falls at night, in the dark. And without it the vegetation would die. It is this great value of the dew which is so often recognized in the Scriptures. It is used as the symbol of spiritual refreshing. Just as nature is bathed in dew, so the Lord renews His people. In Titus 3:5 the same thought of spiritual refreshing is connected with the ministry of the Holy Spirit– “renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
Many Christian workers do not recognize the importance of the Heavenly dew in their lives, and as a result they lack freshness and vigor. Their spirits are wilting for lack of dew.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We all recognize the folly of a working person attempting to do their day’s work without eating. In a similar way, we can recognize the folly of a Christian attempting to minister to others without eating of the heavenly manna themselves. How could it suffice to have spiritual nourishment, just occasionally? Every day we must receive the renewing of God’s Holy Educating Holy Spirit. We all know when our whole being is pulsating with the vigor and freshness of Divine life, and sadly too, when we feel wore down and depleted.
God’s holy, educating Spirit is in His word. A light, a new and precious light, shines forth from every page. Truth is there revealed, and words and sentences are made bright and appropriate for the occasion, as the voice of God speaking to the soul. {COL 132.2}
Quietness and absorption bring the dew. At night when the leaf and blade are still, the vegetable pores are open to receive the refreshing and invigorating bath; so too does spiritual dew come from the quiet moments in the Master’s presence. It is everyone’s privilege to be still before Jesus. Our hurrying and rushing will prevent us from receiving the desperately needed morning dew. Wait before God until you feel saturated with His presence; then go forth to your next duty with the conscious freshness and vigor of “the truth as it is in Jesus.”
“…those who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.(Isa 40:31, AFV)
Dew will never gather while there is either heat or wind. The temperature must fall, and the wind must cease. The air must come to a point of coolness and rest– absolute rest, so to speak– before it can yield up its invisible particles of moisture to water the herb or flower. So too, the grace of God does not come forth to rest our soul until the still point is fairly and fully reached.
For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, (Isa 30:15, ESV)
In today’s hectic world of craziness and turmoil we may wait for him “in quietness and confidence.” No amount of fast talking or aggressive, hasty activity will ever speed up God’s grand design. As Christians today, we have nothing to say to God but thank you. Salvation comes from God alone. Because he has saved us, and because Christ alone empowers us, we can trust him and be peacefully confident that he will give us strength to face our difficulties. We should lay aside our well-laid plans and allow God alone to act.
We need a calm waiting upon God. The need of this is all-important. It is not the noise and bustle we make in the world which proves our usefulness. Let us by our own, personal experience see how silently God works. We cannot usually hear the noise of His steps, and yet He is walking about us, laboring for our good. (Gen 3:8) Jesus did not seek for notoriety; His life-giving virtue was going out to the needy and the afflicted , as the fresh morning dew,through His silent actions, whose influence ended up extending far into all countries of the world, and was felt and expressed in the life of millions of people. Those who desire to labor with God have need of His Spirit every day; they need to walk and labor in meekness and humility of spirit, without seeking to accomplish extraordinary things, satisfied to do the work before them and doing it faithfully. Other people may not see or appreciate their efforts, but the names of these faithful children of God are written in heaven among His noblest workers, as scattering His seed in view of a glorious harvest.
Therefore, I will not neglect to make you always mindful of these things, although you already know them and have been established in the present truth. (2 Pet 1:12)
present truth is eternal
The first chapter of Second Peter is full of instruction, and strikes the keynote of victory. The truth is impressed upon the mind by the way it is presented in this chapter. Let us more abundantly recommend the study of these words, and the practicing of these precepts (Letter 43, 1895). {7BC 942.9}
When it comes to Present Truth, we are not merely to preach new truths which people do not know, but we are also to preach the old truths with which they are already familiar. The doctrines in which they are well established are still to be proclaimed to them. Every wise preacher brings forth from the treasury of truth things both new and old; –new, that the hearers may learn more than they knew before; old, that they may know and practice better that which they do already know in part.
Traditionally, when people talk about present Truth, they get very busy detailing their latest beast watching, Pope speaking, Sunday Law panic and abject fear. Present Truth to most people is simply an aggressive diatribe of fear-mongering and stinging criticisms. The many people who loosely use quotes from Christian writers to “prove” their clouded theology seem to have no idea what the Bible actually says about present truth. They would rather use quotes from anywhere but the Bible to force their pain and misery on everyone around them. People who dare to question such things are quickly whipped with labels like “rejecting present truth,” just because they question the party line, and dare to suggest that present truth is about Jesus. Present truth is about the cross.
The Bible has only one place where the phrase Present Truth is mentioned. It is found in 2 Peter
Therefore, I will not neglect to make you always mindful of these things, although you already know them and have been established in the present truth. (2 Pet 1:12)
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Pet 1:1-4)
What a grand theme this is for contemplation–the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Contemplating Christ and His righteousness leaves no room for self-righteousness, for the glorifying of self. In this chapter there is no standstill. There is continual advancement in every stage of the knowledge of Christ {7BC 942.10}
By the looks of Scripture alone, it is starting to appear like “Present Truth” is primarily about “the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.” Yes, Jesus is involved in a great controvery between good and evil, between Himself and Satan. Yet the thins of Satan are not what God’s people are to dwell upon. By making the devil, the Pope, or Sunday law babble primary in our message, we are ruining present truth and turning it into somthing that it is not. Some of us so love to condemn others by stinging accusations of having rejected “present truth” just because they will not go for our personal version that is filled with religious invectives and fear-mongering that is not in the Bible.
According to Gal 6:14, and Eph 2:13, there is one great central truth to be kept ever before the mind in the searching of the scriptures, and that must be “Christ and Him crucified.” All other truths are invested with power and influence, according to their relationship to this theme.
Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised; (Heb 10:23)
God Behind All His Promises.
Promises are estimated by the truth of the one who makes them. Many people make promises only to break them, to mock the heart that trusted in them. Those who lean upon such people lean upon broken reeds. But God is behind the promises He makes. He is ever mindful of His covenant, and His truth endures to all generations {7BC 942.12}
2 Peter, chapter one is about present truth. It is the only place in the Bible where the phrase present truth is mentioned. Christians would do well to pay closer attention to these words. Now, in 2 Pet 1:12,the Apostle is saying that”for this reason” he will not be negligent to “remind us always of these things.” So let us briefly examine two items from that verse.
1/ “For This Reason” The Bible is telling us that we are to make our calling and election sure. Making our calling and election sure is what present truth is all about. When Peter says “for this reason,” he is referring to our calling and election in Christ:
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Pet 1:8-11)
That very entrance into the eternal kingdom, according to the next, has everything to do with God’s precious promises and the Bible calls them. We experimentally have a personal relationship experience with Jesus by His divine promises (2 Pet 1:4) which do give us even right now “a way to partake of the divine nature, and to escape all the corruption that is now in the world through wrong desires.
2/ The other thing that our text talks about here (2 Pet 1;12) is how even though we are already established in all of the present truth mentioned before Verse 12, we still need reminding, because in our mortal humanity, thats just how we are. And according to 2 Pet 1:16-21, Christ’s glory also is shown through the prophetic word, some of which we have yet to learn. This is why the Apostle says more than once in this chapter, that we need constant reminders. (see 2 Pet 1:15)
The reason that we need those “precious promises,” is also revealed to us in this chapter of the Bible.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Pet 1:5-8)
How can this transformation mentioned in 2 Pet 1:5-7 be accomplished without God’s precious promises? As one Christian writer puts it, “we must NOW acquaint ourselves with God by proving His precious promises.” (Great Controversy, pg 632) THAT my friends is PRESENT TRUTH. Present truth is truth for right now. present truth is for the people of God now. Present truth is how we relate personally to Jesus and get to know Him.
Present Truth And The Prophetic Word
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own private interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of humanity, but people spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet 1:19-21)
Even when it comes to Bible prophecy, Present truth is always primarily about our Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness. Christ and Him crucified is the hallmark of all doctrines. Especially Bible prophecy. Could this be why God’s people say things like “Prophecy is not so much about History, as it is “HIS – Story.” This is why Peter said:
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Pet 1:16-18)
Here in 2 Pet 1:16 the Apostle talks about “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and it is this glory and righteousness that He and the disciples had seen with their own eyes. (2 Pet 1:16-17) is where he says that they saw the confirmation by the Holy Spirit of Christ’s power and glory.
For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Pet 1:17-18)
Its truly a sad state of affairs to see all the beast watchers, Pope Sayers, and Sunday law groupies making such a big push with all their F.E.A.R (False Evidence Appearing Real) because they are rarely in the mood to discuss the central point of Present Truth. They prefer, like our modern media factories, to feed us with fear, and all of the great powers of our enemy, the devil. You can see this all over the internet.
In conclusion, the Apostle calls Bible prophecy “a light that shines in a dark place.” (2 Pet 1:19).
And we need to be careful what we tell people when it comes to Bible prophecy. As one Christian writer puts it, in some cases, we need to refrain from mentioning the more fearful aspects:
In these meetings we should not at first present doctrinal subjects, of which the hearers have no understanding. Hold the attention of the people by presenting the truth as it is in Jesus. The very first and most important thing is to melt and subdue the soul by presenting our Lord Jesus Christ as the sin-pardoning Savior. Keep before the people the cross of Calvary. What caused the death of Christ?–The transgression of the law. Show that Christ died to give men an opportunity to become loyal subjects of his kingdom. {GCDB, March 2, 1899 par. 23}
The Truth About Present Truth
It is always about Jesus. Jesus Himself is present truth.
The Truth as it is in Jesus
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. Ephesians 4:21. {LHU 153.1}
When prophets stood in defense of the truth, it was the word of God that was given to them. They understood the work of salvation to be accomplished by the Messiah to come. But after Christ came, after He died as man’s sacrifice, after the typical sacrifices were fulfilled by the Antitype, the old truth in the typical service was revealed more clearly. In Christ, the representative of the Father, a wonderful truth was revealed to the world. The light from the cross of Calvary, reflected back upon the Jewish age, gives character and significance to the whole Jewish economy; and on this side of the cross, in a special manner, we have the truth as it is in Jesus. Truth communicated through our Redeemer becomes indeed present truth. {LHU 153.2}
What a truth is presented as we gaze upon Jesus in connection with the cross of Calvary, as we see this Wonderful, this Counselor, this mysterious Victim, stooping beneath the amazing burden of our race! That the transgressor might have another trial, that people might be brought into favor with God the Father, the eternal Son of God interposed Himself to bear the punishment of transgression. One clothed with humanity, who was yet one with the Deity, was our ransom. The very earth shook and reeled at the spectacle of God’s dear Son suffering the wrath of God for man’s transgression. The heavens were clothed in sackcloth to hide the sight of the Divine Sufferer. {LHU 153.3}
It was the transgression of the law of God that made this suffering necessary. And yet men harbor the thought, and give expression to the suggestions of Satan through those who trample upon the law of God, that all this suffering was to make that law of none effect. Deceived and blinded by the great transgressor, they tell the people that there is no law, or that, if they keep the commandments of God in this dispensation, they have fallen from grace. What a delusion is this that Satan has fastened upon human minds! {LHU 153.4}
When the theory that the law of Jehovah is not binding upon the human family is adopted and taught, man is blinded to his terrible ruin. He cannot discern it. Then God has no moral standard by which to measure character, and to govern the heavenly universe, the worlds unfallen, and this fallen world. Could God have abolished the law in order to meet man in his fallen condition, and yet have maintained His honor as Governor of the universe, Christ need not have died. But the death of Christ is the convincing, everlasting argument that the law of God is as unchanging as His throne {LHU 153.5}
Present Truth is always about “Christ and Him crucified.”
It is not the ready speaker, the sharp intellect, that counts with God. It is the earnest purpose, the deep piety, the love of truth, the fear of God, that has a telling influence. A testimony from the heart, coming from lips in which is no guile, full of faith and humble trust, though given by a stammering tongue, is accounted of God as precious as gold; while the smart speech and eloquent oratory of the one to whom is intrusted large talents, but who is wanting in truthfulness, in steadfast purpose, in purity, in unselfishness, are as sounding brass and a tinkling symbol. He may say witty things, he may relate amusing anecdotes, he may play upon the feelings; but the Spirit of Jesus is not in it. All these things may please unsanctified hearts, but God holds in his hands the balances that weigh the words, the spirit, the sincerity, the devotion, and he pronounces it altogether lighter than vanity. {PH028 26.1}
The truly converted soul is illuminated by the light shining from the Sun of Righteousness. That light tells upon hearts, lightens the pathway, dispels the darkness, because it comes from Him who says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Let everyone, to a man, now rise, and let his “light so shine before men that they may see his good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven.” Do what you can, and do it at once, cheerfully, heartily, prayerfully, joyfully, not as unto men, but unto God. Settle it in your hearts that you are not on the earth to exalt self, to make a great name, but to sink self wholly out of sight in Jesus Christ. Let Jesus be lifted up. Let the great truths connected with the salvation of man be the theme of your meditation day and night. Your work, both by precept and example, is to hold forth the word of life, to seek with all your power to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth. {PH028 27.1}
Remember, Bible prophecy is called “a light in a dark place.” That kind of light has to be Jesus! In Christ alone will present truth be made known in all it’s fullness!
As the rays of the sun penetrate to the remotest corners of the globe, so God designs that the light of the gospel shall extend to every soul upon the earth. . . . At this time, when the enemy is working as never before to engross the minds of men and women, we should be laboring with increasing activity. Diligently, disinterestedly, we are to proclaim the last message of mercy in the cities–in the highways and byways. All classes are to be reached. As we labor we shall meet with different nationalities. None are to be passed by unwarned. The Lord Jesus was the gift of God to the entire world–not to the higher classes alone, and not to one nationality, to the exclusion of others. His saving grace encircles the world. Whosoever will, may drink of the water of life. A world is waiting to hear the message of present truth. {AG 338.5}
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. (Heb 13:8-9)
You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Pet 3:17-18)
