And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, how long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. (1 Kings 18:21)
1 Kings 18:21
Not only were the people listening to Elijah awed by the presence of the king and the priests of Baal on the one side; and of Elijah on the other, but they were “convicted of their own conscience,” and so were quite speechless when asked this question. As the KJV says it: “How long halt ye between the two opinions?”
Now this kind of “speechless” was the same kind of “speechless” that Creator had talked about in Mat 22:12
And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
The contemptuous rejection of Bible Truth, in favor of something that is not truth is not acceptable to God. Often when we are caught between the two opinions, we too become speechless. As if we are muzzled or tongue-tied. When confronted by “the truth as it is in Jesus,” we are bound by our unbelief, and tied up with no reply. We have nothing to say. Our silence condemns us.
We are so blessed to have someone like Jesus. The Book of heaven tells us in 2 Tim 2:13 “If we are unfaithful, God is faithful, for God cannot be untrue to Himself.”
Friends, these are very troubled times we are living in. And during moments like this, we need to stop hesitating between two opinions and give voice to our Creator. God does not want to share our hearts with any other. Ever. Creator wants all of it because He gave us all of Him.
“God died for us while we were still sinners. This shows God’s undying love for us.” (Rom 5:8)
While we were still sinners! Wow! Such amazing words! Words of Truth. Words of Hope. Jesus came here to be with us that we might “sit with Him in heavenly places.”
God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.) Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with him in the heavenly places. God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace. (Eph 2:4-7)
Jesus came here for us. Jesus came here to die for us that we might live for Him.
How long will you hesitate between two opinions?
Have you thought about giving your heart to Jesus today?
Exodus 33:11 (UKJV) And the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
let the word of God be true Mat 4:4
Do you doubt the validity of this wonderful passage in Scripture? Does it seem impossible to you that anyone could speak with God as they would to a personal friend?
Do you tend to write such verses off as some sort of mysticism reserved for religious crack pots or fanatics? How much of life’s reality and beauty we miss when we cannot look at this text and believe it with all our heart. Would you like to believe that you too can speak with Creator face to face?
Moses knew just how to approach God Moses knew God. And we, like Moses, must cultivate the practice of commuting with Creator. We must experience His presence and listen to His Voice personally.
We can connect with Creator like this best in the quiet of our own heart. We may kneel before God in humility, and out of a genuine longing for His presence and His guidance in our lives.
Jesus will never withhold from us His glorious presence and His kindness and comfort.
John 6:37 (UKJV) All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.
James 2:23 (UKJV) And the scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
The Sabbath was established at the end of the creation week—the seventh day—after God created the heavens, the earth, and the first humans. He “blessed the seventh day and made it holy” because He rested from all His work (Genesis 2:2-3, ESV).
jesus
We find the Sabbath referenced again in Exodus 20, when God writes the Ten Commandments. He asks us to remember this sacred day to keep it holy, ceasing from the work of the week and reflecting on what He has done for us.To fully understand the meaning and significance of the Sabbath, let’s learn more about what God has said to us in His Word:
THE SABBATH IN SCRIPTURE
The gracious Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God’s unchangeable law invites us to the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. (Mat 12:8) The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God’s kingdom.
The Sabbath is God’s perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God’s creative and redemptive acts. (Gen 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Exodus 31:13-17;Lev 23:32; Deut 5:12-15; Isa 56:5,6; Isa 58:13,14; Ezek 20:12,20; Mat
12:1-12; Mark 1:32; Luke 4:16; Heb 4:1-11.)
WHAT IS THE SABBATH?
The Sabbath is a day of rest, reflection, enjoyment and worship for God’s people. It dates back to the seventh day of the creation week,when God stopped His work and took time to rest and savor it. In six days He created the world we live in (Genesis 1:1-26). From the blue sky to the uy white clouds to the food we eat He created this world with each of us in mind.
It was on the sixth day of creation that God formed man and woman in His own image. “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7, ESV).
Then God looked around at all He had made and saw that it was “very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31, ESV). He had made everything necessary for humans to live and thrive here on this earth. But He wasn’t quite finished with the whole creation process. On the seventh day God created the Sabbath. His last act of creation was to sanctify this day and make it holy. Then He rested. “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:1-3,ESV).
Why did God rest on the Sabbath?
While the Bible tells us God “rested” on the Sabbath day, it doesn’t say that He rested because He was tired. (God does not “faint or grow weary”, as Isaiah 40:28, ESV tells us.) He rested to look over what He created and enjoy it.
Let’s look at the root word for Sabbath. The word “sabbath” comes from the Hebrew word shabbat, which means “to cease” or stop. Even in our human lives, it’s not uncommon to stop and take a day of after a large project or a great accomplishment. Yes, we do get tired, unlike God. But after finishing something meaningful and beautiful, we don’t stop afterward just to rest. We stop to reflect upon and enjoy what was just accomplished! On the Sabbath day, we rest to celebrate God’s accomplishment of creating the world, and creating humanity to live in it and take care of it. We pause to take notice, learn more, and express gratitude to our Creator.
When God rested on the seventh day, He set for us an example. He gave the weekly Sabbath as a day of rest and worship for all of mankind. The Sabbath is a memorial, a day when we remember God’s creative power. He alone is worthy of our worship:
“Because He had rested upon the Sabbath, ‘God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it,”’—set it apart to a holy use. He gave it to Adam as a day of rest. It was a memorial of the work of creation, and thus a sign of God’s power and His love.”
God Wants Us to Rest as Part of the Remembrance
Similar to memorial type holidays, the Sabbath is a day we can rest and remember. It’s a day to pause from our work, reflect, and rejuvenate. When we rest we put aside the cares of the world and it allows us to focus on our relationship with Him. Just like any meaningful relationship, it’s important to spend time together, talk together, and get to know one another. Sabbath rest gives us the perfect opportunity to connect with God. Trusting God with our time also demonstrates our total dependence on God to provide for our needs. “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, ESV).
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him,because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6, 7, ESV). Keeping the Sabbath allows us to rest our physical bodies. God didn’t need to rest, but He knows human beings do. It’s important for our mental and physical health to take time to rest and refresh. Studies have shown that people who take time to rest from their labors are healthier and more productive.
“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places” (Leviticus 23:3, ESV). “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2,3a, ESV).
THE SABBATH IS PART OF THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
God gave Moses the Ten Commandments after the Exodus when the Israelites were freed from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. They led into the wilderness for 40 years. During that time, God wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone with His finger. The fourth commandment reminded the people to keep the Sabbath day holy. You can read all of the commandments in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5.
God didn’t give us these commandments because He wanted us to follow a bunch of hard rules. He gave us the Ten Commandments for our own good, that we may live peacefully. He wants us to live practical and enjoyable lives, maintaining uplifting relationships with one another and with Him. The Sabbath was made for mankind for our own good. God wants you to experience thankfulness and joy on the Sabbath day! Observing the Sabbath can be something we look forward to each week.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3, ESV). God wanted to show us how important the Sabbath was to Him and how important it is for our own well being. The least we can do is take one day a week of from work and secular activities to focus on our Creator and the world He created for us. The Bible tells us that the Sabbath isn’t just any day of. We are asked to refrain from pursuing our own business or our own interests and instead look toward the joys we can find in God and the world He instead look toward the joys we can find in God and the world He created for us.
When we call the Sabbath “a delight,” He will make us ride on the heights of the earth! He will bless us when we keep the Sabbath holy. “If you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the LORD honorable… then you will delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land…” (Isaiah 58:13,14, CSB).
WHAT DAY IS THE SABBATH?
If we follow exactly what the Bible specifies several times, the Sabbath is the 7th day of the week. It started when God sanctified the seventh day in Genesis 2, after He fininished creating the world. Later, God’s Word confirms the Saturday Sabbath in Exodus 16, even before the Ten Commandments were written. When the Israelites were gathering food, God commanded them to gather for six days, “but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none” (Exodus 16:26, CSB).
When discussing the Sabbath, the Bible never assigns any other day to this title. Nowhere in the Bible does it say the Sabbath day was changed. While there are many Christian denominations that decided to make Sunday, the “Lord’s Day” (honoring Christ’s resurrection), the weekly time to go to church and spend time with family, there was no
command in Scripture to do such a thing.
Keeping the Sabbath is the 4th commandment found in God’s eternal moral law. This change of the Sabbath was foretold in the Bible by moral law. This change of the Sabbath was foretold in the Bible by the prophet Daniel.
“He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law…” Daniel 7:25 When Jesus lived here on earth He kept the seventh day Sabbath. However, just a few hundred years after His death and resurrection,early Christians began keeping Sunday as their day of worship just as Daniel foretold.
It is on the law of God that the last great struggle of the controversy between Christ and His angels and Satan and his angels will come, and it will be decisive for all the world. . . . Men in responsible positions will not only ignore and despise the Sabbath themselves, but from the sacred desk will urge upon the people the observance of the first day of the week, pleading tradition and custom in behalf of this man-made institution. They will point to calamities on land and sea–to the storms of wind, the floods, the earthquakes, the destruction by fire–as judgments indicating God’s displeasure because Sunday is not sacredly observed. These calamities will increase more and more, one disaster will follow close upon the heels of another; and those who make void the law of God will point to the few who are keeping the Sabbath of the fourth commandment as the ones who are bringing wrath upon the world. This falsehood is Satan’s device that he may ensnare the unwary.{ChS 155.2}
The change of the Sabbath as the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday started happening in the year 321 A.D. The Roman Emperor Constantine issued a decree that all Christians were to begin observing Sunday as a day of rest. In the verse above, Daniel was saying there would be a kingdom who would try to change God’s law. But God’s law is eternal. And the Sabbath was made for all mankind for all eternity. “And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 ESV
Anyone can keep Sabbath by refraining from work and focusing on God. That also makes it a fitting time to go to church. We find in the Bible that Jesus typically went to the synagogue on Sabbath. “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read” (Luke 4:16, ESV).
“And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished…” (Mark 6:2, ESV).
The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, according to the Bible. We can follow Jesus’ example by refraining from our regular daily work to focus on Him and His creation.
The Sabbath was hallowed at the creation. As ordained for man, it had its origin when “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7. Peace brooded over the world; for earth was in harmony with heaven. “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good;” and He rested in the joy of His completed work. Gen 1:31.{DA 281.1}
Because He had rested upon the Sabbath, “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it,”–set it apart to a holy use. He gave it to Adam as a day of rest. It was a memorial of the work of creation, and thus a sign of God’s power and His love. The Scripture says, “He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered.” “The things that are made,” declare “the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world,” “even His everlasting power and divinity.” Gen 2:3; Psalms 111:4; Rom 1:20,R.V. {DA 281.2}
But God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us. We were dead because of our failures, but he made us alive together with Christ. (It is God’s kindness that saved you.) God has brought us back to life together with Christ Jesus and has given us a position in heaven with him. (Eph 2:4-6, GW)
Eph 2:4-6
As adopted sons and daughters of God, this is our rightful place. To be “seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” and to just “sit still” there. But how few of us there are who make it our actual experience! How few of us dare to think that it is even possible for them to simply “sit still” in these “heavenly places” in the everyday life of a world so full of turmoil like we have now.
Some of us have been fooled into thinking that some kind of quick little trip to these “heavenly places,” on Sabbaths, or occasionally during times of great spiritual excitation is all we need to be “religious.” But to be seated there in these “Heavenly places,” every day and all day long is quite another matter. Even though it’s clear that sitting, waiting, in these heavenly places,” is just as much needed all the other days of the week, as on the Sabbath. Think about our Lord, asleep in that boat during the terrible storm, when everyone else was afraid for their life. (Mat 8:23-27)
It’s impossible to estimate the real value of a quiet, waiting soul, in carrying on with our outward activities of daily living. Nothing could possibly hinder more, the working of God’s Holy Educating Spirit, than the spirit of unrest and anxiety.
There is wonder-working power in the saint who is surrounded and filled with the kind spirit of waiting and quiet while sitting in these “Heavenly places.” God’s children know how to trust and be silent while sitting in these “Heavenly places.” Instead of restless, anxiety-filled struggles, we may learn to “sit down” inwardly before Creator, and to invite and permit the divine influences of Creator’s Holy Spirit, work out in silence the trials of the present path Creator is calling us to.
The Church must petition Creator to get our souls quiet enough to be carried along by the living tide of the “water of life.” Yes, we were once “dead in our sins,” (Eph 2:3), we were all at one time rebels against our Creator and Lord. We were enslaved by the devil and our broken human nature. “BUT GOD!” These are the two most wonderful words in scripture.
“BUT GOD!”
BUT GOD!
BUT GOD has made us alive TOGETHER in Christ
Creator could have left us spiritually dead, in rebellion against Him and in bondage to our sins. But He didn’t. Creator did not save us because of anything we were or that we could do. Creator can see all that is in us. He meets us where we are at. Literally. But Creator will not leave us there. He is calling us each to the right path.
Creator did this through Christ Jesus out of his generosity to us to show his amazingly rich kindness in the world to come. God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. It’s not the result of anything you’ve done, so no one can brag about it. God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do. (Eph 2:7-10)
Likewise, we should also show humble patience, waiting, and tolerance for others who seem unworthy or undeserving of our love and compassion. They may be spiritually dull, rebellious, and even antagonistic toward God. So were we; but God loved us anyway. Can we do any less for other sinners?
When the religion of Christ is most held in contempt, when His law is most despised, then should our zeal be the warmest and our courage and firmness the most unflinching. To stand in defense of truth and righteousness when the majority forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions are few–this will be our test. At this time, we must gather warmth from the coldness of others, courage from their cowardice, and loyalty from their treason. –5T 136 (1882).
Nehemiah 3:5, 27 (UKJV) And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their LORD. After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, opposite to the great tower that lies out, even unto the wall of Ophel.
Psalms 23
As we read the sometimes very colorful accounting of events in the book of Nehemiah, it quickly becomes evident that the remnant people of God had big problems, very similar to the ones we have today.
In our text for today we see how the men of Tekoa were contributing whole heartedly to the rebuilding of the city gates and wall, completing two full sections. (see verse 27)
The text also recounts how the work was not supported by the leadership of Tekoa. It says “their nobles did not put their shoulders into the work of their Lord.”
Apparently, lack of committed, involved leadership was not an excuse for these people to refrain from the work of their Lord. Even with the leadership failures, they saw no need to leave the group, or to publicly criticize and accuse.
The priority for them was always the work of their Lord.God’s people never walk in darkness. God’s adopted sons and daughters are always full of light because their eye is always single. To His glory. If we truly receive Christ as both Lord and Savior, He will lead and empower us to keep our eye single. (John 1:12)
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. (Mat 6:22)
In the coming days of end time events, God’s people still have the priority of glorifying “their Lord.” Nations and kings will come to see the brightness of our rising! This is why Isaiah also says: “Rise! Shine! For thy light is come and the glory of Creator is risen upon you!” (Isa 60:1)
God’s last day people will have their eye single to God’s glory!
Revelation 14:7 …Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment has come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
How can we “give glory to God,” and worship Creator in all that we do. No matter what others are doing around us?
Perhaps the Old Testament prophets had the right idea when one of them said
Micah 6:8 (NHEB) He has shown you, [all], what is good.What does the Lord require of you, but to act justly,to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
God requires true love to unite the hearts of the human brotherhood, and why this love does not flourish is because selfishness, envy, and jealousy exist. True justice will not injure our fellow men, and true politeness will not offend them.
True Christian courtesy unites and perfects both justice and politeness, and mercy and love make up the filling, giving the finest touches and most graceful charms to the character. Genuine piety in the heart needs to be cultivated by all. 2LtMs, 1875
God chose you, and we keep praying that God will make you worthy of being his people. We pray for God’s power to help you do all the good things that you hope to do and that your faith makes you want to do. Then, because God and our Lord Jesus Christ are so kind, you will bring honor to the name of our Lord Jesus, and he will bring honor to you. (2 Thes 1:11-12, CEV)
The context here is that there was no one who would extend mercy in the very place that is called mercy. This pool of Bethesda name means mercy. And it is so interesting to note here how there was no mercy in the place called mercy, for 38 years! (see John 5:5)
There was no mercy (for 38 years!) until Jesus made an appearance! When Jesus came there to the pool, there was mercy immediately. Like an automatic response.
How long will it take for us today to show the love mercy and grace of our Creator God? How many times have we left someone in our church alone, forgotten, neglected, having no one? When are we as the people of God going to show the mercy of our Savior to us?
It seems everyone in the world has come out of the closet except Christians! Many forgotten or shunned people in the church have not been receiving the mercy of Creator for more than 38 years. We are so quiet about Jesus that no one would guess how we do not follow Him!
As Christians we have the Source of all power, yet we see fit to waste away for 38 years, quiet. Angry. Self centered. Many of us even have the nerve to say the law of God is done away with so we can all just do whatever we want or don’t want. Yet Psalms 19:7 says “the law of the Lord is perfect. (Psalms 19:7) we live in an age where whole churches are just night clubs! When so many of us insist that God’s law no longer applies to us we need to just shut down our church and go sell watermelons!
The Bible says in John 3:19, 20 that “this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world and that people loved darkness because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, lest their deeds should be exposed.
A place called mercy. Where there is no mercy! Christian Night Club. Closet Christians so self centered that they will walk over top of someone for 38 years just so they can get theirs! (John 5:5)
Christians must awake to present truth. Let the redeemed of the LORD start to say so! Day after day the discouraged and downtrodden come to church. Yet the closet Christians are stoically without mercy, bitterly existing in their not so hidden, stony silence.
Perhaps this is why Creator says
Micah 6:8 (UKJV) He has showed you, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
The only ones who will make it to Heaven are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. (Rev 14:4) Jesus went to the place where there was no mercy for 38 years!
My fellow Christians, now is the time to quit the night club! Now is the time to come out of the closet! Now is the day of salvation!
These things are merely a whisper of God’s power at work. How little we would understand if this whisper ever turned into thunder! (Job 26:14, CEV)
Living With Jesus 1 John 5:11-12
This is one of the most stunning of all the verses in the Bible that describe the power of God. Job asserts that if we truly considered God’s great power, we would know that what we observe of creation represents the mere edges of His garment—just His whisper. What would happen to us if ever He were to thunder? (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary)
How faint is the whisper that we hear of Creator, in the midst of our troubles and trials.We often hear but a faint whisper of His power and His character. We struggle to believe in the midst of the fiery furnace, and we come out feeling burned beyond recognition. But then “one like unto The Son of Man is seen there in the flames beside us, and we then partake of THAT power, and His peace, which in the lowliest circumstances, remains “beyond our understanding.” We have only the “faint whisper” to hold onto. Perhaps this is what is being thought of when we hear
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:12)
Elijah knew that the sound of a gentle whisper was God’s voice. He realized that God doesn’t reveal himself only in powerful, miraculous ways. To look for God only in something big (rallies, churches, conferences, highly visible leaders) may be to miss him because he is often found gently whispering in the quietness of a humbled heart. Are you listening for God? Step back from the noise and activity of your busy life and listen humbly and quietly for his guidance. It may come when you least expect it. (Life Application Notes)
It may seem that Job had far more than His fair share of trials, yet look at how his story ended:
“So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:12).
Through his griefs Job came to his heritage. He was tried that his godliness might be confirmed. Strengthened. Manifest. Shining in the darkness. Coming forth as gold.
Surely my troubles are also intended to deepen my character and to clothe me in graces that I had so little of before? Surely, I come to my glory through eclipses, tears, death. My ripest fruit grows against the roughest wall. Job’s afflictions left him with higher conceptions of God and lowlier thoughts of himself. “Now,” he cried, “mine eye seeth thee.” (Job 42:5)
If, through pain and loss, I feel God so near in His majesty that I bend low before Him and pray “Thy will be done” (Mat 26:42) then I will I gain very much. God gave Job glimpses of the future glory, during the worst of his agony. In those wearisome days and nights, he penetrated within the veil, and could say, “I know that my Redeemer liveth.” Surely the latter end of Job was more blessed than the beginning.– In the Hour of Silence
It has been said that “Trouble never comes to a person unless she brings a nugget of gold in her hand.”
I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire so that you may be rich; and white garments so that you may be clothed, and the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and to anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see. (Rev 3:18, NIV)
Apparent adversity will finally turn out to be the advantage of the right if we are only willing to keep on working and to wait patiently. How steadfastly the great victor souls have kept at their work, dauntless and unafraid! There are blessings which we cannot obtain if we cannot accept and endure suffering. There are joys that can come to us only through sorrow. There are revealings of Divine truth which we can get only when earth’s lights have gone out. There are harvests which can grow only after the plowshare has done its work.– Selected
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most unsightly characters are layered and held together by massive scars; martyrs who have put on their coronation robes glittering with fire, and through their tears have the sorrowful first seen the gates of Heaven. — Chapin
The message to the Laodicean church is highly applicable to us as a people. It has been placed before us for a long time, but has not been heeded as it should have been. When the work of repentance is earnest and deep, the individual members of the church will buy the rich goods of heaven. When you choose to “buy” God’s promise is for you:
I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire so that you may be rich; and white garments so that you may be clothed, and the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and to anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see. (Rev 3:18, AFV)
To see the glory of God, to hear His voice in your calamity and heart ache, becomes that “faint whisper” that gives us all the assurance that we need today for whatever is happening around us.
The Laodicean message (Rev 3:18)is applicable to the church at this time. Do you believe this message? Did YOU buy your gold yet? Have you hearts that feel? Or are you constantly saying, We are rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing? Is it in vain that the declaration of eternal truth has been given to us to be carried to all the nations of the world? God has chosen a people and made them the repositories of truth weighty with eternal results. To them has been given the light that must illuminate the world. Has God made a mistake? Are we indeed His chosen instrumentalities? Are we the men and women who are to bear to the world the messages of Revelation fourteen, to proclaim the message of salvation to those who are standing on the brink of ruin? Do we act as if we were {7BC 961.9}
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you, For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the LORD shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. (Isa 60:1-3)
Some people prefer to belong to the nightclub. They want that “gross darkness” in order to hide their darkness and disdain of the truth. (John 3:19-20)
We Are Each to Give Our Measure of Light. NOT someone else’s measure. Just our’s. Every shining star which God has placed in the heavens obeys His mandate, and gives its distinctive measure of light to make beautiful the heavens at night; so let every converted soul show the measure of light committed to him; and as it shines forth the light will increase and grow brighter. Give out your light. Pour forth your beams mirrored from heaven. O daughter of Zion, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee” {4BC 1153.3}
They who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever. (Dan 12:3)
“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)
“be reconciled” 2 Cor 5:20
While Christ was teaching the people, He was also educating His disciples for their future work. In all His instruction there were lessons for them. After giving the parable of the net, He asked them, “Have ye understood all these things?” They said unto Him, “Yea, Lord.” Then in another parable He set before them their responsibility regarding the truths they had received. “Therefore,” He said, “every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”
The treasure gained by the householder he does not hoard. He brings it forth to communicate with others. And by use the treasure increases. The householder has precious things, both new and old. So, Christ teaches that the truth committed to His disciples is to be communicated to the world. And as the knowledge of truth is imparted, it will increase.
All who receive the gospel message into the heart will long to proclaim it. The heaven-born love of Christ must find expression. Those who have put on Christ will relate their experience, tracing step by step the leadings of the Holy Spirit–their hungering and thirsting for the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He has sent, the results of their searching of the Scriptures, their prayers, their soul agony, and the words of Christ to them, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” It is unnatural for any to keep these things secret, and those who are filled with the love of Christ will not do so. In proportion as the Lord has made them the depositaries of sacred truth will be their desire that others shall receive the same blessing. And as they make known the rich treasures of God’s grace, more of the grace of Christ will be imparted to them. They will have the heart of a little child in its simplicity and unreserved obedience. Their souls will pant after holiness, and more of the treasures of truth and grace will be revealed to them to be given to the world.
The great storehouse of truth is the word of God– the written word, the book of nature, and the book of experience in God’s dealing with human life. Here are the treasures from which Christ’s workers are to draw. In the search after truth, they are to depend upon God, not upon human intelligences, the great men whose wisdom is foolishness with God. Through His own appointed channels, the Lord will impart a knowledge of Himself to every seeker.
If the follower of Christ will believe His word and practice it, there is no science in the natural world that he will not be able to grasp and appreciate. There is nothing but that which will furnish means for him to impart the truth to others. Natural science is a treasure house of knowledge from which every student in the school of Christ may draw.
As we contemplate the beauty of nature, as we study its lessons in the cultivation of the soil, in the growth of the trees, in all the wonders of earth and sea and sky, there will come to us a new perception of truth. And the mysteries connected with God’s dealings with men, the depths of His wisdom and judgment as seen in human life–these are found to be a storehouse rich in treasure.
But it is in the written word that a knowledge of God is most clearly revealed to fallen man. This is the treasure house of the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The word of God includes the Scriptures of the Old Testament as well as of the New. One is not complete without the other. Christ declared that the truths of the Old Testament are as valuable as those of the New. Christ was as much man’s Redeemer in the beginning of the world as He is today. Before He clothed His divinity with humanity and came to our world, the gospel message was given by Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah. Abraham in Canaan and Lot in Sodom bore the message, and from generation-to-generation faithful messengers proclaimed the Coming One. The rites of the Jewish economy were instituted by Christ Himself. He was the foundation of their system of sacrificial offerings, the great antitype of all their religious service. The blood shed as the sacrifices were offered pointed to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. All the typical offerings were fulfilled in Him.
Christ as manifested to the patriarchs, as symbolized in the sacrificial service, as portrayed in the law, and as revealed by the prophets, is the riches of the Old Testament. Christ in His life, His death, and His resurrection, Christ as He is manifested by the Holy Spirit, is the treasure of the New Testament. Our Savior, the outshining of the Father’s glory, is both the Old and the New.
Of Christ’s life and death and intercession, which prophets had foretold, the apostles were to go forth as witnesses. Christ in His humiliation, in His purity and holiness, in His matchless love, was to be their theme. And to preach the gospel in its fullness, they must present the Savior not only as revealed in His life and teachings, but as foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament and as symbolized by the sacrificial service.
Christ in His teaching presented old truths of which He Himself was the originator, truths which He had spoken through patriarchs and prophets; but He now shed upon them a new light. How different their meaning appeared! A flood of light and spirituality was brought in by His explanation. And He promised that the Holy Spirit should enlighten the disciples, that the word of God should be ever unfolding to them. They would be able to present its truths in new beauty.
Ever since the first promise of redemption was spoken in Eden, the life, the character, and the mediatorial work of Christ have been the study of human minds. Yet every mind, through whom the Holy Spirit has worked, has presented these themes in a light that is fresh and new. The truths of redemption are capable of constant development and expansion. Though old, they are ever new, constantly revealing to the seeker for truth a greater glory and a mightier power.
In every age there is a new development of truth, a message of God to the people of that generation. The old truths are all essential; new truth is not independent of the old, but an unfolding of it. It is only as the old truths are understood that we can comprehend the new. When Christ desired to open to His disciples the truth of His resurrection, He began “at Moses and all the prophets” and “expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.” Luke 24:27. But it is the light which shines in the fresh unfolding of truth that glorifies the old. He who rejects or neglects the new does not really possess the old. For him it loses its vital power and becomes but a lifeless form.
There are those who profess to believe and to teach the truths of the Old Testament, while they reject the New. But in refusing to receive the teachings of Christ, they show that they do not believe that which patriarchs and prophets have spoken. “Had ye believed Moses,” Christ said, “ye would have believed Me; for he wrote of Me.” John 5:46. Hence there is no real power in their teaching of even the Old Testament.
Many who claim to believe and to teach the gospel are in a similar error. They set aside the Old Testament Scriptures, of which Christ declared, “They are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39. In rejecting the Old, they virtually reject the New; for both are parts of an inseparable whole. No man can rightly present the law of God without the gospel, or the gospel without the law. The law is the gospel embodied, and the gospel is the law unfolded. The law is the root; the gospel is the fragrant blossom and fruit which it bears.
The Old Testament sheds light upon the New, and the New upon the Old. Each is a revelation of the glory of God in Christ. Both present truths that will continually reveal new depths of meaning to the earnest seeker.
Truth in Christ and through Christ is measureless. The student of Scripture looks, as it were, into a fountain that deepens and broadens as he gazes into its depths. Not in this life shall we comprehend the mystery of God’s love in giving His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The work of our Redeemer on this earth is and ever will be a subject that will put to the stretch our highest imagination. Man may tax every mental power in the endeavor to fathom this mystery, but his mind will become faint and weary. The most diligent searcher will see before him a boundless, shoreless sea.
The truth as it is in Jesus can be experienced but never explained. Its height and breadth and depth pass our knowledge. We may task our imagination to the utmost, and then we shall see only dimly the outlines of a love that is unexplainable, that is as high as heaven, but that stooped to the earth to stamp the image of God on all mankind.
Yet it is possible for us to see all that we can bear of the divine compassion. This is unfolded to the humble, contrite soul. We shall understand God’s compassion just in proportion as we appreciate His sacrifice for us. As we search the word of God in humility of heart, the grand theme of redemption will open to our research. It will increase in brightness as we behold it, and as we aspire to grasp it, its height and depth will ever increase.
Our life is to be bound up with the life of Christ; we are to draw constantly from Him, partaking of Him, the living Bread that came down from heaven, drawing from a fountain ever fresh, ever giving forth its abundant treasures. If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life. Our prayers will take the form of a conversation with God as we would talk with a friend. He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Often there will come to us a sweet joyful sense of the presence of Jesus. Often our hearts will burn within us as He draws near to commune with us as He did with Enoch. When this is in truth the experience of the Christian, there is seen in his life a simplicity, a humility, meekness, and lowliness of heart, that show to all with whom he associates that he has been with Jesus and learned of Him.
In those who possess it, the religion of Christ will reveal itself as a vitalizing, pervading principle, a living, working, spiritual energy. There will be manifest the freshness and power and joyousness of perpetual youth. The heart that receives the word of God is not as a pool that evaporates, not like a broken cistern that loses its treasure. It is like the mountain stream fed by unfailing springs, whose cool, sparkling waters leap from rock to rock, refreshing the weary, the thirsty, the heavy laden.
This experience gives every teacher of truth the very qualifications that will make him a representative of Christ. The spirit of Christ’s teaching will give a force and directness to his communications and to his prayers. His witness to Christ will not be a narrow, lifeless testimony. The minister will not preach again, and again the same set discourses. His mind will be open to the constant illumination of the Holy Spirit.
Christ said, “Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life. . . . As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father; so, he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. . . . It is the Spirit that quickeneth; . . . the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:54-63.
When we eat Christ’s flesh and drink His blood, the element of eternal life will be found in our ministry. There will not be a fund of stale, oft-repeated ideas. The tame, dull sermonizing will cease. The old truths will be presented, but they will be seen in a new light. There will be a new perception of truth, a clearness and a power that all will discern. Those who have the privilege of sitting under such a ministry will, if susceptible to the Holy Spirit’s influence, feel the energizing power of a new life. The fire of God’s love will be kindled within them. Their perceptive faculties will be quickened to discern the beauty and majesty of truth.
The faithful householder represents what every teacher of the children and youth should be. If he makes the word of God his treasure, he will continually bring forth new beauty and new truth. When the teacher will rely upon God in prayer, the Spirit of Christ will come upon him, and God will work through him by the Holy Spirit upon the minds of others. The Spirit fills the mind and heart with sweet hope and courage and Bible imagery, and all this will be communicated to the youth under his instruction.
The springs of heavenly peace and joy, unsealed in the soul of the teacher by the words of Inspiration, will become a mighty river of influence to bless all who connect with him. The Bible will not become a tiresome book to the student. Under a wise instructor the word will become more desirable. It will be like the bread of life and will never grow old. Its freshness and beauty will attract and charm the children and youth. It is like the sun shining upon the earth, perpetually imparting brightness and warmth, yet never exhausted.
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}
The Holy Spirit loves to address the youth, and to discover to them the treasures and beauties of God’s word. The promises spoken by the great Teacher will captivate the senses and animate the soul with spiritual power that is divine. There will grow in the fruitful mind a familiarity with divine things that will be as a barricade against temptation.
The words of truth will grow in importance and assume a breadth and fullness of meaning which we have never dreamed. The beauty and riches of the word have a transforming influence on mind and character. The light of heavenly love will fall upon the heart as an inspiration.
The appreciation of the Bible grows with its study. Whichever way the student may turn, he will find displayed the infinite wisdom and love of God.
The significance of the Jewish economy is not yet fully comprehended. Truths vast and profound are shadowed forth in their rites and symbols. The gospel is the key that unlocks its mysteries. Through a knowledge of the plan of redemption, its truths are opened to understanding. Far more than we do, it is our privilege to understand these wonderful themes. We are to comprehend the deep things of God. Angels desire to investigate the truths that are revealed to the people who with contrite hearts are searching the word of God and praying for greater lengths and breadths and depths and heights of the knowledge which He alone can give.
As we are near the close of this world’s history, the prophecies relating to the last days especially demand our study. The last book of the New Testament scriptures is full of truth that we need to understand. Satan has blinded the minds of many, so that they have been glad of any excuse for not making the Revelation their study. But Christ through His servant John has here declared what shall be in the last days, and He says, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.” Revelation 1:3.
“This is life eternal,” Christ said, “that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3. Why is it that we do not realize the value of this knowledge? Why are not these glorious truths glowing in our hearts, trembling upon our lips, and pervading our whole being?
In giving us His word, God has put us in possession of every truth essential for our salvation. Thousands have drawn water from these wells of life, yet there is no diminishing of the supply. Thousands have set the Lord before them, and by beholding have been changed into the same image. Their spirit burns within them as they speak of His character, telling what Christ is to them, and what they are to Christ. But these searchers have not exhausted these grand and holy themes. Thousands more may engage in the work of searching out the mysteries of salvation. As the life of Christ and the character of His mission are dwelt upon, rays of light will shine forth more distinctly at every attempt to discover truth. Each fresh search will reveal something more deeply interesting than has yet been unfolded. The subject is inexhaustible. The study of the incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice and mediatorial work, will employ the mind of the diligent student as long as time shall last; and looking to heaven with its unnumbered years he will exclaim, “Great is the mystery of godliness.”
In eternity we shall learn that which, had we received the enlightenment it was possible to obtain here, would have opened our understanding. The themes of redemption will employ the hearts and minds and tongues of the redeemed through the everlasting ages.
They will understand the truths which Christ longed to open to His disciples, but which they did not have faith to grasp. Forever and forever new views of the perfection and glory of Christ will appear. Through endless ages will the faithful Householder bring forth from His treasure things new and old. {C O L 124.1 – C O L 134.1}
For You, O Creator, have proved us: You have tried us, as silver is tried. (Psalms 66:10).
living sacrifice Rom 12:1-2
Untried character is not reliable. Christians need to be tried by temptation in order that we may learn to seek wisdom from God and to flee to the stronghold in time of trouble. Only those will be successful in resisting temptation who find their help and grace from God. Individually we stand as did our first parents–face to face with manifold temptations that solicit mind and heart. All heaven is watching with intense interest to see whether we will look unto Jesus and submit ourselves to His will, or whether in the temptation we shall follow the inclinations of the natural heart and the solicitations of the evil one.
Let those who are perplexed with temptation go to God in prayer. Persevere in prayer and watch thereunto without doubting, and the Holy Spirit will work in the human agent, bringing heart and mind into subjection to right principles.
Those who through faith are kept by the power of God (1 Pet 1:5)learn good and precious things. They experience the peace of Christ which passeth understanding. (Phil 4:7) In resisting temptation we refuse to be confederate with Satan, and place ourselves under the banner of Jesus Christ. In the sight of heavenly intelligences you develop yourself as a conqueror. It is made manifest that you are a Child of God. (John 1:12)
You represent Christ in true goodness of character, and understand what these words signify:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace” (John 1:14-16).
You receive grace, you develop grace; and as you reveal grace in your words, in your spirit and actions, God pours upon you a larger measure of grace.
In proportion as you surrender yourselves to the working of the Holy Spirit you are supplied with heavenly grace. You are molded and fashioned a vessel unto honor, and you will then become a channel through which God makes manifest His grace to the world.
Pure religion is an imitation of Christ. A religion that is built on self-confidence and selfishness is worthless. The true Christian is a follower of Christ. This following means walking in the light. The heart must be opened to receive the heavenly guest. As long as the heart is closed against His entrance, there can be in it no abiding peace. No sunshine can flood the chambers of the soul temple, breaking through the mist and cloud. {6BC 1101.2}
Patchwork religion is not of the least value with God. He requires the whole heart. No part of it is to be reserved for the development of hereditary or cultivated tendencies to evil. To be harsh, to be severe, too self-important, selfish, to look out for one’s own selfish interest and yet be zealous that others shall deal unselfishly is a religion which is an abomination to God. Many have just such an experience daily, but it is a misrepresentation of the character of Christ. {6BC 1101.6}
Christians are brand-new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives them new life, and they are not the same anymore. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated—we are re-created (new creations), living in vital union with Christ (Col 2:6-7). At conversion we do not merely turn over a new leaf; we begin a new life under a new Master.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12:1-2, NIV)
God has good, pleasing, and perfect plans for his children. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey him. Because he wants only what is best for us, and because he gave his Son to make our new life possible, we should joyfully give ourselves as living sacrifices for his service.
“Hide yourself by the brook Cherith” (1 Kings 17:3).
Bible Prayer “hid with Christ” (Col 3:3)
God’s servants must learn the value of the hidden life. The person who is to take a high place before his fellow beings, must sometimes take a low place before their God.
Every saintly soul that would wield great power with other people must win it in some hidden Cherith. The acquisition of spiritual power is impossible, unless we can hide ourselves from others, even from ourselves in some deep place where we may absorb the power of the eternal God. Perhaps like a solar panel, absorbing the light and using it to provide power to others.
A fellow by the name of David Brainerd (April 20, 1718 – October 9, 1747) was an American Presbyterian minister and missionary to the Native Americans among the Delaware Indians of New Jersey. Missionaries such as William Carey and Jim Elliot, and Brainerd’s cousin, the Second Great Awakening evangelist James Brainerd Taylor (1801–1829) cite Brainerd as their source of inspiration. David Brainerd had many hours each day of “secret prayer,” in the woods of North America. He did not think he could face his calling by God without being “hidden” like that.
“Turn thee eastward,” the prophet was bidden, “and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee.” {PK 121.2} Just as in the days of Elijah, when we are “hidden with Christ,” God will still provide for our every need. Patmos, the seclusion of the Roman prisons, the Arabian desert, the hills and vales of Palestine, are forever memorable as the Cheriths of those who have gone before us.
Our Lord found His Cherith at Nazareth, and in the wilderness of Judea; amid the olives of Bethany, and the solitude of Gadara. None of us, therefore, can dispense with some Cherith where the sounds of human voices are exchanged for the waters of quietness which are fed from the throne; and where we may taste the sweets and imbibe the power of a life hidden with Christ.(Elijah, by Meyer).
Keep your mind on things above, not on worldly things. Col 3:3 You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3:3-4, GW)
“Take up the shield of faith, in your “Cherith” by which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Eph 6:16)
When self is hid in Jesus, we are shielded from the darts of the enemy. {7BC 908.1}
