Revelation 14: 6-12

The Ensign of Christ's Kingdom

2012-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29

To Daniel was given a vision of fierce beasts, representing the powers of the earth. But the ensign of the Messiah's kingdom is a lamb. While earthly kingdoms rule by the ascendancy of physical power, Christ is to banish every carnal weapon, every instrument of coercion. His kingdom was to be... established to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity.

To Adam, the offering of the first sacrifice was a most painful ceremony. His hand must be raised to take life, which only God could give. . . . As he slew the innocent victim, he trembled at the thought that his sin must shed the blood of the spotless Lamb of God. This scene gave him a deeper and more vivid sense of the greatness of his transgression, which nothing but the death of God's dear Son could expiate. And he marveled at the infinite goodness that would give such a ransom to save the guilty.

The types and shadows of the sacrificial service, with the prophecies, gave the Israelites a veiled, indistinct view of the mercy and grace to be brought to the world by the revelation of Christ. . . . Only through Christ can man keep the moral law. By transgression of this law man brought sin into the world, and with sin came death. Christ became the propitiation for man's sin. He proffered His perfection of character in the place of man's sinfulness. He took upon Himself the curse of disobedience. The sacrifices and offerings pointed forward to the sacrifice He was to make. The slain lamb typified the Lamb that was to take away the sin of the world. . . .

The law and the gospel are in perfect harmony. Each upholds the other. In all its majesty the law confronts the conscience, causing the sinner to feel his need of Christ as the propitiation for sin. The gospel recognizes the power and immutability of the law. "I had not known sin, but by the law" (Rom. 7:7), Paul declares. The sense of sin, urged home by the law, drives the sinner to the Saviour. In his need man may present the mighty arguments furnished by the cross of Calvary. He may claim the righteousness of Christ; for it is imparted to every repentant sinner. {AG 15.5}

Congress OKs 30,000 flying drones spying on Americans across U.S. cities

2012-02-09T03:43:00.000-08:00

Big brother is really going to the heights.

Congress OKs 30,000 flying drones spying on Americans across U.S. cities

A Spiritual Kingdom

2012-02-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36.

The kingdom of God comes not with outward show. The gospel of the grace of God, with its spirit of self-abnegation, can never be in harmony with the spirit of the world. The two principles are antagonistic. . . .

But today in the religious world there are multitudes who, as they believe, are working for the establishment of the kingdom of Christ as an earthly and temporal dominion. They desire to make our Lord the ruler of the kingdoms of this world, the ruler in its courts and camps, its legislative halls, its palaces and market places.

They expect Him to rule through legal enactments, enforced by human authority. Since Christ is not now here in person, they themselves will undertake to act in His stead, to execute the laws of His kingdom. The establishment of such a kingdom is what the Jews desired in the days of Christ. They would have received Jesus, had He been willing to establish a temporal dominion, to enforce what they regarded as the laws of God, and to make them the expositors of His will and the agents of His authority.

But He said, "My kingdom is not of this world." He would not accept the earthly throne. . . . Not by the decisions of courts or councils or legislative assemblies, not by the patronage of worldly great men, is the kingdom of Christ established, but by the implanting of Christ's nature in humanity through the work of the Holy Spirit. . .

Here is the only power that can work the uplifting of mankind. And the human agency for the accomplishment of this work is the teaching and practicing of the Word of God. . . . {AG 13.4}

Now, as in Christ's day, the work of God's kingdom lies not with those who are clamoring for recognition and support by earthly rulers and human laws, but with those who are declaring to the people in His name those spiritual truths that will work in the receivers the experience of Paul: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2:20). {AG 13.5}

2012-02-06T05:31:00.000-08:00

At God's Appointed Time

When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, . . . to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Gal. 4:4, 5.

In heaven's council the hour for the coming of Christ had been determined. When the great clock of time pointed to that hour, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. . . . Providence had directed the movements of nations, and the tide of human impulse and influence, until the world was ripe for the coming of the Deliverer. . . .

The deception of sin had reached its height. All the agencies for depraving the souls of men had been put in operation. The Son of God, looking upon the world, beheld suffering and misery. With pity He saw how men had become victims of satanic cruelty. He looked with compassion upon those who were being corrupted, murdered, and lost. . . . It was demonstrated before the universe that, apart from God, humanity could not be uplifted. A new element of life and power must be imparted by Him who made the world.

With intense interest the unfallen worlds had watched to see Jehovah arise, and sweep away the inhabitants of the earth. . . . But instead of destroying the world, God sent His Son to save it. . . . At the very crisis, when Satan seemed about to triumph, the Son of God came with the embassage of divine grace. Through every age, through every hour, the love of God had been exercised toward the fallen race. Notwithstanding the perversity of men, the signals of mercy had been continually exhibited. And when the fullness of the time had come, the Deity was glorified by pouring upon the world a flood of healing grace that was never to be obstructed or withdrawn till the plan of salvation should be fulfilled.

Satan was exulting that he had succeeded in debasing the image of God in humanity. Then Jesus came to restore in man the image of his Maker. None but Christ can fashion anew the character that has been ruined by sin. He came to expel the demons that had controlled the will. He came to lift us up from the dust, to reshape the marred character after the pattern of His divine character, and to make it beautiful with His own glory. {AG 11.5}

Hosea 4:1-5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

2012-01-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

Here is, I. The court set, and both attendance and attention is demanded:

“Hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for to you is the word of this conviction sent, whether you will hear or whether you will forbear.”
To whom may God expect to give a fair warning, but the children of Israel, his own professing people?
Yea, they will be ready enough to hear when God speaks comfortably to them; but are they willing to hear when he has a controversy with them?
Yes, they must hear him when he pleads against them, when he has something to lay to their charge:
The Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, of this land, of this holy land.

Note, Sin is the great mischief-maker; it sows discord between God and Israel. God sees sin in his own people, and a good action he has against them for it. Some more particular actions lie against his own people, which do not lie against other sinners. He has a controversy with them for breaking covenant with him, for bringing a reproach upon him, and for an ungrateful return to him for his favours. God's controversy will be pleaded, pleaded by the judgments of his mouth before they are pleaded by the judgments of his hand, that he may be justified in all he does and may make it appear that he desires not the death of sinners; and God's pleadings ought to be attended to, for, sooner or later, they shall have a hearing.

II. The indictment read, by which the whole nation stands charged with crimes of a heinous nature, by which God is highly provoked.

1. They are charged with national omissions of the most important duties:

There is no truth nor mercy, neither justice nor charity, these most weighty matters of the law, as our Saviour accounts them (Mat_23:23), judgment, mercy, and faith.

The generality of the people seemed to have no sense at all of the thing called honesty; they made no conscience of what they said and did, though ever so contrary to the truth and injurious to their neighbour.

Much less, had they any sense of mercy, or any obligation they were under to pity and help the poor. And it is not strange that there is no truth and mercy when there is no knowledge of God in the land. What good can be expected where there is no knowledge of God?

It was the privilege of that land that in Israel God was made known, and his name was great, which was an aggravation of their sin, that they did not know him, Psa_76:1.

2. Hence, follows national commissions of the most enormous sins against both the first and second table, for they had no regard at all to either.

Swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, against the third, ninth, sixth, eighth, and seventh commandments, were to be found in all corners of the land, and among all orders and degrees of men among them, Hos_4:2.

The corruption was universal; what good people there were among them were either lost or hid, or they hid themselves. By these, they break out, that is, they transgress all bounds of reason and conscience, and the divine law; they have exceeded (Job_36:9);
they have been overmuch wicked (Ecc_7:17);
they suffer their corruptions to break out; they themselves break over, and break through, all that stands in their way and would stop them in their sinful career, as water overflows the banks.

Note, Sin is a violent thing and its power exorbitant; when men's hearts are fully set in them to do evil (Ecc_8:11) what will be restrained from them? Gen_11:6. When they break out thus blood touches blood, that is, abundance of murders are committed in all parts of the country, and, as it were, in a constant series and succession. Caedes aliae aliis sunt contiguae - Murders touch murders; a stream of blood runs down among them, even royal blood. It was about this time that there was so much blood shed in grasping at the crown; Shallum slew Zechariah, and Menahem slew Shallum, Pekah slew Pekahiah, and Hoshea slew Pekah; and the like bloody work, it is likely, there was among other contenders, so that the land was polluted with blood (Psa_106:38); it was filled with blood from one end to the other, 2Ki_21:16.

III. Sentence passed upon this guilty and polluted land, Hos_4:3.

Sentance Passed: Guilty

It shall be utterly destroyed and laid waste. The whole land is infected with sin, and therefore the whole land shall mourn under God's sore judgments, shall sit in mourning, being stripped of all its wealth and beauty. As the valleys are said to shout for joy, and sing, when there are plenty and peace, so here they are said to mourn when, by war and famine, they are made desolate. The whole land shall be brimstone, and salt, and burning, was as threatened in the law, Deu_29:23.

They had broken all God's commandments, and now God threatens to take away all their comforts. The land mourns when there is neither grass for the cattle nor herbs for the service of man; and then every one that dwells therein, shall languish for want of nice food to support a wasting life, and fret for want of the usual dainties for delight.
The beasts of the field will languish, Jer_14:5, Jer_14:6.

Dead Animals

Nay, the destruction of the fruits of the earth shall be so great that, there shall not be picking for the fowls of the air, to keep them alive; they shall suffer with man, and their dying, or growing lean, will be a punishment to those who used to have their tables replenished with wild-fowl.

Nay, the fishes of the sea shall be taken away, or gathered together, that they may go away in shoals to some other coast, and then the fishing trade will be worth nothing. This desolation shall be in that respect more general than that by Noah's flood, for that did not affect the fishes of the sea, but this shall. It was part of one of the plagues of Egypt that he slew their fish (Psa_105:29); when the waters are dried the fish die, Isa_50:2; Zep_1:2, Zep_1:3.

Note, When man becomes disobedient to God, it is just that the inferior creatures should be made unserviceable to man. Oh what reason have we to admire God's patience and mercy to our land, that though there is in it so much swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and adultery, yet there is plenty of flesh, and fish, and fowl, on our tables!

IV. An order of court that no pains should be taken with the condemned criminal, to bring him to repentance, with the reason for that order.

Observe, 1. The order itself (Hos_4:4): Yet let no man strive nor reprove another;
let no means be used to reduce and reclaim them; let their physicians give them up as desperate and past cure. It intimates that, as long as there is any hope, we ought to reprove sinners for their sins; it is a duty we owe to one another to give, and to take reproofs; it was one of the laws of Moses (Lev_19:17),
Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour; it is an instance of brotherly love.
Sometimes there is need to rebuke sharply, not only to reprove, but to strive, so loth are men to part with their sins. But it is a sign that persons and people are abandoned to ruin, when God says, Let them not be reproved. Yet this is to be understood as God's commands sometimes to the prophets not to pray for them, notwithstanding which they did pray for them; but the meaning is, They are so hardened in sin, and so ripened for ruin, that it will be to little purpose either to deal with them or to deal with God for them.

Note, It bodes ill to a people when reprovers are silenced, and when those who should witness against the sins of the times, retire into a corner, and give up the cause. See 2Ch_25:16. 2. The reasons of this order. Let them not reprove one another; for,

Hardened Heart

(1.) They are determined to go on in sin, and no reproofs will cure them of that: Thy people are as those that strive with the priests; they have grown so very impudent in sin, so very insolent, and impatient of reproof, that they will fly in the face even of a priest himself if he should but give them the least check, without any regard to his character and office; and how then can it be thought that they should take a reproof from a private person?

Results of a hardened Heart

Note, Those sinners have their hearts wickedly hardened who quarrel with their ministers for dealing faithfully with them; and those who rebel against ministerial reproof, which is an ordinance of God for their reformation, have forfeited the benefit of brotherly reproof too. Perhaps this may refer to the late wickedness of Joash king of Judah, and his people, who stoned Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, for delivering them a message from God, 2Ch_24:21.

He was a priest; with him they strove when he was officiating between the temple and the altar; and Dr. Lightfoot thinks the prophet had an eye to his case when he spoke (Hos_4:2) of blood touching blood; the blood of the sacrificer was mingled with the blood of the sacrifice, That, says he, was the apex of their wickedness - thence their ruin was to be dated (Mat_23:35), as this is of their incorrigibleness, that they are as those who strive with the priest, therefore let no man reprove them; for,

(2.) God also is determined to proceed in their ruin (Hos_4:5): “Therefore, because thou wilt take no reproof, no advice, thou shalt fall, and it is in vain for any to think of preventing it, for the decree has gone forth. Thou shalt stumble and fall in the day, and the prophet, the false prophet that flattered and seduced thee, shall fall with thee in the night; both thou and thy prophet shall fall night and day, shall be continually falling into one calamity or other; the darkness of the night shall not help to cover thee from trouble nor the light of the day help thee to flee from it.”

The prophets are blind leaders and the people, blind followers; and to the blind, day and night are alike, so that whether it be day, or night, both shall fall together into the ditch.
“Thou shalt fall in the day, when thy fall is least feared by thyself and thou art very secure; and in the day, when it will be seen and observed by others, and turn most to thy shame; and the prophet shall fall in the night, when to himself it will be most terrible.”

Note, The ruin of those who have helped to ruin others will, in a special manner, be intolerable. And did the children think that when they were in danger of falling their mother would help them? It shall be in vain to expect it, for I will destroy thy mother, Samaria, the mother-city, the whole state, or kingdom, which is as a mother to every part. It shall all be made silent.

Note, When all are involved in guilt nothing less can be expected than that all should be involved in ruin.

To the end, it says that: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

God forbid!

Radioactive tissue holders found at Bed, Bath & Beyond reveal hypocrisy of failed national security

2012-01-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

Radioactive tissue holders found at Bed, Bath & Beyond reveal hypocrisy of failed national security

Where Did My B-12 Go?

2012-01-16T07:02:00.000-08:00

How You Get Vitamin B12 Deficient

The older you get the more likely you are to have a vitamin B12 deficiency. The two ways that you become deficient in vitamin B12 are from not getting enough in your diet and from losing the ability to absorb it.

I recently visited India which is primarily a vegetarian based culture and current studies there show about 80% of the adults are deficient in vitamin B12. However, vegans are not the only ones who can become vitamin B12 deficient.

The older you get the more your digestive system breaks down, especially if you have been following the standard American diet. Specifically the lining of your stomach gradually loses its ability to produce hydrochloric acid which releases vitamin B 12 from your food. The use of antacids or anti ulcer drugs will also lower your stomach acid secretion and decrease your ability to absorb vitamin B 12. Infection with Helicobactor pylori, a common contributor to stomach ulcers, can also result in vitamin B12 deficiency.

However the main cause of vitamin B 12 deficiency is a term researchers call food-cobalamin malabsorption syndrome. Cobalamin is the scientific term for vitamin B12. This typically results when your stomach lining loses its ability to produce intrinsic factor which is a protein that binds to vitamin B12 and allows your body to absorb it at the end of your small intestine.

The Joy of Jesus

2012-01-16T06:53:00.000-08:00

"God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Psa_45:7

For all the sorrows that lay upon His heart and the heaviness of the cross He had to bear, there can be little question that Jesus impressed people as a very contented person. When He spoke about His joy nobody had to ask Him what He meant. It never seemed strange to those who knew Him best that He should talk to them about His gladness. They were so familiar with it in their daily conversation, even when everything was dark and menacing, that the mention of it never took them by surprise. His enemies described Him as a wine-bibber, and that does not suggest a gloomy person. He called Himself a bridegroom, and the ideal bridegroom is a radiant person. We want children to be men and women; He wanted men and women to be children, and children, whatever else they may be, are extraordinarily carefree little beings. How, then, shall we explain this gladness of the Man of Sorrows? How did He maintain, through darkest hours, this unworrying and radiant heart? It is profoundly helpful to meditate on that.

Jesus Never Swerved From His Appointed Task

Supremely faithful to His high vocation, our Lord shone in the tranquil radiance of fidelity. One of the deepest attributes of duty is that the doing of it always leads to gladness. Wordsworth says of the man who does his duty that flowers laugh before him in their beds. To have a vocation and to hold to it, in spite of seductive and alluring voices, is the source of half the singing in the world. In the World War, in spite of all its sorrow, there was more singing than I ever heard before. Millions had something great to live for: something that was great enough to die for. And one of the sources of the joy of Jesus was that something great enough to live and die for had been given Him in the ordering of God. Voices called Him, as they call us all. Sometimes they bore the accents of a friend. He was urged to be careful and to guard Himself and to shun the agony of Calvary. But to all such voices He was deaf; He set His face stedfastly towards Jerusalem, and "flowers laughed before Him in their beds."

The Abundance of His Life

Another source of that joy of heart is to be found in the abundance of His life. We all know how when life is rich and full there comes to us a kind of inward radiance. Seasons arrive when life is at the ebb, and then "melancholy marks us for her own." But when the tide of life comes to the full again, immediately everything is different. The grasshopper has ceased to be a burden; everything is clothed in vivid coloring; in the dreariest period of bleak February we awaken in the morning singing. That is not only true of physical life; it is true of life in every sphere. It is "more life and fuller" if the jarring is to be changed into a song. How profoundly significant it is, then, that Jesus should be the enemy of death and should quietly affirm I am the Life.

All sin in its last results is impoverishing: of such impoverishing our Lord was ignorant. The life of God flowed through Him like a river, unchecked by any barrier of evil. Moment by moment drawing for His need out of the boundless life within His Father's heart, He had a joy the world could never give and could never take away.

Jesus Never Doubted God

The deepest root of all Christ's joy was that He never doubted God. And if ever a child had cause to doubt his father, I make bold to say that it was Jesus. Sent of God, He was a homeless wanderer: the Son of Man had not where to lay his head. Sent of God, men turned their backs on Him: He came to His own, and His own received Him not. Sent of God, He was ridiculed and mocked; He was beaten and insulted, and the nails were driven into His hands and feet. In such a life to trust was victory, and victory always is conjubilant. To live as He did, in a faith unfailing, is the victory that overcomes the world. That is why, right through the life of Jesus, there "steals on the ear the distant triumph song," sung not in celestial bliss but in the shame and agony of our mortality.

Why is a child such an unworried little creature? It is because he trusts his father and his mother. Why is the boat passenger untroubled in the tempest? It is because he absolutely trusts the captain. And the deepest root of the joy of Jesus was a trust in His Father which was perfect and which never faltered in the darkest hour. Why should you and I not live like that? The victories of Christ were won for us. A Christian does not so much win his victories as he appropriates the victories of Christ. Live as He did, trust as He did, keep the heart open to the inflowing tide, and in the dreariest days of February the time of the singing of the birds is come.

What Happens When You Really See God?

2011-03-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago .

They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner.

In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples.

Apples flew everywhere.

Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE !!!

He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight.

Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears ,running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly.

Groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping, and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display.

As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl,

'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?'

She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, 'I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.‘

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister....'

He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued,

'Are you Jesus?‘

She asked the question because she could not see the man.

Mark 10:46-52 has the story of Blind Bartimaeus

In this story, you have kind of the same situation.

A blind man hears Jesus, but longs to see Him.

Verse 51 says: And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

What did he do when he seen God

Bartimaeus followed Him.

Gen. 32:24

• And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

Jacob had been guilty of a great sin in his conduct toward Esau; but he had repented. His transgression had been forgiven, and his sin purged; therefore he could endure the revelation of God's presence.

To Jacob the divine touch at break of day revealed the One with whom he had been contending .... and, weeping and helpless, he fell upon the breast of Infinite Love, to receive the blessing for which his soul longed.

• Gen. 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Moses Exodus 3:1-6

3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Standing on Holy ground

Exodus 33:9

And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.

33:10 And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.

33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

Daniel 10:4-8

• And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;

• 10:5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:

• 10:6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

• 10:7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.

• 10:8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

• No strength

Steven

Acts 6:8

• And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

• 6:9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

• 6:10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

• 6:11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and [against] God.

• 6:12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon [him], and caught him, and brought [him] to the council,

• 6:13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

• 6:14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

• 6:15 And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

• Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

Scripture Reading

Isa. 6: 1-3

6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Let’s now turn to Isa.6:1-3

6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died.....

When did Uzziah die?

• We will find that out in 2 Chron. 26:1-16

• Let’s read that. The story is pretty self explanatory.

• But look at this.....vs. 16 says that Uzziah got a big head

• Look at what happen next....vss.16-23

• He took his eyes off of God, and put it on himself.

• Again the question is, what year did Uzziah die? year 739

• Let’s turn back to Isa. 6:1-3....

Isa. 6

Isa. 6:1

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah was permitted ..... to look into the holy place, and into the holy of holies in the heavenly sanctuary.

The curtains of the innermost sanctuary were drawn aside, and a throne high and lifted up, towering as it were to the very heavens, was revealed to him.

An indescribable glory emanated from a personage on the throne, and His train filled the temple....

Isa. 6:2

Above it stood the seraphims:

each one had six wings;

with twain he covered his face,

and with twain he covered his feet,

and with twain he did fly.

Angels Fully Satisfied to Glorify God

The angel’s before the throne are so filled with reverential awe in beholding the glory of God, that they do not for an instant, look upon themselves with self-complacency, or in admiration of themselves or one another.

• Their praise and glory are for the Lord of Hosts, who is high and lifted up, and the glory of whose train fills the temple.

• .... the triumphant song of praise is echoed from one to another in melodious chant, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts."

• They are fully satisfied to glorify God;

• and in His presence, .... they wish for nothing more.

• In bearing His image,

• in doing His service,

• and worshiping Him,

• their highest ambition is fully reached

• {4BC 1140.3}

When we really truly see God,

it will lead to a Genuine Conviction of Unworthiness

Question: Who are you?

1 Peter 2:9

• But ye are a chosen generation,

• a royal priesthood,

• an holy nation,

• a peculiar people;

• that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

Jer. 1:5

• Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;

• and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Isa. 6:3

• And one cried unto another, and said,

• Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts:

• the whole earth is full of his glory.

• Angel’s were on either side of the mercy-seat,

• as guards round the great king,

• and they glowed with the glory that enshrouded them from the presence of God.

• As their songs of praise resounded in deep, earnest notes of adoration,

• the pillars of the gate trembled, as if shaken by an earthquake.

• These holy beings sang forth the praise and glory of God with lips unpolluted with sin.

• The contrast between the feeble praise which he had been accustomed to bestow upon the Creator, and the fervid praises of the angels,

• astonished and humiliated the prophet.

• He had.... the beautiful privilege of appreciating the spotless purity of Jehovah's exalted character. {4BC 1139.7}

Isaiah's Experience Represents Last-Day Church

• As the prophet Isaiah beheld the glory of the Lord, he was amazed, and, overwhelmed with a sense of his own weakness and unworthiness, he cried,

• "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts."

• {4BC 1138.6}

• Isaiah had denounced the sin of others;

• but now he sees himself exposed to the same condemnation he had pronounced upon them.

• He had been satisfied with a cold, lifeless ceremony in his worship of God.

• He had not known this until the vision was given him of the Lord.

How little now appeared his wisdom and talents, as he looked upon the sacredness, and majesty, of the sanctuary.

• How unworthy he was! how unfitted for sacred service! His view of himself might be expressed in the language of the apostle Paul,

• "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:24

The vision given to Isaiah represents the condition of God's people in the last days.

They are privileged to see, by faith, the work that is going forward in the heavenly sanctuary.

Isaiah had a wonderful view of God's glory.

He saw the manifestation of God's power, and after beholding His majesty, a message came to him to go and do a certain work.

He felt wholly unworthy for the work.

.... when he beheld the inexpressible majesty of God, he said,

"I am undone;

because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;

for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts”.

Isa.6:5

{4BC 1139.4}

John on the island of Patmos... Rev. 1:12-17

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks on like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Rev. 4:1-3

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.

4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

As John viewed the scene in the Most Holy Place, he listened to the song of the angels, as they cried,

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory,"

Rev. 4:8

In the light of this matchless radiance, all he could bear was his own inward defilement, with startling clearness.

His very words seemed vile to him.

{4BC 1140.1}

So what about when we come to the sanctuary

So what about when we sing the opening song,

The Lord is in His Holy Temple?

It is too true that reverence for the house of God has become almost extinct.

Sacred things, and places, are not discerned;

The holy and exalted, are not appreciated.

.... Is it not because the high standard of religion is left to trail in the dust?

God gave rules of order, perfect and exact, to His ancient people.

Has His character changed?

Is He not the great and mighty God who rules in the heaven of heavens?

Would it not be well for us often to read the directions given by God Himself to the Hebrews, that we.... may imitate their reverence for the house of God?

We have many reason to maintain a fervent, devoted spirit in the worship of God.

We have reason even to be more thoughtful and reverential in our worship than had the Jews.

But an enemy has been at work to destroy our faith in the sacredness of Christian worship.

{PP 252.1}

We should not do what Uzziah had done.

Remember 2 Chron. 26:16?

“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction:

for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense”.

The place dedicated to God, should not be a room where worldly business, or conversation, is to be conducted.

Humility and reverence should characterize the deportment of all who come into the presence of God.

In the name of Jesus,

we may come before Him with confidence,

but we must not approach Him with the boldness of presumption,

as though He were on a level with ourselves.

There are those who address the great and all-powerful and holy God.... as they would address an equal, or even an inferior.

There are those who conduct themselves in His house as they would not .... do in the audience chamber of an earthly ruler, like the court houses of the world.

These souls should remember that they are in His sight, whom angels adore,

before whom angels veil their faces.

Remember what Jacob said when he woke up.

Gen. 28:16

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.

28:17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

God is greatly to be reverenced;

all who truly realize His presence, will bow in humility before Him, and,

like Jacob beholding the vision of God, they will cry out,

"How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

As Christ gave His wonderful lessons, Mary sat at His feet,

a reverent and devoted listener.

Rev. 5:11-14

5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Closing: Remember when we first came to the Lord, how reverent we were when we came into the house of God?

If there is anyone listening to the sound of my voice, who feels that they have not given God His due reverence, please stand with me as I read the lyrics to a song that request that He takes us back.

Take me back

The question is: praise and worship, are we ready ?

2011-03-12T07:43:00.000-08:00

5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

What Happens When You Really See God?

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago .

They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner.

In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples.

Apples flew everywhere.

Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE !!!

He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight.

Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears ,running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly.

Groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping, and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display.

As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl,

'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?'

She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, 'I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.‘

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister....'

He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued,

'Are you Jesus?‘

She asked the question because she could not see the man.

Mark 10:46-52 has the story of Blind Bartimaeus

In this story, you have kind of the same situation.

A blind man hears Jesus, but longs to see Him.

Verse 51 says: And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

What did he do when he seen God

Bartimaeus followed Him.

Gen. 32:24

• And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

Jacob had been guilty of a great sin in his conduct toward Esau; but he had repented. His transgression had been forgiven, and his sin purged; therefore he could endure the revelation of God's presence.

To Jacob the divine touch at break of day revealed the One with whom he had been contending .... and, weeping and helpless, he fell upon the breast of Infinite Love, to receive the blessing for which his soul longed.

• Gen. 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Moses Exodus 3:1-6

3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Standing on Holy ground

Exodus 33:9

And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.

33:10 And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.

33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

Daniel 10:4-8

• And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;

• 10:5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:

• 10:6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

• 10:7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.

• 10:8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

• No strength

Steven

Acts 6:8

• And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

• 6:9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

• 6:10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

• 6:11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and [against] God.

• 6:12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon [him], and caught him, and brought [him] to the council,

• 6:13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

• 6:14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

• 6:15 And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

• Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

Scripture Reading

Isa. 6: 1-3

6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

Let’s now turn to Isa.6:1-3

6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died.....

When did Uzziah die?

• We will find that out in 2 Chron. 26:1-16

• Let’s read that. The story is pretty self explanatory.

• But look at this.....vs. 16 says that Uzziah got a big head

• Look at what happen next....vss.16-23

• He took his eyes off of God, and put it on himself.

• Again the question is, what year did Uzziah die?

• Let’s turn back to Isa. 6:1-3....

Read page 656 of your bible, and read the “Historical Setting” and “Theme”.

Isa. 6

Isa. 6:1

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah was permitted ..... to look into the holy place, and into the holy of holies in the heavenly sanctuary.

The curtains of the innermost sanctuary were drawn aside, and a throne high and lifted up, towering as it were to the very heavens, was revealed to him.

An indescribable glory emanated from a personage on the throne, and His train filled the temple....

Isa. 6:2

Above it stood the seraphims:

each one had six wings;

with twain he covered his face,

and with twain he covered his feet,

and with twain he did fly.

Angels Fully Satisfied to Glorify God

The angel’s before the throne are so filled with reverential awe in beholding the glory of God, that they do not for an instant, look upon themselves with self-complacency, or in admiration of themselves or one another.

• Their praise and glory are for the Lord of Hosts, who is high and lifted up, and the glory of whose train fills the temple.

• .... the triumphant song of praise is echoed from one to another in melodious chant, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts."

• They are fully satisfied to glorify God;

• and in His presence, .... they wish for nothing more.

• In bearing His image,

• in doing His service,

• and worshiping Him,

• their highest ambition is fully reached

• {4BC 1140.3}

When we really truly see God,

it will lead to a Genuine Conviction of Unworthiness

Question: Who are you?

1 Peter 2:9

• But ye are a chosen generation,

• a royal priesthood,

• an holy nation,

• a peculiar people;

• that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

Jer. 1:5

• Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;

• and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Isa. 6:3

• And one cried unto another, and said,

• Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts:

• the whole earth is full of his glory.

• Angel’s were on either side of the mercy-seat,

• as guards round the great king,

• and they glowed with the glory that enshrouded them from the presence of God.

• As their songs of praise resounded in deep, earnest notes of adoration,

• the pillars of the gate trembled, as if shaken by an earthquake.

• These holy beings sang forth the praise and glory of God with lips unpolluted with sin.

• The contrast between the feeble praise which he had been accustomed to bestow upon the Creator, and the fervid praises of the angels,

• astonished and humiliated the prophet.

• He had.... the beautiful privilege of appreciating the spotless purity of Jehovah's exalted character. {4BC 1139.7}

Isaiah's Experience Represents Last-Day Church

• As the prophet Isaiah beheld the glory of the Lord, he was amazed, and, overwhelmed with a sense of his own weakness and unworthiness, he cried,

• "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts."

• {4BC 1138.6}

• Isaiah had denounced the sin of others;

• but now he sees himself exposed to the same condemnation he had pronounced upon them.

• He had been satisfied with a cold, lifeless ceremony in his worship of God.

• He had not known this until the vision was given him of the Lord.

How little now appeared his wisdom and talents, as he looked upon the sacredness, and majesty, of the sanctuary.

• How unworthy he was! how unfitted for sacred service! His view of himself might be expressed in the language of the apostle Paul,

• "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:24

The vision given to Isaiah represents the condition of God's people in the last days.

They are privileged to see, by faith, the work that is going forward in the heavenly sanctuary.

Isaiah had a wonderful view of God's glory.

He saw the manifestation of God's power, and after beholding His majesty, a message came to him to go and do a certain work.

He felt wholly unworthy for the work.

.... when he beheld the inexpressible majesty of God, he said,

"I am undone;

because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;

for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts”.

Isa.6:5

{4BC 1139.4}

John on the island of Patmos... Rev. 1:12-17

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks on like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Rev. 4:1-3

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.

4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

As John viewed the scene in the Most Holy Place, he listened to the song of the angels, as they cried,

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory,"

Rev. 4:8

In the light of this matchless radiance, all he could bear was his own inward defilement, with startling clearness.

His very words seemed vile to him.

{4BC 1140.1}

So what about when we come to the sanctuary

So what about when we sing the opening song,

The Lord is in His Holy Temple?

It is too true that reverence for the house of God has become almost extinct.

Sacred things, and places, are not discerned;

The holy and exalted, are not appreciated.

.... Is it not because the high standard of religion is left to trail in the dust?

God gave rules of order, perfect and exact, to His ancient people.

Has His character changed?

Is He not the great and mighty God who rules in the heaven of heavens?

Would it not be well for us often to read the directions given by God Himself to the Hebrews, that we.... may imitate their reverence for the house of God?

We have many reason to maintain a fervent, devoted spirit in the worship of God.

We have reason even to be more thoughtful and reverential in our worship than had the Jews.

But an enemy has been at work to destroy our faith in the sacredness of Christian worship.

{PP 252.1}

We should not do what Uzziah had done.

Remember 2 Chron. 26:16?

“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction:

for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense”.

The place dedicated to God, should not be a room where worldly business, or conversation, is to be conducted.

Humility and reverence should characterize the deportment of all who come into the presence of God.

In the name of Jesus,

we may come before Him with confidence,

but we must not approach Him with the boldness of presumption,

as though He were on a level with ourselves.

There are those who address the great and all-powerful and holy God.... as they would address an equal, or even an inferior.

There are those who conduct themselves in His house as they would not .... do in the audience chamber of an earthly ruler, like the court houses of the world.

These souls should remember that they are in His sight, whom angels adore,

before whom angels veil their faces.

Remember what Jacob said when he woke up.

Gen. 28:16

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.

28:17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

God is greatly to be reverenced;

all who truly realize His presence, will bow in humility before Him, and,

like Jacob beholding the vision of God, they will cry out,

"How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

As Christ gave His wonderful lessons, Mary sat at His feet,
a reverent and devoted listener.

Rev. 5:11-14

5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Closing: Remember when we first came to the Lord, how reverent we were when we came into the house of God?

If there is anyone listening to the sound of my voice, who feels that they have not given God His due reverence, please stand with me as I read the lyrics to a song that request that He takes us back.

Take me back

A real valentines day letter

2011-02-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

Luke 7:36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
7:37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

7:38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

Simon had been healed of the leprosy, and it was this that had drawn him to Jesus. He desired to show his gratitude, and at Christ's last visit to Bethany he made a feast for the Saviour and His disciples. . . . At the table the Saviour sat with Simon... on one side, and Lazarus . . . on the other. Martha served at the table, but Mary was earnestly listening to every word from the lips of Jesus. In His mercy, Jesus had pardoned her sins, He had called forth her beloved brother from the grave, and Mary's heart was filled with gratitude. She had heard Jesus speak of His approaching death, and in her deep love and sorrow she had longed to show Him honor. At great personal sacrifice she had purchased an alabaster box of "ointment of spikenard, very costly," with which to anoint His body. But now many were declaring that He was about to be crowned king. Her grief was turned to joy, and she was eager to be first in honoring her Lord. Breaking her box of ointment, she poured its contents upon the head and feet of Jesus; then, as she knelt weeping, moistening them with her tears, she wiped His feet with her long, flowing hair. . . . {CC 305.3}

If you would, please listen to the song before reading the rest of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2efP9eZrs5U

The fragrant gift which Mary had thought to lavish upon the dead body of the Saviour she poured upon His living form. At the burial its sweetness could only have pervaded the tomb; now it gladdened His heart with the assurance of her faith and love. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus offered not their gift of love to Jesus in His life. With bitter tears they brought their costly spices for His cold, unconscious form. The women who bore spices to the tomb found their errand in vain, for He had risen. But Mary, pouring out her love upon the Saviour while He was conscious of her devotion, was anointing Him for the burial. And as He went down into the darkness of His great trial, He carried with Him the memory of that deed, an earnest of the love that would be His from His redeemed ones forever. {CC 306.2}

Many there are who bring their precious gifts for the dead. . . . Tenderness, appreciation, devotion, all are lavished upon one who sees not nor hears. Had these words been spoken when the weary spirit needed them so much, when the ear could hear and the heart could feel, how precious would have been their fragrance!. . . {CC 306.3}

Christ told Mary the meaning of her act. . . . He said, "she did it for my burial." As the alabaster box was broken, and filled the whole house with its fragrance, so Christ was to die, His body was to be broken; but He was to rise from the tomb, and the fragrance of His life was to fill the earth. . . . Looking into the future, the Saviour spoke with certainty concerning His gospel. It was to be preached throughout the world. And as far as the gospel extended, Mary's gift would shed its fragrance, and hearts would be blessed through her unstudied act. Kingdoms would rise and fall; the names of monarchs and conquerors would be forgotten; but this woman's deed would be immortalized upon the pages of sacred history. Until time should be no more, that broken alabaster box would tell the story of the abundant love of God for a fallen race. {CC 306.4}

Febuary 14......."Happy Valentines Day"........

2011-02-13T05:48:00.000-08:00

The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to "christianize" celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.

The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman "lottery" system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance.

The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415.
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s.

However, there is one love letter that everyone seems to forget.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

O what an assurance is this, that the love of God may abide in the hearts of all who believe in Him! O what salvation is provided; for He is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. In wonder we exclaim, How can these things be? But Jesus will be satisfied with nothing less than this. Those who are partakers of His sufferings here, of His humiliation, enduring for His name's sake, are to have the love of God bestowed upon them as it was upon the Son. One who knows, has said, "The Father himself loveth you."

One who has had an experimental knowledge of the length, and breadth, and height, and depth of that love, has declared unto us this amazing fact. This love is ours through faith in the Son of God, therefore a connection with Christ means everything to us. We are to be one with Him as He is one with the Father, and then we are beloved by the infinite God as members of the body of Christ, as branches of the living Vine. We are to be attached to the parent stock, and to receive nourishment from the Vine. Christ is our glorified
Head, and the divine love flowing from the heart of God, rests in Christ, and is communicated to those who have been united to Him. This divine love entering the soul inspires it with gratitude, frees it from its spiritual feebleness, from pride, vanity, and selfishness, and from all that would deform the Christian character. {FE 178.1}

The life of Christ was a life charged with a divine message of the love of God, and He longed intensely to impart this love to others in rich measure. Compassion beamed from His countenance, and His conduct was characterized by grace, humility, truth, and love. Every member of His church militant must manifest the same qualities, if He would join the church triumphant. The love of Christ is so broad, so full of glory, that in comparison to it, everything that men esteem as great, dwindles into insignificance. When we obtain a view of it, we exclaim, O the depth of the riches of the love that God bestowed upon men in the gift of His only-begotten Son! {FE 179.3}

This is the reason for the season, A Christmas Story

2010-12-24T04:36:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

His name shall be called Immanuel, . . . God with us."
"The light of the knowledge of the glory of God" is seen "in the face of Jesus Christ."
From the days of eternity, the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was "the image of God," the image of His greatness and majesty, "the outshining of His glory."
It was to manifest this glory that He came to our world.
To this sin-darkened earth, He came to reveal the light of God's love,--to be "God with us." Therefore it was prophesied of Him, "His name shall be called Immanuel."

By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels. He was the Word of God,--God's thought made audible.
In His prayer for His disciples, He says, "I have declared unto them Thy name,"--"merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,"--"that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
But not alone for His earthborn children was this revelation given. Our little world is the lesson book of the universe.
God's wonderful purpose of grace, the mystery of redeeming love, is the theme into which "angels desire to look," and it will be their study throughout endless ages.
Both the redeemed and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song. It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love.
In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which "seeketh not her own" has its source in the heart of God; and that in the meek and lowly One is manifested the character of Him who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto. {DA 19}

Blacks doubt death in small Southern town is a suicide--they want answers now

2010-12-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

Blacks doubt death in small Southern town is a suicide--they want answers now

Warnings Against Sensational Teachings and Emotional Religion

2010-12-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IS BROUGHT TO VIEW IN PROPHECY IN THE SETTING OF CONFLICT, FOR SATAN, THE DRAGON, WAGES RELENTLESS WAR AGAINST THOSE WHO "KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, AND HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS."

THE GREAT ADVERSARY KNOWS THAT IF HE IS SUCCESSFUL IN MISLEADING AND CONFUSING SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, HE FRUSTRATES THE PURPOSES OF GOD.
HIS ATTACKS ARE USUALLY OF AN INSIDIOUS CHARACTER, AND OFTEN OF A NATURE, TENDING TO LEAD SINCERE MEN AND WOMEN TO SUCH EXTREMES, THAT THEY WILL BELIEVE A LIE.

THE MANY WARNINGS THAT FANATICISM IS TO BE REPEATED, SERVE TO ALERT THE CHURCH TO ITS DANGERS;

AND THE COUNSELS THE MESSENGER OF THE LORD HAS GIVEN,
CONCERNING VARIOUS TYPES OF FANATICAL OUTBREAK AND EMOTIONAL RELIGION, ARE OF GREAT SERVICE NOW IN SAFEGUARDING THE FLOCK.

THESE COUNSELS ARE OF PARTICULAR VALUE NOW,
AND WILL BE MORE ESSENTIAL AS WE NEAR THE EARTH'S CLOSING DAYS,

WHEN SATAN, THROUGH ONE SCHEME AND DEVICE AFTER ANOTHER, WILL ATTEMPT TO DECEIVE THE VERY ELECT.--WHITE TRUSTEES.

Take for instance...The Danger of Speculative Ideas

There is a time of trouble coming to the people of God, but we are not to keep that constantly before the people, and rein them up to have a time of trouble beforehand.
There is to be a shaking among God's people; but this is not the present truth to carry to the churches.
It will be the result of refusing the truth presented. {2SM 13.1}

1st class The ministers should not feel that they have some wonderful advanced ideas,
and unless all receive these,
they will be shaken out,
and a people will arise to go forward and upward to the victory.

2nd class Satan's object is accomplished just as surely when men run ahead of Christ, and do the work He has never entrusted to their hands,
as when they remain in the Laodicean state, lukewarm, feeling rich and increased with goods, and in need of nothing.

The two classes are equally stumbling blocks. {2SM 13.2}

Some zealous ones, who are aiming and straining every energy for originality, have made a grave mistake in trying to get something startling, wonderful, entrancing, before the people, something that they think others do not comprehend;
but often, they do not, themselves, know what they are talking about.
They speculate upon God's Word, advancing ideas that are not a whit of help to themselves or to the churches.
For the time being, they may excite the imagination; but there is a reaction, and these very ideas become a hindrance.
Faith is confounded with fancy, and their views may bias the mind in the wrong direction.
Let the plain, simple statements of the Word of God be food for the mind; this speculating upon ideas that are not clearly presented there, is dangerous business.--Undated manuscript 111. {2SM 13.3}

The danger that threatens our churches is that new and strange things will be brought in, things that confuse the minds of the people, and give them no strength, at the very time when they most need strength in spiritual things. Clear discernment is needed, that things, new and strange, shall not be laid alongside of truth, as a part of the burden of the message to be given at this time.
The very messages we have been giving to the world are to be made prominent. --An Appeal for Canvassers, pp. 1, 2. {2SM 14.1}

The question is: What are "The Very Messages"?

Above all powers, above all kings

2010-12-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah Chorus at the food court, a must see!!!!!

2010-12-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

A must see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

THE SERMON

2010-12-04T05:02:00.000-08:00

By Stephen N. Haskell Preached on February 4, 1893

You will find my text in 2 Cor. 8:9: "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

All that we know about the divine attributes, is through Christ and by Christ. He is the author and finished of the faith that is revealed for the salvation of the human family, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. And his plan of saving man is revealed only as he sees fit and necessary for the salvation of the human race.

All the universe of God is interested in the unfolding of this divine plan. It is not merely myself and my influence, yourself and your influence, but there are principles involved which all heaven is interested in. When the plan is worked out, and those that will accept the gospel of Jesus Christ will be saved throughout all eternity, the justice of God will be demonstrated. Satan will be destroyed, and there will be a triumph of the truth that will never again be marred by sin and Satan.

But, we are saved by grace through faith, and that is the gift of God. But what is that grace? This is answered in these words which I have read: "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." What is it? "Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." How does grace save us? Why, the grace of Christ as it was manifested by Christ, in his becoming poor that we might be rich, is his leaving the throne of the Father, the royal courts above, and coming to this earth all scarred with sin, and taking upon himself our nature; divinity, God, and by Christ, placed in humanity, and became like us to be tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin, that he might connect fallen humanity with God himself. And by this he becomes the ladder that Jacob saw, that through his merits and what he brings to us of the divine help, we can ascend to reach the heavenly courts. It is all through Jesus Christ. It is grace.

And it is this same quality, that we are to manifest in our lives, becoming poor that we may benefit others, following our Lord and Master. The idea that we can be partakers of this grace and not bear any of its fruits, is the greatest mistake ever made. We cannot be saved unless we have the grace of Christ, and if we have his grace, then it will bring to each soul a sacrifice of one's self, a self-abnegation, that others may partake of the joy and blessings granted us through Christ. Merely professing the name of Christ, does not save us, but it is when the character becomes changed; it is when we partake of the divine nature, and that nature is in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; this is what saves us.

A little way from this, we shall experience a time such as has never been experienced by the human family. It will be the great test that will decide the destiny of the entire race, because soon the Lord will come, and when he appears in the clouds of heaven and takes his people to himself, then the great problem of salvation will have been worked out, and those who are found in harmony with this plan are saved in the plan of God, and are saved eternally.

Those who are outside of the plan of God are lost and lost eternally; and we have reached the period in the world's history when that line of separation is being drawn, and the great question with every one of us is, On which side will we be? God proposes to accomplish a great work in this world in giving the light of the truth to the human race, and in this generation. He has committed that truth and that word to his people; hence it becomes each one of us to inquire, What does God require at my hands?

In Matt. 5:16, the Saviour, speaking of his people and their relationship to the world, says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." How extensively will the light shine? As extensively as mankind are found upon the earth. God never designed that his people should be in one spot, and not mingle with the people of this world. He designed that his people should be scattered throughout the length and breadth of the earth, that their influence might be felt by those who sit in darkness.

When the Jews lost this idea and centered all their interests in themselves, then God let persecution come upon them, and they were scattered and sent unto different nations of the earth, so they should carry the light to those who sat in darkness. The apostles partook somewhat of the same spirit. They and many of the early Christians hovered about Jerusalem. At first God wrought for them wonderfully there. Thousands were converted, – 3,000 in one day; afterward 5,000. But did God design that they should remain there in Jerusalem? O, no. He gave them the light of the Gospel that they should carry it to others, that they might go to earth's remotest bounds, and there let the light shine; and by the light shining in the face of Jesus Christ,the light that accompanied the Gospel, – others would be led to acknowledge those precious gleams, and thus glorify God.

And that is God's plan to-day. There will be a time of persecution such as there was in the days of the early apostles. The people will be glad to scatter out and let their light shine. That is in the very nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We understand that there will not be one tribe on the face of the earth when the Son of man comes, but that in that tribe there will be some individuals that will be letting their light shine. Notice one expression the Saviour uses, as recorded in Mark 13:26, 27: "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven." Where will the saints be when the Lord comes?

"From the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven." There will be thousands in every portion of the earth that will have the precious rays of light, and will be led to glorify God. There is one expression in regard to this that is forcibly expressed by our Saviour in the book of Acts, and I wish to call your attention to it. When the Saviour promised that he would pour upon the disciples his Holy Spirit, he told them it was not for them to know the times and seasons which the Father had put in his own power, but, referring to the day of Pentecost, said: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

The expression the Saviour uses here is the same as that in the thirteenth chapter of the gospel of Mark. They were to tarry in Jerusalem till they were endued with power from on high. But what were they to know? Why, that they were to receive power. Power to know the exact time of the revelation of Jesus Christ? O, no; but power to take up the gospel, and go to the uttermost part of the earth with it. Well, says one, I thought we would know just when the Lord would be revealed. But until the time comes for the Lord to reveal it, this is not for us to know. The Lord has committed to his people a work and we have power to do that work. The time in which we now live is the time for the outpouring of God's Spirit.

What then is our duty? Are we to fold our hands, and huddle together and take it easy and live easily, and wait in that way? Our work is to take up the gospel and go to the uttermost parts of the earth, and be found there giving the light to individuals that have had no knowledge of the truth. We are to be co-workers with our Lord Jesus Christ, to partake of his Spirit who left the heavenly glory, who left the royal courts above, and came to this earth to save us. This is the grace of Christ.

Then what will we do if we are possessors of this grace? Why, I expect we will leave our homes. I expect we will be glad to leave our homes, and devote them to the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ, and be the means of carrying the truth to the uttermost parts of the earth. It is our duty and I say our privilege, brethren, to be connected with our Lord, so that we can live and carry the light of the truth to the uttermost parts of the earth, and thus be co-workers with the Saviour.

What are we to be a light of? A light to the world, and a light to the people living in the uttermost parts of the earth. If our interest is circumscribed, we may offer a few prayers – and that is all good; we may send out a few periodicals, – and that is all good; but how many of us will give ourselves, will give up our interests, and let our interests and our lives be so interwoven in the work of the Lord, that our practice will be in direct harmony with the work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? Brethren, we call for volunteers, – not men to be drafted, – but volunteers; men and women that will say: "Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth."

Here is something that Sister White has written upon this point, since going to Australia:

"I feel deeply over the little burden many carry for the missionary work in the foreign fields and in the home missions. There are thousands of places to be entered where the standard of truth has never been raised, where the proclamation of the truth has never been heard in America. And there are thousands who might enter the harvest field who are now religiously idle, and as a result, go crippling their way to heaven, expressing their doubt whether they are Christians. Their need is a vital union with Jesus Christ. Then it can be said of them, 'Ye are laborers together with God.'

"I think how the angels must feel seeing the end approaching, and those who claim to have a knowledge of God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, huddle together, colonize, and attend the meetings, and feel dissatisfied if there is not much preaching to benefit their souls and strength the church, while they are doing literally nothing. Souls are perishing for the light of truth which these have. It is their duty to put that knowledge to use to save souls. If their temporal, financial prospects are not as prosperous by moving to localities where the truth has not been proclaimed, will they not be doing just the work that Jesus has done to save them?

"I do not urge any one to change their location to please their own ideas, for Christ lived in our world, all seared and marred with the curse, that humanity might touch humanity, to save souls from eternal ruin. Jesus did not leave the royal throne, the royal crown, and come to our world to please himself. "For our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich." What is the character of these riches? Is it houses and lands and bank stocks in this world? Or is it the unsearchable riches of Christ presented before their minds that shall attract their hearts, that they shall count all things but loss and dross that they may win Christ? We join the Lord's army, fight the battles with the power of darkness, set up the standard of the cross in every place where we can possibly find access. My heart is pained when I think how little our churches sense their solemn accountabilities to God. What self-denial have our churches as a whole manifested? They may have given donations in money, but have withheld themselves.

"The heavenly agencies are waiting to co-operate with human agencies in the grand work of reflecting light to the world. Wherever there is even one soul converted on the earth there is a response of joy circulated through heaven. We are not the ones to make the first movement toward Christ; it was our Redeemer who made the first movement toward us. "And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." He touched your hearts by his grace, you responded and drew toward Jesus. Man could not make the first movement. [Christ's] love is expressed for fallen man. [It] led him to make an offering of his soul for sin.

"What, then, is the duty of every enlightened soul? How should he feel as he looks upon the infinite sacrifice of the only begotten Son of God? There are not many ordained ministers; this makes it necessary for you to deny self. If ministerial hands have not been laid upon you in the world, Christ has laid his hands upon you and said, "Ye are my witnesses; go trade on the talents I have given you. Ye are the light of the world?" There will be an antagonism between the church and the world, but the church is to shine. Let yourselves become the consecrated living channels of light to the world, whatever may be the consequences to you financially.

"Let those who truly love God step out from where there are large churches of Sabbath- keepers, and the cause they knew not be searched out. Where is the fruit borne by the branches in these large churches? "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taken away." Does not this statement from the lips of the Great Teacher alarm you who have taken such an easy position, having no burdens, gratifying self, lifting no cross, and no following Jesus?

"I have been alarmed for some years as I have seen the line of demarkation between the church and the world almost obliterated. The design of God in the formation of the church was that the very action of the separation from the world would itself be sufficient to attract attention. Their formation in church capacity has a meaning in it which the world can read. They are to consider themselves a peculiar people of God, an object to be rendered conspicuous, detached from other objects, standing apart. The sons and daughters of God are to stand a distinct, pure, holy people from the world. And if these signs are not seen in the members of the church, it is the duty of the church faithfully to investigate the matter for if there is not a decided transformation of character from a life of sin to a life of holiness, then why? For if sin is practiced in daily life, there is no real value in all their profession, and they will not act in harmony with God as his agents in the regeneration of the world.

"If the professed followers of Christ, even in part, act the same as the world, they may have their names on the church books, but they are not joined to Christ. Therefore the same spirit has to a limited or large degree a controlling power upon the minds, heart, will, and temper.

"Christians in deed and in truth will consecrate the solemn import of the words of Christ, "He that will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, and so shall he be my disciple." It is a solemn statement that I make to the church, that not one in twenty whose names are registered upon the church books are prepared to close their earthly history, and would be as verily without God and without hope in the world as the common sinner. They are professedly serving God, but they are more earnestly serving mammon. This half-and-half work is a constant denying of Christ, rather than a confessing of Christ. So many confirm themselves in lustful practices, and are full of deception through and through in their professed Christian life. Living as sinners, claiming to be Christians.

"The end is near. Every soul will have in the judgment exactly the character of morals he cultivated in this life, just such a spirit and character as he cherished in his home life, in association with his neighbors and with members of his family. And according as he has appreciated the words of Christ and has obeyed them, will be the judgment pronounced upon him.

"I lay down my pen and lift my soul in prayer, that the Lord would breathe upon his backslidden people, which are as dry bones, that they may live. The end is near, stealing upon us so stealthily, so imperceptibly, so noiselessly, like the muffled treat of the thief in the night. Who will consent even now after wasting much of his lifetime, to give his will as clay into the hands of the potter, and co-operate with God in becoming in his hands molded a vessel unto honor? O, how must the clay be in the hands of the potter, how susceptible to receive divine impressions. No earthly, no selfish motives should be suffered to live, for if you give them place, you cannot be hewn into the divine image.

"When this work is comprehended, it will bring even the thoughts into captivity to Christ. This is beyond our comprehension, but thus it will be. We must let Christ work for us. Is there any excellency that appears in our characters or our conduct? It is all from God, the power of the potter over the clay.

"Oh, that those whom the Lord has blessed with the treasures of truth would awake and say from the heart, "Lord what wilt thou have me to do?" We want men and women to settle in Australia who have a solid, Christlike influence. Oh that many may be uprooted from where they are to become workers with Jesus Christ." [GCDB Feb 4, 1893]

The living agents are needed to communicate the light of truth, and the result will be those who are now ignorant of the truth, will, through the grace of Christ, become precious in the sight of the Lord, and will exert an influence to the glory of God.

Brethren, we are living in the most solemn time that has ever been seen since Adam fell, and the question comes home to us, What relation will we sustain to God? Will we rest satisfied because our surroundings are pleasant? May God forbid, but rather may our hearts be stirred, and we begin to inquire of God, What way, what course, where is the light, and where is the path he would have us follow? The time will come when we will find ourselves scattered throughout earth's remotest bounds. There is scarcely any day that passes but that I feel I would about as soon sleep as live. But I know that God will carry his people through, every one that trusts him. There is not power enough in all the devils that were cast our of heaven to stop that soul.

We have not yet received that Spirit that he wants to give us. There must be a change in our hearts or we shall never enter the heavenly kingdom; there must be a realizing sense of the nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what he wants to impart to the human race. The light of truth that shines so freely about every one of us he wants to shine in every dark portion of the earth. The time has come when God himself, by his providence, is holding in check the powers of the earth, that the light may extend and reach those that sit in dankness. Where is our interest in this matter? Is it deepening day by day, or is it to us a tale that sounds pleasant for the time being, and that is all?

How much light do you think could be imparted by the number that is present here this morning? Why it seems to me that there are enough here to almost lighten up the world. It is not we who do the work, but it is God that does the work. It is not what we can do, but it is God that does the work, and he invites man that is so sinful, to partake of his nature; he invites us to sustain that relation to him that he can do the work – not that God cannot do the work without human agency, but he has ordained that the work should be carried forward through human agency, so that when every soul is saved in the kingdom of God, there will be mutual joy throughout all the redeemed host.

O what a grand anthem of praise will ascend tot he Author and Finisher of our faith when we meet in the air. When the saints meet in the air, from every kingdom and tribe will be one shout fo praise and glory that will ascend to God and the Lamb forever and ever: "Thou hast redeemed us with thy blood out of every nation, out of every kindred." How can we say, "Thou hast redeemed us by thy blood," unless we have had an interest in every nation and kindred and tongue and people? The work is almost over; we are down in the very last time; we are near the end. It is coming so noiselessly, so stealthily, and shall we sleep over it? May our hearts be so stirred, that we shall not rest satisfied until we know that we individually are in harmony with God's providence and work.

The time has come for a new departure, for an advance step to come into our hearts. Our own way will not answer the time that we have just entered upon. Those that have known the truth for years, have looked forward tot he time when the final struggle would be nearer; that time has come. God has come near to us. He will pour his Spirit upon us, and the work will go; and when the last soul is gathered, Christ will appear in the clouds of heaven, and we will say, "Praise God." From the uttermost parts of the earth unto the uttermost parts of heaven they will come. Shall we be among the number? May this be our happy lot.

From the General Conference Bulletin, Feb. 2-4, 1893.

Father Can You Hear Me - Tyler Perry (With Lyrics)

2010-10-09T03:51:00.000-07:00

Humanity of Christ

2010-09-28T03:59:00.000-07:00

As the sin bearer, priest and representative of man before God, Jesus entered into the life of humanity, bearing our flesh and blood. The life is in the living, vital current of blood, which blood was given for the life of the world. Christ made a full atonement, giving His life as a ransom for us. He was born without a taint of sin, but came into the world in like manner as the human family. He did not have a mere semblance of a body, but He took human nature, participating in the life of humanity. {7BC 925.5}

According to the law Christ Himself gave, the forfeited inheritance was ransomed by the nearest of kin. Jesus Christ laid off His royal robe, His kingly crown, and clothed His divinity with humanity, in order to become a substitute and surety for humanity, that dying in humanity He might by His death destroy him who had the power of death. He could not have done this as God, but by coming as man, Christ could die. By death, He overcame death. The death of Christ ...opened the gates of the tomb for all who receive Him as their personal Saviour. {7BC 925.6}

Christ proclaimed over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, "I am the resurrection and the life." He, the world's Redeemer, has bruised the serpent's head, depriving him of all power ever to make men feel his scorpion sting; for He has brought life and immortality to light. The gates of eternal life are thrown open to all who believe on Jesus Christ. All believers who pass through a natural death, have, through eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God, eternal life in them, which is the life of Jesus Christ. In dying, Jesus has made it impossible for those who believe on Him to die eternally. . . . {7BC 926.1}

Christ lived and died as a man, that He might be God both of the living and of the dead. It was to make it impossible for men to lose eternal life if they believe on Him. The life of men and women is precious in the sight of God; for Christ has purchased that life by being executed in their stead. Thus He made it possible for us to attain to immortality (Letter 97, 1898). {7BC 926.2}

Praise the Lord.

McDonalds makes fat people

2010-09-15T04:33:00.000-07:00

youtube video

A must see video

Chicken: Look at what it is doing to you

2010-09-15T03:50:00.000-07:00

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

2010-09-13T05:02:00.000-07:00

All we have to do is ask.

51:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

51:2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is] ever before me.

51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this] evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest.

51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; [that] the bones [which] thou hast broken may rejoice.

51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit.

51:13 [Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: [and] my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

51:15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give [it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

51:17 The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

51:18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

51:19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

All we have to do is ask.
God Bless.

Sanctification....Total Commitment

2010-08-30T04:19:00.000-07:00

The sanctification set forth in the Scriptures embraces the entire being--spirit, soul, and body.

Paul prayed for the Thessalonians that their "whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23).

Again he writes to believers:
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God" (Rom. 12:1).

In the time of ancient Israel, every offering brought as a sacrifice to God was carefully examined.

If any defect was discovered in the animal presented, it was refused; for God had commanded that the offering be "without blemish."

So Christians are bidden to present their bodies,
"a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God."

In order to do this, all their powers must be preserved in the best possible condition.

Every practice that weakens physical or mental strength, unfits man for the service of his Creator.

And will God be pleased with anything less than the best we can offer?

Said Christ: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart."

Those who do love God, with all their heart, will desire to give Him the best service of their life, and they will be constantly seeking to bring every power of their being, into harmony with the laws that will promote their ability to do His will. . . . {NL 18}

Counterfeit Sanctification/ Is It "Only Believe"?

2010-08-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

The sanctification now gaining prominence in the religious world, carries with it, a spirit of self-exaltation and a disregard for the law of God, that mark it as foreign to the religion of the Bible.

Its advocates teach that sanctification is an instantaneous work, by which, through faith alone, they attain to perfect holiness.

"Only believe," say they, "and the blessing is yours."

No further effort on the part of the receiver is supposed to be required. At the same time, they deny the authority of the law of God, urging that they are released from obligation to keep the commandments.

But, is it possible for men to be holy, in accord with the will and character of God, without coming into harmony with the principles which are an expression of His nature and will, and which show what is well pleasing to Him?

The desire for an easy religion that requires no striving, no self-denial, no divorce from the follies of the world, has made the doctrine of faith, and faith only, a popular doctrine;

but what saith the word of God?

Says the apostle James:

"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? . . . Wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? . . . Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:14-24).

The testimony of the word of God is against this ensnaring doctrine of faith without works. It is not faith that claims the favor of Heaven without complying with the conditions upon which mercy is to be granted, it is presumption; for genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures. {NL 16.2}

Let none deceive themselves with the belief that they can become holy while willfully violating one of God's requirements.

The commission of a known sin, silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit, and separates the soul from God.

. . . Though John, in his epistles, dwells so fully upon love, yet he does not hesitate to reveal the true character of that class who claim to be sanctified, while living in transgression of the law of God.

"He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected" (1 John 2:4, 5).

Here is the test of every man's profession. We cannot accord holiness to any man without bringing him to the measurement of God's only standard of holiness in heaven, and in earth. . . .

The claim to be without sin is, in itself, evidence that he who makes this claim, is far from holy.

It is because he has no true conception of the infinite purity and holiness of God, or of what they must become, who shall be in harmony with His character;

Because he has no true conception of the purity and exalted loveliness of Jesus, and the malignity and evil of sin, that man can regard himself as holy.

The greater the distance between himself and Christ, and the more inadequate his conceptions of the divine character and requirements, the more righteous he appears in his own eyes. {NL 17}