GOD`S CREATION

Learning To Trust And Obey

2016-09-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations . . . will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land . . . therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

Num_14:15-16.

The Lord had fulfilled the word that He spoke to Abraham when He declared that after the children of Israel had been in bondage four hundred years, He would deliver them. . . . Yet here, on the border of the Promised Land, they dishonored Him by giving way to unbelief. 

We shall be brought into strait places, but we do not want to wait until then before we learn to trust and obey. Now, just now, is our day of opportunity and privilege. When the light of truth is shining upon us, we are to learn the lesson. Let us plead with God to give us a true conception of His character and a willingness to obey Him. 

We are to stand in the strength and power of Israel’s God. Shall we do it, brethren and sisters? Or shall we murmur and complain, looking at the obstacles in the way and making a mountain out of a molehill? Today God gives His people, to confirm their faith, evidences of His power such as He gave to Israel. Will they make these evidences of no effect? Will they act as if God had not wrought in their behalf? The Lord wants us to acknowledge His power and His grace and His great salvation, which He has brought us at an infinite cost-in the death of His only-begotten Son. 

We are living in a day of trial, a day of probation, a day of test. God is proving His people, to see whether He can work in their behalf. He cannot work for them if they open their hearts to the impulses of the enemy. He cannot cooperate with them if they trust in human beings in the place of looking to Jesus, and rejoicing in His goodness and His love. He wants to make of us a people through whom He can reveal His grace, and He will do this if we will only give Him opportunity, if we will open the windows of the soul heavenward and close them earthward against human rabble, against murmuring, complaining, and faultfinding. . . . 

Those who today murmur against God’s appointed agencies, weakening the confidence of the people in them, are doing the same work that the children of Israel did. The Lord hears every murmuring word. He hears every word that detracts from the influence of those whom He is using to proclaim the truth that is to prepare a people to stand in the last days.

E.G. White, Manuscript 10, 1903 (General Conference Bulletin, March 30, 1903).

Power of the self

2016-09-14T23:57:00.001-07:00

Philippians 4:12-13

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

So many make the mistake by thinking that the power to change their lives is within themselves. So many turn to the power of the mind thinking that the answer is within them. We bow down and worship the powers of the universe and what it holds for us. Is the bread greater than the baker? There are only two powers in this world and in the universe. One who seeks to set you free from the alluring shackles of this world and bring you home with Him. The other who promises wealth and prosperity but omits to mention that it is only for a short while. His deception has made man to believe that within himself is a god who can do all through his own self believe, discipline and endeavours. He made gods between us whom we worship and stay up late hours just to obtain a little more wisdom from them. Is the bread greater than the baker? Can the bread rise up and create more bread? No. It will rot even before it is able to move an inch. Just as the gods among us will fade away by either self destruction or death. But the Baker lives on and creates new bread. Manor from heaven. From His own Body. And will place it in the Most Holy Place.

Dont be deceived by the promises of wealth and prosperity seen so much on these pages. These things are temporary. Like the blink of an eye. We sacrifice eternity for a few moments of pleasure. We turn away from that which is real, pure and everlasting. The deceiver whispers in our ears that which caused us to fall in the first place...that which had brought only pain, suffering and death to our world and sadly we still fall for the same lie...He lied to Eve making her believe that she can be a god. He deceives us with the same lie and the same fruit and yet we are to blind to see and our hearts are to hard to understand.

God asks that we should not conform to the things of this world because we are not from this place. Satan promises us wealth and prosperity to trap us in this world. God asks us to allow the Holy Spirit to transform our minds but Satan says the power to change the way we think lies within ourselves making us gods. Its ok to be wealthy and prosper but its not ok if wealth and prosperity takes us away from God. Christ said that it is easier for a camel to pass through the hole of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. But He never said its impossible. People like Job, Ester, Abraham and others come to mind which shows its not impossible. All can be wealthy, But not all of us are strong enough to be wealthy and serve God righteously.

God cursed the land so that it may be difficult for us to bring fruit for our own good and not for His pleasure. Because He knew that prosperity will cause us to serve our wealth more than what we would serve Him. Look around you. Look into history. Wealth has brought only destruction. Are you able to praise God when you loose everything? Most likely no. We are more likely to curse Him.

Wealth attracts evil in all forms. There are more divorce cases amongst the wealthy than amongst the poor. And the poor are murdering each other because of men seeking wealth through the selling of alcohol and drugs to the poor. It is sad. And we turn around and curse God. We blame Him for everything bad which happens in our lives forgetting that we made our own decisions and the bad things that are happening are as a result of the decisions we made. Adam made the same mistake and they bore the consequences of their fatal decisions. Unfortunately we are caught in the crossfire. But the ransom has been paid in full. It is up to you to accept it or not. Amen.

Battle of the Elected: Part ii

2016-09-14T01:26:00.000-07:00

Romans 7:15-20 (NIV)

¹⁵I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

This is the battle that exist in each and every human in each and every moment of their lives. Christians seek to understand the reason why sin keeps taking control of their lives even though consciously trying to do good and be good. Our goal on earth is to be transformed into the image of God as we were created before sin took over this world. But this is a difficult and hard road.

Conflict within ourselves is a daily occurrence. And conflict with our interaction with the world and how we absorb its complexities is an occurrence each second of our lives. Sin greets us at every corner, looks at us through every window and grabs us at every opportunity. Scripture in 1 Peter 5:8 says:
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

And how discouraging it becomes when we fall. Sin pulls us into a dark pit that seems to have no bottom. And as we try to slow down our fall through our own power we discover that the pit has no sides to grab hold on to. Why is this? The simple reason is that we seek justification for our sin. A cheating husband or wife will try to justify their infidelity by pointing out flaws in the character of their spouses. Forgetting that their characters are just as flaw. 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

When we fall it is not that obvious at first which in itself can be expected as satan wouldn't want us to recognise our fall until it is too late. He places us into situations which appear to be good at first (2 Corinthians 11:14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.), and as Christians if we do not seek light from God in everything we do we become easy prey for the deceiver. And as Christians we like to confess ignorance in our sin and declare that we did not know what we were doing was wrong. But to Christians even this is not an excuse because it is written in Jeremia 31:31-33 Behold, the days come, said the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was an husband to them, said the LORD:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, said the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And even before we can argue that this is old testament writing God repeats it in Hebrews 10:15-16 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says: 16“This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put My Laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”

We need to understand that the Law was not inscribed in us to convict us but to point us to Christ for redemption. The Law is is like a mirror which reflects to us our sinful nature, so that we can seek repentance at the cross. John 3:17-18 reads that "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Our sinful nature was carried to the cross by Christ and believing that His sacrifice redeems us from our sin starts the process of healing our flawed character. Num 21:7-9 "Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against you; pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the LORD said to Moses, Make you a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks on it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it on a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." Just as the Isrealites had to look at their sinful nature on the cross and believe that they will be healed, so too we have to look at our sinful nature that Christ bore on the cross for us.

The elected will be targeted by satan mercilessly. He will place an obstacle in our walk with Christ every step of the way. He will construct colourful deceptions to tempt our senses around every corner. We should pray that we keep our eyes fixed on Christ in our life's walk with Him and that He becomes the our guide.

Psalm 119:105-112 " Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.

I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep your righteous judgments.

I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according to your word.

Accept, I beseech you, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me your judgments.

My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget your law.

The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from your precepts.

Your testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.

I have inclined my heart to perform your statutes always, even to the end."

Battle of the Elected: Part i

2014-09-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

John_15:19

Christians and man at large have been made to believe that the Elected of Christ is those people who have been solely elected by God to be saved at the Second Coming of Christ. They have also been made to believe that God writes the names of these “elected” in the Book of Life and that only those are the ones who will benefit from the Second Coming.

If this was true then I would stop serving God today. Why? Firstly, none of us have seen the Book of Life so how would you know whether your name appears there or not. Yes, such a book does exist as seen in Phillipians 4:3 and the Book of the Revelation of Christ. And we have a clear template of what the book is on earth, namely the character of Christ. As the Law reflects God's character so too does those whose names will be written in the Book.

Secondly, if the names were predetermined then it takes away our freedom of choice which God's character does not allow. He created us not to put us in bondage, but to love and serve Him freely. It was for this reason that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was placed in the midst of the garden to enable Adam and Eve to choose to either trust God's Word or follow the lies of satan. If God did not allow us to have this free will we would be serving Him out of fear and not because we love Him. Which in effect would make Him a dictator and therefore prove satan's claims correct.

God gives us the opportunity to choose. He has a plan for each and every person who has ever lived, and who must still come to being, to choose Him and follow Him. But "whosoever believeth in Him" will not perish but have eternal life. It is our choice to have our names written in the Book of Life or have it removed. We choose either eternal life or to be ash on the earth. God is Love and because of the love that He has for us He remains just and faithful to us. It is unfaithful mankind who perverts God's teachings and writings in the Bible to justify our sin.

Paul's Shout of Victory

2013-11-18T04:38:00.001-08:00

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Rom_8:35-37

Paul suffered for the truth's sake, and yet we hear no complaints from his lips. As he reviews his life of toil and care and sacrifice, he says, "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." The shout of victory from God's faithful servant comes down the line to our time: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Though Paul was at last confined in a Roman prison--shut away from the light and air of heaven, cut off from his active labors in the gospel, and momentarily expecting to be condemned to death--yet he did not yield to doubt or despondency. From that gloomy dungeon came his dying testimony, full of sublime faith and courage that has inspired the hearts of saints and martyrs in all succeeding ages. His words fitly describe the results of . . . sanctification. . . . "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing."

The wounds and scars of our warfare will be to us, as to Paul, the trophies of victory.

My Life Today - EGW

Christ's Victory as Complete as Adam's Failure

2013-11-15T11:54:00.001-08:00

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Rom_5:19

Christ is called the second Adam. In purity and holiness, connected with God and beloved by God, He began where the first Adam began. Willingly He passed over the ground where Adam fell, and redeemed Adam's failure.

But the first Adam was in every way more favorably situated than was Christ. The wonderful provision made for man in Eden was made by a God who loved him. Everything in nature was pure and undefiled. . . . Not a shadow interposed between them [Adam and Eve] and their Creator. They knew God as their beneficent Father, and in all things their will was conformed to the will of God. . . .

But Satan came to the dwellers in Eden and insinuated doubts of God's wisdom. He accused Him, their Heavenly Father and Sovereign, of selfishness, because, to test their loyalty, He had prohibited them from eating of the tree of knowledge. . . .

Christ was tempted by Satan in a hundredfold severer manner than was Adam, and under circumstances in every way more trying. The deceiver presented himself as an angel of light, but Christ withstood his temptations. He redeemed Adam's disgraceful fall, and saved the world. . . .

In His human nature He maintained the purity of His divine character. He lived the law of God, and honored it in a world of transgression, revealing to the heavenly universe, to Satan, and to all the fallen sons and daughters of Adam that through His grace humanity can keep the law of God. He came to impart His own divine nature, His own image, to the repentant, believing soul.

Christ's victory was as complete as had been Adam's failure. So we may resist temptation, and force Satan to depart from us.

My Life Today - EGW

Be Steadfast, Unmovable

2013-11-11T22:03:00.001-08:00

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1Co_15:58

Those who stand in defense of the honor of God, and maintain the purity of truth at any cost, will have manifold trials, as did our Saviour in the wilderness of temptation. The yielding temperaments, who have not courage to condemn wrong, but keep silent when their influence is needed to stand in the defense of right against any pressure, may avoid many heartaches and escape many perplexities, and lose a very rich reward, if not their own souls.

Those who in harmony with God, and through faith in Him, receive strength to resist wrong, and stand in defense of the right, will always have severe conflicts and will frequently have to stand almost alone. But precious victories will be theirs while they make God their dependence. His grace will be their strength. Their moral sense will be keen, clear, and sensitive. Their moral powers will be equal to withstand wrong influences. Their integrity, like that of Moses, of the purest character.

It will require moral courage to do God's work unflinchingly. Those who do this can give no place to self-love, to selfish considerations, ambition, love of ease, or desire to shun the cross. . . . Shall we obey His voice, or shall we listen to the soothing voice of the evil one, and be rocked to a fatal slumber just on the eve of eternal realities?

Our Saviour longs to save the young. . . . He is waiting to place upon their heads the crown of life and hear their happy voices join in ascribing honor and glory and majesty to God and the Lamb in the song of victory that shall echo and re-echo throughout the courts of heaven.

My Life Today - EGW

The Will is the Deciding Power

2013-11-10T12:36:00.001-08:00

Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Rom_12:2

There is nothing that can keep you away from God but a rebellious will.

The will is the governing power in the nature of man. If the will is set right, all the rest of the being will come under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the choice, the deciding power, the kingly power, which works in the children of men unto obedience to God or to disobedience.

You will be in constant peril until you understand the true force of the will. You may believe and promise all things, but your promises and your faith are of no account until you put your will on the right side. If you will fight the fight of faith with your will power, there is no doubt that you will conquer.

Your part is to put your will on the side of Christ. When you yield your will to His, He immediately takes possession of you, and works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. Your nature is brought under the control of His Spirit. Even your thoughts are subject to Him. If you cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as you may desire, you can control the will, and thus an entire change will be wrought in your life. When you yield up your will to Christ, your life is hid with Christ in God. It is allied to the power which is above all principalities and powers. You have a strength from God that holds you fast to His strength; and a new life, even the life of faith, is possible to you.

You can never be successful in elevating yourself, unless your will is on the side of Christ, cooperating with the Spirit of God. Do not feel that you cannot; but say, "I can, I will." And God has pledged His Holy Spirit to help you in every decided effort.

My Life Today - EGW.

Has God turned against Israel?

2013-11-04T03:27:00.000-08:00

Is the believe held by many Christians around the world true that God has turned against Israel after the crucifixion and rejection of Christ by the Jews and the subsequent stoning of Steven? Is there any proof that Israel is still the chosen nation of God and that He is with them today as He was in the past. Does the land that Israel occupy still belong to them after being taken captive to the nations for nearly 2000 years?

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,

"To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river,

the river Euphrates,the land of the Kenites,

the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites,

the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites,

the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites."

Gen 15:18-21

Yes, God gave the land to Abraham and his seed, but then the Jews TURNED AGAINST Jesus and crucified Him. How can they then still claim the land is theirs after “God drove them from the land”? Our answer is in the following text:

Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I have spoken in my jealous wrath, because you have suffered the reproach of the nations.

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I swear that the nations that are all around you shall themselves suffer reproach.

"But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. (which happened in 1948 after WW2.)

For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.

And I will multiply people on you (6 million Jews killed in WW2, but 2500 years earlier God already promised that He will restore the population. In 1948 Israel was repopulated by 800 thousand Jews. Today there is over 6 million Jews in Israel), the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt.

And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Eze 36:6 - 11

It is a historical fact that since the declaration of independence of Israel in 1948 there has not been a decade in which Israel was not involved in a war or some sort of armed conflict. Immediately after the signing of the declaration in 1948 the Arab-Israeli War (which before the signing since 1947 was a guerrilla styled civil war between Israel and Arab nations) erupted into a full scale war. Arab nations had tanks, aircraft and all types of modern warfare (of 1948) to their disposal. The Israelis only had their rifles and a few artillery. The Arab nations who participated in the attack all together had a population of more than 50 million people against a mere 800 thousand Jews in Israel.

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
And give Him no rest until He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
- Isaiah 62:6,7 NKJV

That year a miracle took place, one that can only be matched by Biblical history. In July 1949 the tiny nation of Israel managed to drive back their invaders and humiliate them before the world. The victory of Israel in 1949 clearly showed that Israel had turned their faces back to God.

Even though this was a clear sign that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had not forsaken His people, and a history of how He has protected Israel as witnessed through the Bible, was not a deterrent for the Arab nations as they continued to build their armies and continuously organised Arab guerrillas to infiltrate from Syria, Egypt, and Jordan into Israel to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. As a result the Israelis launched what was known as the reprisal operations between the 1950’s and 1960’s destroying strategic targets and killing thousands of Arab troops, humiliating them further in the eyes of the world.

In June 1967 a war known as the Six Day War was fought between Israel and its Arab neighbours Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The nations of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, as well as Russia contributed troops and arms to the Arab forces. Miraculously, following the war, the territory held by Israel expanded significantly ("The Purple Line") : The West Bank (including East Jerusalem) from Jordan, Golan Heights from Syria, Sinai, and Gaza from Egypt. As its name suggests, this war by so many Arab nations against Israel lasted only six days and saw the seed of Abraham rising to their inherited status.

It is unimaginable that a country the size of Gauteng Province in South Africa can defeat so many nations which were further supported by Russia. How is this possible if God has turned against Israel? Is there something more to this than what we as Christians originally believed or taught to believe? One of these answers can be found in the following scripture which reads:

And I will establish my covenant between me and you

And your offspring after you throughout their generations

for an everlasting covenant

to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

Genesis 17:7

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Heb_13:8

Next… what role has Israel to play in the last days?

SHOD FEET

2013-11-04T01:32:00.000-08:00

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Eph_6:15

The Lord is soon coming. Talk it, pray it, believe it. Make it a part of the life. You will have to meet a doubting, objecting spirit, but this will give way before firm, consistent trust in God. When perplexities or hindrances present themselves, lift the soul to God in songs of thanksgiving. Gird on the Christian armor, and be sure that your feet are "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace."

We are living in the midst of an "epidemic of crime," at which thoughtful, God-fearing men everywhere stand aghast. The corruption that prevails, it is beyond the power of the human pen to describe. Every day brings fresh revelations of political strife, bribery, and fraud. Every day brings its heart-sickening record of violence and lawlessness, of indifference to human suffering, of brutal, fiendish destruction of human life. Every day testifies to the increase of insanity, murder, and suicide. Who can doubt that satanic agencies are at work among men with increasing activity to distract and corrupt the mind and defile and destroy the body? . . .

Everywhere there are hearts crying out for something which they have not. They long for a power that will give them mastery over sin, a power that will deliver them from the bondage of evil, a power that will give health and life and peace. Many who once knew the power of God's Word have dwelt where there is no recognition of God, and they long for the divine presence.

The world needs today what it needed nineteen hundred years ago--a revelation of Christ.

For earth's sin and misery the gospel is the only antidote.

My Life Today - EGW

The Great Hope - by E.G. White

2012-07-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Why Is There Suffering?

Many see the work of evil, with its woe and desolation, and question how this can
exist under the sovereignty of One who is infinite in wisdom, power, and love. Those
who are disposed to doubt seize upon this as an excuse for rejecting the words of Holy
Writ. Tradition and misinterpretation have obscured the teaching of the Bible concerning
the character of God, the nature of His government, and the principles of His dealing with
sin.
It is impossible to explain the origin of sin so as to give a reason for its existence. Yet
enough may be understood concerning the origin and final disposition of sin to make
fully manifest the justice and benevolence of God. God was in no wise responsible for
sin; there was no arbitrary withdrawal of divine grace, no deficiency in the divine
government, that gave occasion for rebellion. Sin is an intruder for whose presence no
reason can be given. To excuse it is to defend it. Could excuse for it be found, it would
cease to be sin. Sin is the outworking of a principle at war with the law of love, which is
the foundation of the divine government.
Before the entrance of evil there was peace and joy throughout the universe. Love for
God was supreme, love for one another impartial. Christ the Only Begotten of God was
one with the eternal Father in nature, in character, and in purpose—the only being that
could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. "By him were all things created,
that are in heaven, . . . whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers." Colossians 1:16.The law of love being the foundation of the government of
God, the happiness of all created beings depended on their accord with its principles of
righteousness. God takes no pleasure in forced allegiance, and to all He grants freedom of
will, that they may render Him voluntary service.
But there was one that chose to pervert this freedom. Sin originated with him, who,
next to Christ, had been most honored by God. Before his fall, Lucifer was first of the
covering cherubs, holy and undefiled. "Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum,
full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every
precious stone was thy covering. . . . Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I
have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and
down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that
thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. . . . Thine heart was lifted up because of
thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." "Thou hast set
thine heart as the heart of God." "Thou hast said, . . . I will exalt my throne above the
stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation. . . . I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Ezekiel 28:12-17; 28:6; Isaiah
14:13, 14.
Coveting the honor which the Father had bestowed upon His Son, this prince of
angels aspired to power which it was the prerogative of Christ alone to wield. A note of
discord now marred the celestial harmonies. The exaltation of self awakened forebodings
of evil in minds to whom God's glory was supreme. The heavenly councils pleaded with
Lucifer. The Son of God presented before him the goodness and justice of the Creator
and the sacred nature of His law. In departing from it, Lucifer would dishonor his Maker
and bring ruin on himself. But the warning only aroused resistance. Lucifer allowed
jealousy of Christ to prevail.
2
Pride nourished the desire for supremacy. The high honors conferred on Lucifer
called forth no gratitude to the Creator. He aspired to be equal with God. Yet the Son of
God was the acknowledged Sovereign of heaven, one in power and authority with the
Father. In all the counsels of God, Christ was a participant, but Lucifer was not permitted
to enter into the divine purposes. "Why," questioned this mighty angel, "should Christ
have the supremacy? Why is He thus honored above Lucifer?"
Discontent Among the Angels
Leaving his place in the presence of God, Lucifer went forth to diffuse discontent
among the angels. With mysterious secrecy, concealing his real purpose under an
appearance of reverence for God, he endeavored to excite dissatisfaction concerning the
laws that governed heavenly beings, intimating that they imposed unnecessary restraint.
Since their natures were holy, he urged that angels should obey the dictates of their own
will. God had dealt unjustly with him in bestowing supreme honor upon Christ. He
claimed he was not aiming at self-exaltation but was seeking to secure liberty for all the
inhabitants of heaven, that they might attain a higher existence.
God bore long with Lucifer. He was not degraded from his exalted station even when
he began to present false claims before the angels. Again and again he was offered
pardon on condition of repentance and submission. Such efforts as only infinite love
could devise were made to convince him of his error. Discontent had never before been
known in heaven. Lucifer himself did not at first understand the real nature of his
feelings. As his dissatisfaction was proved to be without cause, Lucifer was convinced
that the divine claims were just and that he ought to acknowledge them before all heaven.
Had he done this, he might have saved himself and many angels. If he had been willing to
return to God, satisfied to fill the place appointed him, he would have been reinstated in
his office. But pride forbade him to submit. He maintained that he had no need of
repentance, and fully committed himself in the great controversy against his Maker.
All the powers of his master mind were now bent to deception, to secure the
sympathy of the angels. Satan represented that he was wrongly judged and that his liberty
was abridged. From misrepresentation of the words of Christ he passed to direct
falsehood, accusing the Son of God of a design to humiliate him before the inhabitants of
heaven.
All whom he could not subvert to his side he accused of indifference to the interests
of heavenly beings. He resorted to misrepresentation of the Creator. It was his policy to
perplex the angels with subtle arguments concerning the purposes of God. Everything
simple he shrouded in mystery, and by artful perversion cast doubt upon the plainest
statements of God. His high position gave greater force to his representations. Many were
induced to unite with him in rebellion.
Disaffection Ripens Into Active Revolt
God in His wisdom permitted Satan to carry forward his work, until the spirit of
disaffection ripened into revolt. It was necessary for his plans to be fully developed, that
their true nature might be seen by all. Lucifer was greatly loved by the heavenly beings,
and his influence over them was strong. God's government included not only the
inhabitants of heaven, but of all the worlds He had created; and Satan thought that if he
could carry the angels with him in rebellion, he could carry also the other worlds.
3
Employing sophistry and fraud, his power to deceive was very great. Even the loyal
angels could not fully discern his character or see to what his work was leading.
Satan had been so highly honored, and all his acts were so clothed with mystery, that
it was difficult to disclose to the angels the true nature of his work. Until fully developed,
sin would not appear the evil thing it was. Holy beings could not discern the
consequences of setting aside the divine law. Satan at first claimed to be seeking to
promote the honor of God and the good of all the inhabitants of heaven.
In His dealing with sin, God could employ only righteousness and truth. Satan could
use what God could not—flattery and deceit. The true character of the usurper must be
understood by all. He must have time to manifest himself by his wicked works.
The discord which his own course had caused in heaven, Satan charged upon God.
All evil he declared to be the result of the divine administration. Therefore it was
necessary that he demonstrate the working out of his proposed changes in the divine law.
His own work must condemn him. The whole universe must see the deceiver unmasked.
Even when it was decided that he could no longer remain in heaven, Infinite Wisdom
did not destroy Satan. The allegiance of God's creatures must rest upon a conviction of
His justice. The inhabitants of heaven and of other worlds, being unprepared to
comprehend the consequences of sin, could not then have seen the justice and mercy of
God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately blotted from existence, they
would have served God from fear rather than from love. The influence of the deceiver
would not have been fully destroyed, nor the spirit of rebellion eradicated. For the good
of the universe through ceaseless ages Satan must more fully develop his principles, that
his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created
beings.
Satan's rebellion was to be to the universe a testimony to the terrible results of sin.
His rule would show the fruit of setting aside the divine authority. The history of this
terrible experiment of rebellion was to be a perpetual safeguard to all holy intelligences to
save them from sin and its punishment.
When it was announced that with all his sympathizers the great usurper must be
expelled from the abodes of bliss, the rebel leader boldly avowed contempt for the
Creator's law. He denounced the divine statutes as a restriction of liberty and declared his
purpose to secure the abolition of law. Freed from this restraint, the hosts of heaven
might enter upon a more exalted state of existence.
Banished From Heaven
Satan and his host threw the blame of their rebellion upon Christ; if they had not been
reproved, they would never have rebelled. Stubborn and defiant, yet blasphemously
claiming to be innocent victims of oppressive power, the archrebel and his sympathizers
were banished from heaven. See Revelation 12:7-9.
Satan's spirit still inspires rebellion on earth in the children of disobedience. Like him
they promise men liberty through transgression of the law of God. Reproof of sin still
arouses hatred. Satan leads men to justify themselves and seek the sympathy of others in
their sin. Instead of correcting their errors, they excite indignation against the reprover, as
if he were the cause of difficulty.
By the same misrepresentation of the character of God as he had practiced in heaven,
causing Him to be regarded as severe and tyrannical, Satan induced man to sin. He
4
declared that God's unjust restrictions had led to man's fall, as they had led to his own
rebellion.
In the banishment of Satan from heaven, God declared His justice and honor. But
when man sinned, God gave evidence of His love by yielding up His Son to die for the
fallen race. In the atonement the character of God is revealed. The mighty argument of
the cross demonstrates that sin was in no wise chargeable upon the government of God.
During the Saviour's earthly ministry, the great deceiver was unmasked. The daring
blasphemy of his demand that Christ pay him homage, the unsleeping malice that hunted
Him from place to place, inspiring the hearts of priests and people to reject His love and
to cry, "Crucify him! crucify him!"—all this excited the amazement and indignation of
the universe. The prince of evil exerted all his power and cunning to destroy Jesus. Satan
employed men as his agents to fill the Saviour's life with suffering and sorrow. The pentup
fires of envy and malice, hatred and revenge, burst forth on Calvary against the Son of
God.
Now the guilt of Satan stood forth without excuse. He had revealed his true character.
Satan's lying charges against the divine character appeared in their true light. He had
accused God of seeking the exaltation of Himself in requiring obedience from His
creatures and had declared that while the Creator exacted self-denial from all others, He
Himself practiced no self-denial and made no sacrifice. Now it was seen that the Ruler of
the universe had made the greatest sacrifice which love could make, for "God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. In order to destroy sin
Christ had humbled Himself and become obedient unto death.
An Argument in Man's Behalf
All heaven saw God's justice revealed. Lucifer had claimed that the sinful race were
beyond redemption. But the penalty of the law fell upon Him who was equal with God,
and man was free to accept the righteousness of Christ and by penitence and humiliation
to triumph over the power of Satan.
But it was not merely to redeem man that Christ came to earth to die. He came to
demonstrate to all the worlds that God's law is unchangeable. The death of Christ proves
it immutable and demonstrates that justice and mercy are the foundation of the
government of God. In the final judgment it will be seen that no cause for sin exists.
When the Judge of all the earth shall demand of Satan, "Why hast thou rebelled against
Me?" the originator of evil can render no excuse.
In the Saviour's expiring cry, "It is finished," the death knell of Satan was rung. The
great controversy* which had been so long in progress was then decided, the final
eradication of evil made certain. When "the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; . . .
all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall
burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."
Malachi 4:1.
Never will evil again be manifest. The law of God will be honored as the law of
liberty. A tested and proved creation will never again turn from allegiance to Him whose
character has been manifested as fathomless love and infinite wisdom.
* The “great controversy” between Christ and Satan is over God’s character, His justice, and His law.

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CHRIST – THE WORD OF HOPE

2012-06-04T03:47:00.001-07:00

SCRIPTURE READING

Psa 121:1-3 A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

This week I watched the movie ‘Faith like Potatoes’, a movie about the evangelist Angus Buchan. It seems like every time I watch this movie I learn something new about hope, about faith and about trust in God. Now I am sure many of you watched this movie and would agree that besides this being a very good story, it is also amazingly inspirational when you start to realise this is based on an actual true story. And what is even more amazing is how God can transform an unbelieving, swearing, drinking, smoking, racist Boer into one the greatest seed sowers our modern world has come to know.

Now in the movie itself, Angus Buchan proclaims in Kings Park Stadium in Durban, in the one of the worst droughts that this country has ever known, before thousands of farmers, farm workers, and ordinary people, that he was going to grow potatoes that season. Now let me tell something about potatoes. Firstly let me ask how many of you have ever attempted to grow potatoes in the garden? How many of you have had such success that the seed you planted actually yielded enough potatoes so as to meet your needs for that season?

As can be expected, not many of you had that success. And wouldn`t blame you. You see, potatoes are one of those very specialised crops that needs a lot of attention. The temperature needs to be correct. If temperatures are too warm, you find plants that are green topped, but which have no tubers. Potatoes require cool nights for good tuber formation. This means that potatoes need to planted correctly in season so as to mature in cool weather. What was Angus`s problem? This was in the middle of summer in searing heat. And potatoes are usually planted in spring as early as 3 weeks before the last expected frost. Planting time can vary to avoid hot, dry conditions and to minimize disease and pest problems.

Secondly potatoes, although they need well drained soil, they need regular watering to enhance the size and growth of the potatoes. Angus`s problem was that there was no rain at all and therefore the possibility for a successful crop was close to zero.

And the worst thing about growing potatoes is you cannot see whether they are growing, even when there are green tops. You have to hope that they are there and have faith when you harvest that it will be a good yield

There is a quote from this movie that I find very inspirational. It says “The seed for a great miracle lies not in difficulty, but impossibility”.

Romans 8:23-25. “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

I think you only need to look at some of the Bible stories to see that this quote is true. Daniel in the Lion`s Den, Moses parting the Red Sea, Elijah and the flame from heaven to burn up the burnt offering, to name among a few.

And I know there are many among you who can testify today that God has taken the impossible in your lives and made it possible.

Mat_19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

This message and tis promise is repeated in

· Gen_18:14;

· Jer_32:17,

· Num_11:23;

· Job_42:2;

· Psa_62:11;

· Jer_32:27;

· Mar_9:23

· Mar_10:27

· Mar_14:36

· Luk_18:27

· Luk_1:37

· The list goes on and on.

AND

Act_2:24 says “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

And it becomes very evident in this movie that through the power of the Holy Spirit and the promises of Jesus Christ that this man, a man just like you and me, whenever God performed a miracle in his life, he became more and more bold. Because it seems the more he believed in God, the more God revealed Himself to Angus. And the more God revealed himself to Angus the more Hope, Trust and believe Angus developed. And more Angus Believed the more God was willing to do for Him.

And if you can remember Jesus said in:

Mat 17:20 He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

AND in

2 Corinthians 3:12. “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.”

Now Angus Buchan is not a Seventh Day Adventist. In fact he does not belong to any Christian denomination. He does not attempt to recruit any person for any church. Unlike many other famous evangelists, he lives in a house made of sticks and mud. He does not take a collection at his ministries, but has never left a town owing any company any money for any services rendered. He trusts God to Provide for his every need, no matter what the costs may be. For example Michael Jackson paid a few million rands to hire kings park stadium for one night. Angus prayed to God, and God made it possible for Angus to hire this stadium for two prayer meetings for a few thousand rands.

And this amazing testimony from this man`s life goes on and on. We are united in Christ. And we can claim the exact same promises as Angus did, in the same way that he claimed the promises shown to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Daniel, Joseph, Joshua, David, Peter, John, Paul and all the other saints as contained throughout the Bible and history.

But how many of us have really CLAIMED IT. How many of us have really TRUST GOD, BELIEVED IN GOD, HAD FAITH IN GOD. How times have God worked miracles in our lives and the very next day we doubted Him? I have. And I am ashamed to say I still do. I want to believe that I am one of those who belief that “if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

Testimony at Medi Clinic

If you look at the story of the saints that were persecuted through the ages for their faith in God, the one common thing that you will find among all of them is that BECAUSE THEY TRUSTED IN THE ROCK THEY BECAME LIKE THE ROCK AND WERE UNMOVED. And because they were UNMOVED, They have claimed the right to the tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Many of you know this story even though it is not doctrinally correct, or even Biblically correct:

A man arrived in heaven and was ready to be assigned to his permanent home. At the check-in desk he told the clerk that he didn’t understand why he was here in the first place. So, the clerk called for St. Peter. "How can I help you," St. Peter said. The man told St. Peter that he was a very religious man and was caught in a flood. The rains were coming down harder and he repeatedly called to God for help but help never came. He saw on the weather channel that the flood waters would continue to rise and local residents should take precautions. He said, "God help me." He decided to weather the storm and when the waters began to rise he went to the second floor of his house. Two men in boat came by and they asked if he needed help. But, the man said, "the Lord will help me," and they went their way. The waters continued to rise and he climbed on the roof. A few minutes later a helicopter came by and they asked if he wanted a lift. He again said, "the Lord will help me." So, the helicopter left. "I don’t understand," he said to St. Peter angrily. "Why didn’t God help me?" St. Peter replied, "Who do you think sent you the message, the boat and the helicopter?" And the countenance of the man fell.

How many of us can say that we have that faith in God, in Jesus, in the resurrecting power of the Holy Spirit? And many times after being in the worst despair we lift up our eyes to the LORD and call on His name. And you know Brothers and sisters MOST of the time we don`t even see the miracle that He works in our lives.

Hebrews 6:11-20. “And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

So many of us become so sluggish in our relationship with God that we don’t even realise how far we drift from Him. And for me, the litmus test I use in my life to measure How Far I Have moved from God is a simple question I ask myself – When last could I see God work a miracle in my life? Don’t get me wrong. I am not asking whether God worked a miracle in my life or not. That is a question should never be asked, because waking up in the morning is a miracle enough. But I am asking when last could I identify a miracle that God worked. Because my Brothers and Sisters, the longer you time you spend admiring an artists` work, the easier it becomes to recognise His art even if He never told you it was His.

We concentrate so much on the problem we experience and the heavy burden that it is and the hardship that it causes in our lives that we don`t stop to realise that this impossible situation is actually a seed to a great miracle. We put all our faith in strategizing a solution or conning our way out of this deep pit that we find ourselves in that we forget:

1Sa_2:9 "He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

AND

Zec_4:6 …: Not by might, nor by power, but by MY SPIRIT, says the LORD of hosts.

And it is by His Spirit that we find deliverance. It is by His Spirit that we are lifted out of the depths of sheol. It is taking up His yoke that life becomes easy. It is by making his Word the lamp to your feet and the light to your path that your way will be certain, because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Imagine never knowing the Way. Imagine never knowing the Truth. Imagine never knowing Life. They say life begins at forty. But my life began when I was introduced to Christ.

I never knew what hope was. I never knew what faith was.

I can only think back and see the dark place I was in and how God through the miracle of His love for me managed to pull me out of there and show me the light.

Imagine never seeing that light. Imagine being so attracted to darkness that countenance also appears that way. Imagine being in a place where there is no hope. Imagine being in a place where we could never experience love. Hollywood tells us that we live in such a place. That man is his only hope. That we have to create our own saviours to save us and that our hope lies in man to overcome whatever challenge may face us. Imagine if God never loved us.

Ephesians 2:12. “. . . remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

I am glad I believe in a

God of Peace,

a God of Love,

a God of Joy,

a God of Hope.

I am Glad I serve a God who could promised me the hope of an everlasting life, so that I don’t have to inject poison into my body just to look younger.

I am glad I serve a God who regards me as His highest priority, who loved me so much that He sent His only Son to die in my place.

I am glad I serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Romans 15:13. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

The Sabbath

2012-05-23T12:47:00.001-07:00

By Ellen G. White

The Sabbath was hallowed at the creation. As ordained for man, it had its origin when "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Job 38:7. Peace brooded over the world; for earth was in harmony with heaven. "God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good;" and He rested in the joy of His completed work. Gen. 1:31.
Because He had rested upon the Sabbath, "God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it,"--set it apart to a holy use. He gave it to Adam as a day of rest. It was a memorial of the work of creation, and thus a sign of God's power and His love. The Scripture says, "He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered." "The things that are made," declare "the invisible things of Him since the creation of the world," "even His everlasting power and divinity." Gen. 2:3; Ps. 111:4; Rom. 1:20, R. V.
All things were created by the Son of God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. . . . All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." John 1:1-3. And since the Sabbath is a memorial of the work of creation, it is a token of the love and power of Christ.
The Sabbath calls our thoughts to nature, and brings us into communion with the Creator. In the song of the bird, the sighing of the trees, and the music of the sea, we still may hear His voice who talked with Adam in Eden in the cool of the day. And as we behold His power in nature we find comfort, for the word that created all things is that which speaks life to the soul. He "who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. 4:6. . . .
The Sabbath was embodied in the law given from Sinai; but it was not then first made known as a day of rest. The people of Israel had a knowledge of it before they came to Sinai. On the way thither the Sabbath was kept. When some profaned it, the Lord reproved them, saying, "How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?" Ex. 16:28.
The Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for the world. It had been made known to man in Eden, and, like the other precepts of the Decalogue, it is of imperishable obligation. Of that law of which the fourth commandment forms a part, Christ declares, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law." So long as the heavens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will continue as a sign of the Creator's power. And when Eden shall bloom on earth again, God's holy rest day will be honored by all beneath the sun. "From one Sabbath to another" the inhabitants of the glorified new earth shall go up "to worship before Me, saith the Lord." Matt. 5:18; Isa. 66:23. . . .
"Wherefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." These words are full of instruction and comfort. Because the Sabbath was made for man, it is the Lord's day. It belongs to Christ. For "all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." John 1:3. Since He made all things, He made the Sabbath. By Him it was set apart as a memorial of the work of creation. It points to Him as both the Creator and the Sanctifier. It declares that He who created all things in heaven and in earth, and by whom all things hold together, is the head of the church, and that by His power we are reconciled to God. For, speaking of Israel, He said, "I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them,"--make them holy. Ezek. 20:12. Then the Sabbath is a sign of Christ's power to make us holy. And it is given to all whom Christ makes holy. As a sign of His sanctifying power, the Sabbath is given to all who through Christ become a part of the Israel of God.
And the Lord says, "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; . . . then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isa. 58:13, 14. To all who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ's creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight. Seeing Christ in it, they delight themselves in Him. The Sabbath points them to the works of creation as an evidence of His mighty power in redemption. While it calls to mind the lost peace of Eden, it tells of peace restored through the Saviour. And every object in nature repeats His invitation, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28.
Published in The Desire of Ages, pp. 281-289.

For more publications by E.G. White click here

Turning the Truth Into a Lie

2012-05-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

2 Timothy 4:3

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."

No one is to put truth to the torture by cheap imaginings, by putting a forced, mystical construction upon the Word. Thus they are in danger of turning the truth of God into a lie. There are those who need in their hearts the touch of the divine Spirit. Then the message for this time will be their burden. They will not search for human tests, for something new and strange. The Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the test for this time.

There is among young men a burning desire to get hold of something new, even though it be of the cheapest quality. The Lord would not have the mind dwell on unprofitable nothings, seeking for what it will never find. He desires us to seek for a pure, clean soul, a soul washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. It is the white robe of Christ's righteousness that gives the sinner admittance into the presence of the heavenly angels. Not the color of his hair, but his perfect obedience to all God's commandments, opens to him the gates of the Holy City.
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The Lamp of the Body

2012-05-09T05:57:00.003-07:00

Mat 6:22 - 23 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

Barnes' Notes on theBible

The light of the body ... - The sentiment stated in the preceding verses - the duty of fixing the affections on heavenly things - Jesus proceeds to illustrate by a reference to the "eye." When the eye is directed steadily toward an object, and is in health, or is single, everything is clear and plain. If it vibrates, flies to different objects, is fixed on no one singly, or is diseased, nothing is seen clearly. Everything is dim and confused. The man, therefore, is unsteady. The eye regulates the motion of the body. To have an object distinctly in view is necessary in order to correct and regulate action. Rope-dancers, that they may steady themselves, fix the eye on some object on the wall, and look steadily at that. If they should look down on the rope or the people, they might become dizzy and fall. A man crossing a stream on a log, if he will look across at some object steadily, will be in little danger. If he looks down on the dashing and rolling waters, he will become dizzy, and fall. So Jesus says, in order that the conduct may be right, it is important to fix the affections on heaven. Having the affections there - having the eye of faith single, steady, unwavering - all the conduct will be correspondent.

Single - Steady, directed to one object. Not confused, as persons' eyes are when they see double.

Thy body shall be full of light - Your conduct will be regular and steady. All that is needful to direct the body is that the eye be fixed right. No other light is required. So all that is needful to direct the soul and the conduct is, that the eye of faith be fixed on heaven; that the affections be there.

If, therefore, the light that is in thee ... - The word "light," here, signifies "the mind," or principles of the soul. If this is dark, how great is that darkness! The meaning of this passage may be thus expressed: The light of the body, the guide and director, is the eye. All know how calamitous it is when that light is irregular or extinguished, as when the eye is diseased or lost. So the light that is in us is the soul. If that soul is debased by attending exclusively to earthly objects - if it is diseased, and not fixed on heaven how much darker and more dreadful will it be than any darkness of the eye! Avarice darkens the mind, obscures the view, and brings in a dreadful and gloomy night over all the faculties.

Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

The light of the body is the eye - That is, the eye is to the body what the sun is to the universe in the day time, or a lamp or candle to a house at night.

If - thine eye be single - Απλους, simple, uncompounded; i.e. so perfect in its structure as to see objects distinctly and clearly, and not confusedly, or in different places to what they are, as is often the case in certain disorders of the eye; one object appearing two or more - or else in a different situation, and of a different color to what it really is. This state of the eye is termed, Matthew 6:23, πονηρος evil, i.e. diseased or defective. An evil eye was a phrase in use, among the ancient Jews, to denote an envious, covetous man or disposition; a man who repined at his neighbor's prosperity, loved his own money, and would do nothing in the way of charity for God's sake. Our blessed Lord, however, extends and sublimes this meaning, and uses the sound eye as a metaphor to point out that simplicity of intention, and purity of affection with which men should pursue the supreme good. We cannot draw more than one straight line between two indivisible points. We aim at happiness: it is found only in one thing, the indivisible and eternal God. It the line of simple intention be drawn straight to him, and the soul walk by it, with purity of affection, the whole man shall be light in the Lord; the rays of that excellent glory shall irradiate the mind, and through the whole spirit shall the Divine nature be transfused. But if a person who enjoyed this heavenly treasure permit his simplicity of intention to deviate from heavenly to earthly good; and his purity of affection to be contaminated by worldly ambition, secular profits, and animal gratifications; then, the light which was in him becomes darkness, i.e. his spiritual discernment departs, and his union with God is destroyed: all is only a palpable obscure; and, like a man who has totally lost his sight, he walks without direction, certainty, or comfort. This state is most forcibly intimated in our Lord's exclamation, How great a darkness! Who can adequately describe the misery and wretchedness of that soul which has lost its union with the fountain of all good, and, in losing this, has lost the possibility of happiness till the simple eye be once more given, and the straight line once more drawn.

Reference: http://bible.cc/matthew/6-22.htm

Crossing The Jordan

2012-01-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

Num 13:30-32 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

31) But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

32) And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

We are finding ourselves at the end of human history. We have the opportunity to have front row seats as history, as predicted in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation actually play themselves out right before our own eyes. We have the privilege of observing the signs which our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST foretold in the gospels unfold right before our own eyes. It can be said that the Books of Daniel and Revelation are being rewritten, but this time in past tense and, not future tense, as before. The signs that Jesus foretold are happening in such a manner and with such accuracy that it is only proper to say ‘OH, how great Thou art.’

But, we are faced with a dilemma. A dilemma that might cause us to be left out of the Kingdom of God. A SICKNESS that has buried itself so deep into our souls, that we have passed it on to the next generation, and that will be passed on to the generation thereafter. A sickness that we as Christians have come to accept as NORMAL AND ACCEPTABLE.

Let us read the scripture reading again - : Num 13:30-32 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

31) But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

The question you need to ask yourself is “What kept the Israelites out of the Promised

Now in order to answer this question, we need to look back further and ask ourselves “What ultimately caused Adam and Eve to leave the Garden of Eden. Let`s go to Gen 3:12-13 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

In both Numbers and Genesis there is one common factor, which in Genesis resulted in causing GOD`s creation to have to leave Eden, and in Numbers, keeping GOD`s creation from entering Canaan. And that common factor, my brothers and sisters, is UNBELIEVE and EXCUSES for your unbelieve.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES, EXCUSES.

The definition for the word excuse is ‘To explain (a fault or an offense) in the hope of being forgiven or understood’

Oh, aren`t we full of that. Just think. In our everyday life how often we use excuses to help justify a decision, and thereby making us feel good and proud of those decisions, or to help cover up the mistakes we have made. In our work place we use excuses to help justify a mistake that we have made, just to protect our pride and keep face, so that the next time round you won`t be doubted or that your mistake would not affect your performance appraisal at the end of the year. And it is usually these excuses which keep us from opportunities that could lead to a better job opportunity or promotion. It is usually these excuses that cause our colleagues to doubt or not trust us. It is usually these excuses that cause our own demise in our careers.

If we look at the excuses that we use in our relationships, especially our marriages, to cover up our mistakes. A lot of times we use an excuse to justify a point in an argument just so that you do not lose the fight. We will use an excuse to put the blame on our spouse just so that we can feel better about ourselves

I think the best definition for the word excuse is to lie to yourself in the hope of being forgiven or understood. Or we could say that the definition for excuse is not to trust the LOVE and POWER of GOD.

If we look at Adam and Eve, I believe GOD gave them the opportunity to basically come clean and say that they have made a mistake and that they take full responsibility for their mistake. In other words, my brothers and sisters, they needed to repent at the feet of GOD, and in so doing TRUST and BELIEVE That GOD would find a way to keep them in Eden. But they did not. They rather relied on their excuses to justify their actions and their unbelief. And in doing this they broke the heart of Christ. He was hoping that they would repent and come to Him. Instead they chose to lie and leave Him. And yet, even though they did not trust and believe in Him, He still had a plan to get them back to Him. Because our GOD knows the end from the beginning, and He saw that they would not trust in Him, He had already decided what to do in order to save them. And my brothers and sisters, it is for this reason that I believe that He allowed the first sacrifice to be done in the garden. It is for this reason that I believe He clothed them in the skins of this first sacrifice, as a promise that He will always be with them and one with them. As a promise that if they trust in Him, if they believe in Him, they would be led back to Him.

How often today still don’t we use excuses even in our prayers to justify what we have done wrong. To justify our unbelief in Him. How often do we refuse to accept the outstretched hand of Christ through the excuses that we make for ourselves? Christ is waiting and we only need to reach up to Him in full surrender and He will take us into His fold.

At the river Jordan the Israelites were making ready to cross, but GOD instructed Moses to first send a party of spies to scout the area. And in doing this, they could bring not only a report of the strength and weakness of the enemy that awaits them, but also what treasures and beauty the Promised Land held for them. God wanted the scouts to come and preach to the followers of the amazing Love that He has shown them by bringing them to this beautiful place. A place that was promised to them even before they were born. A land flowing with milk and honey. An inheritance so great and wonderful, despite their lack of trust and their unbelief in God. In spite of the fact that even though they were in the physical presence of God, they still decided to build their own idols and worship it.

How painful that must have been to God. He showed them His awesome power through the plagues in Egypt. He showed them His great strength like none other by defeating the whole armies of Egypt with one blow. He showed them His amazing love for them by providing for their every need in the desert. And yet they bowed down to another god.

Even after all of this He still led them to the Promised Land. He allowed scouts to see beforehand the beauty that awaits them, so that they could come back and prophecy about the amazing life they were going to have in this wonderful, new home.

But as humans are, they only saw the bad. They only saw their defeat. And the King James says they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel. Basically saying, they made GOD a liar. But they were lying to themselves. Could it be that they became used to suffering and would rather their suffering lives over the amazing promise of God? Could it be that knowing the law of God they knew that there were things and practices that they had to do away with?

I read this story in the Bible and I asked myself, how does this story relate to me? Does it make any reference to me? The Bible says that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God,” which is His Holy Scripture. So this story had to have a meaning to me. This story had to have a message for me in the last days. Because as we know the crossing of the Jordan symbolises our crossing into Heaven after the second coming of Christ. The Promised Land or rather the Inheritance symbolises the inheritance that is ours WAITING for us once we have accepted the Love of Christ and believe that His sacrifice has saved us.

With all this symbolism there had to be a message for me in the last days.

Ellen G. White says that:

"While God has given ample evidence for faith, He will never remove all excuse for unbelief. All who look for hooks to hang their doubts upon will find them. And those who refuse to accept and obey God's Word until every objection has been removed, and there is no longer an opportunity for doubt, will never come to the light" (The Great Controversy, p. 527).

I started asking myself: Is it possible that there could be unbelief in me. Is it possible that even though God has given me so much evidence of His Power and Strength in my life, the same type of evidence that He gave to the Israelites, That I still don`t believe in His promise. Could it be that because of my unbelief I am preventing myself from crossing the Jordan? Can it be that in my unbelief I am making an excuse not to give up the sufferings of my life because I have become comfortable with them, rather than claiming my Inheritance? Could it be true of ALL of us?

If we look at the Israelites. They just came out of Egypt where a flogging was part of the normal day. They were used to hunger, even they believed they ate better in Egypt than in the desert. Now tell me, what is better than manor or quails from heaven. But yet they felt they had better. They were free, but yet they longed to be held captive. They longed for the humiliation that came with being a slave in Egypt. Why, because they were COMFORTABLE with it. At any given opportunity they sought to disobey GOD and return to their chains, rather than obeying GOD, and experiencing true freedom.

They had just experienced the physical presence of GOD, and as soon as Moses left to go up the mountain, they took the opportunity to return to their chains by building their own god.

2Pe_2:22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire."

Take a look at the Apostacy that took place right at the Jordan, just before they were supposed to cross the Jordan. The Ellen White writes: “At first there was little intercourse between the Israelites and their heathen neighbors, but after a time Midianitish women began to steal into the camp. Their appearance excited no alarm, and so quietly were their plans conducted that the attention of Moses was not called to the matter.” Isn`t it true of how subtle satan enters our lives. We not even aware of his presence because he is carefully disguised in all our comforts. “It was the object of these women, in their association with the Hebrews, to seduce them into transgression of the law of God, to draw their attention to heathen rites and customs, and lead them into idolatry. These motives were studiously concealed under the garb of friendship, so that they were not suspected, even by the guardians of the people.” Amazing. We only need to apply the symbolism we have in prophecy, and we see the Prophetic language that sister White is using here. That is. A woman being a church. And a church being anything that adds comfort in our lives.
“At Balaam's suggestion, a grand festival in honor of their gods was appointed by the king of Moab, and it was secretly arranged that Balaam should induce the Israelites to attend. He was regarded by them as a prophet of God, and hence had little difficulty in accomplishing his purpose.” Can we start seeing how closer this portion of Sr white moves closer to our present time. “Great numbers of the people joined him in witnessing the festivities. They ventured upon the forbidden ground, and were entangled in the snare of Satan. Beguiled with music and dancing, and allured by the beauty of heathen vestals, they cast off their fealty to Jehovah. As they united in mirth and feasting, indulgence in wine beclouded their senses and broke down the barriers of self-control. Passion had full sway; and having defiled their consciences by lewdness, they were persuaded to bow down to idols. They offered sacrifice upon heathen altars and participated in the most degrading rites.
It was not long before the poison had spread, like a deadly infection, through the camp of Israel. Those who would have conquered their enemies in battle were overcome by the wiles of heathen women. The people seemed to be infatuated. The rulers and the leading men were among the first to transgress, and so many of the people were guilty that the apostasy became national. "Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor.” (Patriarchs and Prophets,455-56)

Mat_24:24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

And it will be the fact that we are unwilling to let go of our comforts that we so dearly treasure each and every day – our sufferings, because we would rather have that in our lives than the peace of GOD.
To put it plainly. We are more comfortable with the idea of being out of heaven than in heaven.
How often has it happened that we caught ourselves wondering on what will we find in heaven. How will we travel. Will there be cars, aeroplanes. I heard one day in a sermon on television that the minister says that his porche is waiting for him in heaven.
Pollution caused by motorised vehicles amounts to a large proportion of the total air pollution today. You see we are not willing to leave our sufferings behind.
Youngsters (and even older ones) might be hoping to have his own big screen tv with playstation. The most violence that takes place in this world today, takes place on the playstations that we have in our homes. It might be make believe. But we still contemplating to kill a creation of GOD. Mat_5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment
I am making the simplest of examples to try and get a point across.
But the most common example that I can make and that is used by all Christians across all denominations is “it is the generation of our children that the LORD will come” And it is this same attitude that we are teaching our children, and which they will be teaching their children. This is the disease I started out talking about.
How do we know that it is in children’s generation that Christ will return? Its only GOD that know when the hour is right.
Why are we so afraid to say that Christ might return in our generation? It was this same attitude and unbelief that kept Israel from their inheritance from their inheritance. And the time was right for them to cross, just as the time is right for us to claim our inheritance.

Num 13:20…" Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.”

It was the harvest time, just as it is the harvest time now. All the signs that Jesus spoke about has taken place and is taking place. But we don`t want to believe.

Rev 3:14-17 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.

"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

Just as Israel at that time we believe that we know it all and that we own it all. We want to believe in the promises of Christ, but we find it difficult to let go of the comforts of this world.

The time was right for Israel to cross the Jordan, but Israel found excuses to try and cover up their disbelief. That very same disbelief that shut Adam and Eve out of Eden, - That very same disbelief that we run the risk of keeping us out of our inheritance.

GOD always has a plan. He knows the end from the beginning. He knew what our weaknesses would be before we had them. And that is why He gave this lesson of Israel. A practice run of the character that we should avoid from developing, unless if we want to follow the same fate those Israelites suffered, having to dwell in the wilderness for 40 years because of their unbelief. I am not saying that Christ is coming tomorrow or next month or within the next five minutes, but what I am saying is that we should be like Caleb, who had so much faith and belief in GOD that he was ready at that moment to cross.

And that is the belief and faith we need to develop in our relationship with Christ. We should to GOD to provide us with the guidance and wisdom to avoid the same mistakes that the Israelites made, the same mistakes our forefathers made, Delaying our own prize giving day.

The promise is there. The example is there. Just as GOD shows us through scripture what to avoid when preparing to enter the Promised Land, He also reveals to us the character to pray for to successfully enter and claim our inheritance. GOD uses the same example of the crossing of the Jordan, this time the second attempt by Israel. Sister White says:

“Joshua was now the acknowledged leader of Israel. He had been known chiefly as a warrior, and his gifts and virtues were especially valuable at this stage in the history of his people. Courageous, resolute, and persevering, prompt, incorruptible, unmindful of selfish interests in his care for those committed to his charge, and, above all, inspired by a living faith in God— such was the character of the man divinely chosen to conduct the armies of Israel in their entrance upon the Promised Land. (Patriarchs and Prophets, [p. 482])

It was with great anxiety and self-distrust that Joshua had looked forward to the work before him; but his fears were removed by the assurance of God, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. . . . Unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them." "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses." To this promise was added the injunction, "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded." (Patriarchs and Prophets,p 483)

Clearer and more straight forward I don`t think the message can become that needed to bring to you today. There might be some who don’t agree to what I had to say today. But it is the faith in Jesus Christ that we need to focus on. We need to keep our eyes on Him. We need to pray to Him daily to remain the light to our feet and the lamp to our paths. We need to daily pick up our crosses and follow Him. We need to let go of all our sufferings and take up his burden because it`s lighter and His yoke is easier. The character of Christ IS THE ANTITYPE of the character of Joshua at the time of the crossing of the Jordan. We need to make the character of Christ our character. We need to be like Caleb who is ready today to enter the Promised Land and who does not think of an excuse because the task seems to daunting.

The times are just getting worse. There will be no relief until the second coming. All our burdens will just get heavier. A time is coming that prophesying the Love of Christ will be a crime. A time Is coming that because of our faith we will be prejudiced, locked up, tortured and murdered. Do we really want to leave this for our children to bear. Do we really want to sleep in the dust while all of this is happening to our seed.

Or do we want to have the privilege of looking up one morning, and seeing the heavens roll open like a scroll. Do we want the privilege of seeing Christ on that bright cloud of angels coming closer and closer to the Earth, until He is so close that you can actually see His face. Do we want the privilege of hearing that sound, like no other sound heard before, that mighty trumpet when it blows. And seeing the dead rise in Christ. Do we want the privilege of being number as one of the 144 000.

Self-Examination and Repentance

2012-01-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

A verse in strength and purity as an individual takes his burden to Christ in search of true repentance and confession. We as human beings with all our corruptness and weaknesses cannot in most instances identify that which is keeping us away from God. We therefore have this need to allow God to show us and guide us to that which is keeping us away from Him. Many a times we are also afraid to admit to ourselves those things which keeps us short of the glory of God. In claiming the promise of Psalm 139:23-24, God also protects us from our own pride in that He guides us not to claim our own Salvation, but rather Salvation through the intercession of Christ.

“Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my mind and my heart. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth” (Psalm 26:2-3).

“These days of preparation were days of deep heart searching. The disciples felt their spiritual need and cried to the Lord for the holy unction that was to fit them for the work of soul saving. They did not ask for a blessing for themselves merely. They were weighted with the burden of the salvation of souls. They realized that the gospel was to be carried to the world, and they claimed the power that Christ had promised” (Acts of the Apostles, p. 37).

“After Christ’s ascension, the disciples were gathered together in one place to make humble supplication to God. And after ten days of heart searching and self-examination, the way was prepared for the Holy Spirit to enter the cleansed, consecrated soul temples. Every heart was filled with the Spirit, as though God desired to show His people that it was His prerogative to bless them with the choicest of heaven’s blessings” (Evangelism, p. 698).

“Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:12-15).

Leading from the Psalm 139:23-24, this prayer needs to be said. After God has guided us and revealed all that is impure within us, we need to ask HIM to help repair that which is broken. It has been shown through history as well as the history of our own lives that when we rely on our own strengths to repair that which is broken in our lives, we actually worsen it. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to create a new being within us and not only that, but also a contrite heart that should convict us every day to help guide us in Gods way. By trying to fix things ourselves we more often end up hurting others and even turn them away from God.

Many times we evangelise to people and they really show an eagerness to want to learn more about the God and His plan for their Salvation. But for some or other reason they just never get to that point where they completely submit to God. And we actually become upset at them for not accepting the Word. This is usually the case in our families with close relatives and we usually ask the question “Can’t they see what God has done in my life?”

“In the family if one member is lost to God every means should be used for his recovery. On the part of all the others let there be diligent, careful self-examination. Let the life-practice be investigated. See if there is not some mistake, some error in management, by which that soul is confirmed in impenitence” (Christ Object Lessons, p. 194).

“Thus says the LORD: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children” (Isaiah 49:25).

After this process of self-examination, a process that we need to go through on a daily basis, (as the old me needs to die daily) God leaves us with a wonderful promise. He promises that whatever tyrant that may be holding us captive He will release us. He promises that whatever burden may be pulling us down, He will pick it up and carry it for us. As He promises in:

· Mat_11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

· Mat_11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

And His promise is not only for us, but for our children also. For as we learn from Christ, so our children learn from us. And as for what we follow in Christ so our children will follow also.

Loving Unity

2012-01-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1, 2).

The need for unity in the church

"Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose," (Phil. 2:2).

· One of the signs of apostasy (falling from the truth) in the Christian Church is the bickering and disunity among Christians.

· Jesus said that the world would know that we were His disciples by the love that we have for one another (John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. ).

· In Col. 3:14 (And above all these things put on charity/LOVE, which is the bond of perfectness.) it says that love is the perfect bond of unity.

· The New Testament speaks about us being unified in Christ (Eph. 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, ).

· In response to Christians who follow after individuals rather than Jesus, Paul says that Christ is not divided (1 Cor. 1:12-13 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? ).

“This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12, 13).

Ask yourself what is most important in life. Is it your relationship with God? If it is, and it should be, should you not also be seeking the same thing that God wants? Should you not also be seeking to love one another as Christ commanded us? Love is the perfect bond of unity

The Christian church, as a whole, needs to repent. We need to look at ourselves. We need to look at our churches. We need to look at one another and decide that we will stand on the essential doctrines of the faith and that we will be united against the enemy. Those of us who are united by the blood of Christ are not enemies with one another. It may be difficult for many of us to look lovingly into the eyes of those of a different denomination without thinking in our hearts that they are wrong about this doctrine or that doctrine. But, we need to be reminded that there is neither a Presbyterian nor a Baptist nor a Lutheran on the throne of God.

How Important Is Church Unity?

Unity Reveals the Reality of God's Kingdom. A truly united church on earth reveals that its members are serious in their expectation of living together in heaven. Unity on earth demonstrates the reality of God's eternal kingdom. To those who live in this way the Scripture will be fulfilled,

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1).

Primarily, it is the saving work of Christ that unites us. We have, as a common heritage, the blood of Christ that has been shed for the forgiveness of our sins. True Christians serve the true and living God and we know Jesus in a personal and intimate way (1 Cor. 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. ). We have been redeemed by God himself. Furthermore, we have the body of Scriptures which tell us the essentials of the faith and deviating from these essentials means to be outside the camp of Christ. It is the essential doctrines that we must know and unite in.

THE PRAYER FOR UNITY BY OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:20-23).

· But what if the world began to see the Christian Church uniting in spite of its differences?

· What if the world started to see how the Christian Church started to love not only their own church members but other church members?

· What do you think the world would say if the churches' bickering stopped?

· What do you think the unbelievers would say if they saw us living more and more the loving attitude and a sacrificial life of Christ across denominational barriers?

· It would be a tremendous witness for Christ. It would be a tremendous assault on the enemy and I know that God would use it mightily to bring others to Himself by his grace.

What should we do to bring unity wherever possible?

We need to look at our own hearts and our own minds and compare them to Jesus and the Scripture. Where ever the two are not in agreement, it is we who need to change. We need to pray that the Lord would provide opportunities to work with other Christians across denominational lines. We need to recognize that we have differences of opinions and worship styles and that that is okay. But we need to lift each other up and be united in Christ.

“In spite of all the good qualities a man may have, he cannot be a good soldier if he acts independently of those connected with him. Occasional and uncertain movements, however earnest and energetic, will in the end bring defeat. Take a strong team of horses. If, instead of both pulling together, one should suddenly jerk forward and the other pull back, they would not move the load, notwithstanding their great strength. So the soldiers of Christ must work in concert, else there will be a mere concourse of independent atoms. Strength, instead of being carefully treasured to meet one great end, will be wasted in disconcerted, meaningless efforts. In union is strength. A few men and women who unite together, having the glory of God in view, will be growing in strength and wisdom, and gaining new victories” (Signs of the Times, Sept. 7, 1891, par. 7).

What's Your Horoscope Today?

2011-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

as·trol·o·gy/əˈsträləjē/

Noun: The study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs.

More interestingly "Astrologers believe these bodies and their movements reflect that person's character. The knowledge of the person's character and their relation to the bodies enables astrologers to predict a person's destiny. This prediction is not limited to one person. A prediction could be for an individual, group or nation."(The Mystery of Astrology - by Nicki Tesch)

Most devote Christians do not base their hopes and dreams on the stars or some or other alignment in the zodiac, but rather on " I am the way, the truth, and the life..." John 14:6

or do we...?

Let me introduce you to Ilex Aquifolium, or better known as the Holly Tree.

So what?

The Holly tree (Ilex aquifolium) is one of the sacred trees of Wicca/Witchcraft, and was of old a favoured tree of the ancient druids. In England during the winter, against the barren whiteness of our snow and frost, the Holly tree is an important native evergreen. Its glossy green leaves and clusters of red berries add a flash of colour to trees without leaves and is one of the most striking plants in the woodlands. Moreover,

Holly is commonly used all over the world as a Christmas decoration, a custom derived from the early Romans who sent boughs of Holly and other gifts to their friends during Saturnalia, the Roman festival of Saturn held around the 17^th of December to celebration of the Winter Solstice. In an old Christian legend the Holly is said to have sprung up under the footsteps of Christ as he trod the earth, the spines of the leaves became symbolic of “Crown of Thorns”, the red berries representing the drops of blood associated with his suffering. From this symbology the Holly tree became known as “Christ's Thorn” or the “Holy Tree”.

In pagan folklore the Holly tree is associated with the spirit of vegetation and the waning forces of nature, to which he is personified as a mythical figure called the Holly King. The Holly King rules nature during its decline from the mid-summer solstice (Litha - Jun 21^st) through to the mid-winter solstice (Yule – Dec 21st). At each of the solstice Sabbats, the Holly King and his brother the Oak King engage in ritual combat for the attentions of the Goddess, from whence the victor presides over nature through the following half of the year.

In his personification as the Holly King, he is often depicted as an old man dressed in winter clothing wearing a wreath of Holly on his head and walking with the aid of a staff made from a Holly branch. This is symbolic of the fertile interaction of the Goddess and God during natures decline and the darkest time of the year. At Yule after his battle with the Oak King, the new light of the sun-God re-emerges to encourage fresh growth during the coming new year. After the advent of Christianity, and during their Christmas and New Year celebrations, a man would be dressed up and covered in Holly branches and leaves, while a woman was likewise dressed in Ivy (the female counterpart of Holly) and together paraded through the streets leading the old year into the new.(more)

So, what does this have to do with my Horoscope?

Well,basically everything. First think about the words Holly Tree and ask yourself why it sounds so familiar. But before I break the glass on this one, let us first have a look at one of our most beloved satanic characters, or rather, his utensil.

The wand of Harry Potter.

Now, old Harry's wand is 11 inches long, made of holly, with a phoenix feather as its core. The feather is donated by Fawkes, the magical familiar of Albus Dumbledore.

We all know about the magical spells that Harry can conjure up with his wand, but more especially, how something so powerful is held and controlled by someone so innocent looking and 'righteous' in his course.

Now we can see that the holly tree is associated with Christ and Harry, but what does the two have in common? Nothing. Except that they in complete contradiction to each other. Christ being our Redeemer and Saviour, and Harry representing man's longing to be a god by his our means with the powers and abilities to set his own destiny and save himself.

So once again, what does this have to do with my Horoscope? Remember I ask you to think about the words holly tree. Why does it sound so familiar? What is our most common resource from any tree? Wood. Combine it with Holly.

The stars have never looked so bright. Their magical powers have never been so overpowering. The fruit of the holly has never been so sedating. The stars of our horoscope has never been so within our reach. The stars determine what we eat, what we drink, how we spend our money, how we deal with our marriages, how to love and what to do when we hate, but more importantly, the stars shows us that we can be gods, that we are in control of our own destiny, that we can save ourselves.

This earthly zodiac has become even more powerful than the heavenly zodiac of the ancients. Satan has really out done himself. Now he can proclaim his mission openly and none of us is the wiser. We have been mesmerized by the flashing lights of hope and prosperity offered by the holly. We have been sedated by the slow killing poison of its fruits. The stars have shown to us that it is okay to live without God because we are our own gods. It is okay to betray, to murder, to lie, to steal, because man will serve his own justice and redeem himself by his own deeds.

We have found our true idols. They know everything that we go through. They show it to us in their bible, the big screen. We laugh with them, cry with them and even die like them. We share holly communion with them in the form of drugs and alcohol.They offer sanctuary in their bosoms as long as we keep our distance.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

So, have the elect engaged themselves in star gazing? How long will God allow this time of Noah to continue? Has satan really crept this deep into our lives and numbed us in such a way that we see his most brilliant deception by which he keeps millions captive as acceptable. Do we need to search our hearts and ask ourselves why is it that the suffering of others has become tolerable? We that believe ourselves to be awake and wise in the practices and deceptions of satan might find ourselves more asleep than ever before. How do we free ourselves from this evil in such a beautiful disguise? Or can we by our own powers?

Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Secular music and the Christian

2011-07-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

by Jillian Vassen

How much thought do we give to the type of music we and especially our children listen to. Is it ok for Christians to listen to secular music?

The Seventh Day Adventist life-style demands that the individual exercise a high degree of discrimination and individual responsibility in the selection of secular music for personal use. All such music should be evaluated in the light of the instructions given in Phil 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

A Christian will not sing songs that are incompatible with the ideals of truth, honesty, and purity. He will avoid elements that give the appearance of making evil desirable or goodness appear trivial. The true Christian is able to witness to others by his choice of secular music for social occasions. He will through careful selection seek out music which will be compatible with his social needs and his Christian principles.

God has woven music into the very fabric of His creation. When he made everything “the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted for joy” Job 38:7. Because we are made in His image, we share a love and appreciation for music with all created beings. But sin has cast a blight over the creation. The divine image has been marred; in all aspects this world and God’s gifts come to us with a mingling of good and evil. Music is not morally and spiritually neutral. Some may move us to the most exalted human experience; some may be moved by the prince of evil to debase and degrade us, to stir up lust, passion, despair, anger, and even hatred. If a song glorifies what opposes God; a Christian should not listen to it. However there are secular songs with no mention of God that still uphold godly values such as honesty, purity and integrity.

There are a few principles that should guide us when choosing music

1. Does it glorify God – 1 Cor 10: 31

2. It should be the noblest and the best Phil 4:8

Because as followers of Jesus Christ we hope and expect to join the heavenly choirs, thus we should view life on this earth as a preparation for and a foretaste of the life to come.

3. The lyrics should positively stimulate intellectual abilities as well as our emotions and our will power.

Now that we looked at what the content of the lyrics should be. Do you think that the lyrics are all that we should consider? I read through various articles on the subject and most claim that music is neutral and that the Bible nowhere condemns any particular style of music. However there is no doubt that music does change or influence the way that we feel.

Some research has shown that Classical music slows down your heart rate, reduces your distractions and puts your body more at ease. Whereas Rock, R&B , or anything else with a strong beat has the opposite effect. An increased heart rate adds to nervousness and in extreme cases, contributes to panic attacks. Studies also show that loud, aggressive rhythms can cause long-term damage to organs. This may be one of the reasons why loud and aggressive music is sometimes used as an interrogation method.

A month ago, lyrics and style might have been all I would cover for this topic, but for the past moth I have been watching a series on 3ABN by Past John Lomacang, titled “unclean spirits”. It focussed on the entertainment industry and in particular the music industry. It was eye opening to say the least. I did not watch all 5 seminars, but the little I saw was enough to convince me that this was a topic that needed some attention. In the series he uncovered link between the occult world and the music industry. He showed how some of the most popular artists used occult hand sign and displayed these signs on their cd covers and clothes. With these signs they openly declare whom they are affiliated with.

The past weekend we went to visit my brother in Vereeniging and my youngest brother from Cape Town joined us. He told me that a friend of a friend gave them one of the dvd’s of Past Lomacang to watch. He told me that he was shocked at what he saw and then told his friend that if you listened to that Pastor you would not be able to listen to secular music anymore because after watching the dvd he saw the signs everywhere. Successful artists like Rihanna, Jay-Z and Beyonce are displaying these sign openly and our children are using these signs not knowing what they mean. Other Rock bands have songs that openly mention their affiliation like “sympathy for the devil” by the Rolling Stones.

I urge you, brothers and sisters, let us listen carefully to the lyrics of the music our children listen to. Let us do some research on these artists. I didn’t want to bring some of the pictures of the signs that are on the net to church, but please let us not make light of this subject.

When we have evangelistic campaign we pray on the tracts and material that will be handed out and we ask the Holy Spirit to accompany them and to speak to the mind and heart of the reader. The same is done when these artists releases new cd’s, they envoke evil demons to accompany these cd’s into your house.

And let us not just focus on the music of the youth. Let us go through our own music and clean up our homes.

Have you ever listened to the soothing music of Barry Manilow? Do you remember his song “I write the songs”

Listen to the lyrics.

I Write The Songs lyrics

I've been alive forever
and I wrote the very first song
I put the words and
the melodies together
I am music
And I write the songs

(chorus)
I write the songs
that make the whole world sing
I write the songs
of love and special things
I write the songs
that make the young girls cry
I write the songs
I write the songs

My home lies deep within you
And I've got my own place in your soul
Now when I look out through your eyes
I'm young again, even though I'm very old

(chorus)

Oh my music makes you dance
And gives your spirit
to take a chance
And I wrote some rock 'n roll
so you can move
Music fills your heart
Well that's a real fine
place to start
It's from me, it's for you
It's from you, it's from me
It's a world wide symphony

(chorus)

I am music, and I write the songs

Let us become vigilant when it comes to the music we listen to, let us guard our ears and not conform to the world.

Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Amen

Steps to Christ

2011-06-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

The Sinner's Need of Christby Ellen G. White Chapter 2

Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan, and would have remained so forever had not God specially interposed. It was the tempter's purpose to thwart the divine plan in man's creation, and fill the earth with woe and desolation. And he would point to all this evil as the result of God's work in creating man.
In his sinless state, man held joyful communion with Him "in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:3. But after his sin, he could no longer find joy in holiness, and he sought to hide from the presence of God. Such is still the condition of the unrenewed heart. It is not in harmony with God, and finds no joy in communion with Him. The sinner could not be happy in God's presence; he would shrink from the companionship of holy beings. Could he be permitted to enter heaven, it would have no joy for him. The spirit of unselfish love that reigns there --every heart responding to the heart of Infinite Love --would touch no answering chord in his soul. His thoughts, his interests, his motives, would be alien to

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those that actuate the sinless dwellers there. He would be a discordant note in the melody of heaven. Heaven would be to him a place of torture; he would long to be hidden from Him who is its light, and the center of its joy. It is no arbitrary decree on the part of God that excludes the wicked from heaven; they are shut out by their own unfitness for its companionship. The glory of God would be to them a consuming fire. They would welcome destruction, that they might be hidden from the face of Him who died to redeem them.
It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Job 14:4; Romans 8:7. Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.
The Saviour said, "Except a man be born from above," unless he shall receive a new heart, new desires, purposes, and motives, leading to a new life, "he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3, margin. The idea that it is necessary only to develop the good that

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exists in man by nature, is a fatal deception. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." 1 Corinthians 2:14; John 3:7. Of Christ it is written, "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men"--the only "name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." John 1:4; Acts 4:12.
It is not enough to perceive the loving-kindness of God, to see the benevolence, the fatherly tenderness, of His character. It is not enough to discern the wisdom and justice of His law, to see that it is founded upon the eternal principle of love. Paul the apostle saw all this when he exclaimed, "I consent unto the law that it is good." "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." But he added, in the bitterness of his soul-anguish and despair, "I am carnal, sold under sin." Romans 7:16, 12, 14. He longed for the purity, the righteousness, to which in himself he was powerless to attain, and cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?" Romans 7:24, margin. Such is the cry that has gone up from burdened hearts in all lands and in all ages. To all, there is but one answer, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.
Many are the figures by which the Spirit of God has sought to illustrate this truth, and make it plain to souls that long to be freed from the burden of guilt. When, after his sin in deceiving Esau, Jacob fled from his father's home, he was weighed down with a sense

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of guilt. Lonely and outcast as he was, separated from all that had made life dear, the one thought that above all others pressed upon his soul, was the fear that his sin had cut him off from God, that he was forsaken of Heaven. In sadness he lay down to rest on the bare earth, around him only the lonely hills, and above, the heavens bright with stars. As he slept, a strange light broke upon his vision; and lo, from the plain on which he lay, vast shadowy stairs seemed to lead upward to the very gates of heaven, and upon them angels of God were passing up and down; while from the glory above, the divine voice was heard in a message of comfort and hope. Thus was made known to Jacob that which met the need and longing of his soul--a Saviour. With joy and gratitude he saw revealed a way by which he, a sinner, could be restored to communion with God. The mystic ladder of his dream represented Jesus, the only medium of communication between God and man.
This is the same figure to which Christ referred in His conversation with Nathanael, when He said, "Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." John 1:51. In the apostasy, man alienated himself from God; earth was cut off from heaven. Across the gulf that lay between, there could be no communion. But through Christ, earth is again linked with heaven. With His own merits, Christ has bridged the gulf which sin had made, so that the ministering angels can hold communion with man. Christ connects fallen man in his weakness and helplessness with the Source of infinite power.

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But in vain are men's dreams of progress, in vain all efforts for the uplifting of humanity, if they neglect the one Source of hope and help for the fallen race. "Every good gift and every perfect gift" (James 1:17) is from God. There is no true excellence of character apart from Him. And the only way to God is Christ. He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6.
The heart of God yearns over His earthly children with a love stronger than death. In giving up His Son, He has poured out to us all heaven in one gift. The Saviour's life and death and intercession, the ministry of angels, the pleading of the Spirit, the Father working above and through all, the unceasing interest of heavenly beings,--all are enlisted in behalf of man's redemption.
Oh, let us contemplate the amazing sacrifice that has been made for us! Let us try to appreciate the labor and energy that Heaven is expending to reclaim the lost, and bring them back to the Father's house. Motives stronger, and agencies more powerful, could never be brought into operation; the exceeding rewards for right-doing, the enjoyment of heaven, the society of the angels, the communion and love of God and His Son, the elevation and extension of all our powers throughout eternal ages--are these not mighty incentives and encouragements to urge us to give the heart's loving service to our Creator and Redeemer?
And, on the other hand, the judgments of God pronounced against sin, the inevitable retribution, the

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degradation of our character, and the final destruction, are presented in God's word to warn us against the service of Satan.
Shall we not regard the mercy of God? What more could He do? Let us place ourselves in right relation to Him who has loved us with amazing love. Let us avail ourselves of the means provided for us that we may be transformed into His likeness, and be restored to fellowship with the ministering angels, to harmony and communion with the Father and the Son.

Steps to Christ

2011-06-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

CHAPTER 1

God's Love for Man

by Ellen G. White

Nature and revelation alike testify of God's love. Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature. Think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator's love. It is God who supplies the daily needs of all His creatures. In the beautiful words of the psalmist--
"The eyes of all wait upon Thee;

And Thou givest them their meat in due season.

Thou openest Thine hand,

And satisfiest the desire of every living thing."

Psalm 145:15, 16.

God made man perfectly holy and happy; and the fair earth, as it came from the Creator's hand, bore no blight of decay or shadow of the curse. It is transgression of God's law--the law of love--that has brought woe and death. Yet even amid the suffering that results from sin, God's love is revealed. It is written that God cursed the ground for man's sake. Genesis 3:17. The thorn and the thistle--the difficulties and trials that make his life one of toil and care--were appointed for his good as a part of the training needful in God's plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has wrought. The
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world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses.
"God is love" is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green -- all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy.
The word of God reveals His character. He Himself has declared His infinite love and pity. When Moses prayed, "Show me Thy glory," the Lord answered, "I will make all My goodness pass before thee." Exodus 33:18, 19. This is His glory. The Lord passed before Moses, and proclaimed, "The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." Exodus 34:6, 7. He is "slow to anger, and of great kindness," "because He delighteth in mercy." Jonah 4:2; Micah 7:18.
God has bound our hearts to Him by unnumbered tokens in heaven and in earth. Through the things of nature, and the deepest and tenderest earthly ties that human hearts can know, He has sought to reveal Himself to us. Yet these but imperfectly represent His love. Though all these evidences have been given, the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of
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Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice,--one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them. It was to remove this dark shadow, by revealing to the world the infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among men. { 10.3}
The Son of God came from heaven to make manifest the Father. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." John 1:18. "Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." Matthew 11:27. When one of the disciples made the request, "Show us the Father," Jesus answered, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" John 14:8, 9.

In describing His earthly mission, Jesus said, The Lord "hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Luke 4:18. This was His work. He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by Satan. There were whole villages where there was not a moan of sickness in any house, for He had passed through them and healed all their sick. His work gave evidence of His divine anointing. Love, mercy, and compassion were revealed in every act of
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His life; His heart went out in tender sympathy to the children of men. He took man's nature, that He might reach man's wants. The poorest and humblest were not afraid to approach Him. Even little children were attracted to Him. They loved to climb upon His knees and gaze into the pensive face, benignant with love.
Jesus did not suppress one word of truth, but He uttered it always in love. He exercised the greatest tact and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He spoke the truth, but always in love. He denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity; but tears were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes. He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, which refused to receive Him, the way, the truth, and the life. They had rejected Him, the Saviour, but He regarded them with pitying tenderness. His life was one of self-denial and thoughtful care for others. Every soul was precious in His eyes. While He ever bore Himself with divine dignity, He bowed with the tenderest regard to every member of the family of God. In all men He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save.
Such is the character of Christ as revealed in His life. This is the character of God. It is from the Father's heart that the streams of divine compassion, manifest in Christ, flow out to the children of men. Jesus, the tender, pitying Saviour, was God "manifest in the flesh." 1 Timothy 3:16.
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It was to redeem us that Jesus lived and suffered and died. He became "a Man of Sorrows," that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy. God permitted His beloved Son, full of grace and truth, to come from a world of indescribable glory, to a world marred and blighted with sin, darkened with the shadow of death and the curse. He permitted Him to leave the bosom of His love, the adoration of the angels, to suffer shame, insult, humiliation, hatred, and death. "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5. Behold Him in the wilderness, in Gethsemane, upon the cross! The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the burden of sin. He who had been one with God, felt in His soul the awful separation that sin makes between God and man. This wrung from His lips the anguished cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46. It was the burden of sin, the sense of its terrible enormity, of its separation of the soul from God--it was this that broke the heart of the Son of God.
But this great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father's heart a love for man, not to make Him willing to save. No, no! "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." John 3:16. The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us. Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. God suffered with His Son. In the agony of Gethsemane, the death of
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Calvary, the heart of Infinite Love paid the price of our redemption.
Jesus said, "Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again." John 10:17. That is, "My Father has so loved you that He even loves Me more for giving My life to redeem you. In becoming your Substitute and Surety, by surrendering My life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I am endeared to My Father; for by My sacrifice, God can be just, and yet the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus."
None but the Son of God could accomplish our redemption; for only He who was in the bosom of the Father could declare Him. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it manifest. Nothing less than the infinite sacrifice made by Christ in behalf of fallen man could express the Father's love to lost humanity.
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." He gave Him not only to live among men, to bear their sins, and die their sacrifice. He gave Him to the fallen race. Christ was to identify Himself with the interests and needs of humanity. He who was one with God has linked Himself with the children of men by ties that are never to be broken. Jesus is "not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11); He is our Sacrifice, our Advocate, our Brother, bearing our human form before the Father's throne, and through eternal ages one with the race He has redeemed--the Son of man. And all this that man might be uplifted from the ruin and degradation of sin that he might reflect the love of God and share the joy of holiness.
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The price paid for our redemption, the infinite sacrifice of our heavenly Father in giving His Son to die for us, should give us exalted conceptions of what we may become through Christ. As the inspired apostle John beheld the height, the depth, the breadth of the Father's love toward the perishing race, he was filled with adoration and reverence; and, failing to find suitable language in which to express the greatness and tenderness of this love, he called upon the world to behold it. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." 1 John 3:1. What a value this places upon man! Through transgression the sons of man become subjects of Satan. Through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ the sons of Adam may become the sons of God. By assuming human nature, Christ elevates humanity. Fallen men are placed where, through connection with Christ, they may indeed become worthy of the name "sons of God."
Such love is without a parallel. Children of the heavenly King! Precious promise! Theme for the most profound meditation! The matchless love of God for a world that did not love Him! The thought has a subduing power upon the soul and brings the mind into captivity to the will of God. The more we study the divine character in the light of the cross, the more we see mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with equity and justice, and the more clearly we discern innumerable evidences of a love that is infinite and a tender pity surpassing a mother's yearning sympathy for her wayward child.

God And Your Family

2011-05-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

Family Unity Emphasis Sabbath

by Jillian Vassen

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18
Carolyn Larson wrote:
Belonging to a team or family unit means you have the support of the other members. Sometimes that support is what keeps you going when you don’t feel that you can take another step.
You experience that same kind of support from the family of God. Each of us should be in constant prayer for one another, lifting up and encouraging one another every day. Be alert to those around you, sense their needs, and constantly bring them before the Lord. They will do the same thing for you – you can’t fall too far, no matter what happens, when you know your brothers and sisters are holding you before the Lord. What Power!

Scripture Reading: Joshua 24: 15

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell : but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

When I was given the task to take today’s Sabbath school with the theme Family unity, I immediately thought of family worship. It is the single most important factor in helping kids to grow up loving Jesus and the church.
Is family worship practical in this day and age? How many excuses do we come up with for why we stopped having worship? There will be no family worship in our homes unless we recognise its vital importance and are willing to carve out time for God and family togetherness. “Fathers and mothers, however pressing your business, do not fail to gather your family around God’s altar. Ask for guardianship of holy angels in your home”         Child Guidance, p 520
I can think of a few reasons why Family worship is important:

1.    Children learn to pray. They begin to recognize the power of prayer as they see family prayers answered
2.    Regular family devotions will build a wall of protection around your children. In Counsels on Sabbath School Work p.36 we read “The youth in this age must be fitted by the grace of Christ to meet and overcome evils which have been introduced into society.... There should be a living, growing interest in storing the mind with Bible truth. The precious knowledge thus gained will build a barrier about the soul.”
3.    Family worship helps build family solidarity. In this hectic age, we need family togetherness. A genuine closeness is hard to achieve.
4.    Regular morning and evening family worship will help to “turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers...” (Mal. 4:6)
You didn’t need me to tell you the importance of family worship today, since as Adventists we have so much literature on the subject. In the book the Ministry of Healing chapter 28 titled “Ministry of the Home” we read:

P349 – “The restoration and uplifting of humanity begins in the home. The work of parents underlies every other. Society is composed of families, and is what the heads of families make it. Out of the heart are “the issues of life”; and the heart of the community, of the church, and of the nation is the household. The well-being of society, the success of the church, the prosperity of the nation, depend upon home influences”
p.351 – It is by the youth and children of today that the future of society is to be determined, and what these youth and children shall be, depends upon the home. To the lack of right home training may be traced the larger share of the disease and misery and crime that curse humanity. If the home life were pure and true, if the children who went forth from its care were prepared to meet life’s responsibilities and dangers, what a change would be seen in the world!”

p.352 - The mission of the home extends beyond its own members. The Christian home is to be an object lesson, illustrating the excellence of the true principles of life. Such an illustration will be a power for good in the world. Far more powerful than any sermon that can be preached is the influence of a true home upon human hearts and lives. As the youth go out from such a home, the lessons they have learned are imparted. Nobler principles of life are introduced into other households, and an uplifting influence works in the community.”
p.355 - “Our time here is short. We can pass through this world but once; as we pass along, let us make the most of life. The work to which we are called does not require wealth or social position or great ability. It requires a kindly, self-sacrificing spirit and a steadfast purpose. A lamp, however small, if kept steadily burning, may be the means of lighting many other lamps. Our sphere of influence may seem narrow, our ability small, our opportunities few, our acquirements limited; yet wonderful possibilities are ours through faithful use of the opportunities of our own homes. If we will open our hearts and homes to the divine principles of life we shall become channels for currents of life-giving power. From our homes will flow streams of healing, bringing life and beauty and fruitfulness where now are barrenness and death.

What is the condition of your family altar? If it is broken down take the initiative and re-establish it. If you are conducting regular worship, think of ways to make it interesting. Our sole purpose in life should be to be prepared for the second coming, and what better way to prepare, than studying the Word of God with your loved ones. Remember, a family that prays together, stays together!

Is Jesus Returning For Us?

2011-04-22T14:32:00.000-07:00

First of all you have to believe and have faith that He does exist. But how can one have faith in someone that you are not sure of ever existed? Evidence that Jesus really existed is found in the writings of Josephus (37 – c.100 AD) also Yoseph Ben Mattithyahu in Biblical Hebrew (Joseph son of Matthias) and Titus Flavius Josephus, who was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry, who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War which resulted in the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It is called the Testimonium Flavianum and is found in Antiquities of the Jews.
The passage reads as follows in Antiquities of the Jews 18.63-64:

^"3.3 Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day."

In this book there is even writings on John the Baptist found in book 18, chapter 5, 2 and reads as follows:

"Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him.^[19]"

Jesus is again mentioned in chapter 20 when reference is given to His brother James' stoning. Many scholars agree that Josephus' writings are accurate accounts of 1st century Isreal, but as with all things Jesus satan steps in and puts doubts in the hearts of men, causing them to state that all accounts are accurate, except those of Jesus.

But if Josephus' writings show that Jesus really did exist then how do we know that He will return?

" Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." Joh 14:1-3

Firstly, this is promise made to His best friends, that they may go and proclaim it to the four ends of the earth. And we know that Jesus was without sin, so we know that this is not a false testimony that He made to this group of men that He loved so dearly.

Secondly:

"And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Mark 14:60-62

and:

"But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."

Mat 26:63-64

These are sworn testimonies given by Jesus when He was on trial before the Jewish high priests. Jesus, in this manner, has therefore also testified to us that we can trust Him completely, and that He will return to receive us unto Him. We need to be steady and hold tight onto our faith. The road is narrow and the hill is steep, but we have strength in Him and direction through Him. On the day that we are reunited with Him, we will look back onto this world and see that all the perils we went through was but a small price for the amazing inheritance we received.

The three things we lost

2011-04-15T02:27:00.000-07:00

When Adam sinned he not only condemned us to death, but he also caused us to loose three things which we can only claim back after the second coming of Christ. These three aspects of of lives can only be claimed by those who "do His commandments and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ". So what are they?

" And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. "Gen 1:26-27. When God created us we were created in His image. Now you have to think about this next text from Genesis, " And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." Gen 3:7. If Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, do you think that God would create them that they would be so stupid as not to see that they were naked. I don't think so. They must have been clothed before they sinned. But with what? First we need to know with what God is clothed. "Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: " Psa104:1-2. So God is clothed with light as a garment. If Adam and Eve were created in the image of God it would thus be fair to say that they also inherited this garment of light, but lost the light of God which shone from within them when they fell.
" And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden,"Gen 2:9 When Adam and Eve sinned God had to prevent them from eating form the tree of life, which was the tree which bore fruit that gave everlasting life through the power of God. " And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." Gen 3:22-24
And the last thing that we lost and probably the most important thing , " And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." Gen 3:8 Imagine being in face to face contact with your Maker. Being able to touch Him physically, being able to ask Him all the questions to all the mysteries of the universe and hearing the answers straight from His Mouth.

What a wonderful day that will be when my Saviour comes. When my inheritance will be restore to me. What a wonderful day it will be when I will be dressed in garments of light, gathering with the saints every new moon to eat from the tree of life, and to sit at His table every Sabbath in His physical presence enjoying His glorious sight. Amen.