God's People Not to Make a Pretentious Show

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

God's People Not to Make a Pretentious Show

Today's Text: And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. Matthew 21:19

The Message:      It was not a common thing for a fig tree to present full foliage at that early period of the season. The fruit of the fig tree makes its appearance before the leaves; therefore a fig tree in full leaf might be expected to have fruit upon it. Christ approached the tree, expecting to find fruit there, but searching from the lowest bough to the topmost branch, He found nothing but leaves, and His curse fell upon it.      This instance in the ministry of Christ is a singular one. It was unlike the ways and works of Christ.... Wherever He went He scattered mercy in words of counsel and deeds of goodness. He was the Restorer, the Healer. He came not to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. The disciples could not understand the action of Christ in punishing a tree for its barrenness, and they said unto Him, "How soon is the fig tree withered away!"      Just before this Christ had made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. For the second time He had cleansed the temple and had driven out from its courts the traffickers.... Dishonest dealing was practiced by the people who brought cattle to sell in the temple courts, but the word of command was given; divinity flashed through humanity, and no priest in his gorgeous dress, or trafficker looking on that countenance, dared to remain...      This was a parable of the dispersion of the Jews. Now Christ, under the symbol of the blighted tree, presents before His disciples the righteous anger of God as He sees the temple courts desecrated to obtain unlawful gain, and the destruction of the Jewish nation. That tree, flaunting its pretentious foliage in the very face of Christ, was a symbol of the Jewish nation, which had been separating from God until, in their pride and apostasy, they had lost their power of discernment and knew not their Redeemer....      This blighted fig tree with its pretentious branches is to repeat its lesson in every age to the close of this earth's history.... If the spirit of Satan entered unto unsanctified hearts in the days of Christ to counterwork the requirements of God in that generation, it will surely enter into the professed Christian churches in [our day]. History will repeat itself.... But the people who obey the commandments of God have no controversy. They take the Word of God for their guide.-Manuscript 32, 1898.

Commentary: My friend, this is as surely happening today as it did in the time of Christ.  The church by its adoption of the trinity over the One true God of the Bible is like the fig tree with a beautiful foliage of leaves, but within there are no fruits that should accompany them.  The church of Laodicea has an outward sign of righteousness, but Christ being removed, it is "... wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17). Today the church is as surly in the Laodicean condition as the Jews were in the time of Christ.  The trinity is a false image of God and by its adoption the Spirit of God has been driven from the church.  Jesus is depicted as standing at the door of the peoples heart, seeking to gain entrance.  He is in this position because the people have been led to worship a false god; one that has the outward appearance of God, but in reality is not. The people have been deceived into believing that God is a triune God, when in fact the Scriptures declare "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." (1 Corinthians 8:6).  The One true God is the Father who is the source of all things.  The Son is the only begotten of the Father who was brought forth from the very bosom of God and through Him were all things created. In the fall of man, God sent His Son for the redemption of mankind, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.", and that life is in His Son.  The Father gives us eternal life by our connection with the Son.  "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11).  Jesus praying to His Father said "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3), for "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5). The trinity destroys this beautiful picture of God's love for man by destroying the father-son relationship, claiming that the Son is not truly a son, but is only a metaphor.  In doing this it denies that the Son is truly a son and therefore denies that the Father is truly a father.  Of this the Apostle John says "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." (1 John 2:22, 23). My friend, the condition of the church today has been foretold in the Scriptures; but how many in the church today are heeding its important warnings?  Isaiah 8:20 says "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."  The trinity has the appearance of truth, but when you compare Scripture with Scripture, you will find that it is all leaves with no fruit.  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15). May you study to shew thyself approved of God today. God bless,

Video of the Week Triune God Triune Union - David Barron A threefold union coming together, what is the basis of this unity?  The Trinity.   We examine some of the recent calls for unity by leaders such as Pope Francis, Kenneth Copeland, Tony Palmer,   Rick Warren and others and we examine how history is repeating itself and how all of this fits into the present truth concerning Bible prophecy and relates to the three angels messages of Revelation 14.   There is a worship issue coming to a head and we need to have an understanding as to all the details concerning these issues. (2 Pet 1:19)  As well as how the final events of Bible prophecy are wrapping up and how we can help others see the light of how quickly these things are coming to pass.