| God Calls Us to be Children of the Light |
Today's Text:
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5
|
The Message:
The Bible is God's great director. It is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path. It flashes its light ahead, that we may see the path by which we are traveling; and its rays are thrown back on past history, showing the most perfect harmony in that which to the mind in darkness appears like error and discord. In that which seems to the worldling an inexplicable mystery, God's children see light and beauty.
God has marked out the way with His prophetic guideposts. We are not left to depend on man's wisdom. The great waymarks God Himself has raised show us that the path of obedience is the only path we can follow with certainty. Men break their word, and prove themselves untrustworthy, but God changes not. His Word will abide the same forever. Those who love and obey the law of Jehovah will meet with trials and temptations, but this is only what Jesus met, and He declares, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." [ John 10:27, 28.] If we hope and pray and by faith trust His Word, we shall be able to say with Paul, "I am persuaded that neither life nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, 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." [ Romans 8:38, 39.]
Have we wholly given ourselves up to do God's will? Are we transformed by the grace of Christ? Some claim to be in Christ, while their special work is to make void the law of Jehovah. Shall we take their word for it? Shall we accept their assertions? How shall we distinguish God's true servants from the false prophets which Christ said should arise to deceive many? There is only one test of character-the law of Jehovah.
The Israelites placed over their doors a signature of blood, to show that they were God's property. So every child of God in this age will bear the signature God has appointed. They will place themselves in harmony with God's holy law. A mark is placed upon every one of God's people, just as verily as a mark was placed over the doors of the Hebrew dwellings, to preserve the people from the general ruin. God declares, "I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify them." When people say that the law of God is abrogated by the testimonies of "the fathers," they are teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. Their word is not founded upon the teaching of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ is not the Chief Cornerstone of their structure. John says, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." [1 John 2:4.] Those who permit themselves to be deceived will, with the deceiver, feel the wrath of the Lamb.
With God's Word before us, with the lesson of instruction we may there learn, there is no need for us to be deceived. We are living in a momentous period in this earth's history. The great conflict is just before us. We see the world corrupted under the inhabitants thereof. The man of sin has worked with a marvelous perseverance to exalt a spurious sabbath, and the disloyal Protestant world has wondered after the beast and has called obedience to the Sabbath instituted by Jehovah disloyalty to the laws of the nations. Kingdoms have confederated to sustain a false sabbath institution, which has not a word of authority in the oracles of God.
In the record of the vision given to John we read, "The dragon was wroth with the woman, (the church), and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." [Revelation 12:17.] Satanic agencies have made the earth a stage for horrors which no language can describe. War and bloodshed are carried on by nations claiming to be Christian. A disregard for the law of God has brought the sure result.
The great conflict now being waged is not merely a strife of humans against humans. On the one side stands the Prince of Life, acting as our substitute and surety; on the other [stands] the prince of darkness, with the fallen angels under his command. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ... Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." [Ephesians 6:12, 13, 10, 11.]
There will be a sharp conflict between those who are loyal to God and those who cast scorn upon His law. The church has joined hands with the world. Reverence to God's law has been subverted. The religious leaders have taught for doctrine the commandments of men. As it was in the days of Noah, so it is in this age of the world. But shall the prevalence of disloyalty and transgression cause those who have reverenced the law of God to have less respect for it, to unite with the powers of earth to make void God's law? The truly loyal will not be carried away by the current of evil. They will not throw scorn and contempt on that which God has set apart as holy. The test comes to every one. There are only two sides. Which are you on? - Manuscript 39, 1899 (see also The Review and Herald, February 6, 1900).
|
Commentary:
My friend, to truly be children of the light, we must walk in the light that God has given us. Many today who were once in the light are no longer walking in it. They have lost sight of the Only true God and have accepted in His place a triune god, made up of three god-beings called "God the Father", "God the Son", and "God the Holy Spirit". The trinity, which on the outside looks like God, in reality is not. It is the god of Babylon disguised as the One true God.
The church today believes that they are walking in the light of truth, but are in fact walking in darkness. They think that their belief in the true Sabbath will save them, but they are deceived. In order to keep the Sabbath holy we must first be holy; sanctified by the Lord. "Moreover also 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." (Ezekiel 20:12). The Sabbath does not save us, it is the Lord that saves us.
The churches preparation for the time of trouble centers upon their Sabbath keeping, but unless they are sanctified by the One true God, their Sabbath keeping will not be enough. When the trials come it will be see what preparation they have made. The wise virgins brought oil in their lamps, while the foolish did not have any oil in their lamps. Oil representing the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. The trinity teaches that the Holy Spirit is a being unto itself and is neither the Father nor the Son. Those that come unto the trials of the last days holding on to the belief of the trinity, will not be sustained by the Spirit of Christ, but the spirit of another being.
My friend, God has given to us great light that we may not walk in darkness. Though we have been led out of darkness in the Advent movement, the church has turned back to seek light out of darkness. They have accepted the false doctrine of the trinity in place of the light of truth in the One true God. Jesus said "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:23). Those who reject the light of truth will be left in darkness, and how great is that darkness.
God bless,
|
Video of the Week
|
|
| The Glory of Jesus - David Clayton |
A sermon from the 2018 Roan Mountain Camp Meeting
|
Tomorrow: Make No Hasty, Rash Moves
|
|
Comments
Post a Comment