| The Path of Obedience is the Way to Holiness |
Today's Text:
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. Daniel 12:10
|
The Message:
The world is a theater. The actors, the inhabitants of the world, are preparing to act their part in the last great drama. God is lost sight of. There is no unity of purpose, except as parties of people confederate to gain their ends. God is looking on. His purposes in regard to His rebellious subjects will be fulfilled. The world has not been given into human hands, though God is permitting the elements of confusion and disorder to bear sway for a season. A power from beneath is working to bring about the last great scenes in the drama-Satan coming as Christ, and working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are binding themselves together in secret societies. Those who are yielding to the passion for confederation are working out the plans of the enemy. The cause will be followed by the effect.
Transgression has almost reached its limit. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. The end is very near. We who know the truth should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise. God permits men to work out the purposes He would have saved them from had they kept His commandments. When in the face of light and evidence, they refuse to obey, they must reap the harvest of the seed they have sown. "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." [Verse 10.]
The wicked have chosen Satan as their leader. Under his control, the wonderful faculties of the mind are used to construct agencies of destruction. God has given the human mind great power, power to show that the Creator has endowed human beings with ability to do a great work against the enemy of all righteousness, power to show what victories may be gained in the conflict against evil. To those who fulfil God's purpose for them will be spoken the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." [Matthew 25:23.] The human machinery has been used to do a work that is a blessing to humanity; and God is glorified.
But when those to whom God has entrusted capabilities give themselves into the hands of the enemy, they become a power to destroy. When people do not make God first and last and best in everything, when they do not give themselves to Him for the carrying out of His purposes, Satan comes in and uses in his service the minds that, given to God, could achieve great good. Under his direction they do an evil work with great and masterly power. God designed them to work on a high plane of action, to enter into His mind, and thus acquire an education that would enable them to work the works of righteousness. But they know nothing of this education. They are helpless. Their powers do not guide them aright, for they are under the enemy's control.
The way to holiness and heaven is found in the path of obedience. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."-Letter 141, 1902.
*Note: I have added in the parts that were left out by the compilers for what ever reason, that the true sentiment of the author may be seen. These parts are underlined.
|
Commentary:
My friend, obedience to the will of God is the path to holiness. Though there is nothing that we can do to save ourselves, we must crucify self by daily drawing closer and closer to God through our connection to the Son of God.
The Jews in the time of Christ used their great knowledge and intellect to become righteous through the keeping of the law. They approached the problem of sin by their rigorous efforts to keep the law of God. But their efforts left them with an outward show of righteousness while their hearts were defiled with sin. Of this Jesus said to His disciples "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20).
The problem that we all face is not that we break the law of God, but that the reason why we break the law of God is because of our sinful natures. The source of our problems is that we are sinful. Sin is the fruit of our condition, therefore if we are to be cleansed from all unrighteousness we need a transformation of our hearts. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 36:26).
What we need is a new heart, a new spirit within us, and that spirit is the Spirit of Christ living within us. Unless we address the true source of our problems we cannot truly do good. This requires a new birth within us, for we are born without the Spirit of God which is the source of all goodness. When Adam sinned he lost his connection with God and though he passed on to us his knowledge of God, he could not give to us that which he did not possess. He could not pass on to us a holy and righteous spirit.
The church today has rejected the Spirit of Christ and as such we have become like the Jews of old. The people are led to approach their sin problem by endeavoring to keep the law of God, but separated from the power of God. By the churches adoption of the false god of the trinity it has separated itself from the source of its power; the source of its righteousness. The church is truly in the Laodicean condition; "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17).
The trinity has the outward form of God in that it has the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit, but because it declares that the Son is not truly a son, it denies both the Father and the Son, and in doing so reveals itself as the spirit of antichrist. "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 church by adoption the trinity as God, has separated itself form the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. The true reason for the condition of the Laodicean church is that the One true God has been supplanted for the triune god of Babylon. In order for us to be cleansed from all unrighteousness we must be connected to the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3).
God bless,
|
Video of the Week
|
|
| Is the SDA church the Remnant? |
Many SDA pastors, preachers and members are right now declaring the SDA church is the remnant church. But is that possible? Can they be BOTH the 9th AND 11th hour church prophecy speaks of? Or are they lying to try and confuse the masses? See what the Bible says!
|
|
Comments
Post a Comment