Friday: Further Thought ~ The Hard Way
Further Study:
Read in The Great Controversy, “Can Our Dead Speak to Us?” pages 551-562.
“In the days of the Hebrews there was a class of people who claimed, as do the spiritualists of today, to hold communication with the dead. But the ‘familiar spirits,’ as these visitants from other worlds were called, are declared by the Bible to be ‘the spirits of devils.’ (Compare Numbers 25:1-3; Psalm 106:28; 1 Corinthians 10:20; Revelation 16:14.) The work of dealing with familiar spirits was pronounced an abomination to the Lord, and was solemnly forbidden under penalty of death. Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:27.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
The very name of witchcraft is now held in contempt. The claim that men can hold intercourse with evil spirits is regarded as a fable of the Dark Ages. But spiritualism, which numbers its converts by hundreds of thousands, yea, by millions, which has made its way into scientific circles, which has invaded churches, and has found favor in legislative bodies, and even in the courts of kings—this mammoth deception is but a revival, in a new disguise, of the witchcraft condemned and prohibited of old.” — Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 556.
Discussion Questions:
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Summary:
Through Isaiah’s actions and family, as well as his words, God reinforced the message of warning and hope: The only safe course is to trust that God knows what He is doing. He has both the love and the power to guide, protect, and provide for those who let Him. For those who turn to other powers, there is only gloom.
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There is a tendency among some of my Christian friends to dwell on the evidence of supernatural evil to the extent that they find much to condemn in our modern world. It is almost as though they think that they can prove the existence of a supernatural God by exposing the existence of supernatural evil. While all of us should be conscious of the the workings of evil in our world, we should remember that our commission has more to do with lifting up Jesus.
I am reminded of the experience of the Hebrew migrants in the Sinai Peninsular desert when they were attacked by deadly snakes. They were saved, not by chasing and killing the snakes, but by looking to the brass snake on a pole in the centre of the camp put there by Moses as a representation of Jesus.
In our modern world, where should our emphasis be? Pointing out snakes, or pointing to Jesus?
That is our focus.
It’s so important to be able to discern between God’s Word and fables. Seeking to understand each and every lie or deception thrown in our paths isn’t necessary. To be able to discern evil, even in our world today, is necessary. Our spiritual well being depends on the ability thru the Spirit of God to see evil, discern it is evil and make a clear choice.
To know God for ourselves, trust Jesus in a personal way and know His Word is vital. Not one good work will save us from deception, for it is not by might nor by power that we will overcome these things, but by God’s Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).
There’s no substitution for a living relationship with God. We can be deceived without it. We can’t discern the false from the true without God’s Word being written in our minds and hearts.
And I saw three unclean spirits like frog come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophets......Rev 16:13-15.
I believed the bible tells us about knowing God and knowing evil is of great importance. We need to distinguish between good and evil. Eph 6:10-18 Paul acknowledged the evil that is present in the world and in the church and told us what to do to protect ourselves. We don't need evil to counteract evil, but good to counteract evil.
I remembered the Hebrew migrants in the Sinai Peninsular desert when they were attacked by deadly snakes. The snake on the pole became a god after a while and they worshiped the image. 2 Kings 18:4 Nehushtan. How ironic!!!
So much ground was covered in this week’s lesson study – “The Hard Way”, and I appreciate the depth and breadth of its spiritual lessons learned. As suggested, I read ‘The Great Controversy's’, chapter 34 ‘Can our Dead speak to us?’
The book’s title states its content - ‘The Great Controversy’ - , the exposure and identification of Truth vs. Error in all its manifestations. By stating Truth Ellen White exposes Error; by recognizing Truth we identify Error, but through error we do not identify spiritual Truth. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal Truth and Error to us. I thank God for providing these fundamental insights to Ellen White and to give here the gift of expressing it in her writings to bless others.
I found the Truth in the book of Isaiah exposes the futility of man’s efforts when applied without the sanctification of God’s Spirit of Wisdom and Righteousness. In the suggested pages, Ellen White points out the passage from Scripture which highlights what, I believe, is at the heart of the persistent errors plaquing mankind’s judgements.
2Thessalonians 2:7-12KJV
v.9-12: “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the LOVE OF THE TRUTH, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
There needs to be a Love of Truth established first and then vigilantly guarded and maintained in the heart and mind, because we are “chosen to Salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth: whereunto He called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” – 2Thess.2:13,14KJV.
Quotes from ‘The Great Controversy’ Ch.34:
Just before us is “the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Revelation 3:10 All whose faith is not firmly established upon the word of God will be deceived and overcome. Satan “works with all deceivableness of unrighteousness” to gain control of the children of men, and his deceptions will continually increase. {GC 560.2)
“Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,” therefore “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11. {GC 559.1}
Thus, in place of the righteousness and perfection of the infinite God, the true object of adoration; in place of the perfect righteousness of His law, the true standard of human attainment, Satan has substituted the sinful, erring nature of man himself as the only object of adoration, the only rule of judgment, or standard of character. This is progress, not upward, but downward. (GC 555.1)
All who indulge sinful traits of character, or willfully cherish a known sin, are inviting the temptations of Satan. They separate themselves from God and from the watchcare of His angels; as the evil one presents his deceptions, they are without defense and fall an easy prey. Those who thus place themselves in his power little realize where their course will end. Having achieved their overthrow, the tempter will employ them as his agents to lure others to ruin. {GC 558.3}
Here's an excerpt from a sermon by C. Philip Green that speaks to me on this topic of "The Hard Way". (I'm putting it all in quotes because the gist is largely Pastor Greens', though I've edited a bit and added a few thoughts of my own):
"In 2005, Stephen Tschiderer, an army medic, was patrolling the dangerous streets of Baghdad. That’s when an enemy sniper shot him in the chest. Tschiderer’s bulletproof vest saved him, but he was knocked to the ground by the impact.
"Tschiderer’s then accompanied the combat team that tracked down the sniper. When they found him, the sniper was wounded and in need of prompt medical attention. Only moments earlier, the sniper had put Stephen Tschiderer's heart between the crosshairs on the scope of his rifle and pulled the trigger, fully intending to end Tschiderer's life. Tschiderer could have roughed him up, or he could have simply walked away and justified his actions, according to most religions. Instead, Tschiderer treated and dressed the wounds of the man who had tried to take his life.
"That’s what Jesus asks His followers to do – not to walk away from your enemy, but to dress the wounds of the one who tried to hurt you. Jesus asks you to help the one who makes your life miserable at work, to speak well of those who talk behind your back, to return good for the evil done to you, like giving a plate of cookies to the neighbor who has threatened to sue you.
"I don’t know about you, but I find that extremely difficult to do, if not impossible. I don’t have that kind of love on my own, so it drives me to the very first words of Jesus in this sermon: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). I must know I am needy spiritually, low on love, before I'm ready to be filled.
"It’s hard to go out of your way to love even your enemy. Loving the way Jesus asks us to love is difficult. The Greek word used for “hard” in Matt 7:14 literally means “pressing.” Paul uses the same word when he says, “We are being HARD-PRESSED on every side, but not crushed” (2 Corinthians 4:8).
"Serving yourself is easy (Matt 7:13). Literally, it’s broad and spacious; it’s agreeable and pleasant. On the other hand, serving Christ is hard; it’s pressing.
"Matthew 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (ESV)
"Jesus presents two ways of life: the hard way of love, which leads to life, or the easy way of living for yourself, which leads to ruin.
"Now, the way of love begins with a narrow gate. If I’m to love the way Jesus asks me to love, I have to recognize my own inability to do so and depend on Him to do it through me. I must have Jesus’ love in my heart. I must trust Christ with my life and allow Him to change my own stone-cold heart into a heart of flesh that loves people like He loved me, even though my sins put Him on the cross. Receiving Jesus into my heart is to choose not just to exist, but to really live forever when I let God love people through me.
"I know that exclusive claim bristles against our culture, which believes that all roads lead to God. But Jesus is very clear here – the entrance to life is narrow; it’s exclusive. The entrance is restricted only to those who depend on Jesus."