Desire of Nations
(All Bible texts are in the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated)
Sabbath Afternoon
Memory Text: Isaiah 60:3
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your
rising.
Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, p. 36, quoting Selected
Messages, vol. 1, pp 350-353.
Chapter 54—The Subject Presented in 1883
Christ Our Righteousness
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). God requires that we
confess our sins, and humble our hearts before Him; but at the same time we
should have confidence in Him as a tender Father, who will not forsake those
who put their trust in Him. Many of us walk by sight, and not by faith. We
believe the things that are seen, but do not appreciate the precious
promises given us in God’s Word; and yet we cannot dishonor God more
decidedly than by showing that we distrust what He says, and question
whether the Lord is in earnest with us or is deceiving us. God does not give
us up because of our sins. We may make mistakes, and grieve His Spirit; but
when we repent, and come to Him with contrite hearts, He will not turn us
away. There are hindrances to be removed. Wrong feelings have been
cherished, and there have been pride, self-sufficiency, impatience, and
murmurings. All these separate us from God. Sins must be confessed; there
must be a deeper work of grace in the heart. Those who feel weak and
discouraged may become strong men of God, and do noble work for the Master.
But they must work from a high standpoint; they must be influenced by no
selfish motives.
Merits of Christ Our Only Hope
We must learn in the school of Christ. Nothing but His
righteousness can entitle us to one of the blessings of the covenant of
grace. We have long desired and tried to obtain these blessings, but
have not received them because we have cherished the idea that we could
do something to make ourselves worthy of them. We have not looked away
from ourselves, believing that Jesus is a living Saviour. We must not
think that our own grace and merits will save us; the grace of Christ is
our only hope of salvation. Through His prophet the Lord promises, “Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and
let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to
our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). We must believe
the naked promise, and not accept feeling for faith. When we trust God
fully, when we rely upon the merits of Jesus as a sin-pardoning Saviour,
we shall receive all the help that we can desire. We look
to self, as though we had power to save ourselves; but Jesus died for us
because we are helpless to do this. In Him is our hope, our justification,
our righteousness. We should not despond, and fear that we have no Saviour,
or that He has no thoughts of mercy toward us. At this very time He is
carrying on His work in our behalf, inviting us to come to Him in our
helplessness and be saved. We dishonor Him by our unbelief. It is
astonishing how we treat our very best Friend, how little confidence we
repose in Him who is able to save to the uttermost, and who has given us
every evidence of His great love. My brethren, are you expecting that your
merit will recommend you to the favor of God, thinking that you must be free
from sin before you trust His power to save? If this is the struggle going
on in your mind, I fear you will gain no strength, and will finally become
discouraged.
Look and Live
In the wilderness, when the Lord permitted poisonous serpents to sting the
rebellious Israelites, Moses was directed to lift up a brazen serpent and
bid all the wounded look to it and live. But many saw no help in this
Heaven-appointed remedy. The dead and dying were all around them, and they
knew that without divine help their fate was certain; but they would lament
their wounds, their pains, their sure death, until their strength was gone,
and their eyes were glazed, when they might have had instant healing. “As
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,” even so was “the Son of man
lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life” (John 3:14, 15). If you are conscious of your sins, do not
devote all your powers to mourning over them, but look and live. Jesus is
our only Saviour; and although millions who need to be healed will reject
His offered mercy, not one who trusts in His merits will be left to perish.
While we realize our helpless condition without Christ, we must not be
discouraged; we must rely upon a crucified and risen Saviour. Poor,
sin-sick, discouraged soul, look and live. Jesus has pledged His word; He
will save all who come unto Him. Come to Jesus, and receive rest and peace.
You may have the blessing even now. Satan suggests that you are helpless,
and cannot bless yourself. It is true; you are helpless. But lift up Jesus
before him: “I have a risen Saviour. In Him I trust, and He will never
suffer me to be confounded. In His name I triumph. He is my righteousness,
and my crown of rejoicing.” Let no one here feel that his case is hopeless;
for it is not. You may see that you are sinful and undone; but it is just on
this account that you need a Saviour. If you have sins to confess, lose no
time. These moments are golden. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1
John 1:9). Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled;
for Jesus has promised it. Precious Saviour! His arms are open to receive
us, and His great heart of love is waiting to bless us. Some seem to feel
that they must be on probation and must prove to the Lord that they are
reformed, before they can claim His blessing. But these dear souls may claim
the blessing even now. They must have His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to
help their infirmities, or they cannot form a Christian character. Jesus
loves to have us come to Him, just as we are—sinful, helpless, dependent.
Repentance a Gift of God
Repentance, as well as forgiveness, is the gift of God through Christ. It is
through the influence of the Holy Spirit that we are convicted of sin, and
feel our need of pardon. None but the contrite are forgiven; but it is the
grace of God that makes the heart penitent. He is acquainted with all our
weaknesses and infirmities, and He will help us. Some who come to God by
repentance and confession, and even believe that their sins are forgiven,
still fail of claiming, as they should, the promises of God. They do not see
that Jesus is an ever-present Saviour; and they are not ready to commit the
keeping of their souls to Him, relying upon Him to perfect the work of grace
begun in their hearts. While they think they are committing themselves to
God, there is a great deal of self-dependence. There are conscientious souls
that trust partly to God, and partly to themselves. They do not look to God,
to be kept by His power, but depend upon watchfulness against temptation,
and the performance of certain duties for acceptance with Him. There are no
victories in this kind of faith. Such persons toil to no purpose; their
souls are in continual bondage, and they find no rest until their burdens
are laid at the feet of Jesus. There is need of constant watchfulness, and
of earnest, loving devotion; but these will come naturally when the soul is
kept by the power of God through faith. We can do nothing, absolutely
nothing, to commend ourselves to divine favor. We must not trust at all to
ourselves nor to our good works; but when as erring, sinful beings we come
to Christ, we may find rest in His love. God will accept every one that
comes to Him trusting wholly in the merits of a crucified Saviour. Love
springs up in the heart. There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but there is an
abiding, peaceful trust. Every burden is light; for the yoke which Christ
imposes is easy. Duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure. The path
that before seemed shrouded in darkness becomes bright with beams from the
Sun of Righteousness. This is walking in the light as Christ is in the
light.
Sunday – The Effects of Sin (Isaiah 59)
Read Isaiah 59
Isaiah 58:3
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we
afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “In fact, in the day of your
fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers.
Isaiah 59:1
Separated from God
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear
heavy, That it cannot hear.
Isaiah 59:2
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have
hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.
Genesis 3:8
8 And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden.
Monday - Who Is Forgiven? (Isa. 59:15–21)
Isaiah 59:15-21
15 So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.
The Redeemer of Zion
Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice. 16 He
saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness,
it sustained Him. 17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a
helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for
clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. 18 According to their deeds,
accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, Recompense to His
enemies; The coastlands He will fully repay. 19 So shall they fear The name
of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When
the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a
standard against him. 20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who
turn from transgression in Jacob,” Says the Lord. 21 “As for Me,” says the
Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My
words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor
from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’
descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
Read Isaiah 59
Jeremiah 31:34
34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them
to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity,
and their sin I will remember no more.”
Romans 3:9-20
All Have Sinned
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously
charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 10 As it is
written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who
understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned
aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good,
no, not one.” 13 “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have
practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; 14 “Whose mouth
is full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And the way of peace they
have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we
know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before
God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His
sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:22
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and
on all who believe. For there is no difference;
Romans 3:21-24
God’s Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being
witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God,
through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is
no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus,
Romans 3:26
26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be
just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 4:14
14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the
promise made of no effect,
James 2:18
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your
faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Galatians 5:6
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails
anything, but faith working through love.
Romans 5:5
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
James 2:26
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is
dead also.
Read Romans 6
Tuesday - Universal Appeal (Isa. 60:1, 2)
Isaiah 60:1, 2
The Gentiles Bless Zion
1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen
upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep
darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be
seen upon you.
Isaiah 60:3
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your
rising.
Isaiah 59:20
20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression
in Jacob,” Says the Lord.
Genesis 12:2, 3
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will
curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.”
Genesis 18:18
18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the
nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Genesis 22:18
18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you
have obeyed My voice.”
Isaiah 56:3-8
3 Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the Lord
Speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let
the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.” 4 For thus says the Lord: “To the
eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My
covenant, 5 Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place
and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an
everlasting name That shall not be cut off. 6 “Also the sons of the
foreigner Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, And to love the
name of the Lord, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the
Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant— 7 Even them I will bring to My holy
mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings
and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be
called a house of prayer for all nations.” 8 The Lord God, who gathers the
outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who
are gathered to him.”
Wednesday – “The Year of the Lord’s Favor” (Isa. 61:2, NRSV)
Isaiah 61:2
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of
our God; To comfort all who mourn,
Isaiah 61:1
The Good News of Salvation
1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the
prison to those who are bound;
Isaiah 42:1-7
The Servant of the Lord
1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard
in the street. 3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will
not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 4 He will not fail nor be
discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the
coastlands shall wait for His law.” 5 Thus says God the Lord, Who created
the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that
which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to
those who walk on it: 6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And
will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the
people, As a light to the Gentiles, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out
prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
Leviticus 25:10
10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty
throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for
you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall
return to his family.
Leviticus 25:25-55
25 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his
possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may
redeem what his brother sold. 26 Or if the man has no one to redeem it, but
he himself becomes able to redeem it, 27 then let him count the years since
its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he
may return to his possession. 28 But if he is not able to have it restored
to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it
until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he
shall return to his possession. 29 ‘If a man sells a house in a walled city,
then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full
year he may redeem it. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the space of a
full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to him
who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the
Jubilee. 31 However the houses of villages which have no wall around them
shall be counted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and
they shall be released in the Jubilee. 32 Nevertheless the cities of the
Levites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may
redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchases a house from the Levites, then
the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in
the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their
possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the common-land
of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.
Lending to the Poor
35 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you,
then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live
with you. 36 Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that
your brother may live with you. 37 You shall not lend him your money for
usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. 38 I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to
be your God.
The Law Concerning Slavery
39 ‘And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells
himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. 40 As a hired
servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the
Year of Jubilee. 41 And then he shall depart from you—he and his children
with him—and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the
possession of his fathers. 42 For they are My servants, whom I brought out
of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not
rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God. 44 And as for your
male and female slaves whom you may have—from the nations that are around
you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 Moreover you may buy
the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who
are with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your
property. 46 And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after
you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves.
But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over
one another with rigor. 47 ‘Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you
becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and
sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of
the stranger’s family, 48 after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of
his brothers may redeem him; 49 or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem
him; or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if
he is able he may redeem himself. 50 Thus he shall reckon with him who
bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the number of
years, from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee; it
shall be according to the time of a hired servant for him. 51 If there are
still many years remaining, according to them he shall repay the price of
his redemption from the money with which he was bought. 52 And if there
remain but a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with
him, and according to his years he shall repay him the price of his
redemption. 53 He shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall
not rule with rigor over him in your sight. 54 And if he is not redeemed in
these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee—he and his
children with him. 55 For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they
are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your
God.
Read Leviticus 25
Isaiah 61:1-11
The Good News of Salvation
1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the
prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To
console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of
joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That
they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He
may be glorified.” 4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise
up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The
desolations of many generations. 5 Strangers shall stand and feed your
flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your
vinedressers. 6 But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, They shall
call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast. 7 Instead of your shame you shall have
double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be
theirs. 8 “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting
covenant. 9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their
offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, That
they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.” 10 I will greatly rejoice
in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with
the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself
with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden
causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will
cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Luke 4:16-21
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom
was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17
And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the
book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has
sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And
recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 Then He closed the book,
and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were
in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today
this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Good News of Salvation
1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the
prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To
console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of
joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That
they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He
may be glorified.”
Thursday - “The Day of Vengeance of Our God” (Isa. 61:2, NRSV)
Isaiah 61:2
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of
our God; To comfort all who mourn,
Read Isaiah 61
Luke 4:19
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Luke 4:21
21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your
hearing.”
Read Matthew 24
Read Mark 13,
Read Luke 21
Joel 2:31
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before
the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
Malachi 4:5
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the Lord.
Read Revelation 19
Daniel 2:44, 45
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom
which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other
people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of
the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the
bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to
the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its
interpretation is sure.”
Matthew 5:39
39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on
your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
Matthew 8:12
12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15
15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what
is good both for yourselves and for all.
2 Thessalonians 1:8
8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on
those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Friday: Further Study
Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 236-240.
Chapter 24—“Is Not This the Carpenter’s Son?”
This chapter is based on Luke 4:16-30.
Across the bright days of Christ’s ministry in Galilee, one shadow lay. The
people of Nazareth rejected Him. “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” they
said. During His childhood and youth, Jesus had worshiped among His brethren
in the synagogue at Nazareth. Since the opening of His ministry He had been
absent from them, but they had not been ignorant of what had befallen Him.
As He again appeared among them, their interest and expectation were excited
to the highest pitch. Here were the familiar forms and faces of those whom
He had known from infancy. Here were His mother, His brothers and sisters,
and all eyes were turned upon Him as He entered the synagogue upon the
Sabbath day, and took His place among the worshipers. In the regular service
for the day, the elder read from the prophets, and exhorted the people still
to hope for the Coming One, who would bring in a glorious reign, and banish
all oppression. He sought to encourage his hearers by rehearsing the
evidence that the Messiah’s coming was near. He described the glory of His
advent, keeping prominent the thought that He would appear at the head of
armies to deliver Israel. When a rabbi was present at the synagogue, he was
expected to deliver the sermon, and any Israelite might give the reading
from the prophets. Upon this Sabbath Jesus was requested to take part in the
service. He “stood up to read. And there was delivered unto Him a roll of
the prophet Isaiah.” Luke 4:16, 17, R. V., margin. The scripture which He
read was one that was understood as referring to the Messiah: “The Spirit of
the Lord is upon Me, Because He 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, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” “And He closed
the roll, and gave it back to the attendant: ... and the eyes of all in the
synagogue were fastened on Him.... And all bare Him witness, and wondered at
the words of grace which proceeded out of His mouth.” Luke 4:20-22, R. V.,
margin. Jesus stood before the people as a living expositor of
the prophecies concerning Himself. Explaining the words He had read, He
spoke of the Messiah as a reliever of the oppressed, a liberator of
captives, a healer of the afflicted, restoring sight to the blind, and
revealing to the world the light of truth. His impressive manner and the
wonderful import of His words thrilled the hearers with a power they had
never felt before. The tide of divine influence broke every barrier
down; like Moses, they beheld the Invisible. As their hearts were moved
upon by the Holy Spirit, they responded with fervent amens and praises
to the Lord. But when Jesus announced, “This day is this
scripture fulfilled in your ears,” they were suddenly recalled to think of
themselves, and of the claims of Him who had been addressing them. They,
Israelites, children of Abraham, had been represented as in bondage. They
had been addressed as prisoners to be delivered from the power of evil; as
in darkness, and needing the light of truth. Their pride was offended, and
their fears were roused. The words of Jesus indicated that His work for them
was to be altogether different from what they desired. Their deeds might be
investigated too closely. Notwithstanding their exactness in outward
ceremonies, they shrank from inspection by those clear, searching eyes. Who
is this Jesus? they questioned. He who had claimed for Himself the glory of
the Messiah was the son of a carpenter, and had worked at His trade with His
father Joseph. They had seen Him toiling up and down the hills, they were
acquainted with His brothers and sisters, and knew His life and labors. They
had seen Him develop from childhood to youth, and from youth to manhood.
Although His life had been spotless, they would not believe that He was the
Promised One. What a contrast between His teaching in regard to the new
kingdom and that which they had heard from their elder! Jesus had said
nothing of delivering them from the Romans. They had heard of His miracles,
and had hoped that His power would be exercised for their advantage, but
they had seen no indication of such purpose. As they opened the door to
doubt, their hearts became so much the harder for having been momentarily
softened. Satan was determined that blind eyes should not that day be
opened, nor souls bound in slavery be set at liberty. With intense energy he
worked to fasten them in unbelief. They made no account of the sign already
given, when they had been stirred by the conviction that it was their
Redeemer who addressed them. But Jesus now gave them an evidence of His
divinity by revealing their secret thoughts. “He said unto them, Doubtless
ye will say unto Me this parable, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we
have heard done at Capernaum, do also here in Thine own country. And He
said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is acceptable in his own country.
But of a truth I say unto you, There were many widows in Israel in the days
of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when
there came a great famine over all the land; and unto none of them was
Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that
was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the
prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman, the Syrian.” Luke
4:23-27, R. V. By this relation of events in the lives of the prophets,
Jesus met the questionings of His hearers. The servants whom God had chosen
for a special work were not allowed to labor for a hardhearted and
unbelieving people. But those who had hearts to feel and faith to believe
were especially favored with evidences of His power through the prophets. In
the days of Elijah, Israel had departed from God. They clung to their sins,
and rejected the warnings of the Spirit through the Lord’s messengers. Thus
they cut themselves off from the channel by which God’s blessing could come
to them. The Lord passed by the homes of Israel, and found a refuge for His
servant in a heathen land, with a woman who did not belong to the chosen
people. But this woman was favored because she had followed the light she
had received, and her heart was open to the greater light that God sent her
through His prophet. It was for the same reason that in Elisha’s time the
lepers of Israel were passed by. But Naaman, a heathen nobleman, had been
faithful to his convictions of right, and had felt his great need of help.
He was in a condition to receive the gifts of God’s grace. He was not only
cleansed from his leprosy, but blessed with a knowledge of the true God. Our
standing before God depends, not upon the amount of light we have received,
but upon the use we make of what we have. Thus even the heathen who choose
the right as far as they can distinguish it are in a more favorable
condition than are those who have had great light, and profess to serve God,
but who disregard the light, and by their daily life contradict their
profession. The words of Jesus to His hearers in the synagogue struck at the
root of their self-righteousness, pressing home upon them the bitter truth
that they had departed from God and forfeited their claim to be His people.
Every word cut like a knife as their real condition was set before them.
They now scorned the faith with which Jesus had at first inspired them. They
would not admit that He who had sprung from poverty and lowliness was other
than a common man. Their unbelief bred malice. Satan controlled them, and in
wrath they cried out against the Saviour. They had turned from Him whose
mission it was to heal and restore; now they manifested the attributes of
the destroyer. When Jesus referred to the blessings given to the Gentiles,
the fierce national pride of His hearers was aroused, and His words were
drowned in a tumult of voices. These people had prided themselves on keeping
the law; but now that their prejudices were offended, they were ready to
commit murder. The assembly broke up, and laying hands upon Jesus, they
thrust Him from the synagogue, and out of the city. All seemed eager for His
destruction. They hurried Him to the brow of a precipice, intending to cast
Him down headlong. Shouts and maledictions filled the air. Some were casting
stones at Him, when suddenly He disappeared from among them. The heavenly
messengers who had been by His side in the synagogue were with Him in the
midst of that maddened throng. They shut Him in from His enemies, and
conducted Him to a place of safety. So angels protected Lot, and led him out
safely from the midst of Sodom. So they protected Elisha in the little
mountain city. When the encircling hills were filled with the horses and
chariots of the king of Syria, and the great host of his armed men, Elisha
beheld the nearer hill slopes covered with the armies of God,—horses and
chariots of fire round about the servant of the Lord.
Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, p. 3, quoting Review and
Herald, March 8, 1881.
The Law of God the Standard of True Sanctification
Text: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your
whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Sanctification is obtained
only in obedience to the will of God. Many who are willfully trampling upon
the law of Jehovah, claim holiness of heart and sanctification of life. But
they have not a saving knowledge of God or of his law. They are standing in
the ranks of the great rebel. He is at war with the law of God, which is the
foundation of the divine government in Heaven and in the earth. These men
are doing the same work as their master has done in seeking to make of none
effect God’s holy law. No commandment-breaker can be permitted to enter
Heaven; for he who was once a pure and exalted covering cherub, was thrust
out for rebelling against the government of God. With many, sanctification
is only self-righteousness. And yet these persons boldly claim Jesus as
their Saviour and sanctifier. What a delusion! Will the Son of God sanctify
the transgressor of the Father’s law,—that law which Christ came to exalt
and make honorable? He testifies,“I have kept my Father’s commandments.” God
will not bring his law down to meet the imperfect standard of man; and man
cannot meet the demands of that holy law without exercising repentance
toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. “If any man sin, we have
an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” But God has not
given his Son to a life of suffering and ignominy and a shameful death to
release man from obedience to the divine law. So great is the deceptive
power of Satan, that many have been led to regard the atonement of Christ as
of no real value. Christ died because there was no other hope for the
transgressor. He might try to keep God’s law in the future; but the debt
which he had incurred in the past remained, and the law must condemn him to
death. Christ came to pay that debt for the sinner which it was impossible
for him to pay for himself. Thus, through the atoning sacrifice of Christ,
sinful man was granted another trial. It is the sophistry of Satan that the
death of Christ brought in grace to take the place of the law. The death of
Jesus did not change, or annul, or lessen in the slightest degree, the law
of ten commandments. That precious grace offered to men through a Saviour’s
blood, establishes the law of God. Since the fall of man, God’s moral
government and his grace are inseparable. They go hand in hand through all
dispensations. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace
have kissed each other.” Jesus, our substitute, consented to bear for man
the penalty of the law transgressed. He clothed his divinity with humanity,
and thus became the Son of man, a Saviour and Redeemer. The very fact of the
death of God’s dear Son to redeem man, shows the immutability of the divine
law. How easily, from the transgressor’s standpoint, could God have
abolished his law, thus providing a way whereby men could be saved, and
Christ remain in Heaven! The doctrine which teaches freedom, through grace,
to break the law, is a fatal delusion. Every transgressor of God’s law is a
sinner, and none can be sanctified while living in known sin. The
condescension and agony of God’s dear Son were not endured to purchase for
man liberty to transgress the Father’s law and yet sit down with Christ in
his throne. It was that through his merits, and the exercise of repentance
and faith, the most guilty sinner might receive pardon, and obtain strength
to live a life of obedience. The sinner is not saved in his sins, but from
his sins. The soul must first be convicted of sin, before the sinner will
feel a desire to come to Christ. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” “I
had not known sin but by the law.” When the commandment came home to Saul’s
conscience, sin revived, and he died. He saw himself condemned by the law of
God. The sinner cannot be convinced of his guilt, unless he understands what
constitutes sin. It is impossible for an individual to experience Bible
sanctification while he holds that if he believes in Christ it is immaterial
whether he obeys God’s law or disobeys it. Those who profess to keep the law
of God, and yet at heart are indulging in sin, are condemned by the True
Witness. They claim to be rich in a knowledge of the truth; but they are not
in harmony with its sacred principles. The truth does not sanctify their
lives. God’s word declares that the professed commandment-keeper whose life
contradicts his faith, is blind, wretched, poor, and naked. God’s law is the
mirror presenting a complete reflection of the man as he is, and holding up
before him the correct likeness. Some will turn away and forget this
picture, while others will employ abusive epithets against the law, as
though this would cure their defects of character. Still others who are
condemned by the law will repent of their transgressions, and, through faith
in Christ’s merits, will perfect Christian character. The whole world is
guilty in God’s sight of transgressing his law. Because the great majority
will continue to transgress, and thus remain at enmity with God, is no
reason why none should confess themselves guilty and become obedient. To a
superficial observer, persons who are naturally amiable, who are educated
and refined, may appear perfect in life. “Man looketh on the outward
appearance; but the Lord looketh on the heart.” Unless the life-giving
truths of God’s word, when presented to the conscience, are understandingly
received, and then faithfully carried out in the life, no man can see the
kingdom of Heaven. To some, these truths have a charm because of their
novelty, but are not accepted as the word of God. Those who do not receive
the light when it is brought before them, will be condemned by it. In every
congregation in the land there are souls unsatisfied, hungering and
thirsting for salvation. By day and by night, the burden of their hearts is,
What shall I do to be saved? They listen eagerly to popular discourses,
hoping to learn how they may be justified before God. But too often they
hear only a pleasing speech, an eloquent declamation. There are sad and
disappointed hearts in every religious gathering. The minister tells his
hearers that they cannot keep the law of God. “It is not binding upon man in
our day,” he says. “You must believe in Christ; he will save you; only
believe.” Thus he teaches them to make feeling their criterion, and gives
them no intelligent faith. That minister may profess to be very sincere; but
he is seeking to quiet the troubled conscience with a false hope. Many are
led to think that they are on the road to Heaven, because they profess to
believe in Christ, while they reject the law of God. But they will find at
last that they were on the way to perdition, instead of Heaven. Spiritual
poison is sugar-coated with the doctrine of sanctification, and administered
to the people. Thousands eagerly swallow it, feeling that if they are only
honest in their belief they will be safe. But sincerity will not convert
error to truth. A man may swallow poison, thinking it is food; but his
sincerity will not save him from the effects of the dose. God has given us
his word to be our guide. Christ has said, “Search the Scriptures; for in
them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.”
He prayed for his disciples, “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is
truth.” Paul says, “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many
things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” But this belief did not
make his course right. When Paul received the gospel of Jesus Christ, it
made him a new creature. He was transformed; the truth was planted in his
soul, and gave him such faith and courage as a follower of Christ that no
opposition could move him, no suffering daunt him. Men may make what excuse
they please for their rejection of God’s law; but no excuse will be accepted
in the day of Judgment. Those who are contending with God, and strengthening
their guilty souls in transgression, must very soon meet the great Lawgiver
over his broken law. The day of God’s vengeance cometh,—the day
of the fierceness of his wrath. Who will abide the day of his coming?
Men have hardened their hearts against the Spirit of God; but the arrows
of his wrath will pierce where the arrows of conviction could not. God
will not far hence arise to deal with the sinner. Will the false
shepherd shield the transgressor in that day? Can he be excused who went
with the multitude in the path of disobedience? Will popularity or
numbers make any guiltless? These are questions which the careless and
indifferent should consider and settle for themselves.
Matthew 24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a
witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.