The Desire of Ages--5--The Dedication

[Pastor Sean Brizendine]

Amen, Sister Dorine and Brother Beacon!

Love Jesus. Be happy in surrender to Him in affectionate obedience. Let Him live out His life in you. He gives us a new heart and a new mind as we behold His loveliness of character, and in continual union and communion with Him He imbues us with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing!

"'That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.' In the light of the Saviour's life, the hearts of all, even from the Creator to the prince of darkness, are revealed. Satan has represented God as selfish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving nothing, as requiring the service of His creatures for His own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good. But the gift of Christ reveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are 'thoughts of peace, and not of evil.' Jeremiah 29:11. It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me." {The Desire of Ages, page 57, paragraph 1} 

Let us abide in Christ continually and learn how to be more like Jesus day by day!

[Dorine]

"The offerings presented to the Lord were to be without blemish. These offerings represented Christ, and from this it is evident that Jesus Himself was free from physical deformity. He was the "lamb without blemish and without spot." 1 Peter 1:19. His physical structure was not marred by any defect; His body was strong and healthy. And throughout His lifetime He lived in conformity to nature's laws. Physically as well as spiritually, He was an example of what God designed all humanity to be through obedience to His laws."

As we look to Jesus He reveals blemishes in our lives that need surrendering, healing and purifying. He patiently and gently works in our hearts to bring us into conformity to His will so that we may become living sacrifices acceptable to God. When we make an earnest, humble effort to obey, He instantly provides the power and help needed. How many souls are suffering because they do not understand this? We have a testimony to give and a hope to share with them.

[Beacon]

"Throughout His lifetime Jesus lived in conformity to nature's laws. Physically as well as spiritually, He was an example of what God designed all humanity to be through obedience to His laws... No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift.

The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save.

Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these gifts are for man to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven.

His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.

So the call today from our heavenly Father and from Jesus is the same as it has been from the beginning " Chose ye this day whom ye will serve. "  We are Free Moral Agents. God does not force anyone to serve Him...but He has the yearning heart of a father and He has done all that can be done to make provision to save us from eternal destruction.  WHAT WILL OUR RESPONSE BE??

[Philip T]

 "That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." In the light of the Saviour's life, the hearts of all, even from the Creator to the prince of darkness, are revealed. Satan has represented God as selfish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving nothing, as requiring the service of His creatures for His own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good. But the gift of Christ reveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are "thoughts of peace, and not of evil." Jeremiah 29:11. It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.

In Christ life on earth and death on the cross we see God's hatred for sin.  "All men sin and fall short of the glory of God." Yet God loved man so much that his he sent his Son to die for us showing his love for man is greater than his hatred for sin. What a loving and kind God we serve, how can we not love and be obedient to Him with such love being manifested towards us.

[Pastor Sean Brizendine]

Amen, Sister Dorine and Brother Beacon! And Brother Philip, in you comment you shared how "All men sin and fall short of the glory of God," which is very close to the Scripture which says that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Thankfully, Jesus disproved Satan's charge that the law cannot be obeyed, for Jesus as a man never sinned by the grace offered to us in the word of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit. May we know that even though our past life is faulty, Christ will impute and impart His righteousness to us so He can keep us from falling into sin and reveal all of the fruits of the Spirit through us with out one missing! Then obedience which comes from loving and knowing God is our highest delight!

  "'That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.' In the light of the Saviour's life, the hearts of all, even from the Creator to the prince of darkness, are revealed. Satan has represented God as selfish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving nothing, as requiring the service of His creatures for His own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good. But the gift of Christ reveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are 'thoughts of peace, and not of evil.' Jeremiah 29:11. It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me." {The Desire of Ages, page 57, paragraph 1}

Let us walk in true happiness in obedience today in doing God's will!

[Pastor Sean Brizendine]

Where is the greatest happiness to be found in this life and in the life to come? It is found in knowing and loving God! All God's invitations are really for our best good, and we can trust Him to lead us continually! "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:37-39). When Jesus was dedicated by His parents, Simeon prophesied of what would take place, and we can be thankful that God offered His Son to implant the love He calls us to render back to Him! Only by love is love awakened!

"That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." In the light of the Saviour's life, the hearts of all, even from the Creator to the prince of darkness, are revealed. Satan has represented God as selfish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving nothing, as requiring the service of His creatures for His own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good. But the gift of Christ reveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are "thoughts of peace, and not of evil." Jeremiah 29:11. It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me. 

Let us behold the loveliness of Jesus, believe fully upon Him, yield continually our whole heart to Him, and let Him cleanse us from all sin by His atoning blood as we humbly confess to Him our sins in true repentance. Then as the Holy Spirit renews our souls, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be seen in our lives, and we can be a blessing to others for Christ as we walk in willing obedience to God's law of love!

[Dorine]

....."These humble worshipers had not studied the prophecies in vain. But those who held positions as rulers and priests in Israel, though they too had before them the precious utterances of prophecy, were not walking in the way of the Lord, and their eyes were not open to behold the Light of life.     

So it is still. Events upon which the attention of all heaven is centered are undiscerned, their very occurrence is unnoticed, by religious leaders, and worshipers in the house of God. Men acknowledge Christ in history, while they turn away from the living Christ. Christ in His word calling to self-sacrifice, in the poor and suffering who plead for relief, in the righteous cause that involves poverty and toil and reproach, is no more readily received today than He was eighteen hundred years ago."

May we go forth today to greet the world with the joy of Jesus in our hearts. No matter what adversity we might be facing He is there and will see us through as we continually keep our focus on Him. This will be a stronger witness to the power of God available to all who receive Him than many sermons preached.

[Philip T]

After sending this judgment upon Egypt, the Lord said to Moses, "Sanctify unto Me all the first-born, . . . both of man and of beast: it is Mine;" "for on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast: Mine shall they be: I am the Lord." Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:13. After the tabernacle service was established, the Lord chose the tribe of Levi in the place of the first-born of all Israel to minister in the sanctuary. But the first-born were still to be regarded as the Lord's, and were to be bought back by a ransom.
     Thus the law for the presentation of the first-born was made particularly significant. While it was a memorial of the Lord's wonderful deliverance of the children of Israel, it prefigured a greater deliverance, to be wrought out by the only-begotten Son of God. As the blood sprinkled on the doorposts had saved the first-born of Israel, so the blood of Christ has power to save the world.

This statement is powerful, The blood put on the doorpost and Lentil represented Christ blood spilled on Calvary and saved the first born of Israel, so the blood shed on Calvary saves every repentant sinner today.  That is every repentant sinner in the world. We need to surrender all to Jesus, Letting His love flow in and threw us to those around us.

[Beacon]

""Jesus was an example of what God designed all humanity to be through obedience to His laws No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift."

"The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save."

Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, God the Father gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these gifts are for man to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven.

"His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me."

So the call today from our heavenly Father and from Jesus is the same as it has been from the beginning " Chose ye this day whom ye will serve. "  We are Free Moral Agents. God does not force anyone to serve Him...but He has the yearning heart of a father and has done all that can be done to make provision to save us from eternal destruction.

WHAT WILL "OUR" RESPONSE BE??

[Richard Myers]

Amen Brother Beacon, favor upon favor, gift upon gift!! Yes, He loves us more than we know!!

Amen Brother Philip! The blood of Jesus will cleans us from all sin if we truly repent. And that repentance is a gift from God's grace. And, we also see here, that there are false teachers among us who teach that God does not destroy. He destroyed all of the first born of Egypt.

Amen Sister Dorine, the wise will understand! Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. In the temple the Son of God was dedicated to the work He had come to do. The priest looked upon Him as he would upon any other child. But though he neither saw nor felt anything unusual, God's act in giving His Son to the world was acknowledged. This occasion did not pass without some recognition of Christ. "There was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ." 

What Pastor Sean has shared impressed me also. "That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." In the light of the Saviour's life, the hearts of all, even from the Creator to the prince of darkness, are revealed.

It was the coming of Christ that revealed the hearts of both those who were evil and those who were sanctified.

[Pastor Sean Brizendine]

Happy Sabbath!! What a joy to receive true happiness from Jesus! Looking to Him, surrendering to Him, abiding in Him, we will find the true source of happiness--His presence in our souls! When Christ abides within us, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be manifest--not one missing! As love leads to affectionate obedience to God's law, we will gladly obey the law of God from a heart renewed by the Holy Spirit up to every known statute of His truth! What a joy to grow more like Jesus and point others to Him!

"'That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.' In the light of the Saviour's life, the hearts of all, even from the Creator to the prince of darkness, are revealed. Satan has represented God as selfish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving nothing, as requiring the service of His creatures for His own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good. But the gift of Christ reveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are 'thoughts of peace, and not of evil.' Jeremiah 29:11. It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me." {The Desire of Ages, page 57, paragraph 1}

Christ is willing to live out His life in you, and make you a true witness of His character! Will you let Jesus do in and through you what He so longs to to? Surrender all and cooperate with Him by the Holy Spirit to taste and see that He is truly good!

[Dorine]

"By the life and the death of Christ, the thoughts of men also are brought to view. From the manger to the cross, the life of Jesus was a call to self-surrender, and to fellowship in suffering. It unveiled the purposes of men. Jesus came with the truth of heaven, and all who were listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit were drawn to Him. The worshipers of self belonged to Satan's kingdom. In their attitude toward Christ, all would show on which side they stood. And thus everyone passes judgment on himself."

We may recoil at the thought of being part of putting Christ to death but when we sin we are just as guilty as those who drove the nails in our Saviour's hands and feet. But God in His great mercy will forgive and deliver us from evil if we give Him our whole hearts. As we interact with others we are revealing to them who we represent. Do our attitudes show that we stand on the side of Jesus? Spending this thoughtful hour each day with Jesus brings us into harmony with Him and He produces in us the beautiful fruits of the Spirit that draw souls to Jesus.

[Beacon]

"The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me."

It is with great joy we celebrate another wonderful Sabbath day according to God's command, rejoicing in Jesus, His greatest gift to mankind 

John 3: 16,17 says....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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

[Dorine]

  "That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." In the light of the Saviour's life, the hearts of all, even from the Creator to the prince of darkness, are revealed. Satan has represented God as selfish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving nothing, as requiring the service of His creatures for His own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good. But the gift of Christ reveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are "thoughts of peace, and not of evil." Jeremiah 29:11. It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death. Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift. The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me."

Why would anyone believe the lies of Satan? What has he done for the happiness of man? What sacrifice has he made to bring comfort and joy to humanity? Does he fulfill any promise he makes for the betterment of man? Yet the world listens to his accusations against our God, the only true God that went to the cross so that each one of us may have eternal life if we so choose. He does not force. He allows us to weigh the evidence and decide for ourselves who we will serve. What a gentle, loving, precious Saviour we serve and our greatest happiness is in loving Him.

[Pastor Sean Brizendine]

Amen, Sister Dorine!

Do you want to be happy? Love Jesus!! How? By beholding Jesus and trusting Him!

Remember that for all of us, happiness is the result of holiness and conforming our will to God's will!

It is like Jesus is saying right to our human family: "His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me." {The Desire of Ages, page 57, paragraph 1}

We can love Jesus with the whole heart as we yield the whole heart to Him! Then He fills us with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing as we go where He leads us to go in the path of life!

[Beacon]

"The gift of Christ reveals the Father's heart. It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are 'thoughts of peace, and not of evil.' Jeremiah 29:11. It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death."

"Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work. No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift.

The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save.

"Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven."

"His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me."[/b]

Today Jesus is once again knocking on the door of our hearts. He has done "ALL" that He can to show us Mercy, Grace and Forgiveness!!

What will my answer, your answer be??

1
Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
    Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
Open my eyes, illumine me,
    Spirit Divine!
2
Open my ears that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.
3
Open my mouth and let me bear
Tidings of mercy everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.
4
Open my mind that I may read
More of Thy love in word and deed;
What shall I fear while yet Thou dost lead?
Only for light from Thee I plead.

Words and Music by Clara H. Scott

[Richard Myers]

Amen my dear friends!! 

Our greatest happiness will be found in loving Him!

The whole treasury of heaven is open to those He seeks to save. Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man. Use these gifts to convince him that there is no love greater than Mine in earth or heaven. His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.

His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.

"His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me."

His greatest happiness will be found in loving Me.

[Beacon]

"Satan has represented God as selfish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving nothing, as requiring the service of His creatures for His own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good."

"But the gift of Christ reveals the Father's heart."

"It testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are "thoughts of peace, and not of evil." Jeremiah 29:11."

"It declares that while God's hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death."

"Having undertaken our redemption, He will spare nothing, however dear, which is necessary to the completion of His work.

"No truth essential to our salvation is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine agency is left unemployed. Favor is heaped upon favor, gift upon gift."

What greater gift could God the father give us than Jesus? Do we really think about the sacrifice involved!! As we begin this new year, let us once again take time for Spiritual Introspection and humbly ask Jesus to help us have deeper, closer, walk with Him so that others, along with us, may be drawn more fully to the foot of the cross.

    All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
    I surrender all,
  I surrender all.
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
    I surrender all.
2
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
3
All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
4
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
5
All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory to His name!

Lyrics:Judson W. Van de Venter (1855-1939)
Music:Winfield Scott Weeden (1847-1908

[Richard Myers]

Amen dear brother! God has given to us His Son! And, He has given to us the truth. And He loves sinners with a love stronger than death. He who loves the truth will love Jesus with the whole heart. Jesus came to remove the rubbish that surrounded the truth and to call us to surrender all. All who do so will glory in tribulation knowing that tribulation will work for our good and God's glory.

     By the life and the death of Christ, the thoughts of men also are brought to view. From the manger to the cross, the life of Jesus was a call to self-surrender, and to fellowship in suffering. It unveiled the purposes of men. Jesus came with the truth of heaven, and all who were listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit were drawn to Him. The worshipers of self belonged to Satan's kingdom. In their attitude toward Christ, all would show on which side they stood. And thus everyone passes judgment on himself.
     In the day of final judgment, every lost soul will understand the nature of his own rejection of truth. The cross will be presented, and its real bearing will be seen by every mind that has been blinded by transgression. Before the vision of Calvary with its mysterious Victim, sinners will stand condemned. Every lying excuse will be swept away. Human apostasy will appear in its heinous character. Men will see what their choice has been. Every question of truth and error in the long-standing controversy will then have been made plain. In the judgment of the universe, God will stand clear of blame for the existence or continuance of evil. It will be demonstrated that the divine decrees are not accessory to sin. There was no defect in God's government, no cause for disaffection. When the thoughts of all hearts shall be revealed, both the loyal and the rebellious will unite in declaring, "Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? . . . for Thy judgments are made manifest." Revelation 15:3, 4. 

[Dorine]

"These humble worshipers had not studied the prophecies in vain. But those who held positions as rulers and priests in Israel, though they too had before them the precious utterances of prophecy, were not walking in the way of the Lord, and their eyes were not open to behold the Light of life."

God can not give light to a selfish heart for the heart is focused on self not Christ. As we behold Him, meditate on His word and pray earnestly for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are changed in character and prepared to receive all that the Lord desires to do for us and in us. Our lives will reveal all the fruits of the Spirit which is a witness to true conversion.