Wednesday July 1
Faithfulness to Christ’s Command
Loyalty to Christ requires a commitment to do His will. It necessitates obedience to His commands. It results in a heart that beats with His heart in saving the lost. It places priority on the things that He prioritizes.
Read 1 Timothy 2:3, 4 and 2 Peter 3:9.
2:3 For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
What do these passages tell us about the heart of God? What is His priority?
His priority from what we understand in Scripture is to set the universe on a secure foundation. He promises when it is done, affliction shall not arise a second time. We play a central part in fulfilling that promise. So far, as a people we have not cooperated with God and have delayed the second coming of Christ. The suffering of the world can be laid at our feet since at least 1888. Jesus cannot come until the church can go through a time of trouble such as never was without a Mediator, and without sinning. When have you read that having printed on our presses or preached from our pulpits? Then, that is the problem. We are holding things up. There is a work to do in the church before God can bring in the multitude who are seeking salvation.
God is passionate about saving people. There is nothing more important to Him. It is His earnest desire that “all” be saved and “come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Pet. 3:9. Commenting on this passage, The SDA Bible Commentary indicates that the Greek word used for “willing” is boulomai, which expresses “the inclination of mind, as ‘to want’ or ‘to desire’”. The commentary then makes this insightful observation on the little word but. The Greek word for “but” is alla. It is used here “to emphasize the contrast between the misinterpretation of God’s nature, namely, that He might be willing for some to perish, and the truth that He wishes all to be saved”. — The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 615. Christ’s command for each one of us to participate in His mission as witnesses of His love, grace, and truth is an outgrowth of His desire for all humanity to be saved.
Yes, God wants all to be saved, but He is not only willing for some to be lost, He killed every living thing on the Earth except what was in the ark. Most will be lost because they did not accept the salvation offered after the price had been paid. God's character of mercy does not set aside His character of justice. Not only will the lost lose heaven, they will suffer for every sin they ever did. There is such a thing as justice with fire and brimstone, no matter who says otherwise. Thus saith the Lord "their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched" (Isaiah 66:24) until justice is satisfied.
Read Acts 13:47 and compare it to Isaiah 49:6.
13:47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, [saying], I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
To whom did this passage initially apply?
Israel of Old. We read this in verse 49:3: "And said unto me, Thou [art] my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified." Was God glorified by Israel? No, and He cut them off as His people. What does it mean to "glorify God"? "Fear God and give glory to Him" is our responsibility as a people. We are modern day Israel. We have not glorified God. It means that we are to reflect His character. How does God look at us today?
36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not [this] for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
36:23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
How does the apostle Paul use it?
He tells us the Christian Church is to be a light to the world. But, we know that Babylon has failed to do this, therefore we are calling all true believers out of Babylon. But, God is not working mightily to bring these precious souls into His church because many will leave and many are leaving because of the hypocrisy in the church. We do not do as we say.
There are times when an Old Testament prophecy has more than one application. Here the apostle Paul takes a prophecy that referred first to Israel and prophetically to the Messiah (see Isa. 41:8, Isa. 49:6, and Luke 2:32) and applies it to the New Testament church. For the church to neglect or minimize the command of Christ is to fail in the purpose of her existence and miss her prophetic calling to the world.
What are the dangers to the church, even a local church, if it becomes so inwardly focused that it forgets what its purpose is to begin with?
How can the church forget her purpose if she is filled with the Holy Spirit and is teaching always what is written? Why did Israel fail? The teachers, priests, and leaders perverted the truth to the degree that when Jesus came, they knew Him not and put Him on the cross. Poor Peter tried to stop Jesus from going to Jerusalem to suffer and die on the cross. Amazing! After three and a half years of being with Jesus, none of them understand the Lamb had to suffer and die for their sins. Such a deception! So it is today. Satan has had another 2,000 years after Christ was murdered to prepare for us. He has succeeded in deceiving Babylon, and now God's last day church. But, the promise I have shared from Ezekiel reveals that God is going to be glorified by modern day Israel. He is not going to cut His Laodicean Church off as He did Israel of Old. No, He is pouring out living water upon Her. Grace is more than a word, it is the power that transforms sinners into saints. Even the church which is represented by dry, dry, dry bones can live as we read in Ezekiel chapter 37. Let none say that God cannot cleans His church! He can and He will, but not all in the church will be cleansed. Many will be sifted out when the "shaking" comes.
Have you a correct understanding of the Laodicean message? Most do not and believe they are fine just the way they are, when in fact they are not converted and unless they come to repentance will be forever lost. What is this "shaking" that has begun in the church today?
I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen, and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this will cause a shaking among God’s people. The testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance, and all that truly receive it will obey it and be purified. Testimonies for the Church, vol 1, pg 181.
It is the giving of the Laodicean message found in Revelation chapter three. Do not listen to those who interpret the message and pervert its meaning. Read it for yourself. A child can understand it if he wants. Just prayerfully listen to the Words of Jesus spoken to out church today. The preaching of this message is causing a shaking in the church today.
3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Therefore, as our lesson's title says "be ye faithful to Christ's command" not to the perverted teachings of man so rampant in the church today.