Necessity of Abiding in Christ

19. If you had been abiding in Christ, your fruit would have been unto purity and holiness. You would not be self-sufficient, heady, and high-minded, but would have been meek and lowly of heart. You would not be filled with envy, jealousy, evil surmising, strife for supremacy and position, esteeming yourselves more highly than the Lord esteems you. Look at the character of the fruit you have borne these years in the past, and then carefully consider the words of Christ. He says: Ye shall know them “by their fruits.... A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Many of you know that you are not standing in the light of the Sun of Righteousness. Your works are not the works of righteousness, and should you be cut down as an unfruitful tree, you would lose heaven, and the life that measures with the life of God. You are not ready to close up your accounts here. You need to take heed to yourselves, to watch and pray, to educate your thoughts to think of heavenly things, to educate your lips to speak on heavenly themes, to become familiar with the heavenly atmosphere, and be able to teach others that which you have learned of Jesus. Let the mind and soul be drawn to the great center of attraction, ever realizing the truth of Christ's words, “Without me ye can do nothing.” Then will you have more humble views of yourself than you have ever had before.PH152 38.1

20. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Compare your words and works with these words of inspiration, and see if you can be pleased with the comparison. If you had let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, if you had searched the Bible for truth as men seek for hidden treasure, you would have had a precious experience, and as you contemplated the living oracles, daily you would have discovered new beauty in the inspired utterances, and your thoughts and words would have been purified, even as precious metal is purified and refined from dross in the fire of the furnace.PH152 39.1

21. “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi [those to whom are intrusted sacred responsibilities], and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.”PH152 39.2