May 17, 1892

The Work of God to Believe in Christ

EGW

“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” This was the question that was asked of Jesus by those who had witnessed his divine power in feeding the multitudes. But the question meant, What shall we do that we may deserve heaven? What is the price that we are required to pay that we may obtain the life to come? Now mark the answer of Jesus, for it is essential that we understand the truth he uttered. “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” The price of heaven is Jesus. The way to heaven is through faith in “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” Those who would be saved must accept by faith the righteousness of Christ; and when they do this, they will work the works of God.RH May 17, 1892, par. 1

But the people did not choose to receive this plain statement of divine truth. Unbelief manifested itself; for they had seen evidences of the divinity of Christ, they still refused to walk in the light of heaven, and hardened their hearts against the Son of God. They asked, “What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? What dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.”RH May 17, 1892, par. 2

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they “strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.... It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The question comes home to us today, Are we eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God? It is by beholding the love of Christ, by drinking it in, by dwelling upon it, that we eat his flesh and drink his blood, becoming partakers of the divine nature. As we meditate upon the truth as it is in Jesus, it becomes more deeply impressed upon the soul. “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” It is through the ministry of the word that the saints are to be perfected. But what does it mean, that there is so low a standard of piety among those who profess to be followers of Christ? Are the people fed upon the words of Christ? Are the messengers satisfied with preaching a discourse, and leaving the work of ministering to whoever may be inclined to do it? There is earnest work to do out of the desk as well as in it. The sermon may arouse the conscience, but will not the labor be lost if the soul is left to settle down into the same state of indifference as before the words were spoken? The messenger is to speak as moved by the Spirit of God, and then he must come close to souls through personal labor, and guide the conscience, and fasten the truth in a sure place. The minister has a work to do in the home circle, teaching the members of the family concerning the great love wherewith God hath loved us, that they may know what it is to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God. When the heart of the messenger is warmed with the love of Jesus, he will have a message to give that will be as a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death. He will not then feel that his responsibility is over when he leaves the desk, for if he is a heaven-sent messenger, the truth will be in him as fire shut up in his bones, and he will continually be seeking to enlighten those who are ignorant of what Jesus is to them, of what they are to Jesus. He will teach them that the only way to reach the heaven above is to cling to Jesus, mounting step by step to the heights of Christ.RH May 17, 1892, par. 3

Those whom God has appointed to become instructors of the ignorant, must know by personal experience what it is to have Christ made unto them wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. But let no soul imagine that the gaining of eternal life through the finished work of Christ, will involve no struggle, no conflict. The apostle declares, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” We are continually to be found fighting the good fight of faith. We are to behold Christ, to study his character in the light of his word with fervent prayer, dwelling upon his attributes and virtues, until we shall become changed into his image. There is no time to halt upon the ladder of progress. The command is to go forward, looking to God who is above the ladder. To look back is to become dizzy, to relax your hold, to lose all, to fall back into darkness. You must keep hold on Christ your Mediator, ascending step by step, changing from glory to glory, from character to character, as by the Spirit of the Lord. Stretch up the hand of faith, taking hold of one line after another in the work of the Redeemer. You are not to wait till you know it all before you begin to communicate to others, you are not to think that you have attained all that belongs to the work of the minister, when you can preach a discourse; but set your standard high, seek to become a minister of the word, teaching the soul precept upon precept, line upon line of divine truth. Seek to enlighten the minds of the seekers after truth by giving them clear and definite explanations in the home circle, in the prayer-meeting, and from the pulpit. Instead of spending all the time in sermonizing, open your Bible, and invite the people to engage with you in studying its precious truths. Let those who desire, ask questions concerning that which they do not comprehend, that the plan of salvation may be more clearly revealed to their minds. Plant the feet of all that you possibly can, one step after another upon the divine ladder, reaching from earth to heaven. Lift up Jesus, lift him up as the only One whereby men can be saved. Then will the truth you present become the power of God unto salvation.RH May 17, 1892, par. 4

It is a perilous thing for the minister to become careless in his thoughts and actions; as surely as he does, he will become inefficient. I appeal to those who minister in the sacred desk, to put into practice that which you already know from the messages which God has given you, to warn, to instruct, and to encourage you. Confess your coldness, and let the warmth of the love of Christ, the beams of the Sun of righteousness, into your heart. If your hearts are filled with the message of God, if mercy and peace and righteousness are yours, if you feel that eternal vigilance is the price of your safety, your influence will be after the character of your experience, and others will follow in your footsteps. They will do as you do. It is your privilege to experience the completeness of salvation in Christ. Jesus is your only hope. You are to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. You are to follow on to know the Lord, whose goings forth are prepared as the morning. You are to be raised up to sit together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. All that is written concerning the spiritual life is written for you, and may be attained through uniting yourself to Jesus. If you will leave the world, and abandon your former ignorance, pressing on for more and more of the grace of Christ, you may have his guidance continually, and at every step diminish the distance between your soul and God, and be found in him, not having your own righteousness, but the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ. If you love Jesus, you will show it by your love to those for whom he has died. If your zeal is languishing, your first love grown cold, accept again of the proffered love of Christ. Eat of Christ's flesh, drink of his blood, and you will become one with the Father and with the Son.RH May 17, 1892, par. 5

If you will but improve upon the light that has already been given you, the Lord will send you more light by whom he will send; but you are too easily satisfied, you do not push forward your investigations into all the lines of truth that have been given of God. When a message comes to you, bearing the signet of heaven, you rejoice in the light, but fail to receive the full blessing of God, because you do not sink the shaft deeper into the mines of truth. You think that the subject has been exhausted, when it has scarcely begun to unfold. When you present the truth to others, you make the same mistake; for when a certain impression has been made, you imagine that the object of the work has been reached, when the plowshare of truth has only stirred the surface of the fallow ground of the heart. You think that when the good emotions are manifested, when the earnest resolves are expressed, that the work is done; but you are to watch for souls as they who must give an account, and see that the heart is sanctified, that the character is being molded after the divine model.RH May 17, 1892, par. 6

(Concluded next week.)