IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH
John 4:23: “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.”
Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t act to defend the so-called “Holy Sepulcher” Church in Bethlehem (where it is assumed that Christ was born)? And why is Jerusalem, the so-called “City of Peace,” the sore spot in centuries-old wars? And why is the so-called “Holy Land” the world’s focal point of hatred and conflict?
Could it be that God Himself doesn’t regard any idol as “holy”? No place or thing in the world today is “holy,” neither is any man “holy.” God wants us to be totally free of every vestige of idolatry. He doesn’t lift a finger to defend the so-called holiness of any shrine or idol on earth. Jesus said, “The hour is coming when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. . . God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:21, 24). “Thus saith the high and holy One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isa. 57:15). People’s hearts, not places, are to be “sanctified.”
The believing heart welcomes the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. There is therefore a worldwide fellowship of those people who are “of a contrite and humble spirit,” and God works night and day to “revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Wherever they are, their influence radiates peace; they are a new “City of Peace” world-wide.
They are that special group we see in Revelation 7. “Another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God” places God’s seal on these people who welcome His special ministry. They surrender their sinful hearts to “let this mind be in [them] which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). And the very fact that they welcome this “sealing work” makes it possible for “four” special angels to “hold the four winds of the earth” from wreaking havoc “on the earth,” to restrain ethnic hatreds (Rev. 7:1-3). God’s people have an important role to play in world affairs! In them “shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). May we awake to our calling!
Luke 1:46: “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,”
Mary, the mother of Jesus, expressed some Good News that all of us can receive.
The angel Gabriel had just appeared to her, informing her that she was to become the mother of the Messiah.
She said: “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, for He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:47, 48).
The Good News that we can accept is that whenever we see and confess that our “estate” is “low,” the dear Lord “regards” it.
In the case of Mary, the Lord wonderfully exalted her to worldwide, permanent honor.
The Lord does not want us to suffer the pain of being in a “low estate.”
He exalted Mary very highly, and although we may not be so highly exalted, yet it is sure that the Lord will “exalt” us in our little sphere and “give [us] the desires of [our] heart[s]” (Psalm 37:4).
The Lord does not desire us to suffer the privations of sickness, ill health, or poverty; and although we may be called to endure such things for a time, yet we are to cherish the hope and trust that the Lord will relieve our plight, and will “exalt” us appropriately in our place.
“Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4).
That’s a BIG promise!
Now let us learn what it means to “delight” ourselves in the Lord.
Luke 1:49: “For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.”
Luke 1:50: “And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.”
Luke 1:51: “He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”
Luke 1:52: “He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.”
Luke 1:53: “He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.”
“And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Luke 4:5-8).
What do you suppose was the greatest temptation Jesus had to face? You know of course He was tempted—the Bible says “in all points like as we are.” His temptations were real—they bored in to His inmost soul. Well, the greatest temptation He had to face was the temptation to doubt who He was. And if the truth were known, that’s the greatest temptation you have to face also—to doubt who you are.
For example, think back to Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness after His baptism. Three times the wily old enemy, Satan, zeroed in on Him at the deepest core of His being—“if Thou be the Son of God,” command these stones to be bread; “if Thou be the Son of God,” do a hang-glide from the top of the temple tower; “if Thou be the Son of God,” claim the empires of the world as Yours and I’ll give them to You, for they are mine, the devil said; just play ball with me, be reasonable, let’s cooperate. Do you think that was a temptation? “If You are who You think You are”—You have delusions of grandeur like a mental patient who thinks he is Napoleon. Yes, Jesus gained a victory then, but remember that the enemy came back again and again on this point of doubting His real identity as the Son of God.
Finally at the very end, something happened that helped to crystallize it all in Jesus’ mind and heart when Mary washed His feet with tears. He realized that He was the only person in all of world history to be so honored; no one, not even Alexander the Great, had ever had his feet washed with human tears. Yes, Jesus realized, He was the King of kings and Lord of lords. Now He was ready for John 13. At that last supper, He got up, stretched Himself to His full height, laid aside His expensive robe, and knowing fully that He had come from God and went to God, He humbled Himself to wash His disciples’ feet. He could not have done that until He had known for sure, and felt for sure, who He was. He could never have faced the cross until He had that assurance; and even on the cross that last temptation was flung at Him—“if Thou be the Son of God come down from the cross”!
Who are you? Do you know? You cannot be truly humble until you realize your true identity in Christ, redeemed by His blood.
John 4:21: “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.”
The gospel message is truth. Jesus says, “I am the truth” (Jn. 14:6). It’s impossible to believe in Christ and not believe the truth. The Bible sets forth truth. “He who does truth comes to the light” (Jn. 3:21). We must worship the Father in truth (Jn. 4:23, 24). Only the truth can make us free (8:32). But a most significant statement of Jesus is what He said to Pilate: “Everyone that is of the truth hears My voice” (18:37). That is where we derive the phrase, “honest-hearted.” The world will eventually be divided into two groups—those who are “of the truth” and those “who love and make a lie” (Rev. 22:15).
The lost are simply those who “received not the love of the truth” (2 Thess. 2:10, 11). Could it be that God is working behind the scenes in current history to make people aware of the existence of truth in contrast to a lie? There is a truth of the Sabbath, and there is a lie about the Sabbath; there is the truth of justification, and there is a lie about it. Oh God, grant us the gift of a “love of the truth.”
Luke 19:37: “And when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen.”
Luke 19:38: “Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”
Luke 19:39: “And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, Master, rebuke Thy disciples.”
Luke 19:40: “And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
The “disciples” of Jesus did recognize Him in His humanity as the Divine “King” come with ambassadorial credentials “in the name of the Lord” God from on High. The “glory” of God is His agape-love. Christ’s descent from the Mt. of Olives going toward Jerusalem must be publicly proclaimed as the return of Israel’s “glory”. The news must go out. Christ’s ultimate self-sacrifice must not be hidden. It must be there for everyone to “see”.
The drama now to be played out will be whether the Godhead will remain intact. Will the “test” of God-forsakenness which must be met by Jesus “glorify” the agape of the Father; or, will Jesus’ faith succumb to defeat in self-preservation from the ultimate fear of death? If this test of the Godhead cannot be successfully met, then the “peace” of heaven will be shattered, and there will be no peace on earth.
All “peace” on earth flows from the headwaters of all “peace” and harmony within the Godhead. The cross is about to demonstrate that to the earth and the onlookers of the universe.
Matthew 2:11: “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.”
Of what did the “magi” worship consist? True worship proceeds from a heart from which all “idols” have been removed and replaced by God’s love which the Holy Spirit has shed abroad in the heart. In other words, true worship is righteousness by faith. The “gifts” were manifestations or “works” that were motivated by God’s love. The magi had eyes to “see” that God could become an infant in lowly estate and they chose to humble themselves in His presence.
Matthew 9:18: “While He spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped Him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.”
It is truly heartening to see an example of genuine faith from among the “ruling” class. Faith is a heart appreciation for what it cost the Son of God to humble Himself and become a servant to men. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Abraham, their lineal ancestor, did. Thus the Sadducees were no children of Abraham in thus denying his faith. But this “ruler[‘s]” “father” was Abraham. The “ruler” had the faith of Abraham. He believed the words of Christ, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He did not hinder the gift which God gives to every man and that is the capacity to believe that “Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived” (DA 530).
Mark 7:7: “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
There are two main holidays, well three, that are observed by many Christian people who don’t realize that they are encrusted with paganism that goes all the way back to ancient Roman times. One of them is Sunday observance. As its name signifies, it is the ancient day of the week dedicated to the worship of the sun. Jesus observed the seventh-day Sabbath, as did all of His apostles. Another is the day that many think they observe in honor of Christ’s resurrection, forgetting that baptism is the way the Lord commanded us to honor His resurrection. And then there is the day usually celebrated as the birthday of Jesus in Bethlehem. But simple, common reason shows how impossible it would be for Jesus to have been born in late December, because shepherds were camping out in the fields with their flocks—impossible in Bethlehem’s cold, rainy December weather. But what difference does it make? One reason is that worship mixed with paganism is in vain, for Jesus said, “In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mt. 12:9). But another reason is that invariably when we mix pagan customs with Christianity, we end up losing “the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:5), and as soon as we lose “the truth of the gospel,” we lose the salvation that only the gospel can bring (Rom. 1:16).
For example, take the doctrine of purgatory: it’s the pagan doctrine of KARMA which has been brought into the Christian church: you pay for your sins, and that means you can indulge your lust all you want to and still go to heaven simply by paying for those sins by staying a little longer in purgatory. It’s like buying a new Lexus with no payments due until 2012. So, enjoy your lust. No problem, you can pay later. That’s false doctrine, and it’s deadly!
The real problem with paganism (and all things pagan) is that false doctrine inevitably draws us away from Jesus the true Saviour. Paganism is the devil’s substitute for the genuine plan of salvation. This December, take time to read the pure, original Bible story of the birth of Jesus in Matthew and Luke; and soak up the Good News that is there.
Luke 24:52: “And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:”
John 9:38: “And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.”
(b) But what I did do was to re-read CHRIST AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS pp. 8-24. The date is 1890. I marked 30 distinct statements affirming Christ’s full, eternal, equal-with-the-Father deity, “in the beginning,” “from the days of eternity.” “As the Son of the self-existent God, he has by nature all the attributes of Deity.” He was not “elevated” to Deity; He is fully God, “by right.” All this is declared “most emphatic.” He is “forever and forever,” clearly affirming eternal preexistence. On the same page where we find the “offender-for-a-word” statement that is used as evidenceof EJW’s Arianism, we find a clear statement that in Christ was life original, unborrowed, underived in these words: “He has ‘life in Himself;’ He possesses immortality in His own right, and can confer immortality upon others. Life inheres in Him.” “Having life in Himself, He is properly called Jehovah, the self-existent One.” He must be given no “less honor than He gives the Father.”
And all this 8 years before EGW published her famous “original, unborrowed, underived” statement!
If EJW says Christ is “self-existent,” is it really fair to label him an Arian?
You told the congregation at AU (in effect) that Waggoner’s message of Christ’s righteousness is really dangerous for his supposed Arianism made his view of Christ’s incarnation tainted with error.
I don’t profess to be a wise theologian, but my heart is stirred to speak in defense of what EGW said was a “most precious message,” something she “could respond to with all my heart,” something of which she said, “Every fiber of my heart said Amen.”
