Lesson 9. Offerings of Gratitude

Stewardship: Motives of the Heart
Lesson 9. Offerings of Gratitude

 

From time to time, Jesus warmly commended the faith of various individuals whom He healed. But His commendation of Mary sets the crowning seal of perfection to His growing definition of faith.

He had said to the coldhearted Simon, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much" (Luke 7:47). Clearly, Mary loved much because she knew she had been forgiven much.

She probably felt, however, as many since have felt, that she yet wanted faith. This simple, contrite love she knew--what good would it be if she knew not that greater virtue of faith which alone could get something done, like moving mountains? Imagine her surprise to hear Jesus assign His own definition to her experience of contrite love, as He told her, "Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace" (vs. 50). She had a precious possession: genuine "faith." But what is it?

A picture is worth a thousand words. Faith is the essence of true Christian experience. Righteousness is only by faith, "not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).

But we must distinguish genuine faith from its counterfeit if we are ever to know peace of heart. Jesus lifts up Mary's heart-response to His delivering her from her "seven devils" as being what the Christian wants: the "picture" of faith. Mary's story makes it easy for us to understand. The picture is worth more than many thousands of words.

Faith is simply a heart-appreciation of the agape love that led the Son of God to die for us on His cross. That faith is what Mary had.

From her first contact with the Savior, she had begun opening her heart for the Holy Spirit to "pour" in that agape. She couldn't receive much at first, but day by day her capacity began to grow.

In His first contact with her in Magdala, Jesus gave expression to that agape, perhaps not in words, but in look, in touch, in spirit, in the fervency of His prayer for her deliverance. She was almost totally gone, but a tiny remnant of soul was still within her that responded with that tiny spark of appreciation. Thereafter, with each succeeding prayer during the following six sessions, her appreciation of His agape grew.

What motivated her thereafter was not fear of hell, not hope of reward, not love of heaven, not desire for praise from others, but a totally non-egocentric appreciation for "the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love [agape] of Christ which passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:18,19).

She experienced the reality of the delightful process stated in Romans 5:5: "Hope does not disappoint, because the love [agape] of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (New American Standard Bible). Starting with an empty heart, the agape fills it like you fill a wine jug! And once the heart is filled, it all flows to others as easily and naturally as it flowed in from the heart of Jesus.

It's not that you try and try to behave like Jesus; "behold," see, comprehend the reality that was in His heart; sense what it cost Him to save you; then the same behavior flows out from your own heart. Like watching a game at the arena, we behold this drama unfold unconsciously in Mary. She is a demonstration of how a sinner is saved.

What is the link between the love of Christ and the faith of Mary? When she broke the alabaster flask of precious ointment to anoint Jesus, she was giving a lesson to the world. She showed that same spirit of sacrifice which Jesus' life and death exemplified. Mary's act has special meaning for us as an illustration of what led Him to His cross.

Her act at Bethany stands out alone in history as the most beautiful, heart-touching deed ever performed by a repentant sinner. It was closely involved with the outworking of the great controversy between Christ and Satan because it was welcome evidence to Jesus and to the watching universe that Satan's grand contention was wrong: humanity is indeed capable of attaining a heart-appreciation of the sacrifice Jesus made.

Mary had no righteousness of her own; but her Savior's righteousness had been imparted to her, to become now an integral element of her character. She welcomed it. It was not merely legally imputed; it had found lodging in her soul. As Job long before had proved Satan wrong when he demonstrated that someone could serve God for no reward, so now Mary makes a magnificent demonstration, but not realizing her role.

She demonstrates the power implicit in a commitment. She burns all bridges behind her; from now on she has given herself to the Savior, everything laid on the altar of Christ. Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). Henceforth she has no problem with "obedience." It's not just outward acts; it's heart.

Did she help Jesus? Imagine how her noble deed cheered the heart of the Savior in His darkest hours when He hung on His cross! No angel from heaven could have brought Him the comfort which the memory of her tearful sacrifice gave Him. In her sacrificial faith directed to Him He discerned a pledge of His eventual joy. The travail of His soul will purchase for Him a precious reward--the making of many righteous through "faith which worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6; Isa. 53:11).

Christ's death on the cross satisfied the legal demands of the atonement. Fine. Theologians can wrangle over it endlessly. But the evoking of such repentant love in human hearts is what changes lives. It gives the Savior a reward for His expenditure of Himself.

Yes, "God commanded" that the "most precious [1888] message" go to the world; and Jesus said clearly that wherever the gospel is preached "throughout the whole world," Mary Magdalene's story must be included (Mark 14:9). The joy of Jesus was in proclaiming this Good News and watching people's eyes light up. That joy will be yours, too.

--Paul E. Penno

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: https://youtu.be/D9_of4YyKUA

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 8. The Impact of Tithing

Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic

Stewardship: Motives of the Heart
Lesson 8. The Impact of Tithing

 

There's a fundamental truth that underlies all human existence: No human being anywhere can claim rightful title to even one dollar as being his or hers. This principle is taught in a well-known verse: "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish" (John 3:16). Obviously, this means that "the world" was doomed to "perish" unless God gave that Gift. It's a blunt, straightforward recognition that "the world" (everyone, not just believers) owes everything to that divine Gift. No one can believe the gospel without recognizing immediately that he now relates to money and things in a new way.

Another text states the same principle even more clearly: "The love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if One died for all, then were all dead: and He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). The original language implies that a new compulsion now grips the heart, stronger than the old compulsion of selfishness.

This powerful truth lays an ax at the root of our love affair with money. If we believe that Christ "died for all," that is the same as saying that we died along with him and that if He had not died for all, we would all be dead and would therefore have nothing.

This idea parallels one of the essential elements of the 1888 message--the new covenant truth, which is God's one-way promise to write His law in our hearts, and to give us everlasting salvation as a free gift "in Christ." E. J. Waggoner caught the Bible idea: "The covenant and promise of God are one and the same. ... God's covenants with men can be nothing else than promises to them. ...

"After the Flood God made a 'covenant' with every beast of the earth, and with every fowl; but the beasts and the birds did not promise anything in return (Gen. 9:9-16). They simply received the favor at the hand of God. That is all we can do--receive. God promises us everything that we need, and more than we can ask, or think, as a gift. We give Him ourselves, that is, nothing. And He gives us Himself, that is, everything. That which makes all the trouble is that even when men are willing to recognize the Lord at all they want to make bargains with Him. They want it to be an equal, 'mutual' affair--a transaction in which they can consider themselves on par with God." [1]

God has instituted a plan of managing money that perpetually reminds us that we do not own "our" assets. In the early days of our world, even before there were any Jews, He instituted the tithing system--returning one-tenth of all we get to Him.

The idea is not that God is poor and needs a dole from us. And it's not a taxation system. To return a tenth of our income to God acknowledges that "if One died for all, then were all dead" (2 Cor. 5:14). It also acknowledges that we are handling Someone else's property. The tenth we return to Him says that we see ourselves as thankful stewards of life itself. Tithe is a tangible hallelujah, a lifeline that helps connect our alienated souls to reality, a reminder of our tenuous grasp on life and on all we have.

The principle of giving is the antithesis of getting. Everyone is born with the spirit of getting; no baby ever cries because another one is hungry. The "cheerful giver" whom God loves is not that way by nature. No one has any natural-born righteousness. The "cheerful giver" is a selfish person (we all are by nature) who has been renewed by a heart appreciation of the "unspeakable gift" of God's grace in Christ. His cheerful giving is the fruit of a faith that works by love (see 2 Cor. 9:15; Gal. 5:6).

Although God so loved the whole world that he gave His Son for it, those who appreciate the Gift are stockholders in His grand enterprise of telling the world the good news. All who believe are members of His family, with a vested interest in the plan of salvation. The tithes and offerings that are acceptable to God are those that are given as freely as He gave His offering in our behalf. God has directed that they be used in His worldwide program of proclaiming the good news: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. ... Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse" (Mal. 3:8-10).

The "storehouse," or God's "house," symbolizes His temple or organization on earth--the church. We don't pay tithes to God, nor give them; we return them to Him. They are His. He does not keep a cent for Himself, but uses all of it in support of His world network of agencies proclaiming the pure gospel--His church on earth.

Does God intend for even poor people to return to Him a tenth of their meager income? The answer is that everyone is invited to share in the blessing of being shareholders in God's enterprise. Never in the history of the world has anyone suffered because of returning the tithe to the Lord. He has made Himself personally responsible to fulfill an ironclad promise: "Prove Me now herewith [in tithe-paying], saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes" (Mal. 3:10, 11).

The tyranny of materialism is cruel bondage, a constant oppression of spirit. It is the pressure of keeping up with the neighbors or the relatives, excessive concern for clothes, houses, furniture, cars, vacations, anything to bolster our sagging self-esteem. In loving concern for our happiness, the Lord pleads with us, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15, New International Version).

Could Jesus have been speaking especially to us today? Yes, most surely. Never in world history has any people had more "good things laid up" than we have. Jesus' point is that these material baubles are neither true wealth nor permanent. "The pagan world runs after all such things" (vs. 30). But God has already given us wealth infinitely better! "Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ... Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near. ... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (vss. 32-34).

--From the writings of Robert J. Wieland

 

Endnote:
[1] Ellet J. Waggoner, The Glad Tidings, p. 71, CFI ed. (2016).

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: https://youtu.be/BHGwvo_7uIs

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

1888 Glad Tidings : Insight #7 February 17, 2018

INSIGHT #7 FEBRUARY 17, 2018

SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #7
FEBRUARY 17, 2018
"HONESTY WITH GOD"

 

As we review the lesson we may find little to rejoice over.

Instead we are expected to draw warmth from the coldness of the author.  Loyalty from his treason and courage from his cowardice.
 
Let's raise our thought and praise the Lord while we have an opportunity.  The Lord is good and worthy to be praised.

Although there is little to rejoice over we can still praise the Lord.  The sunshine shines in the sky.  The birds sing.  The clouds float above.  The gentle breeze floats around us.  We are at peace. 

            The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever.
            O give thanks unto the Lord for His mercy endures forever.
            We have life and health and strength for His mercy endure forever.
            We can count our blessings for His mercy endures forever.
            There may be war in the streets.  Yet His mercy endures forever.
            The enemy plots against us.  Yet His mercy endures forever.
            We have a place to sleep for His mercy endures forever.
            We shall not fear for His mercy endures forever.
            We will enter His house for His mercy endures forever.
            We rest under His wings for His mercy endures forever.
            He provides our peace for His mercy endures forever.
            I shall rest in His word. For His mercy endures forever.
            There is no reason to hide for His mercy endures forever.
            We can lift our voices and sing.  For His mercy endures forever.
            It's a beautiful day.  Praise ye the Lord for His mercy endures forever.
            Rather than complain about the lesson, let's just praise the Lord.
 
~Mark Duncan

http://www.1888msc.org/article/541/resources/sabbath-school-insights/2018-quarter-1-jan-mar/insight-7-february-17-2018

Lesson 6. The Marks of a Steward

Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic

Stewardship: Motives of the Heart
Lesson 6. The Marks of a Steward

 

The sovereignty of God means that He owns everything. Humans are only entrusted with what God has provided. The primary trait of stewards is they clearly understand this, and consistently act accordingly. This is a simple concept, but human pride has perverted it almost beyond recognition to most people living today. Regardless of what we think of God's sovereignty, He is sovereign and our perceptions don't change that. We can understand God at some level, but we have to turn to His word and leave our preconceived ideas about Him.

It is easy to fall into the self-centered trap that comes naturally to humans. We always want to possess, whether it be material things or intangibles such as power and influence. Striving to have anything belonging to this world brings us to the point where God's gifts now take the place of God. The mark of a good steward is that he or she never forgets that nothing can take the place of God.

"Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For ... whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?'" (Matt. 16:24-26, New American Standard Bible). This is where most nonbelievers err; they think they have something to offer in exchange for their souls.

What does it mean to take up our cross? Many think our cross consists of the various trials that come to us. Often, we hear parents sighing that their cross is something their child is or isn't doing. This unnecessarily causes the child guilt, because it becomes more about the parent controlling the child's behavior. In reality, we have been told to "count it all joy" when trials come because they are God's way of refining our character. Perhaps God is trying to teach the parent that they have only been given stewardship of the child, and He will take care of His children in His way and time. Our cross is the same one that Jesus had. He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for what ever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner" (John 5:19). Our cross, like that of Jesus' cross, consists of giving everything to God without reservation.

The person who has completely lost all confidence in the flesh to acquire things of this world understands what it means to be poor, as Jesus used that word. The blessed ones who possess the kingdom are they who have released everything and have come to understand they can possess nothing. They become like a common beggar, who has accepted the fact that he or she has no hope of possessing anything. What a wonderful place to be, since Jesus has promised to supply all our needs. Stewardship means you aren't expected to be the commander over that which you are the steward. Your only job is to preserve, cherish, and responsibly manage what you have been given.

This applies to the lessons God has led us to and taught us in the past. The most serious responsibility a steward can have is to be given a gospel message that is "most precious," as our church was given "through Elders Waggoner and Jones." [1] We alter, disregard, or despise that message at peril to our souls, especially those who have been given the special opportunity to study the message of righteousness given to our church in 1888. That was many years ago, yet we still hear people who misunderstand the message, and quarrel about whether we should even study it.

James asks, "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? ... You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (4:1, 4).

In our dear church, there are still many sincere folks who are conflicted about the message of righteousness by faith, and they quarrel about what it is, often without adequate study. James says the source of these quarrels and conflicts are "your pleasures that wage war in your members."

In verse 4 he tells what these "pleasures" might be. Adultery can only be committed by persons who are married. If you're not married, you can commit fornication, but not adultery. James is trying to tell believers that they have become part of the bride of Christ, and any friendship with the world is disloyal and unfaithful to her husband. A bride who doesn't cherish her relationship with her Christ-husband is committing spiritual adultery.

A quotation from last week's lesson is also appropriate for this week: "'A steward identifies himself with his master. He accepts the responsibilities of a steward, and he must act in his master's stead, doing as his master would do were he presiding. His master's interests become his. The position of a steward is one of dignity because his master trusts him. If in any wise he acts selfishly and turns the advantages gained by trading with his lord's goods to his own advantage, he has perverted the trust reposed in him.'--Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, p. 246." [2]

The people who make up the bride of Christ have all "died in Christ." Waggoner explains this: "Now we see how it is that we are dead to the law. We died in Christ, and were raised in Him. ... Now that the union with Christ has been effected, we serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. In marriage, the woman is to be subject to the husband. So when we were united to sin, we were in all things subject to sin. For a time it was willing service; but when we saw the Lord, and were drawn to Him, the service became irksome. We tried to keep God's law, but were bound, and could not. But now we are set free. Sin no longer restrains us, and our service is freedom. We gladly render to Christ all the service that the law requires of us. We render this service because of the perfect union between us. His life is ours, since we were raised only by the power of His life. Therefore our obedience is simply His loyalty and faithfulness in us." [3]

The marks of a steward are loyalty, faithfulness, trustworthiness, and obedience; all things that are impossible without death to self and resurrection in Christ. Our Bridegroom, Jesus, has demonstrated all these traits toward His church and He will give us the same traits if we are willing to receive them.

--Arlene Hill

Endnotes:
[1] Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 90.
[2] Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, p. 37.
[3] Ellet J. Waggoner, Waggoner on Romans, Glad Tidings ed. (1997), pp. 119, 120.

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at:
https://youtu.be/0_nSpNRSrBE

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 5. Stewards After Eden

Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic

Stewardship: Motives of the Heart
Lesson 5. Stewards After Eden

 

We should begin asking the right questions at the right time. And the right time is this time of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, while our great High Priest is completing His work of final atonement. Christ is to accomplish a work unique in human history, since sin began. While no child of God will ever claim to have overcome all sin, and while it is equally true that we cannot judge any present or past individual (except Christ) that he has overcome as He overcame, that does not mean that the ministry of Christ in the Most Holy Apartment will fail to achieve such results. However much in the past or in the present we have failed to overcome, for us to say that it is impossible to overcome sin through faith in the Redeemer is actually to justify and to encourage sin, and to stand on the great enemy's side.

Our lesson says, "We are stewards of things that we do not understand fully. ... Our greatest stewardship is to live 'as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God' (1 Cor. 4:1, NKJV)." [1] Well, it's about time we grow up and "do ... understand fully" our stewardship "of the mysteries of God."

The right questions to ask are: Is the sacrifice of Christ as Lamb of God, and is His ministry as great High Priest, powerful enough to save His people from (not in) their sins? Is He truly able to save to the uttermost [completely] those who come unto God by Him? Will He be truly successful "as a refiner and purifier of silver ... [to] purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness" (Mal. 3:3)?

If the Lord wants to, He can create "a new thing in the earth," says Jeremiah (31:22); and what He wants to accomplish is the preparation of a people for the second coming of Christ. When Christ comes the second time, will He find a people of whom it can honestly be said, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (Rev. 14:12)? For the first time in human history, this divine announcement is made. Such are "the mysteries of God."

To say that these saints don't really keep the commandments, but God pretends that they do, is to violate the context of the three angels' messages. Heaven declares these people to be "virgins. ... They ... follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. ... In their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God" (Rev. 14:4, 5). We know they are sinful by nature, "for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). But in order for this pronouncement to make any sense, the faith of Jesus has worked, and they must have ceased to continue sinning. They have overcome even as Christ overcame (Rev. 3:21). To try to insert this prophetic glimpse of an overcoming people into the post-Second Advent future is to violate the context completely. It is clear from Revelation 15:2 that this same group have gotten the victory before the close of human probation.

Previous generations have never been able to understand clearly the truth of Christian perfection without falling into the errors of perfectionism, for the reason that the hour for the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary had not yet struck. However, when we come to the "days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to his servants the prophets" (Rev. 10:7).

Here is the special contribution that Seventh-day Adventists are to make to the completion of the great Reformation and the fulfillment of the gospel commission. There must be a joining together of the truth of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary and the truth of justification by faith. And it is here that we begin to sense the real significance of the 1888 message as the Lord sent it to His people.

The 1888 message was one of glorious hope, free both from fanaticism and the errors of perfectionism. Both "messengers" (A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner), from the beginning of the 1888 era, were clear and emphatic that sinless living is possible, "the mystery of God," that God's people can overcome even as Christ overcame, and that the key to this glorious possibility lies in His people's faith in the ministry of the High Priest in the Most Holy Apartment.

The first three sentences of Waggoner's Christ and His Righteousness neatly summarize their concept of sinless living. They are the acorn of a truth that grew into a mighty oak: "In the first verse of the third chapter of Hebrews we have an exhortation which comprehends all the injunctions given to the Christian. It is this: 'Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.' To do this as the Bible enjoins, to consider Christ continually and intelligently, just as He is, will transform one into a perfect Christian, for 'by beholding we become changed.'" [2]

Built securely on Luther's concept of justification by faith, Jones and Waggoner together set forth three essential elements of the uniqueness of the three angels' messages. Here is where the 1888message goes further than the sixteenth-century Reformers were able to go in their day:

First, the believer is called to "consider the ... High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus" in His work of cleansing the sanctuary in the antitypical Day of Atonement which began in 1844.

Second, to consider Christ continually and intelligently, just as He is, is to consider the true New Testament teaching that His role as Substitute and Example required Him to take the nature of fallen man, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and thus be able to succor them that are tempted.

Third, faith in such a Saviour and High Priest will transform one into a perfect Christian. Waggoner used the word transform. Not only will the true believer be counted or legally reckoned such; he will actually become a perfect Christian by faith.

We are admonished by the Apostle Paul, "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. ... And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Tim. 3:9, 16). Certainly "a pure conscience" indicates Christian character perfection. Perfect Love is the mystery of godliness. But real Love for Christ is lacking. That's why of course real godliness in Laodicea is lacking also.

So when Ellen White heard this message she recognized in it the power and force of the gospel which would prepare God's people to stand with a pure character in the day of Christ's second coming. They would be a living testimony for God through the crisis hour. They would be part of the 144,000 who would be translated without seeing death at His return. They would be a living testament to the power of God unto salvation from sin. Living in sinful flesh, tempted, tried and afflicted, the mystery of godliness would be revealed in them--"Christ in you, the hope of glory."

--Paul E. Penno

Endnotes:
[1] Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, p. 39.
[2] Page 7, Glad Tidings ed., 1999.

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at:
https://youtu.be/STPwUDgsMIc

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 4. Escape From the World's Ways

Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic

Stewardship: Motives of the Heart
Lesson 4. Escape From the World's Ways

 

A steward is a manager, or keeper, of someone else's goods and property. In the Bible we first read of stewardship in Genesis 2:15 which states that Adam was made a "keeper" of God's earth and all that was in it. But because Adam believed Satan's lie about God's character, he lost his dominion and "delivered" his Master's "goods" to the enemy (see Luke 4:6; John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11).

In Genesis 15:2, Abraham refers to Eliezer of Damascus as his steward. Joseph was made steward of Potiphar's household, and later steward over all of Pharaoh's domain. These are examples of wise and faithful managers of their earthly master's property. The Bible also tells us of unfaithful stewards, servants who say in their hearts, "my Lord delays His coming." They focus on their apparent spiritual wealth, knowledge, and position and fall into the world's ways, neglecting the work God set before them. They become Laodicean, not comprehending that they "are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17).

Beginning in 1844, God called a people out of the world so He could bring them to spiritual maturity beyond "Reformation theology" and the limited understanding of justification proclaimed by reformers such as Martin Luther (1483-1546), John Calvin (1509-1564), Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609), and John Wesley (1703-1791). For nearly two millennia Satan worked to obscure the true foundation of justification, which is the faith of Christ. Many of the Pharisees, papists, and some Reformers taught that commandment-keeping ("works of the law" or sacraments of the church) was the way to justification, thus obscuring the truth that commandment-keeping by faith is the result of justification in all who will believe in the power of God to deliver from sin.

As a "called out remnant" the Second Advent people, who eventually formed into the Seventh-day Adventist movement, learned the vital importance of following their Saviour in His work as humanity's high priest in the heavenly sanctuary. They were called of God to proclaim "great truths that have lain unheeded and unseen since the day of Pentecost"--vital truths that the Reformers and Evangelicals never had. These truths "are to shine from God's word in their native purity" through the "1888 message" of Christ and His righteousness. [1]

However, by the mid-1880s, Satan had caused much theological confusion. He well knows that when Christ's "most precious message" is fully accepted into the heart and proclaimed to the world, it will culminate in the finishing of Christ's day of atonement ministry. A. T. Jones commented on the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary when he wrote: "... we are plainly taught that the service of our great High Priest in the cleansing of the true sanctuary must be preceded by the cleansing of each one of the believers, the cleansing of each one who has a part in that service of the true High Priest in the true sanctuary. It is plain that transgression must be finished, and end of sins and reconciliation for all iniquity must be made, and everlasting righteousness must be brought in, in the heart's experience of every believer in Jesus, before the cleansing of the true sanctuary can be accomplished." [2]

Instead of preachers of righteousness by faith, as a people we became expert expositors and defenders of the Law of God, so much so that by the mid-1880s "we [had] been at work on the law until we [were] as dry as the hills of Gilboa, without dew or rain." [3] We reckoned it more important to rely on the law and our own ability to keep it, than to depend exclusively upon the Author of that Law, and thus we became confused stewards of God's final message to a dying world. As a result we have delayed the second coming of our Lord. We must not blame God for the delay that is due to our own insubordination. [4]

During that time of spiritual confusion, God raised up two young men, A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner, to bring a special message to His remnant people. "The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders [E. J.] Waggoner and [A. T.] Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. ... This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure." [5]

We have remained in this world more than a century since this counsel was given, forcing us to ponder: Are we faithful servants of the message that God Himself commanded was to be given to the world; or are we unfaithful stewards, hiding the truth under a bushel; or worse, are we actively fighting against the proclamation of the message by distorting truth and history?

At the 1893 General Conference Session, Elder Jones quoted from a testimony from Mrs. White entitled, "The Crisis Imminent." "Something great and decisive is to take place, and that right early. If any delay, the character of God and His throne will be compromised." Then Elder Jones cautioned: "Brethren, by our careless, indifferent attitude, we are putting God's throne into jeopardy. ... Brethren, for the Lord's sake, and for His throne's sake, let us get out of the way. Let us get out of the way. The only way to get out of the way of God is to flee to Him." [6]

Getting "out of God's way" is in reality falling into His outstretched loving arms where He enrobes us in the personal intimacy of His own righteousness. Only when we allow ourselves to be wrapped in His arms can we have a "personal relationship" with Jesus. Nestled in intimate fellowship, when we pray we are but whispering into the ear of our loving Saviour and, answering, He imparts the power of His Spirit to us. "Faith in Jesus Christ, personal faith in Jesus Christ, and receiving righteousness by faith, and the keeping of the Sabbath, seeing Christ in it, and receiving the seal of God, the perfect image of Jesus Christ, reflected in the character,--this prepares the character for the close of probation." [7]

"We receive the promise of the Spirit through faith; but what brings it? The Spirit of God; and when we have that, Christ dwells in the heart. Then it is the Holy Spirit that brings the personal presence of Jesus Christ; and in bringing His personal presence to us, He brings Himself. Then it is the mind of Christ, by which we may comprehend, investigate, and revel in, the deep things of God which He reaches down and brings forth to our understanding and sets them before us in their plainness. That is what we must have, in order to have the presence of Christ, in order to have the righteousness of Christ, in order that we may have the latter rain, in order that we may give the loud cry." [8]

"Getting out of God's way" also means that we cease damming-up the work through our resistance, and become willing to unashamedly declare to the world that the message we received during the "1888" era is indeed unique. It is deeper than anything the Protestant Reformers or Pharisaical legalists knew, and more sublime than Evangelical theology, reaching to the very heights of the throne of God. Why is it important to focus on the uniqueness of the message?--because, unlike Reformation theology, the message of Christ and His righteousness reclaims from sin through the perfection of our characters, and proclaims everlasting righteousness in Christ.

The balanced understanding of justification by faith brought to us through Elders Jones and Waggoner, has significantly more depth than any previous exposition of the Gospel. "When Brother Waggoner brought out these ideas in Minneapolis, it was the first clear teaching on this subject from any human lips I had heard, excepting the conversations between myself and my husband. I have said to myself, it is because God has presented it to me in vision that I see it so clearly, and they cannot see it because they have never had it presented to them as I have. And when another presented it, every fiber of my heart said, Amen." [9]

Appreciation of God's "1888 message" motivates us to careful stewardship in every aspect of our lives. It spiritually elevates us from the world and its alluring attractions, separates us from all unrighteousness, and exalts Christ and His righteousness as the only way of salvation. Justification, both the legal aspect and the application of that justification when "worked out" by the Holy Spirit in our personal lives (see Phil. 2:12, 13), will inspire others to embrace the truth of God's plan of salvation. Plumbing the depth of the "1888 message," we escape from the world's ways and find spiritual comfort and peace in a world that has gone awry.

--Ann Walper

Endnotes:
[1] See Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 473.
[2] A. T. Jones, The Consecrated Way to Christian Perfection, p. 121 (2003 ed.).
[3] Ellen G. White, 1888 Materials, p. 557; see also p. 560, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, March 11, 1890.
[4] See Ellen G. White, Evangelism, p. 696.
[5] Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pp. 91, 92.
[6] A. T. Jones, "The Third Angel's Message--No. 3," 1893 General Conference Bulletin, p. 73.
[7] A. T. Jones, "Health Reform by Faith," The Home Missionary, Nov. 1893.
[8] A. T. Jones, "The Third Angel's Message--No. 11," 1893 General Conference Bulletin, p. 246.
[9] Ellen G. White, MS 5, Sermon, "Christ and the Law," Rome, New York, June 19, 1889.

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: https://youtu.be/rkI0ou0Hk4c

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 3. God or Mammon?

Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic

Stewardship: Motives of the Heart
Lesson 3. God or Mammon?

 

One marked feature in the teachings of Christ is the frequency and earnestness with which He rebuked the sin of covetousness, and pointed out the danger of worldly acquisitions and the inordinate love of gain. In the mansions of the rich, in the temple, and in the streets, He warned those who inquired after salvation: "Take heed, and beware of covetousness." "Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

--Ellen G. White, The Retirement Years, p. 95

_________________________________

A fundamental truth underlies all human existence. No human being anywhere can claim rightful title to even one dollar as being his or hers. This principle, which is at the heart of the 1888 message, is taught in a well-known verse: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish" (John 3:16). Obviously, this means that "the world" was doomed to "perish" unless God gave that Gift. It's a blunt, straightforward recognition that "the world" (everyone, not just believers) owes everything to that divine Gift. No one can believe the gospel without recognizing immediately that he now relates to money and material things in a new way.

Another text states the same principle even more clearly: "The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if One died for all, then were all dead: and He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). The original language implies that a new compulsion now grips the heart, stronger than the old compulsion of selfishness.

This powerful truth lays an ax at the root of our love affair with money. If we believe that Christ "died for all," that is the same as saying that we died along with Him and that if He had not died for all, we would all be dead and would therefore have nothing.

Ellet J. Waggoner says, "It makes a vast difference whom one serves. The servant derives his importance from the dignity of the one served. [The apostle] Paul served the Lord Jesus Christ. Everybody may serve the same Master. 'Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?' (Rom. 6:16). Even the ordinary house servant who yields to the Lord is the servant of the Lord, and not of man. ... 'No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and mammon' (Matt. 6:24). No man can serve the Lord and have other service besides that" (Waggoner on Romans, pp. 9, 10).

You may just now be wrestling with some temptation to put something you don't really need, or some person, as the object of your heart's devotion in place of your true Savior.

• Before you are tempted to sacrifice your soul, God shows you a glimpse of how wonderful Heaven is.
• Before you snatch at some earthly riches, He reveals to you the true wealth of His salvation "in Christ."
• Before you worship some earthly "idol," He shows you how precious is His eternal friendship.
• Before you seek fulfillment in some forbidden infatuation, He shows you the eternal preciousness of true love.
• Before you are dazzled by the "glory" of the lights of Times Square, He shows you a glimpse of the eternal glory of the cross of Jesus!

All this is in that blessed preamble to the Ten Commandments: "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Ex. 20:2). How can we be so stupid as to let anything in spiritual "Egypt" confuse and bewilder us?

So, what's wrong and what's right about our use of money? The Ten Commandments, if appreciated and followed, would long ago have solved the world's painful economic inequities. But they haven't succeeded. Some spiritual virus continues to create vast gulfs between the "haves" and "have-nots."

Here's the Good News: When we understand and believe the inspired preamble, when we appreciate what the Son of God has done for us, modern idolatry loses its charm. It's not the gold or silver or wooden crosses in churches that captivate our souls; it's the understanding of the love of Christ that is revealed at His cross. In the light of that cross of Christ, our beloved "idol" turns into "ashes" even before we worship it! All the glitter that once attracted us has lost its sheen and we actually begin to "glory ["boast," The Revised English Bible] ... in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14).

God never asks us to give up something unless first of all He shows us how precious is the Gift He has already given us! Maybe we can say it this way: He never asks us to give up a stuffed doll until He shows us a precious live baby in our arms. He never asks us to give up a plastic toy car until first He shows us He has already given us a genuine new car.

Inheriting the wealth of the universe "in Christ" for all eternity--this is why you cannot place any other "gods" (mammon) before the Lord when you believe the truth of the gospel. It's not a works trip. It's a faith trip. Faith is like dynamite; it's powerful, it "works." It saves you before you sin! It saves you from sin!

Jesus' solution to our selfishness is not to shame us, but to share with all of us the good news that we can enjoy a dynamic, practical victory over the love of money.

One great little nugget of truth is in Galatians 5:16, 17. If you let the Holy Spirit hold you by the hand as you choose to walk with Him, you "cannot do the [evil] things" that otherwise your sinful nature would want you to do!

--From the writings of Robert J. Wieland, et al. as noted

 

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: https://youtu.be/2eRaR8pnOXg

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz