A002767 17

Summary

This insightful discussion explores the fundamental Christian concept of faith and free will, guided by the teachings of Ellen White. The speaker emphasizes that while God provides evidence and opportunities to inspire faith, the responsibility and freedom to choose that faith lie with individuals. The conversation cautions against blind belief without evidence, promoting an active pursuit of understanding and truth. The concept extends to interpersonal relationships, encouraging a supportive community that recognizes diverse talents and gifts. Ultimately, the focus is on nurturing a trusted relationship with God through active engagement, reflection, and personal growth, highlighting that faith is both a choice and a gift.

Highlights

• Faith is a personal choice, despite God providing ample evidence and opportunities. 💡
• Freedom to choose faith is crucial, echoing Ellen White's teachings. 🌟
• Interpersonal relationships mirror our spiritual journey and should be nurturing and supportive. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
• Trust in God grows by continuously seeking understanding and questioning with an open heart. 🔍
• Acknowledging the diversity in talents and gifts enriches community bonds and personal growth. 🌍
• God desires a sincere exploration of faith, which comes from asking the right questions. ❓
• Righteous living involves respecting others' strengths and contributions. 🤝

Key Takeaways

• Faith is a personal decision, highlighting the importance of individual freedom in choosing to trust God. 🎯
• Blind faith is discouraged; instead, active pursuit of truth and understanding is emphasized. 🔍
• Interpersonal relationships should honor individual strengths and contribute to mutual growth. 🌱
• Being a believer means taking responsibility for one's faith journey and growth. 🚀
• Genuine faith results from tested beliefs and a deep understanding and admiration for God's ways. ❤️

Overview

In this engaging session, the intricacies of faith and free will are laid bare, emphasizing the role of personal choice in one's spiritual journey. The speaker draws on Ellen White's teachings, stressing that while God sets the stage with evidence and guidance, it is up to us to cast our vote—choosing faith over distrust and rebellion. This principle of choice underpins not just the relationship with the divine but also how we relate with one another.

The talk further delves into the dynamics of community and personal growth. By acknowledging and celebrating the varied talents within a community, individuals can contribute more meaningfully, thereby enhancing collective and personal spiritual journeys. This perspective champions the idea that success in faith is not about following blindly but about engaging with one's beliefs actively and thoughtfully.

Ultimately, this exploration champions a comprehensive approach to faith that involves rigorous engagement and respect for both divine wisdom and human freedom. It encourages believers to seek understanding and evidence actively, fostering a robust, active trust in God that translates into living a reflective, principled life. Such engagement not only nurtures individual growth but also strengthens community ties, echoing the harmonious dynamics seen within the Trinity.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The chapter titled 'Introduction' discusses the theme of accountability and free will in the context of religious faith. It poses the question of how individuals are held accountable in the Judgment if moral decisions are left to human choice. The transcript references a quote from Ellen White in 'The Fundamentals of Christian Education' which emphasizes that the Holy Spirit does not force individuals to act in a certain way, highlighting the concept that people are free moral agents responsible for their choices.
• 00:30 - 05:00: Accountability and Free Will The chapter discusses the concept of accountability in relation to free will and divine influence. It suggests that humans are responsible for their own decisions, implying that genuine trust and love cannot be manipulated or forced. The analogy is drawn between trusting God and the trust between spouses, emphasizing that coerced actions would not hold true meaning.
• 05:00 - 10:00: Faith and Evidence In the chapter titled 'Faith and Evidence,' the discourse explores the profound idea of faith as a personal choice rather than a divine imposition. It suggests that God desires individuals to willingly choose love and trust towards him, emphasizing the freedom of choice in the spiritual journey. The chapter challenges the notion propagated by some religions that faith is entirely orchestrated by God, underscoring that faith is, instead, a decision made by individuals based on God being worthy of love and trust. It highlights the divine effort to preserve human freedom, allowing individuals to make their own choices in the spiritual realm.
• 10:00 - 15:00: Trust and Inquiry This chapter explores the concept of trust and inquiry within the context of faith and personal responsibility. It argues that while faith may be considered a divine gift, the ultimate decision and accountability lie with the individual. Ellen White is cited, emphasizing that even a significant outpouring of the Holy Spirit does not force one to become a Christian, as the spirit only guides towards truth and conviction, preserving the individual's freedom to decide. The idea is that faith is both a divine offering and a personal journey of choice and inquiry.
• 15:00 - 20:00: Unity and Diversity in Gifts This chapter explores the theme of 'Unity and Diversity in Gifts'. It delves into the concept of our responses to divine revelations, emphasizing that it's up to individuals to choose whether to respond with trust or with rebellion and distrust. It questions the necessity of costly revelations over thousands of years if faith is divinely implanted regardless of evidence. The discussion pivots around the balance between divine influence and human agency in the context of faith and evidence.
• 20:00 - 25:00: Practice of Faith in Community The chapter discusses the theme of trust and evidence in the context of faith. It highlights how God's teachings and the evidence he provides play a crucial role in reinforcing faith. The narrative emphasizes the importance of freedom and responsibility, particularly through the metaphor of casting a vote. This act of voting is seen as both a privilege and a responsibility granted by God, who has endowed humans with the capability to make choices and holds them accountable for these choices. The chapter underscores the idea that faith, trust, and responsibility are intertwined in the practice of spirituality within a community context.
• 25:00 - 30:00: Love and Humility This chapter explores the themes of love and humility, specifically how some individuals are more predisposed to accept claims or beliefs without questioning. It delves into the varying capacities people have for accepting others' statements at face value and cautions against blindly believing without evidence, which makes individuals susceptible to deception. The dialogue warns against uncritical belief and emphasizes the importance of discerning truth from falsehood.
• 30:00 - 35:00: Peace and Vengeance The chapter discusses warnings by Ellen White about deceiving appearances, including entities appearing as resurrected deceased relatives. This phenomenon is echoed in popular culture, as noted by Billy Graham in his book on Angels, and taps into the fascination with life after death. The compelling nature of these experiences is highlighted, especially when the apparition is someone deeply trusted, such as a long-deceased mother.
• 35:00 - 40:00: Prayer as Constant Communication The chapter titled 'Prayer as Constant Communication' explores the concept of belief and faith. It uses a hypothetical scenario involving a mother appearing and sharing insights to illustrate the point of how people might react to what they perceive as supernatural or extraordinary information. The discussion raises questions about the nature of faith versus gullibility, prompting readers to reflect on the minimum evidence required for belief and whether some people naturally possess a stronger capacity for faith, or if they are simply more gullible. The narrative challenges the reader to consider the fine line between genuine faith and naive belief, and encourages a deeper examination of how prayer and communication with the divine influence personal faith.
• 40:00 - 45:00: Admiration and Worship In the chapter titled 'Admiration and Worship,' the discussion revolves around the concept of 'measure' in terms of effort and trust. The speaker reflects on their personal perspective, suggesting that they have a greater capacity for trust, which they attribute to their diligent effort in seeking out and testing evidence. The emphasis is placed on the willingness to pursue evidence as a significant factor in fostering trust.
• 45:00 - 50:00: Humility and Concord This chapter delves into the theme of humility and concord, primarily illustrating how questioning and seeking understanding from God is a form of trust and faith. Using the example of Abraham, it highlights that asking God for reasons or explanations is not a sign of weak faith but rather an expression of deeper engagement and responsibility. The author argues that blind faith without understanding is dangerous, and it is more beneficial to have a faith that actively seeks answers.
• 50:00 - 55:00: Overcoming Evil with Good This chapter delves into the challenging aspects of faith, specifically questioning and understanding difficult biblical events. It asks readers to trust in God's greater plan, even when confronted with harsh actions like stoning ordered by God. It challenges believers to reconcile the image of a loving deity with seemingly cruel directives, emphasizing the importance of trust and inquiry into divine intentions. The narrative encourages a deeper exploration of faith by urging inquiries into the reasons behind God's actions, promoting a maturity in trust and belief.
• 55:00 - 60:00: Conclusion and Closing Prayer In the conclusion chapter, the speaker emphasizes the importance of seeking understanding and knowledge, especially in situations where evidence might be initially distasteful or hard to process. The analogy of a couple in love is used to illustrate the natural human desire to know and understand more about someone they care about. This chapter closes with a reflective note on how understanding enhances trust and relationships, drawing a parallel to spiritual beliefs and the desire to comprehend deeper truths, possibly culminating in a closing prayer.

A002767 17 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 but if it isn't left with us how are we held accountable in the Judgment are we not judged as to whether or not we've chosen to place our faith in the true God so in many places picking just one here in the fundamentals of Christian education fce page 124 Ellen White says the holy spirit will not compel men to take a certain course of action we are free moral
• 00:30 - 01:00 agents and when sufficient evidence has been given us as to our duty it is left with us to decide our course isn't that the only thing we're held responsible for the decision is ours or else our trust in God would mean nothing to him would it if he had manipulated us so that we trusted him I mean if our wives said they loved us because we had manipulated them we'd be talking back to ourselves does God just want to hear
• 01:00 - 01:30 himself talking back I love you God or does he want to hear us say in the highest sense of Freedom we do love and trust you that's our choice hasn't he paid a heavy price to preserve our freedom to cast our own vote in the great controversy and to love him because we've decided he's lovable and trustworthy and I think it's so cruel of many religions to suggest that even faith is not our decision God does all of that yes he brings everything to us without him him there be no chance to
• 01:30 - 02:00 exercise Faith but the decision the vote is ours and for that we're held responsible in fact one other place I might have brought Ellen White says if the Holy Spirit should be poured out on you with a h hundredfold greater intensity it would not make of you a Christian the spirit only leads to truth leads us to conviction but at the same time preserves our freedom to vote no so when it says faith is a gift of God I think think we have to reserve that one
• 02:00 - 02:30 act that is assigned to us the decision whether we're going to respond to the evidence with trust or rebellion and distrust what do you think would you have questions about that why all the costly Revelation these thousands of years and all the records of scripture that we might have the evidence if God is the one who places faith in our hearts anyway whether we have evidence or not see if God just
• 02:30 - 03:00 says now you don't trust me now you do why do you need any evidence the fact that God has been such a teacher and has brought us so much evidence is clear support that he'll bring us every opportunity he preserve Our Lives to give us those moments of Freedom when we cast our vote but casting that vote is our privilege our responsibility he's created us capable of voting and holds us responsible for for the vote that we
• 03:00 - 03:30 cast it seems like uh some people have a greater tend or more ready to accept something for example doubting thas yeah does that mean that uh probably we have different capacities for accepting what somebody else tells us at face value yes so long as it would seem to me that we don't um applaud the person who's so willing to believe without evidence that means that he's a Sitting Duck for when the devil comes and says I am the Christ
• 03:30 - 04:00 and Ellen White warns that he will even appear to raise the dead he'll bring our our deceased relatives to life and they will come and tell us what it's like Beyond as Billy Graham tells in his book on Angels by the way and this is the popular thing now life beyond life you know and the messages that are coming back from people who' died and come back to tell us that's almost irresistible for many what if it's your mother who has been dead for several years I trusted my mother in every way if my
• 04:00 - 04:30 mother appeared and said you know I've been there and this is what it's like could you say mother you're a fraud I never D tell my mother that certainly not in the hearing of my father um you wouldn't dare but we'll have to be ready to say this so the fact that one is willing to believe with a minimum of evidence is not necessarily evidence of Greater capacity for Faith it might mean greater gullibility however your point is is it does it seem that some people have a
• 04:30 - 05:00 greater capacity for trust than others I like to think of uh the term measure in terms of the measure of uh effort that I have put forth to seek out the evidence and test it that would also be a measure resting personally that appeals to me a great deal I think that the more willing I am to pursue the evidence I think that's
• 05:00 - 05:30 evidence of trust I think the one who is willing to ask God why did you say that I think for Abraham to say God I'm on my way but may I ask you for three days and three nights may I go on asking you for understanding for explanation why you have asked me to do this I think that's the measure of faith I think it's less Faith to say God I don't even have to know just tell me I'll believe it that's very dangerous I I think it shows more
• 05:30 - 06:00 trust to be willing to inquire so God orders the stoning of aen I think it's evidence of trust to say God from all the rest of scripture we know very well you had a reason for doing that terrible thing how you must have hated it as those rocks found their targets and that family died one after the other and the Rocks were heaped over them gentle Jesus meek and Mild how could you order your own people to Stone that family to death I think it's more an Act of trust to be willing to inquire
• 06:00 - 06:30 because you know on the basis of the weight of evidence there's going to be an explanation that will fit in and make sense that if we find it distasteful how distasteful it must have been to the Lord so I think um well you know it's like if a couple fall in love and uh you say to the girl you love um uh I really don't want to know anymore about you I mean I trust you the first thing you want to do is learn all you can you want to know more in fact the the dormatory
• 06:30 - 07:00 Deans have great trouble with this in restraining us from our research we want to know more and more that's evidence of love and trust and interest I think that when one really admires and loves God one wants to know more and more and more and when you hear something about God that seems unfavorable you pursue it you want to know and you know it's going to turn out all right in the long run I was thinking of the expression to every man is given a Measure of Faith it's
• 07:00 - 07:30 strengthened by exercise yes and Luther said God doesn't really appreciate it until it has been tested so we must expect that and since I've mentioned Abraham now there's a man of enormous capacity to trust but it had developed from experience over many years and was tested to the limit at the end and proved to be sound I think he's an excellent example of that and Moses another and job another um oh we could
• 07:30 - 08:00 cite many examples but going on with the attitude we should have toward each other assuming now that God has led us to trust him and see him as he is to see the truth about him and then that means the truth about each other now we all realize that we stand as God's children we're all in trouble we all need help and some of us are now enjoying the unity of Ephesians 4 the unity that is inherent in our faith and
• 08:00 - 08:30 our knowledge of the Son of God don't you think that passage fits in here um it's the same Paul who wrote Ephesians you know that wrote Romans and there he says we should look forward to the day when we enjoy the unity that is inherent in our faith we all worship and admire and serve the same God we all want to fulfill his purpose spread the good news about him and the unity that is inherent in our knowledge of the Son of God so now as God's wandering children several of us now many of us on this planet have
• 08:30 - 09:00 been won back to trust in God none of us can spread the good news alone we all want to share in this to get the job done some of us can do one thing better than another some have uh the gift uh to practice The Healing Arts others of us just can't do that we can do other things I can think of um of an individual who might be the most competent physician in the world and I'd run to him with uh ailments but
• 09:00 - 09:30 he'd rather die than get up on the platform and say anything he just that is not been his gift or it's not the one he's cultivated I'm glad he's cultivated the other one because when I go to him with a pain I don't want a speech I want him to get on with a work of healing I can think of a physician who was a better speaker than a physician uh we we want people to to develop and practice their own gifts you know and so Paul is painting a picture that surely appeals to us in all
• 09:30 - 10:00 humility and in respect for each other we realize we have different gifts different opportunities different backgrounds don't we want to Aid each other and encourage each other in doing the best we can and if somebody else is being honored it's the family being honored and why are we so jealous of each other we rejoice in each other's successes because the work is being done uh it's like in our University there are one or two schools that tend to attract more attention they always will um and there are other schools that
• 10:00 - 10:30 don't seem to attract so much attention sometimes they're tempted to feel bad well not if we're all in one family here we're very happy when some uh any member of the family is on it and we all bask in this glory for example the practice of The Healing Arts has always been dramatic when some distinguished um world leader passes through lomalinda he will say I was in Africa I was in India I was here and I had some ailment and I wound up talking to a history major no a
• 10:30 - 11:00 linguist a chemist usually it's somebody who practices The Healing Arts and it's true that the practice of The Healing Arts has been the most dramatic thing we Adventists have ever done so in our University those who are involved in the practice of The Healing Arts will tend to attract more attention now are we proud of them or not are we glad that we have people among us who can do this thing I think it's very small of some of us to say I want equal time I demand equal attention next time the president pres comes through remember when
• 11:00 - 11:30 President Nixon was here he'd been around the world and who had he run into well it was always Health Centers wasn't it that he'd he hadn't been visiting people to study Physics um and uh for us to say the next time the president comes we demand that he refer to the history Department he may not refer to the school of medicine it just won't make sense will it why can't we Rejoice that uh some of us have certain gifts which are very attractive very Winsome Jesus spent most of his
• 11:30 - 12:00 time Healing The Sick for a reason it was the most eloquent dramatic Winsome way to present the truth about his gracious forgiving healing father and so he used that method and we should be too and if it's succeeding why shouldn't we be glad well if we sense this unity in the family who cares who's getting the credit we're all getting the credit and we'll all rejoice when it's done those of it's a Pity in some ways to avoid unseemly feelings of
• 12:00 - 12:30 competition we haven't become much involved in sports in our church there is one thing that playing on a team does uh to develop this team spirit where somebody in a very apparently inconspicuous position is absolutely essential to the success of the team and you know how that is uh if any one person lets the team down the brilliant quarterback will fail um those poor
• 12:30 - 13:00 uh muscular men on the line who Bang into each other over and over again they're very rarely mentioned but could OJ Simpson break through and make those runs if those monsters on the line didn't break the way open for him and he gets all the credit gets all the honors and it's that way in our church some people are going to be more attractive and more conspicuous and seem to get the honors temporarily well if we worry about it now I think the Lord will make sure we're comfortable in the Hereafter and take uh some people who've been in
• 13:00 - 13:30 inconspicuous roles aside and assure them that what they did was invaluable but wouldn't it be nice to do it now and Paul is saying you should outdo one another in giving honor and we ought to start right away so he goes down through his list um we have gifts that differ whatever the gift is use your gift if it's the gift of Prophecy which doesn't mean predicting the future by the way the way it means speaking under the
• 13:30 - 14:00 inspiration of the spirit whether about the past or the present or the future a spokesman for God then do it in proportion to your trust in God if in service now that's the other word not the one in Romans 121 which is worship this is diaconia from which we get Deacon this is Ministry if in service the service of a deacon the service of ministry then attend to your ministry he who teaches in his teaching He Who exal in his exhortation he who contributes in
• 14:00 - 14:30 liberality he who gives Aid with Zeal he who does acts of Mercy with cheerfulness um let love be genuine he goes on and that's the word um without hypocrisy in the Greek unhypocritical love Let It Be genuine and by the way up above where it says uh practice Mercy with cheerfulness the Greek word is pronounced hillotes
• 14:30 - 15:00 from which we get hilarious interestingly enough in 2 Corinthians 9:7 God loves a cheerful Giver the Greek and we shouldn't carry it over exactly is God loves a hilarious Giver if you took it over exactly but it does suggest really happy about it uh you're not forcing a smile on your face when you put something in the plate because you know you should you really are happy about it it's a privilege to do it so let let acts of mercy be done with real
• 15:00 - 15:30 cheerfulness um love one another with brotherly affection um that's Philadelphia by the way Brotherly Love um most of these are familiar phrases um outdo one another in showing honor I think that ought to start right away don't we see that among the members of the Trinity isn't the son always outdoing himself in honoring the father oh he says the father is greater than I
• 15:30 - 16:00 and so on and then the father says and I'm going to give my son a name above every name and think of the Holy Spirit bringing honor to the father and the son when does the spirit get any honor when we sing the doxology it's usually just the first stanza uh there's a third one about the Holy Spirit we very rarely get to that one I think we have a lot of overdue honor and respect and gratitude to express to the the holy spirit in the
• 16:00 - 16:30 Hereafter but the uh the self effacing Ministry of the Holy Spirit quietly behind the scenes as our teacher and our guide and our leader leading us to honor the father and to honor the son did the son ever come and say honor me he always said honor my father and so among the members of the Trinity are ultimate infinite examples they outdo one another in giving honor and we should do the same then it goes on never flag in Zeal be a
• 16:30 - 17:00 glow with the spirit um that's an interesting word being a a glow in the spirit the Greek word is almost to boil in the spirit almost to ferment in the spirit as if he's playing on a word here but it's a far cry from being a leodan you remember the leans are neither hot nor cold they just lukew um wearily dragging their way toward the kingdom hoping that someday they'll make
• 17:00 - 17:30 it uh this is not a layer to see and this person is a glow with the spirit and the evidence of the presence of the spirit is always love and truth is it not truth that excites and stirs us uh is is not love the most stimulating experience that comes to us love and truth together a loving person concerned with a truth is a person that glow with the spirit and serving the lord um rejoice in your hope be patient in
• 17:30 - 18:00 Tribulation two words for patience in the Bible one is quiet patient waiting another one is a more active endurance like Revelation 14:12 here is a call for the patience of the Saints is not fold your hands and wait patiently for the Lord the Greek word means putting your shoulder under and staying under and pushing as it were uh endurance is a better word here is a call for the endurance of the Saints and so here uh endure in Tribulation be
• 18:00 - 18:30 constant in prayer he says these things in other places doesn't he how about being constant in prayer in Thessalonians he says pray without ceasing and we could stop on any one of these and consider the meaning profitably how would one pray without ceasing and get anything else done incidentally in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 it's interesting to look at pray
• 18:30 - 19:00 without ceasing and the words right next to it 1 Thessalonians 517 because right in front of it he said Rejoice always and that's in our passage here too isn't it rejoice in your hope be constant in prayer it's just like his message to the Thessalonians and the verse rejoice
• 19:00 - 19:30 Evermore happens to be the shortest verse in the Bible although customarily one hears that Jesus wept is the shortest Jesus wept is this is just an aside Jesus wept is the shortest in the King James version but the Bible was not written in English the New Testament was written in Greek and in the Greek Jesus wept his three words Eden hus three words Rejoice Evermore is two words all also pray without ceasing is two words so Jesus
• 19:30 - 20:00 wept is the third shortest verse in the Bible and besides there were no verses in the Bible anyway they were invented in 1551 and so that's much to do about nothing but it's interesting to ask people what they understand the shortest verse in the Bible to be if you want to be even more exact and count the letters in the Greek uh Rejoice ever more um is the shortest Jesus wept is the second shortest and pray without ceasing is the
• 20:00 - 20:30 third shortest because those are two long words proos long words so that becomes then the the third shortest much more important is the meaning have you ever prayed a whole week without ceasing without getting fired from your job how can one pray without ceasing and this brings up our whole understanding of prayer and our conception of God the intelligent infinite gracious person that he is is wishing for us nothing but the best uh what would it
• 20:30 - 21:00 mean what would he want how would he want us to communicate with him while getting other things done that would be very important what is the prayer that is really acceptable and pleasing to God the worship of mind and heart the worship of an intelligent rational spiritual person don't you think Alan White's explanation sounds even better that prayer is conversation with god God whom we know to be a friend a
• 21:00 - 21:30 friendly gracious God now how does one conduct this conversation can it not be conducted in imagination while one is working I heard a sermon once back at Chicago by someone who doesn't believe many of the things we do but he defined prayer as thinking toward God wouldn't that fit very well and one can think toward God at any time in any place in fact the the the more enlightened and tested once's Faith becomes as Dr Roberts suggested the more
• 21:30 - 22:00 we come to know God the more habitually he becomes the center of our whole frame of reference and we look forward to the day when one would never think to consider a decision an important matter without reflecting on this this whole scene within which we live all the meanings and purposes of life and God at its Center and then eventually we find there's hardly decision we make that isn't of importance
• 22:00 - 22:30 and so it becomes almost habitual to measure all the decisions of life in terms of the things we know to be most important and most true I like to Define prayer for myself as thinking toward God and one can do that without ceasing I think that's what it means to be constant in prayer that one thinks toward God at all times there's no break in this um contribute to the needs of the Saints practice Hospitality what a list of Virtues ues all down through here and
• 22:30 - 23:00 Paul's point is that surely when we read this we would admire this we'd want to be like this but there's no way we can become like this by sheer self-discipline by uh works of self-healing that these attitudes are the results of Faith he said so in the beginning that is to say if we understand Faith to be love trust and admiration for God and His wise and
• 23:00 - 23:30 gracious ways it is a law that we become like the person we worship and admire so John was changed from the Son Of Thunder to the Beloved disciple and Ellen White says in one wonderful paragraph that as John watched Jesus and saw all the strength and the majesty and the dignity mixed with all the tenderness and the patience and the sympathy he was overcome with admiration for the way Jesus treated people and as he admired Christ imperceptibly he became more and
• 23:30 - 24:00 more like him and so she says in several places it is a law that we become like the person we worship and admire so if one has faith in God and it's an admiring informed instructed trust in God and we seek to know him ever more clearly and understand his ways more fully which leads to ever greater trust and admiration we need not worry about perfection and about healing they are
• 24:00 - 24:30 the result of faith and trust what we have to worry about is our trust whether we admire God that whether we're admiring the right thing some admire the devil's way of doing things better we need to know the truth and if we've been led by the spirit to conviction and to admiration and to trust we need not worry about the healing and the Perfection it is a law we will become like him that's why I think we lose a lot of ground when we spend too much time discussing perfection even arguing
• 24:30 - 25:00 about it and not nearly enough time talking about God because to talk about him is to lead to trust and admiration and if we admire him it's a law will become like him and it's the only way we can fulfill these high ideals now the legalist is more likely to read this list and say all right I must love with genuiness I must hate what is evil uh I must love other people I must be zealous I must be low over the spirit I must Rejoice I must be
• 25:00 - 25:30 patient I must be constant in prayer I must be generous and out he goes to do it even if it kills him haven't you met Saints who are trying to do things this way like being patient and there's somebody that just irritates you no end every time you go to the office it just turns your stomach over to see this person and you say no I'm a Christian now I'm going to be patient and you know what happens uh you don't really feel any different toward the person it's just you you're not going to show that you're impatient ever again so you force
• 25:30 - 26:00 yourself to be patient and your blood pressure Rises and The eles get activated and it's it's a self-defeating experience that the healing has to start within we actually have to view this person in a new life it has to come along with this Measure of Faith and as we see how Christ even prayed for those who insulted him and killed him and we admire this something happens to us as we read of that and an imagination we see it and we think how magnificent how
• 26:00 - 26:30 wonderful to be that way and that's the way we're changed so it goes on with even more bless those who persecute you bless and do not curse them it sounds like the Beatitudes a Sermon on the Mount from here on rejoice with those who Rejoice weep with those who weep live in harmony with one another do not be hay he's already said that before but associate with the lowly never be conceited he says a lot about that doesn't he well where did Lucifer run into his
• 26:30 - 27:00 trouble wasn't it in this department in fact didn't Lucifer think he should be included in the creation committee he thought he was competent when he knew nothing about it and when he was left off the creation committee he felt deeply insulted see he would have gone through the Publishing House telling people what to do when he knew nothing about bookmaking up in heaven he wanted to instruct the Lord on how to create this world and the Lord left him off the committee because he had nothing to contribute he was deeply insulted he was conceited he was arrogant and
• 27:00 - 27:30 were warned not to be like the devil um repay no one evil for evil but take thought for what is Noble in the sight of all and if possible so far as it depends upon you live peaceably with all beloved never avenge yourselves but leave it to the wrath of God for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord no if your enemy is hungry feed him if he is thirsty give him drink for by so doing you will Heap burning
• 27:30 - 28:00 coals upon his head do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good and Jesus had said these things hadn't he before in fact a number of these words are quoted from the Old Testament didn't Jesus live up to this sometimes he rejoiced with people as at the marriage at kaaa even provided them with 120 gallons of uh of uh grape juice uh for the celebration there
• 28:00 - 28:30 that's a lot to drink uh he rejoiced with them and he wept with some people now we come to what's thought to be the shortest verse in the Bible Jesus wept at the funeral of Lazarus Ellen White says there were many reasons why he wept with one was out of sheer sympathy for Mary and Martha as they thought of Lazarus god um live in harmony with one another we've discussed that before on being hay 1 Corinthians 13 says love is
• 28:30 - 29:00 not puffed up many times Paul deals with this associate with humble people I like to point out places where Paul and James are in perfect Accord do you remember in an early chapter it is not merely the hearers of the law who will be justified but the doers of the law who will be justified now that isn't often quoted about Paul he says that in Romans that's what James meant you say you have faith and you don't act accordingly it's worth and Paul said the same did not James
• 29:00 - 29:30 talk about well look at it just quickly in James 21 to4 it's very dramatically presented please turn the tape directly over and play without rewinding in James 21-4 it's very dramatically presented and Paul would have agreed entirely with this James 2 to four don't be hay associate with the
• 29:30 - 30:00 humble with the poor and James says in 2:1 my brethren show no partiality as you hold the Faith of Our Lord Jesus Christ the lord of Glory for if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly of course we'd take his case before the church Council wouldn't we but in those days this was not an issue the prodal son's father rushed off to get something for dinner he shouldn't have and something to we he shouldn't have and Jesus told the story
• 30:00 - 30:30 we're not supposed to get hung up on those details in that story and get the main point the main point here is on being respectful if this man in fine clothing comes in and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in and you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say have a seat here please while you say to the poor man stand there or sit at my feet have you not made distinctions of among yourselves and become judges with
• 30:30 - 31:00 evil thoughts listen my beloved Brethren has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and HS of the kingdom and so on so I like to see another place where James and Paul are in perfect Accord in fact to me they are consistently all the way through there there's no disagreement Luther thought there was at first fact he didn't like James at all he said the Book of James is an Epistle of straw worthy only to be thrown into the river elb that's when he was stressing faith and that was a new thing for him and it needed emphasis I
• 31:00 - 31:30 understand later on he was able to bring them together a little better as an example of humility is there anything like Philippians 2 where Paul says let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus who though he was equal with God in the form of God he counted not his equality with God appr priz to be held on to but emptied himself and became like one of us became a humble Serv vant is it not the devil who said I will
• 31:30 - 32:00 be like God and God himself said I'm willing to be like man and step lower what a contrast between the two and some of us we might not say I want to be like God but we might want to exercise Authority that belongs to him alone and to act as if we know much more than we do as Ellen White spoke of in those paragraphs um as much as in you is be at peace with others does that mean do your best but if you can't well it's okay to fight
• 32:00 - 32:30 doesn't this rather mean that to the extent that it's in your control be at peace was Jesus always able to be at peace when he turned to the religious leaders and said you are of the your father the devil he was not at peace with them but they had pressed him to the point where he had to say these things but Jesus never provoked these times did he he sought to avoid trouble all the time he sought to avoid trouble when they asked him if he was going to pay the temple tax or not he was exempt
• 32:30 - 33:00 as a prophet but he paid it anyway to avoid trouble as much as it was within his power he sought to stay at peace but when they they would allow for no peace when they provoked and pushed him to the point where he had to say something then he spoke as in that occasion you are of your father the devil but he said it with tears in his voice then that was the point I was just going to ask how could you yes uh say something like that with tears in your voice you know such a
• 33:00 - 33:30 such a rebuke and you you hypocrite and still cry when you say that well my understanding would be since it's late that the most incurable condition we can ever fall into is uh pretentious piety uh self-satisfaction spiritual arrogance this hypocrisy for God can do nothing for people like that and here is the Creator for Christ is the creator
• 33:30 - 34:00 talking to some of his creatures his children and he'd give his life for them and he's talking to people who are not just mildly ill they're almost terminally ill there's nothing he can do for them and he's saying the most terrible thing he can he says you actually have accepted Satan's lies about my father now if if you were saying to your one of your own children say you've you've had a son uh of great promise and he's wasted it all and you're about to
• 34:00 - 34:30 say goodbye to him and you think there's reason to believe he'll probably never come back and you'd speak earnestly to him would you be harsh wouldn't you have a hard time saying the words I mean uh you'd cry as you said it you can hardly speak because you're telling your son son probably you're all through I'll never see you again and God is saying this to people at times in scripture I think there' be more tear hears in his voice when he said the most terrible things to the worst Sinners than at any other time so
• 34:30 - 35:00 I think that's that's the meaning in there and if we admire this in Christ that means when we say these things to people that will come through in not in our eyes you know a good actor can make it come out of there but it's in the voice and it has the Ring of of Truth and sincerity and conviction in it when it's there well now um the one last thing on don't avenge yourselves vengeance is mine I will rep pay uh surely you found a great variety of
• 35:00 - 35:30 translations for that my understanding would be simply that Paul is saying what Jesus did don't fight back don't avenge yourselves you don't understand all that's involved leave it up to God he will take care of it because he'll always do it in the most just and uh the most constructive way it might be that if you'd leave it up to God he might even win this person and wouldn't you like that best we just can't handle this U matter
• 35:30 - 36:00 of Retribution and Vengeance we just don't know enough about it haven't we sometimes exercised Vengeance on a person and found down the line that person was innocent too and we we we discipline the wrong person and God says don't try to do this leave it up to me and if I should win your enemy would you mind do you want me to kill him or would you like me to win him so God is is simply saying if you trust me as you say
• 36:00 - 36:30 you do then trust me to take care of this and I'll be looking out for your best good too I'll see that Justice is done to you but I'll also see that the best is done for him now when it comes to wrath if God eventually can do nothing for this enemy who's treated us so badly what will God do for him anyway according to Romans 1 what is God's Wrath what is God's vengeance God simply sadly turns these people over
• 36:30 - 37:00 to the consequences and God says better let me do that it's much too serious now this makes us seem soft at times didn't it bother Judas that Jesus wouldn't fight didn't it bother many of his followers that he wouldn't fight to defend himself to hear Jesus praying for his uh those who were crucifying Him Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing a lot of people thought what a softy he could never lead us and many turned away from him Judas
• 37:00 - 37:30 despised Jesus for being so soft if Jesus had led them into battle he'd have had a large following but he always seemed to come across as so gentle and so forgiving and so patient and so understanding they confuse this with weakness but actually it takes a great more strength doesn't it to contain oneself and to leave it up to God someday he will see that Justice is done he might even managed to win this enemy and so it ends the best thing
• 37:30 - 38:00 for us to do is if you have an enemy who's thirsty or hungry feed him do you remember when the armies came to get Elisha and do you remember that Elisha said the one you want is not here he he prayed and God uh blinded the eyes of these soldiers and Elisha says I'll take you where you want to go and he took this this uh enemy Army to the king and then the king said to Elisha shall I kill them the Lord has delivered
• 38:00 - 38:30 these enemies into my hand shall I kill them and Elisha said no feed them give them the best dinner you can so they trotted out the food and they fed their enemies and they went home friends it's one of the best illustrations of feeding enemies in the Bible and it often isn't emphasized that way but think of leading the enemy into the camp and then feeding them I don't know if that's been tried historically at any other time but uh it worked on that occasion my
• 38:30 - 39:00 father loved this passage by so doing you will Heap burning coals upon his head he always lectured me and my brothers on this business of coals of fire because as a small boy I'd like the thought that it was rather literally I mean it would there be a little heat there and then later on I I came to realize what it meant it would warm them but not burn them uh of course this comes out of Proverbs doesn't it proverbs 25 and uh let's close with this in
• 39:00 - 39:30 Proverbs 25 do you notice how respectful the New Testament writers are of the old constantly quoting from the old in Proverbs 25 21 and 22 if your enemy is hungry give him bread to eat if he is thirsty give him water to drink for you will Heap coals of fire on his head and then Proverbs add something Paul doesn't and the Lord will reward you there God is pleased with
• 39:30 - 40:00 this um let me read um the way I chose to close this chapter in the commentary because these are very high ideals and this is where we live isn't it in in our relationship with each other with people irritating us all the time uh feelings of Vengeance cropping up this is where our sincerity and our faith are really tested be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good the infliction of vengeance is a sign not of strength but of weakness the one who allows his
• 40:00 - 40:30 temper to be stirred up and his Christian principles of love and self-control to be abandoned suffers defeat but the person who represses the desire for revenge and turns a wrong done to him into an opportunity for showing kindness gains a victory over himself and over the powers of evil haven't you had that experience sometimes maybe both kinds but when youve managed to do this don't you feel very good I think I think it's all right on such occasions even to be happy with ourselves realizing how it was made
• 40:30 - 41:00 possible but should not one rejoice in a little progress made Ellen White suggests that we look back over the previous year and if no progress has been made we should be concerned that means if we see a little progress would you allow yourself to be the least bit happy with yourself and yet this wouldn't produce arrogance because if you sense arrogance that's defeat so uh it's only you feel pleased that some of these qualities seem to be growing now this is not only nobler in itself
• 41:00 - 41:30 but will be much more effective it may disarm an enemy and win another Soul thus God has not meated out to Sinners the Vengeance they have long deserved but rather has overwhelmed them with love and mercy and it is the goodness forbearance and longsuffering of God that leads men to repentance Romans 2:4 the Christian who is being transformed into the image of God as in verse two will show by his treatment of his enemies that day by day his character is
• 41:30 - 42:00 becoming more and more like the character of God who is love and that's the point you see that it is a law that we become like the person we worship and admire and the number one act of worship is trust to trust God and to demonstrate that trust that admiration for his wise and gracious ways is really the greatest act of worship we can perform and as we perform that act of worship in trusting him and showing that we trust by our
• 42:00 - 42:30 admiration and the way we treat each other um that produces the very results that we want healing and Perfection are the fruit of Faith we're not just justified by faith we're Sanctified by faith everything comes by faith every good thing you can name is the result of trusting God and that's why I believe our last great message to the world is a message of trust in God right now
• 42:30 - 43:00 there's great emphasis on the details of justification and sanctification well we can't know too much about these things but one could talk about those things to the exclusion of the heart of the message which is the trustworthiness of God our message is about him if we could lead people to trust him they'll be justified Sanctified and all these other good things whether they know those words or understand how it works or not then it would seem that our great emphasis would be on trust in God and you don't trust someone you don't know
• 43:00 - 43:30 so the good news is the truth about God that people might be led to trust him and on that we could all unite I've seen people argue almost to the point of passion over the meaning of justification but how could we argue over the goodness of God surely we could have this Unity inherent in our trust and our knowledge of the Son of God I believe our church will have power and be unified if we concentrate on the picture of God God and the good news about him and not get too exercised over
• 43:30 - 44:00 some of these other matters which sometimes is even divisive so surely Paul in his whole epistle has made it plain what God wants most of all is our trust and surely he has provided overwhelming evidence of his trustworthiness next time in Chapter 13 our attitude toward government and then 14 the extraordinary teaching about eating whatever you like it would appear but put that in itself and it will be consistent with this message of trust should we pause before
• 44:00 - 44:30 we go our loving father in Heaven surely the further we read the more what thou Hast asked of us makes such attractive good sense that we do well to listen and take heed thou has presented thyself with so much evidence and demonstration as being so infinitely gracious our patient loving healing father God we
• 44:30 - 45:00 are all thy children if any of us should refuse to listen to trust thee and to be healed thou wil remember us for all eternity we will leave an empty place in thy infinite memory Thou Art not willing that any should be lost that any should perish and realizing that thou art such a God so gracious and so trustworthy with so much evidence presented at such great cost of thy complete
• 45:00 - 45:30 trustworthiness surely there is every reason why we should trust thee and so when thou does ask us and advise us and instruct us and when we're slow to persuade even thou do command us to look after ourselves to keep ourselves in the best condition possible that with clearness of mind with all the energy we can must this far from the tree of life we may focus our minds on the truth and and become disciplined thinkers and learn to discriminate between right and
• 45:30 - 46:00 wrong that we may not be deceived that we but that we may see the truth and be led thereby to trust thee more and to rejoice in thy wise and reasonable and and helpful ways surely Thou Art asking us to do something we would want to do in our most sober moments surely this is what we most desire surely it is no intrusion on our freedom to have the so instruct us and direct us and even command us for it is only for our best
• 46:00 - 46:30 good as our father as our physician thou us want us to be well th do want us to live with thee for all eternity to miss out on no good thing and so again this evening in the highest sense of Freedom we express to thee again our trust our willingness to listen and to obey and to do the things thou Hast instructed us to do grant that we as We Know we shall be tested ever more in our trust in thee
• 46:30 - 47:00 that we may be busying ourselves through experience and through study in strengthening our faith and in broadening the base of evidence upon which this faith and trust is founded keep us from wasting these precious times of freedom and opportunity before the time of trial and distress comes help us to use these wonderful opportunities we have in such a place as lalinda with evidence of all all kinds available to us to become the people we
• 47:00 - 47:30 know it is our privilege to be speaking well and truly of thee in these last days being recognized by Heaven as trustworthy friends of thine guide us to become such people we pray in Jesus name amen