EGW
Sermon at
Washington, D. C., January 26, 1889
The Signs of the Times
April 15, 1889
The Love of God
[Sermon at Washington, D. C., January 26, 1889.]
By Mrs. E. G. White
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because
it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that
hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he
is pure."
John presents before us the love of the Father toward the children of men.
God's love has been manifested to us in the gift of his beloved Son. The
apostle cannot find words to describe the greatness and the tenderness of this
love; but he calls upon the world to behold it. This is to be
our work. We are to call the attention of our fellow-men to the love of God
that has been manifested to us by the infinite cost of Calvary.
Jesus was one with the Father; he shared his majesty and glory. God made an
infinite sacrifice when he gave his beloved Son to die for the world; but few
have any appreciation of this great love that has been expressed toward a
fallen race. Those who do have an appreciation of it are not looked upon with
favor by the world. The apostle says, "Therefore the world
knoweth us not, because it knew him not." He says further: "It doth
not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we
shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this
hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is
pure."
Those who are sons of God will be constantly purifying
themselves, and seeking to fashion their characters after the divine Pattern.
Their thoughts will be upon heavenly things. Their conversation will be
concerning Jesus, their Saviour. They will be waiting for him to appear in the
clouds of heaven, and when he comes escorted by ten thousand times ten thousand
and thousands of thousands of angels, those who have looked for him, and who
have loved his appearing, will meet him with joy.
We have a great work before us, not only to form characters
ourselves for eternal life, but to labor that others may be fitted for the
kingdom of Heaven. We must educate our tastes and our habits of life to
simplicity. We cannot afford to place our hands in the hands of the world,
and follow its customs and fashions. We must be natural, not artificial. And how
beautiful is the natural in contrast with the artificial!
We should have hearts overflowing with sympathy for souls for
whom Christ died. We should seek to educate our children in the
fear of God, teaching them that Christ died for them, and that they may have
salvation without money and without price. It will only be a little while
before Jesus will come to save his children and to give them the finishing
touch of immortality. "This corruptible shall put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall put on immortality." The graves will be opened, and
the dead will come forth victorious, crying, "O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?" Our loved ones who sleep in Jesus will
come forth clothed with immortality. And as the redeemed shall ascend to
Heaven, the gates of the city of God will swing back, and
those who have kept the truth will enter in. A voice, richer than
any music that ever fell on mortal ear, will be heard saying, "Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world." Then the righteous will receive their reward. Their
lives will run parallel with the life of Jehovah. They
will cast their crowns at the Redeemer's feet, touch the golden harps, and fill
all Heaven with rich music.
Satan has misrepresented the character of God. He has clothed him with his own
attributes. He has represented him as a being of inflexible sternness. He had
shut the world away from beholding the true character of God, by casting his
shadow between men and the divine One. Christ came to our world to remove that
shadow. He came to represent the Father. He said, "He that hath seen me
hath seen the Father." He prayed that his disciples might be one with him,
even as he was one with the Father. Men have declared that
this oneness with Christ is an impossibility, but
Christ has made it possible by bringing us into harmony with himself, through
the merits of his life and sacrifice. Why should we doubt
the love and power of God? Why should we not place ourselves on the faith side
of the question? Do you behold the charms and attractions of
Jesus? Then seek to follow in his footsteps. He came to reveal the Father to
the world, and he has committed to us the work of representing his love,
purity, goodness, and tender sympathy, to the children of men.
We have eternal life to win, and this is worth the loss of everything besides.
We should study the Scriptures diligently. The Bible is like a garden where God
has placed rich roses, and lilies, and pinks of promise, and they are for us if
we will only pluck them.
When Satan casts his shadow athwart your pathway, grasp the precious promises
of God, and go through the shadow by living faith, and you will find only
light, mercy, goodness, and truth. When the enemy tells
you that you are a sinner, tell him that Jesus Christ came into the world to
save sinners. Come to the foot of the cross with your burden, and roll it off
into the open sepulcher. Our Lord is precious, but we lose sight of his
willingness to help and save us, when we dwell in the darkness of unbelief.
Lift up the Man of Calvary. There is enough to talk about without talking of
the power of the evil one. We have found the field that contains the treasure
which is of inestimable value. When God gave his Son he gave us all Heaven in
that one gift. Why should we cherish darkness and doubt, and those things that
bring despondency and discouragement into our lives?
Why not bring the joy and light and peace of Heaven into our
hearts? The religion of Christ never degrades the receiver. The truth
of God is the mighty cleaver that has separated us from the world, and now we
have been brought into God's workshop to be hewed and squared and polished for
the heavenly building. We are to be living stones in the temple of God. We are
not to be dull and lifeless stones; but we are to reflect the rays of light
that fall from Heaven, so that men may see that the truth has done something
for us that the knowledge and wisdom of this world could not do.
Has the reception of the truth made you more cheerful? Have the bright beams of
the Sun of Righteousness shone upon your heart in vain? Those
who are meeting the conditions on which the promises
are based, should be the happiest people in the world, for they have all Heaven
at their command. We may have Heaven below. God will put a new song into our
hearts, even praise to his name. The enemy may stand
ready to cast his shadow upon you, but will you talk of his power, his
darkness?
Christians that carry a gloomy countenance are misrepresenting their Lord.
They represent the Christian life as one of toil and hardship.
They go mourning and groaning as if it were uphill work. Is
the gate of Heaven shut? Have they no Father in Heaven? You might think from
their attitude that Jesus was in Joseph's new tomb, and a great stone rolled
against the door. But Jesus is risen. He has ascended
on high, and has led captivity captive, and has given gifts unto men. He has
made manifest what he will do. He will break the fetters of the tomb, and bring
forth his people from the land of their captivity. We dwell too near to the
lowlands of earth. Let us raise our eyes to the open doors of
the heavenly sanctuary, where the light of the glory of God shines in the face
of Jesus Christ, who "is able also to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him." Why not talk of the plan of salvation?
Why not dig in the mines of truth for the treasures of wisdom, that you may
appreciate the promises of God? Why not dwell in the love of Christ, and talk
of the plan of redemption? We should study how to overcome appetite, ambition,
and the love of the world. Is there not enough for us to do that we have to
give so much time to matters of small importance?
When Christ left the world, he committed his work to his followers.
He came to represent the character of God
to the world, and we are left to represent Christ to the world.
We are not to go on in the path of darkness, stumbling on the dark mountains of
unbelief. There is a way cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in, and
this is where we may walk securely every day. Do not grasp the thistles, gather the roses, the lilies, and the pinks. If
we are to understand the rich treasures of God's word, we must separate our
souls from all iniquity, that we may not come under
its denunciations. As loyal soldiers we are to march under the
banner of Prince Immanuel. We are to study the Bible, that we may know how to
meet the assaults of the enemy. When Christ was
tempted, how did he overcome?—He met the tempter with, "It is
written." He used the words of God, declaring, "Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
This is the way that we are to overcome. We must search the Scriptures, and
appropriate the promises of God to our souls.
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