Keep the Faith . . .

Pastor Rod Thompson

Midland SDA Church

April 28, 2018

Read Isaiah 14: 12-14

Here we see the heart of Lucifer don’t we?  Here we see the focus of the controversy don’t we?  Satan wanted to be like God. 

I have been thinking about verse 14 for several weeks now, where Lucifer says, “I will be like the most high.”  I have to admit to you that I have often looked at that verse and said to myself, “I want to be like God too.”  And I have often said to myself the difference between me and Satan was he wanted the worship that only God deserves, and I simply want the character of God.  I want to be like Him.  But it doesn’t say there that he wanted to be worshipped – It simply says he wanted to be like God.  

So to say that I want to be like God - I now believe that that was a mistaken view, and I hope to share with you why I believe that. 

I don’t think that a true perspective of the gospel of Christ is me being like Him. 

The true perspective has to be found in righteousness by faith

Read Colossians 1: 19-27

I hope that you can join with me in seeing that our hope should not be that we can become like Christ.  It may shock you to hear me say that.  But notice where Paul says our hope should be.  He says in verse 27, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Notice that he places no hope in ever becoming like Christ.  Because the truth is that I, in and of myself, will never be like Christ.  So my hope has to be that Christ will dwell in me.  If I ever hope to be righteous I have to get His righteousness. 

Do you see that?   We have no righteousness of our own, we need His righteousness.  Well, what does that look like?

The most important year in Seventh-day Adventist history could arguably be 1844.  That was the time prophesied when the 2300 days would be complete and the cleansing of the sanctuary would begin.  But probably the second most import date in Adventist history was 1888.  It was in this year, at the General Conference Session, held in Minneapolis Minnesota that A.T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner made their memorable presentations on justification by faith and the righteousness of Christ in relation to the law. 

I’d like you to notice what Ellen White, in looking back at Minneapolis, said about Waggoner’s righteousness by faith message, in Volume 3 of Selected Messages p 168

This was no new light, but it was old light placed where it should be in the third angel’s message. 

First angels message Rev 14:-7

Second – Rev 14:8

Read Revelation 14:9-12

If you are like me, you probably read verse 9-11 and assume that is the third angel’s message and then verse 12 is a sort of encapsulating verse of all three angel’s messages. 

But I ask you the question, what is the burden of the third angel’s message? 

I want to suggest to you that in order to answer that question we have to realize that verse 12 is a part of the third angel’s message.

What we see going on here is false worship, don’t we?  Verse 9 says, “If anyone worships the beast and his image.”  And it talks about the punishment of those who receive the mark of the beast and those who worship the beast.  But then it makes a contrast in verse 12 with God’s people.  It says they keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. 

Is that what it says?    NO!   Look at it again.  It says, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

It doesn’t say we are to have the faith of Jesus, but we are to keep the faith of Jesus.

In other words, we are to keep the genuine article:  That is the faith, which, in Him, endured the test. 

It was His faith which met every fiery trial that Satan knows, and all the power that Satan could rally – it was His faith that endured that test. 

So the most important question of our lives is how do I get that faith?

It is the faith that I need, and it is the faith that has already endured the trial.  And how do I get it?

Read Revelation 3:18

Jesus says, buy of me gold refined in the fire, buy of me white garments that you may be clothed

If you were to go and read Isaiah 55:1 it says, buy of me without money.  In other words it’s free – but you have to come to me to get it!

Christ’s Object Lessons p.310

The white robe of innocence was worn by our first parents when they were placed by God in holy Eden. They lived in perfect conformity to the will of God. All the strength of their affections was given to their heavenly Father. A beautiful soft light, the light of God, enshrouded the holy pair. This robe of light was a symbol of their spiritual garments of heavenly innocence. Had they remained true to God it would ever have continued to enshroud them. But when sin entered, they severed their connection with God, and the light that had encircled them departed. Naked and ashamed, they tried to supply the place of the heavenly garments by sewing together fig leaves for a covering.   This is what the transgressors of God's law have done ever since the day of Adam and Eve's disobedience. They have sewed together fig leaves to cover the nakedness caused by transgression. They have worn the garments of their own devising, by works of their own they have tried to cover their sins, and make themselves acceptable with God.   But this they can never do. Nothing can man devise to supply the place of his lost robe of innocence. No fig-leaf garment, no worldly citizen dress, can be worn by those who sit down with Christ and angels at the marriage supper of the Lamb.   Only the covering which Christ Himself has provided can make us meet (prepared) to appear in God's presence. This covering, the robe of His own righteousness, Christ will put upon every repenting, believing soul. "I counsel thee," He says, "to buy of Me . . . white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." Revelation 3:18.   This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising. Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us.

So you see brothers and sisters it’s not that you and I can be like Christ, but rather that Christ can be in us empowering us to live a righteous life.  We can be covered by His robe of righteousness. 

And it says, this robe was woven in the loom of heaven. 

So what was the loom?  It was Christ in human flesh.  And what was woven in Him.  Righteousness!  The life that He lived, for you and for me – A life of righteousness - that is the garment

And guess what?  He wants that garment to be ours. 

Christ is to be in us, just as the Father was in Him, and His character is to be in us, just as the Father’s was in Him.  And His character is to be woven into the very fabric of our being. 

God is the weaver – but here is the important part for you and me.  He wants to give us His character, but He can’t do it without us letting Him.  It is the cooperation between divinity and humanity – the mystery of God in you and me – the mystery   that was in the gospel and that is in the third angel’s message. 

And what was that message?       They keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.  And how did they do that?  Was it in their own power?  NO!  It was Christ in them, the hope of Glory.

Steps to Christ P. 62

It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God's law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Savior, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ's character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned.       More than this, Christ changes the heart. He abides in your heart by faith. You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and the continual surrender of your will to Him; and so long as you do this, He will work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure.

And what is that going to look like?

Galations 2:20    "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

Matthew 10:20   So Jesus said to His disciples, "It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."

Then with Christ working in you, you will manifest the same spirit and do the same good works --works of righteousness, obedience. 

Desire of Ages P. 668.3 

 All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us. 

Brothers and Sisters, what is this saying to us? 

First of all it is saying that you don’t have any righteousness of your own.  You can never obtain righteousness by trying harder. 

Now I have to make a confession to you.  I have a problem that I have been struggling with.  Perhaps you have something that you have been struggling with as well.  Your problem may be different from mine, but you may be struggling as well.

So let me tell you my problem.  I struggle with getting my appetite under control.  Now here’s the thing.  I don’t have a problem with eating pork or anything like that, but I am a very unhealthy vegetarian.  And you know what I mean by that don’t you?  I love potato chips, pizza, donuts, ice cream.  Not that there is even anything wrong with those, if taken in moderation.  But I’ll sit down and eat a whole bag of chips, or a whole pizza by myself.  Gluttony is my favorite sin.

And I have been fighting with myself for years.  I eat them – and then I feel bad that I did – because I know I shouldn’t do that – it’s not healthy.

So do you know what I’ve been doing for the last 10 years?  I’ve been saying Rod, you need to try harder.  You need to get your appetite under control.  But you know what?  I can’t

I have even said to myself, I want to be like Sabrina.  But I can’t – I don’t have the will power.

But I have come to realize that the answer to my struggle is not in trying harder.  The answer is in surrender and in the third angel’s message.

They keep the commandments of God and (they keep) the faith of Jesus.

Jesus has the power to overcome appetite and he proved it in the wilderness when Satan tempted Him to turn the stones into bread. 

So I have completely changed my attitude about wanting to be like Jesus.  I can’t – I will never be like Him.  But if He is in me I have the power to overcome.  Why?  Because I have taken on his righteousness and keeping His faith.

So rather than saying, I need to try harder, now what I want to do when temptation comes to order a pizza, I say Lord, you know my weakness, You know When it comes to pizza, I’m like the lays potato chip commercial that says “YOU CAN”T EAT JUST ONE.”

So Lord, I need your strength right now, I need your faith right now, I need your righteousness right now.  Lord, give me the power to say no!  Lord – take away the craving.  Lord help me to get my focus on something else.  Lord I need you to give me the victory.  Will you do for me what I can’t do for myself.

And I know that if a fail, that I can’t beat myself up – But I have got to get up, dust myself off, and say Lord I did it again.  I failed you.  Please forgive me and lets you and I do better next time.

Lord – don’t ever give up on me.  Lord change me.  Make me willing to be willing

And brothers and sisters the same is true for you.  Whatever your struggle is you can’t fix it.  So stop trying to and surrender it to Jesus.

That sounds totally backwards doesn’t it?  This world teaches that if you want to gain the victory you have got to work harder.  But friends working harder doesn’t help.  Only by surrendering can we gain the victory.  That is our one thing that we can do.  Give it to God and ask Him to bring out His righteousness in you.

We know what the bible says about the way we dress, about the things we watch or listen to, about smoking, drinking caffeine, jewelry.  We know what it says don’t we?

So if there is anything that you are struggling with, I want to encourage you this morning to take it to Jesus.  Surrender it to Him – and let Him weave His righteousness into the very fabric of your being.  Give it to Him and He will give you the victory.

Is it the desire of your heart to keep the faith of Jesus?