HE DRAWS ALL MEN BY HIS DEATH

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw allmen unto me." John 12:32.

The great plan of redemption results in fully bringing back the world into God's favor. All that was lost by sin is restored. Not only an but the earth is redeemed, to be the eternal abode of the obedient. for six thousand years, Satan has struggled to maintain possession o f the earth. Now God's original purpose in s creattion is accomplished. "The saints of the Most High shlal take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever." - Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 342.

The true object of education is to restore the image of God in the soul. in the beginning, God created man in His own likeness. He endowed him with noble qualities. His mind was well balanced, and all the powers of his being were harmonious. But the fall and its effects have perverted these gifts....To bring him back to the perfection in which he was first created, is the great object of life, - the object that underlies every other. It is the work of parents and teachers, in the education of the youth, to co-operate with the divine purpose; and in so doing they are "laborers together with God." - ibid., p 595.

The theme of redemption will bear the most concentrated study, and its depths will never be fully explored. do not fear that you will exhaust the wonderful theme. go the fountain for yourself, that you may be filled with refreshment. Drink deep at the well of salvation, that Jesus may be in you a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life. - Counsels to Teachers, p. 528.

COURAGE

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Rom. 1:16.

God cannot use men who, in time of peril, when the strength, courage, and influence of all are needed, are afraid to take a firm stand for the right. He calls for men who will do faithful battle against wrong, warring against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. It is to such as these that He will speak the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant;…enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

Hope and courage are essential to perfect service for God. These are the fruit of faith. Despondency is sinful and unreasonable. God is able and willing “more abundantly” to bestow upon His servants the strength they need for test and trial. The plans of the enemies of His work may seem to be well laid and firmly established; but God can overthrow the strongest of these. And this He does in His own time and way, when He sees that the faith of His servants has been sufficiently tested.

Through the fidelity the principles of temperance shown by the Hebrew youth, God is speaking to the youth of to-day. There is need of men who, like Daniel, will do and dare for the cause of right. Pure hearts, strong hands, fearless courage, are needed; for the warfare between vice and virtue calls for ceaseless vigilance. To every soul Satan comes with temptation in many alluring forms on the point of indulgence of appetite. ….Intellectual power, physical stamina, and the length of life depend upon immutable laws. Through obedience to these laws, man may stand conqueror of himself.

GOD’S APPOINTED WEAPONS

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Eph. 6:16, 17.

Good has provided abundant means for successful warfare against the evil that is in the world. The Bible is the armory where we may equip for the struggle. Our loins must be girt about with truth. Our breastplate must be righteousness. The shield of faith must be in our hand, the helmet of salvation on our brow; and with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, we are to cut our way through the obstructions and entanglements of sin……

Summoning Timothy before the bar of God, Paul ‘bids him preach the Word, not the sayings and customs of men; to be ready to witness for God whenever opportunity should present itself – before large congregations and private circles, by the way and at the fireside, to friends and to enemies, whether in safety or exposed to hardship and peril, reproach and loss….He was to reveal the patience and love of Christ, explaining and enforcing his reproofs by the truths of the Word.

To hate and reprove sin, and at the same time to show pity and tenderness for the sinner, is a difficult attainment…

We must guard against undue severity toward the wrong-doer; but we must also be careful not to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. There is need of showing Christ-like patience and love for the erring one, but there is also danger of showing so great toleration for his error that he will look upon himself as undeserving of reproof, and will reject it as uncalled for and unjust.

HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS MARKS HIS SUPERIORITY

"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Heb. 1:9.

We are God's servants, and to each of us He has given talents, both natural and spiritual. As children of God, we should be constantly gaining in fitness for the heavenly mansions which Christ told His disciples He was going away to prepare for them. He who lays hold upon the righteiousness of Christ may become a perfect man in Christ Jesus. Working from a high standpoint, seeking to follow the example of Christ, we shall grow up into His likeness, possessing more and more refinement. -Testimonies to Ministers, p. 150.

The Christian in his business life is to represent to the world the manner in which our Lord would conduct business enterprises. In every transaction he is to make it manifest that God is his teacher. "Holiness unto the Lord", is to be written upon day books and ledgers, on deeds, receipts, and bills of exchange. Those who profess to be followers of Christ, and who deal in an unrighteous manner, are bearing false witness against the character of a holy, just, and merciful God. - The Desire of Ages, p. 556.

Only the covering which Christ Himself has provided, can make us meet to appear in God's presence. This covering, the robe of His own righteousness, Christ will put upon every repenting, believing soul. - Christ's Object Lessons, p. 311.

If we will but keep our eyes fixed on the Saviour, and trust in His power, we shall be filled with a sense of security; for the righteousness of Christ will become our righteousness. - Messages to Young People, p. 107.

IF WE CONFESS, HE IS FAITHFULL

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.

The humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine repentance, will appreciate something of the love of God, and the cost of Calvary; and as a son confesses to a loving father, so will the truly penitent bring all his sins before God. - Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 641.

Every sin is an offense against God, and is to be confessed to Him through Christ. Every open sin should be as openly confessed. Wrong done to a fellow being should be made right with the one who has been offended. If any who are seeking health have been guilty of evil-speaking, if they have sowed discord in the home, and neighborhood, or the church, and have stirred up alienation and dissension, if by any wrong practise they have led others into sin, these things should be confessed before God and before those who have been offended. - Ministry of Healing, pp. 228, 229.

We are not to trust in our faith, but in the promises of God. When we repent of our past transgressions of His law, and resolve to render obedience in the future, we should believe that God for Christ's sake accepts us, and forgives our sins.

Darkness and discouragement will sometimes come upon the soul, and threaten to overwhelm us; but we should not cast away our confidence. We must keep the eye fixed on Jesus, feeling or no feeling. We should seek to faithfully perform every known duty, and then calmly rest in the promises of God. - Messages to Young People, p. 111.

ONLY GOD CAN FORGIVE

"To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenes, though we have rebelled against him." Dan. 9:9.

Do not look to men, nor hang your hopes upon them, feeling that they are infallible, but look to Jesus constantly. Say nothing that would cast a reproach upon our faith. Confess your secret sins alone before your God. Acknowledge your heart wanderings to Him who knows perfectly how to treat your case.

If you have wronged your neighbor, acknowledge to him your sin, and show fruit of the same by making restitution. Then claim the blessing. Come to God just as you are, and let him heal all your infirmities. Press your case to the throne of grace; let the work be thorough. Be sincere in dealing with God and your own soul. If you come to Him with a heart truly contrite, he will give you the victory. Then you may bear a sweet testimony of freedom, showing forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. He will not misapprehend or misjudge you. your fellowmen cannot absolve you from sin, or cleanse you from iniquity. Jesus is the only one who can give you peace. He loved you, and gave Himself for you. His great heart of love is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities."

What sins are too great for him to pardon? What soul too dark and sin-oppressed for Him to save? He is gracious, not looking for merit in us, but of His own boundless goodness healing our backsliding and loving us freely, while we are yet great sinners. He is "slow to anger and of great kindness." - Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 649.

Confess your sins to God, who only can forgive them, and your faults to one another. - Ibid., p. 639.

ALL SINS, SAVE ONE, SHALL BE FORGIVEN

"Verily I say unto you, all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men...but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness." Mark 3:28, 29.

what constitutes the sin against the Holy Ghost? - It is willfully attributing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit. For example, suppose that one is a witness of the special work of the Spirit of God. he has convincing evidence that the work is in harmony with Scriptures, and the Spirit witnesses with his spirit that it is of God. Afterward, however he falls under temptation; pride, self-sufficiency, or some other evil trait, controls him; and rejecting all the evidence of its divine character, he declares that that which he had before acknowledged to be the power of the Holy Spirit was the power of Satan. It is through the medium of His Spirit that God works upon the human heart; and when men willfully reject the Spirit, and declare it to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them. By denying the evidence which God has been pleased to give them, they shut the result they are left in darkness. - Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 634.

Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes, the guilt is washed away by the blood of Christ; but he who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit is placing himself where repentance and faith cannot come to him. It is by the Spirit that God works upon the heart; when men willfully reject the Spirit, and declare it to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them. When the Spirit is finally rejected, there is no more that god can do for the soul. - the Desire of Ages, p. 322.