Introduction

Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted to occupy its place on the earth, that it might be seen whether it would fulfill the purpose of

• “the Watcher and the Holy One.”

Prophecy has traced the rise and fall of the world’s great empires–

• Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

With each of these, as with nations of less power, history repeated itself. Each had its period of test, each failed, its glory faded, its power departed, and its place was occupied by another.

A Divine Overruling Purpose

Lesson 1 While the nations rejected God’s principles, and in this rejection wrought their own ruin, it was still manifest that the divine, overruling purpose was working through all their movements.

Biblical evidence

Ezekiel 1:4   4 Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Ezekiel 1:26   26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.

Ezekiel 10:8   8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

For additional study, read Ezekiel 1

Practical application

While the nations rejected God’s principles, and in this rejection wrought their own ruin, it was still manifest that the divine, overruling purpose was working through all their movements.

This lesson is taught in a wonderful symbolic representation given to the prophet Ezekiel during his exile in the land of the Chaldeans. The vision was given at a time when….

• When Ezekiel was weighed down with sorrowful memories and troubled forebodings.
• When the land of his fathers was desolate.
• When Jerusalem was depopulated.

The prophet himself was a stranger in a land where ambition and cruelty reigned supreme. As on every hand he beheld tyranny and wrong, his soul was distressed, and he mourned day and night. But the symbols presented to him revealed a power above that of earthly rulers.

Upon the banks of the river Chebar, Ezekiel beheld a whirlwind seeming to come from the north,

• “a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber.”

A number of wheels, intersecting one another, were moved by four living beings. High above all these

• “was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.” Ezekiel 1:4, 26
• “And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings.” Ezekiel 10:8.

A hand beneath the complicated play of human events

The wheels were so complicated in arrangement that at first sight they appeared to be in confusion; but they moved in perfect harmony.

• Heavenly beings, sustained and guided by the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, were impelling these wheels;
• Above the heavenly beings, upon the sapphire throne, was the Eternal One; and
• Round about the throne a rainbow, the emblem of divine mercy.

As the wheellike complications were under the guidance of the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, so the complicated play of human events is under divine control.

• Amidst the strife and tumult of nations, He that sitteth above the cherubim still guides the affairs of the earth.

Measured by the plummet

The history of nations that one after another have occupied their allotted time and place, unconsciously witnessing to the truth of which they themselves knew not the meaning, speaks to us.

• To every nation and to every individual of today God has assigned a place in His great plan.
• Today men and nations are being measured by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake.
• Today all are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes.

Danish translation / Dansk oversættelse

Ethvert folk, som er trådt frem på handlingens skueplads, har fået lov til at indtage sin plads i verden, så det kunne vise sig, om det ville opfylde vægterens, den helliges krav. (Dan. 4,13.) Profetierne har fulgt de store verdensrigers opkomst og fald Babylon, Medien og Persien, Græken­land og Rom, Historien har gentaget sig med hvert eneste af disse, ligesom med riger, der var mindre mægtige. Hvert af dem har haft sin prøvetid, alle har de svigtet deres herlighed er visnet, deres magt forsvundet, og en anden har indtaget deres plads.

Skønt rigerne forkastede Guds grundregler og gennem denne for­kastelse bevirkede deres egen ødelæggelse, viste det sig stadig, at det guddommelige, altbeherskende formål virkede gennem alt, hvad de foretog sig.

Dette lærer vi gennem en vidunderlig, symbolsk fremstilling, som profeten Ezekiel fik, mens han levede som landflygtig i kaldæernes land. Ezekiel fik synet på et tidspunkt, hvor han var knuget af smertelige erindringer og ængstelige forudanelser. Hans fædres land lå øde hen, Jerusalem var mennesketom. Profeten selv var fremmed i et land, hvor ærgerrighed og grusomhed herskede uindskrænket. Da han til alle sider kun så tyranni og uretfærdighed, fortvivlede han, og han sørgede både dag og nat. Men de symboler, der blev vist ham, åbenbarede en magt, der var hævet over de jordiske herskeres.

Ved floden Kebars bredder så Ezekiel en hvirvelvind, der syntes at komme nordfra,»en vældig sky fulgte med, omgivet af stråleglans og hvirvlende ild, i hvis midte det glimtede som funklende malm.« En del hjul, der sad på tværs af hinanden, blev sat i gang af fire levende væsener. Men højt oven over alle disse var der»noget som safir at se til, noget ligesom en trone, og på den, ovenover, var der noget ligesom et menneske at se til.”»Under kerubernes vinger sås noget, der lignede en menneskehånd.« Ez. 1,4. 26; 10,8. Hjulene var så indviklet ordnede, at de ved første øjekast så ud til at være i forvirring; men de bevægede sig i fuldstændig harmoni med hinanden. Himmelske væsener, der blev støttet og ledet af hånden under kerubernes vinger, holdt disse hjul i gang. Over dem, på tronen af safir, var den Almægtige, og rundt om tronen var der en regnbue, tegnet på guddommelig barmhjertighed.

Ligesom de hjullignende forviklinger var under ledelse af hånden under kerubernes vinger, sådan er de menneskelige begivenheders indviklede spil under guddommelig styrelse. Midt iblandt rigernes strid og larm styrer stadig han, som sidder oven over keruberne, hvad der sker på jorden.

Beretningen om riger, der et efter et har fået tildelt deres tilmålte tid og sted, og som uden at vide det vidnede om den sandhed, som de selv ikke kendte betydningen af, har noget at sige os. Gud har tildelt hvert folk og hvert enkelt menneske i dag en plads inden for sin store plan, I dag bliver mennesker og riger målt med målesnoren i hans hånd, som aldrig tager fejl. Alle afgør efter eget valg deres skæbne, og Gud beher­sker alt for at få sine hensigter fuldført.

The True Philosophy of History

Only in the Bible is it clearly Written

Lesson 1 In the word of God only is the true and genuine philosophy of history clearly set forth.

Biblical evidence

Proverbs 14:34  34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.

Proverbs 16:12   12 …For a throne is established by righteousness.

Proverbs 20:28   28 Mercy and truth preserve the king, And by lovingkindness he upholds his throne.

Daniel 2:21   21 And … He removes kings and raises up kings;

For additional study, read Dan 4; Daniel 2; Ezekiel 34; Isaias 47; Isaiah 13-14; Jeremisas 51.

Practical application

The true philosophy of history:

To understand the philosophy of history, is to recognize four things:

1. that “righteousness exalteth a nation;” (Proverbs 14:34)
2. that “the throne is established by righteousness” (Proverbs 16:12)
3. that the throne is “upholden by mercy” ( Proverbs 20:28)
4. to recognize the outworking of these principles in the manifestation of His power who “removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:21),–

These four things is to understand the philosophy of history.

In the word of God only is this clearly set forth.

• Here it is shown that the strength of nations, as of individuals, is not found in the opportunities or facilities that appear to make them invincible;
• Here it is shown that the strength of nations, as of individuals, is not found in their boasted greatness.

Instead the strength of nations, as of individuals, is measured by the fidelity with which they fulfill God’s purpose.

The truth, that the strength of nations, as of individuals, is measured by the fidelity with which they fulfill God’s purpose is illustrated by the history of ancient Babylon.

An illustration of this truth is found in the history of ancient Babylon. To Nebuchadnezzar the king the true object of national government was represented under the figure of a great tree, whose height

• “reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: the leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all;” under its shadow the beasts of the field dwelt, and among its branches the birds of the air had their habitation. Daniel 4:11, 12.

Babylon empire

Editor note: For more information about Babylon, read this.

This representation shows the character of a government that fulfills God’s purpose–

• a government that protects and upbuilds the nation.

God exalted Babylon that it might fulfill this purpose (protect and upbuild the nation). Prosperity attended the nation until it reached a height of wealth and power that has never since been equaled–

• The wealth and power is fitly represented in the Scriptures by the inspired symbol, a “head of gold.” Daniel 2:38.

The Eu Parliament building

Editor note: God has revealed in His law the principles that underlie true prosperity both of nations and of individuals. Since the treaty of Lisbon, many consider EU today as a state (or nation). The strength of EU, therefore, is measured by the fidelity with which it fulfills God’s purpose.

EU often compares itself with Babylon see here.

For more information see here

But the king of Babylon failed of recognizing the power that had exalted him. Nebuchadnezzar in the pride of his heart said:

• “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?” Daniel 4:30.

Ancient Babylon ruins today

Instead of being a protector of men, Babylon became a proud and cruel oppressor. The words of Inspiration picturing the cruelty and greed of rulers in Israel reveal the secret of Babylon’s fall and of the fall of many another kingdom since the world began:

• “Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” Ezekiel 34:3, 4.

To the ruler of Babylon came the sentence of the divine Watcher: O king, “to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.” Daniel 4:31.

“Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of
Babylon,
Sit on the ground: there is no throne. . . .
Sit thou silent,
And get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans;
For thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.”
Isaiah 47:1-5.

“O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in
treasures,
Thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness,”

Jeremias 51:13

“Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency,
Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Isaiah 13:19

“I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Isaiah  14:23.

Danish translation / Dansk oversættelse

At forstå disse ting at forstå, at»retfærdighed løfter et folk;« at»ved retfærd grundfæstes tronen,« (Ordsp. 14,34; 16,12; 20,28;) at erkende disse grundreglers udfoldelse i åbenbarelsen af Hans magt, som»afsætter og indsætter konger« (Dan. 2,21) dette er at forstå historiens filosofi!

Kun i Guds ord forkyndes dette tydeligt og klart. Her vises det, at nationernes ligesom de enkelte menneskers styrke ikke består i de muligheder eller gode anledninger, der tilsyneladende gør dem uovervinde­lige; den består ikke i den storhed, de praler af. Den måles efter den troskab, med hvilken de fuldfører Guds hensigter.

Man finder et eksempel på denne sandhed i oldtidens Babylons historie. For kong Nebukadnezar blev det sande formål med en regering fremstillet i skikkelse af et træ, hvis krone»nåede himmelen, og det sås til jordens ende; dets løv var fagert, dets frugter mange, så der var føde til alle derpå;« i skyggen af det levede markens dyr, og himmelens fugle boede i dets grene. Daniel 4,11-12. Denne fremstilling viser, hvilken slags regering det opfylder Guds formål en regering, der beskytter og hjælper folket.

Gud ophøjede Babylon, for at det skulle opfylde dette formål. Lykken fulgte dette rige, indtil det nåede et højdepunkt af rigdom og magt, man aldrig siden har set mage til og som meget passende i Skriften blev symboliseret ved et»hoved, som var af guld.« Dan. 2,38.

Men kongen forsømte at erkende den magt, som havde ophøjet ham. I sit hjertes hovmod sagde Nebukadnezar:»Er dette ikke det store Babel, som jeg byggede til kongesæde ved min vældige magt, min herlighed til ære?« Dan. 4,30.

I stedet for at blive en beskytter for mennesker blev Babylon til en stolt og grusom undertrykker. De ord, der ved Ånden giver et billede af grusomheden og griskheden hos Israels herskere, afslører hemmeligheden ved Babylons fald og mange andre rigers fald, siden verden blev til:»I fortærede mælken, med ulden klædte I eder, de fede dyr slagtede I, men hjorden røgtede I ikke; de svage dyr styrkede I ikke, de syge lægte I ikke, de adsplittede bragte I ikke tilbage, de vildfarende opsøgte I ikke, men I styrede dem med hårdhed og grumhed.« Ez. 34,3-4.

For Babylon hersker lød den guddommelige vægters dom:»Det gives dig til kende, kong Nebukadnezar, at dit kongedømme er taget fra dig!« Daniel 4,31.» Stig ned, sid i støvet, du jomfru, Babels datter, sid uden trone på j,orden. ….. Sid tavs og gå ind i mørke kaldæernes datter, thi ikke mer skal du kaldes rigernes dronning.« Es. 47,1-5.

»Du, som bor ved de mange vande, rig på skatte, din ende er kommet, den alen, hvor man skærer dig af.”»Det går med Babel, rigernes krone, kaldæernes stolte pryd, som dengang Gud omstyrtede Sodoma og Gomorra.”»Jeg gør det til rørdrummers eje og til side sumpe; jeg fejer det bort med undergangens kost, lyder det fra Hærskarers Herre.« Jer. 51,13; Es. 13,19; 14,23.

The Bible as an Educator

• The Bible is the most ancient and the most comprehensive history that men possess.
• The Bible came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth, and throughout the ages a divine hand has preserved its purity.

The Bible lights up the far-distant past, where human research in vain seeks to penetrate. In God’s word only do we behold and find…

• Here only we behold the power that laid the foundations of the earth and that stretched out the heavens.
• Here only do we find an authentic account of the origin of nations.
• Here only is given a history of our race unsullied by human pride or prejudice.

In the annals of human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as dependent on the will and prowess of man.

• The shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice.

But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, behind, above, and through all the play and counterplay of human interests and power and passions, the agencies of the all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will.

Closed curtains

The True Philosophy of History

Lesson 1 The Bible reveals the true philosophy of history.

Biblical evidence

Acts 17:26-27  26 “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,  27 “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

Ezekiel 20:37   37 “… into the bond of the covenant;

Isaiah 43:21  21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.

For additional study, read: Acts 17; Ezekiel 20; Isaiah 43.

Practical application

Curtains closed

The Bible reveals the true (genuine) philosophy of history. In those words of matchless beauty and tenderness spoken by the apostle Paul to the sages of Athens is set forth God’s purpose in the creation and distribution of races and nations:

• He “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him.” Acts 17:26, 27.

God declares that whosoever will may come…

• “into the bond of the covenant.” Ezekiel 20:37.

In the creation it was His purpose that the earth be inhabited by beings whose existence should be a blessing on three levels: toward themselves, toward each other and toward their Creator:

• Whose existence should be a blessing to themselves.
• Whose existence should be a blessing to one another.
• Whose existence should be an honor to their Creator.

All who will may identify themselves with this purpose. Of them it is spoken…

• “This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise.” Isaiah 43:21.

Conditions for Prosperity

Lesson 2 God has revealed in His law the principles that underlie all true prosperity both of nations and of individuals.

Biblical evidence

Deuteronomy 4:5-6   5 “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess.  6 “Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

Deuteronomy 32:44-47  44 So Moses came with Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people.  45 Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel,  46 and He said to them: “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe — all the words of this law.  47 “For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life, and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess.”

For additional study, read Deuteronomy 4; Deuteronomy 32.

Practical application

Drawing the curtain aside

God has revealed in His law the principles that underlie all true prosperity both of nations and of individuals.

• “This is your wisdom and your understanding,” Moses declared to the Israelites of the law of God.” Deuteronomy 4:6
• “It is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life.” Deuteronomy 32:47.

The blessings thus assured to Israel are, on the same conditions and in the same degree, assured to every nation and every individual under the broad heavens.

The Power is Heaven-imparted

Lesson 3 The power exercised by every ruler on the earth is Heaven-imparted; and upon his use of the power thus bestowed, his success depends.

Biblical evidence

Isaiah 45:4-7   4 For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.  5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,  6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other;  7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.’

Daniel 4:27   27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

For additional study, read Isaiah 45; Daniel 4.

Practical application

The power exercised by every ruler on the earth is Heaven-imparted; and upon his use of the power thus bestowed, his success depends. To each the word of the divine Watcher is,

• “I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me.” Isaiah 45:5.

And to each the words spoken to Nebuchadnezzar of old are the lesson of life:

• “Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility.” Daniel 4:27.

Conclusion

To Understand the true philosophy of history

To understand  the true philosophy of history. we need to recognize four things:

1. That “righteousness exalteth a nation;” (Proverbs 14:34)
2. That “the throne is established by righteousness” (Proverbs 16:12)
3. That the throne is “upholden by mercy” ( Proverbs 20:28);
4. And to recognize the outworking of these principles in the manifestation of His power who “removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:21),

These four things is to understand the philosophy of history.

Curtain drawn aside

Editor note: When the curtain is drawn aside, we see behind, above and through the play and counterplay of human interest and power and passions, the agency of the all mercyful One (God) patiently working out the counsels of His own will.

Danish translation / Dansk oversættelse

Bibelen er den ælsdste og den mest omfattende historie, som mennesker ejer. Den er udgået fra den evige sandheds kilde, og en gud­dommelig hånd har gennem tiderne bevaret dens renhed. Den kaster lys over den fjerne fortid, hvor menneskers gransken forgæves søger at trænge ind. Kun i Guds ord skuer vi den magt der lagde jordens grundvolde, og som udspændte himlene. Kun her finder vi en pålidelig beretning om nationernes oprindelse. Kun her berettes menneskeslægtens historie uden af være besudlet af menneskeligt hovmod eller menneskers fordom.

I menneskeslægtens historiske annaler synes folkeslagenes trivsel og rigernes opståen og fald at være afhængige af menneskets vilje og dygtighed, Begivenhedernes opståen synes for en stør del at være afhængige af dets magt, ærgerrighed eller luner. Men i Guds ord drages forhænget til side, og vi ser bag ved og oven over og igennem hele dette spil og modspil af menneskers interesser og magt og lidenskaber, hvordan barmhjertighedens Gud ved sine virkemidler stille og tålmodigt får alt til at gå efter sin vilje,

Bibelen åbenbarer den sande filosofi i historien. I disse ufor­ligneligt skønne og kærlige ord, som apostlen Paulus sagde til de vise i Athen, forkyndes Guds formål med skabelsen og fordelingen af racer og folkeslag:»Han lod alle folk nedstamme fra ét menneske og lod dem bosætte sig på hele jordens flade, og han fastsatte bestemte tider og landegrænser for dem, for at de skulle søge Gud, om de dog kunne famle sig frem til ham og finde ham.« Apg. 17,26-27. Gud siger, at alle de, der vil, kan blive indbefattet i pagten. (Ez. 20,37

Gud har i sin lov åbenbaret de principper der er grundlæggende for al sand lykke, både når det gælder nationer og de enkelte mennesker.»Det skal være eders visdom og eders kløgt,« sagde Moses til israelitterne om Guds lov.»Det er ikke tomme ord og uden betydning for eder; men af dem afhænger eders liv.« 5Mos. 4,6; 32,47. De velsignelser der således blev tilsikret Israel, tilsikres på de samme betingelser og i samme grad hvert folk og hvert menneske alle vegne under himmelen.

Den magt, som udøves af enhver hersker på jorden, er tildelt ham af Himmelen; og hans held er afhængigt af, hvordan han anvender den magt, der således er skænket ham. Den guddommelige vægters ord lyder til alle:»Jeg omgjorder dig, endskønt du ej kender mig.« Es. 45,5. Og for alle er de ord, der i gamle dage blev talt til Nebukadnezar, selve livets lære:»Gør ende på dine synder med retfærd og på dine misgerninger med barm­hjertighed mod de fattige, om din lykke måske kunne vare.« Daniel 4,27.

At forstå disse ting at forstå, at»retfærdighed løfter et folk;« at»ved retfærd grundfæstes tronen,« (Ordsp. 14,34; 16,12; 20,28;) at erkende disse grundreglers udfoldelse i åbenbarelsen af Hans magt, som»afsætter og indsætter konger« (Dan. 2,21) dette er at forstå historiens filosofi!

A Life in Christ is a life of Rest

Lesson 7 A life in Christ is a life of restfulness.

Biblical evidenceG

Matthew 11:25-30 ²⁵ At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  ²⁶ “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  ²⁷ “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. ²⁸ “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  ³⁰ “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

^NKJ Psalm 37:1 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.  ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.  ³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.  ⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.  ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.  ⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.  ⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.  ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret — it only causes harm.  ⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.  ¹⁰ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. ¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Isaiah 30:13-15 ¹³ Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant.  ¹⁴ And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, Which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments A shard to take fire from the hearth, Or to take water from the cistern.”  ¹⁵ For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not,

Practical application

A state of restfulness

A life in Christ is a life of restfulness. There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but there should be an abiding, peaceful trust. Your hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ.

• Your weakness is united to His strength,
• Your ignorance is united to His wisdom,
• Your frailty is united to His enduring might.

So you are not to look to yourself, not to let the mind dwell upon self, but look to Christ. Let the mind dwell upon His love, upon the beauty, the perfection, of His character. This is the subject for the soul’s contemplation…

• Christ in His self-denial,
• Christ in His humiliation,
• Christ in His purity and holiness,
• Christ in His matchless love

This is the subject for the soul’s contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you are to be transformed into His likeness.

Jesus says,

• “Abide in Me.”

These words “Abide in Me”  convey the idea of rest, stability, confidence. Again He invites,

• “Come unto Me, . . . and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.

The words of the psalmist express the same thought:

• “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:7

And Isaiah gives the assurance,

• “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15.

This rest is not found in inactivity; for in the Saviour’s invitation the promise of rest is united with the call to labor:

• “Take My yoke upon you: . . . and ye shall find rest.” Matthew 11:29.

The heart that rests most fully upon Christ will be most earnest and active in labor for Him.

Restfulness

Do not Make Self the Center

Lesson 8     When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the source of strength and life.

Biblical evidence

Galatians 2:15-20 ¹⁵ “We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,  ¹⁶ “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.  ¹⁷ “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not!  ¹⁸ “For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.  ¹⁹ “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.  ²⁰ “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Practical application

Fastfood

Editor Note: What are the “pleasures of the world”?. You may read this here.

When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the source of strength and life. Hence it is Satan’s constant effort to keep the attention diverted from the Saviour and thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ. Satan will constantly seek to divert the mind to any or all of these things…

• The pleasures of the world,
• Life’s cares and perplexities and sorrows,
• The faults of others
• Your own faults and imperfections

So to any or all of these he will seek to divert the mind. Do not be misled by his devices.

• Many who are really conscientious, and who desire to live for God, he too often leads to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses, and thus by separating them from Christ he hopes to gain the victory.

Anxiety

We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved.

• All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength.

Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt; dismiss your fears. Say with the apostle Paul,

• “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and 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.” Galatians 2:20.

Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has loved you.

The End of Overeating

Editor Note: To read the book go to here

Keep the Eyes Fixed upon Christ

Lesson 9 When Christ took human nature upon Him, He bound humanity to Himself by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power save the choice of man himself.

Biblical evidence

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 ¹² Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech –  ¹³ unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.  ¹⁴ But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.  ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.  ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Practical application

Look to Christ

When Christ took human nature upon Him, He bound humanity to Himself by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power save the choice of man himself. Satan will constantly present allurements to induce us to break this tie—

• to choose to separate ourselves from Christ.

Here is where we need to watch, to strive, to pray, that nothing may entice us to choose another master; for we are always free to do this. But let us keep our eyes fixed upon Christ, and He will preserve us.

• Looking unto Jesus, we are safe.

Nothing can pluck us out of His hand. In constantly beholding Him, we

• “are changed into the same image from glory to glory (gain likeness to Christ), even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

The Early Disciples

Gaining Likeness to the Saviour

Lesson 10     It was thus that the early disciples gained their likeness to the dear Saviour. (summary for the first 7 chapters).

Biblical evidence

James 5:10 – 1 Peter 1:1   ¹⁰ My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.  ¹¹ Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord — that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.  ¹² But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes,” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.  ¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.  ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  ¹⁶ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.  ¹⁹ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,  ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Practical application

Self-help or self-surrender

It was thus that the early disciples gained their likeness to the dear Saviour. When those disciples heard the words of Jesus, they felt their need of Him.

• They sought, they found, they followed Him.
• They were with Him in the house, at the table, in the closet, in the field.
• They were with Him as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from His lips lessons of holy truth.
• They looked to Him, as servants to their master, to learn their duty.

Those disciples were men “subject to like passions as we are.” James 5:17. They had the same battle with sin to fight. They needed the same grace, in order to live a holy life.

Sea of Galilee

Even John, the beloved disciple, the one who most fully reflected the likeness of the Saviour, did not naturally possess that loveliness of character.

• He was not only self-assertive and ambitious for honor, but impetuous, and resentful under injuries.

But as the character of the Divine One was manifested to him, he saw his own deficiency and was humbled by the knowledge.

• The strength and patience, the power and tenderness, the majesty and meekness, that he beheld in the daily life of the Son of God, filled his soul with admiration and love.
• Day by day his heart was drawn out toward Christ, until he lost sight of self in love for his Master.
• His resentful, ambitious temper was yielded to the molding power of Christ.
• The regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit renewed his heart.
• The power of the love of Christ wrought a transformation of character.

This is the sure result of union with Jesus. When Christ abides in the heart, the whole nature is transformed. Christ’s Spirit, His love, subdues,softens and raises …

• Christ’s Spirit, His love softens the heart,
• Christ’s Spirit, His love subdues the soul, and
• Christ’s Spirit, His love raises the thoughts and desires toward God and heaven.

When Christ ascended to heaven, the sense of His presence was still with His followers.

• It was a personal presence, full of love and light.

Jesus, the Saviour, who had walked and talked and prayed with them, who had spoken hope and comfort to their hearts, had, while the message of peace was still upon His lips, been taken up from them into heaven, and the tones of His voice had come back to them, as the cloud of angels received Him—

• “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20.

He had ascended to heaven in the form of humanity. His followers knew…

• They knew that He was before the throne of God, their Friend and Saviour still;
• They knew that His sympathies were unchanged;
• They knew that He was still identified with suffering humanity.
• They knew that He was presenting before God the merits of His own precious blood, showing His wounded hands and feet, in remembrance of the price He had paid for His redeemed.
• They knew that He had ascended to heaven to prepare places for them, and
• They knew that He would come again and take them to Himself.

As they met together after the ascension they were eager to present their requests to the Father in the name of Jesus. In solemn awe they bowed in prayer, repeating the assurance,

• “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:23, 24.

They extended the hand of faith higher and higher with the mighty argument,

• “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Romans 8:34.

And Pentecost brought them the presence of the Comforter, of whom Christ had said…

• He “shall be in you.”

And He had further said,

• “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.” John 14:17; 16:7.

Henceforth through the Spirit, Christ was to abide continually in the hearts of His children. Their union with Him was closer than when He was personally with them. The light, and love, and power of the indwelling Christ shone out through them, so that men, beholding,

• Men “marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13.

What a Union is this!

All that Christ was, He Desires to be Today

Lesson 11     All that Christ was to the disciples, He desires to be to His children today

Biblical evidence

John 17:20-23 ²⁰ ” I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;  ²¹ “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  ²² “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  ²³ “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

John 5:18-20 ¹⁸ Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  ¹⁹ Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  ²⁰ “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

John 14:9-14 ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  ¹⁰ “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  ¹¹ “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.  ¹² ” Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  ¹³ “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  ¹⁴ “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Philippians 2:3-15 ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  ⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,  ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,  ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  ¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  ¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  ¹⁴ Do all things without complaining and disputing,  ¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Ephesians 4:11-17 ¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,  ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,  ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;  ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ –  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.  ¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

Practical application

God dwells in the Sanctuary

All that Christ was to the disciples, He desires to be to His children today; for in that last prayer, with the little band of disciples gathered about Him, He said,

• “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word.” John 17:20.

Jesus prayed for us, and He asked that we might be one with Him, even as He is one with the Father. What a union is this! The Saviour has said of Himself,

• “The Son can do nothing of Himself;” John 5:19
• “the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” John 14:10.

What if…

• Then if Christ is dwelling in our hearts, He will work in us “both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.

Then If Christ is dwelling in our hearts, we shall work as He worked; we shall manifest the same spirit. And thus, loving Him and abiding in Him, we shall “grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” Ephesians 4:15.

Danish translation / Dansk oversættelse

Livet i Kristus er et liv i hvile. Du vil måske ikke altid føle de stærke stemninger, men du bør have en stadig fredfyldt fortrøstning til Gud. Dit håb er ikke i dig selv, men i Kristus. Din svaghed er forenet med hans styrke, din uforstand med hans visdom, din skrøbelighed med hans uendelige magt. Derfor skal du ikke se på dig selv eller lade tankerne dvæle ved dig selv, men se på Kristus. Betragt hans kærlighed, hans karakters skønhed og fuldkommenhed. Kristus i hans fornedrelse, Kristus i hans renhed og hellighed, Kristus i hans uforlignelige kærlighed er det emne, sindet bør fordybe sig i. Det er ved at elske ham, efterligne ham og stole på ham, at du skal forvandles efter hans billede.

Jesus siger:»Bliv i mig«! Disse ord indeholder begrebet om hvile, fasthed, tillid. Atter siger han;»Kom hid til mig ….. og jeg vil give eder hvile.« Matt. 11,28. Salmistens ord udtrykker den samme tanke:»Vær stille for Herren og bi på ham.« Og Esajas vidner:»I ro og tillid er eders styrke.« Sl. 37,7; Es. 30,15. Denne hvile findes ikke i uvirksomhed; thi i Frelserens indbydelse er løftet om hvile knyttet til hans kald til at arbejde.»Tag mit åg på eder, ….. så skal I finde hvile for eders sjæle.« Matt. 11,29. Det hjerte som hviler mest fuldstændigt i Kristus, vil være mest ivrigt og virksomt for ham.

Når vi lader tankerne dreje sig om os selv, vendes de bort fra Kristus, der er kilden til liv og kraft. Derfor søger Satan altid at lede vor opmærksomhed bort fra Frelseren og således forhindre sjælens forening og samfund med ham. Fristeren søger at lede dine tanke hen til verdens fornøjelser, livets bekymringer, uro og sorg til andres fejl eller dine egne fejl og ufuldkommenhede. Lad dig ikke vildlede af hans anslag. Mange, der virkelig er samvittighedsfulde og søger at leve for Gud, leder han alt for ofte til at fæste sig for stærkt ved deres egne fejl og skrøbeligheder; og ved således at skille dem fra Kristus håber han at vinde sejr over dem. Vi må ikke hengive os til bekymringer og frygt angående vor egen frelse ved at gøre selvet for meget til midtpunkt, for det vender sjælen bort fra kilden til vor styrke. Overlad omsorgen for din sjæl til Gud og forlad dig på ham. Lad din tale og dine tanker dreje sig om Kristus og dit eget selv forsvinde i ham. Bortkast al tvivl; hold op med din frygt. Sig med apostelen Paulus:»Med Kristus er jeg korsfæstet, og det er ikke mere mig, der lever, men Kristus lever i mig; men hvad jeg nu lever i kødet, det lever jeg i troen på Guds søn, som elskede mig og gav sig selv hen for mig.« Gal. 2,20. Hvil i Gud. Han er mægtig til at bevare det, som du har betroet ham. Hvis du overlader dig i hans hænder, så vil han give dig at mere end sejre ved ham, som har elsket dig.

Da Kristus påtog sig menneskelig natur, bandt han menneskeheden til sig med et kærlighedsbånd, som aldrig kan brydes af nogen anden magt end menneskets eget frie valg. Satan vil med sine fristelser stadig søge at forlede os til at bryde dette bånd og vælge adskillelsen fra Kristus. Derfor må vi våge, bede og stræbe alvorligt, for at intet må lokke os til at vælge nogen anden herre end Kristus, for vi har altid frihed til at gøre dette. Men lad os have vort blik fæstet på Kristus, så vil han bevare os, Når vi ser på Jesus, er vi trygge ingen kan da rive os ud af hans hånd. Betragter vi blot hele tiden ham, forvandles vi »til det samme billede fra herlighed til herlighed, så som det er fra Åndens herre.« 2Kor. 3,18.

Det var på denne måde, de første disciple kom til at ligne deres kære Frelser. Når de hørte Jesu ord, indså de at de trængte til ham. De søgte, de fandt, og de fulgte ham. De var med ham i huset, ved bordet, i lønkammeret, på marken. De var sammen med ham som elever med deres lærer og modtog hver dag fra hans læber undervisning i Guds hellige sandhed. De så hen til ham som tjenere til deres herre for at lære deres pligt. Disse disciple var mennesker der var stillet under samme vilkår som vi. De måtte føre den samme kamp mod synden; de behøvede den samme nåde for at leve et helligt liv.

Endog Johannes, den elskede discipel, som mest fuldkomment afspejlede Frelserens billede, besad ikke af naturen denne elskelige karakter. Han var ikke alene påståelig og ærgerrig, men heftig og hævngerrig, når han blev forurettet. Men efter at Den guddommelige Frelsers karakter blev åbenbaret for ham, så han sine egne fejl, og det gav ham ydmyghed. Den styrke og få tålmodighed, den kraft og ømhed, den majestæt og sagtmodighed, han så i Guds søns daglige liv, fyldte hans sind med beundring og kærlighed. Dag efter dag blev hans hjerte draget til Kristus, indtil han tabte sig selv af syne i sin kærlighed til Mesteren. Hans pirrelige og ærgerrige sindelag lod sig påvirke og tildanne af Frelserens kraft. Helligåndens genfødende indflydelse fornyede hans hjerte. Kristi kærligheds magt forvandlede hans karakter. Dette er den visse følge af foreningen med Jesus. Når han bor i hjertet, forvandles hele vor natur. Kristi ånd og kærlighed mildner hjertet, betvinge sjælen og løfter tankerne og ønskerne opad til Gud og himmelen.

Da Kristus opfor til himmelen, havde hans disciple endnu en følelse af hans nærværelse. Det var som en personlig nærværelse fuld af kærlighed og lys. Jesus, Frelseren, som havde vandret, talt og bedt med dem, som havde bragt håb og trøst til deres hjerter, var blevet optaget fra dem til himmelen, medens Faderens budskab endnu var på hans læber, og lyden af hans stemme kom tilbage til dem, idet englesangen tog imod ham:»Se, jeg er med eder alle dage indtil verdens ende.« Matt. 28,20. Han opfor til himmelen i menneskelig skikkelse. De vidste, at han ved Guds trone endnu var deres ven og frelser, at hans følelser var uforandrede, at han endnu kendte menneskehedens lidelser. Han fremstillede sit eget dyrebare blods fortjeneste for Gud og fremviste sine sårede hænder og fødder til minde om, hvor dyet han havde købt sine forløste. De vidste, at han var opfaren til himmelen for at berede sted for dem, og at han ville komme igen og tage dem til sig.

Når de samledes efter hans himmelfart, fremlagde de med iver deres begæringer for Faderen i Jesu navn. Med højtidelig ærefrygt bøjede de sig i bøn og gentog Jesu løfte:»Hvad som helst I beder Faderen om, skal han give eder i mit navn; bed, og I skal få, for at eders glæde må blive fuldkommen.« Joh. 16,23-24. De rakte troens hånd højere og højere op, fordi de vidste at »Kristus er den, som er død, ja meget mere, som er oprejst, som er ved Guds højre hånd, som også går i forbøn for os.« Rom. 8,34. Pinsefestens dag bragte dem Talsmandens nærværelse, om hvem Kristus havde sagt:»Han skal blive hos eder evindelig.« Og han havde videre sagt:»Det er eder gavnligt, at jeg går bort, thi går jeg ikke bort, kommer Talsmanden ikke til eder; men går jeg bort, så vil jeg sende ham til eder.« Joh. 14,16; 16,7. Efter den tid ville Kristus ved sin ånd bestandig bo i sine børns hjerter. Deres forening med ham var inderligere end da han personlig var hos dem. Kristus boede i dem, og hans kærligheds lys og kraft lyste gennem dem, så at de, der så dem, forundrede sig,»og de kendte dem, at de havde været med Jesus.« Apg. 4,13.

Alt, hvad. Kristus var for de første disciple, ønsker han at være for sine børn nu; thi han sagde i sin sidste bøn, da disciplenes lille skare var samlet omkring ham:»Jeg beder ikke alene for disse, men også for dem, som ved deres ord tror på mig.« Joh. 17,20.

Jesus bad for os, og han bad om, at vi måtte være ét med ham, ligesom han er ét med Faderen. Hvor er ikke det en herlig forening! Frelseren havde sagt om sig selv:»Sønnen kan slet intet gøre af sig selv.« »Faderen, som bliver i mig, han gør sine gerninger.« Joh. 5,19; 14,10. Når Kristus bor i vore hjerter, vil han virke i os»både at ville og virke, efter sit velbehag« Fil. 2,13.Da vil vi arbejde, som han arbejdede, og værre besjælede af den samme ånd. Og når vi således elsker ham og bliver i ham, så skal vi »i alle måder opvokse til ham, som er hovedet. Kristus«. Ef. 4,15.

En prædiken (februar 2010) / A Sermon in Copenhagen (only in Danish)

“Er du en lærer I Israel og forstår det ikke”? Det spørgsmål stiller Jesus. Sådan sagde Jesus til Nikodemus, medlemmet af det Jødiske Råd. Hvad forstod Nikodemus ikke? Nikodemus forstod ikke hvordan et menneske kan blive født på ny af Ånden. Formålet med min prædiken er at dykke ned i det som Nikodemus tilsyneladende ikke forstod. Prædiken vil forsøge at forklare hvad åndelig liv og vækst betyder.  Jeg bliver ret seriøs når jeg tænker på dette emne. Hvad vil jeg sige hvis dette var den sidste dag før dommedag. Hvis Kristus kom i morgen, hvad ville jeg sige idag.

Formålet med denne tale er at overbevise om at mennesket kan ikke ved egen anstrengelse, bekymring eller indvendige visdom og evner sikre sig en åndelig vækst. Kun ved at vende os til Kristus kan vi leve og vokse op til Kristus.

Åndelig liv er ord som vi finder  på Adventistkirken hjemmeside. Men hjemmesiden går ikke ind i en dybere forklaring hvad Åndelig liv er for noget. Derimod har jeg ikke fundet et ord om den Hellige Ånd. Men vi finder ikke et ord som ”En åndelig Adventist”. Hvor fra kommer så det Åndelige Liv?  Det Åndelige liv har en forbindelse med den hellige Ånd. Faktisk taler vi lidt om den Helligeånd i Adventkirken.

Men jeg glæder mig over at Helligånd er blevet mere almindelig i Adventistkirken. Siden Helligånden blev et doktrin i Kirken, har mange prædikanter i Adventist Kirken talt om den Hellige Ånd. For to år siden var jeg i Californien i et halvt år. Jeg besøgte mange Adventistkirker. Her lyttede jeg med flere prædikanter som talte om den Hellige Ånd. Så denne udvikling glæder mig. På samme måde er vores Bibel studium hæfter mere fokuseret på den Hellige Ånds gerning i os.

Når vi skal forklare hvad Adventisme er så taler vi sjældent om den Hellige Ånd. Men kan man kalde sig selv en  ”Åndelig Adventist”?  Nogle kristne kan ikke lide ordet ”Et Åndelig Menneske”. De foretrækker Pauli ord i Gal. 2:19-21. så er ordet en ”En Åndelig Adventist” et begreb som vi kan sige I Adventkirken. Hvilke ord vi bruger om os selv og vores mission er vigtig. Det samme kan siges om ordet ”Healing”. Ordet ”Healing” bruges meget i den alternative verden. Men ordet ”Healing” er også et kristent ord (fx. Vi har en bog i Kirken med titlen ”Ministry of Healing”. Denne bog bruger dog ordet ”Healing” på en særlige måde. Gud er den store ”Healer”. Fra Gud kommer helbredelse fra sygdomme. Så Gud ”Healer” eller helbrede den fysiske krop fra dens sygdomme og lidelser. Men Gud helbreder også sjælen. Helligånden sammen med englene er en vigtig spiller i helbredelse af sjælen. Helligånden er et lærdomspunkt. Så Helligånden er associeret med kærlighed, trøst og vejledning og en indre forvandling (eller helbredelse) i hjerte og liv. Så vi kan ikke sige at Helligånden er uvæsentlig.

Somme tider leder vi efter ord som kan beskrive vores erfaring med Gud, nærhed med Gud. Ordet Guds Nærhed blev meget aktuel på Korset da Jesus sagde: ” Min Gud hvorfor har du forladt mig” (se Matt. 27,46). Hele sit liv, kendte Jesus til Guds Nærhed.  På Korset erfarede Jesus hvordan synden skiller mennesket og Gud fra hinanden. På Korset gik Jesus gennem en noget som vi ikke skal (med mindre vi selv vælger at holde Gud væk fra vores liv). Fordi Gud søger altid at komme nær til os (se Matt. 3,17). Kun to ting adskiller os fra Guds nærhed: 1) syndige handlinger 2) Stolthed. Hvis et vi prøver at blive retfærdige ved vores egne godhed eller gerninger (eller lov), så adskiller vi os fra Gud fordi Gud alene kan frelse os. Kun Gud vil modtage æren for vores frelse når vi skal synge Lammets sang på den nye jord (se Åb 7, 9-10) . Indtil vi står i Himlen, er vores identitet i Kristus.

I Adventistkirken er frelse ofte set på som en personlig ting. Hvilket er en god ting. Vi bliver frelst som enkeltindivider. Men samtidig vil vi gerne dele vores frelseserfaring med andre kristne, også med kristne fra andre kirke samfund. Men vi har i Adventistkirken er lille ordforråd til at beskrive vores personlig erfaring med Gud. Vi taler om korset, synd, loven, bibelstudium og bøn. Men hvad skal vi egentlig sige når vi vil sætte ord på hvad vores kristne vandring med Gud betyder for os. Hvordan sætter vi ord på Guds nærhed i vores liv, på åndens nærvær i vores liv. Hvordan taler vi om den hellige ånd. Vi taler næsten aldrig om eller høre om den hellige ånd. Og det ny testamente er fyldt med ord om den hellige ånd. Ordet Ånd er nævnt næsten 400 gange i Det nye Testamente. Og stadigvæk taler vi næsten aldrig om Ånden i kirken.

Problemet med Ånden er måske vores frygt for spiritisme. Hvordan kan man skelne mellem spiritisme og åndelig liv og vækst.  Hvad er spiritisme: spiritisme er meget mere en en samtale med de døde, såkaldt clairvoyant rådgivning. Spiritisme findes også i en mere kultural og intellektuel version.

1. Genesis 3:5
2. Mennesket kan udvikle sig uden Kristus
3. Mennesket er sin egen dommer. Gud vil ikke dømme os
4. I stedet for fokus på Gud og Hans lov, bliver mennesket sat i fokus.

Et andet problem med det Åndelige er dets mystik. Kan vi leve med at Helligånden og Åndelig liv og Åndelig vækst er ting som vi ikke kan helt kan forstå intellektuelt eller matematisk. Videnskab har et problem når det søger efter bevis. I almindelighed søger videnskab efter bevis på en sandhed. Videnskabens problem er at den ikke lader sig i almindelighed være  tilfredse med menneskelige erfaringer som bevis. Hvis du siger at et helsemiddel er godt fordig, kan videnskab ikke nødvendigvis bruge det som et bevis. Videnskab har sine egne metoder at fremskaffe beviser på sine påstande. Her kan mennskers erfaringer ikke bruges. Men videnskabsfolk tager fejl, mener jeg,  når de ikke kan anerkende menneskers erfaringer som bevis. I Bibelen bruges menneskers erfaringer som bevis på en sandhed. Jesu liv er et bevis på at mennesker kan holde Guds lov. Jesu liv er et bevis på at Gud elsker Verden og kommunikere med syndere. Bibelen indeholder sandheder som er mystiske. Kan vi leve med at ikke alt i frelsesplanen kan forstås intellektuelt. Lad os se på de mystiske sandheder om et Åndelig liv og Åndelig vækst. Sandheden i videnskab er vores begrænsede viden om naturen. Som videnskabsfolk i kemi, kan vi beskrive hvad vi observere, men vi kan ikke til fulde forstå kemien i naturen (se Job 26,14). På samme måde med det åndelige Liv. Vi kan forstå en lille del af det, men ikke det hele. Vi kan forstå det som Gud vil vise os. Vi kan gå på de trin som vil føre os til Kristus. Men vi kan aldrig til fulde forklare frelsens hemmelighed. Frelse i Kristus er det største mirakel. Og er det ikke her at vores begejstring ligger. Glæden over at se en synder genskabt i Guds billede. Vi kan måske ikke forklare tilfulde denne forvandling, men vi kan observere denne forvandling og glæde os…. Som Jesus siger i Lukas 15, 7: ”sådan bliver der større glæde i Himlen over en synder, der omvender sig, end over nitoghalvfems retfærdige, som ikke har brug for omvendelse”.

De mystiske sandheder om et åndeligt liv

Illustrationer fra det naturlige liv

Lesson 1 Fra det naturlige liv for at hjælpe os til bedre at forstå de hemmelighedsfulde sandheder, som angår det åndelige liv.

Formål: Da kristus talte med Nikodemus og Disciplene om det Åndelige, brugte Han illustrationer fra Naturen (se John3 og John 15)

Biblical evidence: 1 Pet. 2,2. Efe. 4,15; Es. 61,3

Praktisk anvendelighed

1. Første mystiske sandhed: Den hjerteforandring hvorved vi bliver Guds Børn
2. Anden mystiske sandhed: de nyomvendte ligesom nyfødte børn« »opvokse« til modenhed som mænd og kvinder i Kristus Jesus

The Mysterious Truth in the Bible

Illustrations From Natural Life

Lesson 1 From natural life, illustrations are drawn, to help us better to understand the mysterious truths of spiritual life.

Biblical evidence

1 Peter 2:1-11 ^NKJ 1 Peter 2:1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,  ² as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,  ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.  ⁴ Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,  ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”  ⁷ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”  ⁸ and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.  ⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.  ¹¹ Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul (gluttony article from BBC scientific focus).

Ephesians 4:11-18 ¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,  ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,  ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;  ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ –  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.  ¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,  ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

Isaiah 61:1-6 ^NKJ Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;  ² To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,  ³ To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.“  ⁴ And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.  ⁵ Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.  ⁶ But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast.

Practical application

Seed Germination

From natural life, illustrations are drawn, to help us better to understand the mysterious truths of spiritual life (two significant mysterious truths in the Bible).

1: First mysterious truth: People just converted to Christ—the change of heart:

The change of heart by which we become children of God is in the Bible spoken of as birth. Again, it is compared to the germination of the good seed sown by the husbandman.

2: Second mysterious truth: Those who are just converted, are to grow up:

In like manner those who are just converted to Christ are…

• “as new-born babes,” to “grow up” to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. 1 Peter 2:2; Ephesians 4:15.
• Or like the good seed sown in the field, they are to grow up and bring forth fruit. Isaiah says that they shall “be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3.

So from natural life, illustrations are drawn, to help us better to understand the mysterious truths of spiritual life.  (Jesus used illustrations from Nature in His talk with Nicodemus).

Only God can produce spiritual life

Lesson 2     It is only through the life from God that spiritual life is begotten in the hearts of men.

Biblical evidence

John 3:3 ³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again (born from above, margin), he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Practical application

Seed Germination

It is only through the life from God that spiritual life is begotten in the hearts of men

Illustration from nature:

Not all the wisdom and skill of man can produce life in the smallest object in nature.

• It is only through the life which God Himself has imparted, that either plant or animal can live.

So it is only through the life from God that spiritual life is begotten in the hearts of men.

• Unless a man is “born from above,” he cannot become a partaker of the life which Christ came to give. John 3:3, margin.

Man cannot of Himself Grow

Anxiety cannot secure growth

Lesson 3 No more can you, by anxiety or effort of yourself, secure spiritual growth.

Biblical evidence

Mark 4:26-29 ²⁶ And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,  ²⁷ “and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  ²⁸ “For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  ²⁹ “But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Luke 12:22-34 ²² Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  ²³ “Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  ²⁴ “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?  ²⁵ “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  ²⁶ “If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  ²⁷ “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  ²⁸ “If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  ²⁹ “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  ³⁰ “For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  ³¹ “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.  ³² “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  ³³ “Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  ³⁴ “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

^NKJ Hosea 14:1 O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity;  ² Take words with you, And return to the LORD. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.  ³ Assyria shall not save us, We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’ For in You the fatherless finds mercy.”  ⁴ ” I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him.  ⁵ I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall grow like the lily, And lengthen his roots like Lebanon.  ⁶ His branches shall spread; His beauty shall be like an olive tree, And his fragrance like Lebanon.  ⁷ Those who dwell under his shadow shall return; They shall be revived like grain, And grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.  ⁸ ” Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols?’ I have heard and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit is found in Me.”  ⁹ Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.

Practical application

How to grow lilies

Plants and flowers do not grow by their own care, anxiety or effort. No more can you, by anxiety or effort of yourself, secure spiritual growth

Illustration from nature:

As with life, so it is with growth. It is God who brings in nature the bud to bloom and the flower to fruit.

1)      It is by His power that the seed develops, “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” Mark 4:28.

Like in nature, you cannot secure spiritual growth by anxiety or effort by yourself

• And the prophet Hosea says of Israel, that “he shall grow as the lily.” “They shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine.” Hosea 14:5, 7.

Turning to biology, we may ask the question, how does plants or people grow? Although it is God who brings in nature the bud to bloom and the flower to fruit, it is reasonable to ask such a question (question: how do they grow) since Christ himself asked the question because… (luke 12:27)!

And Jesus bids us “consider the lilies how they grow.” Luke 12:27.

• The plants and flowers grow not by their own care or anxiety or effort.
• The plants and flowers grow by receiving that which God has furnished to minister to their life.
• The child cannot, by any anxiety or power of its own, add to its stature.
• No more can you, by anxiety or effort of yourself, secure spiritual growth.
• The plant, the child, grows by receiving from its surroundings that which ministers to its life –air, sunshine, and food.

What these gifts of nature (water, air, sunshine, food) are to animal and plant, such is Christ to those who trust in Him.

• Christ  is their “everlasting light,” Isaiah 60:19
• Christ is their “a sun and shield.” Psalm 84:11.
• Christ shall be as “the dew unto Israel.” Hosea 14:5
• Christ  ”shall come down like rain upon the mown grass.” Psalm 72:6.
• Christ is the living water, John 4:11
• Christ is “the Bread of God . . . which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” John 6:33.
• Christ shall be the air

In the matchless gift of His Son, God has encircled the whole world with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe this life-giving atmosphere will live and grow up to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.

“Abide in Me”

Lesson 4 We should turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ.

Biblical evidence

John 15:4-8 ⁴ “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  ⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  ⁶ “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  ⁷ “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  ⁸ “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Practical application

Grape-vine plant

As the flower turns to the sun, that the bright beams may aid in perfecting its beauty and symmetry, so should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that heaven’s light may shine upon us, that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ.

Jesus teaches the same thing when He says,

• “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. . . . Without Me ye can do nothing.” John 15:4, 5.

You are just as dependent upon Christ, in order to live a holy life, as is the branch upon the parent stock for growth and fruitfulness. Apart from Him, you have no…

• You have no life.
• You have no power to resist temptation
• You have no power to grow in grace and holiness.

Abiding in Him, you may flourish. Drawing your life from Him, you will not wither nor be fruitless. You will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.

Many have an Idea

Lesson 5 Many have an idea that they must do some part of the work alone (Editor notes: what work?? “To work means to live aright, character development, spiritual growth).

Biblical evidence

Psalm 16:1-11 ^NKJ Psalm 16:1 A Michtam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.  ² O my soul, you have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.”  ³ As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”  ⁴ Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.  ⁵ O LORD,You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.  ⁶ The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.  ⁷ I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.  ⁸ I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. ⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.  ¹⁰ For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.  ¹¹ You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Practical application

Many have an idea that they must do some part of the work alone (Editor notes: what work?? “To work means to live aright, character development, spiritual growth).

They have trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sin, but now they seek by their own efforts to live aright. But every such effort must fail.

• Jesus says, “Without Me ye can do nothing.”

Our growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness,–all depend upon our union with Christ.

• It is by communion with Him, daily, hourly,–by abiding in Him, –that we are to grow in grace.
• He is not only the Author, but the Finisher of our faith.
• It is Christ first and last and always.

He is to be with us, not only at the beginning and the end of our course, but at every step of the way.

• David says, “I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16:8.

“How am I to Abide in Christ?”

Lesson 6     Do you ask, “How am I to abide in Christ?”

Biblical evidence

^NKJ Colossians 2:1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,  ² that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,  ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  ⁴ Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.  ⁵ For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.  ⁶ As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,  ⁷ rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.  ⁸ Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

Hebrews 10:1-6 ^NKJ Hebrews 10:1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.  ² For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins.  ³ But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.  ⁴ For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.  ⁵ Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me.  ⁶ In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.

Hebrews 10:16-23 ¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,”  ¹⁷ then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”  ¹⁸ Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.  ¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,  ²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,  ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God,  ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:24-31 ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,  ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.  ²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,  ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.  ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  ²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?  ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.”  ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 10:32 – 11:1 ³² But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings:  ³³ partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated;  ³⁴ for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.  ³⁵ Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.  ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:  ³⁷ “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.  ³⁸ Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”  ³⁹ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

Practical application

Do you ask, “How am I to abide in Christ?” In the same way as you received Him at first.

• “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.” Colossians 2:6
• “The just shall live by faith.”Hebrews 10:38.

Remember how you received Christ at first

By faith you became Christ’s—by giving and taking.

• You gave yourself to God, to be His wholly, to serve and obey Him.
• You took Christ as your Saviour.
• You could not yourself atone for your sins or change your heart; but having given yourself to God, you believe that He for Christ’s sake did all this for you.

How are you to “abide in Christ”—grow up to Christ (like we received Him at first).

By faith you are to grow up in Him–by giving and taking.

• You are to give all,–your heart, your will, your service,–give yourself to Him to obey all His requirements;
• You must take all,–Christ, the fullness of all blessing, to abide in your heart, to be your strength, your righteousness, your everlasting helper,–to give you power to obey.

Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be,

• “Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.”

This is a daily matter.

• Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day.
• Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate.

Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.

Danish translation / Dansk oversættelse

Den sindesforandring, hvorved vi bliver Guds børn, omtales i Bibelen som en fødsel. Den sammenlignes også med den gode sæd, som spirer på ageren. Således må de nyomvendte ligesom nyfødte børn« »opvokse« til modenhed som mænd og kvinder i Kristus Jesus. 1Pet. 2,2; Ef. 4,15. Ligesom den gode sæd, der sås i ageren, skal de vokse op og bære frugt. Esajas siger, at de skal kaldes»retfærds ege, Herrens plantning til hans ære.« Es. 61,3. Således benyttes der billeder fra det naturlige liv for at hjælpe os til bedre at forstå de hemmelighedsfulde sandheder, som angår det åndelige liv.

Al menneskelig visdom og dygtighed formår ikke at fremkalde liv i den mindste ting i naturen. Alene ved det liv, som Gud selv har skænket, kan planter og dyr leve. Således er det også kun ved liv fra Gud, det åndelige liv frembringes i menneskers hjerter. Uden nogen bliver født på ny kan han ikke få del i det liv, som Kristus kom for at give os. Joh. 3,3.

Som det er med livet, er det også med væksten, Det er Gud, der forvandler knoppen til blomst og blomsten til frugt. Det er ved hans magt, sæden udvikles,»først strå, derefter aks, derefter fuld kerne i akset«. Mark. 4,28. Og profeten Hoseas siger om Israel, at»han skal blomstre som liljen«. »De skal bringe korn til live og blomstre som vintræet«. Hos. 14,6-8. Og Jesus byder os at give »agt på liljerne, hvorledes de vokser«. Luk. 12,27. Planterne og blomsterne vokser ikke ved deres egen omsorg eller bekymring eller bestræbelse, men ved at modtage det, som Gud har tilvejebragt, for at de kan leve. Barnet kan ikke ved sin egen bekymring eller styrke gøre sig større, end det er. Lige så lidt kan du ved din egen bekymring eller bestræbelse frembringe åndelig vækst. Planten og barnet vokser ved fra deres omgivelser at modtage de for livet nødvendige betingelser luft, sollys og næring. Hvad disse naturens gaver er for dy og planter, er Kristus for dem, der forlader sig på ham. Han er deres evige lys, deres sol og skjold. Es. 60,19; Sl. 84,12. Han vil være som duggen for Israel han vil komme»som regn på slagne enge«. Hos. 14,6; Sl. 72,6. Han er det levende vand, Guds brød,»som kommer ned fra himmelen og giver verden liv« Joh. 6,33.

Gud gav sin egen søn. Ved denne enestående gave har han omgivet hele verden med en atmosfære af nåde, der er lige så virkelig som den luft, der omgiver vor klode. Alle, der er villige til at indånde denne atmosfære, vil leve og vokse op til mands modenhed i Kristus Jesus.

Ligesom blomsten vender sig mod solen, for at de klare stråler kan bidrage til, at dens skønhed og symmetri bliver fuldkommen, således bør også vi vende os mod retfærdighedens sol, for at Guds lys kan skinne på os, og vor karakter kan udvikles efter Kristi billede.

Jesus lærer os dette, når han siger:»Bliv i mig, da bliver jeg i eder. Ligesom grenen ikke kan bæer fugt af sig selv, uden at den bliver på vintræet, således kan I heller ikke, uden I bliver i mig ….. . Thi uden mig kan I slet intet gøre.« Joh. 15,4-5. Du kan lige så lidt leve et helligt liv uden Kristus, som grenen kan vokse og bære frugt uden stammen. Adskilt fra ham har du intet liv. Du har ingen kaft til at modstå fristelse elle til at vokse i nåde og hellighed. Men når du bliver i ham, kan du blomstre og trives. Drager du næring af ham, vil du ikke visne eller blive ufrugtbar. Du vil blive som et træ, der er plantet ved rindende bække.

Der er mange der har den opfattelse, at de selv må udrette en del af arbejdet. De forlod sig på Jesus for at få syndsforladelse, men nu søger de at leve et retfærdigt liv ved deres egne bestræbelser. Enhver sådan anstrengelse er imidlertid forgæves. Jesus siger: »Uden mig kan I slet intet gøre«. Vor vækst i nåden, vor glæde, og hvad godt vi kan udrette, er alt sammen afhængigt af foreningen med Kristus. Det er ved samfund med ham hver dag og hver time ved at blive i ham vi kan vokse i nåden. Han er ikke alene frøens begynder, men også dens fuldender. Det er Kristus først og sidst og altid. Han må være med os, ikke blot ved begyndelsen og enden af vor bane, men ved ethvert skridt på vejen. David siger:»Jeg har altid Herren for øje; han er ved min højre, jeg rokkes ikke.« Sl. 16,8.

Du spørger måske:»Hvorledes kan jeg blive i Kristus«? På samme måde som du antog ham i begyndelsen.»Derfor, ligesom I har modtaget Kristus Jesus, Herren, så vandrer i ham.» Min retfærdige skal leve af tro.« Kol. 2,6; Heb. 10,38. Du overgav dig til Gud for at tilhøre ham alene, for at tjene og adlyde ham, og du antog Kristus som din frelser. Du kunne ikke selv gøre forsoning for dine synder eller forandre dit hjerte; men da du havde overgivet dig til Gud, troede du, at han for Kristi skyld gjorde alt dette for dig. Ved tro blev du Kristi ejendom, og ved tro må du vokse op til ham ved at give og tage. Du må give alt: dit hjerte, din vilje din tjeneste, overgive dig til ham for at lyde alle hans bud. Og du må tage imod alt: tage imod Kristus, al velsignelses fylde, at han må bo i dit hjerte og være din styrke, din retfærdighed, din evige hjælper for at du kan få kraft til at vandre i lydighed.

Du må hellige dig til Gud hver morgen. Gør dette til din første gerning. Lad din bøn være:»Tag mig, Herre, at jeg må tilhøre dig alene! Jeg lægger alle mine planer for dine fødder. Brug mig i dag i din tjeneste, Bliv hos mig og lad al min gerning ske i dig,« Dette er et dagligt anliggende. Overlad dig til Gud hver morgen for den dag, der er begyndt. Overgiv alle dine planer til ham til virkeliggørelse eller forkastelse, eftersom hans forsyn måtte vise dig det. Således kan du hver dag give dit liv i Guds hånd, og derved vil dit liv mere og mere blive dannet efter Kristi liv.

The Reformation Principle

At the Diet of Spires in 1529

Lesson 1 The principle for which the disciples stood so fearlessly when, in answer to the command not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, they declared, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye,” is the same that the adherents of the gospel struggled to maintain in the days of the Reformation.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:18-20  18 And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.  19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  20 “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Historical evidence

“Let us reject this decree. In matters of conscience the majority has no power.”–Merle d’Aubigne, History of the Reformation, b. 13, ch. 5.

Practical application

The principle for which the disciples stood so fearlessly when, in answer to the command not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, they declared,”Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye,” is the same that the adherents of the gospel struggled to maintain in the days of the Reformation.

• When in 1529 the German princes assembled at the Diet of Spires, there was presented the emperor’s decree restricting religious liberty, and prohibiting all further dissemination of the reformed doctrines.

It seemed that the hope of the world was about to be crushed out. Would the princes accept the decree? Should the light of the gospel be shut out from the multitudes still in darkness?

• Mighty issues for the world were at stake.

Those who had accepted the reformed faith met together, and their unanimous decision was,

• “Let us reject this decree. In matters of conscience the majority has no power.”–Merle d’Aubigne, History of the Reformation, b. 13, ch. 5.

The Reformation Principle Applied

Lesson 2 This principle for which the disciples stood so fearlessly when, in answer to the command not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, they declared,”Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye,”we in our day are firmly to maintain.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:18-20  18 And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.  19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  20 “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Practical application

This principle we in our day are firmly to maintain. The banner of truth and religious liberty held aloft by the founders of the gospel church and by God’s witnesses during the centuries that have passed since then, has, in this last conflict, been committed to our hands.

• The responsibility for this great gift rests with those whom God has blessed with a knowledge of His word.
• We are to receive this word (His word) as supreme authority.

We are to recognize human government as an ordinance of divine appointment, and teach obedience to it as a sacred duty, within its legitimate sphere. But when its claims conflict with the claims of God, we must obey God rather than men.

• God’s word must be recognized as above all human legislation.
• A “Thus saith the Lord” is not to be set aside for a “Thus saith the church” or a “Thus saith the state.”

The crown of Christ is to be lifted above the diadems of earthly potentates.

We are not to Defy Law and Order

Lesson 3 We are not required to defy authorities.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:18-20  18 And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.  19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  20 “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Practical application

We are not required to defy authorities.

• Our words, whether spoken or written, should be carefully considered, lest we place ourselves on record as uttering that which would make us appear antagonistic to law and order.
• We are not to say or do anything that would unnecessarily close up our way.

We are to go forward in Christ’s name, advocating the truths committed to us.

What if…

• If we are forbidden by men to do this work, then we may say, as did the apostles, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Danish translation / Dansk oversættelse

Det princip, for hvilket disciplene så frygtløst gik ind, da de som svar på befalingen om ikke mere at prædike i Jesu navn, svarede: “Døm selv, om det i Guds øjne er ret at lyde jer mere end Gud,” er det samme, evangeliets tilhængere på reformationstiden kæmpede for. Da de tyske fyrster i 1529 forsamledes ved rigsdagen i Speyer, blev de stillet overfor kejserens dekret om indskrænket religionsfrihed og forbud mod al videre udspredning af de reformerte lærdomme. Det så ud til, at verdens håb var ved at skulle slukkes. Ville fyrsterne antage dette dekret? Skulle evangeliets lys lukkes ude fra de mange, der endnu levede i mørket? Vældige værdier stod på spil for verden. De, som havde antaget den reformerte tro, mødtes, og deres enstemmige afgørelse blev: “Lad os forkaste dette dekret. I samvittighedsanliggender betyder majoriteten intet!”

Denne grundsætning skal vi i vore dage opretholde med fasthed. Sandhedens og religionsfrihedens fane, som blev løftet højt af grundlæggerne af evangeliets menighed og af Guds vidner gennem de århundreder, der siden da er forløbet, er i denne sidste strid givet over i vore hænder. Ansvaret for denne store gave ligger hos dem, Gud har velsignet med kendskab til sit ord. Dette ord skal vi modtage som den højeste autoritet.

Vi skal anerkende memeskelige myndigheder som noget, der er forordnet os efter guddommelig bestemmelse og lære andre, at det er en hellig pligt at adlyde dem indenfor deres lovlige områder. Men når de kommer i strid med Guds krav, så må vi adlyde Gud mere end mennesker. Guds ord må anerkendes som stående over alle menneskelige love. Et “Sådan siger Herren” kan ikke tilsidesættes for et “Sådan siger kirken” eller et “Sådan siger staten.” Kristi krone bør være hævet over jordiske herskere.

Peter and John as Prisoners

The Priests Desire to Destroy

Visual imagination 1 In order to conceal their perplexity, the priests and rulers ordered the apostles to be taken away, that they might counsel among themselves.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:15-17   15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,  16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.  17 “But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”

In imagination behold the scene

Christian persecution in the world

In order to conceal their perplexity, the priests and rulers ordered the apostles to be taken away, that they might counsel among themselves. They all agreed that it would be useless to deny that the man had been healed. Gladly would they have covered up the miracle by falsehoods; but this was impossible,

• For it had been wrought in the full light of day.
• For it had been done before a multitude of people.
• For it had already come to the knowledge of thousands.

They felt that the work of the disciples must be stopped

• Or Jesus would gain many followers.
• Their own disgrace would follow, for they would be held guilty of the murder of the Son of God.

The Priests Dared only to Threaten

Visual imagination 2 Notwithstanding their desire to destroy the disciples, the priests dared not do more than threaten them with the severest punishment if they continued to speak or to work in the name of Jesus.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:18-20  18 And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.  19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  20 “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

In imagination behold the scene

But notwithstanding their desire to destroy the disciples, the priests dared not do more than threaten them with the severest punishment if they continued to speak or to work in the name of Jesus.

• Calling them again before the Sanhedrin, they commanded them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

But Peter and John answered:

• “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

The Priests Feared the People

Visual imagination 3 With repeated threats and injunctions, the apostles were set at liberty.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:21   21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.

In imagnination behold the scene

Gladly would the priests have punished these men for their unswerving fidelity to their sacred calling, but they feared the people;

• “for all men glorified God for that which was done.”

So, with repeated threats and injunctions, the apostles were set at liberty.

The Apostles are Released

Great is the Joy

Visual imagination 4 While Peter and John were prisoners, the other disciples, knowing the malignity of the Jews, had prayed unceasingly for their brethren, fearing that the cruelty shown to Christ might be repeated.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:23-30  23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.  24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,  25 “who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?  26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.’  27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together  28 “to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.  29 “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,  30 “by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

In imagination behold the scene

Joy

While Peter and John were prisoners, the other disciples, knowing the malignity of the Jews, had prayed unceasingly for their brethren, fearing that the cruelty shown to Christ might be repeated. As soon as the apostles were released, they sought the rest of the disciples and reported to them the result of the examination. Great was the joy of the believers.

• “They lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, Thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: who by the mouth of Thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against Thy Holy Child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done.

• “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto Thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy word, by stretching forth Thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of Thy Holy Child Jesus.”

A Prayer for Greater Strength

The Answer from Heaven Came

Visual imagination 5 The disciples prayed that greater strength might be imparted to them in the work of the ministry.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:29-31   29 “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,  30 “by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”  31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:33   33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

In imagination behold the scene

The disciples prayed that greater strength might be imparted to them in the work of the ministry;

• for they saw that they would meet the same determined opposition that Christ had encountered when upon the earth.

While their united prayers were ascending in faith to heaven, the answer came.

• The place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were endowed anew with the Holy Spirit.
• Their hearts filled with courage, they again went forth to proclaim the word of God in Jerusalem. “With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,” and God marvelously blessed their efforts.

Danish translation / Dansk oversættelse

For at skjule deres rådvildhed befalede præsterne og rådet, at apostlene skulle føres bort, så de kunne lægge råd op sammen. De var alle enige om, at det ikke ville være til nogen nytte at benægte, at manden var blevet helbredt. De ville med glæde have skjult miraklet ved hjælp af usandheder, men dette var umuligt, for det var foregået ved højlys dag og i overværelse af en mængde mennesker, og tusinder havde allerede hørt om det. De forstod, at disciplenes gerning måtte standses, hvis ikke Jesus skulle få mange tilhængere. Det ville betyde skam og skændsel for dem selv, for man ville give dem skylden for mordet på Guds Søn.

Men trods deres ønske om at tilintetgøre disciplene, vovede præsterne ikke at gå videre end til at true dem med den hårdeste straf, hvis de vedblev med at tale eller arbejde i Jesu navn. De kaldte dem atter frem for rådet og befalede dem ikke mere at tale eller lære i Jesu navn. Men Peter og Johannes svarede: “Døm selv, om det i Guds øjne er ret at lyde jer mere end Gud; for vi kan ikke lade være med at tale om det, vi har set og hørt.”

Præsterne ville med glæde have straffet disse mænd for deres usvigelige troskab overfor deres hellige kald, men de var bange for folket; “da alle priste Gud for det, som var sket.” Derfor blev apostlene sat i frihed med mange trusler og befalinger.

Mens Peter og Johannes var i fængsel, havde de andre disciple, som kendte jødernes ondskab, bedt ustandseligt for deres brødre, fordi de frygtede for, at den grusomhed, der var udvist overfor Kristus, skulle gentage sig. Så snart apostlene blev frigivet, opsøgte disse de andre disciple og fortalte dem om udfaldet af forhøret. De troendes glæde var stor. “De opløftede alle som én deres røst til Gud og sagde: “Herre, du som har skabt himmelen og jorden og havet og alt, hvad der er i dem, du, som ved Helligånden gennem din tjener Davids mund har sagt:

“Hvorfor fnyste hedninger og pønsede folkefærd på tomhed? Jordens konger rejste sig, og fyrsterne samlede sig mod Herren og hans salvede.”

Ja, de har i sandhed samlet sig i denne stad imod din hellige tjener Jesus, ham, som du har salvet: både Herodes og Pontius Pilatus sammen med hedningerne og Israels folkestammer for at udføre det, som din hånd og din vilje forud havde bestemt, skulle ske.

Og nu, Herre! se til deres trusler og giv dine tjenere, at de med fuld frimodighed må tale dit ord, idet du udrækker din håmd til lægedom, og der sker tegn og undere ved din hellige tjeners, Jesu, navn.”

Disciplene bad om, at der måtte blive tildelt dem større kraft indenfor deres gerning, for de så, at de ville komme til at møde den samme hårde modstand, som Kristus havde stødt på, da han var på jorden. Mens deres forenede bønner i tro steg op imod Himmelen, kom svaret. Stedet, hvor de var forsamlede, rystedes, og de blev påny fyldt af Helligånden. Deres hjerter blev fulde af mod, og de gik atter ud for at forkynde Guds ord i Jerusalem. “Med stor kraft aflagde apostlene vidnesbyrdet om Herren Jesu opstandelse,” og Gud velsignede på vidunderlig måde deres arbejde.

Men, beholding Peter, Marveled

“Jesus Only”

Visual imagination 1 As the priests listened to the apostles’ fearless words, “they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:13   13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

In imagination behold the scene

Light

Of the disciples after the transfiguration of Christ it is written that at the close of that wonderful scene

• “they saw no man, save Jesus only.” Matthew 17:8.

“Jesus only”– in these words is contained the secret of the life and power that marked the history of the early church. When the disciples first heard the words of Christ, they felt their need of Him.

• They sought, they found, they followed Him.
• They were with Him in the temple, at the table, on the mountainside, in the field.
• They were as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from Him lessons of eternal truth.

Teacher and pupils

After the Saviour’s ascension, the sense of the divine presence, full of love and light, was still with them. It was a personal presence.

• Jesus, the Saviour, who had walked and talked and prayed with them, who had spoken hope and comfort to their hearts, had, while the message of peace was upon His lips, been taken from them into heaven.

As the chariot of angels received Him, His words had come to them,

• “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end.” Matthew 28:20.

He had ascended to heaven in the form of humanity. They knew…

• that He was before the throne of God, their Friend and Saviour still.
• that His sympathies were unchanged.
• that He would forever be identified with suffering humanity.

This thought strengthened the disciples to endure the reproach for His sake…

• They knew that He was presenting before God the merit of His blood, showing His wounded hands and feet as a remembrance of the price He had paid for His redeemed ones.

So this thought strengthened them to endure reproach for His sake. Their union with Him was stronger now than when He was with them in person.

• The light and love and power of an indwelling Christ shone out through them,

Therefore men, beholding, marveled.

Christ Placed His Seal on Peter

Visual imagination 2 Christ placed His seal on the words that Peter spoke in His defense.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:14   14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

In imagination behold the scene

Seal

Christ placed His seal on the words that Peter spoke in His defense.

• Close beside the disciple, as a convincing witness, stood the man who had been so miraculously healed.
• The appearance of this man, a few hours before a helpless cripple, but now restored to soundness of health, added a weight of testimony to Peter’s words.

Priests and rulers were silent. They were unable to refute Peter’s statement, but they were nonetheless determined to put a stop to the teaching of the disciples.

Christ’s crowning miracle–the raising of Lazarus–had sealed the determination of the priests to rid the world of Jesus and His wonderful works, which were fast destroying their influence over the people. They had crucified Him; but here was a convincing proof…

• that they had not put a stop to the working of miracles in His name.
• that they had not put a stop to the proclamation of the truth He taught.

Already the healing of the cripple and the preaching of the apostles had filled Jerusalem with excitement.

Danish translation / Dansk oversættelse

Mens præsterne lyttede til apostlenes frygtløse ord, “kendte de dem igen og huskede, at de havde været sammen med Jesus.” Matt. 21,42-44.

Efter Kristi forklarelse på bjerget skrives der om disciplene, at da den vidunderlige oplevelse var forbi, “så de ingen uden Jesus alene.” Matt. 17,8. “Jesus alene” i disse ord rummes hemmeligheden ved det liv og den kraft, som kendetegnede den første kirkes historie. Da disciplene først hørte Kristi ord, forstod de, hvor de trængte til ham. De søgte, de fandt og de fulgte ham. De var med ham i templet, ved bordet, på bjergskråningen og på marken. De var som elever sammen med en lærer og modtog hver dag hans belæring om den evige sandhed.

Efter Frelserens himmelfart forblev følelsen af hans guddommelige nærværelse, fuld af kærlighed og lys, stadig hos dem. Jesus, Frelseren, som havde vandret og talt og bedt sammen med dem, som havde talt håbets og trøstens ord til deres hjerter, var, medens fredens budskab lød fra hans læber, blevet optaget til Himmelen fra dem. Da englenes triumfvogn hentede ham, lød hans ord til dem: “Se, jeg er med eder alle dage indtil verdens ende.” Matt. 28,20. I menneskelig skikkelse var han steget op til Himmelen. De vidste, at han nu var ved Guds trone, stadig som deres ven og Frelser; at hans kærlighed var uændret; at han for stedse ville gøre sig til ét med den lidende menneskehed. De vidste, at han frembar sit blodige offer for Gud og viste ham sine sårede hænder og fødder som mindetegn om den pris, han havde betalt for sine genløste; og tanken herom sryrkede dem til at lide skam og skændsel for hans skyld. Deres forening med ham var nu stærkere, end dengang han synligt var sammen med dem. Lyset og kærligheden og kraften fra en nærværende Kristus udstrålede fra dem, så mennesker, der så det, måtte undres.

Kristus beseglede de ord, som Peter sagde til hans forsvar. Lige ved siden af disciplen stod som et troværdigt vidne den mand, der på en så underfuld måde var blevet helbredt. Synet af denne mand, der for kun få timer siden havde været en hjælpeløs krøbling, men nu havde genvundet legemlig sundhed, var et tungtvejende vidnesbyrd om Peters ord. Præsterne og rådet måtte tie. De var ikke i stand til at gendrive Peters beretning, men ikke desto mindre var de fast besluttede på at gøre ende på disciplenes lære.

Kristi allerstørste mirakel Lazarus opvækkelse havde været afgørende for præsternes beslutning om at befri verden for Jesus og hans undergerninger, der hastigt var ved at tilintetgøre deres indflydelse på folket. De havde korsfæstet ham, men her stod de overfor et afgørende bevis på, at de ikke havde fået sat en stopper for undergerninger i hans navn og heller ikke for forkyndelsen af de sandheder, han havde lært. Helbredelsen af krøblingen og apostlenes prædiken havde allerede fyldt Jerusalem med ophidselse.

Source: Historical religious material from 1911. “Acts of the Apostles” by Ellen G. White p. 64-66. The material is here explained and compared with the Bible for evidence. The study is for private devotion.

Introduction

On the day following the healing of the cripple, Annas and Caiaphas, with the other dignitaries of the temple, met together for the trial, and the prisoners were brought before them. (see Acts 4:5-6) In that very room and before some of those very men, Peter had shamefully denied his Lord. (see Luke 22: 54-62) This came distinctly to his mind as he appeared for his own trial. He now had an opportunity of redeeming his cowardice.

The New Peter Differed Widely

A Modest and Self-distrustful Peter

Visual imagination 1 Those present who remembered the part that Peter had acted at the trial of his Master, flattered themselves that he could now be intimidated by the threat of imprisonment and death.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:7-8   7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”  8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:

In imagination behold the scene

Those present who remembered the part that Peter had acted at the trial of his Master, flattered themselves that he could now be intimidated by the threat of imprisonment and death. But the Peter who denied Christ in the hour of His greatest need was impulsive and self-confident, differing widely from the Peter who was brought before the Sanhedrin for examination.

• Since his fall he had been converted. He was no longer proud and boastful, but modest and self-distrustful.
• He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and by the help of this power he was resolved to remove the stain of his apostasy by honoring the name he had once disowned.

A Fearless Peter

Visual imagination 2 Hitherto the priests had avoided mentioning the crucifixion or the resurrection of Jesus.

Biblical evidence

Acts 4:7   7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”

In imagination behold the scene

Courage

Hitherto the priests had avoided mentioning the crucifixion or the resurrection of Jesus. But now, in fulfillment of their purpose, they were forced to inquire of the accused how the cure of the impotent man had been accomplished.

They asked:

• “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?”

Peter fearlessly declared…

With holy boldness and in the power of the Spirit Peter fearlessly declared:

• “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

This courageous defense appalled the Jewish leaders.

• They had supposed that the disciples would be overcome with fear and confusion when brought before the Sanhedrin.

Fear and the Brain

Editor note. For more information about fear read here

But, instead, these witnesses spoke as Christ had spoken, with a convincing power that silenced their adversaries. There was no trace of fear in Peter’s voice as he declared of Christ,

• “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.”

Peter here used a figure of speech familiar to the priests. The prophets had spoken of the rejected stone; and Christ Himself, speaking on one occasion to the priests and elders, said:

• “Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Matthew 21:42-44.

Danish translation / Dansk oversættelse

Dagen efter helbredelsen af krøblingen mødtes Annas og Kajfas med de andre fornemme mænd i templet til forhør, og fangerne blev ført frem for dem. I det selvsamme rum og i nærværelse af nogle af de selvsamme mennesker havde Peter skammeligt fornægtet sin Herre. Denne erindring stod tydeligt for ham, nu hvor han mødte til sit eget forhør. Nu havde han lejlighed til at råde bod på sin fejhed.

De af de tilstedeværende, som huskede den rolle, Peter havde spillet ved Mesterens domfældelse, smigrede sig med, at han nu ville lade sig skræmme ved truslen om fængsel og død. Men den Peter, som fornægtede Kristus i hans største nød, var impulsiv og selvtillidsfuld og vidt forskellig fra den Peter, som nu skulle forhøres af rådet. Han var siden sit fald blevet omvendt. Han var ikke mere stolt og pralende, men beskeden og uden tillid til sig selv. Han var fyldt af Helligånden, og ved hjælp af denne kraft var det hans beslutning at udslette sit frafalds skamplet ved at ære det navn, som han havde fornægtet.

Hidtil havde præsterne undgået at omtale Jesu korsfæstelse og opstandelse. Men nu var de for at nå deres mål tvunget til at spørge de anklagede, hvordan helbredelsen af den hjælpeløse mand var foregået. “Med hvilken magt eller i hvilket navn har I gjort dette?” spurgte de.

Med hellig dristighed og i Åndens kraft erklærede Peter frygtløst: “I og hele Israels folk skal vide, at det er ved navnet Jesus Kristus fra Nazaret, han, hvem I korsfæstede, men som Gud har opvakt fra de døde det er ved hans navn, at manden her står rask for jeres øjne. Denne Jesus er “stenen, som blev agtet for intet” af jer bygmestre, men som “er blevet hovedhjørnesten”. Og der er ikke frelse i nogen anden; thi der er ikke under himmelen givet mennesker noget andet navn, hvorved vi kan frelses.”

Dette modige svar forfærdede de jødiske ledere. De havde tænkt sig, at disciplene ville være overvældede af frygt og forvirring, når de blev stillet for rådet. Men i stedet for havde disse vidner talt, ligesom Kristus selv havde talt, med en overbevisende kraft, som bragte deres modstandere til tavshed. Der var ikke antydning af frygt i Peters stemme, da han erklærede om Kristus: “Denne Jesus er stenen, som blev agtet for intet af jer bygmestre, men som er blevet hovedhjørnesten.”

Peter benyttede her en talemåde, som var velkendt for præsterne. Profeterne havde talt om den forkastede sten, og Kristus havde selv ved en lejlighed, hvor han talte til præsterne og de ældste, sagt:

“Har I aldrig læst i skrifterne:Den sten, bygmestrene vragede, er blevet hovedhjørnesten. Fra Herren er dette kommet, underfuldt er det for vore øjne.Derfor siger jeg jer, at Guds rige skal tages fra jer og gives til et folk, der bærer dets frugter. Og den, der falder på denne sten, slår sig fordærvet, men den, som stenen falder på, ham skal den knuse.”

Cowardice

Editor note: This author has an interesting discussion about courage and cowardice see here