By Camron Schofield

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It is often said that life is a journey. We start the day that we are born and then we travel along the road until the end of our journey. It is probably a very good depiction of what life is about. As you go along a road, you often come to a turning point, or a fork in the road. You go up a hill and then down through the valley and then winding around the bend. Life is something that goes along a way.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.

Life is full of choices, paths, opportunities and mistakes. It is also full of ways we think are so right. We want to get from point A to B and instead of putting it into the GPS, we think we know the way and off we go and we find ourselves fulfilling the experience of Proverbs 14:12. We find often the case is that the way which seems so right is so wrong. If you will be honest with yourself, it is a way of death. There are many in this world that travel upon that way and as they travel upon that way they get to the end of the road. Have you ever hit the end of the road? Have you ever come to the point where you realise the things which you haven’t intended turn out to be very, very devastating? It is true the end of the road becomes a repetitive experience where you hit the end of the road and you somehow find strength to go at it again and this heart which is deceitful above all things is desperately wicked guides you down the wrong path again, and again you hit the end of the road.

Over and over again it wears you out. It wears me out. I found in my experience myself in situations which are, to use the phrase, beyond a joke. Have you? But there you are. You find that when it comes to doing something right you just can’t do it. It’s like everything that you ever tried; everything you ever do just falls apart. All you have to do is touch it and it’s broken. There are some people in this world that seems to be so gifted that everything they touch turns to gold. There are some people in this world that everything they do seems to be so right. But everything I touch falls apart.

          The Publican and the Pharisee

Two men went up in to the temple to pray and the Pharisee prayed for himself. He said ‘God, I do all these wonderful things for you and I am not like sinners around me and I thank you so much that I’m not like this publican here’. The publican stood as far out of sight as he could be and he just hung his eyes and he beat his breast and he said, ‘God be merciful to a sinner’. There was no gold he had touched that he could bring as an offering. There was nothing he could offer except a broken and contrite heart. What broke His heart? Him trying to solve His problems. He broke His own heart.

Do you know what Jesus Christ said? What He said to me sustains my life and He said, I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. What does justified mean? It means to be made righteous, to stand before God righteous. I’ve had it said to me in times past, I’m glad I’m not you. I pray it was not from the same perspective of the Pharisee saying I’m glad I’m not like this publican here. I have nothing to bring before God except for the pleadings of a broken and contrite spirit.

Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. {SC 62.2}

Jesus takes your sins and gives you His right doing.

If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ’s character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned. {SC 62.2}

Our greatest problem as Christians is the sense of self condemnation. We see the law of God and the standards God’s word and yet we see ourselves falling so short. We can’t do anything right and we try again and again. God doesn’t see your failings or decrepitude. He doesn’t see your vileness; He sees in you the likeness of His Son. Truly that is a great cause of relief. Therefore, though a righteous man may fall seven times he gets up again. As he falls, this promise comes. Up again he gets and even though he falls he is righteous because he believes this.

Why seven times? Because seven is the number of completion and finally he learns that he can’t do it. Jesus works in him to will and to do. If he will watch and pray and yield himself to God’s word and its workings then he will finally cease to fall. We know of this truth as righteousness by faith. To us it really is the great central truth. It is like wings. Have you ever wanted to fly like a bird? Through the message of righteousness by faith we can fly. But is it all easy sailing? Sometimes it takes a while for your faith to pierce the cloud and other times, even though you have laid hold of the promises you just have to sit and wait.

Micah 7:9 I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, [and] I shall behold his righteousness.

There is a time to wait.

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.

 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.

 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

You can go along happy as you are but when you realise what you are and what you have done and there is nothing for you to boast about, what is there for you to laugh about? Sure, when God lifts you up you can rejoice but until then be afflicted, mourn and weep. This sermon is not one of doom and gloom but much the opposite. But we often find in our experience that we skip over certain experiences and we always are seeking encouragement but when we have fallen, through the message of 1888 we can get up again. We can press on against all the discouragements. There is a point in that experience which I want each one of us to make the best of.

Psalm 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is] ever before me.

If you want to stay humble before the Lord, look unto the hole of the pit from whence you were digged. That will keep you humble and you will constantly be partaking of this experience where apostle Paul says constantly bearing about in my body the dying and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This will protect against corruption, self-rising and self-confidence. What we want to focus on is one little point of that experience which can become one of the most beautiful experiences you will ever make. Your sin is ever before you. You see it in consequences and the reactions from others.

Everywhere you look you see the mess that you have made. It well may be that the devil will not let you forget the pain that you’ve caused. Others won’t let you forget the pain that you’ve caused and there you are in this predicament and you can’t solve the problem. The chances are your predicament is worse as you tried to solve the problem but all you did is make things worse. Not only do you see the problems but you see the law of God and you see your failure to meet it. But more than that, to really give that final homeward thrust, we see Jesus dying upon the cross weeping in Gethsemane because His flesh and humanity doesn’t want to bear the brunt of your mistakes yet He loves you so much He gathers it into His bosom. On the cross because of your sins the Father had to remove His presence from Him who had daily been His delight.

When you see that and everything else, don’t you just want to cry? It is my prayer we will find not just in knowledge but in experience. When the sense of your sinfulness hits you like a freight train and you wake up to the realising of what you have done, yea more than that, that you are a wretched man in a body of death as apostle Paul realised and you feel like you just want to cry, it is not a lack of faith to cry. It is okay to cry. Jesus cried. When our sins were laid upon him, everything that you have ever done came dawning upon His realisation as though He was the one who did it.

Psalm 40:12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.

Could the publican look up? Why not? Because His iniquities had taken hold upon him. Be merciful to me a sinner.

Psalm 22:6 But I [am] a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

Jesus is touched with the feeling of our infirmities so when you feel like a worm and a no man, Jesus knows how that feels. Jesus cried. Have you ever just cried and cried?

Psalm 69:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, [A Psalm] of David. Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto [my] soul.

 69:2 I sink in deep mire, where [there is] no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

My circumstances and situation is too much. I’m surrounded by consequences and results and I’m weary of my crying.

Psalms 69:3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

Jesus cried and cried till there was nothing more that He could cry. His eyes failed. Have you ever been caught up in one of those heart felt cries where your throat stings? It’s okay to cry even if you are a man. The world tells you today that a real man doesn’t cry. Jesus was the best of men and He cried.

We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes; {FLB 118.4}

Can you relate to that in your experience? The Lord will exalt you in due time but in the meantime, you are going to cry and cry. If you are going to cry, you need a bosom to cry on.

As the mothers passed along the dusty road and drew near the Saviour, He saw the unbidden tear and the quivering lip, as they offered a silent prayer in behalf of the children. He heard the words of rebuke from the disciples and promptly countermanded the order. His great heart of love was open to receive the children. One after another, He took them in His arms and blessed them, while one little child lay fast asleep, reclining against His bosom. Jesus spoke words of encouragement to the mothers in reference to their work, and, oh, what a relief was thus brought to their minds! With what joy they dwelt upon the goodness and mercy of Jesus, as they looked back to that memorable occasion! His gracious words had removed the burden from their hearts and inspired them with fresh hope and courage. All sense of weariness was gone. {AH 273.2}

I love this picture. A little child. Sleeping on the bosom of Jesus. Maybe the child had a stomach ache, or maybe it was teething and mummy didn’t know how to settle it. So Jesus put out His arms, gathered the child to His bosom and with a soothing pat and rub, gently lullabied the child to sleep.

Have you ever cried yourself to sleep? Does God care about you when you are so undone? Does He care even when you are the one that got yourself into the mess? Human beings don’t care. People today say you dug the hole go lie in it. Does God care?

Psalms 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: [are they] not in thy book?

God has a bottle for collecting your tears and when you cry He places His bottle under your eye and He collects that tear. And in His book He writes it down.

Not a groan, not a sigh, not a tear, escapes His notice. {ST, December 30, 1903 par. 6}

What amazing love is that. God who made this universe, they estimate that there are billions of galaxies in the universe and yet He cares enough so much that just one little drop of water and the grief that’s caused it to run down.

If you take even one step toward Him in repentance, He will hasten to enfold you in His arms of infinite love. {FLB 129.3}

The tiniest little step and He will be onto you with His arms open wide.

His ear is open to the cry of the contrite soul. The very first reaching out of the heart after God is known to Him. Never a prayer is offered, however faltering, never a tear is shed, however secret, never a sincere desire after God is cherished, however feeble, but the Spirit of God goes forth to meet it. Even before the prayer is uttered or the yearning of the heart made known, grace from Christ goes forth to meet the grace that is working upon the human soul. {FLB 129.3}

It is often that perhaps you can’t cry, it is beyond tears or you are in a situation where you don’t want to let the tears run down but on the inside the tears are running down. They are the secret tears, not just the tears you cry when no one is looking but the tears inside here that God will store up in His bottle. God cares. Never ever no matter how sinful you feel think God doesn’t care. Never doubt that God cares. He enfolds you in His arms of infinite love, gathers you to His bosom and there we have a bosom to cry on. Jesus says come unto me.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Are you weary? Have you tried to sort out your own problems? Have you only made things worse? Now do you feel all you want to do is cry? Then lay your head on Jesus bosom. If you have faith, faith even the size of the mustard seed, your pillow on your bed can become Jesus bosom. You can cry yourself to sleep upon His breast or you can just cry and cry. But what do you hear when you place your head upon someone’s breast? You hear their heart beat. And so as you lay your head upon Jesus’ bosom, you hear His heartbeat. It seems to be so soothing and calming and you will quickly realise that the heart is beating in time with your own. His heart is beating at the same rate as your heart is beating.

Wait upon God. Lean upon Him in entire dependence; for His everlasting arms will sustain you. He who says that not a sparrow falls to the ground without the notice of the heavenly Father will care for those who love and trust Him. Jesus knows every throb of pain, every throe of anguish and distress, and He will give His children grace to endure the afflictions that He permits to come upon them. His heart beats in sympathy with suffering humanity and those who suffer most have most of His pity and sympathy. {ST, February 28, 1906 par. 5}

The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Jesus felt as you feel. The accountability of your sins was laid upon Him so that He felt that He was the one that made the mess. Isn’t that how you feel? Isn’t that why you are crying? Is it any wonder that He says is it nothing to you? This world today goes moping around in self-pity and they cry and cry but they have no bosom to cry on.

Sure they might have a friend, another shoulder but that person can’t understand anyway. But with Jesus you can cry and cry and He will cry with you. He knows exactly how you feel because He was made to feel the same way. Is it nothing to you? Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. Indeed there was no sorrow like unto His sorrow. Why not? Because He didn’t do it yet He took it upon himself so that when your world falls down around you and you just want to cry, He can cry with you. That is a friend isn’t it? How many of you can relate Desire of Ages page 483 from memory? This quote has become so meaningful to each one of us.

Through all our trials we have a never-failing Helper. He does not leave us alone to struggle with temptation, to battle with evil, and be finally crushed with burdens and sorrow. Though now He is hidden from mortal sight, the ear of faith can hear His voice saying, Fear not; I am with you. “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore.” Revelation 1:18. I have endured your sorrows, experienced your struggles, encountered your temptations. I know your tears; I also have wept. The griefs that lie too deep to be breathed into any human ear, I know. Think not that you are desolate and forsaken. Though your pain touch no responsive chord in any heart on earth, look unto Me, and live. “The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” Isaiah 54:10. {DA 483.1}

These words are more precious in experience. Is this poetic fancy? Is this love sick sentimentalism? No, it’s called the atonement. Let those tears run freely, let them run down like Niagra, and there, there everything will be alright.

Amen.