By John Thiel, Walking in the Light of 1888 Conference, Study 4, mp3

Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

We live in a very important time.

Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;

Is that you and me? Are we desired for the truth we hold? Are we outcasts?

Zephaniah 2:2 Before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you.

The fierce anger of the Lord come upon you oh nation not desired.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.

It may be you will be hid. We want to know that there is a way by which we maybe hid. We are to gather the children and elders and let the servants of God weep between the porch and the altar. That is note of serious connotations attached to it. The seriousness of this is contained in the back ground of the light that was given in 1888. We are to walk in the light of 1888. What was the light of 1888? The revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin pardoning redeemer. That was the light of 1888. 1888 was the beginning of the light of the angel that will lighten the whole earth. It is the present message that is already lightening the earth with its glory from 1888 onwards. It was the latter rain which led to the loud cry of the third angel which was to swell from then onwards.

The Urgency of Time

Have you received that light through these studies? Have you received it or have you just heard it? In case you haven’t received it, let us examine so that we will receive it. What have we received of that light? We have received the understanding that our time is urgent. Very urgent. How close are we to the close of probation? When was it that the image of the beast was setup? 1892. That’s a long time ago. Have the people already been tested? What happened in the First World War? Were they being tested? Who stood? Not even 2%. In the Second World War who stood? A very small number and now where are we and where are they? How true are the words that speak of our time that what was written in 1892. We are living in very serious times and there are events coming upon this earth that this world has never seen. We need to be ready for it, now is the day.

The day is at hand. For the lessons to be learned, the work to be done, the transformation of character to be effected, the time remaining is but too brief a span. {Ed 184.2}

When did she write that? Before the turn into the 20th century. We are in the 21st century. Are we registering? What did the angel tell Sr White for their time?

I saw that those who of late have embraced the truth would have to know what it is to suffer for Christ’s sake, that they would have trials to pass through that would be keen and cutting, in order that they may be purified and fitted through suffering to receive the seal of the living God, pass through the time of trouble, see the King in His beauty, and dwell in the presence of God and of pure, holy angels. {EW 67.1}

Those who of late at the turn into the 20th century have received the truth would have to know what it is to suffer for Christ’s sake. We are the great grand children of those people and we have grown up and taken for normal the things that were extremely cutting for them and we didn’t regard it as any value. We regard it as normal.

Said the angel, “Deny self; ye must step fast.” Some of us have had time to get the truth and to advance step by step, and every step we have taken has given us strength to take the next. {EW 67.2}

Who is she talking about? Not you and me but the pioneers who have had time to learn step by step.

But now time is almost finished, and what we have been years learning, they will have to learn in a few months. They will also have much to unlearn and much to learn again. EW 67.2}

Who were they? Our grandparents. What about you and me now? Have we got months to learn? What time remaining do we have now? We have to face it now. Are you able to? Have you already met the impossibility of reaching the standard of the law of faith? This hour at this moment as we stand before our God so that what I read before we will have to learn even faster than what was written.

If you would stand through the time of trouble, you must know Christ, and appropriate the gift of His righteousness, which He imputes to the repentant sinner.–The Review and Herald, Nov. 22, 1892. {1SM 363.1}

We have been meditating this beautiful message. We have seen its wonderful power. Every speaker has spoken under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. When you heard it, was there any resistance in your mind. Examine yourself closely because if there was, you are resisting the Holy Spirit. The message of 1888 is the message that I need so desperately now. If I miss out now I’m lost. What did we learn to appropriate Jesus Christ and his righteousness so that we can survive and get it quickly? Remember the school master.

The School Master

What would he do? What sort of action does he have on us?

It’s the law that follows me, that plagues me, that keeps on taking away my peace until I hang weak with nothing more left in me to bring me to my knees. Are you there? If you are not, it’s going to pester you and if unheeded it will take you to the grave and will judge you at the end. Where was the school master to lead me to if heeded? If I’m all broken up and depraved of every sense of self worth, then what is left? Christ Crucified among you. When the law shows me my deplorable condition, I meet myself at the cross because there Jesus suffered sin. Your sin and my sin that cause me by the school master to deprave me of every sense of self worth.

Christ Crucified Among You

Jesus at present tense is crucified among us, what happened 2000 years ago was already a present tense right at the beginning and is presence tense now and the living picture of Jesus crucified among us displayed the next point that we need to appropriate. When Jesus was crucified, what did he reveal?

The Faith of Jesus

How did he reveal the faith of Jesus? As he was crucified? With the full sense of my condemnation, yours and everybody’s as the sense of their sins so he cried out my God why hast thou forsaken me.  He cried my sins are more than the hair of my head. What did he do? What was his faith? He said father into your hand I commend my spirit. I am going to trust you father. What did we learn of the fathers love? A sinner condemned to die. The father could not despise. That is the father’s heart. He is not a dictator judging and condemning me for my sin when I come bleeding with Jesus at the cross. I am called upon to cast myself upon the father’s mercy.  As we explored that, what happened to Jesus? The father didn’t despise. The father lifted him up out of a horrible pit. Look at your life. Look at the realities of your life. Young married couples what are you going home to? People alone with no family to go to, what are you going to? Are you going home to conflict with each other? Are there problems in your life? Don’t live in an unreal world. We are leaving this meeting to go back into hell. Gross darkness. I speak as someone who knows. I weep between the porch and the altar, my heart trembles for everyone one of us. But what did the father do for the sin sick hell covered man? He took him up out of a horrible pit. What did he do as he came out?

Psalm 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, [even] praise unto our God: many shall see [it], and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Freedom from Condemnation

Absolute freedom from condemnation. No more sin. Do you believe this? If you don’t, your sin will destroy you. There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. Is it so? Then don’t ever mention your sin or the past again or that of your brother. Am I speaking the word of God or my opinion? Where we are with Christ? At the cross riddled with sin. The cross destroyed the sin in my Lord. If I don’t believe it, I am still in condemnation.

A Live of Gratitude

If you believe it oh what gratitude. A life of gratitude follows. Is that not what we have been contemplating? You cannot survive the terrible time before us unless you actually livingly embrace the death and resurrection of Jesus. Now that you have accepted that, the law stands by and demands something. It demands justice. It demands that you are without sin and if the law looks at you and you still have sin it can’t stand by and say you are alright, it will keep pestering. If you die with Jesus Christ what does the law say? I am satisfied, he is righteous. Legally he is justified because legally Jesus dealt with all the legalities and in reality Jesus dealt in me and is dealing with me according to the 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. {SC 62.2}

We have no excuse for sin.

But Christ has made a way of escape for us. {SC 62.2}

I don’t want to let you escape, I’d rather fall into the hands of God than men as men won’t let me escape. Christ has made a way of escape. You are able to run away from your past sin yes. Weird thought. 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}

What sins are included here? Any missing? Murder? Child abuse? Adultery? Blasphemy, whatever you think of with all the terrible impacts on our life. No matter what our sins have been, if we have given ourselves to our saviour then;

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. {SC 62.2}

If I don’t accept this, what is his sake here? I am going to reject his sake. Do you know what the future is for such people? They have rejected the everlasting covenant and there is no hope.

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}

That is not all. The law of God says he is not a sinner but Satan says he is. Don’t become an accuser of the brethren, you become Satan’s henchman. If God says you have no sin, if the law says I have no demand, he is righteous. Then so be it. But there is more than this.

More than this, Christ changes the heart. He abides in your heart by faith. You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and the continual surrender of your will to Him; and so long as you do this, He will work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. So you may say, “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. So Jesus said to His disciples, “It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” Matthew 10:20. Then with Christ working in you, you will manifest the same spirit and do the same good works –works of righteousness, obedience. {SC 62.3}

What was the proviso? If you maintain your connection you made at the cross then God will work in you. Then the demands of the law are met.

Meeting the Laws Demands

With Jesus Christ and the father inside of me. The final thing we have received was that as we look at each other and see I can’t see this man is perfect, can you read his heart? You can read his actions and you can say he has so many faults. Can you read his heart? Can you read each other’s heart? What is God doing in the heart? The heart is being melted by the amazing vision of Jesus and him crucified. He is hanging there and expressing it. As we express with each other what the Lord is doing in each other’s heart, are we to doubt it? We are to put the best construction on every mans words. That is the instruction of inspiration.

Compassion for Others

Why should we have compassion for others? The Lord is forming that person, he is molding him, he is not finished yet. There are still rough characteristics. You add to your faith virtue, you may have virtue and some may have more knowledge, you may say they are ignorant. Add to your knowledge temperance. I’ve got faith, knowledge and virtue but I’ve not got temperance. The onlooker may say you’re not a health reformer yet. Look at that dress, that’s not right and they talk about Jesus? He’s not finished with me yet. If he was finished with me he’d be here already. Compassion for others – have you got it? No. Jesus is compassion. You haven’t got it. You can only receive it from him. Jesus said I want you to love one another as I have loved you. Please wait for your brother, please wait for what I want to do with him yet. He is your brother. What is the credential for Gods church? How do you know you are God’s church? I belong to the IMS, that is God’s church, I’m a Seventh Day Adventist, I’m with the SDA Reform church, that’s God’s church. Sorry no title is the credential. What is the credential?

John 13:35 By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Because you are keeping the Ten Commandments, because you are doing all the standards, because whatever. What is he saying? If you love one another. That is not eros love, that is not filial love, this is agape love. Totally different. A love beareth all things. Do you bear all things? Do you bear your husbands and wife’s mistakes? Do you bear the church members impatience with you? Do you bear another person’s slowness of progress? Agape love is not filial love, it is God. For God is love. While we were yet sinners, while we were grovelling in a marriage break up in adultery, killing someone with hatred, while we were doing that God loved. God spread not his own son. If God be for us, who can be against us? Have compassion one for another. What have we received here? Have we heard the Holy Spirit speaking to?

Hebrews 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

Did you see God speaking to the Israelites from Mount Sinai? You would have been shaking in your boots. If we are cruel to one another we are not listening to God. You go home and someone crosses your path and you forget all about this in one flash unless you hear his voice and obey it.

Hebrews 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

As you go from here and everyday you are walking, the Holy Spirit is beside you, you will hear a voice saying this is what you should be doing. Harden not your heart. You know exactly what you heard, if Satan comes along and says he is a sinner, the Holy Spirit comes along and says Jesus is in his place. Harden not your heart. When Satan comes to you and says you are sinner, say yes Jesus died for me, listen to the Holy Spirit. As you see people not doing certain things, harden not your heart. if someone does something horrible to you and it stirs your anger, the voice says all this fell upon Jesus so harden not your heart. What a joy to live like that. We at this conference have received clear outpouring of God’s word. My doctrine shall fall as the rain. Having received all these things, the rain falling upon us, what now?

Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Have you received him yet? So walk in him. When a tree is rooted in the ground and the wind comes it doesn’t move. I am being told what I have received in talk. I am to walk. I am not to just talk the talk but walk the talk. What is it that God requires of me in summary? Now God requires something of me. What does God now require of me? More than justification, sanctification. Be a strict reformer in Jesus, but don’t just stop there, what else does he require? I require of thee to love mercy.

Micah 6:8 He hath showed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Are You Like Silicon?

Humble thyself to walk with your God. Why does he require it? Because he has written in your heart through the word. The doctrine has fallen, unless you put silicon on yourself the rain won’t pearl off. Have you seen silicon? The rain falls off. When you water the garden and the garden is dry it falls off. Are you going to be dry after the rain has fallen on you are you going to get wettasoil so that the Holy Spirit will make you pervious to receive his Holy Spirit. Will you carry the spirit of God with you as you return to your homes and churches?

Brethren, will you carry the spirit of Christ with you as you return to your homes and churches? Will you put away unbelief and criticism? {2SM 373.4}

How are you going to walk in the things you have received? Let the Holy Spirit challenge you now. You may say I’ve done too many mistakes, you have to do it now. If you don’t you are on the path of the day of the Lord. What are you going to do?

Here is faith: “Where there is not only a belief in God’s word, but a submission of will to Him; where the heart is yielded to Him, the affections fixed upon Him.” Now these are weighty expressions; they are worth considering. “The submission of the will to Him,” is it done? Is your will submitted to Him never to be taken back, or exercised in your own way or for yourself? Is your will surrendered to Him? Yours? Yours, I mean? Has He your will? Says one, “I think He has.” Well, you want to know it. “Well,” says another, “I have been trying to submit my will to Him.” Well, stop your trying and submit your will to Him and be done with it and know it. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 299.1}

“The submission of the will to Him,” is your will submitted to Him? Is it gone so that you know it is gone, and that you have no wish or impulse or any inclination ever in any situation to use it yourself? Is it gone? You can know it. You can know whether that is done. [Voice: “How?”] How? Why by doing it, telling the Lord it is done and it is so. Of course a man knows it is so when it is done. [A voice: “If he does not know it, it is not done.”] Exactly. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 299.2}

If a man does not know it, that is the strongest possible evidence that he could have that it is not done. And when it is done, ah! He knows it. That is the very thing. When it is done he becomes a spiritual man, and he knows what he never knew before in his life. The natural man cannot receive it, he cannot understand it, he never can. How in the world can I understand what there is in the doing of a thing I never did? Here is something that you have done, you know how it goes, but I never did it, and yet I want you to explain it all to me so that I will understand just how it is done, without the doing of it myself. Brethren, that is not straight, and much less is it straight in this thing, for this is to be known, and can be known only between God and the individual himself. “They shall be all taught of God.” One can tell another that it is a fact; one can tell another that he knows that it is a fact. But no one can give it to another, so that my brother can get it from me. I can tell him it is a fact, and that he can know it, but he must learn it from God. You do it simply by yielding to God. That is the only way any man can do it or know it. Lots of people do not understand how, but the worst difficulty is they will not do it when you tell them how. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 299.3}

You can tell a person how but they won’t do it and therefore they keep on saying but how?

Now I ask again, Is your will submitted to Him? Is that thing done? Have you gone over that barrier and stand where you know that you stand there and that you know that your will is surrendered to Him, for Him to use in His way, and that there is no further question about it, and no dissent from it in any way? Now is your will submitted to God for Him to use as He pleases and you have no objection to raise at all; you have no thought or inclination to use it your way; you want Him to do His way, and that is all you care for? Is that so? Is your will there? [Congregation: “Yes.”] {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 299.4}

Are any here in whom it is not so? You just go and tell the Lord all about it. Tell Him, “Lord, I submit everything to thee; everything goes; nothing stays; I do not retain a single thing; all is gone; everything, will and all–to thee, that thou mayest use it both to will and to do.” [Congregation: “Amen.”] Brethren, we every one need to do just that, here, each day. The Lord wants to come in here in just the way that that will let Him in. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 299.5}

But as long as I reserve some of my will, I will go my way in spite of myself, I cannot have God use me fully. He cannot come in fully, Christ cannot come in fully, unless there is a full submission to Him. Let there be some dying here. Let there be some actual dying to self. That is what it means; it means death: and of course people never struggle to die. They struggle to stay alive, if there are any struggles. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 299.6}

People never struggle to die, they struggle to stay alive.

Bear in mind that it is not enough to “want” to die. Go ahead and die; that is what the Lord wants. Says one, How shall I do that? He tells how: “Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed.” Dead indeed. Brother Durland read to us here yesterday, “He that is dead is freed from sin.” It is so. “Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,” and God will furnish the fact. The point is, brethren, we need to get acquainted with the Lord. The trouble is, people are not personally acquainted with the Lord and do not know how these things are with Him. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 299.7}

“Where the heart is yielded to Him.” How much of it? [Congregation: “All of it.”] Is it done? [Congregation: “Yes.”] The whole heart is gone? Everything is gone? Well, says one, I have yielded all I know. Well, now just take the other step, and yield all you do not know. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 299.8}

Elder O. S. Ferren: When a person does that, is he poor, and miserable? Elder Jones: Yes, sir.
Elder Ferren: And naked and blind? Elder Jones: Yes, sir. Elder Ferren: And does not know it?
Elder Jones: I say, Yes, of course he is. But, thank the Lord, he has riches that embrace the universe. Says one, I cannot understand that. I cannot either, but I know it is a fact. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 300.6}

Why, brethren, let us bear this in mind to start with and never try to forget it, because the further you go the more you will see it is a fact, that when we get hold of the gospel of Jesus Christ just as it is, we find at every turn and in every phase of it, the mystery of God. At every point and in every turn, you find a place and a situation in which nothing can explain it but God, and all you can do is to believe that God is there. It is so and you will know the fact, and let Him go ahead and explain it. It will take eternity to do that. What He wants you and me to do is to be glad that we have eternity before us in which for Him to explain it to us. I am going to be glad that I have eternity to live in–not bother about whether I understand this, that, or the other. No. God forbid that we should throw away eternal life because we cannot understand all that God understands. But, ah! There is the same spirit again that Satan had–to be equal with God and not submit to any unless we can understand all. Let that mind be put away. And let us believe the Lord and let Him take His own good time to explain it. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 300.7}

Well, then, is your heart yielded to Him? Now that thought I had a moment ago. Many say, “I have surrendered to the Lord all I know.” That is not enough. What you want to do is to surrender to Him all you know and all you do not know. Because when I surrender to Him only what I know, there are a good many things left that I do not know, a good many situations where I will meet myself, and good many things will come up, and I will meet something that will be very attractive and desirable to me, and if I have not surrendered all, what then? There will be a contest, whether I will surrender that or not. So I am kept constantly in hot water to know whether I am surrendered to the Lord or not. The Lord wants you to get out of the hot water and stay out. Surrender everything you know and everything you do not know. Let everything go to Him, with no reservation now or evermore. Then you are not afraid of anything; you do not care if you drop into the bottom of the sea the next minute. It is all surrendered; You are in His hands–and then you have got something. That man has got something; he has something never had before, and he has something that he cannot get until he does just that thing. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 300.8}

Give up everything you know and don’t know, then you have something. Not until then.

“The affections fixed upon Him.” Are your affections fixed there, so that He takes precedence of everything? So that He is first before everything? Nothing at all coming into the account anywhere or at any time? Is that so? When a man does that he has got something; he has indeed, and he knows it. Well, says one, is not a man to care for his wife and children? Why, they are all surrendered to the Lord too and cannot the Lord care for them a great deal better than you can without being surrendered to him? They are surrendered too, and instead of the situation being this: that when my affections are fixed upon him they are severed from those who are dear to me, it is the other way; when my affections are fixed upon him, they are intensified and deepened and glorified, upon those who are tenderly connected with me. Why, people miss it all when they think that to fix the affections on God is going to separate them from somebody they like while on the earth; it is the only way they can love properly those whom they think they like on the earth. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 300.9}

Well, now, is it so? Is the will submitted to Him? Is your heart yielded to God, so that your affections are fixed upon Him? Is it done, so that you can stand before Him and thank the Lord that it is so? I do not mean to stand up in the congregation and say that it is so but just tell it over to the Lord that it is so. People will get up in the congregation and say things there that they will not say to the Lord. You tell it to the Lord. Tell Him that your will is given up bodily to Him. Submit the whole thing without a particle of reservation now or evermore, and just tell Him that your heart is yielded up to Him, for it is good for nothing and you want His heart instead of yours. And after that your affections are fixed upon Him, and that there they stay. And they will stay there. Tell Him that all the time, every day; tell Him wherever you go. Live with Him, brethren; live with Him; live with Him; that is what He wants. Why He is raised from the dead, and we are raised up with Him that we may live with Him. Rom. 6:8. His personal presence is to be with us. That is what the Laodicean message is to do for us; it brings the presence of Christ to live in us. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 300.10}

This you can do alone for yourself and nobody else can do it for you. Brethren, let us go to doing that. Let us get into that place. When a man is there, then he simply waits the direction of the Lord; waits the time of the Lord. When the Lord gets ready to pour out His Holy Spirit there is nothing to hinder. If there be something that he does not know, Oh well, that was surrendered long ago. It may be as dear as the right eye, but that went long ago. It is gone, thank the Lord, and so there is nothing between you and Him and He can pour out His Spirit whenever He pleases. That is where He wants you and me to stand in this Conference, waiting for Him to give us that teaching of righteousness according to righteousness. {February 20, 1893 ATJ, GCDB 300.11}

Has he been doing with us? we are to go forward and walk the talk. Our challenge is very powerfully laid out before us.

Our Challenge and Our Call

1 Peter 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious. 4 To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, [and] precious, 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Remember 1888 was not fully received and the Adventist church lost it. Why? Because Jesus was the stumbling stone. Are you stumbling over him because your own will is being held onto?

1 Peter 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

We are all going to be confounded if we don’t believe on him.

1 Peter 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, [even to them] which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Here is the challenge;

1 Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Have we been under the marvellous light? Haven’t you marvelled? Then go forth and don’t stumble over it. Walk on the rock, don’t stumble over it. We will show forth that wonderful light in the darkness.

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

It’s been blaring upon us. It may have been shining on hearts around us but it;s possible that we may not discern it.

Isaiah 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Psalm 106:48 Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.

Amen.