By John Thiel, Beholding Christ Series, Part 15, mp3

Isaiah 40:27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, [that] the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? [there is] no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.

We are trying to search for the meaning in this scripture and it has some interesting contents as you meditate about it. Are you young today? Do you feel full of energy, young men?

Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall

Young people have energy don’t they? They are full of beans as they say. But here it says, no matter how full of energy you may be, the difficulties that we can faint at will be too much for even the power of youth. Here the Apostle John is writing to you people, he is speaking to young people as well as to fathers:

1 John 2:14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him [that is] from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

He has written unto the young people why? Because “you are strong”. Strong? What is the strength that he is talking about here? What does it mean to be strong? Is it strong to go along and have a late night somewhere in a pleasure resort? You can go and whale the night away whale the night away
because you’re so strong, is that what it is talking about? Is it talking about strength to go into the sports field to have lots of fun out there, is that what it is talking about? What is it talking about?

1 John 2:14 …because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Oh, that’s strange. There’s a lot of people who associate strength with having plenty of energy to do what we want to do, but here it says, having strength to “overcome the wicked one”. Who is that? That’s the devil, isn’t it? Say, are you strong enough to overcome the devil? How strong is the devil? Have you thought about that? How strong is the devil? He was the very top angel of heaven. Angels are extremely strong, aren’t they? They are much stronger than we are. Just because he fell into sin doesn’t mean he lost his strength. It only takes one angel, when you look in the Bible, to cause the whole city to shake. Satan is very strong, much stronger than us. So what is the strength that John is talking about? Remember in Isaiah it says even the young men will fall, utterly fall, under this power.

This is the question that we want to think about here, what is it that humanity faints at? When somebody faints, they faint because they’re weak like this boy in the story. He was ready to faint because he was cold and hungry. But what is here talked about that we could faint at? We continue with the thought of young people. Here it introduces us where our useful energies are to be centered:

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

For those of us who are getting on in years, there are some people who take no pleasure in the weariness of age as it comes upon them, it’s not fun anymore, they’ve lost their “get-up-and-go”. If you don’t want to lose your “get-up-and-go”, do what God tells you to do, it’ll keep you energetic. But here it then describes old age, when you have no pleasure in old age. He says, “Now in the days of your youth, remember your Creator”, your Creator who loves you.

John 14:15 If ye love me …

What? What does Jesus say?

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Remember your Creator, love Him, in the days of your youth. Because as you get older you don’t have that youthful energy anymore. Most of all, when you are a young person, a child, and God comes and speaks to you – can some of you remember when you were a child and you listened to the Bible story, you said, “Oh, I want to love Jesus. I want to be with Him. – Isn’t what children ought to say? I’ll never forget the story. I was studying in the home of a young family where the little girl she was six, seven years of age, when she was at school and they asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She said, “When I grow up, I want to be like Jesus.” I thought, Oh what a beautiful statement! Well, this young girl is now about 25 years of age, and she doesn’t love Jesus now. She doesn’t keep His commandments now. Every now and then when I see her, I say, “When I grow up I want to be like Jesus”. “You won’t let me forget that, will you?” she says. No. Because when you are little, you have a believing mind. Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, while you still haven’t been ruined by Satan’s sophistries!

Let us come back to where John was talking about that. We will pick up the picture of what it is that you may be ready to faint with.

1 John 2:13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him [that is] from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. 14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him [that is] from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Now notice:

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Say, when you were a little child, did you love Jesus? Children, do you love Jesus? Is He wonderful to you? As, we’ve been meditating last study, and the study before, when we look at Jesus, does it touch your heart that He went through such terrible sufferings, and you love Him? But what does it say? What does it mean to faint? What is meant in the Bible? It says, “You’re strong but don’t love the world!” Because if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. Now notice what he says. What’s in the world? Why does he say, “Don’t love the world”? What does that mean?

1 John 2:16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh,

What does that mean? I desire to have fun. I want the feeling of good food! I want the feeling of dancing in the world. I like the feeling of boys paying attention to me because I’m a girl! and girls paying attention to me if I’m a boy! And all that sort of thing, that is called the lust of the flesh, the desire.

1 John 2:16 … and the lust of the eyes

You like to look upon things that aren’t really good for you.

1 John 2:16 … and the pride of life, [these are] not of the Father, but [are] of the world.

And, what happens? With all the things that you want to enjoy in the world, all the fun that you want to have, dancing, singing, being happy, what will happen one day? Here it says:

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof

Tsunamis

It’s all going to pass away. You can see it already today, can’t you? The people who had fun in Fiji, what happened? They went there to have fun, what happened? All their fun was shattered. The fun that they had in Indonesia, the fun that people have in different places like that time when hurricane Katrina took place, whoa, and it was all over, wasn’t it? Remember that city, that city of fun, and it came to an end, but only temporarily as a warning because it says here, “It will all pass away.” So don’t love it because it’s useless. God, Jesus is worth loving. If you love the world which will pass away, you’ll pass away with it and there won’t be any more fun. But if you stay with the Father, the love of the Father, then we will live to have joy of love forever.

Listen to Jesus. The love of the world or the love of God, what does it mean to faint? We are living in this time:

Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound,

You know what the word iniquity means? It means lawlessness. Because everybody wants to have fun and not be under the control of authority, of law. “Because lawlessness abounds …” isn’t that true today? Everywhere they are disobeying the laws and having fun, because that abounds, what happens with the love of God in the heart? What happens with that? Jesus says:

Matthew 24:12 …the love of many shall wax cold.

Is that what’s happening? Notice the following:

Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. What is the world like today? It is lawless, no love for God, sin is all around us, and what does it do to us? It makes us faint, the love that you once had faints out of your life. You want to enjoy the world after all; it’s too hard to follow Jesus, isn’t it? Is that what many people say? “It’s too hard to follow Jesus! It’s too hard to keep the commandments.” because:

2 Timothy 3:1 …in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves,

And all the way through it deals with all the terrible things that are happening and one of them is:

2 Timothy 3:2 …disobedient to parents,

How rich that is today, isn’t it? Do children obey their parents? Children, do you obey your parents? What does obedience mean? That means that if he says something you will do exactly what he says, is that what you do? all the time?

Be honest. If you don’t like what daddy tells you to do, or what mommy tells you to do, what do you do? “I’ll go quietly and do what I want to do, thank you.” Is that right? That’s what happens. I’ll never forget, I was talking to one of my children as they were little and I said to them, “Did you hear what mommy said?” That girl of mine said, “Oh I love you Mom but I don’t want to do what you told me to do.” Is that love? No. If you love me, keep my commandments, says Jesus. That means, Keep them. We are living today in this perilous time where people are fainting.

The Lord God of heaven knew what a deadening influence the abounding iniquity would have upon the chosen believers, what a paralyzing power it would be against piety and true loyalty to God. {RH, June 8, 1897 par. 11}

It will paralyse, that’s the peril in which we live today.

In giving us the statement of the occurrences which would mark the approach of the second advent of our Lord and Saviour, Christ says, “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” We see this fulfilled to the letter. The experience of many is becoming dwarfed and sickly and wonderfully deformed. {RH, June 8, 1897 par. 11}

What is happening to the people who are claiming to be Christians? The experience that they have is become dwarfed:

The experience of many is becoming dwarfed and sickly and wonderfully deformed. {RH, June 8, 1897 par. 11}

How do you feel when a little old man comes walking and he’s as short as a two or three year old boy? You feel funny don’t you? That’s the way the Christians are in majority today, they are dwarfs to God’s kingdom and “sickly and wonderfully deformed.”

As a nurse I saw deformed people. With my medical eye, I look at people sane, and I see the same thing even though physically they’re not monsters. They are terribly deformed. The most beautiful people look ugly to me because they’ve got the lust of the flesh pouring out of their system.

Everything that surrounds us creates an atmosphere that is saturated with unrighteousness. Even under the most faithful surroundings, it is difficult to hold fast the Christian profession of faith unto the end, {RH, June 8, 1897 par. 11}

Remember Jesus said, they who would “endure” …

Matthew 24:13 … he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

It’s endurance, it’s an endurance test. Can you feel it, the endurance test? The people in the world they go and wreck their cars and see how far they can endure. Even in their sports they go through endurance tests and they say rah this is lovely. Well come on, let’s be strong, let’s go through an endurance test in real terms, to be faithful when the peril of iniquity is all around us. Yes, Jesus said it.

it is difficult to hold fast the Christian profession of faith unto the end, to stand decidedly and earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. {RH, June 8, 1897 par. 11}

“It’s all old-fashioned, let’s keep up with the time.” That’s the Now notice, not only is it hard because iniquity abounds around us but it says:

But it is most difficult to keep true and loyal to God’s holy commandments, when there are few in number to help and encourage one another, and when many of these are sickly and ready to die because they do not honor God by keeping his commandments truly and loyally. {RH, June 8, 1897 par. 11}

Is this our problem today? Even when those who are few in number, who are still trying to hang on to the pure principle are sickly and they can hardly keep themselves spiritually awake. How can they help me? And I’m sick too and I can hardly help them. It’s really hard, isn’t it?

Much so-called Christianity passes for genuine, faithful soundness, but it is because those who profess it have no persecution to endure for the truth’s sake. When the day comes when the law of God is made void, {RH, June 8, 1897 par. 12}

that is, empty; when that law is no longer upheld,

… and the church is sifted by the fiery trials that are to try all that live upon the earth, a great proportion of those who are supposed to be genuine will give heed to seducing spirits, {RH, June 8, 1897 par. 12}

Satan doesn’t come today as an ugly creature, he comes to us, “Come and listen to some music, my music. Just put a little twinge of dance music with spiritual music. Now I’ve got you, you like that? Yes, come a bit closer now…” and you start enjoying the music of dance floor as well.

… and [they] will turn traitors and betray sacred trusts. They will prove our very worst persecutors. {RH, June 8, 1897 par. 12}

If you really want to follow today the truth all the way, I tell you brethren I’m speaking of personal experience; I have made a decision when I was sixteen years of age. When I made my decision at sixteen down to twenty, twenty-one, I decided “I’m going to go all the way with the Lord!” You know what happened to me? I lost a lot of friends. I lost a lot of – not worldly friends, friends in the Seventh-Day Adventist church, I lost them, because I was a freak, I was absolutely over the top. “Get out of here.” Why? Because I chose to remain loyal to my Lord. I thank God for the revelation of His word of what I must expect in today’s experience, I must not faint! And how will I faint? When I start looking at all the corruptions around me and I begin to feel tempted, I think of, “What’s a little bit of television today? It’s not so bad, I can handle it.” Then I go.
I think of, just go and eat a little bit of something I never ate before …then I go. And very quickly I lose my spiritual muscle, I become paralyzed because everybody around me, the great majority, are not listening to a “thus saith the Lord.”

“You will overcome the wicked one”, this is what we read before. The reason for making it so hard today is not that the way of God’s kingdom is a hard path, it’s a joyful path, it’s lovely to walk with Jesus, it’s great joy; I love Jesus, He’s a wonderful person and the lifestyle of Jesus is wonderful. To have the Creator of the universe draw near to you to comfort your heart, to warm you with His presence, there is no sensation like it in the world, none whatsoever. I’ve had several sensations in the world, that’s nothing in comparison. The reason why it is so hard today to be loyal and true is not because the path is hard, it’s because Satan makes it hard. We are in a conflict; we are battling against Satan’s efforts to destroy you. As he is in control of the multitude around you, they’re all having fun, so they think. But tell me, what is happening to the youth suicide rate lately? Hm? Youth suicide has nearly quadrupled from 1963. Why? The youth are having fun! Why are they killing themselves? Because while they are having fun they certainly discover it’s empty, it’s yuk after a few years, just like the prodigal son. Then, what’s the use of living? Finished. They are fainting and they will utterly fall, as we read.

Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

In a time when youth relish a challenge – and that is what John is writing about,

1 John 2:13 … I write unto you, young men,

Because what? You enjoy a challenge! Don’t you? Wow, if I can win this race, if I can do this, if I can do the other thing, I can achieve something! In such a time when youth enjoy a challenge – You know why so many young men are in the army? You know why? They have fun in there. Whoa, we’re going to win the war, we’re going to have real strategy learning so that we can beat the enemy. Challenge! That’s why they go to war. – Look at what Jesus says, through the Bible. Here is the call.

Don’t Faint

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Be strong! Where? Be strong in the Lord, in the power His might.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

That seducing spirit, “It’s good music, it’s lovely. It feels good” It’s a sensation that I want to follow …”seducing”. That’s how he did it. How did he do it with Eve? “Tastes good, feels good” full of pride, “I can become a queen” Isn’t that the way it is with the girls today? They like to become models, why? Because then they become little queens. And all the men will go, “Whoa!” That’s the way it is. But here it says, Resist that! That’s the wiles of the devil

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,

Who are they? The devil and his angels.

Ephesians 6:12 … against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

There is the challenge! When you can feel all the challenges of being drawn into the world of today and being paralyzed, you go, “No. I’m going to fight against all that. I’m going to love Jesus. I am going to put away all the things of the world because if I go that way I’ll probably end up one of those statistics, youth suicide. Yes, that’s where they go and then if you don’t end up in youth suicide you will end up like the people in Fiji, on a beautiful holiday here comes the wave, finished. That really makes my heart ache sometimes when I look at some of those beautiful people that just got married. That happened in Rotorua when I was in New Zealand; they had just got married, can you imagine the bliss? They were sleeping together on their honey moon and they were found dead the next morning. Why? Because the vents of the heating leaked and the gas, the sulfur gas that was used to heat the room was leaking out and it killed them in their sleep. When I saw them, at the pictures beforehand, my heart ached, beautiful people but their fun was gone like that. Whereas if you follow Jesus, if that were to happen to you, you know that because the love of the Father is in you, you will have eternal life.

We have a challenge. Do you want to win the battle? Do you want to conquer the devil? Wouldn’t that be wonderful? What’s the devil doing? He’s trying to draw you by seducing, he’s seducing you. “Aaahh, I can see you. I am not going down that path. Bye.” This is the privilege, put on the armor fight the battles of the Lord. When do you have to do it today? What is our experience? In these times in which we live, this statement is directly relevant:

Now is the time for God’s people to show themselves true to principle. When the religion of Christ is most held in contempt, when His law is most despised, then … {5T 136.2}

When everybody is going the wrong way,

… then should our zeal be the warmest and our courage and firmness the most unflinching. To stand in defense of truth and righteousness when the majority forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions are few–this will be our test. At this time … {5T 136.2}

How are you going to get courage now? You know what it’s like, you get into a big crowd and they all carry you along with the swell of their power, and you think “Ah, that’s wonderful.” But no, it’s a tiny little remnant the Bible says. So small a people, what can they do in the world? Everybody is failing and even they are a little sickly.

At this time we must gather warmth from the coldness of others, {5T 136.2}

It’s a reverse psychology today, if you’re going to be a Christian you must gather:

… courage from their cowardice, and loyalty from their treason. {5T 136.2}

As you see people falling down like flies around you, spiritually, you say, “That’s not going to happen to me.” You gather strength from others’ failures. “Today they’ve gone that way, that’s their choice; I am making a different choice.” That’s what is needed now. In a time, as we read in Isaiah 40 when even the youth shall faint and utterly fall – we’re living in that time – in that time, if we will wait on the Lord:

Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint;

God will give you power, you’re too weak, God will give you power.

Isaiah 40:29 … and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. … 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.

We are living in the time of what is written in another scripture that says, If you can’t keep up with the footmen, how will you handle the horses?

Jeremiah 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses?

In this battle there are footmen that have to run fast, in the army you have to gather strength so that you can run, you can march for hours and hours; and if you can’t keep up with those energies of spiritual power, how will you succeed to keep up with the horsemen? It says here that the Lord will give you strength, He will renew our strength and we will soar as the eagle, above the clouds, above the depression of the darkness beneath. You will soar like the eagle.

Isaiah 40:29 … they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.

I grew up in the Seventh-Day Adventist church. I had many that I went to school with in the Seventh-Day Adventist school. Do you know that those people that I went to school with, those people that I went to the Sydney Adventist Hospital with, are no longer with me today, they don’t love the Lord like I have been taught in the word. They still hold certain doctrines but they rejected the other ones that they grew up with. When I came from Germany I was a meat eater, I ate flesh. I came in the Adventist school here in Australia, and I had sardine on my sandwiches, and all the boys came up, “John! You shouldn’t be eating sardines.” I said, “What’s wrong with that?”

The Australian Seventh-Day Adventists were still strict vegetarians but today, what’s the difference? They wouldn’t say to me now, “John, what are you doing?” if I ate flesh. They had some very strict principles that came from the Bible to show what we must do in these last days. Then, as I grew up with these people, we started to do all the things and I had to pull myself away. Today with you together, there are not many others. There are many people that are coming into my proximity now that are having to learn what I had years to learn, we have to learn it in a few short months. We are encouraged to get our strength from God so that we don’t faint. To faint means to go the way of the world, that’s what it means to faint.

2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction,

It’s an affliction; we have difficulties because Satan is trying to destroy us. But this is called our light affliction.

2 Corinthians 4:16 … which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal;

They will pass away.

2 Corinthians 4:16 … but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.

What are we fighting for? We are fighting for the things which we don’t see, the beautiful things that faith shows us. We’re living in a time now where people’s faith is growing cold, their love is growing cold. What must we do? Hold on tight.

“The way of transgressors is hard,” {MB 140.1}

It looks good to start with.

… but wisdom’s “ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.” Proverbs 13:15; 3:17. {MB 140.1}

When I read that, sometimes I think, I don’t whether that’s true because to follow in the paths of God is hard and it seems like the transgressors are having a good time, but no it’s true. The ways of wisdom are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.

Every act of obedience to Christ, every act of self-denial for His sake, every trial well endured, every victory gained over temptation, is a step in the march to the glory of final victory. {MB 140.1}

Challenge?

Everything you go through, conquer it and it’s a step to strengthen you for the next to final victory.

If we take Christ for our guide, He will lead us safely. The veriest sinner need not miss his way. {MB 140.1}

No matter how sinful we are, we don’t need to miss the way if we follow Jesus.

Not one trembling seeker need fail of walking in pure and holy light. {MB 140.1}

Remember the story of the little boy. Was he trembling? Yes he was. He was seeking and he finally found.

Though the path is so narrow, so holy that sin cannot be tolerated therein, yet access has been secured for all, and not one doubting, trembling soul need say, “God cares nought for me.” {MB 140.1}

Israel is saying, “The Lord cares not for me. Oh, my way is hopeless.” He says, “Don’t you know?” God is different to what you think.

The road may be rough and the ascent steep; there may be pitfalls upon the right hand and upon the left; we may have to endure toil in our journey; when weary, when longing for rest, we may have to toil on; when faint, we may have to fight; when discouraged, we must still hope; but with Christ as our guide we shall not fail of reaching the desired haven at last. Christ Himself has trodden the rough way before us and has smoothed the path for our feet. {MB 140.2}

Remember where He was suffering in Gethsemane and at the cross, He went through it.

And all the way up the steep road leading to eternal life are well-springs of joy to refresh the weary. {MB 140.3}

When we come together and we study God’s word, it’s refreshing. And we talk together of the love of the Lord, it’s refreshing.

Those who walk in wisdom’s ways are, even in tribulation, exceeding joyful; for He whom their soul loveth, walks, invisible, beside them. {MB 140.3}

That’s a contradiction. Tribulation and happy? What did the people who would burn at the stake do? Do you remember that they were burning believers at the stake? What were they doing? They were singing! They weren’t unhappy.

At each upward step they discern more distinctly the touch of His hand; {MB 140.3}

I can feel God close to me, what a sensation.

… at every step brighter gleamings of glory from the Unseen fall upon their path; and their songs of praise, reaching ever a higher note, ascend to join the songs of angels before the throne. {MB 140.3}

Isn’t that a beautiful inspired word?

If we go to the Source of all strength, with our hands of faith outstretched to receive, we shall be sustained in our work, even under the most forbidding circumstances, and shall be enabled to give to others the bread of life. {DA 371.1}

I am here with you today because I have managed to survive so far. I have reached out to the source of my strength, I have lost much. It’s been the most forbidding circumstance in my life and I can testify to you, the Lord has enabled me to fight on. What does it say? Faint not

Hebrews 12:12 … lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4 Say to them [that are] of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come [with] vengeance, [even] God [with] a recompense; he will come and save you.

Lift up your weary arms and your shaking knees. Don’t faint! Take your source of strength from the Lord and you will again get strength. That happens to me so many times, I am very tired, I get dizzy and I turn to the Lord, and He revives me again. You know what I get dizzy with? The terrible mind twists as I’m laboring for souls, it gets hard and people’s confused minds get my brain working, and it gets dizzy, as I take hold of God’s word. And there I am driving home and I’m just about, “Woo”. Then the Lord gives me sleep and on the next day it’s good as gone. The Lord is our strength; He will restore everyone who is fainting and prevent us from falling like the youth that we read of.

May God grant us, young people, please, fight the good fight of faith, don’t let the world take you away, Jesus is worthwhile living for, and I praise His name.

Amen.