By John Thiel

In God’s relationship with us, these are His words:

Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

This is our relationship with Jesus while we are on this side of eternity. He loves us and He loves us enough that when we need correction, He will do that. As many as I love I rebuke and chasten.

Hebrews 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 

Illegitimate.

Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected [us], and we gave [them] reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened [us] after their own pleasure; but he for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his holiness.

In this time of judgement in heaven God has a perfect photograph of our character and He compares that photograph with His law.

God has a perfect photograph of every man’s character, and this photograph He compares with His law. He reveals to man the defects that mar his life, and calls upon him to repent and turn from sin (ST July 31, 1901). {5BC 1085.4}

This is our loving Jesus. He reveals to us the things that mar our life.

The Christian is not to retain his sinful habits and cherish his defects of character, but he is to be renewed in the spirit of his mind after the divine similitude. Whatever may be the nature of your defects, the Spirit of the Lord will enable you to discern them, and grace will be given you whereby they may be overcome. Through the merits of the blood of Christ you may be a conqueror–yes, more than a conqueror. . . . {TMK 237.2}

Ask the Lord to reveal to you yourself; place your life under His searching eye, and when He lays hold upon your case you will see that you have made grievous mistakes, and what you supposed was of little importance was offensive in the sight of Heaven. You will see that there is a decided need of thorough transformation of character. You will realize that you must put away the evil of your doings, and cooperate with God and heavenly angels who are sent to minister unto those who shall be heirs of salvation. . . . {TMK 237.3}

Self must die. Every practice, every habit, that has a harmful tendency, however innocent it may be regarded by the world, must be battled with until overcome, that the human agent may perfect a character after the divine Pattern. . . . {TMK 237.4}

This is the experience of Gods people with the real Jesus. If we are going to hear messages from Jesus that reveal to us a discernment that we will see I have to make some changes here, then we will know that we are under Jesus Christ. To help us to discern what mars our life, notice how God does it. To understand what it means scourging and chastening. We don’t get a physical slap or beating with a rod, what do we get? We often assent to the truth but it’s not Bible religion.

There are many Christians whose hearts are encased in a self-righteous armor that the arrow of the Lord, barbed and true, aimed by angel hands, would fail to pierce. The truth glides off, and the soul is not wounded. Man must first seek God for himself, then the Holy Spirit will take the precious truth, far above the price of rubies, as it falls from the lips of Jesus, and convey it, a living power, to the obedient heart. The truth, received in the heart becomes a quickening power, awakening every faculty. It is a divine influence that touches the heart and creates the heavenly music that flows forth from the lips in pure thanksgiving and praise. {TDG 169.4}

If I have a problem in my life and it has to be revealed to me. The angels aim at the right spot with a barbed arrow. Why would He want to wound me? Because He loves me. What has to happen before we can give thanksgiving and praise? The wounding. There was a wounding but there was a reason that the work of the Holy Spirit presented to us such special truth.

The barbed arrows of the Lord, sent by an angel’s hand, come to such ones; but they are not wounded. So far have they departed from correct principles that they are blind. They listen to convincing truths, spoken with great earnestness, but still they do not reform; for they have turned aside and warded off every salutary impression. {1MR 272.2}

She is talking about people whom the Lord is trying to wound. How? Listening to convincing truth’s spoken with great earnestness. Because of this gospel hardened Christianity in which we live today, the people are impacted by salutary impressions of the barbed arrows but it means nothing more. When it does, we ask is this really Christianity? Am I supposed to be feeling so wounded? Isn’t Christianity meant to be so sweet? When we have been wounded it become sweet.

But we must have a knowledge of ourselves, a knowledge that will result in contrition, before we can find pardon and peace. The Pharisee felt no conviction of sin. The Holy Spirit could not work with him. His soul was encased in a self-righteous armor which the arrows of God, barbed and true-aimed by angel hands, failed to penetrate. It is only he who knows himself to be a sinner that Christ can save. He came “to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Luke 4:18. {COL 158.1}

Who is the only one He can save? He who knows He is a sinner. Where did we get the bruises and broken heart form? From the wounds of the arrows.

But “they that are whole need not a physician.” Luke 5:31. We must know our real condition, or we shall not feel our need of Christ’s help. We must understand our danger, or we shall not flee to the refuge. We must feel the pain of our wounds, or we should not desire healing. . {COL 158.1}

This is what we experienced. There were some wounds and there was the healing Balm of Gilead applied as the wounds were opened up.

How Jesus Wounds

He creates a wound and then heals. Here is an illustration of the barbed wounded soul that Jesus wounded and healed:

Three times Peter had openly denied his Lord, and three times Jesus drew from him the assurance of his love and loyalty, pressing home that pointed question, like a barbed arrow to his wounded heart. {DA 812.2}

He was already wounded but Jesus rubbed salt into the wound three times, Peter do you love me? Three times. Peter responded, I went to Gethsemane with you Lord, what are you reminding me of? He received the balm at the same time.

Before the assembled disciples Jesus revealed the depth of Peter’s repentance, and showed how thoroughly humbled was the once boasting disciple. {DA 812.2}

Do you like going through things like that where the rest of the church is becoming aware of what the Lord is doing with you? That is what He did with Peter. This is Jesus. That which is open which other people see, Jesus has to take us through the course so we will see that which is open is truly repented of and we will all benefit of as Peter and the disciples did. We don’t normally see Jesus like that do we? But this is Jesus.

The rebuking is there for us to continue to let those barbed arrows continue to wound until they become healed. When we are wounded, look at this beautiful quote.

Those whose course has been most offensive to Him He freely accepts; when they repent, He imparts to them His divine Spirit, places them in the highest positions of trust, and sends them forth into the camp of the disloyal to proclaim His boundless mercy. {ML 47.3}

Doesn’t that heal? That I have so miserably failed Him and then He puts the barbed arrow into the wounded heart and when the soul truly surrenders and confesses everything, He says now you come to the highest position Peter. Now go and share with others the mercy you have experienced. King David was in the same boat.

Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, [even] the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him [for] a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

Psalm 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit. 13 [Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

From what he was experiencing he said to the Lord, let me now go and help others. This is how he will work.

If we are going to be the church on earth that are Gods representatives, this is our experience. We can share the mercies of God not by theory but by living testimony. Our hearts will be expressing praise to God.

The truth, received in the heart becomes a quickening power, awakening every faculty. It is a divine influence that touches the heart and creates the heavenly music that flows forth from the lips in pure thanksgiving and praise. {TDG 169.4}

This is our provocation.

Amen.