John Thiel, mp3
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:5-7 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
The world is in sin, and is always in darkness, but certain times in the Bible reveal extra darkness. In the days of Noah it was extra dark. Just prior to the first advent of Christ it was really dark, and then we are told in Isaiah that prior to the second advent, it is gross darkness. It is during these times of gross darkness that heaven is especially at work to try to illuminate us through prophecy.
In the days of Noah, Noah presented the prophecy that there would be a great flood, and the ark was built.
Genesis 6:5-8 And God saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
That being the case,
Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
There lies a prophecy in the days of Noah that God was going to give them 120 years, and then the flood would come. Noah was preaching and shed light upon the people, but of course, the great majority refused.
In the days of the first advent of Jesus Christ, we read how the light was sent to those dark times.
Matthew 4:14-17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
The people sat in darkness, but Jesus the great light came to be there, and began to preach. As we just let the Spirit of God illuminate us in reference to this.
The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. DA 22.1
What is the darkness? It is misapprehension of God.
That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. DA 32.4
And so the light was given by the love of God in giving us Jesus Christ.
As the Jews had departed from God, faith had grown dim, and hope had well-nigh ceased to illuminate the future. The words of the prophets were uncomprehended. DA 32.4
The writing was there, the prophecies were there, but they were uncomprehended.
To the masses of the people, death was a dread mystery; beyond was uncertainty and gloom. It was not alone the wailing of the mothers of Bethlehem, but the cry from the great heart of humanity, that was borne to the prophet across the centuries,–the voice heard in Ramah, “lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.” Matthew 2:18. In “the region and shadow of death,” men sat unsolaced. With longing eyes they looked for the coming of the Deliverer, when the darkness should be dispelled, and the mystery of the future should be made plain. DA 32.4
The darkness dispelled, that was what was needed. Darkness existed at that time. We see that this terrible darkness was to be illuminated by Christ. Then we come to our time, the second advent, just before the second advent. What is written there in the words of Jesus?
Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
What were they doing? They were in darkness in the days of Noah. They were eating and drinking and didn’t know, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away. Did they know, could they have known? Of course. The light was there, but it was not comprehended. And so it is, as in the days of Noah, for our time. This should really cause our minds to become very, very, very sensitive now. What, we’re in darkness too? We who believe in the truths of the prophecies of the last days, we are told to arise and shine.
Isaiah 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 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.
Just to help us understand what period of time this is talking about. It’s the days in which this takes place. (We just heard one flying over)
Isaiah 60:8 Who [are] these [that] fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?
In these days with enlightenment of technology, with enlightenment of all kinds of miraculous activities, gross darkness covers the people. What was it there? Misapprehension of God.
To us this morning, there is a message for us to really tune into, that we need to get a correct understanding of God. By God’s grace, we have been studying, but individually, personally, my own heart needs to be illuminated because we are living in a time when it is very, very likely that, with all the light that is shining, we might still be in the darkness. So it was in the days of Jesus. He was among His own, and His own didn’t recognise Him. Is that the same today? Examine the measure Christ took to lift the darkness in His time. He began to preach there.
Matthew 4:16-17 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
He was siting directly Daniel 9:25; a time prophecy. After He was baptized in 27AD. That was given in Daniel 9:25. He said now the kingdom of God is at hand.
Luke 17:20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
When Jesus said the kingdom of God is at hand, He was referring to not a big, public display of the kingdom of God, but in the heart. That was where the people were in the darkness – their hearts.
Jesus answered, “The kingdom of God cometh not with outward show; [margin]: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” The kingdom of God begins in the heart. Look not here or there for manifestations of earthly power to mark its coming. DA 506.2
The days will come,” He said, turning to His disciples, “when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.” Because it is not attended by worldly pomp, you are in danger of failing to discern the glory of My mission. You do not realize how great is your present privilege in having among you, though veiled in humanity, Him who is the life and the light of men. The days will come when you will look back with longing upon the opportunities you now enjoy to walk and talk with the Son of God. DA 506.3
We will read about that after, that is exactly what Sr. White has written, they finally woke up when Jesus had left, and they wished He was with them again. The kingdom of heaven has to do with something of a different caliber and dimensions than we usually imagine it to be. In fact, what we understand today about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, people are expecting some big, external manifestations, and yet it might be falling on hearts all around but they are not discerning it or receiving it, because they are looking for something big instead of this principle in the heart. That is why our meditation this morning is to focus upon your and my heart, in reference to the light.
Because of their selfishness and earthliness, even the disciples of Jesus could not comprehend the spiritual glory which He sought to reveal unto them. DA 506.4
Do you remember they had some vision of their own, they expected Jesus to become the king over the Romans and over the world around them. They could not even comprehend what Jesus was talking about.
Not by the decisions of courts or councils or legislative assemblies, not by the patronage of worldly great men, is the kingdom of Christ established, but by the implanting of Christ’s nature in humanity through the work of the Holy Spirit. DA 509.4
Isn’t this exactly what people expect? A big denominational rising, a big denominational decision-making by which we are all able to fit into the great kingdom of heaven in a denominational religion. No. Like in the days of Christ, so it is today. It is no different.
As many as received Him… DA 509.4
Do you remember the message to Laodicea? Behold I stand at the door and knock. He is appealing to the very area where the kingdom of heaven is to be established, in the heart.
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12, 13. Here is the only power that can work the uplifting of mankind. And the human agency for the accomplishment of this work is the teaching and practicing of the word of God. DA 509.4
When we meditate on these realities, we can realise oh, I see where the darkness lies. The question is that everything that Jesus came to illuminate them at that time, did it make any difference to them? Did that light make any difference to them? That light which was to lighten them, even after Jesus proclaimed all that He did, what is written here?
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 2 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Sad story, isn’t it? The darkness was illuminated with light, but the darkness comprehended it not. And where is He talking about? In the heart. Not even the disciples appreciated this. I read it just before, and I want to continue to enlarge that a bit more.
Because of their selfishness and earthliness, even the disciples of Jesus could not comprehend the spiritual glory which He sought to reveal unto them. It was not until after Christ’s ascension to His Father, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the believers, that the disciples fully appreciated the Saviour’s character and mission. DA 506
Before that time their hearts were still dark. Strange, isn’t it? Jesus was right amongst them. It goes on to describe this situation.
As the sayings of Christ were brought to their remembrance, their minds were opened to comprehend the prophecies, and to understand the miracles which He had wrought. The wonders of His life passed before them, and they were as men awakened from a dream. DA 506
So we have this to consider. If that’s what happened to them, what about us? Are we any better off than they? I have seen this now over many, many years that you can share the light and the majority of people still do not comprehend it. It is only those who are very, very humble, and we will see this as we continue to pursue this subject.
A herald had been sent from God to proclaim the coming of Christ, and to call the attention of the Jewish nation and of the world to His mission, that men might prepare for His reception. DA 508.1
God even sent them a messenger ahead of time.
The wonderful personage whom John had announced had been among them for more than thirty years, and they had not really known Him as the One sent from God. Remorse took hold of the disciples because they had allowed… DA 508.1
Notice here what is it?
…the prevailing unbelief to leaven their opinions and becloud their understanding. DA 508
What are we surrounded with today? We are surrounded with leavening unbelief that affects us individually and you know what we have experienced. Those of our loved ones who do not see what we see and we wonder after a while is it really so? Can you see how our minds are leavened by the opposition around us, that happened back there too? The wonderful personage whom John had announced and had been with Him for thirty years they had not really known Him.
The Light of this dark world had been shining amid its gloom, and they had failed to comprehend whence were its beams. They asked themselves why they had pursued a course that made it necessary for Christ to reprove them. DA 508
Have you ever come across that? Why am I getting reproved? I’m a believer, why am I getting negative vibes here?
They often repeated His conversations, and said, Why did we allow earthly considerations and the opposition of priests and rabbis to confuse our senses, so that we did not comprehend that a greater than Moses was among us, that One wiser than Solomon was instructing us? How dull were our ears! how feeble was our understanding! DA 508
I’m reading this material because, as it was back there is still today. The kingdom of heaven is to arise in our hearts and we are affected like they were by the same influences. So, when was it that the daystar arose in their hearts? When did that happen?
As the disciples searched the prophecies that testified of Christ, they were brought into fellowship with the Deity, and learned of Him who had ascended to heaven to complete the work He had begun on earth. DA 507
Isn’t that interesting? They had Him amongst them and they didn’t comprehend, and then when He was gone they studied the prophecies and now their hearts were enlightened.
They recognized the fact that in Him dwelt knowledge which no human being, unaided by divine agency, could comprehend. DA 507
Do you ever have trouble comprehending things, like we studied in our Sabbath school lesson? It’s a bit heavy, isn’t it? It’s slightly out of our reach and we need a careful consideration of the reception of the Holy Spirit and let him illuminate me, and pray for that, then we can start comprehending.
They needed the help of Him whom kings, prophets, and righteous men had foretold. With amazement they read and reread the prophetic delineations of His character and work. DA 507
Wow! This is what we went through and look it’s written in the prophecy! I never get tired of reading and rereading the things that are prophesied which we can identify with today. Notice the delineations of His character and work.
How dimly had they comprehended the prophetic scriptures! how slow they had been in taking in the great truths which testified of Christ! Looking upon Him in His humiliation, as He walked a man among men, they had not understood the mystery of His incarnation, the dual character of His nature. Their eyes were holden, so that they did not fully recognize divinity in humanity. DA 507
Isn’t that the problem today too? Today they know divinity is there, but they don’t understand humanity is there in all its reality.
But after they were illuminated by the Holy Spirit, how they longed to see Him again, and to place themselves at His feet! How they wished that they might come to Him, and have Him explain the scriptures which they could not comprehend! How attentively would they listen to His words! What had Christ meant when He said, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now”? John 16:12. How eager they were to know it all! They grieved that their faith had been so feeble, that their ideas had been so wide o; f the mark, that they had so failed of comprehending the reality. DA 507
As we are surrounded by these precious prophecies that can unfold to our mind’s eye the realities of what’s going on; we have studied it in Daniel 11, we can see how quickly we tend to forget, how easy it is to just drift off the important revelations that cause the daystar to arise in our hearts. We need to go over this material again and again. What’s the world doing around us? It’s swamping us with so many distractions that we have so little time to do that. As I mentioned, it is no different now. Here is a prophecy of great light. There is a description of this great light and because people have their own opinions in reference to this, they miss the mark, just like the disciples did.
Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Is the earth lightened with the glory of this angel? Indeed, he came in 1888 and he went brighter and brighter. It swelled into greater light, but is it any different now than what it was in the time of Christ when the light was there?
Revelation 18:2-4 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
That light covered the earth, but what is written there? The light came and the darkness comprehended it not in the time of Christ. Then what of this angel? In today’s circumstances?
It is as true now as in apostolic days, that without the illumination of the divine Spirit, humanity cannot discern the glory of Christ. The truth and the work of God are unappreciated by a world-loving and compromising Christianity. DA 508.4
What is it? A world-loving and compromising Christianity. This is the source of not recognizing what’s going on, so that the Revelation 18 angel could not be recognized. That happened in the Adventist church in 1888. Sr. White said that’s when he commenced his work, but did they recognise it? And they haven’t recognised it ever since.
Not in the ways of ease, of earthly honor or worldly conformity, are the followers of the Master found. They are far in advance, in the paths of toil, and humiliation, and reproach, in the front of the battle “against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12, R. V. DA 508.4
What is this saying? This is a very, very important counsel here that we need to understand. We want to see great public outreaches, we want to see the outpouring of the latter rain in its power! And we expect it to take place through the denominational greatness. That’s why people are nervous about ending up in independents because they are all so small. Well, a lot of independents are still on the same danger list because they are not correctly receiving what was given once to the early pioneers. Some have little points here or there and they get excited about them, but what must we be? I have pointed this out to the brethren in Papua New Guinea, that we are not an independent people. We might be ever so small but we are not independent ministries. We are relying on the ministry of the early pioneers. We are not independent, we are dependent on them. We are not to go around feeling bad because we are such a small company, we can’t imagine that such a small company can do so great a work.
It says here, where is the true work of this angel? It says they are not in the ways of ease, of earthly honor or worldly conformity, are the followers of the Master found. They are far in advance, in the paths of toil, and humiliation, and reproach. That’s where the angel is working. In the front of the battle “against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
And now, as in Christ’s day, they are misunderstood and reproached and oppressed by the priests and Pharisees of their time. DA 508.4
What’s that? The leaders of the churches, as in the time of Christ, oppress those that are doing this work in the light of the Revelation 18 angel. It is very emphatic that we understand this. To appreciate the preciousness of the Saviour as the disciples did after His ascension, ponder for a moment what they came to realise. What did they come to realise through their studies after Jesus had left?
The disciples now seemed, to themselves, of much less importance than before they realized this. DA 506.4
What’s that? Before they thought we are the followers of Jesus and He’s going to become the king over Israel and they were full of themselves. This is the problem, even for us today. If we are God’s true people we are full of ourselves thinking we are the right ones and all the other ones are wrong. The disciples now seemed, to themselves, of much less importance than before they realized this.
They never wearied of rehearsing His words and works. His lessons, which they had but dimly understood, now came to them as a fresh revelation. The Scriptures became to them a new book. DA 506.4
This is when the light starts shining in the heart. When the daystar arises there through prophecy. We discover I am just nothing. What can I do? Wonderful, that’s when we are on the right path, because then we will see the light that illuminates a poor heart like ours.
The only way in which we can gain a more perfect apprehension of truth is by keeping the heart tender and subdued by the Spirit of Christ. DA 494.4
The disciples thought nothing of themselves anymore. The heart was tender and subdued. That’s the only way.
The soul must be cleansed from vanity and pride, and vacated of all that has held it in possession, and Christ must be enthroned within. DA 494.4
Do you find it a terrible humiliation to discover how weak and sinful you are? You can think I’m just so bad, I can’t even save myself. When this comes really vividly into your understanding then you can appreciate the preciousness of the Saviour, that He is not going to cast you out even though you are like that. That’s how the disciples suddenly woke up to themselves.
Vanity and pride, it comes up in many different ways. Vanity and pride comes up in negative forms and positive forms. We don’t even realise its vanity. We don’t even realise its pride. Especially if it’s a negative one. We often think that I am so downtrodden, I am being reproved and corrected here and there and I begin to get annoyed with that. That’s pride. I don’t like to be corrected. That’s pride. A person who is totally humble doesn’t mind who says anything to them, they will just quietly examine to see if it’s true or not. If it’s true, well it doesn’t matter who it comes from. Pride is our downfall, but it must be eradicated out of our life. The disciples went through an experience that it eradicated out of their life.
Human science is too limited to comprehend the atonement. The plan of redemption is so far-reaching that philosophy cannot explain it. It will ever remain a mystery that the most profound reasoning cannot fathom. The science of salvation cannot be explained; but it can be known by experience. DA 494.4
What’s the experience?
Only he who sees his own sinfulness can discern the preciousness of the Saviour. DA 494.4
That’s the experience. No wonder the disciples couldn’t see it until Jesus had left. Now they were all humiliated. They were all brought down to the low levels of their true understanding of themselves. Now they saw, and the Lord hasn’t even cast us off! What a joy!
Only when we know the true nature of our own heart, its gross darkness, does Jesus’ incarnation become alive, and His glory become vivified. Only those who see themselves like that. The Pharisees could not see themselves. They were too full of pride.
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. COL 158.1
The Laodicean feels no conviction of sin either. Do you remember what it says? We say we are rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing and know not how wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked we are. But when we discover how poor, wretched, miserable, blind, and naked we are don’t give up in despair, that is what we have to know. 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. 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
Only when we know the true nature of our heart and its gross darkness does Jesus’ incarnation become alive and His glory vivified.
How does prophecy reveal His church militant?
Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
So it is that this message is to illuminate our hearts, to show us our true condition and see light in that true condition.
Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it. TM 507.1
In 1888 God gave the latter rain, but they didn’t discern it. Why? Because they didn’t see themselves as they really were. When you feel totally overwhelmed by the darkness of sin in your heart, when you think I’m never going to get out of this sticky mud of sin in my own heart, I’m caught with my weaknesses, I can’t change them. Every time that happens to us and you sink in the mire of the sense of your separation from God, consider the prophecies of Christ. That’s what the disciples suddenly discovered; the prophecies of Christ, His divine and human nature. Then the daystar arises in your heart. Here I have no need to go into all the detail of Psalm 40, Psalm 22, and Psalm 69 because we know them already. These are the ones that we need to study again and again, like the disciples did, when they suddenly realised His nature. What was it there in Psalm 40? God’s law was in His heart, and yet what did He cry there?
Psalm 40:7-12 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book [it is] written of me, delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. 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.
With God’s law in His heart, He had a flesh like you and me, and He cried out as the sins of the people were laid upon Him. He cried out, My foolishness, my sins are more than the hairs of my head. This is the way you and I feel. When I feel like that, here is the light! Jesus is in the mud with me, and He is crying out what I cry out in my despair. As I see Him there, my heart that is dark with sin becomes illuminated. Jesus is with me, right there where I am in my darkness! This does something to us.
Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring?
The meditations of Jesus are all chronicled there in Psalm 22, and He is talking about the mud in Psalm 69:1-21. It’s all there. He is right in the midst of the mirk of my corruption. So my heart that is filled with this corruption, in prophecy I am able to see Jesus the daystar in my dark heart, crying in His despair. It was not until Waggoner and Jones’ messages that I read that I came across those texts. I never knew them before. It was given there in 1888. There the light could have shone in the hearts of the people, but they said no, it doesn’t mean in me; we are rich and increased with goods, we are alright. They didn’t see themselves as they really were, therefore, they could not see Jesus right there really with them. That’s what the problem is.
These Scriptures are there for us to embrace so that when I am overwhelmed in my weakness, my sinful nature that wants to take control of me time and time again, and it condemns me. Every time you feel condemned, isn’t it dark in your heart? Where you can’t get rid of your guilt, isn’t it dark in there? And when somebody points out your guilt, when somebody points out the wrong in your life, guilt and pride works together. I don’t want to hear. I don’t want to know that, thank you. Go away. That is when Jesus is not seen in my darkness.
But if I will have Jesus there, studying these prophecies, as did the disciples, then the light will shine in my dark hour. The Revelation 18 angel was the proclamation of the 1888 message. That’s what Sr. White wrote. He came down to do his work, but he was rejected. How many people have rejected him ever since, because the light that shone in a dark place comprehended it not? Their darkness was affected by the pride and vanity of the human life. They didn’t want it.
Who today embraces these realities? Who today will actually embrace the light that shines in this dark place of my heart? Only a very small remnant will accept that, only a very small remnant. Those who tremble at His word. They will benefit according to our Scripture reading.
2 Corinthians 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
They are not preaching themselves, they are not an independent ministry. They are preaching the pure Jesus. They are not full of their own opinion. They are just servants of Christ for Christ’s sake.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
Isn’t that what He did at creation? It was dark and God said let there be light out of darkness.
2 Corinthians 4:6 …hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 [We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [we are] perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
This is the experience of those that have got this true message. What are they always doing?
2 Corinthians 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,
Why carrying the dying of Jesus? Because of my sinfulness. Jesus died with my sinfulness, and I carry in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus,
2 Corinthians 4:10 that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
The divine nature may infiltrate as it is in Jesus Christ. So it is my prayer this morning afresh, as I have shared this message in the past time and time again, that we who are left behind after so many upheavals have taken place upon God’s people in these last days, that we will not fall away because we will discover more and more of our sinfulness. It’s all right. We are meant to, so that the death of Jesus will take root more deeply every day, and His life and power of restoration will come again and again, more powerfully.
God grant us steadfastness and decisions to be included among that little remnant that is on the forefront in this battle. This is my prayer that we will continue and not let anything of this world distract us, or our own pride and vanity, to hold us down. This is my prayer, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
