John Thiel mp3

I invite you to cast your memory back to the Divine Service on Sabbath in which we looked at Jesus, the pearl. As we looked at that pearl, what was it that made it a pearl to us? What was it that made it something that we can admire and own as part of us? Wasn’t it because we are overwhelmed with our unworthiness, we are overwhelmed with the guilt of our life, with our discouraging moments and we saw how Jesus shared that experience so completely and how we died with Him because we, we absorbed, He was uniting with us in our terrible experience and as He died with our sins, we died with Him. Because we were in Him, with our experience in him, we were raised up together with Christ. That is such a pearl, such a precious appreciation.

The precious experience of Jesus in his atonement with us, so beautifully and succinctly expressed. That is a very succinct summary of that whole experience, and many people read these Scriptures and they just they just passes them by as a cliché, but this is what we want to, as we contemplated these truths in detail, it tells you the whole story in one pencil stroke.

2nd Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Did you see this beautiful summary? Can you see it? He was made to be sin. That was an experience. We meditated on that. The experience of Jesus suffering with the sin that He was made on because He took of us. He was made to be sin and what was that experience? He who knew no sin, who was pure and perfect, had to suffer. Can you imagine the experience that He went through? He was pure, holy and to experience. You and my sins, sins are living activities that are recorded in our memories. You know what it’s like when your sins come out in front of you. It’s just like a new experience again. It’s repeated. Jesus met that experience who knew no sin. That He might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

You and I are in Him with our sins and the transaction of the death and the suffering and the death to the resurrection to be made the righteousness of God in Him. This is what this beautiful text is saying to us. the righteousness of God in Him. He is the pearl that makes our life meaningful. We are in Him and He is in us. We went into that detail. Is not this such a precious pearl?

The blessings of redeeming love our Saviour compared to a precious pearl. He illustrated His lesson by the parable of the merchantman seeking goodly pearls “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Christ Himself is the pearl of great price. In Him is gathered all the glory of the Father, the fullness of the Godhead. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of God is expressed in His character. Every page of the Holy Scriptures shines with His light. The righteousness of Christ, as a pure, white pearl, has no defect, no stain. No work of man can improve the great and precious gift of God. It is without a flaw. In Christ are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3. He is “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30. All that can satisfy the needs and longings of the human soul, for this world and for the world to come, is found in Christ. Our Redeemer is the pearl so precious that in comparison all things else may be accounted loss. COL 115.1

What did the Apostle Paul call it? Dung. I want us to continue to ponder this during this hour. That’s what we, you know, we spent quite a lot of time and I was very, very passionate about this in the Divine Service, you will remember. This is something that should just be enlarged in our mind time and time again, so that the immense dimensions of the beauty, the colourfulness of the detail of Jesus and every page of the Bible, whether it be prophecy, whether it be the law, whether it be the sanctuary, anything at all in the Bible is resplendent with the pearl of great Christ.

We need to grasp this otherwise we end up with poetic fancy. We end up with head knowledge philosophy of our own. It must be that the appreciation and the enlargements and the detailed gazing upon the experiences that Jesus went through, that I go through, that we can harmonise and associate ourselves with.

The righteousness is to become, the righteousness of Christ, the pearl, is to become part of the believer because Christ became part of the believer and the believer became part of Christ in His death and in his resurrection and all believers who take hold of Christ thereby become what? Pearls or gems because they are in direct atonement with that pearl.

The experience of the sufferings of Christ, the experience by which Jesus was made perfect is to become ours and as we become part of Christ, we contemplate this privilege of ours to be gems for Jesus. That’s what He came here for, that we can become like Him and become gems for Him. So let’s contemplate the following Scripture by which Jesus applies his preciousness to the believer. Directly after His resurrection He wanted to bring this point home as we read it there as He communicated it to Mary at the graveside, directly after His resurrection. What preciousness did Jesus consider for the believer there? John 20 11-17. Here was Mary, together with the apostles. They were all disappointed with what happened. They had no understanding what was happening here. There was Mary at the graveside.

Mary stood without at the sepulchre, weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre. see as two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. Now Mary and the disciples were going through a terrible discouraging circumstance. They had lost their master. We go through exactly the same thing, time and time again. That which Jesus wants us to enjoy, we can’t, because we weep over something or another. Because we don’t get the point. They didn’t get the point. And here she is, and Jesus, in His wonderful appreciation of this.  

John 20:13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?

Can you see what the angels are trying to say? We know all about this. Why are you weeping? Don’t you know? Isn’t that what the Lord is trying to communicate when maybe the angels are trying to communicate with us when we get into those dark moments. Why are you weeping?  Oh, yes, He came so close to me and said, Why are you sad? And when I first received those words after the death of my wife, I thought, Well, of course I’m sad.  Why are you sad? Why are you weeping, woman? Why weepest thou?

John 20:13 She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

All occupied with the negative.

John 20:14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

What a thought. Can you see Jesus and not recognise Him? Because Jesus is different to what you expected Him to be. The disciples on the road to Emmaus were walking beside Jesus. Jesus was walking beside them and they didn’t know it was Him. Because their eyes were be clouded with their earthly attitudes and mindset. And they had lost him. They couldn’t believe that he was alive. He was dead. If you meditate on this, you can see, don’t think for one moment that we would have been any different. We would be exactly the same.

Jacob is an example. When the Lord touched him, he thought it was an enemy. How many times we go through experiences in which we are in a negative and we can’t get out of the negative and we can’t even see Jesus trying to help us. These angels were there trying to help her.  She sees Jesus standing but does not know it’s Him.

John 20:15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

These are weighty, weighty expressions to ponder upon what they actually are suggesting to us, because we believe in Jesus, that God of the universe is our Father if we really take hold of Him. He is our Father. ‘I go there but don’t touch Me yet because I’ve got to go there.’ Now this is an interesting point because as I said, we are contemplating here the scripture by which Jesus applies His preciousness to the believer. You saw some of the preciousness in His attitude towards the weeping believer and to those who were so desperately appointed because they misunderstood all about Jesus. What was Jesus doing when He ascended to the Father? What? He said, “Don’t touch me yet. I’ve got to go to my Father first.” What was He doing going to his Father?

Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Jesus went in to the holy place to His Father when He left this earth and then came back again. And then the language of this scripture, He went there by His blood. He entered in once into the holy place. We can read this statement to apply to what He did in the sanctuary as our priest afterwards, but here He went in once directly to the Father for one most important purpose.

Jesus refused to receive the homage of His people until He knew that His sacrifice had been accepted by the Father, and until He had received the assurance from God Himself that His atonement for the sins of His people had been full and ample, that through His blood they might gain eternal life. Jesus immediately ascended to heaven and presented Himself before the throne of God, showing the marks of shame and cruelty upon His brow, His hands and feet. But he refused to receive the coronet of glory, and the royal robe, and He also refused the adoration of the angels as He had refused the homage of Mary, until the Father signified that His offering was accepted. 5BC 1150.3

He also had a request to prefer concerning His chosen ones upon earth. He wished to have the relation clearly defined that His redeemed should hereafter sustain to heaven, and to His Father. His church must be justified and accepted before He could accept heavenly honor. He declared it to be His will that where He was, there His church should be; if He was to have glory, His people must share it with Him. 5BC 1150.4

This is what Jesus went to the Father for. To secure in His heart and mind, the approval of the Father for Himself and for His people. He didn’t want to be glorified by the angels, He didn’t want to be admired by anybody, He just wanted to go to the Father and get this straight. Contemplate the Scripture by which Jesus applies His preciousness to the believer.

Here is the believer who looks at this goes “you love me so much that you want to secure, make sure that your sacrifice has been that you want to make sure that God is going to say yes ,you can”. It says to Jesus, “Yes, you can have these people that you died for in heaven with you.” He wanted to go and make sure of that. This is how affectionately He was bound to us. He was suffering the terrible sins of us and now that He has died and risen again, He wants to secure the effect of His work, to secure it in His own mind from the Father. He wished to have the relation clearly defined. Isn’t that interesting? Clearly defined.

In the most explicit manner Christ pleaded for his church, identifying his interest with theirs, and advocating, with a love and constancy stronger than death, their rights and titles gained through him. 3SP 202.2

Contemplate this, what a person is Jesus?

God’s answer to this appeal goes forth in the proclamation: 3SP 203.1

God is answering Him now.

“Let all the angels of God worship him.” Every angelic commander obeys the royal mandate, and Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain; and that lives again a triumphant conqueror! echoes and re-echoes through all Heaven. The innumerable company of angels prostrate themselves before the Redeemer. The request of Christ is granted; the church is justified through him. God. 3SP 203.1

Can you see the atonement here? It’s just pulsating through the holy experience this beautiful gem.

Here the Father ratifies the contract with his Son, that he will be reconciled to repentant and obedient men, and take them into divine favor through the merits of Christ. Christ guarantees that he will make a man “more precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” 3SP 203.1

Can you see what this is? Jesus is, they are going through an inauguration exercise here in heaven. We don’t often realise this, that heaven engages in ceremony. Heaven engages in ceremony. This was all planned beforehand. It was all already in God’s mind. But now that it has happened, Jesus Himself and the Father go through ceremonial confirmation something that they knew already, something that they knew already.

But now in the reality of the event, it is celebrated. This is the mentality of it. Jesus is appealing to the Father and the Father comes back to Him and says, “Yes.” He commands all the angels to cry out, “Worthy worthy is the Lamb.” And Jesus gets the confirmation.

All power in Heaven and on earth is now given to the Prince of life. 3SP 203.1

He now from here onwards is going to engage in the work for His church. He just wanted to make sure that the Father is happy with what He’s done in giving Himself. Now He says, I want to work for them. I want the guarantee that I am able to make these people I’ve died for more precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of over. This is the whole theme here of the jewels of God. He is saying to the Father, “I want to get the right to do this now. I want to get the right from you that now I’m going to be their high priest.” That’s what he is, it’s being said here.

All power in Heaven and on earth is now given to the Prince of life; yet he does not for a moment forget his poor disciples in a sinful world, but prepares to return to them, that he may impart to them his power and glory. Thus did the Redeemer of mankind, by the sacrifice of himself, connect earth with Heaven, and finite man with the infinite God. 3SP 203.1

You can read it just like that, or you contemplate and you discover what is actually here, involved. This is what Jesus was doing when he said to Mary, “I can’t, you know, don’t even honour me yet. I’ve got to go and get this straight with my Father.” He solicited the approval of the Father to receive the pearl, the treasure, that He had gone to buy here on earth by sacrificing everything to secure the treasure.

Yes, He came to purchase the pearl, He gave up everything to purchase the pearl us.

In man, defiled and ruined by sin, He saw the possibilities of redemption. Hearts that have been the battleground of the conflict with Satan, and that have been rescued by the power of love, are more precious to the Redeemer than are those who have never fallen. COL 118.2

What? Are you drinking it in?  Those who have fallen and Have taken hold of Jesus in His atonement with them and them with Him, Those people are more precious to Him than all those that have never fallen. This is something that we really have to pick up in our minds as we look at each other, how precious we all are, because Jesus looks at us how precious we are. We look for that faith in Him in each other and even through all the crust of the roughness of where we have come from. If we have our hearts focused on our loving Lord, there is something precious in each one of us. What I want you to pick up from this is what I live by. When I see a human being that gives me the slightest hint that He is interested in my Jesus, I go for that soul. I get into a lot of trouble for doing that, because people don’t see as God sees many times, and as I see it through Him, they put all sorts of other constructions upon my interest in human beings. But here it is, as I contemplate this, as you contemplate it, we look at each other and we look for the response to Jesus in the heart of each other and we go this is my brother I love him, I love her because Jesus loved us for the same reason.

God looked upon humanity, not as vile and worthless; He looked upon it in Christ, saw it as it might become through redeeming love. He collected all the riches of the universe, and laid them down in order to buy the pearl. And Jesus, having found it, resets it in His own diadem. “For they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land.” Zechariah 9:16. “They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels.” Malachi 3:17. COL 118.2

This is the theme of our conference. Isn’t that from God’s approval? From His approval. From that time onwards Jesus would labour as a High Priest for the gems He came to reset in His diadem. That’s what He commenced by going to heaven to start with, to commence the approval of the Father that now He can be the high priest that can do this work of resetting them in His diadem, of purifying them, of chiselling them, of tumbling them in the tumble of trial, until finally they can be pure. Because the Father is looking at the human race now with the future in mind, because it hasn’t happened completely. It hasn’t happened completely just because Jesus died once. The work goes on. This is what we have been studying so far in our Sabbath school lesson. Can you see how the Sabbath school lesson fits directly into this? What Jesus did as our high priest and God’s way in the sanctuary for our salvation is all part of this scene. As we look at the sanctuary, and as we look at the priest, we didn’t go into this detail which I am now going to identify in the Sabbath school lesson. Because the priest, the high priest, had what on his chest? Very significant reality here as to the gems that Jesus is making up.

Exodus 39:8 And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9 It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled. 10 And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row. 11 And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 12 And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 13 And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings. 14 And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes. 15 And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathen work of pure gold.

You’ve got all those precious jewels there those precious stones.

Exodus 28:30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

Are you picking up where were these precious stones upon His heart?  And the Urim and the Thummim  were up on His shoulders. There is so much in that symbolism that we must ponder about.

Over the ephod was the breastplate, the most sacred of the priestly vestments. This was of the same material as the ephod. PP 351.1

The Lord’s direction was, “Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.” Exodus 28:29. So Christ, the great High Priest, pleading His blood before the Father in the sinner’s behalf, bears upon His heart the name of every repentant, believing soul. Says the psalmist, “I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me.” Psalm 40:17. PP 351.1

Have you got it? Jesus carries you, carries me upon His heart. Never forget that. He carries us the repentant soul upon His heart for the Father in those emblems of jewels and this is what we are being prepared to be those jewels polished and He’s carrying these jewels upon His heart and upon His shoulders.

Whether they know it or not, all are weary and heavy-laden. All are weighed down with burdens that only Christ can remove. DA 328.5

That’s an interesting statement. Many times, I wake out of a particular state of mind and I discover all of a sudden, “Ugh, I am weary.” But I was so charged up that I didn’t even know I was weary. Yes? All are weighed down with the burdens that only Christ can remove.

The heaviest burden that we bear is the burden of sin. If we were left to bear this burden, it would crush us. DA 328.5

Where do we carry our burdens? In our heart, don’t we?

But the Sinless One has taken our place. “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6. He has borne the burden of our guilt. He will take the load from our weary shoulders. DA 328.5

Where does he put it? On His shoulders.

He will give us rest. The burden of care and sorrow also He will bear. He invites us to cast all our care upon Him; for He carries us upon His heart. DA 328.5

That’s what the symbol of the breastplate was about. Can you see with what interest Jesus and the Father are carrying this activity? We go along and say, “I can’t, it’s too much, I’m not going to make it.” Can you imagine what that does to Him? I don’t ever want to hear anybody else from us here say I can’t make it. Don’t ever verbalise that ever again. Remember that if you do feel that way, you’ve got to remember Jesus. He is carrying your burden. He is carrying all that you think you can’t handle. He is carrying that. He can handle it. You believe in Him, trust Him. It really makes God sad when we go about mourning over our situation and think we can’t make it. It makes Him sad. I’m here to help you. Is it nothing to you what I have done? What involved in Jesus’ anxiety for us. Does the Father accept my sacrifice as we’ve just looked into it? When His work as a High Oriest is finally finished, where did we read? Are those gems to be set? They are on His chest at the moment. Where are they going to be set when He’s finished. To etch it into our understanding and mind, not to forget oh, that we don’t forget these meditations that we are having here, because God wants to lift us on and upwards through the darkness.

Isaiah 28:5 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

The residue, the remnant of the woman’s seed, the residue. This is in that day when His work is nearly over and finished in that day there will be a crown of glory, a diadem of beauty.

Isaiah 62:3 Thou shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

This crown is resplendent with gems. I’ve looked at some crowns that have got jewels all over them and this is exactly what this is saying. Finally, there is a very important verse. This is what Jesus is doing to finally have that crown with the gems in His crown, no longer upon His chest. No longer carrying the burdens because He’s purified these gems, He’s got them ready now to put in His crown.

Zechariah 9:16 And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.

They shall be as stones, as precious gemstones in His crown. In that day when He gathers them together, when His work as a priest is over. This is the theme of our conference, the gathering of the jewels in that day. The present closing work of our Redeemer, what is He doing at this present time in these last hours of earth history?

What is Jesus Doing? This is something we can identify with as we look at prophecy which we are going to be doing hereafter. The story of what he is doing now, gathering his jewels. I love this. When I first came across this text, I was nursing a man while I was doing my nursing and he was from the brethren but a really lovely brother in Christ. He was a beautiful person and he said,

Malachi 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written

I said, “Well, where’s that?” And he said, “Malachi 3 verse 16 and then these people shall be mine.”

Malachi 3: for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

These words apply to our time. Jesus is making up His jewels and we will go carefully through year by year through the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy to identify the development of this. God, Jesus gathering His jewels at the closing part of His ministry as a high priest. And as He is doing it,  the true gems will be discerned from those that are not the gems. Between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. And we saw very clearly how important it is to understand that these are the people who will fear the Lord and speak often one to another who don’t speak about anything else that is mundane, but speak of this high calling. This amazing experience of atonement with Jesus, and the experience of the gems being chiselled and burnished and polished and tossed about. This will be their theme of experience. As we continue through this convocation for the next four sessions, we will be viewing the experience of this in literal historic effect. Jesus at this time is intensively interceding our cases. He is intensively securing us if we will entirely, trustingly respond to what we have considered up to this point in time.

God’s people are called a crown, a diadem. Satan would eagerly seize the Lord’s treasure, but God has secured it so that Satan cannot obtain it. Letter 8, 1873. CTr 90.7

Isn’t that precious? We are in the time now that He is gathering His jewels and putting them into His crown and Satan is at work to try and rob Him of that treasure but God has secured it so that Satan cannot obtain it.

We are secure, perfectly secure, from the enemy’s subtlety while we have unwavering trust in God.—Letter 8, 1873. CTr 90.7

Forget about yourself. Don’t trust yourself of course not. You know how untrustworthy you are. How easily you swing this way and that. Unwavering trust in the one who said you are my treasure. I have shown you long enough now haven’t I? He says what I have done for you, I have shown you long enough that I am bearing you as my as your High Priest upon my heart. Respond to me and I will secure you from Satan’s sophistries and what is everything in nature around us waiting for? As we look at the world and nature and all its sad manifestations today, what is nature waiting for?

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

What is nature waiting for? Nature is waiting for the gems, for the jewels to be manifest. They are waiting for us to respond to the final burnishing and setting into the crown of God’s glory. Let’s keep them no longer waiting. Let’s keep nature no longer waiting. We have a message here this holy convocation that calls for decision -making, not to stand on the outskirts of the fold, not to think that I’m not worthy therefore I can’t come and be part of the fold of Jesus? No. Give it up. Jump in to God’s direct engagement with His church, in the direct engagement of Jesus who pleaded for His church, that they would be accepted to the Father and the Father said yes of course because of your shedding of your blood. Because of Jesus the pearl of great price, let us no longer delay. Let’s move forward. Let’s work together as a people and not lose sight of this story that we have been considering to this point in time and that we will understand from the rest of our studies now how the Lord is going to do it, that we can cooperate with Him from 1844 till the very end of the close of probation.

This is my prayer that we will respond to the marvellous messages that the Lord is sharing with us here.

Amen.