Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 9 (1894)

Ms 41a, 1894

Sermon/Sabbath Morning Talk, “Look and Live”

Ashfield, Australia

October 20, 1894

Previously unpublished.

Every one of us [can] do as John did when he beheld Christ, and we can say from our hearts, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” [John 1:29.] Now the Lord does not want us to get our minds on our weaknesses and infirmities, and dwell upon them. He knows all about those. He does not want us to keep in our minds constantly how sinful we are, only as we shall look and live. This is an individual work, and if any [of us], after we have attended the meetings one after another, leaves the tent feeling poverty and wretchedness, [then] remember, and look and live. That is our only hope; that is the only way that we can do. To know that we have a Saviour is to believe in Him as the One that stands as the advocate before the Father, pleading in our behalf, a living intercessor for us, constantly pleading for us. We do not half plead for the grace and the power that He is more willing to give to us than we are to give good gifts to our children. 9LtMs, Ms 41a, 1894, par. 1

God does not design that we shall live here in this world with all the opposition, all the power of Satan arrayed against us, and we not have the power which comes with God giving Jesus for us. All heaven was given in that one gift, Jesus Christ. Well, what is His name? Saviour. What is the definition of Saviour? One that saves us from our sins. Well then, let us take Him with all that His name signifies, a Saviour, and let us have not only a casual faith, but let us have that faith that fastens to the only source of power, the only One that can save us from sin. We may stay away from Him and talk of our sin, but that will not do any good. There is not any Saviour in that [any] more than when the brazen serpent was lifted up in the wilderness. You remember the call was given—the invitation, Look and live. 9LtMs, Ms 41a, 1894, par. 2

God does not want us to look and deplore our wounds and bruises that sin has made. He wants us to look right away to whom? The Saviour, because He says, He will save—what? To the uttermost all who come unto Him; and not one that cometh unto Him in sincerity will He cast away, not one. Well then, we shall know, if you do not have the freedom and the life and the blessing of God, that you are not looking. If you look to Him, He can heal the terrible wounds and bruises of sin, as those looked in the wilderness and were healed just as soon as they looked. Now, we want the healing power of the grace of God upon us at this meeting. We do not want to talk discouragement. We do not want to sow one seed of unbelief, but we want to look and live, to look and to live. To look how? By living faith, to come into living connection with Jesus Christ as did the woman that touched the hem of His garment. She had the faith. 9LtMs, Ms 41a, 1894, par. 3

Now, one says, I am hasty tempered. Another says, I am unbelieving. Another says, I am passionate and all this, and selfish. Well now, look and live. All the selfish ones, all the unbelieving ones, all those that need cleansing, will you look, will you look by faith, will you live? You will, if you look in faith. Well, what we need is a Saviour, and we want Him at the very commencement of this meeting, every one young and old. It is not the eloquence that God looks at, it is not your ready speech that He looks at. He looks at the humble and contrite heart, He looks at the heart that He wants cleansed from all the buyers and the sellers and all the impurity. Those in the wilderness, if they had said, “My wounds, my wounds, the poison is in my veins; I cannot be healed!” they would have died. You are to look, whatever is your position, whatever is your condition, begin to look—from this very precious Sabbath morning. Look today; today keep looking. Do not expect somebody else to believe for you, but keep looking in the name of Jesus, and claim Him as your Saviour. Then you can say to others, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” [Verse 29.] 9LtMs, Ms 41a, 1894, par. 4

[May] God imbue us with His Holy Spirit. May God feed us with Himself, the precious, precious Saviour. We want His spirit and His light and His love, and when the unbelieving world shall come into any one of our meetings, let it be known what it is to be a believer in the truth, for the truth of God, what does it do? It purifies. We want that faith that works by love and purifies the soul. Every other faith is good for nothing to us. Then let us commence the purifying, the cleansing. God will bless us abundantly. If we look, we shall live. 9LtMs, Ms 41a, 1894, par. 5