Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 21 (1906)

Ms 144, 1906

Sermon/Thoughts on Revelation 7

Oakland, California

September 22, 1906

Previously unpublished.

Revelation 7:1-4, 9-14 quoted. That is the main business of our life. It means life, eternal life in the kingdom of glory. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 1

Verse 15 quoted. We are in good companionship, are we not? 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 2

Verses 16, 17 quoted. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, all the congregation! Praise Him with heart and soul and voice for this assurance. These words will be verily fulfilled. Now we want—we might go on to the next chapter, but we want to speak a little on this. We want that everyone of us should be in that position where we have hearts open to understand what is for every soul that is warring the good warfare for eternal life, and for the crown of glory that fadeth not away. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 3

And when we consider Christ, the precious Saviour—that He gave the great sacrifice of Himself—He does not ask anything of any soul that is here to make a larger sacrifice than He, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. Here He consented to leave the royal courts; He consented that He would take human nature upon Himself. He laid aside His kingly crown; He laid off His royal robe; He clothed His divinity with humanity, that divinity might touch humanity; and that humanity could hopefully lay hold of divinity, to have that power that they could escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 4

Not one of us needs to fall, if we will lay right hold of the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. But we cannot have this great reward if we want to mingle with the world, and if we want to climb to the highest ideas in this world, to have our name noted. No. If we are willing to be partakers of Christ and His sufferings; if we are willing to bear the reproach for Christ’s name, then the crown of immortal life will be placed upon the brow of the overcomer. We shall see the King in His beauty. He came right to this world to stand here, to bear the sins of the world, the results of the sins of the world, and in His humanity overcame the temptations of the wicked one. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 5

Now, we want you all to understand that it is by being partakers of the divine nature that we shall escape the corruption that is in the world through lust—if you will bow in humiliation before God; if you will live a life of sacrifice, as Christ has given you an example in His Word. Do not hunger and thirst for what this one may think of you, or what the other one may think of you, if you do not enter into temptation with them. Keep yourselves upon a high, exalted level. Keep yourselves where you can indeed lay hold of the merits of the blood of a crucified and risen Saviour. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 6

And when you do this, your sorrows will be very endurable. Why?—because of the Word. We have the assurance. We have here our credentials. We have here that which we can rely upon from now until Christ shall come; and then the crown of glory will be placed upon every overcomer. “And they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” [Revelation 12:11.] 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 7

Now there are testimonies that come in various ways. Who is willing to make sacrifices for the truth’s sake? Who are willing to deny themselves of selfish indulgences? Dress plainly; dress modestly. And get the best material when you get it, if you can, and do not put any trimming on it. It does not need it. When you get a good material, you do not need to put on these dressings that cost money. It costs money to purchase dress; it costs money to make it. Now let us study economy, every one of us. There is a world to save, and we cannot afford to indulge in what?—In fear of what the world will say. Well, if they do not take us as followers of Jesus Christ, what are you worth to the world? What are you doing to save them? What are you doing to uplift them? What we want is a solid hold upon the right to be partakers of the divine nature. It is our privilege. We want to be partakers with Christ of His sufferings. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 8

Think of His self-denial. All through His life, He was ever touched with the feeling of our infirmity—with human woe—and we want to be in that position that we have a heart that can throb with the misfortunes and the suffering of mankind. We want a heart that is sensible, perfectly sensible, to what Christ has accomplished in our behalf, and we never—try the best we can—we never can exceed Christ in the sacrifice that He made in our behalf. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 9

Well then, let me tell you the great step that He made to come to this world, leaving the heavenly courts—let that speak to you. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 10

And let every one feel an interest in the work that we are trying to do to bring the Bible, the precious Word, before the people. Because Christ says, “It is Spirit, and it is life,” and therefore we want that life. [John 6:63.] If we will be partakers of the divine nature, we shall eat of the bread of life; and Christ says, if we eat of the bread of life, He will raise us up at the last day. He will give us eternal life, life, eternal life, that measures with the life of God. That is the life that every one of us may have if we will. But it rests with us whether we will. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 11

Now may the Lord so soften and subdue our hearts that we may see the great and matchless worth that Christ is to us, that He has given us assurance of a life that measures with the life of God. It is not like the life that we have here. There is no pain, no sorrow, but it is a life of the highest dignity. And it will take a great deal for any of us to study His Word and to understand it in all its bearings. It is doing the Word. It is living the Word. It is coming out from the world, and being separate, and touching not the unclean things. “Come out from among them. Come out,” said Christ; and He is the Bread of life. [2 Corinthians 6:17.] 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 12

Now we must enter into His life, by being partaker of what?—His purity. Partakers of what? by standing on the highest level of what?—sanctification, holiness. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 13

And in doing this we have our life insurance policy. That you will find in the first chapter of Second Peter. Now he tells you what you will have. “You must add to your faith virtue, charity.” And then what? “If ye do these things ye shall never fall.” [Verses 5, 7, 10.] What is that but a life insurance policy? You read it when you get home. What is that but a policy which will insure us to a life that measures with the life of God. And can you not make any sacrifice here in this world that you may be accounted worthy to have a life insurance policy, of everlasting life? 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 14

I beseech of you, my brethren and my sisters, Let us every one see what we can do for the Master right in this meeting, right in these meetings that are being held. They are not for your amusement. They are not for any motive except to work diligently, that you may be inclined to choose Christ Jesus as your portion, as one that can save to the utmost all that come to Him. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 15

Now we invite you to arouse for your life. We invite you that you shall press to the mark of the high calling which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, that you will allow nothing to interpose between your soul and God. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 16

We understood a contribution was taken up here this forenoon, that those who wanted to give might help those who wanted the saving grace of God—to give them a chance. Now we want to say, There was one who gave quite a sum to help the work along. Was she wealthy? She is a widow. She works over the sick; she tries to take charge of the sick and the suffering, and she brought her large donation. She gave more than the whole church raised in that meeting. Now, do you think she would have done it, unless she had had a right hold of the hand of Jesus Christ? I thank the Lord, and if my sister is here, I thank you; and I ask you, for Christ’s sake to lay right hold upon the promises, because you may. The Lord wants us to. And although you are a widow, you have no houses and no land, but it is out of your earnings that you received this sum to give to the people of God. The Lord will remember you. And we hope that if at any time you are brought under pressure, there will be those who will remember how you lifted, that they might have means to carry on work in this city. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 17

It takes money to carry on the work. Let every one do what he can, and the Lord of heaven will just as surely brighten up your experience, because this is your life insurance policy. And it is worth more than all the life insurances that you can enter into according to a worldly point of view. But it is life, eternal life that we are reaching after; it is the crown of glory that fadeth not away. We want that there should be an education right here on this point, that Brother Haskell and his wife, Brother Rice and his wife, and others that may unite with them, that their whole hearts will be in the work to save souls. There is nothing that can equal this. One soul, Christ pronounces, is worth more than the whole world beside. Then if we are blessed in this life-saving policy to see the souls that are being saved, we want to see them. We invite every one of you that wants to know any Bible truth to come here to the school, the educational school, and try to learn how that you can receive life. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 18

And the children, we certainly want them to have some part in this matter. We want life, and Christ can give us life. There never was a time when we needed more to understand what we are to do than right here at this time. We want your hearts softened. We want the light of heaven to come right into your souls—kindness, self-denial, and sacrifice. We want all these to be brought into your lives, and then remember that Christ gave His life to a life of self-denial, of self-sacrifice; and then He is going to lead us. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 19

[Revelation 7] Verse 17 quoted. That is our reward. And we cannot afford to lose it. Now I want to say, Do not let anyone come to you and you not be able to lead them step by step heavenward. They will have self-sacrificing to do; and if they are being led on, and proved and sanctified, and are numbered with the host that is here represented, they shall hunger no more. “Therefore,” verse 15 quoted. What is He doing? “They” verses 16, 17 quoted. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 20

Now there is the promise, and we want to ask high or low, rich or poor, we want to ask you to take part with us in advancing heavenward. We want to ask you to be of that number which Christ shall lead to the living waters, and to whom He shall explain His Word. Here is promise after promise that is given in the Word. “And I saw another sign.” Revelation 15:1, 2 quoted. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 21

Just think of that. Having the harps of God. Keep that before you, that there is a victory to gain, a precious victory, every day; and we want to see souls brought to a knowledge of the truth. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 22

Let everyone do his best. Go to your neighbors, talk with them, and they may see the light that we have seen and that we have been rejoicing in now for half a century. And yet we are not discouraged, and we would say: Let the light of truth shine into your hearts, and into your minds, that you may reflect the divine image. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 23

Verse 4 quoted. Now this is something that we want to take in. Will you study the Bible? Will you study Revelation, that you treat just as though it were a sealed book? When the Lord Jesus Christ came to reveal it unto John, His servant, and when He represented His glory before him, he fell as one dead; and the Lord strengthened him to hear the message that was coming to the churches. Read it, and you will find what it is, from the first of Revelation to the last, you will see what it means. We want everyone to be converted. We do not want one soul to be under the discipline of Satan. We do not want one soul to be held in the travails of the enemy. We want that everyone should come to Jesus Christ in their simplicity, in their humbleness of mind, and we want them to surrender to Jesus Christ. And we want them then to testify before angels and men, as they go down into the water; and as they receive baptism. And what do they find there? 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 24

“The likeness.” [Romans 6:5.] They are buried in the likeness of Christ’s death and raised in the likeness of His resurrection. And then what? All heaven is pledged in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost they receive at their baptism. That heavenly party is pledged that They will be with you to keep your baptismal vows, and that you shall rise up from the water to live in newness of life. “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” [Colossians 3:3.] And then you are to live the new life unto Jesus Christ. He loves you. He has made all these provisions, that the power of Satan should be broken off from human minds, that you should take hold of a power, yes, a power. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—all these blend, and in Their strength you can be overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the words of your testimony. Will you try it? Will you watch, will you pray, will you have your seasons to lay hold of the promises? I want heaven. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 25

I have been more than half a century in the world. I am now nearly 79, shall be in two or three months. I have proved Him, I have found Him a strength to me. And when I was in your meeting here, the camp meeting that was here, I want to tell you that I had been suffering under influenza again and again and again, until I felt that I could not speak more than fifteen minutes. But just as soon as I rose upon my feet, I felt the everlasting arms were around me. I went there meeting after meeting, I bore my testimony; I worked in the revival efforts, and I was refreshed every time. When I came there, I felt as though I was invigorated and refreshed. And I have kept it ever since. The Spirit and power of God have been with me since that time, and many know how I have suffered with the influenza. But I thank the Lord with heart and soul and voice that He has given me strength to again stand before the people and call upon them to come: “Whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely.” [Revelation 22:17.] 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 26

Now this is the message that I bear to you. May God give you help and strength and grace. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 27

I want to know right here how many that are here who will take up this work? How many of you will see the necessity of living a life of holiness unto God, if you will be with the holy ones in heaven? You must not wait till the last moment; you must take right hold when the Spirit speaks to you. How many will make their covenant with God by sacrifice this very day, to serve the living and the true God? Let them rise right up. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 28

Amen and amen. I thank God with heart and soul and voice, because I believe you mean it. I want you to mean it. My very soul is drawn out after every one of you, and we want all to unite in the work. Do not give up to lightness and trifling; but wherever you are, see if you cannot sow the seed of the Word of God, if you cannot plant holiness from the Word into the human mind, if you cannot get a grasp of souls, that they shall accept the hope of eternal life. God help us that the Holy Spirit may come upon us here. 21LtMs, Ms 144, 1906, par. 29