Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 24 (1909)

Ms 95, 1909

Sermon/A Message to the Churches

Boulder, Colorado

September 5, 1909

Portions of this manuscript are published in VSS 150; 6MR 287.

Discourse by Mrs. E. G. White, Boulder, Colorado, Sunday, September 5, 1909. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 1

“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis; which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white; for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the sane shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 2

“And unto the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it; for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name. ... Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold I come quickly; hold that fast that thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 3

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. 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: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 4

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me on My throne; even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father on His throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” [Revelation 3:1-8, 10-22.] 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 5

These are precious words of counsel and encouragement for every believer in God. God loves His children with a love that is infinite. He so loved us “that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.] And for those who accept this sacrifice, He holds in store heaven with all its blessings. If we will take advantage of all that God has done for us, it will be our privilege to see the King in His beauty and to behold His matchless charms. How anxious we should be to understand the movings of the providence of God and to come into right relation to Him. Let us put away everything from our lives that would step in between us and the right experience we should gain. Let us listen for the Saviour’s knock. Let us open the door of the heart and bid Him enter. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 6

“Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” [1 John 3:1.] Do you want that life that measures with the life of God? Then learn the principles of heaven here. We are not all born with like temperaments, and this is why the Saviour bids us learn of Him who is meek and lowly in heart. Are you learning in your daily experience what Christ has done for you by the sacrifice of His life? He has made it possible for your humanity to grasp divinity, that in the strength of divinity you might labor for humanity as He did. We do not learn of Him as we might. We do not bring into our Christian experience the glory and the joy that we might have. It is the privilege of every believer to overcome through the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 7

My brethren and sisters, where are your children standing in regard to the will of the Lord concerning them? Have you brought them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Have you instructed them in His ways? Remember that if you neglect your duty toward these little ones, the Lord will not lay the responsibility of their training upon heavenly agencies. This is a duty that He has placed upon you. You are to be the educators of your children; and you must meet in the judgment the results of your work here. Then your work will be weighed, not by any human measurement, but by the standard of righteousness set by the Judge of all the earth. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 8

These children are to be sanctified. Fineness of character is to be developed in them. What a world there is about us to be influenced for Christ! Teach your children that they have a part to act. In their conversation and in their deportment they are to exert an influence that will help souls. Teach them in their very childhood to have an interest in those around them and to seek to be a blessing to them. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 9

“Ye are laborers together”—together—“with God.” [1 Corinthians 3:9.] O if that word “together” were left out, how different would be the outlook! “Ye are laborers together with God,”—the mighty God. Heavenly agencies co-operate with you as you seek to grasp the divinity of Christ. They work intelligently with you as you strive for that life that measures with the life of God. When you grasp the arm of Omnipotent power, you will be able to teach and train your children aright. Not by beating their bodies, but by enlightening their minds in regard to what sin is, will you convert them. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 10

I have felt such a deep interest in this line of work that I have adopted children in order that they might be trained in right lines. Instead of punishing them when they did wrong, I would hold out inducements to them to do right. One was in the habit of throwing herself on the floor if she could not have her own way. I said to her, “If you will not lose your temper once today, your Uncle White and I will take you in the carriage, and we will have a happy day in the country. But if you throw yourself on the floor once, you will forfeit your right to the pleasure.” I worked in this way for these children, and now I feel thankful that I had the privilege of doing this work. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 11

I would that every parent in our ranks might have that life that is the result of grasping the power of infinity. We are living in the last days of this earth’s history, when Satan is working in every conceivable way to bring coarseness and roughness into the character. But Christ, the example of every believer, was full of refinement and love and thoughtfulness for others. Satan is seeking to fill the youth with love for the world and its pleasures. He is pleased when parents act as though they considered show and display necessary for themselves and for their children. These are not at all necessary. Parents, teach your children to be truthful, like Samuel. Teach them to bring themselves into right relation to God. If they will take the Word of God as it reads, and follow its instruction, the salvation of God will be with them, and the Holy Spirit will communicate through them. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 12

It is better to praise the Lord than to complain. Let not our tongues utter words of which we shall be ashamed when Christ shall come in His glory with all the holy angels with Him. We must be clean in lips and in heart; we must be sanctified and refined, even as Christ was. Let us imitate His example. To do this we must understand His Word. His promise to every seeker is, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” [Matthew 7:7, 8.] 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 13

What a revelation God gave to John on the isle of Patmos! His enemies had banished him to this lonely place, thinking he would die there. But God’s eye had been upon His faithful servant, and He knew exactly where to find him. And the Lord gave to John a message, the influence of which his enemies could not destroy. In exiling him to Patmos, they had hoped to silence his voice forever, but he there received a message which was to go to the church to the end of time. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 14

From John’s experience we may learn the lesson that though men may seek to cut off our influence, if we will put our trust in God, He will give us just the help we need. And if it is His will that we lose our lives in His service, we will find eternal life in His everlasting kingdom. At the call of the archangel we shall come forth in the first resurrection to claim our right of entrance to the city of God and to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Let us thank God for the abundant provision that has been made for our race. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 15

If we will study the book of Revelation and seek to understand its full significance, we shall see the necessity of putting away from our lives all the frivolity that so often marks our experience. We will have little desire for the foolish novel and the amusements of the world. Satan is determined to have the victory, and we are half asleep. What we need is workers, men and women who will do their duty in the fear of God. Many will say, We cannot all be ministers. Yes; you can; there is some work of ministry for each to do for perishing souls. There are many lines of work which as Christians we should become interested in. Christ wants every soul to copy His example of self-denial and self-sacrifice. He desires that all men shall have eternal life in the kingdom of God. But we cannot indulge coarseness or discourtesy or self-indulgence there. Therefore we must be daily overcomers here—overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 16

To church members and to parents I would say, Go forward in the name of the Lord Jesus. Believe that angels are round about you. Let no coarse, uncouth words fall from your lips. You cannot represent Christ in this way. Stand in right relation to God, that you may teach your children to have spirits that are pure and free from guile. Thus you will be laborers together with God. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 17

I have felt a deep interest in those cities where the message of present truth was given in the early days of this work, and especially in the city of Portland, Maine. The Spirit of the Lord came upon me at that time, and though I was but a child, I began my labors in the city of Portland. I felt very grateful when, this summer, the Lord gave me another opportunity of speaking to the people of Portland. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 18

While in Portland, I encouraged the brethren and sisters to go forward with the building of their house of worship, promising that I would solicit the aid of other churches for this work. If you have money that you want to put into the treasure house of heaven, I ask you to help in the work that is going forward for the erection of a meetinghouse in Portland. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 19

We have no right to spend our money on useless trinkets for our children. Let us teach them by precept and example to save their money for missionary purposes. Do not let pennies and dollars go out of your hands simply for nothingness. There is a world to be saved; there are missionary enterprises to be carried forward in many places. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 20

We want the truth as it is in Jesus. We want the light of heaven to shine upon us. And God wants us to become acquainted with the simplicity of the Word and to bring that simplicity into our presentation of the Word to others. Satan is working on every hand to bring down the standard of true godliness to a common level. You need to lift up hands and heart and voice to God, pleading that He will enable you to stand on the platform of eternal truth. When you reveal an impatient, jealous, or faultfinding spirit, you give evidence that evil angels are controlling you. But when you come as a humble suppliant to the throne of grace, and cast your helpless soul upon Christ, you make manifest your desire that heavenly agencies shall guide and control your life. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 21

It has been presented to me that Satan and his host of evil workers are bringing human minds more and more fully under their control. He would be pleased if he could lead the professed people of God to indulge in unlovely traits of character. Let us bear in mind that only the pure and undefiled, only those who are without spot or wrinkle or any such thing will enter the city of God, when the gates are swung back and the nation that has kept the truth enters in. There the harp will be placed in the hand of the overcomer, and the song of redemption through Christ will be led by Heaven’s highest angel. You may have the privilege of joining that song and singing in triumph the glory of God. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 22

But parents, how will you feel if on that day you see your children shut out of the kingdom of God? and know that it is because you have not done your duty toward them? God wants you to come into line regarding this matter; He desires that you shall bring your children into harmony with God and heaven. He wants you to lay hold of the mighty power of God, that He may work for you, and through you, for others. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 23

We would say to you with the apostle Paul, “For Christ’s sake be ye reconciled to God.” [See 2 Corinthians 5:20.] Do not let the little remnant of time we have go to waste. Let us press into the ranks. These young men, these children, need to be converted and to learn to love Jesus. They need to see Him as He is. They need to wash their robes of character and to make them white in the blood of the Lamb. Teach them that it is their privilege to become partakers of the divine nature and to overcome the corruption that is in the world through lust. I pray that many here may be reconciled to God and become laborers together with Him. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 24

The apostle Peter writes: “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our lord, according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 25

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 26

“But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make you calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” [2 Peter 1:2-11.] 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 27

Here is our eternal life insurance policy, and Peter plainly sets forth that those who would receive it must come to Jesus and appropriate to themselves His matchless charms. My brethren and sisters, who among you will give your hearts, unreservedly to God? How many will seek to save others from eternal ruin? Let those who desire to do this rise to their feet. (Congregation rises.) I thank God for this evidence of the Holy Spirit in our midst. May God clothe you with His salvation and bring you in close relation to Himself. He wants to do this for each one of you. Let us pray: 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 28

Our heavenly Father, we come to Thee just as we are, needy, dependent, weak, and ask Thee that for Christ’s sake Thou wilt recognize and accept the pledge made here today. I beseech Thee to sweep back every cloud and every power of darkness that would interpose between this people and the work that they have pledged themselves to do. O help them! Baptize them with Thy Spirit. Let the light of heaven come into their minds and hearts. Help them to consider the life of the One who for them was stretched on Calvary’s cross, who to rescue them from the sorrows of the lost, suffered a cruel death. We ask Thee that the blood that was shed to cleanse mankind from sin may atone for us. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 29

Help us by living faith to carry out every pledge we make. May angels of God strengthen every soul, that the powers of Satan may not discourage. Father, Thou dost love us with a love that is infinite. It cannot be measured. Impress this people with the knowledge that angels are here. Impress them with their privilege of going forth from this place to reveal the glory of God. Let us see light in Thy light. Grant that these souls, as they shall return to their homes, may not forget their pledge. Let the light of heaven shine continually in their hearts and minds. Amen. 24LtMs, Ms 95, 1909, par. 30