Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 78, 1910

Sermon/Thoughts on 2 Peter 1

Loma Linda, California

April 2, 1910

Previously unpublished.

Thoughts on 2 Peter 1:1-15. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 1

Now the track is laid. We are to live upon the plan of addition. We are to add grace to grace. We have our work, and God will sustain every soul who will receive and cultivate the graces of the Holy Spirit of God in their hearts. Why, what a world we would have if this instruction were obeyed! Here is the life insurance policy, and in the day of the Lord, when the books are opened, you will realize, if you have followed on to know the Lord, that His going forth is prepared as the morning. It comes degree after degree, strength after strength, as we live on the plan of addition, until we are in a position that it is stated, “we shall never fall.” [Verse 10.] 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 2

We want to act as though we appreciated this life insurance policy. We want to carry it out every day in our daily practice in our homes and in our families. Let there be no scolding, no fretting, for that is not religion. But what we want is to add grace to grace, and then we want to expect that we will have the life insurance policy, that we shall have that life that measures with the life of God. It is wonderful, and it is in this chapter that the assurance is given us. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 3

“For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” [Verse 11.] 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 4

We thank Thee, heavenly Father, that we can claim this promise today while mercy lingers, while the way is open that we may approach to God through our own earnest efforts and faith. We can add grace to grace, and light and power is promised unto us if we will follow on to know the Lord, that His going forth is prepared as the morning. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 5

“Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.” [Verses 12-15.] 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 6

What does that mean? It means to every one of us here that there are angels on this ground. It means to every one of us that the impression of the Holy Spirit of God must come to the human heart, and if it comes to the human heart, we must accept it. We must have a heart that will understand these eternal life principles, and then we must work to the point every day. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 7

Fathers and mothers, you have no right to speak cross and fretful words in your homes, because you are educating, educating in the wrong direction. You must not do that. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 8

Here are young men before me. We want to meet these in the kingdom of glory. I have one son whom I laid in the grave when he was grown to manhood. He was a Christian, and a beautiful singer, and I expect to meet him again. The younger one was a baby only a few months old when we laid him in the grave. And then we had to lay the father in the grave. He was my faithful worker, who had stood beside me as we worked together. We went to many places to labor together. Night after night we have risen from our beds and pled with God for the congregation for whom we were laboring. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 9

We were both taken sick at the same time, because of the heavy rains that came when we were returning from a meeting. We did not understand that we were in danger. Just before his death I asked him if I should take our children and have them unite with me in the work, trying to fill his place, and thus continue in my labors. Three times he signified that I should. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 10

After his death some one asked me if I was not going to pray to have him raised up. No indeed, I said. The old soldier and I have talked these things over together, and we decided that if one should die before the other, the one remaining would try to carry on the work wherever called. I would not be so selfish as to have him stand by my side again, and again pass through death. Never, never! He has had a full life. We have worked together, we have prayed together, we have fought our battles together, and now write, Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. I could not say all this just then, but I said it afterward. I wanted them to know that my work was not done. I have gone from East to West, and from North to South, with my son who travels with me. I know in whom I have believed. And I want to tell you that I love the Lord. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 11

I have had rather a weak time here because of the constant writing which has taxed my eyes and my brain so that I needed a rest, and I have had it. I have not spoken to you once. I have not been in any place where I have been so quiet and had such a time to rest as I have had here, and I thank the Lord for it. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 12

Now I want to call your attention to this Scripture: 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 13

Verses 12-19. He has full confidence that they will carry out the principles that he is presenting before them. He tells them that while he is with them, he will keep it before their minds, help their memories. Now, let every one of us have an appreciation of these promises. It is an immortal promise, if we will carry out the plan of addition. Shall we do it? Shall we add grace to grace? Shall we follow on to know the Lord? I am so thankful that we are not left in ignorance, but that we have the Word of the living God, and I am so thankful that it is my privilege to see many souls brought into the truth as we try to present the Word of God before them. We want heaven; we want eternal life, and we want to be in that position that we can lay hold on the Word of God as ours. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 14

Now here are your families, here are your children. It is no small item to bring up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I have taken child after child that I saw was going to destruction. I took Brother Amadon when he was a little boy, driving on the tow path. He is alive today, and is one of our main pillars in Battle Creek, and he often speaks of the time when I took him away from his associates. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 15

Girls have come to me, saying, Sister White, Will you take me? Certainly, I said. I took them, and we worked together. One of them lies in the grave now, and there are several living whom I took and educated. I kept someone to educate them. I did not begrudge the money at all. My husband and I had to keep together while he was living, and I want to tell you that we have seen the grand workings of the Holy Spirit of God upon human hearts, and we want to be in that position that we can understand that the Lord has His Holy Spirit to help us, to strengthen us, to lead us, to guide us. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 16

In the twenty-first chapter of Revelation, we read of the beautiful new earth. Let us work for one another. Let us work determinedly to bring up the youth in a right manner. We want them to have the crown of life. We want the youth to be overcomers. Angels of God are assisting us in our schools as we seek to educate the girls and boys. They do not leave us to our own notions. The Holy spirit of God is to work with all our efforts. We want to see souls saved. Fathers and mothers, let us take hold of the work. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 17

I am glad that you have this beautiful place here. I am thankful for it. I was sure that it was the very place we should have, and we have it, and we will praise God for it. We desire that fathers and mothers shall be benefited by the Word of God which we shall bring before them in the name of the Lord, and especially upon health reform. We can give the health reform subject here very nicely because we have the right kind of helpers, and they will work and press the battle to the gates. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 18

We have a heaven to win, and a hell to shun, and it makes every difference with us whether we lay hold on the provision that has been made for us. How? Did it cost anything? It cost the life of the only begotten Son of God. He laid aside His royal robe and His kingly crown, He clothed His divinity with humanity, and you will see in the Old and in the New Testaments the workings of God so that this world need not perish in their sins. They may have a life that measures with the life of God if they will. I want to say that we are under God’s guardianship. It is He alone that can keep us from falling under the hellish powers of darkness. He is making impressions on human minds this very day, and He wants every one of us to humbly and meekly follow on to know the Lord. He wants us to pray. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 19

When we used to get into perplexity, my husband would say, We must get right up and pray about it. We must not lie here. How do we know what an influence will be exerted upon human minds? Here is a crisis, and let us pray that the Lord will give us the victory. And we would always have it. We could not sleep until we had evidence that our God was working in our behalf to bring souls to a knowledge of the truth. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 20

We must use His promises as we live on the plan of addition. Lay hold of them, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Make the most of your opportunities, for God will help you if you will. He wants to help you and give you courage, and He wants you to understand there is a world to be saved. He wants you to act your part in going forth and doing your part. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 21

Every one of us has a part to act in connection with Jesus Christ, and believing that we shall have that grace and that strength, we shall come off victorious at last. I believe that we shall see the glory of God revealed in every community where we are. We are not to shut ourselves up to ourselves, but we are to take right hold, and we are to weave in the principles of righteousness and truth and justice and love. You thus take the ones that need help and that want you to help them, and give them health and strength, that they may form a character after the divine similitude, so that Christ shall not have died for them in vain. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 22

We want heaven, and we want all around us to be impressed with the Holy Spirit of God to seek that precious Saviour, full of mercy and love, never turning away a soul that comes to Him. There He was kneeling in prayer before His crucifixion; and He would get up to see if His disciples realized what He was passing through, and He found them asleep. Are we asleep? We that are entrusted with great capabilities for looking after souls, are we asleep? Every one of us has a responsibility to carry through the perfection of character, that no one shall fall under the temptation of Satan if you can help them. And we are each to live upon the plan of addition. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 23

My heavenly Father, I thank Thee and I praise Thy holy name that Thou hast presented us the Scriptures, and we will be obedient. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 24

I know in whom I have believed. I know that He has met me when it seemed an impossibility that I could stand upon my feet. But the moment that I stood up, I had the power of God come upon me, and I could carry my message to the people every time. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 25

Now I want you to prove the Lord, to work on the plan of addition, adding grace to grace, and then try to reach out for souls that do not know that truth, try to convince and help them and be a blessing to them, that they may not lose their chance to obtain the crown of life. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 26

But now here was our Saviour, as it were, dying on the field of battle, and His disciples [were] asleep. How I have felt when I have thought of these things! He staggered, with the bloody sweat coming from His pores, moistening the sod of Gethsemane; and there was the cup of sufferings presented to Him; and He went to see where His disciples were, and they were asleep. Are we asleep? He staggered back again, and began to pray for them, and here it was that the mysterious cup trembled in His hand. Should He drink of that cup, that cup of sufferings? “If it be possible,” He said, “let this cup pass from Me.” [Matthew 26:39.] A strong angel was sent from heaven to strengthen Him. What if He had let that cup of sufferings alone? We should have been lost. He drank that cup for us, and we want to understand it. We want to sense what He has suffered in our behalf. He did not draw back from any representation of sufferings. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 27

But here are the young. You are to form a character before these young people with whom you associate and come in contact. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 28

Christ took the cup and drank it, and then it was that Judas betrayed his Lord. They took Him, abused His person, put a crown of thorns upon His head; they pressed it into His sacred temples and caused Him all the suffering possible; then they drove the nails through His hands and feet. And while He was hanging there on the cross in company with two thieves, one of them repented, and said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” The Lord answered him, “Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with Me in paradise.” [Luke 23:42, 43.] Today, while His hands were pierced with nails, today, while He was suffering on the cross and passing through death, He said, “Thou shalt be with Me in paradise,” because the thief acknowledged Him in His humiliation. He could accept the poor thief; He could pardon his sins. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 29

Let every one of us, for Christ’s sake come into that position that we will understand the sacrifice that has been made for us. There He died on the cross. There was an awful earthquake at His death. Mighty angels came from heaven and rolled back the stone from the door of sepulchre, and Christ came forth. He was raised from the dead, and He proclaimed over the rent sepulchre of Joseph, “I am the resurrection and the life.” [John 11:25.] Then He walked in the way, and He met two of His disciples and made Himself known to them before leaving them. Thank God, thank God, we have a risen Saviour! 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 30

I am so glad to tell it to you, that He can bring us all out of our afflictions. He can be with us in all our sadness and in all our grief, because He is a living Saviour, and He will give us strength and grace to endure all the sorrows and afflictions that we may have to bear. His glory will be revealed when the golden gates of the city of God are swung back upon their glittering hinges. At that time the mothers and fathers with their children who have been overcomers will enter in, the crown of life will be placed on their heads, and the harp placed in their hands. The victory is gained. Now this is just what we want to aim for. I want to say we have a living Saviour. What rejoicing there was in the heavenly courts when Christ rose from the dead! 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 31

Now I will say, God bless you. We have a heaven to win, and a hell to shun, and we can do it if we have that living faith that works by love and purifies the soul. I love Jesus. That is why I am trying to travel. I am in my eighty-third year, and I have been an invalid all my life, and yet God gives me strength to bear my message. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 32

Now, let the fathers and mothers bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, not scolding or fretting or beating them, but pray with them. And who do you think is with them when you pray? The angels of God are there. I have taken children who were just as stubborn as they could be, who have had their own way. The blessing of God would come upon us as we would pray together. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 33

There is a world to be saved, and what are we doing today for those places that have not heard the truth? God help us that we may do our duty in the name of the Lord. 25LtMs, Ms 78, 1910, par. 34