Sermons and Talks, vol. 1

Who Will Accept the Light from Heaven?

Remarks of Mrs. E. G. White, February 6, 1890

Jesus has some very precious words I want to read to you: “Neither pray I for these alone (that is, the disciples immediately around him), but for them also which shall believe on me through their word” [John 17:20]. That is us. That means us brethren. “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” [Verse 21]. The unity and the harmony. 1SAT 129.1

Now, I have thought of a good many that ought to be here that are not here. Where are Leon Smith, and Brother Ballenger, and Brother Smith? Can't they spend an hour? Will they draw off for fear that they shall be won? Why not gather these men in here? And if they do not know what they are opposing at all, they will not understand. No, brethren, where is your burden? Is it that you should get those that do not understand these things, and are all the time firing in the dark against them? We know they will not come to hear, and where the Lord can impress their hearts and their minds. Can't you see, that is not the way for man to work? 1SAT 129.2

Now, brethren, let us look at these matters in the right light. If we have precious things, we want they should have it, we want they should understand where the Spirit of God is; but if they keep on the outskirts of the camp all the time, they do not know the impressions that the Lord is making upon His people. We want them to come right in with us, that we may [have] a unity in faith and in purpose, and we may understand where the Spirit of God is working. And there are a great many others that ought to be here. 1SAT 129.3

Now, here is the word: “That the world may believe that thou hast sent me, And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them” [Verse 21]. That is what we are waiting for here; we want some of that glory; and it is our privilege to have it. There is darkness enough in the world, and we want the light of the glory of God to lighten our pathway and to lighten the pathway of others. We want some of that glory, that you may go forth to your labors with that glory shining upon our countenances, expressed in your words and in your testimonies, that it will make an impression on minds wherever you go. 1SAT 130.1

“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.” Who is it that is burdened that they may get into unity? Who are they? Where are they? God help us that we may understand what spirit actuates and moves us. “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one” [Verse 23]. Now their profit is not in seeing just how far they can keep off, and keep another mind, and their own ideas, and cherish their own ideas, and water their own ideas. No, it is that they may be made perfect in one; and they want to be made in one, and they are trying to be one, and they are trying to get where they may be in unity. 1SAT 130.2

“That the world may know that thou hast sent me.” Those are the credentials they bear to the world. “And hast loved”—now, mark this. O, it is such a power with me. It has such a power for my heart; it melts and dissolves my very being as I read this. “And hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” Why, brethren, can we comprehend this? Can we take hold of it? Can we measure it? 1SAT 130.3

“Hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” Why, that ought to bring every soul of us in gladness and joy and thankfulness and gratitude the whole time to God, that the preparation has been made that this shall be done; that God loves us as His Son. Why? Because we are united in Christ as He is united with the Father. 1SAT 131.1

There is a oneness with those that are partakers of the Spirit of Christ. You may bring the horse to the water, but you never can make him drink; he has got to drink for himself. Just so it is with us; we may have a house around us, and the words of life may be presented in all their beauty and in all their clearness, and it is like the bright shining of the candle; but unless they will kindle their tapers from it, unless they are willing to get some light, they won't have any, no, indeed. Now, that is the most precious to me. 1SAT 131.2

And He says, “Father, I will that they also [that thou lovest], whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.” Why, in His kingdom they will be right around Him, right about Him. Oh, what a thought! It makes me willing—even if I die at my post—it makes me willing to make an entire sacrifice for the truth's sake. Oh, if I can be with Him where He is! He is my love, my crown of rejoicing; He is my hope and comfort. 1SAT 131.3

Now what? “That they may behold my glory.” We have felt Him in the humiliation; we have felt Him in the sacrifice; we have felt Him in the trials; we have felt Him in the test; now that we may behold Him; that we may see Him as He is; that we may behold His glory; and if we behold Him we will be a partaker with Him of His glory. 1SAT 132.1

“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them.... For thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee” [Verses 24, 25]. Oh, how little we know “Thee,” and we profess to be His followers. He says, “The world hath not known thee.” God forbid that it should be of those that carry the truth to those who are in darkness that Christ will say, “They do not know Thee.” How few know my Saviour! 1SAT 132.2

“But I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” [Verses 25, 26]. That is His word. We have been reading it for more than the last year more distinctly. “I have declared unto them thy name”—Thy name, its goodness, its mercy, its love, its compassion, that you may gather up your forces and think, and that you may plant yourselves upon the rock Christ Jesus and believe Him. “I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it.” That is what He came here for. 1SAT 132.3

“That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” I am so glad, brethren, I am so glad that we have the privilege. But our minds have become separated from God; and the enemy meant it should be so. He cast his hellish shadow right between us and our hope, and our strength, and our comfort, that we should not see Him; that he might eclipse Jesus, that we should [not] discern Him and what He was to us, and what He would do for us, and what He would be to us—that he should cast this dark and gloomy shadow between us and our Saviour. 1SAT 132.4

Now, we have been getting just a glimmering of faith. We have but a little of it. Yet it is so very hard for the mind that has been looking on the dark shadows, and that has been hanging memory's hall all through with disconsolate things and pictures that are draped in mourning, that it seems as though we cannot look upon anything else. But may God help to gather up the jewels of Christ. God help us that we may hang memory's hall all through with the rich promises of God, that when Satan shall come to cast his hellish shadow between us and the source of our strength we may just be armed; we have got the memorials all surrounding us—barricaded with the promises—and we can say, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” [Habakkuk 3:17, 18]. 1SAT 133.1

And when sometimes it seems that the Word is made so hard because unbelief is planted in the hearts where faith ought to be flourishing, I repeat that text over and over and over again, and I bring myself in position where the light and the brightness of the Sun of righteousness I can perceive. I will not look at the darkness. 1SAT 133.2

Brethren and sisters, I beg of you for Christ's sake, to lift Him, up—the Man of Calvary. Lift Him up, the sinner's only hope. Learn of Him, every one of you. Oh, may chapters be opened in your experience that you never have opened before in regard to the blessedness and the trust and confidence that you may have in God. 1SAT 134.1

Just see what our Saviour says: “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” [Luke 18:8]. Why? Why, because the devil has put his dark mantle to enshroud the people, when we want light, light, brethren, light, precious light from the throne of God. Well, then, you want to be sure that you learn how to tell it when you go from here; you want to be so rooted and grounded in it that when you go to those that are fastened in unbelief that they shall not throw their darkness over your mind; that you shall become so settled as to what is truth that you will not be shaken away from it; but that God can reveal to you His precious, precious light. 1SAT 134.2

Now, Paul knew that he was not going to stay very long with Timothy, and he kept giving him lessons all the time; and he says, “My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” [2 Timothy 2:1]. That is what every one of us wants—not any of your own opinions, or smartness, or intellect, or any of these things; but be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 1SAT 134.3

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” [Verses 2, 3]. There is the very word before us. And the very men that ought to be here to feel their interest of having the truth for their positions of trust here in Battle Creek, on this missionary soil—the very men that ought to be fitting for these positions, they are not here at all; they do not come near. 1SAT 134.4

Now, brethren, that is not as it ought to be. I want you to meditate over these matters. I want you to seek God in regard to it. I want you to tell the Lord to stir up these souls, that they may begin to feel that they need something more than they [have] got. Brethren, we want light, precious light from the throne of God; and in the place of quibbling, and in the place of fastening upon hooks that you can hang your doubts upon, for Christ's sake go to your knees in prayer; for Christ's sake see the error and mistake of the Jews; because Christ has said, “Light has come, and ye choose darkness rather than light.” [See John 3:19] Now, this can be done right where light is shining. You meet men who say, Beware, beware; we must go careful; we must be very careful to press out the darkness, and let the light come in. 1SAT 135.1

Brethren, we want to come right up as a man and obtain a living experience here in this meeting. You want light enough that you can carry it with you into eternity. That is what you want. We have not half faith enough. We are only just beginning to learn as little children. The child first takes a step, and falls; and then takes another step, and finally learns how to walk. Now, we want to learn how to exercise faith. 1SAT 135.2

When the centurion came to Christ, just look at his faith. Why, he did not claim all the knowledge of the Jews; but here this centurion came, and he says, O Lord, You need not go away down there to heal my servant; You just say it and it will be done. What kind of power did he think was in Christ? Just what was invested in him. Now, said he, You may just say the word. I say to my servant, go, and he goeth, and I say to him, do this, and he doeth. Well now, all You have to say is to command, and it will be done. 1SAT 135.3

What was his insight? That there were angels all around Christ; the word of Christ would go right to that sick chamber and heal that soul. The Jews saw how Christ said to him, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” Now there are those outside of us that are standing in greater favor to God than we are; and why? Because they live up to every jot of light that they have. And we have light pouring in on us, and for months we have been pleading that the people would come up and accept the light; and they do not know whether to do it or not. They do not seem to see that they can come and drink, that they can open their hearts and let the Saviour in. 1SAT 136.1

My soul is agonized at times over these things. But I cannot do anything, I cannot speak to the heart; but God alone can speak to the heart. I entreat of you, as an ambassador of Jesus Christ, to bruise Satan under your feet. I beseech of you to begin to labor for yourself, labor for souls that are in darkness and unbelief. I beseech of you to spend your efforts in order to bring them where they can come where the living waters flow—where the light of heaven may come upon them, that they can stand amid the people as a light, and not as a shadow of darkness. 1SAT 136.2

Well, yesterday morning I awoke about two o'clock, and I could not rest; it seemed as though there was an agony of soul upon me, and I could not say anything. I knelt right down before the Lord and I said, You know all about it; You know what the burden is. And I must have something more than this. I cannot carry this load. I feel such a responsibility when I know that men are not walking in the light, when I know that they are going contrary from what God has told me. And it seemed as though there was a light-wave came right down upon me and the peace of God came upon me; and the words, I will be with you; I will give thee My strength, came to me. And since yesterday morning I have felt that I could die for Jesus Christ. And I am not going to worry or put myself under this load; I am going to leave it right in the hands of God. Brethren, do we carry our loads there and leave them? Let us do it. Let us roll it right on the Burden-bearer; and when we have a part to act we will act it. And when you go from this place, Oh be so full of the message that it is like fire shut up in your bones, that you cannot hold your peace. It is true men will say. “You are too excited; you are making too much of this matter, and you do not think enough of the law; now, you must think more of the law; don't be all the time reaching for this righteousness of Christ, but build up the law.” 1SAT 137.1

Let the law take care of itself. We have been at work on the law until we get as dry as the hills of Gilboa, without dew or rain. Let us trust in the merits of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. May God help us that our eyes may be anointed with eyesalve, that we may see. God helping us, we will draw nigh to Him, and He says he will draw nigh to us. Do we believe? Will we come in God's appointed way? May the Lord help us and enlighten us, that we may go forth from this place as they went forth to proclaim the truth after the day of Pentecost; and there were souls converted; they could not resist the testimony. (MR 900.17) 1SAT 137.2

427 1SAT Sermons and Talks, vol. 1 [{"para_id":"427.14","title":"A Dream About Value of Teamwork","mp3":"\/mp3\/427\/0004_eng_f_a_dream_about_value_of_teamwork_427_14.mp3#duration=325&size=2644569"},{"para_id":"427.26","title":"Called to the Wedding Feast (Sermon by Ellen G. White In Washington, Township, Iowa, Cir. 1874.)","mp3":"\/mp3\/427\/0005_eng_f_called_to_the_wedding_feast_sermon_by_ellen_g_white_in_washington_townshi_427_26.mp3#duration=771&size=6215210"},{"para_id":"427.55","title":"Diet and Health Notes on Sermon Preached by Mrs. E. G. 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