The Signs of the Times
September 16, 1889
Christ's Burden is Light
[Sermon at Chicago, ILL., April 6, 1889.]
“And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.” Zechariah 3:1-5. ST September 16, 1889, par. 1
Satan is ever ready to offer resistance to the work that Christ is willing to do for the souls of men. Jesus asks, “Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” Have I not chosen this people for myself? Although they have transgressed, the command is given, “Take away the filthy garments.” This will be said concerning every soul that truly repents of sin, and believes in Christ. The righteousness of Christ will be imparted unto him. Christ came to bring divine power to man, to clothe him in his righteousness. He says, “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” He knows us by name. He knows all our trials and sorrows. He has wept and prayed, and he knows how to succor everyone who mourns. Satan will tell you that you cannot hope in God's mercy; that you are too great a sinner to be saved. But you should tell him that Jesus has said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” ST September 16, 1889, par. 2
When Christ bowed on the banks of Jordan, he offered up a prayer in behalf of humanity, and heaven was opened unto him, and the Spirit of God descended in the form of a dove of burnished gold, and encircled his form, and a voice came from heaven which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” What did this mean? It meant that heaven was opened to the petitions of humanity. When Jesus died on Calvary, the Father accepted the sacrifice, and humanity was exalted in the scale of moral worth with God, because Christ had become a partaker of humanity, and had undertaken its redemption. ST September 16, 1889, par. 3
The proclamation of Christ on the cross, “It is finished,” tells you that you are prisoners of hope. There are many who idolize feeling. But your hope is not founded upon feeling; it is founded on the word of God. Has not God given you abundant evidences of his love? I point you to Calvary. The light of the cross should dispel every doubt from your mind. God loves you, and he wants to save you. You should cling to the Mighty One, and lay hold on the merit of a crucified and risen Saviour. He is your perfection. He has brought you his righteousness at an infinite cost. Will you accept it? ST September 16, 1889, par. 4
We should talk faith, and educate the soul to praise God. Says the apostle, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” While you appreciate the love of God, you will have living faith. You must climb up by Christ; he is the ladder. We could not scale the battlements of heaven were it not for the fact that Christ is the ladder. The base of the ladder rests upon the earth, and the top reaches into the highest heavens. The base of this divine ladder touches the earth. If it had stopped one inch short of that, humanity could never have reached the first round; but it is the goodness of God that leadeth you to repentance, and the grace and mercy of God shines down on every round, for God is above the ladder. Its topmost round reaches into the heaven of heavens. The light of God's love brightens the whole length of the ladder, and every step upward is a step toward him. When we are mounting this ladder, we are on our way to the mansions which Christ has gone to prepare for those that love him. Says the apostle, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” ST September 16, 1889, par. 5
We should weave faith into all our religious experience. We should lift up our souls, and talk of the glory of God. How many there are who get into a strain of sadness, and talk in a hopeless way. What is the matter?—Satan has been misrepresenting the character of God to them. He has cast his shadow athwart their pathway, and, instead of talking faith, they have talked doubt. They have magnified the power of the enemy, and have become discouraged. When you feel darkness coming upon you, why not talk of the power of him who is the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of peace? Why not say, “I have a mighty Saviour. My faith is fixed on him; it is entwined about Christ. He is my hope and righteousness;” and if you do this, it will not be long before your lips will speak forth the praises of God. ST September 16, 1889, par. 6
We should seek to understand the truth of heavenly origin. Christ is the author of truth, and he intends that we shall understand its principles. But how many say, We have read the Bible, and we cannot understand this or that, and therefore we reject the whole of it. Why is it that they cannot understand some part of the truth?—It is because they seek to interpret the word of God according to their own preconceived opinions. There are others who read the Bible only to prove their own position, and to bend everything according to their own way of thinking. He who cherishes error, has no one to blame but himself; for he who seeks diligently for truth will find it, and be sanctified through it. We should desire to know the truth in every point. The understanding is to be sanctified through the knowledge of the truth. We should desire to see its beauty, and to have its precious light shining upon our pathway. ST September 16, 1889, par. 7
Satan would have our minds belittled by contact with trivial things. The mind that feeds upon common thoughts, will be a common mind; but if it is carried up to the height of eternal things, the things of eternity will become full of interest, and the mind will be elevated and ennobled. Our physical being is composed of what we eat, and our spiritual nature is also composed of what it feeds upon. If you allow the mind to dwell upon common things, it will be of a common order. If you are here as pilgrims and strangers, you will talk of the country to which you are traveling. You will act as though you expected to dwell there. The mine of truth has been left to us to explore, and how shall we know what are its hidden treasures unless we dig in its depths? We must search as a miner searches for gems in the earth. There is nothing that can give us greater breadth of mind than the daily study of God's word. We should wrestle with the difficult problems of the Scriptures. The divine Teacher will help you in the study of truth. The angels will be at your side to aid you to understand its principles and appropriate its promises. ST September 16, 1889, par. 8
Let us fill memory's hall with beautiful pictures of divine things. Why is it that we talk so much of the commonplace affairs of life? We should have a more elevated conversation. Says the apostle, “Be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” If we should obey this injunction, it would place us on vantage ground. Let us talk of the hope of immortality, and seek to win others to Christ. We should not act as though we were bearing a grievous yoke when we seek to fulfill the requirements of God. Jesus says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Our Saviour is not in Joseph's new tomb. He is risen, and has ascended up on high, where he ever liveth to make intercession for us. ST September 16, 1889, par. 9
Let us talk of the blessed eternal inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. As you dwell upon heavenly things, you will become assimilated to the divine. Shall we not honor God? Shall we not seek to educate all within the sphere of our influence to honor him? If we ever join the song of the redeemed above, we must begin to sing the song here. If we would fill the vault of heaven with rich music, we must learn the notes of praise below. Talk not to me of earth; for my eyes have looked upon the King in his beauty, and it is the greatest and most glorious work to honor God. Let me be little and unknown, but let my name have a place in the Lamb's book of life, and be immortalized among the heavenly host. I want to praise God with an immortal tongue. No mortal language can describe the glory of Heaven. We should let the theme of God's love absorb the whole mind and attention. We should make a life-long effort to seek by patient continuance in well-doing, for immortality and eternal glory. I want to receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away, when the faithful people of God receive their crowns of life. When we catch a little glimpse of the glory of God, our hearts are filled with inexpressible joy. We must look away from self to Jesus, for he has provided that we may have joy and peace in the Holy Ghost; and as we behold the matchless charms of Christ, we shall be changed into the same image. ST September 16, 1889, par. 10