Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

August 31, 2018

8/31/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        JESUS REVEALED BY DEATH

        I am the resurrection, and the life: he that beleiveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. John 11:25

    There's a long list of unpleasant words that begin with the letter D. There's darkness and defeat and dismay and despair and doubt and discouragement and disaster and distress and discord and discontent! How's that? Do you like those? But the most dreaded of all these is the word death.

    Many people in the world at large believe that when you die, that's it. You're dead forever. There's nothing beyond the grave. Frankly, I'm not impressed with their theory, are you? It's not as if they were offering eternity in Las Vegas versus eternity in heaven. That might have at least a little attraction for some. But it's eternity in heaven verse nothing. I'm thankful today that death is not the end, and that God has bigger plans for us then eternal annihilation.

    It is good news to realize that what we call death has never been any problem to God. Jesus called it sleep. We have read that the wages of sin is death--but the real wages of sin is the second death. The second death the Christian doesn't have to be concerned about. And what we call death, sleep, the moment of silence, is not something to be unduly concerned about either. The Desire of Ages, page 787, says, "To the believer, death is but a small matter. Christ speaks of it as if it were of little moment." Christ said, "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" (John 8:51).

    When the Lord Himself descends from heaven with a shout, and the dead in Christ are called forth from their sleeping beds, it will be one of the easiest things God ever did. The only problem for Jesus is unbelief--the problem of trying to persuade our stubborn wills to yield to His control, to come to Him that we might have life. That's the problem!

    When Jesus called death sleep, He was saying something wonderful, for sleeping carries with it the idea of the other end of the line--the waking up. When Jesus came to the damsel and said, "She's not dead, she's sleeping," He said that because He recognized that the waking-up time was coming. Because Jesus died, and rose again, each of us today has the choice of living forever. We may sleep--but we won't die. Jesus Himself will come to awaken us so that we may spend eternity with Him.

August 30, 2018

8/30/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        THE RISK OF FREEDOM

        So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him. Gen. 1:27.

    When God chose to allow Satan access to this world, to give him opportunity to prove his charges against the justice and love of God, He took a tremendous risk. God knew that by His very nature He Himself was limited to truth, righteousness, and fairness. He knew that Satan could deal in half-truths, deceit, pressure, and force. He knew that Satan would not be fair. God knew that many people would make the wrong choice. Why did He take such a chance?

    As we look at the costliness of sin, it should tell us something about how much free choice means to God. He has a great respect for our freedom to think and choose for ourselves. He appeals only to our minds, to our good judgment, to our love for Him that is awakened by His great love for us.

    Satan has taken full advantage of the freedoms that God allowed him. He spread rebellion among the angels, gaining almost half of them for his side. And he has worked to add to his numbers from this world ever since.

    It says something important to us about the character of Jesus that He is willing to take risks. He knows that He will often be misunderstood--both by those in rebellion, who will accuse Him of cruelty in His dealings with them, and by those who are loyal, who will question His wisdom in permitting the rebels to continue. To allow men free choice is the greatest risk that God could take, but it was the only way He could preserve our freedom. God was willing to go the hard way--to pay the terrible price of freedom--that we may have a universe forever free from sin throughout eternity.

    The price of freedom that God was willing to pay can never be comprehended by our minds. God was willing to send His Son to run the risk, along with each of us, of choosing rebellion. God was willing to stand weeping in the shadows as He watched His Son suffer and bleed and die, that we might have the choice to live. Jesus was willing to leave His place of honor and light and glory, finding heaven not a place to be desired if we could not be there with Him. The greatest accusation against God, by the greatest rebel of all time, was answered by the greatest love--and love triumphed, proving conclusively to the entire universe that God is love.

August 29, 2018

8/29/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        DOES GOD LOVE THE DEVIL?

        How are thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Isa. 14:12.

    Do you think Jesus loves the devil? Think of what the devil has done to Him. Think of the eternity of peace that he destroyed. Think of the pain and sorrow and death for thousands of years. Think of how much the devil hates Jesus. Do you think Jesus loves the devil?

    We have taken the position that crisis does not change character, that it merely reveals it. The entrance of sin into the universe, and the length to which God had to go to provide a way of escape, is the greatest crisis that Heaven has ever faced. And this crisis reveals His character of love as nothing else ever has or ever will. There is a very real sense in which the devil reveals Jesus. In the story of Satan the real hero is Jesus, and Jesus is therefore revealed in a way that is perhaps never revealed otherwise.

    Second Corinthians 13:8 tells us that we can do nothing against the truth--only for it. And the one who has done the most in the entire universe against the truth ends up revealing truth in a way never otherwise revealed.

    The first war came in heaven. This war did not catch God by surprise. But in spite of the fact that He knew in advance how Lucifer (who became Satan, or the devil) would respond, He created him, gave him positions of honor, and treated him with utmost fairness and love. He never discriminated against Lucifer. In fact, He is still treating Satan with fairness. We human beings cannot handle the foreknowledge that God has. If we knew in advance that someone was going to end up being our enemy, we'd start treating him like an enemy right now. But not God. He gave Lucifer every advantage.

    We see this revealed again in the life of Jesus. Jesus knew in the beginning that Judas would betray Him. But Jesus treated him with love and respect, giving him no excuse for his treachery. Jesus did everything in His power to reach Judas.

    God wanted only a service of love, made by a free choice. So God did not destroy Satan, but gave him opportunity to prove his point. By paying the terrible price of the cross, God was able to provide a universe ultimately free from sin forever, and still preserve the free choice of His created beings. What a motivation to us to choose Him and respond to His great love.

August 28, 2018

8/28/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        THE DEVIL IS A LIAR

        If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36.

    Satan is come upon our world with renewed force in these last days. He knows his time is short, and he works with all his cunning to deceive God's people and to deceive the whole world. One of the hallmarks of his working is the supernatural. He enjoys putting on a good show--and there are millions who respond to their senses and follow his leading because it is so spectacular. Only a few are willing to deny their sense and follow the Word of God regardless of appearances.

    From the very beginning, when Satan assured Eve that she wouldn't die, he has used as one of his greatest tools the concept that there is no death. Human beings don't find death that appealing, so they are willing to believe what he tells them. This opens the door for Satan to control lives.

    Another of his most successful ploys is to tell us that we can live as we choose--that sin doesn't make any difference. He has been telling people since the beginning of time that God's law doesn't have to be kept. He comes to the world at large and says, If it feels good, do it. He offers momentary sensory pleasure in exchange for eternity, and millions accept his offer without hesitation. He comes to the church, and says, God's law is too big, too vast, too complex. We can never hope to obey it. Just let the blood of Jesus cover, and do your best to be a nice person, and that will suffice. And those within the church too often follow blindly along.

    Jesus Christ offers us a different kind of life. He offers us the life of death to self. He offers us the indwelling, controlling power of His Spirit to keep us from sinning. In John 8:31 Jesus promised that if we continue in His love, and know the truth, the truth will make us free. He went on to explain that whoever sins is a slave to sin. The freedom Jesus brings is freedom from slavery, from sin, and from Satan's power.

    Spiritism is not a distant issue--we will each be confronted by it in some form or another. It is only as Jesus sets us free and keeps us free that our minds will not be under the control of the enemy. The only power stronger than Satan is that of Jesus, whose voice can command him to leave, and he must obey. It is this power that gives us safety in these perilous days.

August 27, 2018

8/27/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE DECEIVED

        Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph. 6:11.

    The enemy in this world is not merely humanity. The real enemy is stronger than we are. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Eph. 6:12, 13). Even though the enemy is stronger than we are, he is a defeated foe, so there is no reason for any of us to be defeated by him. The Lord has offered us an armor of truth that will protect us from Satan's attacks.

    One of the truths about Satan is that he enjoys the spectacular. He likes to do flashy things. We are warned about this in Revelation 17 and 2 Thessalonians 2. Satan knows that people are impressed by the sensational, and this is one of his tricks. Sin doesn't make sense. Physical evidence will warn you that smoking produces lung cancer. Common sense will tell you that losing your temper isn't the best way to handle a problem. Rebellion simply doesn't make good sense. So he plans his attack on another line--he tries to deceive us, to impress us with the supernatural. And if we trust our senses, we will be deceived.

    Sometimes we have thought that the final issues will be very simple. Do you keep the Sabbath, or don't you? Do you belong to the remnant church, or do you belong to one that isn't? But it will not be simple. Satan is planning to deceive the very elect, if possible. The only way he could hope to do so would be to come up with a deception that was very close to the real thing.

    It is an evidence of the love of God that He has given us warning in advance, that no one need to be taken in by the plans of the enemy. We have been warned against trusting to our senses, warned that we must trust only the Word of God, and warned that without the vital relationship with Him we will be deceived. God has done everything possible to prevent our being lost, because in His great love He wants each of us to spend eternity with Him.

August 26, 2018

8/26/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        JESUS REVEALED BY EVIL SPIRITS

        I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. Mark 1:24.

    Let's take a look today at how Jesus is revealed by evil spirits. It sounds almost sacrilegious to say it, but the premise is that every doctrine of the Bible in some way reveals Jesus. When Jesus was here on earth, He was confronted with evil spirits frequently. Look at Matthew 8:16, 17: "That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, 'He took our infirmities and bore our diseases' " (R.S.V.).

    In Mark 1:23 and onward we are told that "immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 'What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.' But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out of him!' And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying. 'What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him' " (R.S.V.). It is interesting to note that the first testimony recorded in Mark as to who Jesus was came from the Father Himself, in Mark 1:11. And the second as to who Jesus really was came from an evil spirit whose control over his victim was about to end. Maybe they know something that we don't know. After all, they dwell on a plane above that of mere humans. They understand the great controversy to a degree that we do not.

    Satan's working is more than superstition, and is effective today as well as back in the days of Christ. Satan is not as smart as God is, but he certainly is smarter than we are. He has planned a very clear attack on God's people in these day. When we see what he is planning, it throws light on some very beautiful things about Jesus and what His plans are. Because the devil is smart he attacks God's people at the points where it really counts. The Lord has shown us specific areas where Satan is attacking so that we can see what God sees to be the most crucial issues. God does not want us to be taken unawares, but to have our eyes open, and flee to Him for protection from all Satan's devices.

August 25, 2018

8/25/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        GOD IS FAIR AND JUST

        Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power. Rev. 20:6.

    What does the thousand years tell you about God, about Jesus? It tells you that God is absolutely insistent that the books are opened for everyone to see. He wants each one to understand clearly the nature of their own response to truth, and that of those around them. He is not going to do anything in secret or in hiding. He is anxious for everyone who is saved eternally to understand clearly why anyone is lost eternally.

    Part of the rationale for this thousand years of investigation is the forever sealing of the universe against sin. The history of sin will be open before all, and all can see the causes and the results. We will be able to trace the working of sin, not only upon our own hearts, but upon all who ever lived on this earth. Will there be some heartaches during that thousand years? Probably so. Can God take care of that? He's big enough, isn't He? I'm not sure what will be going on, or how it's going to proceed, but I do know enough about God and about Jesus to trust Him to work it out. He knows what is best.

    When the thousand years are finished, all the universe will realize that God has been fair and just every step of the way. He has never overstepped Himself. At the end of the thousand years, after the second resurrection, when the Holy City descends, and everyone who has ever lived or died meets for the first and last time, Jesus will be vindicated before all. Even Satan will admit that God has been fair and just in everything He has done.

    Which side of the walls of that city would you like to be on? Do you know? Will you be watching from the inside, or will you be among those standing outside whom Satan tries to inspire for one final attack on the city? He will rush among the ones who have come forth from their graves in the second resurrection--criminals, generals of armies, sinners from every age. He tries to get them to attack the city of God. He reminds them that they are in far greater number than the ones inside. But his power is at an end. It has been proved to the entire universe that God can be trusted, and throughout the rest of eternity we will dwell in peace, for sin will never rise up the second time. None will ever again doubt God's great love.

August 24, 2018

8/24/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        JESUS REVEALED IN THE THOUSAND YEARS

        Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou alone are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee. Rev. 15:4.

    Revelation 20 is the only chapter in the Bible where the thousand years, or millennium, is mentioned. Let's read the first six verses of the chapter. "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

    "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power."

    The beginning of the thousand years is the first resurrection. There is another resurrection at the end. The righteous are raised at the first resurrection, at the coming of Jesus. They are taken to heaven to live and reign with Christ. The wicked are in their graves until the second resurrection a thousand years later. Satan and his cohorts are bound to the earth.

    When Jesus comes, the announcement will be made that he that is unjust shall be unjust still, and he that is holy will be holy still. In spite of how much Satan would like us to believe that there will be a second chance, the Bible teaches that there is only one. But until that time, the door is still open. We still have the option of choosing to answer Christ's knock at the door of our hearts, and to prepare to meet Him. There is hope for each person today, as well as for those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Christ has the power to raise from the dead.

August 23, 2018

8/23/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        WHY ME?

        Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Matt. 10:31.

    When tragedy strikes, one of the first questions asked by its victims is usually, "Why me? Why did this have to happen to me?" But after the first shock and pain is over, and we begin to become more aware of the sorrow and tragedy that is all around us in the world, the second phase is usually, "Why them? Why all these others around me that I see hurting, too?" Then we can begin to try helping others as best we can. The one who stays in the first stage, simply concerned with himself and why this had to happen to him, has problems that go on forever. The one who moves to concern for others discovers his problems diminishing.

    We can see something similar in relationship to this whole world of sin. Have you ever asked why you had to be born here? When your eyes have been opened, and you see that you live in a world that has gone wrong, has your first reaction been, Why me? But God leads the poor sinner to look around him and discover that others are suffering also. His own misery changes into compassion as he looks out on a world of tragedy and asks, "Why them? Why all of them?"

    But there is yet a bigger issue that we can be led to see, after our attention has been attracted away from ourselves. Why the universe? Why God? Why the broken heart of Jesus? Have you ever felt concern for them, up there?

    We see a tiny fragment of the sorrow and pain of the world. We watch the news, see pictures flash past of a part of disaster--a few who are starving, one who has died. And we weep for the little we see. But God see it all. He feels each pain with His infinite heart of love, which yearns after each of His children with a desire that would have made the sacrifice of the cross for even that one. His great heart of love is broken again as our hearts are broken. And His greatest sorrow comes from those that He longs to help, who refuse to come to Him for life.

    True maturity in the Christian life is less concerned with one's personal salvation than with seeking to bring relief to others, not for our sake, and not even for their sake alone--but for the sake of the God we love.

August 22, 2018

8/22/2018

Jesus Revealed in Doctrine                        GOD FINISHES WHAT HE STARTS

        For yet a little while and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Heb. 10:37.

    Several years ago my father and my uncle were holding meetings in a certain city. My uncle had just started preaching one night when a man near the front of the auditorium jumped up and turned around and began shouting to the congregation. He said, "Don't believe what these Venden brothers are telling you. They are talking about the end of the world, and it's never going to happen. Things continue just like they always have and always will." He turned to my uncle and continued, "You can't show me one single proof that it's going to happen."

    And my uncle said, "Yes, I can--you're the latest one I've seen!"

    "What do you mean?"

    And my uncle read from 2 Peter 3:3, 4, "There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." And the man slumped into his seat. Exciting things happened back there on the sawdust trail! The Lord gave the right scripture at the right time.

    God doesn't start something and leave it undone. It is a habit of people here in this world of sin to start things and never finish them. Parents try to teach their children to finish what they've started. But Jesus always finishes things. On the morning of the resurrection He paused long enough to fold the graveclothes and put them neatly away. He was finished with them. He needed them no more. That tells you something about Jesus.

    What is He going to finish when He comes again? He's going to finish the great plan of salvation, of redemption, of restoration. He has made provision to more than make up to us for being born in this world of sin. He is able to carry forward to the end the work He has started in our lives. He can follow through to the end, which is only the beginning of eternity.

    Jesus is coming. He is coming openly, to be seen by all. He is coming to finish the work that He began in redemption. He is coming to deliver us from a world of sin, and to take us to live forever with Him in the homes He has prepared for those who love Him.