Sabbath Afternoon May 23

Memory Text: “I will never forget thy

precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.
I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy
precepts. KJV — Psalm 119:93, 94
“The law and the gospel, revealed in the Word,
are to be preached to the people; for the law and
the gospel, blended, will convict of sin. God’s
law, while condemning sin, points to the gospel,
revealing Jesus Christ, in whom “dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily.” The glory of the
gospel reflects light upon the Jewish age, giving
significance to the whole Jewish economy of
types and shadows. Thus both the law and the
gospel are blended. In no discourse are they to be
divorced.—Manuscript 21, 1891. Ev 231.3
“The religionist generally has divorced the law
and the gospel, while we have on the other hand
almost done the same from another standpoint.
We have not held up before the people the
righteousness of Christ and the full significance
of His great plan of redemption. We have left out
Christ and His matchless love, and brought in the
theories and reasonings, preached arguments.—
Manuscript 24, 1890.” Ev 231.4
Sunday May 24, – Distractions and
Temptations
Read about Samson’s temptations in Judges
14 and Judges 16:1, 4, 16, 17. Although called
by God for a specific purpose, Samson served
God while giving in to temptation. What does
the outcome of his life teach us?
“Had Samson been true to his divine calling, the
purpose of God could have been accomplished in
his honor and exaltation. But he yielded to
temptation and proved untrue to his trust, and his
mission was fulfilled in defeat, bondage, and
death.
“Physically, Samson was the strongest man
upon the earth; but in self-control, integrity, and
firmness, he was one of the weakest of men.
Many mistake strong passions for a strong
character, but the truth is that he who is mastered
by his passions is a weak man. The real greatness
of the man is measured by the power of the
feelings that he controls, not by those that control
him. PP 567
“God's providential care had been over Samson,
that he might be prepared to accomplish the work
which he was called to do. At the very outset of
life he was surrounded with favorable conditions
for physical strength, intellectual vigor, and
moral purity. But under the influence of wicked
associates he let go that hold upon God which is
man's only safeguard, and he was swept away by
the tide of evil. Those who in the way of duty are
brought into trial may be sure that God will
preserve them; but if men willfully place
themselves under the power of temptation, they
will fall, sooner or later. PP 568.1
“The very ones whom God purposes to use as His
instruments for a special work, Satan employs his
utmost power to lead astray. He attacks us at our
weak points, working through defects in the
character to gain control of the whole man; and
he knows that if these defects are cherished, he
will succeed. But none need be overcome. Man
is not left alone to conquer the power of evil by
his own feeble efforts. Help is at hand and will be
given to every soul who really desires it. Angels
of God, that ascend and descend the ladder which
Jacob saw in vision, will help every soul who
will, to climb even to the highest heaven.”
Monday May 25 – Strongholds in my
relationship with God
Jesus warned about what we should do when
our hands, feet, and eyes cause us to sin. What
was Jesus warning us about? Read Mark
9:42–48.
“There may be cherished by us certain wrong
things that are seemingly as dear as a hand or a
foot. These things are to be put away from us
forever. Never are our peculiar, unsanctified
ideas to be pressed upon others....” RC 283.4
“If anything stands in the way of our surrender to
Christ, even though it be as dear to us as a hand
or a foot or an eye, it will be to our interest to let
it go, rather than to lose eternal life.” 23LtMs, Ms
47, 1908, par. 11
“Each one has a work of overcoming to do. If the
objectionable trait of character is not overcome,
Satan will take advantage of the defect, and
thereby defile the whole man.” ST December 24,
1894, par. 7
“Here Christ would teach us that the character-
building needs close and careful attention. This is
the work that Judas’ keen perception might have
discerned if he had received the lessons which
Christ sought to teach him. His objectionable
traits of character would then have disappeared,
and he would have become meek and lowly of
heart, like his Master. ST May 20, 1897, par. 9
“And this work is something that we as well as
Judas must do. Those who have hereditary
tendencies to evil, those who are putting forth
thorn branches to wound all with whom they
come in contact, should see that the offending
members are cut away. Painful as this work may
be of separating the evil from our character, it
must be done. Selfishness and covetousness,
which is idolatry; the harsh and unkind spirit,
that, manifested in word or deed, will wound and
destroy souls, must be taken out of the life, or the
entire man will become offensive to himself and
to God. His hard-heartedness will cause him to
neglect the very ones who need his help.” ST
May 20, 1897, par. 10-12
“This is the bread which came down from
heaven, even the Word of God. And this Word,
received and appropriated by the living agents,
will produce that faith which works by love, and
purifies the soul. It will cut away the hereditary
tendencies to evil, and the wrong traits of
character that have been strengthened by
cultivation. However dearly we may prize these,
it is better to separate them from our life practise
now than to have their predominating power
defiling and corrupting the whole man. And not
only this, they destroy our influence for good,
and, instead of being a savor of life unto life, we
become a savor of death unto death.”
Tuesday May 26 – The Law
How would you define and describe sin to a
non-Christian? How does the Bible describe
sin? Read Romans 3:20 and 1 John 3:4.
“The law of God, from its very nature, is
unchangeable. It is a revelation of the will and the
character of its Author. God is love, and His law
is love. Its two great principles are love to God
and love to man. “Love is the fulfilling of the
law.” Romans 13:10. The character of God is
righteousness and truth; such is the nature of His
law. Says the psalmist: “Thy law is the truth:”
“all Thy commandments are righteousness.”
Psalm 119:142, 172. And the apostle Paul
declares: “The law is holy, and the
commandment holy, and just, and good.”
Romans 7:12. Such a law, being an expression of
the mind and will of God, must be as enduring as
its Author.
“It is the work of conversion and sanctification
to reconcile men to God by bringing them into
accord with the principles of His law. In the
beginning, man was created in the image of God.
He was in perfect harmony with the nature and
the law of God; the principles of righteousness
were written upon his heart. But sin alienated him
from his Maker. He no longer reflected the divine
image. His heart was at war with the principles of
God’s law. “The carnal mind is enmity against
God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7. But “God so
loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten
Son,” that man might be reconciled to God.
Through the merits of Christ he can be restored
to harmony with his Maker. His heart must be
renewed by divine grace; he must have a new life
from above. This change is the new birth, without
which, says Jesus, “he cannot see the kingdom of
God.” GC 467
“The first step in reconciliation to God is the
conviction of sin. “Sin is the transgression of the
law.” “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” 1
John 3:4; Romans 3:20. In order to see his guilt,
the sinner must test his character by God’s great
standard of righteousness. It is a mirror which
shows the perfection of a righteous character and
enables him to discern the defects in his own.
“The law reveals to man his sins, but it provides
no remedy. While it promises life to the obedient,
it declares that death is the portion of the
transgressor. The gospel of Christ alone can free
him from the condemnation or the defilement of
sin. He must exercise repentance toward God,
whose law has been transgressed; and faith in
Christ, his atoning sacrifice. Thus he obtains
“remission of sins that are past” and becomes a
partaker of the divine nature. He is a child of
God, having received the spirit of adoption,
whereby he cries: ‘Abba, Father!’” GC 467
Wednesday May 27 – The Law and the Gospel
In Matthew 5:17, 18, what did Jesus say about
the law?
“It is the Creator of men, the Giver of the law,
who declares that it is not His purpose to set aside
its precepts. Everything in nature, from the mote
in the sunbeam to the worlds on high, is under
law. And upon obedience to these laws the order
and harmony of the natural world depend. So
there are great principles of righteousness to
control the life of all intelligent beings, and upon
conformity to these principles the well-being of
the universe depends. Before this earth was
called into being, God's law existed. Angels are
governed by its principles, and in order for earth
to be in harmony with heaven, man also must
obey the divine statutes. To man in Eden Christ
made known the precepts of the law “when the
morning stars sang together, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7. The mission of
Christ on earth was not to destroy the law, but by
His grace to bring man back to obedience to its
precepts.
“The beloved disciple, who listened to the
words of Jesus on the mount, writing long
afterward under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
speaks of the law as of perpetual obligation. He
says that “sin is the transgression of the law” and
that “whosoever committeth sin transgresseth
also the law.” 1 John 3:4. He makes it plain that
the law to which he refers is “an old
commandment which ye had from the
beginning.” 1 John 2:7. He is speaking of the law
that existed at the creation and was reiterated
upon Mount Sinai. MB 48
“Speaking of the law, Jesus said, “I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfill.” He here used the word
“fulfill” in the same sense as when He declared
to John the Baptist His purpose to “fulfill all
righteousness” (Matthew 3:15); that is, to fill up
the measure of the law's requirement, to give an
example of perfect conformity to the will of God.
“His mission was to “magnify the law, and make
it honorable.” Isaiah 42:21. He was to show the
spiritual nature of the law, to present its far-
reaching principles, and to make plain its eternal
obligation. MB 48, 49
“The divine beauty of the character of Christ, of
whom the noblest and most gentle among men
are but a faint reflection; of whom Solomon by
the Spirit of inspiration wrote, He is “the chiefest
among ten thousand, ... yea, He is altogether
lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:10-16); of whom
David, seeing Him in prophetic vision, said,
“Thou art fairer than the children of men” (Psalm
45:2); Jesus, the express image of the Father's
person, the effulgence of His glory; the self-
denying Redeemer, throughout His pilgrimage of
love on earth, was a living representation of the
character of the law of God. In His life it is made
manifest that heaven-born love, Christlike
principles, underlie the laws of eternal rectitude.
“‘Till heaven and earth pass,’ said Jesus, ‘one jot
or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled.’ By His own obedience to the law,
Christ testified to its immutable character and
proved that through His grace it could be
perfectly obeyed by every son and daughter of
Adam. On the mount He declared that not the
smallest iota should pass from the law till all
things should be accomplished—all things that
concern the human race, all that relates to the
plan of redemption. He does not teach that the
law is ever to be abrogated, but He fixes the eye
upon the utmost verge of man's horizon and
assures us that until this point is reached the law
will retain its authority so that none may suppose
it was His mission to abolish the precepts of the
law. So long as heaven and earth continue, the
holy principles of God's law will remain. His
righteousness, “like the great mountains” (Psalm
36:6), will continue, a source of blessing, sending
forth streams to refresh the earth.” MB 49.3
Thursday May 28 – Knowing and Doing
Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount by
leaving His listeners with a poignant final
challenge. What was it? Matthew 7:24–29
“Jesus ended His teaching on the mount with an
illustration that presented with startling
vividness the importance of putting in practice
the words He had spoken. Among the crowds
that thronged about the Saviour were many who
had spent their lives about the Sea of Galilee. As
they sat upon the hillside, listening to the words
of Christ, they could see valleys and ravines
through which the mountain streams found their
way to the sea. In summer these streams often
wholly disappeared, leaving only a dry and dusty
channel. But when the wintry storms burst upon
the hills, the rivers became fierce, raging
torrents, at times overspreading the valleys and
bearing everything away on their resistless
flood. Often, then, the hovels reared by the
peasants on the grassy plain, apparently beyond
the reach of danger, were swept away. But high
upon the hills were houses built upon the rock.
In some parts of the land were dwellings built
wholly of rock, and many of them had withstood
the tempests of a thousand years. These houses
were reared with toil and difficulty. They were
not easy of access, and their location appeared
less inviting than the grassy plain. But they were
founded upon the rock, and wind and flood and
tempest beat upon them in vain.
“Like the builders of these houses on the rock,
said Jesus, is he who shall receive the words that
I have spoken to you, and make them the
foundation of his character and life. Centuries
before, the prophet Isaiah had written, “The
word of our God shall stand forever” (Isaiah
40:8); and Peter, long after the Sermon on the
Mount was given, quoting these words of Isaiah
added, “This is the word which by the gospel is
preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:25). The word of
God is the only steadfast thing our world knows.
It is the sure foundation. “Heaven and earth shall
pass away,” said Jesus, “but My words shall not
pass away.” Matthew 24:35. MB 148
“The great principles of the law, of the very
nature of God, are embodied in the words of
Christ on the mount. Whoever builds upon them
is building upon Christ, the Rock of Ages. In
receiving the word, we receive Christ. And only
those who thus receive His words are building
upon Him. “Other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1
 Corinthians 3:11. “There is none other name
under heaven, given among men, whereby we
must be saved.” Acts 4:12. Christ, the Word, the
revelation of God,—the manifestation of His
character, His law, His love, His life,—is the
only foundation upon which we can build a
character that will endure. MB 147, 148
“We build on Christ by obeying His word. It is
not he who merely enjoys righteousness, that is
righteous, but he who does righteousness.
Holiness is not rapture; it is the result of
surrendering all to God; it is doing the will of our
heavenly Father. When the children of Israel
were encamped on the borders of the Promised
Land, it was not enough for them to have a
knowledge of Canaan, or to sing the songs of
Canaan. This alone would not bring them into
possession of the vineyards and olive groves of
the goodly land. They could make it theirs in
truth only by occupation, by complying with the
conditions, by exercising living faith in God, by
appropriating His promises to themselves, while
they obeyed His instruction.” MB 149
Friday May 29 – Further Thought
“Christ, the true foundation, is a living stone;
His life is imparted to all that are built upon Him.
“Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual
house.” “Each several building, fitly framed
together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord.”
1 Peter 2:5 , R.V.; Ephesians 2:21 , R.V. The
stones became one with the foundation; for a
common life dwells in all. That building no
tempest can overthrow; for— MB 150.2
“‘That which shares the life of God,
With Him surviveth all.’
“But every building erected on other foundation
than God's word will fall. He who, like the Jews
in Christ's day, builds on the foundation of
human ideas and opinions, of forms and
ceremonies of man's invention, or on any works
that he can do independently of the grace of
Christ, is erecting his structure of character upon
the shifting sand. The fierce tempests of
temptation will sweep away the sandy foundation
and leave his house a wreck on the shores of time.
“‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God, ...
Judgment also will I lay to the line, and
righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall
sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters
shall overflow the hiding place.’ Isaiah 28:16, 17.
“But today mercy pleads with the sinner. “As I
live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn
from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your
evil ways; for why will ye die?” Ezekiel 33:11.
The voice that speaks to the impenitent today is
the voice of Him who in heart anguish exclaimed
as He beheld the city of His love: “O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, which killeth the prophets, and
stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often
would I have gathered thy children together, even
as a hen gathereth her own brood under her
wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is
left unto you desolate.” Luke 13:34, 35 , R.V. In
Jerusalem, Jesus beheld a symbol of the world
that had rejected and despised His grace. He was
weeping, O stubborn heart, for you! Even when
Jesus’ tears were shed upon the mount, Jerusalem
might yet have repented, and escaped her doom.
For a little space the Gift of heaven still waited
her acceptance. So, O heart, to you Christ is still
speaking in accents of love: “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.” “Now is the
accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation.” Revelation 3:20; 2 Corinthians 6:2.
“You who are resting your hope on self are
building on the sand. But it is not yet too late to
escape the impending ruin. Before the tempest
breaks, flee to the sure foundation. “Thus saith
the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a
foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious
cornerstone, of sure foundation: he that believeth
shall not make haste.” “Look unto Me, and be ye
saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and
there is none else.” “Fear thou not; for I am with
thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of My
righteousness.” “Ye shall not be ashamed nor
confounded world without end.” Isaiah 28:16,
R.V.; 45:22; 41:10; 45:17.” MB 151, 152
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