SECOND QUARTER 2024
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #7
MAY 18, 2024
“MOTIVATED BY HOPE”#

 

Since the fall, for thousands of years and countless generations, the human race has been missing the close relationship that Adam and Eve enjoyed with God in the Garden of Eden.

Knowing Satan’s plan of deceit, the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, had a plan and a promise to reunite mankind with our Creator while still allowing each and every one of us the power of choice. This plan for our salvation has been in place from the very beginning: “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).

When Christ came to us as our Lord and Saviour over 2000 years ago, He was willing to suffer and die, not only the agonizing death on the Cross, but also the eternal death, separation from the Father, which is the penalty for each and every sin.

When Christ spoke to the disciples after His resurrection, He made it very clear that He would come back to take His people home, both those that are alive and those asleep in their graves.

This is the Christian’s hope and motivation from when He left us to serve as our High Priest and Intercessor in the Heavenly Sanctuary until today.

Christ is the Bridegroom, waiting for His bride, His remnant last day church, to be ready as well. Ellen White makes it clear multiple times in her writings.

God had committed to His people a work to be accomplished on earth. The third angel's message was to be given, the minds of believers were to be directed to the heavenly sanctuary, where Christ had entered to make atonement for His people. The Sabbath reform was to be carried forward. The breach in the law of God must be made up. The message must be proclaimed with a loud voice, that all the inhabitants of earth might receive the warning. The people of God must purify their souls through obedience to the truth, and be prepared to stand without fault before Him at His coming.

Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith, and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, they would have seen the salvation of God, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward. —Ellen G. White, 1 Selected Messages, pp. 67,68, emphases supplied here and throughout.

Sister Ellen articulates clearly that God is doing everything possible to help His remnant church be ready for Christ’s return:

The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel’s message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure. —Ellen G. White, Letters and Manuscripts, Vol. 10, Letter 57, 1895, par. 43.

Here we see that the Lord sent a most precious message to His people (that’s us!) through Elders Waggoner and Jones. “Most precious” means it was the most valuable thing He could send, having already given us His Son (see John 3:16-17). Its purpose was to uplift Christ and bring our focus back to His love, His righteousness, His sacrifice, which God commands that we share with the world as it represents the everlasting gospel as reflected by the third angel’s message. This is indeed a message of hope for us today!

Let’s now consider some thoughts from Elders Waggoner and Jones to help us focus on the hope that God has for us:

“When He Shall Appear.” -What then? “We shall be like Him.” How is that? “And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin.” 1 John 3:2-5. Sometimes people ask, “What practical bearing has the doctrine of the second coming of Christ?” The scripture quoted shows that it has a most practical bearing on present living. “This hope” is elsewhere called “the blessed hope” of the church; and everyone who has this hope of being like Christ when His glory is revealed, will be daily yielding the life to Him now, to follow in His steps. —E. J. Waggoner, Present Truth UK, October 21, 1897, p. 672.

Any preaching of the gospel that leaves out Christ’s second advent, is not Scriptural preaching. The death and resurrection of Christ afford the Christian a strong ground for hope of salvation; but since that salvation is to be revealed only at Christ’s second coming, John 14:1-3; Colossians 3:4; 1 Peter 1:5; Hebrews 9:28, etc., if that coming should be studiously concealed, the hope of the second coming aroused by the knowledge of the resurrection of Christ would be turned into despair. Should Christ not come, then the plan of salvation would be as much a failure as it would have been had he never risen from the dead. But Christ is coming again, and this thought should be to us an ever-present blessed hope. — E. J. Waggoner, Sign of the Times, October 11, 1883, p. 449.

Accepting Jesus Christ made the early apostolic church what it was, united in heart and purpose, in word and doctrine, in worship, in life. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship;” “and the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; ... and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all.” Thus, it was in that early church. How precious to them were the truths and hope of the resurrection, the second coming of Christ, the atonement in its fullest and strongest sense, the power of the simple Word and Holy Spirit of God in those days! —E. J. Waggoner, Signs of the Times, November 25, 1897, p. 722.

The only hope of future life which the Word of God presents is in the resurrection of the dead. This is the hope of the righteous; it is the Christian’s hope. Paul, in discussing this subject of the resurrection of the dead, proves first that Christ is risen, and then says, “Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen; and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:12-14. It is evident that there were some at Corinth, even as there are some now, who professed to believe in Christ, and at the same time believed not in the resurrection of the dead. But Paul settles that at once by saying, “If there be no resurrection of the dead,” your faith in Christ is vain. This proves plainly that our hope and faith in Christ meet their fruition only at and by the resurrection of the dead.

The hope of life by Christ at the resurrection of the dead, is the hope in which Paul lived, the hope in which he exercised himself, the hope which he preached….

Now put these things together: (a) He stood and was judged for the hope of the promise made of God. (b) This was the promise made unto the fathers. (c) Unto this promise the twelve tribes—all Israel—hope to come. (d) For this hope he was accused of the Jews. (e) But he was accused—called in question—of the Jews “touching the resurrection of the dead.” (f) Therefore the hope of the promise of God, made unto the fathers, is the hope of the promise of the resurrection of the dead….

Therefore, it is plainly proved that the hope which God has set before us in Christ and his blessed gospel, is the hope of the resurrection from the dead unto everlasting life and eternal glory. And as this resurrection all depends upon the glorious appearing of our Saviour, therefore the second coming of our Saviour is inseparably connected with this, the Christian’s “blessed hope.” Thus saith the Lord, “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11-13.

Time and space would fail us to quote the words of this hope, expressed by David, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Daniel, and Hosea, and Micah, and all the prophets and apostles. We can only cite again the words that this is the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers, unto which promise we instantly serving God day and night hope to come. Why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should raise the dead? The righteous dead shall live again at the coming of the Lord, and therefore we look and anxiously wait for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus. Like faithful Job, our reins within us are consumed with earnest desire for that glorious day. And as He assures us, “Surely I come quickly,” our hearts reply, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” —A.T. Jones, The Bible Echo ,Vol. 7, No. 23, December 1, 1892, pp. 355,356.

The motivation and hope seen and shared above by the Lord’s messengers, Waggoner and Jones, was in unity with Mrs. White’s view which is why she went out together with them to share the “precious message” the Lord had given to His people so that we would be ready for Him to take us home!

Ellen White expands further on the hope that God has given us:

As the disciples stood gazing intently upward to catch the last glimpse of him whom they loved, their attention was arrested by the words, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” [Acts 1:11.] Hope was kindled afresh by the angels’ message. The disciples “returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.” [Luke 24:52, 53.] They were not rejoicing because Jesus had been separated from them and they were left to struggle with the trials and temptations of the world, but because of the angels’ assurance that he would come again.

The proclamation of Christ's coming should now be, as when made by the angels to the shepherds of Bethlehem, good tidings of great joy. Those who really love the Saviour cannot but hail with gladness the announcement founded upon the Word of God, that He in whom their hopes of eternal life are centered, is coming again, not to be insulted, despised, and rejected, as at His first advent, but in power and glory, to redeem His people.

With such a prospect as this before us, such a glorious hope, such a redemption that Christ has purchased for us by His own blood, shall we hold our peace? Shall we not praise God even with a loud voice, as did the disciples when Jesus rode into Jerusalem? Is not our prospect far more glorious than was theirs? Who dare then forbid us glorifying God, even with a loud voice, when we have such a hope, big with immortality, and full of glory? We have tasted of the powers of the world to come, and long for more. —Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 339.

Finally, I wanted to share with you this closing thought from Mrs. White:

All heaven is interested for our salvation. Will we be interested for our own salvation? Let us cast away every doubt, everything that would shroud our souls in darkness. We know that the world is filled with iniquity, but shall we think and talk about that only? Shall we look here and there for defects and evils? Shall we look critically at the characters of our brethren? O let us think of the goodness of God! Let us tell of His power, sing of His love. Let us commit our souls unto God as unto a faithful Creator, and stop worrying and fretting. God will help us to live above the things of this life, and give us an abundance of good things to think about and to talk about. Let us come into the presence of Christ. He is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary. Let us enter there by faith. Provision has been made for our cleansing. A fountain has been opened for sin and uncleanness. Ask in faith for the grace of God, and you will not ask in vain. — Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, May 28, 1889, par. 11.

May we all be encouraged by the hope of Christ’s second coming! The Bridegroom is ready and waiting on His bride! This is such good news that I pray that the Lord may inspire each of us to share this good news wherever possible!

 

~John Campbell