Christ Spans the
Gulf of Sin - Part 1
A sermon by
Ellen G. White delivered at
Armadale, Australia,
November 1895
"Behold, what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of
God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall
see Him as He is" (1 John 3:1, 2).
From the commencement to the
close, this chapter is full of precious lessons of instruction. We are
to make the Bible the man of our counsel, and instead of taking from it
that which we think will sustain us in our own opinions, we are to see
in it the lessons of instruction God has given for us. There is truth
for us in this Word, and that truth we must dig for as for hidden treasure.
We may search for the truth
as those have in past ages, thinking that we have a flood of light and
yet only comprehend a small portion of the real instruction, the efficiency,
and the fullness contained in the Scriptures. But when we search with
our heart and mind put to the utmost test, we shall know for ourselves
what we must do that we may have eternal life, for in the Bible there
is something to meet the wants of each one. An invisible Instructor will
be by our side, and we will find that the Author of this Word is not only
the Author but the Finisher of our faith. His Word standeth fast from
everlasting to everlasting, and we want to learn from it lessons of eternal
interest.
"Behold, what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of
God" (1 John 3:1). We cannot find words to express the love of God, but
He calls upon us to behold it. "For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life." "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up" (John 3:14).
It is not because God has given
His Son that He loves the world, but because He loved the world He gave
His Son, "that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life." As you connect yourself with Jesus Christ you connect
yourself with eternal life. His life is in you; you are hid with Christ
in God, "and when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4).
We have seen enough of what
the world calls perfection to know that all such is valueless, "for the
earth is corrupt under the inhabitants thereof." But if we hide our life
in Christ, we are the happiest mortals on the face of the earth. We have
a faith that works by love and purifies the soul, for Christ is the purifier
and the cleanser of everyone. Is Christ to you the first, the last, and
the best in everything? If He is, you have a hope that goes beyond the
dark shadows which, like a pall of death, cover the world; your hope is
cast within the veil. You do not drift hither and thither, but have a
firm foundation, even Christ Jesus.
The gospel was first proclaimed
in Eden. "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel" (Gen. 3:15). But through ages of sin the image of God was almost
obliterated from the earth. Satan said, Humanity cannot keep the law of
God. I can take their minds and mold and fashion them so that they will
not regard the law of God.
But God looked down upon our
earth, and seeing that the time had come, Christ the King of glory was
born a helpless babe in Bethlehem. He who is from everlasting, and who
is enshrouded in light unapproachable, He who fills all heaven with the
train of His glory, looks upon sin as the only hateful thing that there
is in our world, and yet He consented that His only begotten Son, sinless
and holy, should take the sin of the world upon Himself.
Leaving the royal courts of
heaven, Christ came to our world to represent the character of His Father,
and thus help humanity to return to their loyalty. The image of Satan
was upon men, and Christ came that He might bring to them moral power
and efficiency. He came as a helpless babe, bearing the humanity we bear.
"As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise
took part of the same" (Heb. 3:14). He could not come in the form of an
angel, for unless He met man as man, and testified by His connection with
God that divine power was not given to Him in a different way to what
it will be given to us, He could not be a perfect example for us.
He came in humility, in order
that the humblest being upon the face of the earth could have no excuse
because of his poverty or ignorance, and say, Because of these things
I cannot obey the law of Jehovah. Christ clothed His divinity with humanity,
that humanity might touch humanity; that He might live with humanity,
and bear all the trials and afflictions of man. He was tempted in all
points like as we are, yet without sin. In His
humanity He understood all the temptations that will come to man.
After Christ had been placed
in the tomb, Roman guards were stationed round to protect His body. But
a mighty angel from the court of heaven parted the darkness from his track,
and descended to where the Son of God lay. When his light fell on the
guards, they fell as dead men to the earth. But if the light from one
angel caused men to fall to the earth as dead, Christ could not have come
with even that glory. He took humanity that we, by partaking of His nature,
might receive the impress of Jehovah, and stand as witnesses before men
and angels, and before the whole army of the powers of darkness, of the
efficacy of a crucified Saviour.
Humility marked the path of
Christ from the manger to the cross. He was a man in this small atom of
a world, yet He conquered the power of Satan and released humanity from
his grasp. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me," He said, "because He hath
anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal
the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke
4:18).
Step by step Christ descended
the path of humility, pursued by the enemy. He wrestled 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"
Eph. 6:12. This is our work, and therefore the exhortation is given, "Wherefore
take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand
in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (verse 12). In our fight
we are barricaded by the ten commandments. "If ye do them," says Christ,
"ye shall live in them."
Christ entered the tomb that
man might pass through the tomb and rise with a resurrection-life. He
burst the fetters of the tomb, and over the rent sepulcher of Joseph He
proclaimed, "I am the resurrection and the life." And when the last trump
shall sound, the Lifegiver will open the prison houses and those who have
fallen asleep in Christ will come forth to a glorious immortality.
Concluded
in Part 2
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|  God's
Word Our Assurance
Christ
Our Righteousness A Morning Talk
Through
Faith Alone Part 1
Through
Faith Alone Part 2
What
Was Secured by the Death of Christ
Seek
Those Things Which are Above Part 1
Seek
Those Things Which are Above Part 2
Christ,
Our Loving Comforter and Restorer
Work
to Show Christ to the World
"Let
Him Take Hold of My Strength"
Ellen
G. White's Last Recorded Letter
The
Joy of Giving
A
New Year's Day Letter
Christ
Our Hope
A
Letter of Comfort and Assurance
Prevailing
Prayer
A
Prayer of Consecration
Help
for the Tempted
God
Will Provide
Christ's
Righteousness Avails
Trusting
Christ
The
Fair Flowers of Promise
How
God’s Love is Manifested, Part 1
How
God’s Love is Manifested, Part 2
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 1
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 2
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 3
"I
Will Give You Rest"
Working
as Christ Worked
A
Life-Changing Experience
The
Character of God Revealed in Christ
What
God Desires Us to Be
God's
Plans the Best
A
Peculiar People
God
With Us
Ask
and it shall be given you, Part 1
Ask
and it shall be given you, Part 2
The
Meaning of God's Pardoning Love, Part 1
The
Meaning of God's Pardoning Love, Part 2
The
Foundation of Our Peace
One
Thing Impossible With God
Windows
Wide Open
The
Only Foundation
Christ
Spans the Gulf of Sin, Part 1
Christ
Spans the Gulf of Sin, Part 2
Homeward
Bound
A
New Year's Day Letter
Asking
to Give
The
Mighty and Inspiring Conflict
God's
Word a Treasure House
True
Success
Little
Things
You May Trust
Him
Hearts
Filled with Thankfullnes to God
Calamities
and God’s Love; Sin, Judgment, and the Shortness of Time
Lord
is Risen
The
Sabbath
Some Thoughts
for the New Year
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