“A wise purpose underlay every act of Christ’s life on earth. Everything He did was important in itself and in its teaching.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 206
When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Wilt thou be made whole?” John 5:6. “And He said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but One, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17.
These two verses are preaching us two different thoughts, but these two brought us to our loving Saviour Jesus Christ. The first one says that Jesus Christ is the only healer of sick people. The second says that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of sinful mankind, and that if we keep the commandments of God, we can enter into life and into the kingdom of heaven. My life is in Jesus, where is your life? Very simple answer: Jesus Christ is our life. So if you want to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments of Jesus. How can we explain this?
Bethesda—A Pool and the Church
“Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.” John 5:2–5
A great multitude of sick people were gathered near the pool called Bethesda to get cured from their diseases. Only the one who stepped in first would be made well after the angel stirred the water. But when sick people come to our Saviour Jesus Christ, they can be made well. Likewise, in these last days, we have to come to our Saviour Jesus Christ for our salvation because we are also living as sick people; our sickness is sin. If we want redemption from sin, we have to gather in the church every Sabbath. The Church is like a pool; our names are entered in the church books, but that is not enough. If we are still sinful, how can we be freed from sin? We must always look upon our Saviour Jesus Christ who hung on the cross for our sins. The Bible says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. Our only source is the name of Jesus Christ. “Whatever may be the evil practice, the master passion which through long indulgence binds both soul and body, Christ is able and longs to deliver. He will impart life to the soul that is ‘dead in trespasses.’ Ephesians 2:1. He will set free the captive that is held by weakness and misfortune and the chains of sin.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 203
What was happening there?
“At certain seasons the waters of this pool were agitated, and it was commonly believed that this was the result of supernatural power, and that whoever first after the troubling of the pool stepped into the waters, would be healed of whatever disease he had. Hundreds of sufferers visited the place; but so great was the crowd when the water was troubled that they rushed forward, trampling underfoot men, women, and children, weaker than themselves. . . . There were some who spent the night in these porches, creeping to the edge of the pool day after day, in the vain hope of relief.
“Jesus was again at Jerusalem. Walking alone, in apparent meditation and prayer, He came to the pool. He saw the wretched sufferers watching for that which they supposed to be their only chance of cure. He longed to exercise His healing power, and make every sufferer whole. But it was the Sabbath day. Multitudes were going to the temple for worship, and He knew that such an act of healing would so excite the prejudice of the Jews as to cut short His work.
“But the Saviour saw one case of supreme wretchedness. It was that of a man who had been a helpless cripple for thirty-eight years. His disease was in a great degree the result of his own sin, and was looked upon as a judgment from God. Alone and friendless, feeling that he was shut out from God’s mercy, the sufferer had passed long years of misery. . . .
“Jesus stated to them that the work of relieving the afflicted was in harmony with the Sabbath law. It was in harmony with the work of God’s angels, who are ever descending and ascending between heaven and earth to minister to suffering humanity. Jesus declared, ‘My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.’ All days are God’s, in which to carry out His plans for the human race. If the Jew’s interpretation of the law was correct, then Jehovah was at fault, whose work has quickened and upheld every living thing since first He laid the foundation of the earth; then He who pronounced His work good, and instituted the Sabbath to commemorate its completion, must put a period to His labor, and stop the never-ending routine of the universe.
“Should God forbid the sun to perform its office upon the Sabbath, cut off its genial rays from warming the earth and nourishing vegetation? Must the system of worlds stand still through that holy day? Should He command the brooks to stay from watering the fields and forests, and bid the waves of the sea still their ceaseless ebbing and flowing? Must the wheat and corn stop growing, and the ripening cluster defer its purple bloom? Must the trees and flowers put forth no bud nor blossom on the Sabbath?” –The Desire of Ages, pp. 201–202, 206–207
Wilt thou be made whole?
“The sick man was lying on his mat, and occasionally lifting his head to gaze at the pool, when a tender, compassionate face bent over him, and the words, ‘wilt thou be made whole?’ arrested his attention. Hope came to his heart. He felt that in some way he was to have help. . . .
“Jesus does not ask this sufferer to exercise faith in Him. He simply says, ‘Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.’ But the man’s faith takes hold upon that word. Every nerve and muscle thrills with new life, and healthful action comes to his crippled limbs. Without question he sets his will to obey the command of Christ, and all his muscles respond to his will. Springing to his feet, he finds himself an active man.
“Jesus had given him no assurance of divine help. The man might have stopped to doubt, and lost his one chance of healing. But he believed Christ’s word, and in acting upon it he received strength.
“Through the same faith we may receive spiritual healing. By sin we have been severed from the life of God. Our souls are palsied. Of ourselves we are no more capable of living a holy life than was the impotent man capable of walking. There are many who realize their helplessness, and who long for that spiritual life which will bring them into harmony with God; . . . The Saviour is bending over the purchase of His blood, saying with inexpressible tenderness and pity, ‘Wilt thou be made whole?’ He bids you arise in health and peace. Do not wait to feel that you are made whole. Believe His word, and it will be fulfilled. Put your will on the side of Christ. Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word you will receive strength.” –The Desire of Ages, pp. 202–203
“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.” Revelation 3:20
Jesus heals a man on Sabbath
“And man also has a work to perform on this day. The necessities of life must be attended to, the sick must be cared for, the wants of the needy must be supplied. He will not be held guiltless who neglects to relieve suffering on the Sabbath. God’s holy rest day was made for man, and acts of mercy are in perfect harmony with its intent. God does not desire His creatures to suffer an hour’s pain that may be relieved upon the Sabbath or any other day.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 207
Our Lord God gave His only begotten son Jesus Christ to save us from our sinful nature. Jesus Christ is not for Israel or Jews only, but also for the world. Without His care, help, and grace, sick people cannot be made whole. In the same way, without Sabbath observance we cannot receive everlasting life from our Saviour Jesus Christ. “And since the Sabbath is a memorial of the work of creation, it is a token of the love and power of Christ.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 281
“The Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for the world. It had been made known to man in Eden, and, like the other precepts of the Decalogue, it is of imperishable obligation. Of that law of which the fourth commandment forms a part, Christ declares, ‘Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law.’ So long as the heavens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will continue as a sign of the Creator’s power. And when Eden shall bloom on earth again, God’s holy rest day will be honored by all beneath the sun. ‘From one Sabbath to another’ the inhabitants of the glorified new earth shall go up ‘to worship before Me, saith the Lord.’ Matthew 5:18; Isaiah 66:23.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 283
Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?
“In such a case, men would miss the fruits of the earth, and the blessings that make life desirable. Nature must continue her unvarying course. God could not for a moment stay His hand, or man would faint and die. And man also has a work to perform on this day. The necessities of life must be attended to, the sick must be cared for, the wants of the needy must be supplied. He will not be held guiltless who neglects to relieve suffering on the Sabbath. God’s holy rest day was made for man, and acts of mercy are in perfect harmony with its intent. God does not desire His creatures to suffer an hour’s pain that may be relieved upon the Sabbath or any other day.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 207
“Christ would teach His disciples and His enemies that the service of God is first of all. The object of God’s work in this world is the redemption of man; therefore that which is necessary to be done on the Sabbath in the accomplishment of this work is in accord with the Sabbath law. Jesus then crowned His argument by declaring Himself the ‘Lord of the Sabbath,’—One above all question and above all law.” The “infinite Judge. . .” –The Desire of Ages, p. 285
The assurance for Salvation
“The sense of sin has poisoned the springs of life. But Christ says, ‘I will take your sins; I will give you peace. I have bought you with My blood. You are Mine. My grace shall strengthen your weakened will; your remorse for sin I will remove.’ When temptations assail you, when care and perplexity surround you, when, depressed and discouraged, you are ready to yield to despair, look to Jesus, and the darkness that encompasses you will be dispelled by the bright shining of His presence. When sin struggles for the mastery in your soul, and burdens the conscience, look to the Saviour. His grace is sufficient to subdue sin. Let your grateful heart, trembling with uncertainty, turn to Him. Lay hold on the hope set before you. Christ waits to adopt you into His family. His strength will help your weakness; He will lead you step by step. Place your hand in His, and let Him guide you.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 85
“In like manner you are a sinner. You cannot atone for your past sins; you cannot change your heart and make yourself holy. But God promises to do all this for you through Christ. You believe that promise. You confess your sins and give yourself to God. You will to serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfill His word to you. If you believe the promise,—believe that you are forgiven and cleansed,—God supplies the fact; you are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he was healed. It is so if you believe it.” –Steps to Christ, p. 51
BE – THE – SDA!
Dear brethren and sisters, this is the time to make a good decision now. We don’t have any other time to decide our future life. Our loving Saviour Jesus Christ stands in front of us, behind us, near us, and around us. If we are ready to hear His voice, we can be cured from our sickness and sinful nature. As a result, how can we live as a faithful Christian? Countless seventh-day Sabbath worshipers are living in this world, but most of the Adventist groups are living against the truth of our Saviour Jesus Christ and His commandments. We will analyze it as follows, whether we are eligible for the kingdom of heaven or not. How can an SDA be truly faithful?
“The Sabbath is a sign of creative and redeeming power; it points to God as the source of life and knowledge; it recalls man’s primeval glory, and thus witnesses to God’s purpose to re-create us in His own image. . . . Since the Sabbath is the memorial of creative power, it is the day above all others when we should acquaint ourselves with God through His works.” –Education, pp. 250–251
“The Sabbath calls our thoughts to nature, and brings us into communion with the Creator. . . . The Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for the world. . . . No other institution which was committed to the Jews tended so fully to distinguish them from surrounding nations as did the Sabbath. God designed that its observance should designate them as His worshipers. It was to be a token of their separation from idolatry, and their connection with the true God. But in order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy. . . . The Sabbath . . . is the sign of the power of Christ. . . . ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath,’ Jesus said. The institutions that God has established are for the benefit of mankind. ‘All things are for your sakes.’ . . . The law of Ten Commandments, of which the Sabbath forms a part, God gave to His people as a blessing. . . . ‘Wherefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.’ These words are full of instruction and comfort. Because the Sabbath was made for man, it is the Lord’s day. It belongs to Christ. For ‘all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.’ John 1:3. Since He made all things, He made the Sabbath. By Him it was set apart as a memorial of the work of creation. It points to Him as both the Creator and the Sanctifier. . . . And the Lord says, ‘If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; . . . then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.’ Isaiah 58:13–14. To all who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ’s creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight. Seeing Christ in it, they delight themselves in Him. The Sabbath points them to the works of creation as an evidence of His mighty power in redemption.” –The Desire of Ages, pp. 281, 283–284, 288– 289
The difference between the true and in-name-only SDA people:
- In-name-only SDA people: “Then I was shown a company who were howling in agony. On their garments was written in large characters, ‘Thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting.’ I asked who this company were. The angel said, ‘These are they who have once kept the Sabbath and have given it up.’ I heard them cry with a loud voice, ‘We have believed in Thy coming, and taught it with energy.’ And while they were speaking, their eyes would fall upon their garments and see the writing, and then they would wail aloud. I saw that they had drunk of the deep waters, and fouled the residue with their feet—trodden the Sabbath underfoot—and that was why they were weighed in the balance and found wanting. . . .
“Those who observe the Sabbath of the Bible are united in their views of Bible truth. But those who oppose the Sabbath among the Advent people are disunited and strangely divided. . . . I was pointed to those who claim to be Adventists, but who reject the present truth, and saw that they were crumbling and that the hand of the Lord was in their midst to divide and scatter them now in the gathering time, so that the precious jewels among them, who have formerly been deceived, may have their eyes opened to see their true state.” –Early Writings, pp. 37, 68–69
These kinds of people do not obey the word of God written in the book of Isaiah 58:13–14. They work on the Sabbath, cook food on the Sabbath, watch television on the Sabbath, participate in military service on the Sabbath. They want to live a luxury life, they do not help their fellow brothers, they always need the highest position, they are money-minded people, and lazy people.
- 2. The true SDA people: “The Sabbath calls our thoughts to nature, and brings us into communion with the Creator. . . . ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath,’ Jesus said. The institutions that God has established are for the benefit of mankind. ‘All things are for your sakes.’ . . . The law of Ten Commandments, of which the Sabbath forms a part, God gave to His people as a blessing. . . . Then the Sabbath is a sign of Christ’s power to make us holy. And it is given to all whom Christ makes holy. As a sign of His sanctifying power, the Sabbath is given to all who through Christ become a part of the Israel of God.” –The Desire of Ages, pp. 281,288
“I was shown that the law of God would stand fast forever, and exist in the new earth to all eternity. At the creation, when the foundations of the earth were laid, the sons of God looked with admiration upon the work of the Creator, and all the heavenly host shouted for joy. It was then that the foundation of the Sabbath was laid. At the close of the six days of creation, God rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made; and He blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because that in it He had rested from all His work. The Sabbath was instituted in Eden before the fall, and was observed by Adam and Eve, and all the heavenly host. God rested on the seventh day, and blessed and hallowed it. I saw that the Sabbath never will be done away; but that the redeemed saints, and all the angelic host, will observe it in honor of the great Creator to all eternity.” –Early Writings, p. 217
The identification of the Lord’s Church and the Lord’s people is this: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. They always love the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and keep His commandments. Worship the Lord faithfully on the Sabbath; help others always, especially on the Sabbath; preach the Gospel everywhere. So dear brothers, BE THE SDA, not in name only, but also faithfully according to the teachings of our Saviour Jesus Christ and according to the above testimonies. Amen.
Raj Israel
India