WHY RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH SUCCEEDS Campus Hill Prayer Meeting - January 16, J.W. Lehman

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1 WHY RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH SUCCEEDS Campus Hill Prayer Meeting - January 16, J.W. Lehman THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE NECESSITY OF OBEDIENCE, BUT HOW TO OBEY. IT IS NOT WHAT SHOULD I OBEY, BUT HOW CAN I OBEY? Many methods have been suggested: 1. Many say - TRY HARDER. 2. Others say - PRAY MORE. 3. Or - STUDY MORE. 4. Some believe that they must teach them more about sin. Then they will obey. 5. Or they try to give them a better understanding of their problem. BUT WHEN YOU TRY ALL OF THESE FOR MANY YEARS, YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT NONE OF THEM BRING THE OBEDIENCE THAT YOU SO DESPARATELY NEED. You might manage to get a superficial, exterior obedience, but not that which comes from a heart of love. Not that which DELIGHTS to do Thy will. WHEN SOME HAVE TRIED ALL OF THESE METHODS, THEY ASSUME THAT THEY HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING AND THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLETELY OBEY. But if this is true, most of the BIBLE is deceiving us. WHY IS IT THAT WE FAIL TO OBEY? QUOTE Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 524 Speaking of Israel: "Before there could be any permanent reformation, the people must be led to feel their utter inability, in themselves, to render obedience to God.... While they trusted in their own strength and righteousness, it was impossible for them to secure the pardon of their sins; they could not meet the claims of God's perfect law, and it was in vain that they pledged themselves to serve God. It was only by faith in Christ that they could secure pardon of sin, and receive strength to obey God's law They must cease to rely upon their own efforts for salvation, they must wholly trust in the merits of the promised Saviour, if they would be accepted of God." Always and ever the sinner thinks that he can obey. Like a little child he keeps saying - let me alone, I want to do it, I can do it. But if we could, the Bible would lie: Jeremiah 13:23 " then can ye do good who are accustomed to do evil? " OF HIMSELF THE SINNER IS HELPLESS TO OBEY: John 15:5 "for without me, ye can do nothing" There is no power in the sinner unless he is connected to a power outside of himself. This verse calls that power - THE VINE. And Jesus said - I AM THE VINE. ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH. MATTHEW 28:18 Therefore without a living connection with Jesus, we are powerless to obey.

2 page two THUS, WHEN I SEE IN MY LIFE AN INABILITY TO OBEY, IMMEDIATELY I SHOULD KNOW THAT I AM NOT HOOKED UP TO THE POWER. One winter in one church that I pastored, the furnace wouldn't run. I checked the lights and they wouldn't burn. Immediately I knew there was something lacking. What was that? - POWER - ELECTRICITY. I tried the circuit breakers, but they didn't help. So then I checked the fuse box outside. One of them was burned out and I had to put in a new one. I put in the new fuse and turned on the main switch. When I came inside the church lights were all on, the furnace was running. Everything worked. When you make contact you know it. Story of putting up antennae in India. I stood there dancing the jig and couldn't seem to get the box out of my hands. AND SO IT IS ALSO TRUE THAT THINGS HAPPEN WHEN I MAKE CONTACT WITH GOD: QUOTE Desire of Ages, p. 668 "When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience." QUOTE Ministry of Healing, p. 115 "It is His grace that gives man power to obey the laws of God. It is this that enables him to break the bondage of evil habits." QUOTE Selected Messages, book 1, p. 364 "When we seek to gain heaven thru the merits of Christ, the soul makes progress." QUOTE Review and Herald, August 19, 1890 "Human effort without the merit of Christ is worthless... The plan of salvation is not understood to be that, thru which, divine power is brought to man in order that his human effort may be wholly successful." QUOTE Christ's Object Lessons, p. 312 "By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God's commandments." QUOTE Messages to Young People, p. 165 "He came to show man how to obey, how to keep all the commandments. He laid hold of divine power, and this is the sinner's only hope." QUOTE Steps to Christ, p. 70 "You must take Christ,... your everlasting helper, - to give you power to obey." SO IT IS THAT WHEN WE DO NOT OBEY THERE IS OFTEN NO CONNECTION WITH DIVINE POWER. But when I am connected to the power, I can expect not only action, but obedience. BUT MANY WILL ASK, WHAT IS THE CORD THAT PLUGS US INTO GOD'S POWER HOUSE? nature. II Peter 1:4 there are given unto us precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.

3 Page three It is thru the promise that we connect up to the power of God. But you must do something with those promises: Hebrews 3:18, 19; 4:1 entered not into the promised land because of unbelief. The promises are only effective if we believe them. Hebrews 3:14 confidence is trust or belief or faith. Hebrews 3:12 When unbelieving we depart from God - that is we break contact. WE ARE ONLYCONNECTED TO GOD WHEN WE BELIEVE HIS PROMISES. SO THE BIG QUESTION IN OBEDIENCE IS - AM I A BELIEVER? Are you a believer? Is your connection strong? Do you have faith in God? I am sure that most of us think that we do. BUT DO WE? There are some tests to see if this is true: QUOTE Mount of Blessing, p. 146 "But a belief that does not lead to obedience is presumption." If I say I believe, but do not obey, I really do not even believe. It is only presumptiona false faith. QUOTE Steps to Christ, p. 61 "Obedience is the fruit of faith." QUOTE Desire of Ages, p. 126 "Faith claims God's promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience." This was the great argument of James: James 2:17 faith without works (obedience) is dead. Where obedience does not result - there is no faith. HERE IS WHY SO MANY FAIL TO OBEY. THEY KEEP EXAMINING AND WONDERING WHY THEY CANNOT SEEM TO OBEY WHEN THE REAL FAULT IS WITH THEIR FAITH. THE CORD IS NOT PLUGGED IN. WE GET SO WRAPPED UP IN OBEDIENCE AND WORKS THAT WE OFTEN FORGET THAT BELIEVING IS ALSO OBEDIENCE. I John 3:23 And this is His commandment, that we should believe. John 6:29 This is the work of God. What is the work of God? - it is the works that God requires of me = obedience. And this obedience is that YOU believe. EXAMPLE: Acts 16:30, 31 What must I do? Answer as to what to DO. BELIEVE. Romans 4:5 faith is counted for righteousness.

4 Page Four Faith is obedience. It is the work that God requires. It is obeying His commandments. Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please HIM. Romans 14:23 whatsoever is not of faith is sin. FAITH IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO. It is an OBEDIENCE that is possible for you and I to do. AND WHE N WE OBEY BY BELIEVING, WE BECOME CONNECTED TO DIVINE POWER. Then obedience to all of God's requirements is possible. BUT WE MUST MAKE CERTAIN THAT THIS FAITH OR BELIEVING IS NOT JUST IN DOCTRINES OR CHURCH MEMBERSHIP, OR WHAT SOME TERM THE TRUTH. WHILE IT IS GOOD TO BELIEVE THESE THINGS, THEY ARE POWERLESS TO MAKE US OBEY. ONLY CHRIST CAN DO THIS. AND OUR FAITH MUST BE IN HIM. Not in things but in a person - the son of the Living God. In Him there is Power. In Him there is Strength. In Him there is Hope. In Him there is Righteousness. HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. HE IS THE DOOR. HE IS THE BLESSED HOPE. IN HIM ARE THE RICHES OF GOD. AND BY FAITH IN HIM WE MAY CLAIM ALL OF THESE THINGS AS WE NEED THEM. QUOTE Acts of the Apostles, p "There are many who, though striving to obey God's commandments, have little peace and joy. This lack in their experience is the result of a failure to exercise faith. They walk as it were in a salt land, a parched wilderness. They claim little, when they might claim much; for there is no limit to the promises of God... The Lord would have all His sons and daughters happy, peaceful and obedient. Through the exercise of faith the believer comes into possession of these blessings. Through faith, every deficiency of character may be supplied, every defilement cleansed, every fault corrected, every excellence developed." This faith is not merely praying - Lord please help me. It is laying hold on Christ as our power and our hope, our strength and our righteousness. It is trusting in Christ. Thinking of HIM Looking to HIM. Abiding in HIM. It is constantly realizing that HE is my ONLY HOPE, MY SAVIOUR, MY RIGHTEOUSNESS, MY STRENGTH, MY POWER, MY ALL. This kind of faith accomplishes GREAT THINGS.

5 Page five QUOTE Testimonies to Ministers, pp "As the mind dwells upon Christ, the character is molded after the divine similitude. The thoughts are pervaded with a sense of His goodness, His love. We contemplate His character, and thus He is in all our thoughts. His love encloses us. If we gaze even a moment upon the sun in its meridian glory, when we turn away our eyes, the image of the sun will appear in everything upon which we look. Thus it is when we behold Jesus; everything we look upon reflects His image, the Sun of Righteousness." We cannot see anything else, or talk of anything else. His image is imprinted upon the eye of the soul, and affects every portion of our daily life, softening and subduing our whole nature. By beholding, we are conformed to the divine similitude, even the likeness of Christ." Oh when we LOOK UNTO JESUS - THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH, WHAT GLORIOUS THINGS HAPPEN TO US. WILL YOU NOT BEHOLD THIS GLORIOUS SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE ONE WHO LOVED YOU SO MUCH THAT HE DIED FOR YOU. WILL YOU NOT THINK ON HIM? WILL YOU NOT LOOK TO HIM? WILL YOU NOT TRUST HIM AND ABIDE IN HIM? WILL YOU MAKE HIM YOUR BLESSED AND ONLY HOPE? THEN YOU WILL OBEY.