Verses 6-10. Now we can see the prospects of continual growth in Christ. There is a height and breadth of spirituality for every soul of us, if we will take right hold of it.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 2

Verses 10, 11. Now you see how that is brought in. It is not to be such an exaltation of yourself. It is an increasing in intelligence of the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 3

Verse 12. How did He make you meet? It is through prayer. It is through watchfulness. It is through growth in understanding and intelligence of how to carry the truth, the Word of the living God, acceptably to all that you come in converse and contact with. That is how we are made partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 4

Christ came to our world, laying off His crown of authority, laying off His kingly robe. He clothed His divinity with humanity that humanity might touch humanity, and that in your humanity—in having the perfect Pattern before you—you should be partaker of what? Of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 5

Here is the battle. Every soul that is striving for that higher school above will learn his school lessons first of Christ—divinity clothed with humanity. He may be a partaker with Christ, who was partaker with His disciples of all the temptations wherewith men are beset, that He might carry through these temptations in the sight of His disciples—to the knowledge of His disciples—how He conducted Himself in these very temptations that were brought to bear upon Him. And thus, by partaking of the divine nature, they were preparing to do the work.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 6

Here was the world, a work that was high as heaven. They were preparing to follow in the footsteps of the Lord of life and glory who ordained His disciples to take up the work after He should leave it. And He was educating and training them to go to the earth and proclaim the gospel. He told them He sent them forth as lambs among wolves. Will we all remember, then, whatever your disposition—and we all have varied dispositions—that whatever your disposition may be, that disposition must be brought under control to Jesus Christ. And unless it is brought under control to Jesus Christ, your disposition never will pass in the future, eternal life. So there is an individuality in all our experience.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 7

There are two parties in our world. There are satanic agencies; and Satan is using all his power, that he may mold human minds so that they will be cross, impatient, unkind, censuring, unjust. And when I see it, I feel so sad, because I question whether they will ever overcome their natural and hereditary tendencies; although they profess the truth, yet do they take the truth, are they sanctified through the truth? Do they keep God’s commandments and love Him with all the heart?21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 8

The lawyer asked, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Christ lays the burden right on that lawyer, who had been studying that point for some time. But there were enemies, waiting, hoping to grasp some word so that they could condemn the Lord, and He laid it right on them: “Thou shalt love the Lord ... with all thy mind.” [Luke 10:25-27.] That takes the whole man. Then what? What kind of a world would we have if we keep the commandments of God? It would be next to heaven. We are preparing to enter the gates that shall be thrown open to the saints, who are welcomed into the city of God, to enjoy what? Eternal life—a life that measures with the life of God. Therefore it is of the highest consequence to us that we understand the science of salvation in this world, that we take right hold upon the powers that God has given. “For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” [Colossians 2:9.]21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 9

Now here that lawyer said they were to do certain things, and then what? “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” [Luke 10:27.] Well, if “thy neighbor” commits an error or a fault, don’t spread it all around through the church or wherever you can. But Christ has told us what to do—to go right to him and tell him his fault between him and you alone. And then He tells them there is a chance of saving that soul if they will do it. “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, go first and be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer this gift.” [Matthew 5:23, 24.] What kind of a world would we have if we should follow and obey the commandments of God?21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 10

What kind of character would be upon us that profess to believe in Jesus Christ? What kind of an atmosphere should we bring into our households—the father, the houseband of the family; the wife, the queen in the home? The children should be educated to take the burdens off the mother, that her life may be spared to give the very wisest instruction that can come from human lips to the children, educating, educating, educating from the first to the last child; and then the younger members can be taken charge of by the older members. And not a word of faultfinding, not a word of contention, is to be exchanged between the houseband and the queen of the household; and their children will have an example of right words, of good words, words of comfort, words of encouragement; and they would not have that example that they would carry all through their afterlife of contention and strife and passion.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 11

Let the churches be converted at this period of this earth’s history. Let them make a decided and determined point that they will have Jesus Christ as a member of their household. “Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.” [Matthew 28:20.] Now God wants us to act as if in His presence, to know that He hears every word. He knows the tenor and the character of every disposition, and He wants every one to act out the law of God, just as it reads.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 12

And then it says: “And ye are complete in Him.” Well, let us aim for that completeness—“which is the head of all principality and power”—complete in Him. [Colossians 2:10.] If you are complete in Him, you still stand on the highest level of Christian influence. You will have a power that will come from above, that will give you that grace that will represent the spirit of heaven, that will represent the Spirit of Christ. Don’t let us deny Him by our lips, by our voice, by our attitude. God help us now, right at the last, living in the close of the last days of this earth’s history, to feel that it is important that we have made our calling and our election sure.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 13

We want to meet every one of you in the heavenly courts. We want to see this large company that shall enter in through the gates into the city and shall have a right unto the tree of life. Why? Because they have kept all the commandments. They have kept the law of God; they have kept His Sabbath, which is the day that He has enjoined upon all them that believe, and that have kept all His commandments. We are to enter right into the spirit of heaven. “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” [Matthew 25:34.] That kingdom we want. “In whom also ye are circumcised with circumcision made without hands—circumcision of Christ Jesus.” [Colossians 2:11.] His Spirit has taken possession of mind and eyes and heart and soul and strength. What a world we should have, if this were only carried out!21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 14

“Buried with Him in baptism where—having forgiven you all trespasses.” [Verses 12, 13.]21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 15

Now here is the whole sum of the Christian experience, if we will carry it out. I am so thankful that Jesus Christ is our representative; “and looking unto Jesus, who is the Author.” It does not stop there. “Author of your faith”—but it does not stop there—“and finisher of your faith.” [Hebrews 12:2.] He carries you through your faith, and Christ gives you the lessons of simplicity. “Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for whosoever asketh receiveth, he that seeketh findeth, to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” [Matthew 7:7, 8.] Now what we want is to give more time to prayer and less to useless conversation.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 16

What we want is to take our children right under our own guardianship in their childhood, and then to educate and train them; and you will not have to beat them if you give them the first lessons in obedience, and you can have a little heaven here below. And if you will train these children—that little church in your home—you are fitting them up, keep their attention in their babyhood right upon a Higher Power, Jesus, the Lover of our souls. Tell them that He took little children in His arms, and He blessed them; and when the disciples would send them away, why, Christ’s mind had followed them all along. On that occasion of those mothers with their children, as the disappointment came upon those mothers, Christ spoke. He said, “Forbid not these little children coming unto Me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 19:14.]21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 17

There, when the disciples were contending who should be the greatest—(why, that is the wickedest thing that is among us, the wickedest thing that is in the churches. We do not want any such thought; Christ does not want anything of the sort)—He told them, as He set a little child in the midst, “Unless you are converted and become as this little child, why, then, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 18:3.] But they were not to give their own spirit, to bring that in.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 18

He wants us to humble ourselves before God. He wants us to learn as Daniel learned. He wants us to have an education as those worthies that were taken from their homes and brought into the courts of Babylon. There they were instructed and educated; but they held fast to the education that they had had in their homes, and therefore they were faithful students, and they were exalted—just the reason God sent them, allowed this to be.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 19

The Jews were so that they were doing no good to people outside of themselves, and God scattered them. He permitted them to be broken up to other countries. Well, now, here were those who had had the right education; and then what? Right representatives of the religion that God wanted them to have. It was a religion that they would be faithful to God, under any circumstances, under any consequences. They would be faithful to Jehovah.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 20

Now what we need is this perfection that is mentioned here. “And ye are complete in”—yourself? No. “In Him.” Our whole trust is in Him. Colossians 2:10. I am so very glad of the possibility. Are you glad? Are you going to wrestle for victories? Satan will oppose your way; he will tempt you upon your weakest points. Now, you want to make the weakest the strongest. When you are aggravated by words that you think ought not to be spoken, do not respond. Silence is eloquence, and it will stop the raid that is made against you so much sooner than if you begin to try to explain. Just stop right where you are.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 21

What we want is a right hold from above. God wants to find a people who are keeping His commandments, whom He can introduce into heaven, and it will not create a second rebellion. There has been one rebellion, and they had to turn out a large number of the angels of God which had been contaminated by one who had been the most exalted angel next to Jesus Christ.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 22

Now, we know that exaltation will not save any one. We know that an exalted spirit will not, but we want the kindness of Christ. If you could have tenderness and sympathy and love for souls, you would see a missionary work done right here in Oakland that would exceed anything that has ever been done before. This work is done by earnest prayer. It is done by meeting together and praying, remembering how that after Christ left them, the disciples assembled together, and they prayed for the Holy Ghost. And there, after they had prayed for the Holy Ghost, it was a time when all parties of the Jewish nation were brought in to celebrate some of their great occasions—and when they prayed, the Holy Ghost came upon them; they healed the sick; and they were taken and shut up in prison. When they went to the prison to find these men, they were not there. Why? Because the angels of God had opened the prison doors and set them free. And then they tried to stop their mouths, but they said, God forbid, we have a message to bear.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 23

Now, every one of us can have all this fulness, all this preciousness, all this power, if we will give ourselves to searching the Scriptures more. Although you may have work to do, you will find that you will have moments that, if you will not stand in idle conversation and in the novel reading that we see everywhere, if you will just look at the Scriptures, you will be armed so that you shall know how to meet every emergency.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 24

Heaven is interested in the work that we are doing to bring men back to their loyalty to the Ten Commandments. God has given His Sabbath. He says it is a sign between Him and you throughout your generations forever. Not the first day, the seventh day. He put the sanctity, His sanctity, on the Sabbath day. And we want to bring everyone possible to the light of the truth, so that they shall be prepared to enter right in when the gates are opened, and understand where to take right hold and keep the Sabbath day, because they have kept it in this world. The Lord has got a heaven of bliss for us, and He has got strength and fortitude and courage for every one of us if we will, in simplicity, come to Jesus Christ.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 25

I want to know who among you want to stand hesitating whether you will be good or not, whether you will transgress His commandments and continue in transgression, when there is His Word, charging you of that He has sanctified the Sabbath day, and that He created the world in six days, and rested on the seventh day, and sanctified the seventh day. Why has He established that? Because God created the world. It did not come into existence without His power who created it. He was the one that created the world. And there it is to stand. The Sabbath is His memorial of the creation of this world in six days and resting upon the seventh day. He hallowed the seventh day. He made it holy for us to observe. Why then is the world going after a false Sabbath? Because the enemy has taken possession of human minds.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 26

God help us to awaken, and then may we seek to carry out all the principles that are in this Book. I now say to you, Who will take his stand determinedly to be on the Lord’s side in this congregation? Who will be determined to please God, and if they please God, they will not make enemies—only those that do not want them to please God. But we want to live in unity and in love, and we want that every family should cultivate the love of Christ in that family. And then, at last, the gates will be opened to you, and you will enter in through the gates into the city; and there you will have life, eternal life in the kingdom of glory.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 27

Teach it to your children. Educate your children to obey God; educate them to keep the commandments; and from first to last, you will find that your family will be under good discipline.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 28

God help you that you may have eternal life. We want right here that decisions should be made for God and for heaven and for eternity. Eternal life. It is the riches of all heaven that are given to us. It is a life that measures with the life of God. May God help you to make thorough work for eternity.21LtMs, Ms 140, 1906, par. 29

Ms 139, 1906

Ms 141, 1906