Sunday
January 3
1. THE RESULT OF THE FINAL GOSPEL MESSAGE
a. What character quality is developed by those who accept the three messages of Revelation 14? Revelation 14:12.
“In Revelation 14, men are called upon to worship the Creator; and the prophecy brings to view a class that, as the result of the threefold message, are keeping the commandments of God.”—The Great Controversy, p. 437.
“[Revelation 14:12 quoted.] Since those who keep God’s commandments are thus placed in contrast with those that worship the beast and his image and receive his mark, it follows that the keeping of God’s law, on the one hand, and its violation, on the other, will make the distinction between the worshipers of God and the worshipers of the beast.”—Ibid., pp. 445, 446.
b. What command of Jesus is fulfilled in this verse (Revelation 14:12)? Matthew 5:48.
“The ethics inculcated by the gospel acknowledge no standard but the perfection of God’s mind, God’s will.”—Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 276.
“The science of salvation cannot be explained; but it can be known by experience.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 495.
Monday
January 4
2. CHARACTER PERFECTION
a. Why is it that the gospel makes such an important part of the three angels’ messages’ foundation? Romans 1:16.
“Before the believer is held out the wonderful possibility of being like Christ, obedient to all the principles of the law. But of himself man is utterly unable to reach this condition. The holiness that God’s word declares he must have before he can be saved is the result of the working of divine grace as he bows in submission to the discipline and restraining influences of the Spirit of truth. Man’s obedience can be made perfect only by the incense of Christ’s righteousness, which fills with divine fragrance every act of obedience. The part of the Christian is to persevere in overcoming every fault. Constantly he is to pray to the Saviour to heal the disorders of his sin-sick soul. He has not the wisdom or the strength to overcome; these belong to the Lord, and He bestows them on those who in humiliation and contrition seek Him for help.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 532.
“Christ is the ladder that Jacob saw, the base resting on the earth, and the topmost round reaching to the gate of heaven, to the very threshold of glory. If that ladder had failed by a single step of reaching the earth, we should have been lost. But Christ reaches us where we are. He took our nature and overcame, that we through taking His nature might overcome. Made ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh’ (Romans 8:3), He lived a sinless life. Now by His divinity He lays hold upon the throne of heaven, while by His humanity He reaches us. He bids us by faith in Him attain to the glory of the character of God. Therefore are we to be perfect, even as our ‘Father which is in heaven is perfect’ (Matthew 5:48).”—The Desire of Ages, pp. 311, 312.
b. How can we reach character perfection through the gospel? Philippians 2:5; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 3:2.
“Oh, how much need . . . of communion with God! What need of divine grace to direct every step and show us how to perfect Christian characters!
“Christians will have new scenes and new trials to pass through where past experience cannot be a sufficient guide. We have greater need to learn of the divine Teacher now than at any other period of our lives. And the more experience we gain, the nearer we draw toward the pure light of heaven.”—Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 542.
Tuesday
January 5
3. THE TRUTH
a. The very first piece of the gospel armor in Ephesians 6:10–18 is truth. How do we come to the truth? John 8:32–36; 2 Timothy 3:15–17.
“You need the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to aid you to search into the truth with reverence and awe, bringing your mind to the task with intense desire, that will not be quenched until you see wondrous things out of the law. Dig deep into the mine of truth, and be not satisfied until you have a more perfect comprehension as to what constitutes the strength of the law of God. You need to search and search, and to weep and fast and pray, in order that you may have revealed unto you such a view of the law of God that you will be fitted to go forth and watch for souls as they that must give an account.”—The Signs of the Times, October 2, 1893.
b. What question did Pontius Pilate ask, and what would Christ have likely answered had Pilate just waited long enough to hear it? John 18:38; 14:6.
“Pilate had a desire to know the truth. His mind was confused. He eagerly grasped the words of the Saviour, and his heart was stirred with a great longing to know what it really was, and how he could obtain it. ‘What is truth?’ he inquired. But he did not wait for an answer. The tumult outside recalled him to the interests of the hour.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 727.
“Christ is the complete system of truth. He says, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6). All true believers center in Christ, their character is irradiated by Christ; all meet in Christ, and circulate about Christ. Truth comes from Heaven to purify and cleanse the human agent from every moral defilement. It leads to benevolent action, to kind, tender, thoughtful love toward the needy, the distressed, the suffering. This is practical obedience to the words of Christ.”—Selected Messages, bk. 3, p. 198, 199.
“Because [the Holy Spirit] comes, not to praise men, or to build up their erroneous theories, but to reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come, many turn away from it. They are not willing to exchange their own righteousness (which is unrighteousness) for the righteousness of Christ, which is pure, unadulterated truth.”—The Signs of the Times, September 27, 1899.
Wednesday
January 6
4. RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH
a. Besides confessing our sins in order to receive complete forgiveness and cleansing, what else is necessary? Romans 1:17; Galatians 5:6; Hebrews 10:38.
“The word of God must be interwoven with the living character of those who believe it. The only vital faith is that faith which receives and assimilates the truth till it is a part of the being and the motive power of the life and action. . . . The followers of Christ must be partakers of His experience. They must assimilate the word of God. They must be changed into its likeness by the power of Christ and reflect the divine attributes.”—Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 576.
b. If we want to have this victorious experience, to whose guidance must we submit in our daily life? John 14:26; 16:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14.
“Having brought conviction of sin, and presented before the mind the standard of righteousness, the Holy Spirit withdraws the affections from the things of this earth and fills the soul with a desire for holiness. ‘He will guide you into all truth’ (John 16:13), the Saviour declared. If men are willing to be molded, there will be brought about a sanctification of the whole being. The Spirit will take the things of God and stamp them on the soul. By His power the way of life will be made so plain that none need err therein.”—The Acts of Apostles, p. 52, 53.
c. How does the Bible summarize Christ’s mission to the world? Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10; Hebrews 7:25.
“Our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world as the unwearied servant of man’s necessity. He ‘took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses,’ that He might minister to every need of humanity (Matthew 8:17). The burden of disease and wretchedness and sin He came to remove. It was His mission to bring to men complete restoration; He came to give them health and peace and perfection of character.”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 17.
Thursday
January 7
5. TOTAL SALVATION FROM SIN
a. How does Christ bring complete restoration to us? 1 John 1:9; 2 Peter 1:10, 11.
“Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort [those who are living on the earth in these last days] must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth. This work is more clearly presented in the messages of Revelation 14.
“When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for His appearing. ‘Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years’ (Malachi 3:4). Then the church which our Lord at His coming is to receive to Himself will be a ‘glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing’ (Ephesians 5:27). Then she will look ‘forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners’ (Song of Solomon 6:10).”—The Great Controversy, p. 425.
“As you receive the Spirit of Christ—the Spirit of unselfish love and labor for others—you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely. . . .
“When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 68, 69.
Friday
January 8
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
a. What is the result of the proclamation of the three angels’ messages?
b. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Explain.
c. In what sense does the knowledge of the truth make us free?
d. How do belief in the truth and the work of the Holy Spirit go together?
e. What will happen when the character of Christ is perfectly reproduced in us?