The Glory of God

[Sean James]

Happy Sabbath!! Fill your whole heart with the words and deeds of the Savior! Fill your memory with the loveliness of His character, and He will transform you as you behold Him! All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be seen in the life of one who is fully converted by a continual surrender of the whole heart to Christ so He can manifest through the life His divine nature in true obedience to the law of love up to the light of truth revealed!

Much of the time of Christ's ministry had been passed near the Sea of Galilee. As the disciples gathered in a place where they were not likely to be disturbed, they found themselves surrounded by reminders of Jesus and His mighty works. On this sea, when their hearts were filled with terror, and the fierce storm was hurrying them to destruction, Jesus had walked upon the billows to their rescue. Here the tempest had been hushed by His word. Within sight was the beach where above ten thousand persons had been fed from a few small loaves and fishes. Not far distant was Capernaum, the scene of so many miracles. As the disciples looked upon the scene, their minds were full of the words and deeds of their Saviour.

Keep looking unto Jesus! Walk in His victory and love today to do His will by His grace!!

[Sean James]

While we were originally made in the image of God, sin has marred that image. Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, coming as a Man and yet retaining His divinity, lived life a perfect life by faith and not by His own divine power. He offers us His divine nature by His word on account of purchasing us with His own blood at the cross, and in rising from the dead and giving us the great commission, is calling us to true repentance so we can overcome sin and be fully restored to God's image! What a great gift He gives us as all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be manifest in our lives as long as we are fully surrendered to God and obedient to the light He has reveled to us--in response to His loving salvation!

In Christ is the tenderness of the shepherd, the affection of the parent, and the matchless grace of the compassionate Saviour. His blessings He presents in the most alluring terms. He is not content merely to announce these blessings; He presents them in the most attractive way, to excite a desire to possess them. So His servants are to present the riches of the glory of the unspeakable Gift. The wonderful love of Christ will melt and subdue hearts, when the mere reiteration of doctrines would accomplish nothing. “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God.” “O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! ... He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.” Isaiah 40:1, 9-11. Tell the people of Him who is “the Chiefest among ten thousand,” and the One “altogether lovely.” The Song of Solomon 5:10, 16. Words alone cannot tell it. Let it be reflected in the character and manifested in the life. Christ is sitting for His portrait in every disciple. Every one God has predestinated to be “conformed to the image of His Son.” Romans 8:29. In every one Christ's long-suffering love, His holiness, meekness, mercy, and truth are to be manifested to the world.

Praise God for the infinite salvation offered us! Let us do all we can to reach the hearts of those around us by His grace!

[Sean James]

He did it! Christ completed the work the Father gave Him on this earth; He lived a sinless life, died as our Sacrifice, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven with those who rose from the dead as witnesses of His power to raise His people in anticipation of the resurrection to take place at His second coming! As we yield our whole heart to Christ, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be seen in our lives as we abide in Him and obey our Lord from love! Having heaven in our hearts, we are prepared to be with Jesus in heaven at His soon second coming!

The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied. Satan is vanquished. Christ's toiling, struggling ones on earth are “accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6. Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justified. Where He is, there His church shall be. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10. The Father's arms encircle His Son, and the word is given, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” Hebrews 1:6.

What a glorious victory Jesus has accomplished for us! What a blessing it is to trust in Him and walk by grace through faith in His infinite promises! All glory to God who loved us and gave Himself for us!

[Sean James]

How does Jesus deserve to be treated? Well, as the Creator and King of the universe, He deserves to be treated as royalty with highest honor, praise and adoration! But Christ chose to step down from His heavenly throne, come to be born as our Brother in this sin-darkened earth and experience the results of the working of the law of heredity after our race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Amazingly, by faith in God's word, He lived a sinless life, died as our Sacrifice, rose from the dead triumphant over Satan, and has gone to heaven to prepare a place for us! He is soon to return to to take His earth-born children home to the mansions above! But why is it that He can treat us like such royalty? After all, we have sinned and deserve to die--not just physical death, but the second death on account of our sins, which would include suffering for all the sins we have committed and perishing forever, ceasing to exist. The ONLY reason we can be treated so well is because of God's grace lavished upon us in Christ! Praise God that Jesus stepped in and offered Himself as our Substitute! Oh, as our Example He calls us to follow in His humble path of obedience and today do God's will in love! Jesus can save us to the uttermost from sin and its effects! Hallelujah!

Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. "With His stripes we are healed."

Healing from Christ is deeply complete, encompassing the mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and social dynamics of our lives. He is a COMPLETE Savior and Healer! When we surrender the WHOLE heart to Him, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will flow into our lives, and we will be enabled to bear much fruit to the glory of God in true obedience to all of His commandments because we love Him who first loved us! What amazing grace!! Through Christ we can courageously give the Three Angels' messages of Revelation 14:6-12 because they are present truth for this generation! Even though we have been weakened by six thousand years of sin and are so weak and sinful, Christ is demonstrating MIRACLES JUST AS GREAT as His own incarnation by transforming such wretches of character (that's us apart from Christ!) into saints that reveal His glory (that can also be us by abiding in Christ!)! WOW!! Now can we start praising God incessantly and praying without ceasing?! All glory to God!!

The Lord gave me a new hymn, and in light of HOW GOOD THE NEWS IS, I hope you can sing it!! It is to the melody of "Blessed Assurance" (Seventh-day Adventist Hymn 462):

"Happy Assurance" by Pastor Sean James Brizendine, composed March 12, 2023

Happy assurance, doing God%u2018s will
Helping the needy, imprisoned and ill
Letting my Savior bless through me still
As I thus trust Him, He makes souls well

Christ is my Saviour
O how I long
To be more like Him
In weakness made strong
All of His merits
Accrue to me
Because He lived, died and rose for me!

Perfect conversion, revealing the light
Of a pure heart that my God has made right
All the fruits of His Spirit are seen in the life
Without one missing, by faith and not sight

Christ is my Saviour
O how I long
To be more like Him
In weakness made strong
All of His merits
Accrue to me
Because He lived, died and rose for me!

Constant communion, with my precious Lord
I gladly trust Him, who gives me His word
Oh how I love Him, who first loved me
I truly obey Him, for Christ set me free!

Christ is my Saviour
O how I long
To be more like Him
In weakness made strong
All of His merits
Accrue to me
Because He lived, died and rose for me!

Perfect protection from Satan%u2019s lies
For %u201Cit is written%u201D his %u201Clogic%u201D defies
With trials increasing, so comes greater joy
As character is purged from base alloy

Christ is my Saviour
O how I long
To be more like Him
In weakness made strong
All of His merits
Accrue to me
Because He lived, died and rose for me!

Christ is returning, just as He said!
He%u2019ll translate the living, and raise up the dead!
No matter the outcome there%u2019s nothing to fear
So long as we trust Him and follow him here!

Christ is my Saviour
O how I long
To be more like Him
In weakness made strong
All of His merits
Accrue to me
Because He lived, died and rose for me!
 

[Sean James]

Let us stand by a purpose true and learn from the experience of Israel that His way is best, and that He would far prefer to accomplish His mission on earth through our honor and exaltation than continued adversity and humiliation. As we surrender the whole heart to God and abide in Jesus, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives without one missing as we are empowered to do His will in true obedience and be a blessing to others in our sphere of influence. It brings joy to God to have souls who are allied with Him in the fulfillment of His purposes in the saving of souls through the merits of Christ!

Had Israel been true to God, He could have accomplished His purpose through their honor and exaltation. If they had walked in the ways of obedience, He would have made them “high above all nations which He hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honor.” “All people of the earth,” said Moses, “shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.” “The nations which shall hear all these statutes” shall say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” Deuteronomy 26:19; 28:10; Deuteronomy 4:6. But because of their unfaithfulness, God's purpose could be wrought out only through continued adversity and humiliation.

God knows the end from the beginning, and He leads us to see in His word the precious lessons that help us to remember that we need to abide in Christ continually and practice His word in heart and life! His path is always best! "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11). Will you surrender fully to God so He can lead you in His plan and path?

[Sean James]

He did it again! God has been working throughout earth's history to bring things to a point that the world is ripe for the coming of Christ. People need hope. They need purpose. And knowing that Christ is a loving Savior preparing a home for us in heaven gives amazing vision to a world that needs direction. We are not going to be on this planet in its sinful, corrupt state much longer. Jesus is coming again, and we can grasp precious lessons from His first advent as we help prepare many more for His second advent in power and great glory!

“When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son.” Providence had directed the movements of nations, and the tide of human impulse and influence, until the world was ripe for the coming of the Deliverer. The nations were united under one government. One language was widely spoken, and was everywhere recognized as the language of literature. From all lands the Jews of the dispersion gathered to Jerusalem to the annual feasts. As these returned to the places of their sojourn, they could spread throughout the world the tidings of the Messiah's coming.

As it was Greek at the time of Christ's first advent, so now English is the widely spoken language in the world and used for business. While the world may not be under one government as Rome dominated the world, there are clearly two global influential superpowers--the Vatican and the United States of America--that according to Revelation 13 will fulfill the major prophetic role of leading the whole world to the issue of the mark of the beast, the final test of whether humanity will be loyal to God in response to the Three Angel's Messages, or reject His final offer of mercy and go along with the global enforcement of Sunday laws. Providentially, God sent a last-day messenger named Ellen White who spoke and wrote in English, publishing many books to uplift Christ and help many more be ready for His return by exalting the Bible as the rule of faith and practice! Jesus longed to return much before our time, and could have come even back in the 1800s, had the church arisen to embrace the full power and glory of the message of righteousness by faith and fulfilled the proclamation of the everlasting gospel to the whole world. But the message God desired to have broadly proclaimed was not given its free course, and there were many left unreached and unwarned. God is patient. He suffers long for His people. Christ in mercy has delayed His coming as His church has yet to fully fulfill its purpose and mission and there are still so many who need to hear the everlasting good news. The amazing truth is that when we surrender the whole heart to Christ, He cleanses it by His atoning blood, forging us all trespasses, and fills the life with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing so the soul is enabled by divine grace to obey God up to the light He has revealed, even keeping all Ten Commandments as a gift of Christ's character in the life! With such amazing news of what Christ can do to change the life, the choice to remain loyal--even if threatened with the final death decree prophesied in Revelation 13--will not move the soul that is settled into the truth intellectually and spiritually so he or she cannot be moved. This is because they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise and abiding in the gift of the experience of gospel rest in Christ that includes the seal of His law--the keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath of the fourth commandment! Praise God!!

[Sean James]

You'll never run out of things to learn or appreciate from it...

The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. In it is hidden “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Romans 11:33. We marvel at the Saviour's sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall. Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence. Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man's nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life.

As we contemplate the infinite loveliness of Jesus and His mission to save a lost world, well would it be for us to grow more like Christ in character as we incarnate with a world that is six thousand years fallen in sin, weakened as generation after generation has sunk lower and lower in moral worth, in physical strength, and in mental power. Now, more than ever, we need to uplift Jesus who alone can restore the souls He created and cooperate with Him in bringing hope to the hopeless, and courage to those who feel like they have no purpose. God is love and His love is steadfast from generation to generation. We can look to Christ in His amazing condescension to become a human being and also contemplate His sacrifice at Calvary, being afresh motivated to do God's will from a sincere heart out of a true conversion experience in complete surrender to Him. Such a full surrender to God supernaturally gives Him the freedom to produce in the heart, mind and life all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing as the born again soul is led in true obedience to all of God's Ten Commandments because love is awakened for the One who first loved us!

[Sean James]

Do you believe you can be like Jesus? Well, that is what God desires and designs for each of us to become like! By beholding we become changed, and as we behold His loveliness of character, surrender the whole heart to Him, in true repentance confess and forsake our sins, and abide in His love, we are changed by the Holy Spirit who comes to live in our lives, manifesting through the converted soul all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing in harmony with God's law of love! What an amazing gift salvation is, knowing the spotless Lamb of God came to take our sins and transform our characters to prepare us for heaven!

The offerings presented to the Lord were to be without blemish. These offerings represented Christ, and from this it is evident that Jesus Himself was free from physical deformity. He was the “lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:19. His physical structure was not marred by any defect; His body was strong and healthy. And throughout His lifetime He lived in conformity to nature's laws. Physically as well as spiritually, He was an example of what God designed all humanity to be through obedience to His laws.

When we appreciate more fully all that Christ has done for us and is even now doing for us in heaven as our High Priest, we will become more and more fruitful for His everlasting kingdom that cannot be moved!

[Sean James]

Happy Sabbath!!

God ALWAYS provides!!

Satan was bent on shutting out the divine light from the world, and he used his utmost cunning to destroy the Saviour. But He who never slumbers nor sleeps was watching over His beloved Son. He who had rained manna from heaven for Israel and had fed Elijah in the time of famine provided in a heathen land a refuge for Mary and the child Jesus. And through the gifts of the magi from a heathen country, the Lord supplied the means for the journey into Egypt and the sojourn in a land of strangers.

[Sean James]

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord! Jesus loved to praise the Father in song, and we can follow in His steps as the Lord moves on our hearts to praise His name for His glory and grace!

Jesus carried into His labor cheerfulness and tact. It requires much patience and spirituality to bring Bible religion into the home life and into the workshop, to bear the strain of worldly business, and yet keep the eye single to the glory of God. This is where Christ was a helper. He was never so full of worldly care as to have no time or thought for heavenly things. Often He expressed the gladness of His heart by singing psalms and heavenly songs. Often the dwellers in Nazareth heard His voice raised in praise and thanksgiving to God. He held communion with heaven in song; and as His companions complained of weariness from labor, they were cheered by the sweet melody from His lips. His praise seemed to banish the evil angels, and, like incense, fill the place with fragrance. The minds of His hearers were carried away from their earthly exile, to the heavenly home.

We are nearing home! Let's start singing songs and psalms to praise God because we love God who first loved us! All of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives without one missing as long as we are fully surrendered to Jesus and walking in the light of His truth that He has given us! Praise God for all He has given us in the example of Jesus!

[Sean James]

It's so uplifting to keep our focus on Christ and His loveliness!

It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.

Becoming like Jesus by beholding Jesus brings us the truest joy! Thankfully, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will flow forth from the life that is fully surrendered to Him. We are empowered to gladly obey Him as He abides in us and we abide in Him by His word. 

[Sean James]

What a Savior and Example we find in Jesus!

He taught all to look upon themselves as endowed with precious talents, which if rightly employed would secure for them eternal riches. He weeded all vanity from life, and by His own example taught that every moment of time is fraught with eternal results; that it is to be cherished as a treasure, and to be employed for holy purposes. He passed by no human being as worthless, but sought to apply the saving remedy to every soul. In whatever company He found Himself, He presented a lesson that was appropriate to the time and the circumstances. He sought to inspire with hope the most rough and unpromising, setting before them the assurance that they might become blameless and harmless, attaining such a character as would make them manifest as the children of God. Often He met those who had drifted under Satan's control, and who had no power to break from his snare. To such a one, discouraged, sick, tempted, and fallen, Jesus would speak words of tenderest pity, words that were needed and could be understood. Others He met who were fighting a hand-to-hand battle with the adversary of souls. These He encouraged to persevere, assuring them that they would win; for angels of God were on their side, and would give them the victory. Those whom He thus helped were convinced that here was One in whom they could trust with perfect confidence. He would not betray the secrets they poured into His sympathizing ear.

Christ is offering us His experience, His love, and His victorious character in place of our defective, sinful one. Oh, what marvelous grace God lavishes upon us that we can surrender the whole heart to Him to cleanse and purify, and He will make it new and pure, filled with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing as we abide in His will and obey Him from the heart up the light of His truth revealed from His holy law! Praise God for His unchanging grace and strength upon which we can safely build our characters anew in Christ! He is able to cleanse us from all our sins and to keep us from sinning! Praise God!!

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen" (Jude 24-25).

[Sean James]

Jesus offers us deliverance from sin--completely! If we are not cleansed from sin, we will be destroyed with it at the revelation of the glory of God! Thankfully, God offers us His converting grace so we can be motivated to yield the whole heart to Him so all of the fruits of the Spirit without missing will be in our lives as long as we abide in Christ!

“I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance,” said John; “but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” Matthew 3:11, R. V., margin. The prophet Isaiah had declared that the Lord would cleanse His people from their iniquities “by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.” The word of the Lord to Israel was, “I will turn My hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin.” Isaiah 4:4; 1:25. To sin, wherever found, “our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29. In all who submit to His power the Spirit of God will consume sin. But if men cling to sin, they become identified with it. Then the glory of God, which destroys sin, must destroy them. Jacob, after his night of wrestling with the Angel, exclaimed, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Genesis 32:30. Jacob had been guilty of a great sin in his conduct toward Esau; but he had repented. His transgression had been forgiven, and his sin purged; therefore he could endure the revelation of God's presence. But wherever men came before God while willfully cherishing evil, they were destroyed. At the second advent of Christ the wicked shall be consumed “with the Spirit of His mouth,” and destroyed “with the brightness of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8. The light of the glory of God, which imparts life to the righteous, will slay the wicked.

God destroys no one. We choose our own self-destruction if we cling to sin. Let sin go in true confession and repentance as you look to Christ in humble trust and love! He loves you and is doing everything He can to save you!

[Sean James]

Let us look up to Christ and appreciate the victory His life offers us!

And the word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” embraces humanity. God spoke to Jesus as our representative. With all our sins and weaknesses, we are not cast aside as worthless. “He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6. The glory that rested upon Christ is a pledge of the love of God for us. It tells us of the power of prayer,—how the human voice may reach the ear of God, and our petitions find acceptance in the courts of heaven. By sin, earth was cut off from heaven, and alienated from its communion; but Jesus has connected it again with the sphere of glory. His love has encircled man, and reached the highest heaven. The light which fell from the open portals upon the head of our Saviour will fall upon us as we pray for help to resist temptation. The voice which spoke to Jesus says to every believing soul, This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.

All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be seen in our lives as long as we are fully surrendered to Christ and growing in His grace! By beholding His character, we become changed into His holy, lovely image! True obedience comes from the heart He renews by His holy Spirit! Praise God!

[Sean James]

It's for you and me--now! Christ's experience may be ours by the same means that He accessed freely while walking this earth. We also may trust our Father so deeply that we do not doubt His word; rather, we surrender fully to His word and let the Holy Spirit keep us from Satan's temptations. While we by nature are fallen and need grace, Jesus, the Sinless One, became a Man and took our fallen nature upon Him. Therefore, He understands us to the depth that we need help--He knows how to guide us to safely trust the Father over all the temptations that come to us from within and without. Though He never sinned, He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, and by His sinless life that He lived by faith (and not His inherent divinity), He offers us the victory WE NEED! Praise God!!!

“The prince of this world cometh,” said Jesus, “and hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. There was in Him nothing that responded to Satan's sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us. Christ's humanity was united with divinity; He was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And He came to make us partakers of the divine nature. So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us. God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to perfection of character.

Praise God that perfection of character can start NOW! When we surrender FULLY to Christ the WHOLE heart, He cleanses it and makes it new, blotting out our sins and and filling us with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing! "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19), and love always leads to TRUE obedience, for Jesus stated and promised clearly, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Thankfully, our growth in understanding what it means to obey will keep deepening and expanding as we see the infinite love of God for us in Christ and the value He places upon each of us as His children. Abiding in Christ means victory! Let's live it out and invite others to come and do likewise!