LAODICEA

Manuscript Releases Volume Eight
Page 323 - 324

Some Effects of Adam's Apostasy

Awake and see that at this time you must put on the beautiful robe of Christ's righteousness. "Buy of Me," He says, "gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed." What was the matter with Adam and Eve? They saw that they were naked. The covering of God was not enveloping them. God says, "Buy of me." Well, what? Buy of Me My righteousness. "Buy of Me gold tried in the fire, and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed." Are you clothed with it, or are you transgressing the commandments of God by your traditions and by the maxims of men? The righteousness of God never covers a soul all polluted with sin. John says, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." Will you let Him take it away? You cannot bear your own sin. Christ says He will take your sin if you lay hold of the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. Christ came and suffered for our sins "that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Believe on Him as One upon whom the sins of the whole world are laid that man might have another trial. That trial we are having today. Shall it be that Christ shall not have died for us in vain? Shall we give to the world the evidence of the character of God  because of our rectitude in keeping His commandments? May God help us to be loyal servants of His.--Ms 10, 1894, p. 10. ("Keep the Commandments," February, 1894.)

Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Date  08-07-94

Look to God for Wisdom

The voice of the True Witness calls to his chosen people, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent. 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. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." We have tried to arouse our brethren to the fact that the Lord has rich blessings to bestow upon us as a people. The people of God have lost much by not maintaining the simplicity of the truth as it is in Jesus. This simplicity has been crowded out, and forms and ceremonies and a round of busy activities in mechanical work have taken its place. [the sickness]=Pride and lukewarmness have made the professed people of God an offense in his sight. Boastful self-sufficiency and complacent self-righteousness have masked and concealed the beggary and nakedness of the soul; but with God all things are naked and manifest. {the treatment}=Yet Jesus is going from door to door, standing in front of every soul-temple, proclaiming, "I stand at the door, and knock." As a heavenly merchantman, he opens his treasures, and cries, "Buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." The gold he offers is without alloy, more precious than that of Ophir; for it is faith and love. The white raiment he invites the soul to wear is his own robes of righteousness, and the oil for anointing is the oil of his grace, which will give spiritual eyesight to the soul in blindness and darkness, that he may distinguish between the workings of the Spirit of God and the spirit of the enemy. Open your doors, says the great Merchantman, the possessor of spiritual riches, and transact your business with me. It is I, your Redeemer, who counsels you to buy of me.

Bible Echo and Signs of the Times
Date 01-15-92

Ye are Complete in Him

Jesus did not seek you and me because we were his friends; for we were estranged from him, and unreconciled to God. It was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us. But he has promised to give us his Holy Spirit, that we might become assimilated to his nature, changed into his image. Therefore we must put away everything like passion, impatience, murmuring, and unrest, and find a place for Jesus in the heart. We must have the buyers and the sellers cleared out of the soul-temple, that Jesus may take up his abode within us. Now he stands at the door of the heart as a heavenly merchantman; he says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and will open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." "Open unto me; buy of me the heavenly wares; buy of me the gold tried in the fire." Buy faith and love, the precious, beautiful attributes of our Redeemer, which will enable us to find our way into the hearts of those who do not know him, who are cold and alienated from him through unbelief and sin. He invites us to buy the white raiment, which is his glorious righteousness: and the eyesalve, that we may discern spiritual things. O, shall we not open the heart's door to this heavenly visitor?

Testimonies for the Church Volume Four
Page  88 - 89

The Testing Process

To be without the graces of the Spirit of God is sad indeed; but it is a more terrible condition to be thus destitute of spirituality and of Christ, and yet try to justify ourselves by telling those who are alarmed for us that we need not their fears and pity. Fearful is the power of self-deception on the human mind! What blindness! setting light for darkness and darkness for light! The True Witness counsels us to buy of Him gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve. The gold here recommended as having been tried in the fire is faith and love. It makes the heart rich; for it has been purged until it is pure, and the more it is tested the more brilliant is its luster.

The white raiment is purity of character, the righteousness of Christ imparted to the sinner. This is indeed a garment of heavenly texture, that can be bought only of Christ for a life of willing obedience. The eyesalve is that wisdom and grace which enables us to discern between the evil and the good, and to detect sin under any guise. God has given His church eyes which He requires them to anoint with wisdom, that  they may see clearly; but many would put out the eyes of the church if they could; for they would not have their deeds come to the light, lest they should be reproved. The divine eyesalve will impart clearness to the understanding. Christ is the depositary of all graces. He says: "Buy of Me."

Testimonies for the Church Volume Four
Page 89

The Testing Process

Some may say it is exalting our own merits to expect favor from God through our good works. True, we cannot buy one victory with our good works; yet we cannot be victors without them. The purchase which Christ recommends to us is only complying with the conditions He has given us. True grace, which is of inestimable value, and which will endure the test of trial and adversity, is only obtained through faith and humble, prayerful obedience. Graces that endure the proofs of affliction and persecution, and evidence their soundness and sincerity, are the gold which is tried in the fire and found genuine. Christ offers to sell this precious treasure to man: "Buy of Me gold tried in the fire." The dead, heartless performance of duty does not make us Christians. We must get out of a lukewarm condition and experience a true conversion, or we shall fail of heaven.

The Desire of Ages
Page 280

As it was in the days of Christ, so it is now; the Pharisees do not know their spiritual destitution. To them comes the message, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." Rev. 2:4, 5.

Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Date 08-28-94

The Obedient Approved of God

The True Witness desires to remedy the perilous condition in which his professed people are placed, and he says: "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Christ will cease to take the names of those who fail to turn to him and do their first works, and will no longer make intercession for them before the Father. He says, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

Yet the case of those who are rebuked is not a hopeless one; it is not beyond the power of the great Mediator. He says: "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see." Though the professed followers of Christ are in a deplorable condition, they are not yet in so desperate a strait as were the foolish virgins whose lamps were going out, and there was no time in which to replenish their vessels with oil. When the bridegroom came, those that were ready went in with him to the wedding; but when the foolish virgins came, the door was shut, and they were too late to obtain an entrance. But the counsel of the True Witness does not represent those who are lukewarm as in a hopeless case. There is yet a chance to remedy their state, and the Laodicean message is full of encouragement; for the backslidden church may yet buy the gold of faith and love, may yet have the white robe of the righteousness of Christ, that the shame of their nakedness need not appear. Purity of heart, purity of motive, may yet characterize those who are half-hearted and who are striving to serve God and Mammon. They may yet wash their robes of character and make them white in the blood of the
Lamb.

Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Date 09-04-83

Be Zealous and Repent

The True Witness counsels, "Buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed," "and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see." The gold of faith and love, the white raiment of a spotless character, and the eye-salve, or the power of clear discernment between good and evil,--all these we must obtain before we can hope to enter the kingdom of God. But these precious treasures will not drop upon us without some exertion on
our part. We must buy,--we must be zealous and repent" of our lukewarm state. We must be awake to see our wrongs, to search for our sins, and to put them away from us.

Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Date 09-19-99

Give Unto the Lord the Glory due Unto His Name

"Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 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. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

Selected Messages Book 1
Page 127 - 128

Calls for a Revival

God brings against ministers and people the heavy charge of spiritual feebleness, saying, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see" (Rev. 3:15-18).

THE WARNING

God calls for a spiritual revival and a spiritual reformation. Unless this takes place, those who are lukewarm will continue to grow more abhorrent to the Lord, until He will refuse to acknowledge them as His children.

Spiritual Gifts Volume 4B
Page 29

Be Zealous and Repent

Oh, how precious was this promise, as it was shown to me in vision. "I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me." Oh, the love, the wondrous love of God. After all our lukewarmness and sins, he says, "Return unto me, and I will return unto thee, and will heal all thy backslidings." This was repeated by the angel a number of times. "Return unto me, and I will return unto thee, and heal all thy backslidings."

Testimonies for the Church Volume Six
Page  426 -427

Calls to Service

Today a large part of those who compose our congregations are dead in trespasses and sins. They come and go like the door upon its hinges. For years they have complacently listened to the most solemn, soul-stirring truths, but they have not put them in practice. Therefore they are less and less sensible of the preciousness of truth. The stirring testimonies of reproof and warning do not arouse them to repentance. The sweetest melodies that come from God through human lips—justification by faith, and the righteousness of Christ--do not call forth from them a response of love and gratitude. Though the heavenly Merchantman displays before them the richest jewels of faith and love, though He invites them to buy of Him "gold tried in the fire," and white raiment" that they may be clothed, and "eyesalve" that they may see, they steel their hearts against Him, and fail to exchange their lukewarmness for love and zeal. While making a profession, they deny the power of godliness. If they continue in this state, God will reject them. They are unfitting themselves to be members of His family.

The Home Missionary
Date 11-01-90

The Source of the Church's Power

This is why the Lord cannot impart to his church the fullness of his blessing. To honor them in a distinguished manner before the world would be to put his seal upon their works, confirming their false representation of his character. When the church shall come out from the world, and be separate from its maxims, habits, and practices, the Lord Jesus will work with his people; he will pour a large measure of his Spirit upon them, and the world will know that the Father loves them. Will the people of God continue to be so stupefied with selfishness? His blessing hangs over them, but it cannot be bestowed in its fullness because they are so corrupted with the spirit and practices of the world. There is spiritual pride among them; and should the Lord work as his heart longs to do, it would but confirm, them in their self-esteem and self-exaltation. Shall Christ continue to be misrepresented by our people? Shall the grace of God, the divine enlightenment, be shut away from his church, because of their lukewarmness? It will be, unless there is most thorough seeking of God, renunciation of the world, and humbling of the soul before God. The converting power of God must pass through our churches.

Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Date 01-11-81

The Barren Fig-Tree

We boast of our advancement in the truth; but our works do not correspond with our profession. We are sadly deficient in spirit, energy, and life. Leaf-covered trees are plenty, but they are destitute of fruit. The fearful condition of lukewarmness and unfaithfulness which would exist in the last days was described by the great apostle in these words:-- [DESCRITPION:

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away."

We learn from the Sacred Record that this tree, upon which hung not a redeeming cluster of fruit, was clothed with green foliage. Notice the words. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." The doom of the fruitless fig-tree has an application to individual professors who
manifest the natural tendencies of the unrenewed heart, and contradict their faith by their daily life. They do not represent to the world the character of Christ, because they have not Christ in them….

Fruitless professors, sad indeed is your fate; for the open sinner stands in a more favorable position in the sight of God. The blight of God's curse is upon that class who hide the deformity of their lives under a profession of godliness. John, that bold, undaunted reprover of sin, who came to prepare the way for Christ's first advent, thus addressed the multitude that flocked to hear him: "Therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire" Terrible words! And as we see the many who profess to be God's commandment-keeping people, whose lives show that they do not the will of our Father which is in Heaven, we can come to only one conclusion,--that in the doom of the fig-tree which bore no fruit, and upon which fell the withering curse of God, they may read their own fate…..

Jesus is wounded and insulted by his professed followers whose unconsecrated lives disgrace their profession. He would purify the temple courts of the soul; but if his efforts to warn and reprove are not heeded, his forbearance and compassion will be changed to severity and judgment.

Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
Date 09-04-83

Be Zealous and Repent

How precious is the promise, "I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Oh, the love, the wondrous love of God! After all our lukewarmness and sins he says, Return unto me, and I will return unto thee, and will heal all thy backslidings.

Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

LUKEWARM= STRONGS

5513 chliaros {khlee-ar-os'}
from chlio (to warm); TDNT - 2:876,296; adj
AV - lukewarm 1; 1

tepid, lukewarm 2) metaph. of the condition of the soul wretchedly fluctuating between a torpor and a fervour of love
TORPOR—WEBSTERS’ DICTIONARY
Apathy, dullness, stagnation, extreme sluggishness

FERVOUR
A] intense heat…[Hot] … warm steady intensity of feeling or statement….
syn: Passion

BACKSLIDING

Jer 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; [and] I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I [am] merciful, saith the LORD, [and] I will not keep [anger] for ever.

Jer 8:5 Why [then] is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.
nbsp

05637 carar {saw-rar'}

a primitive root; TWOT - 1549; v

AV - rebellious 6, stubborn 4, revolters 2, revolting 1, slide back 1, backslide 1, away 1, withdrew 1; 17

1) to rebel, be stubborn, be rebellious, be refractory 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be stubborn 1a2) stubborn, rebel (subst)

04878 m@shuwbah {mesh-oo-baw'} or m@shubah {mesh-oo-baw'}

from 07725; TWOT - 2340c; n f

AV - backsliding 11, turning away 1; 12

turning away, turning back, apostasy, backsliding

THE OPPOSITE OF LUKEWARM, A LOST CONDITION, IS CONVERTED: A SAVING CONDITION. [Strongs}

1994 epistrepho {ep-ee-stref'-o}

from 1909 and 4762; TDNT - 7:722,1093; v

AV - turn 16, be converted 6, return 6, turn about 4, turn again 3, misc 4; 39

transitively 1a) to turn to 1a1) to the worship of the true God 1b) to cause to return, to bring back 1b1) to the love and obedience of God 1b2) to the love for the children 1b3) to love wisdom and righteousness 2) intransitively 2a) to turn to one's self 2b) to turn one's self about, turn back 2c) to return, turn back, come back.

EATON’S BIBLE DICTIONARY: Conversion

The turning of a sinner to God (Acts 15:3). In a general sense the heathen are said to be "converted" when they abandon heathenism and embrace the Christian faith; and in a more special sense men are converted when, by the influence of divine grace in their souls, their whole life is changed, old things pass away, and all things become new (Acts 26:18). Thus we speak of the conversion of the Philippian jailer (16:19-34), of Paul (9:1-22), of the Ethiopian treasurer (8:26-40), of Cornelius (10), of Lydia (16:13-15), and others. (See REGENERATION

Regeneration

Only found in Matt. 19:28 and Titus 3:5. This word literally means a "new birth." The Greek word so rendered (palingenesia) is used by classical writers with reference to the changes produced by the return of spring. In Eph. 2:6); a being quickened (2:1, 5).

This change is ascribed to the Holy Spirit. It originates not with man but with God (John 1:12-13;
1 John 2:29; 5:1, 4).

As to the nature of the change, it consists in the implanting of a new principle or disposition in the soul; the impartation of spiritual life to those who are by nature "dead in trespasses and sins."

The necessity of such a change is emphatically affirmed in Scripture (John 3:3; Rom. 7:18; 8:7-9;
1 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 2:1; 4:21-24).

Matthew 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 4:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

John 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

TIMES OF REFRESHING

The Great Controversy [1888 edition]
Page  611

The Final Warning

The work will be similar to that of the day of Pentecost. As the "former rain" was given, in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the opening of the gospel, to cause the upspringing of the precious seed, so the "latter rain" will be given at its close, for the ripening of the harvest. "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Acts 3:19-20

AMEN

Source: EGW Website
 

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