This is where millions of Christians fail... They just want to give their sins to God and continue sinning... God wants our whole hearts and many are not willing give....
GOD WANTS OUR WHOLE HEART
“I have been evil from the day I was born; from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.” Psalm 51:5
I. INTRODUCTION
We Can’t Do Anything Good
“In ourselves we are incapable of doing any good thing…” DA 98
“Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!” Job 14:4
We Are Hopeless Without the Grace of Christ
“Without the grace of Christ, the sinner is in a hopeless condition; nothing can be done for him; but through divine grace, supernatural power is imparted to the man, and works in mind and heart and character.” 1SM 366
Our Whole Heart Must be Surrendered to God to Experience the New Birth
“The new birth is a rare experience in this age of the world. This is the reason why there are so many perplexities in the churches. Many, so many, who assume the name of Christ are unsanctified and unholy. They have been baptized, but they were buried alive. Self did not die, and therefore they did not rise to newness of life in Christ” Manuscript 148, 1897
If One Sin Is Cherished in the Soul
“If one sin is cherished in the soul, or one wrong practice retained in the life, the whole being is contaminated. The man becomes an instrument of unrighteousness.” DA 313
II. SOLUTIONS TO THE LAODICEAN PROBLEM
1. All We Need to Do Is to Confess and Forsake Our Sins
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Prov. 28:13
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9
“God does not give us up because of our sins. We may make mistakes and grieve His Spirit, but when we repent and come to Him with contrite hearts, He will not turn us away. There are hindrances to be removed. Wrong feelings have been cherished, and there have been pride, self-sufficiency, impatience, and murmurings. All these separate us from God.” Cch 47
“God requires the entire surrender of the heart, before justification can take place; and in order for man to retain justification, there must be continual obedience, through active, living faith that works by love and purifies the soul.” 1SM 366.1
"If we have injured others through any unjust business transaction, . . we should confess our wrong, and make restitution as far as lies in our power." DA 556
"You cannot make every case right, for some whom you have injured have gone into their graves, and the account stands registered against you. In these cases the best you can do is to bring a trespass offering to the altar of the Lord, and He will accept and pardon you. But where you can, make reparation to the wronged ones." 5T 339
“Satan leads many to believe that God will overlook their unfaithfulness in the minor affairs of life; but the Lord shows in His dealings with Jacob that He will in no wise sanction or tolerate evil. All who endeavor to excuse or conceal their sins, and permit them to remain upon the books of heaven, unconfessed and unforgiven, will be overcome by Satan.” GC 620
When We Sin, the Holy Spirit Will Convict and Remind Us
"The guilty know just what sins to confess that their souls may be clean before God." 1T 156
"If there have been difficulties, . . . if envy, malice, bitterness, evil surmisings, have existed, confess these sins, not in a general way, but go to your brethren and sisters personally. Be definite. If you have committed one wrong and they twenty, confess that one as though you were the chief offender. Take them by the hand, let your heart soften under the influence of the Spirit of God, and say, 'Will you forgive me?'" There is too much coldness and indifference—too much of the “I don't care” spirit—exercised among the professed followers of Christ. All should feel a care for one another, jealousy guarding each other's interests. “Love one another.” I have not felt right toward you. I want to make right every wrong, that naught may stand registered against me in the books of heaven. I must have a clean record.” OHC 370
Then We Must Believe that God Can Do It as He Has Promised
"You have confessed your sins, and in heart put them away. You have resolved to give yourself to God. Now go to Him, and ask that He will wash away your sins and give you a new heart. Then believe that He does this because He has promised." SC 49
Christ’s Righteousness Does Not Cover Unconfessed and Unrepented Sins
"Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come to Him in faith. He will cleanse them from all defilement if they will let Him. But if they cling to their sins, they cannot possibly be saved; for Christ's righteousness covers no sin unrepented of. " 7BC 931
“No man can cover his soul with the garments of Christ's righteousness while practicing known sins, or neglecting known duties. God requires the entire surrender of the heart, before justification can take place.”1SM 366
"A partial surrender to truth gives Satan free opportunity to work. Until the soul-temple is fully surrendered to God, it is the stronghold of the enemy." RH 11-28-1899
Forgiveness of God Means Reclaiming Us from Sin
“forgiveness has a broader meaning than many suppose....God's forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart. David had the true conception of forgiveness when he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10.” Pr 298
Only Jesus Christ Can Reclaim Us from Sins. He Can Take Away All Our Selfishness, Envy, Anger and All Other Sins
"That which was objectionable in the character is purified from the soul by the love of Jesus. All selfishness is expelled, all envy, all evil-speaking, is rooted out, and a radical transformation is wrought in the heart. " RH July 22,1890
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21
“And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him.”1 John 3:5
NOTE: Now that we have already confessed our sins and given our whole heart to Jesus, He cleanses us from all our sins and creates a new heart. This is what we call justification. And then because Jesus Christ now lives in our hearts, He empowers us to live the sanctified life.
“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” Romans 6:22
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Cor. 5:17
NOTE: Sanctification is a life-time work and experience- Staying connected to God who is our only power source. It is a life of daily abiding and growing in Christ and bearing the fruits of holiness. We can find the fruits of holiness in Galatians 5:22-23.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5
Why We Must Continually Abide or Stay Connected With Jesus?
“The life you have received from Me can be preserved only by continual communion. Without Me you cannot overcome one sin, or resist one temptation.” DA 676
"Sanctification is a state of holiness, without and within, being holy and without reserve the Lord's, not in form, but in truth. Every impurity of thought, every lustful passion, separates the soul from God; for Christ can never put His robe of righteousness upon a sinner, to hide his deformity." OHC 214
We Must Surrender Our Hearts Entirely to God and Satan Does Not Want Us Know this Truth
"Satan does not want anyone to see the necessity of an entire surrender to God. When the soul fails to make this surrender, sin is not forsaken; the appetites and passions are striving for the mastery; temptations confuse the conscience, so that true conversion does not take place." 6T 92
God Cannot Live in a Heart That Is Not Fully Surrendered
"God will not occupy a divided heart or reign from a divided throne. Every idol that holds the affections and diverts them from the God of love must be dethroned." KH 63
“Christ will abide in the soul only when the whole heart is given up to Him." YI Jan. 9, 1896
"The Lord cannot purify the soul until the entire being is surrendered to the working of the Holy Spirit." RH February 27, 1900
"God will not be trifled with; Christ accepts no divided service. He asks for all." 4T 214
"Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33
2. Death to Self and Sin
"There are those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ who have never died to self. They have never fallen on the Rock and been broken. Until this shall be, they will live unto self, and if they die as they are, it is forever too late for their wrongs to be righted." FE 284
“I die daily” 1 Cor. 15:31
"You need to die daily, to experience a daily crucifixion of self." 3T 324
“Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:11
“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20
Not a Modification or Improvement
“The Christian's life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit.” DA 172
III. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DIE TO SELF?
1. It Means to Give Up “All Right” To Sin
“Jesus did not contend for His rights. Often His work was made unnecessarily severe because He was willing and uncomplaining. Yet He did not fail nor become discouraged. He lived above these difficulties, as if in the light of God's countenance. He did not retaliate when roughly used, but bore insult patiently.” DA 89
Impatient Spirit is Not the Spirit of Christ
“We cannot be fretful and impatient, and still be Christians; for a fretful, impatient spirit is not the Spirit of Christ. With such a spirit, you are making crooked paths, and some one else will follow you; and so you are not only making crooked paths for your own feet, but for the feet of others. You ask how shall you perfect a Christian character? Look to the life of Jesus. He is your pattern. See what kind of spirit be manifested, and endeavor to show the same in your daily life and conversation.” RH, August 14, 1888
Angry Words Are Not of Heavenly Origin
“Harsh, angry words are not of heavenly origin. Scolding and fretting never help. Instead, they stir up the worst feelings of the human heart. When your children do wrong and are filled with rebellion and you are tempted to speak and act harshly, wait before you correct them. Give them an opportunity to think, and allow your temper to cool. As you deal kindly and tenderly with your children, they and you will receive the blessing of the Lord. And think you that in the day of God's judgment anyone will regret that he has been patient and kind with his children?--MS 114, 1903. CG 246
“If we indulge anger, lust, covetousness, hatred, selfishness, or any other sin, we become servants of sin.” MYP 114
Our Faith Must Reach to the Point Where it Will Control Our Affections and Impulses
“In order for man to be justified by faith, faith must reach a point where it will control the affections and impulses of the heart; and it is by obedience that faith itself is made perfect.” FW 100
What is the Object of Christian life?
“The object of the Christian life is fruit bearing--the reproduction of Christ's character in the believer, that it may be reproduced in others.” COL 67
What Are the Fruits of the Spirit?
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control: against such there is no law.” Gal. 5:22, 23
If We Are Truly In Jesus Christ All the Fruits Of the Spirit Will Be Seen In Our Life
“When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing.” DA 676
“You will recognize them by their fruits….” Matthew 7:16
Let Us Examine Ourselves
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” 2 Corinthians 13:5
How Can I Know that Jesus Christ is in My Heart?
“But you will say, How am I to know that Christ is in my heart? If, when you are criticised or corrected in your way, and things do not go just as you think they ought to go,—if then you let your passion arise instead of bearing the correction and being patient and kind, Christ is not abiding in the heart.” RH July 12, 1887
"Are you in a position where you do not possess these graces? Just as soon as anyone crosses you, or offends you, does there arise in your heart a feeling of bitterness, a spirit of rebellion? If this is the spirit you have, bear in mind that you have not the spirit of Christ. It is another spirit. " RH December 21, 1886
How Do We Attained the Completeness of Christian Character?
“When self is merged in Christ, love springs forth spontaneously. The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within—when the sunshine of heaven fills the heart and is revealed in the countenance.” COL 384
*As we stay connected with Jesus continually, His character will be seen in us.
2. To Die to Self Means to Surrender Ourselves Wholly to God
“The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness.” SC 43
“God desires to heal us, to set us free. But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him.” SC 43
“We cannot be half the Lord's and half the world's. We are not God's children unless we are such entirely.” SC 44
Many Do Not Know How to Surrender to Jesus
“I wish you to distinctly understand this point, that souls are kept from obeying the truth by a confusion of ideas, and also because they do not know how to surrender their wills and their minds to Jesus. They want special instruction how to become Christians. The work done for Christ in the world is not made of great deeds and wonderful achievements. These will come in as needed. But the most successful work is that which keeps self as much as possible out of sight.” Ev 152
NOTE: Are we living a double life? The reason why we find it so difficult to become Christian is because we are so divided… The reason why our church remain in Laodicean state is because we are so divided.
3. To Die to Self Means to Give Up All that Separate Us from God
“In giving ourselves to God, we must necessarily give up all that would separate us from Him. Hence the Saviour says, "In the same way," concluded Jesus, "none of you can be my disciple unless you give up everything you have.” Luke 14:33. Whatever shall draw away the heart from God must be given up. Mammon is the idol of many. The love of money, the desire for wealth, is the golden chain that binds them to Satan. Reputation and worldly honor are worshiped by another class. The life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility is the idol of others. But these slavish bands must be broken. We are not God's children unless we are such entirely.” SC 44
IV. SOLEMN APPEAL
We Must Cooperate with God
“Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me.” Revelation 3:20
Don’t Refuse God’s Invitation
“Every soul that refuses to give himself to God is under the control of another power. He is not his own. He may talk of freedom, but he is in the most abject slavery. He is not allowed to see the beauty of truth, for his mind is under the control of Satan. While he flatters himself that he is following the dictates of his own judgment, he obeys the will of the prince of darkness. Christ came to break the shackles of sin-slavery from the soul. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" sets us "free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2. DA 466
We Can't Do Anything by Our Own Strength
“In ourselves we are incapable of doing any good thing; but that which we cannot do will be wrought by the power of God in every submissive and believing soul. It was through faith that the child of promise was given. It is through faith that spiritual life is begotten, and we are enabled to do the works of righteousness.” DA 98
We Will Have the Power to Live the Life of Christ Only When We Receive Him and Let Him Dwell in Us.
“As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:12. This power is not in the human agent. It is the power of God. When a soul receives Christ, he receives power to live the life of Christ.” COL 314
We Must Allow the Holy Spirit to Control Our Heart
“To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace. 7 And so people become enemies of God when they are controlled by their human nature; for they do not obey God's law, and in fact they cannot obey it. 8 Those who obey their human nature cannot please God. 9 But you do not live as your human nature tells you to; instead, you live as the Spirit tells you to—if, in fact, God's Spirit lives in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” Romans 8:6-9
The Holy Spirit Helps Us in Our Weaknesses
“The Lord Jesus acts through the Holy Spirit; for it is His representative. Through it He infuses spiritual life into the soul, quickening its energies for good, cleansing it from moral defilement, and giving it a fitness for His kingdom.” MYP 55
“Through the Holy Spirit, God uses ordinary people to do mighty works and without the Holy Spirit’s abiding presence, a missionary is a tourist.” Sulad Jhun Cardeinte
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