EGW Notes - Lesson 2
Sabbath Afternoon, January 1
In this life we must meet fiery trials and make costly sacrifices, but the peace of Christ is the reward. There
has been so little self-denial, so little suffering for Christ’s sake, that the cross is almost entirely forgotten. We
must be partakers with Christ of His sufferings if we would sit down in triumph with Him on His throne. So long
as we choose the easy path of self-indulgence and are frightened at self-denial, our faith will never become firm,
and we cannot know the peace of Jesus nor the joy that comes through conscious victory. …
Oh, for a living, active faith! We need it; we must have it, or we shall faint and fail in the day of trial. The
darkness that will then rest upon our path must not discourage us or drive us to despair. It is the veil with which
God covers His glory when He comes to impart rich blessings. We should know this by our past experience. In
that day when God has a controversy with His people this experience will be a source of comfort and hope.
—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 215.
Christ has made every provision for us to be strong. He has given us His Holy Spirit, whose office is to bring
to our remembrance all the promises that Christ has made, that we may have peace and a sweet sense of
forgiveness. If we will but keep our eyes fixed on the Saviour, and trust in His power, we shall be filled with a
sense of security; for the righteousness of Christ will become our righteousness. …
We dishonor Him by talking of our inefficiency. Instead of looking at ourselves, let us constantly behold
Jesus, daily becoming more and more like Him, more and more able to talk of Him, better prepared to avail
ourselves of His kindness and helpfulness, and to receive the blessings offered us.
As we thus live in communion with Him, we grow strong in His strength, a help and a blessing to those
around us.—Messages to Young People, p. 107.
The greatest victories … [are those] which are gained in the audience chamber with God, when earnest,
agonizing faith lays hold upon the mighty arm of power. When Jacob found himself utterly prostrate and in a
helpless condition, he poured out his soul to God in an agony of earnestness. The angel of God pleaded to be
released, but Jacob would not let go his hold. The stricken man, suffering bodily pain, presented his earnest
supplication with the boldness which living faith imparts. “I will not let Thee go,” he said, “except Thou bless me.”
…
Living faith must grasp the promises unflinchingly, and then many may come from close communion with
God with shining faces, saying, as did Jacob: “I have seen God face to face, and my life is
preserved.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, pp. 443, 444.
Sunday, January 2
Jesus Is Our King
The sophistry and falsehood by which [Satan] had sought to hinder the work of Jesus, the hatred manifested
through the children of disobedience, his cruel accusations against Him whose life was one of unexampled
goodness, all sprang from deep-seated revenge. The pent-up fires of envy and malice, hatred and revenge, burst
forth on Calvary against the Son of God, while all heaven gazed upon the scene in silent horror.
When the great sacrifice had been consummated, Christ ascende d on high, refusing the adoration of angels
until He had presented the request: “I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.”
John 17:24. Then with inexpressible love and power came forth the answer from the Father’s throne: “Let all the
angels of God worship Him.” Hebrews 1:6. Not a stain rested upon Jesus. His humiliation ended, His sacrifice
completed, there was given unto Him a name that is above every
name.—The Great Controversy, pp. 501, 502.
As Paul beheld Christ in His power, he broke out into exclamations of admiration and amazement: “Without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” “By him were all things created, that
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
or powers; all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things
consist.”—Lift Him Up, p. 34.
We are now standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. A crisis is before us, such as the world has
never witnessed. And sweetly to us, as to the first disciples, comes the assurance that God’s kingdom ruleth over
all. The program of coming events is in the hands of our Maker. The Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations,
as well as the concerns of His church, in His own charge. The divine Instructor is saying to every agent in the
accomplishment of His plans, as He said to Cyrus, “I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me.” Isaiah 45:5. …
He who slumbers not, who is continually at work for the accomplishment of His designs, will carry forward
His own work. He will thwart the purposes of wicked men, and will bring to confusion the counsels of those who
plot mischief against His people. He who is the King, the Lord of hosts, sitteth between the cherubim, and amid
the strife and tumult of nations He guards His children still. He who ruleth in the heavens is our Saviour. He
measures every trial, He watches the furnace fire that must test every soul. When the strongholds of kings shall be
overthrown, when the arrows of wrath shall strike through the hearts of His enemies, His people will be safe in
His hands.—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 121.
Monday, January 3
Jesus Is Our Mediator
About forty days after the birth of Christ, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the
Lord, and to offer sacrifice. This was according to the Jewish law, and as man’s substitute Christ must conform to
the law in every particular. He had already been subjected to the rite of circumcision, as a pledge of His obedience
to the law. …
… The law provided that if the parents were too poor to bring a lamb, a pair of turtledoves or two young
pigeons, one for a burnt offering, the other for a sin offering, might be accepted.
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.—The Desire of Ages, pp. 50, 51.
The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was
His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete
in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, “whither the forerunner is for us entered.” Hebrews 6:20. There
the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of
redemption. The salvation of man is accomplished at an infinite expense to heaven; the sacrifice made is equal to
the broadest demands of the broken law of God. Jesus has opened the way to the Father’s throne, and through His
mediation the sincere desire of all who come to Him in faith may be presented before
God.—The Great Controversy, p. 489.
Shrouded in the pillar of cloud, the world’s Redeemer held communion with Israel. Let us not say, then, that
they had not Christ. When the people thirsted in the wilderness, and gave themselves up to murmuring and
complaint, Christ was to them what He is to us—a Saviour full of tender compassion, the Mediator between them
and God. After we have done our part to cleanse the soul temple from the defilement of sin, Christ’s blood avails
for us, as it did for ancient Israel.—Ellen G. White Comments,
in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1061.
Tuesday, January 4
Jesus Is Our Champion
The Lord God through Jesus Christ holds out His hand all the day long in invitation to the sinful and fallen.
He will receive all. He welcomes all. It is His glory to pardon the chief of sinners. He will take the prey from the
mighty, He will deliver the captive, He will pluck the brand from the burning. He will lower the golden chain of
His mercy to the lowest depths of human wretchedness, and lift up the debased soul contaminated with sin.
Every human being is the object of loving interest to Him who gave His life that He might bring men back to
God. Souls guilty and helpless, liable to be destroyed by the arts and snares of Satan, are cared for as a shepherd
cares for the sheep of his flock.—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 161, 162.
Every man is free to choose what power he will have to rule over him. None have fallen so low, none are so
vile, but that they can find deliverance in Christ. The demoniac, in place of prayer, could utter only the words of
Satan; yet the heart’s unspoken appeal was heard. No cry from a soul in need, though it fail of utterance in words,
will be unheeded. Those who will consent to enter into covenant relation with the God of heaven are not left to
the power of Satan or to the infirmity of their own nature. They are invited by the Saviour, “Let him take hold of
My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” Isaiah 27:5. The spirits of
darkness will battle for the soul once under their dominion, but angels of God will contend for that soul with
prevailing power. The Lord says, “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? …
Thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be
delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” Isaiah 49:24, 25.
—The Desire of Ages, pp. 258, 259.
The work of conquering evil is to be done through faith. Those who go into the battlefield will find that they
must put on the whole armor of God. The shield of faith will be their defense and will enable them to be more
than conquerors. Nothing else will avail but this—faith in the Lord of hosts, and obedience to His orders. Vast
armies furnished with every other facility will avail nothing in the last great conflict. Without faith, an angel host
could not help. Living faith alone will make them invincible and enable them to stand in the evil day, steadfast,
unmovable, holding the beginning of their confidence firm unto the end.—
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and
Students
, pp. 182, 183.
Wednesday, January 5
Jesus Is Our High Priest
Christ is spoken of as walking in the midst of the golden candlesticks. Thus is symbolized His relation to the
churches. He is in constant communication with His people. He knows their true state. He observes their order,
their piety, their devotion. Although He is high priest and mediator in the sanctuary above, yet He is represented
as walking up and down in the midst of His churches on the earth. With untiring wakefulness and unremitting
vigilance, He watches to see whether the light of any of His sentinels is burning dim or going out. If the
candlesticks were left to mere human care, the flickering flame would languish and die; but He is the true
watchman in the Lord’s house, the true warden of the temple courts. His continued care and sustaining grace are
the source of life and light.—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 586.
God is approached through Jesus Christ, the Mediator, the only way through which He forgives sins. God
cannot forgive sins at the expense of His justice, His holiness, and His truth. But He does forgive sins and that
fully. There are no sins He will not forgive in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the sinner’s only hope,
and if he rests here in sincere faith, he is sure of pardon and that full and free. There is only one channel and that
is accessible to all, and through that channel a rich and abundant forgiveness awaits the penitent, contrite soul
and the darkest sins are forgiven.—Ellen G. White Comments,
in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, pp. 912, 913.
Christ does not acknowledge any caste, color, or grade as necessary to become a subject of His kingdom.
Admittance to His kingdom does not depend upon wealth or a superior heredity. But those who are born of the
Spirit are the subjects of His kingdom. Spiritual character is that which will be recognized by Christ. His kingdom
is not of this world. His subjects are those who are partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust. And this grace is given them of God. Christ does not find His subjects fitted for
His kingdom, but He qualifies them by His divine power. Those who have been dead in trespasses and sins are
quickened to spiritual life. The faculties which God has given them for holy purposes are refined, purified, and
exalted, and they are led to form characters after the divine similitude. …
… As a servant looks to his master, and as a maid looks to her mistress, so [they], drawn by the cords of love
to Christ, constantly look unto Him who is the Author and Finisher of their faith. By beholding Jesus, by obeying
His requirements, they increase in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. Thus they
become changed into His image from character to character until they are distinguished from the world, and it can
be written of them: “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye
should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”
(1 Peter 2:9).—God’s Amazing Grace, p. 52.
Thursday, January 6
Jesus Mediates a Better Covenant
“Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the
right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle,
which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 8:1, 2.
Here is revealed the sanctuary of the new covenant. The sanctuary of the first covenant was pitched by man,
built by Moses; this is pitched by the Lord, not by man. In that sanctuary the earthly priests performed their
service; in this, Christ, our great High Priest, ministers at God’s right hand. One sanctuary was on earth, the other
is in heaven.—The Great Controversy, p. 413.
When Jesus speaks of the new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart
is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new heart is to have a new
mind, new purposes, new motives. What is the sign of a new heart?—a changed life. There is a daily, hourly dying
to selfishness and pride.
Then a spirit of kindness will be manifested, not by fits and starts, but continually. There will be a decided
change in attitude, in deportment, in words and actions toward all with whom you are in any way connected. You
will not magnify their infirmities, you will not place them in an unfavorable light. You will work in Christ’s lines.
…
God’s power alone can change a heart of stone to a heart of flesh.—Sons and Daughters of God, p. 100.
To be pardoned in the way that Christ pardons is not only to be forgiven, but to be renewed in the spirit of
our mind. The Lord says, “A new heart will I give unto thee.” The image of Christ is to be stamped upon the very
mind, and heart, and soul. The apostle says, “And we have the mind of Christ.” Without the transforming process
which can come alone through divine power, the original propensities to sin are left in the heart in all their
strength, to forge new chains, to impose a slavery that can never be broken by human power. …
When Christ comes, the balances of heaven will weigh the character, and decide whether it is pure, sanctified,
and holy. …
Happiness is the result of holiness, and conformity to the will of God. Those who would be saints in heaven,
must first be saints upon the earth; for when we leave this earth, we shall take our character with us, and this will
be simply taking with us some of the elements of heaven imparted to us through the righteousness of Christ. …
The experience that follows complete surrender to God, is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
—Reflecting Christ, p. 303.
Friday, January 7
For Further Reading
Reflecting Christ, “Christ Sacrificed Himself For Us,” p. 17;
The Acts of the Apostles, “Corinth,” pp. 245, 246.
