The Last Conflict

Obedience and Its Reward

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:12-14.

Here is presented before us a period of time when everyone will receive according to the deeds done in the body. If it is so that in the heavenly courts a record is kept of our works and of our words, how important it is that we take heed to our ways. Every character will be tested by the standard of God’s holy law. The great God of Heaven, our supreme Ruler, has rules, Statutes, and laws. These laws govern not only the intelligences of Heaven, but they govern every member of the human family; and we read in my text: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” We should show great want of wisdom were we to make no special preparation to be among the number that shall enter in through the gates into the city.

We should have an intense and earnest desire for eternal things, and put forth efforts proportionate to the value of the object which we are in pursuit of. The exhortations and the warnings which come to us from the prophets and apostles are all to educate us in character building, and to teach us what we must do in order to be saved.

I am so grateful that in this degenerate age we are not left in darkness to pick our way along amid the many voices that are heard to divert us from the path of holiness. We want to hear the one voice that says, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” Christ says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Then we inquire, Have we placed ourselves on the side of the Prince of Life? Have we placed ourselves under the banner of Prince Emmanuel? Have we, like Daniel, purposed in our hearts to be obedient to all of God’s requirements? It is of the greatest consequence to us that we be found obedient children, walking in the truth. We do not want to be on the side of the great rebel who transgressed God’s commandments and was thrust out of Heaven, and is teaching others to be disloyal to the God of Heaven. If we are not obedient to God in this life, keeping his commandments, how can we expect to have a right to eternal life? God will not take into his kingdom and give eternal life to those who will not come under his laws and statutes in this life.

We are in this world as probationers; we are here to obtain a fitness for the future immortal life, and should we devote the precious golden moments that are now granted us, these precious moments of probation, in finding our own pleasure, in doing our own ways, and seeking our own gratification, we should fail to secure a fitness for immortal life. If we lose Heaven we lose everything, and it would be better for us if we had never been born. But if we gain the precious Heaven of bliss we gain everything, and we may bless the day in which we were born. If we would dwell with the precious Saviour in the kingdom which he has gone to prepare for those that love him, we must seek to be like him here; we must bring him into our life and weave him into our character, and he will be unto us everything that our hearts can desire.

Our minds should be directed to the great source of light, and power, and happiness. Our heavenly Father has, in the gift of his dear Son, given us the greatest blessing that Heaven possessed. And when by living faith we accept this precious Saviour and he abides with us, then all Heaven is at our command; and whatsoever we ask the Father in his name he giveth us. All our troubles, all our perplexities, all our griefs we can bring to our dear Saviour. We need not hug our troubles to our breasts; we need not walk in perplexity, and in darkness, and in doubt; for Christ has said that those who follow him shall not walk in darkness, and every step that we take in following Christ is a step toward clearer light. We must expect to have difficulties, and opposition, and perplexities; all these are God’s agents and will make our faith grow stronger. The sinews and muscles of our spirituality will be strengthened in overcoming the obstacles which we meet. By grasping the promises of God by living faith we can move Heaven. All Heaven is pledged to aid the faithful worker. We need not go in gloom complaining by the way of the roughness of the journey; for these light afflictions which are but for a moment are working “for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

What we want is more of Jesus and less of self. And the more we keep the eye fixed upon the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus, the more we shall press toward the mark. It requires moral courage to be a Christian; but God demands all that there is of man in his service. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself.” How many of us are doing this today? How many of us will come short of entering in through the gates into the city? How many of us are devoting our time to the little things of this life, while we are neglecting our eternal interests?

You should bring all of Heaven that it is possible to bring into your present life. “Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price.” If you have any talent or intellect it is the Lord’s, give it to him. If you have any power or influence it belongs on the Lord’s side. It is your Creator that requires this at your hands. A great and infinite price has been paid for your redemption. For your sake Jesus laid aside his majesty and his glory, became poor that you through his poverty might be made rich. He left all his riches and glory and honor, clothed his divinity with humanity, and came to this world to save man, and yet that Saviour is compelled to say to many, “Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life.” He paid a great price to redeem every son and daughter of Adam. He would lift man from the lowest degradation of sin up to purity again, and restore to him his moral image. When the apostle saw the indifference of those whom Christ made such an infinite sacrifice, he inquires, “Who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth?” There is a power that takes hold of the senses of men and women that perverts their ideas so that they do not appreciate the love of Christ. You cannot afford to sin. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?” We must show to the world by our lives and character that Christ has not died for us in vain; and when we place ourselves in right relation to God, then we become living channels of light to the world. Christ has said, “Ye are the light of the world,” and if we fail to have a connection with Christ what a lamentable condition are we in! The light of Heaven is not given to us and we cannot give it to others. It is the privilege of every one of us to be children of the light, and light bearers.

We should understand our obligations to the God of Heaven. We should honor our Creator in this life. We should keep his honor and glory in view every day. We must have an eye single to the glory of God. If all in this congregation who profess to be followers of Christ were to take the position of light-bearers to the world what a flood of light would be reflected from them to this world of darkness. Then why not let your hearts be uplifted to the God of Heaven for his grace that you may be imbued with his Spirit? Why not live as though you were pilgrims and strangers upon earth, looking for that better country and that heavenly city whose builder and maker is God?

That precious city you may gain; but not one of you will go there loaded down with self and the guilt of the transgression of God’s law. You cannot take with you into the city of God the pleasures of this life, neither the riches of the world. All who enter that city will enter it as conquerors. If you will sing the song of triumph and victory as overcomers, you must first learn here the art of conquering self and sin. And should you not do what you can in order to obtain the heavenly riches which can never be taken from you? to secure the heavenly land where there is no more poverty, no more sickness, no more pain, and no more death? But we shall not go to that holy Heaven as guilty, shamefaced, condemned criminals, but as joint heirs with Jesus Christ. You should keep Heaven before your eyes, and not allow the glitter and tinsel of this earth to eclipse its glory. The most beautiful places upon earth will soon be shaken down, the richest houses will fall, the gold and silver be cast to the moles and to the bats, but heavenly things will endure forever.

You may look upon the greatest riches and splendor which this earth possesses, you may look at the beauties of nature, which the great Master Artist has spread out before you in rich profusion, and yet we hear a voice saying, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” You may put your imagination to the highest stretch, and yet you cannot take in the glory of heavenly things. Then shall we not turn our attention to the future immortal life?

There is not one of you that will enter in through the gates into the city alone. If you give back to God in willing service the powers he has given you, not only will you save your own soul, but your influence will be to gather others. Everyone who takes his position steadfastly for the truth is bringing other souls to the same decision and to Heaven. In this work you can show that you love God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself. We are to feel a burden for the souls that are around us who are out of Christ. We should have a missionary spirit that will move us to try to help other feet to stand upon the platform of eternal truth.

We see that iniquity abounds everywhere, that the law of God is almost universally made void in our land. What insult is this to the God of Heaven that has given righteous laws and wise and merciful statutes to have them disregarded and trampled under foot. Then should not all who name the name of Christ depart from all iniquity, and give all their powers to his service? Should we not stand in defense of the truth, and think much less of our pleasure and our amusement, and a great deal more of Christ? The requirement is, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” You must come nearer to God by repentance and confession of all your sins. If you are saved you must be found loyal and true subjects of the kingdom of Heaven. You cannot afford to meet the great Lawgiver over his broken law. Let every soul here today inquire, What road am I traveling? Am I in the road which has been at infinite cost cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in, or am I in the broad road of Satan? Have I my eye single to the glory of God? Says Christ, “I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Angels of God are watching the development of character, and weighing moral worth. The record is kept in the books of Heaven of all the deeds of men. Your sins though hidden from mortal eyes are open before God. His eyes sees every sin; but if you confess your sins then will he forgive them.

We have a precious loving Saviour. I wish I could present him to you just as he is. Many have Jesus so exalted in their minds that he seems far off and they have no communion with him. But Christ took upon himself human nature and was called the Son of man, because he was to become acquainted with all the trials, with all the sorrows, and with all the sufferings of humanity, that he might know how to succor those who are tempted. To the weeping ones he says, I have wept. I know how to sympathize with you. He is a Saviour that is in sympathy with the woes of man, a Saviour that is by our side to help, and strengthen, and succor us. You may take all your trials, all your troubles, all your sorrows to Jesus in prayer; you may feel that he is at hand to help you in every emergency, and you can tell him all about it and he will give you just the help you need. He wants us to have joy in him, and in order to do this we must come in close connection with him. We cannot dishonor him more than to distrust him. And we honor him when we believe in him and are obedient to all his commandments.

I have been for more than forty years engaged in labor to save souls for Jesus Christ, and I have had new and precious lessons to learn every day of my life. One of the most precious has been to commit the keeping of my soul to God as unto a faithful creator. If I was knowingly transgressing one of God’s commandments because it was convenient for me to do so, then I could not trust God and believe that he would at last bring me into the haven of bliss. But when I seek to overcome to the best of my ability, when my will is swallowed up in the will of God; then it is my privilege to claim his promises and believe that God will do with me according to his loving kindness.

I cannot describe to you this perfect trust. But I present before you a loving Saviour, that Saviour that wants to bring to your hearts joy and peace and love, that is inexpressible. He wants you to be happy and joyful in him. He says, “If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink,” and he will be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. And if Christ is in you as a well of water, your words and influence will be a blessing to all around you. No one should live to himself; we are accountable to God for the influence we exert. Christ has made an infinite sacrifice, and all our powers should be given to him, and if we are faithful soldiers of the cross of Christ, the precious reward of a life that measures with the life of God will be granted to us.

I see matchless charms in Jesus, and I cannot have my affections placed upon anything that is earthly. My heart is drawn out in love for those out of Christ. I long to see them enter into the service of Christ, that they may have the blessing here and eternal life in the kingdom of God. Will you not take heed to your ways? Will you not compare your character with God’s moral law, the ten commandments? And then seek to come into obedience to all of God’s requirements. Says Christ, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Give me this precious reward, and you may take everything from me here upon earth.

Eternal interests are at stake. Jesus says, “My son give me thine heart;” he has bought it with his own blood. And when the pearly gates shall at last be swung open, and the nations who have kept the truth enter into the joy of their Lord, they will have that crown of glory which by faith Paul saw laid up for him, and not for him only but for all those who love his appearing. The saved will hear the benediction, “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Let us think of these things; let us bring the Saviour into our lives every day; let us love him with all our hearts; and if we appreciate the preciousness of Heaven, we shall talk of Jesus, of Heaven, and of the glories to be revealed to the overcomers. Then let us place ourselves under the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel. Let us have a faith that takes right hold of Christ. Let the language of each soul be, He is my Saviour, he died for me, and I hang my helpless soul upon him. He is able to keep that which I have committed to his trust, against that day. This is the precious lesson that I am learning today, to do the very best I can according to the best light that shines upon my pathway, and then trust the rest to Jesus.

May the blessing of God rest upon this dear people. How many that are here present today shall I meet around the great white throne? How many will lift their voices in songs of triumph, and praise, to him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. God grant that you may be there, saved, eternally saved, in the kingdom of glory.