Christ at the Heart

Christ, the center of our preaching.

Orris J. Mills, Minister, Southern New England Conference

 

 

I WAS perplexed when he leveled the acid  charge: "Seventh-day Adventists preach the Sabbath, health reform, hell, the Spirit of prophecy, instead of Christ. Down every­one's throat they try to cram the sanctuary, the state of the dead, and baptism, when the world is dying for Christ."

I was puzzled when a professor said, "Put Christ into your messages as you preach on Daniel 2 and Revelation 13, the Second Coming, the sleep of the dead, and heaven."

I heard young preachers and older ones reply, "I've got to change my messages, I must preach Christ. I don't know how I can take these doctrinal sermons in my evangel­istic series and preach Christ, but I am de­termined to do it."

Please tell me, how can a man preach the Sabbath and not preach Christ? He is the Lord of it. It was Christ who made it. How can we put Christ into the Sabbath? He is already there.

How can a man preach the sanctuary and not preach Christ? He is the high priest, the lamb, the consuming fire, the bread on the table, the light of the candles, the coals on the altar, the Shekinah glory, the covering, the door, the way into the Holiest of all. How could we put Christ into the sanctu­ary? He is already there, and it would take a lot of remodeling to leave Him out.

How can a man put Christ into the Spirit of prophecy? Don't you know that the Spirit of prophecy is "the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 19:10)? He is the Spirit of prophecy.

What about the destruction of the wicked? Is Christ associated with that doc­trine? Jesus said, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Christ meets men in the broad way and says, "Why will ye die?" (Jer. 27:13). "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways" and live (Eze. 33:11).

Put Christ in Revelation 13 and Daniel 2? Why He is already there as the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," and "who is a rock save our God?" (Ps. 18:31). "Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder" (Matt. 21: 44). Christ does not need to be put into these chapters, He is already there. Let us not leave Him out.

What about health reform? Is Christ in the doctrine of healthful living? He is the very heart of it. He declares, "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (3 John 2). Why? "That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations" (Ps. 67:2). "See," says Moses, "my God has commanded me to teach you the laws and customs that you are to observe. Keep them and they will demon­strate to the people your wisdom and un­derstanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, 'No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.' Listen to these ordinances, be true to them and observe them, and God will keep all sickness far from you; He will not afflict you with those evil plagues of Egypt" (see Deut. 4:5, 6; 7:12, 15). Please do not take health reform away from the teachings of Jesus, and leave Him not out of this blessed doctrine.

Leave Christ in the Message

No one can preach the truth and not preach Christ, for He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Christ need not be put into the message, He is already there.

It is not by using the word Christ that we preach Christ. Said Jesus, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: de­part from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:22, 23). "Not every one that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king­dom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (verse 21).

Allow no man to turn you from the doc­trines of the third angel's message to preach a meaningless "doctrine of Christ." Remem­ber Ellen G. White wrote: "It [justification by faith] is the third angel's message in verity."—In Review and Herald, April 1, 1890, p. 193. The third angel's message, "the everlasting gospel," contains all the doctrines of the Bible, covering the whole man, from the mental (educational) re­form of "fear God," through the physical (health) reform of "give glory to him," to the spiritual (Sabbath) reform of "worship him that made heaven, and earth." It in­cludes the fall of Babylon and the warning against receiving the mark of the beast, all in the framework of the cleansing of the sanctuary, for "the hour of his judgment is come."

Christ in the Heart

There is only one way a Seventh-day Ad­ventist preacher can leave Christ out of his message and that is to leave Him out of his heart. It is possible for two men to preach the same sermon and one preach Christ and one leave Him out, for Christ is like a fragrant perfume sealed in its con­tainer. Until the vessel is broken it can give no blessing.

I am not suggesting that sermon content makes no difference. Every growing preacher will testify that his sermons have grown with his growth. Rare the preacher, filled with the grace of God, who can look back through his early sermon files and find a sermon prepared then ready to be preached now. Preaching is not preparing sermons and presenting them to an audi­ence. It is preparing a preacher and deliver­ing him to the people. In that growth of spirit that accompanies the years there will be a growth in content, expression, or­ganization, in Christ. Change our sermons, yes. Our doctrines, never!

Satan would want us to downgrade the glorious doctrines of this great message as irrelevant and lifeless. He knows that every converted Seventh-day Adventist never knew Christ fully until he met Him in this message.

Not Hollow Shells

May we not make its doctrines hollow shells because Christ has not been formed within us the hope of glory. He stands at the door and knocks. Will we let Him in? "He has oft been there before"; ever since the last of the signs outlined by Jesus in Mat­thew 24 was fulfilled. He "is near, even at the doors" (Matt. 24:33).

Is this why Ellen G. White could write, "We have preached the law, until we are as dry as the hills of Gilboa"?—Review and Herald, March 11, 1890. Surely it would take a feat of surgery, open heart at that, to preach the law without Christ, for Jesus Himself said, "I delight to do thy will, 0 my God: yea, thy law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:8). May we no longer wound the heart of Jesus by tearing the law from His heart.

If we have been guilty of leaving Jesus out of the doctrines of the remnant church because we have kept Him out of our heart, may we repent speedily that He may come in. He says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock" (Rev. 3:20).

Let us let Him in that the earth may be "lightened with his glory" and heaven be split asunder with the triumphant call, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda­tion of the world."

 


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Orris J. Mills, Minister, Southern New England Conference

 

December 1968

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