EGW Notes - Lesson 7- Mission to My Neighbor

 Sabbath Afternoon, November 11
The Old Testament Scriptures were the lesson book of
Israel. When the lawyer came to Christ with the question
“Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” . . . the
Saviour said, “What is written in the law? how readest
thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor
as thyself.” Christ said, “Thou hast answered right: this
do, and thou shalt live” (Luke 10:25-28).
If there were not another text in the Bible, this
statement carries sufficient light and knowledge and
assurance for every soul. The lawyer had answered his
own question, but willing to justify himself, he said to
Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Verse 29). Then by the
parable of the Good Samaritan, Christ showed who is our
neighbor, and gives us an example of the love we should
manifest toward those suffering and in need. The priest
and Levite, whose duty it was to minister to the needs of
the stranger, passed by on the other side.—The Upward
Look, p. 215.
A true disciple of Christ will seek to imitate the
Pattern. His love will lead to perfect obedience. He will
study to do the will of God on earth, as it is done in
heaven. He whose heart is still defiled with sin cannot be
zealous of good works; and is not careful to abstain from
evil, is not vigilant and watchful over his own motives
and conduct, is not jealous over his unruly tongue; he is
not careful to deny self and lift the cross of Christ. These
poor, deceived souls fail to keep the first four precepts of
the decalogue, defining the duty of man to God, neither
do they keep the last six commandments, defining the
duty of man to his fellow men.
The fruits of the Spirit, ruling in the heart and
controlling the life, are love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, bowels of mercies, and humbleness of mind.
True believers walk after the Spirit, and the Spirit of God
dwells in them.—This Day With God, p. 291.
There are practical lessons in the Word of God. That
Word teaches living, holy principles, which prompt men
to do unto others as they would have others do unto
them, principles which they are to bring into the daily
life here, and carry with them into the school above. The
altar and the plough are the experiences for all who seek
eternal life. We know altogether too little of the
greatness of the love and compassion of God. . . . Heaven
is our home. Our citizenship is above, and our lives must
not be devoted to a world which is soon to be destroyed.
We need the Word of God revealed in living characters.
What pure, excellent language is found in the Word of
God! What elevating, ennobling principles!—The
Upward Look, p. 215.
Sunday, November 12
The Question of Questions
The question which the lawyer put to Christ was one
of vital consequence. The Pharisees who had prompted
the lawyer to ask this question were expecting the Lord
Jesus to answer it in such a way that they could find
something against Him whereby they might accuse and
condemn Him before the people. The self-possession of
Christ, the wisdom and authority by which He spake,
was something they could not interpret.
When this question was asked by the lawyer, Christ
knew that the suggestion came from His bitterest
enemies, who were setting a trap to catch Him in His
words. The Lord Jesus responded to the question by
placing the burden upon the lawyer to answer his own
question before that crowd. “What is written in the law?
how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind;
and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou
hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live” (Luke
10:26–28). Obedience to the commandments of God is
the price of eternal life.—The Upward Look, p. 221.
Let all remember that there is not a motive in the heart
of any man that the Lord does not clearly see. The
motives of each one are weighed as carefully as if the
destiny of the human agent depended upon this one
result. We need a connection with divine power, that we
may have an increase of clear light and an
understanding of how to reason from cause to effect. We
need to have the powers of the understanding
cultivated, by our being partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust. Let each one consider carefully the solemn
truth, God in heaven is true, and there is not a design,
however intricate, nor a motive, however carefully
hidden, that He does not clearly understand.—Ellen G.
White Comments, in The Seventh-day Adventist Bible
Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1160.
Do not allow anything to draw your attention from the
question, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke
10:25). This is a life and death question, which we must
each settle for eternity. Let the mind be weighted with
the importance of the solemn truth which we possess. . . .
God desires men and women to think soberly and
candidly. They are to ascend to a higher and still higher
grade, commanding a wider and still wider horizon.
Looking unto Jesus, they are to be changed into His
image. They are to spend their time in searching for the
deep, everlasting truths of heaven. . . . And as they learn
of Him, their motives and sympathies become firm and
unchanging; for the impressions made by the All-wise
are substantial and enduring. The living water, which
Christ gives, is not like a surface spring, which babbles
for a short time, and then dries up. The living water
springs up unto everlasting life—Selected Messages,
book 1, pp. 171, 172.
Monday, November 13
Jesus’ Method and Response
Everywhere men are unsatisfied. They long for
something to supply the need of the soul. Only One can
meet that want. The need of the world, “The Desire of all
nations,” is Christ. The divine grace which He alone can
impart, is as living water, purifying, refreshing, and
invigorating the soul.
Jesus did not convey the idea that merely one draft of
the water of life would suffice the receiver. He who
tastes of the love of Christ will continually long for more;
but he seeks for nothing else. The riches, honors, and
pleasures of the world do not attract him. The constant
cry of his heart is, More of Thee. And He who reveals to
the soul its necessity is waiting to satisfy its hunger and
thirst. Every human resource and dependence will fail.
The cisterns will be emptied, the pools become dry; but
our Redeemer is an inexhaustible fountain. We may
drink, and drink again, and ever find a fresh supply. He
in whom Christ dwells has within himself the fountain of
blessing,—“a well of water springing up into everlasting
life.” From this source he may draw strength and grace
sufficient for all his needs.—The Desire of Ages, p. 187.
[Christ] will make plain His word to all who seek Him
in sincerity of heart. Those who study the word of God
with hearts open to the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit,
will not remain in darkness as to the meaning of the
word. “If any man willeth to do His will,” Christ said, “he
shall know of the teaching whether it be of God, or
whether I speak from Myself.” John 7:17, R.V. All who
come to Christ for a clearer knowledge of the truth will
receive it. He will unfold to them the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, and these mysteries will be
understood by the heart that longs to know the truth. A
heavenly light will shine into the soul temple, and will be
revealed to others as the bright shining of a lamp on a
dark path.—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 35.
God’s messengers are commissioned to take up the
very work that Christ did while on this earth. They are to
give themselves to every line of ministry that He carried
on. With earnestness and sincerity they are to tell men
of the unsearchable riches and the immortal treasures of
heaven. They are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. They
are to repeat Heaven’s offers of peace and pardon. They
are to point to the gates of the city of God, saying,
“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 22:14).—
This Day With God, p. 30.
Tuesday, November 14
To Inherit Eternal Life
The lawyer was not satisfied with the position and
works of the Pharisees. He had been studying the
scriptures with a desire to learn their real meaning. He
had a vital interest in the matter, and he asked in
sincerity, “What shall I do?” In his answer as to the
requirements of the law, he passed by all the mass of
ceremonial and ritualistic precepts. For these he claimed
no value, but presented the two great principles on
which hang all the law and the prophets. The Saviour’s
commendation of this answer placed Him on vantage
ground with the rabbis. They could not condemn Him for
sanctioning that which had been advanced by an
expositor of the law. . . .
Christ knew that no one could obey the law in his own
strength. He desired to lead the lawyer to clearer and
more critical research that he might find the truth. Only
by accepting the virtue and grace of Christ can we keep
the law. Belief in the propitiation for sin enables fallen
man to love God with his whole heart and his neighbor
as himself.
The lawyer knew that he had kept neither the first
four nor the last six commandments. He was convicted
under Christ’s searching words, but instead of
confessing his sin he tried to excuse it. Rather than
acknowledge the truth, he endeavored to show how
difficult of fulfillment the commandment is. Thus he
hoped both to parry conviction and to vindicate himself
in the eyes of the people.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp.
377, 378.
In all His lessons, Christ sought to impress upon the
minds and hearts of His hearers the principles which
underlie His great standard of righteousness. He taught
them that if they would keep God’s commandments, love
for God and for their fellow men must be manifested in
their daily life. He sought to instill into their hearts the
love He felt for humanity. Thus He sowed the seeds of
truth, the fruits of which will produce a rich harvest of
holiness and beauty of character. The holy influence will
not only be far-reaching while time shall last, but its
results will be felt throughout eternity. It will sanctify
the actions, and have a purifying influence wherever it
exists.—Reflecting Christ, p. 61.
Any neglect of duty to the needy and to the afflicted is
a neglect of duty to Christ in the person of His saints.
When the cases of all come in review before God, the
question What did they profess? is never asked, but,
What have they done? Have they been doers of the
Word? Have they lived for themselves? or have they
been exercised in works of benevolence, in deeds of
kindness, in love preferring others before themselves,
and denying themselves that they might bless others? If
the record shows that this has been their life, that their
characters have been marked with tenderness, selfdenial, and benevolence, they will receive the blessed
assurance and benediction from Christ, “Well done.”—
That I May Know Him, p. 334.
Wednesday, November 15
Loving Others as We Love Ourselves
To leave a suffering neighbor unrelieved is a breach of
the law of God. He who loves God will not only love his
fellow men, but will regard with tender compassion the
creatures which God has made. When the Spirit of God is
in man it leads him to relieve rather than to create
suffering. We are to care for every case of suffering, and
to look upon ourselves as God’s agents to relieve the
needy to the very uttermost of our ability. We are to be
laborers together with God. There are some who
manifest great affection for their relatives, for their
friends and favorites, who yet fail to be kind and
considerate to those who need tender sympathy, who
need kindness and love. With earnest heart, let us
inquire, Who is my neighbor? Our neighbors are not
merely our neighbors and special friends, are not simply
those who belong to our church or who think as we do.
Our neighbors are the whole human family. We are to do
good to all men, and especially to those who are of the
household of faith. We are to give to the world an
exhibition of what it means to carry out the law of God.
We are to love God supremely and our neighbors as
ourselves.—Sons and Daughters of God, p. 52.
False teachers had brought to the Galatians doctrines
that were opposed to the gospel of Christ. Paul sought to
expose and correct these errors. . . . He therefore sought
to impress upon his brethren the importance of trying to
help one another in love. He declared that all the
requirements of the law setting forth our duty to our
fellow men are fulfilled in love to one another. . . . They
must by constant prayer seek the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, which would lead them to love and unity.—
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 243.
When the law of God is written in the heart it will be
exhibited in a pure and holy life. The commandments of
God are no dead letter. They are spirit and life, bringing
the imaginations and even the thoughts into subjection
to the will of Christ. The heart in which they are written
will be kept with all diligence; for out of it are the issues
of life. All who love Jesus and keep the commandments
will seek to avoid the very appearance of evil; not
because they are constrained thus to do, but because
they are copying a pure model, and feel averse to
everything contrary to the law written in their hearts.
They will not feel self-sufficient, but their trust will be in
God, who alone is able to keep them from sin and
impurity. The atmosphere surrounding them is pure;
they will not corrupt their own souls or the souls of
others. It is their pleasure to deal justly, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly before God.—This Day With God, p.
146.
Thursday, November 16
The Good Samaritan Story Today
There are many who ask, as did the lawyer, “Who is
my neighbor?” . . . Everyone who is in suffering need is
our neighbor. Every straying son and daughter of Adam,
who has been ensnared by the enemy of souls, and
bound in the slavery of wrong habits that blight the Godgiven manhood or womanhood, is my neighbor. . . .
We are to think and care for others who need our love,
our tenderness, and care. We should ever remember
that we are representatives of Christ, and that we are to
share the blessings that He gives, not with those who can
recompense us again, but with those who will appreciate
the gifts that will supply their temporal and spiritual
necessities. . . .
Good deeds are the fruit that Christ requires us to
bear: kind words, deeds of benevolence, of tender regard
for the poor, the needy, the afflicted. When hearts
sympathize with hearts burdened with discouragement
and grief, when the hand dispenses to the needy, when
the naked are clothed, the stranger made welcome to a
seat in your parlor and a place in your heart, angels are
coming very near, and an answering strain is responded
to in heaven.—Reflecting Christ, p. 252.
Without a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour it
is impossible to make our influence felt in a skeptical
world. We cannot give to others that which we do not
ourselves possess. It is in proportion to our own
devotion and consecration to Christ that we exert an
influence for the blessing and uplifting of mankind. If
there is no actual service, no genuine love, no reality of
experience, there is no power to help, no connection
with heaven, no savor of Christ in the life. . . . “If I speak
with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And
if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and
all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove
mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I
bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my
body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me
nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 , A.R.V.
When love fills the heart, it will flow out to others, not
because of favors received from them, but because love
is the principle of action. Love modifies the character,
governs the impulses, subdues enmity, and ennobles the
affections. This love is as broad as the universe, and is in
harmony with that of the angel workers. Cherished in
the heart, it sweetens the entire life and sheds its
blessing upon all around.—Thoughts From the Mount of
Blessing, pp. 37, 38.
Friday, November 17
For Further Reading
Faith and Works, “What God Requires,” pp. 52, 53;
The Acts of the Apostles, “Called to Reach a Higher
Standard,” pp. 318–320.