Salvation assured DOWN IS THE WAY UP
The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. Ps. 145:14.
When Jesus was here, His presence was the cause of polarization among all who met Him. He was "set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel." The worshipers of tradition, the self-righteous, the liberals, and those who depended on other people to determine truth for them fell hard when Jesus came. But there is a positive side to the picture also, which brings hope and courage to troubled hearts. The other part of Simeon's prophecy included the "rising again of many in Israel."
The story is told of someone who had fallen over the edge of a cliff, above the ocean. He hung on desperately and cried out for help. A voice above him said, "I will help you, but first thing you must do to receive my help is to let go." Ouch! It is a surprise to some people to discover that at the point they let go, instead of crashing into the waters below they are surrounded by the gospel net. "They must fall who would rise again. We must fall on the Rock and be broken before we can be uplifted in Christ. Self must be dethroned, pride must be humbled, if we would know the glory of the spiritual kingdom. The Jews would not accept the honor that is reached through humiliation. Therefore they would not receive their Redeemer. He was a sign that was spoken against."--The Desire of Ages, p. 57.
This is one of the reasons why people turn Jesus down. They do not want to enter into His kingdom through humiliation. He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich He hath sent away empty. The problem of sin, our inability to meet the requirements of God's law, is what shows us our need and drives us to the Rock to be broken. For the backslider who wants to come back, for the teen-ager who is bound with guilt and sin, for the hopeless who thinks there's not a chance in the world, for you, come this message: You have to be down before you can go up. The most dangerous position is not that of the one who is down, and knows it, but that of the one who feels that he is up and doesn't need to go down, the one who is living his spotless life independent of Jesus Christ. "They must fall who would rise again."
The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. Ps. 145:14.
When Jesus was here, His presence was the cause of polarization among all who met Him. He was "set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel." The worshipers of tradition, the self-righteous, the liberals, and those who depended on other people to determine truth for them fell hard when Jesus came. But there is a positive side to the picture also, which brings hope and courage to troubled hearts. The other part of Simeon's prophecy included the "rising again of many in Israel."
The story is told of someone who had fallen over the edge of a cliff, above the ocean. He hung on desperately and cried out for help. A voice above him said, "I will help you, but first thing you must do to receive my help is to let go." Ouch! It is a surprise to some people to discover that at the point they let go, instead of crashing into the waters below they are surrounded by the gospel net. "They must fall who would rise again. We must fall on the Rock and be broken before we can be uplifted in Christ. Self must be dethroned, pride must be humbled, if we would know the glory of the spiritual kingdom. The Jews would not accept the honor that is reached through humiliation. Therefore they would not receive their Redeemer. He was a sign that was spoken against."--The Desire of Ages, p. 57.
This is one of the reasons why people turn Jesus down. They do not want to enter into His kingdom through humiliation. He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich He hath sent away empty. The problem of sin, our inability to meet the requirements of God's law, is what shows us our need and drives us to the Rock to be broken. For the backslider who wants to come back, for the teen-ager who is bound with guilt and sin, for the hopeless who thinks there's not a chance in the world, for you, come this message: You have to be down before you can go up. The most dangerous position is not that of the one who is down, and knows it, but that of the one who feels that he is up and doesn't need to go down, the one who is living his spotless life independent of Jesus Christ. "They must fall who would rise again."
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