THE FINAL TEST
 
        But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.  Heb. 11:16.
 
    Over in England during the second world war, there was a camp where many of the Allied espionage agents received their training.  The methods were rigorous.  The trainers would take those who were going into espionage, and change their environment, their food, their habits, their practices, their customs.  They dressed them in German uniforms, gave them German names.  It was the objective to transform them completely so that they would consider themselves Germans.
 
    The success of the program was determined by a final test.  They took the soldiers on an extended march.  Finally, in the middle of the night, they allowed them to crumple into pathetic little heaps in their pup tents.  After they were sound asleep, they were roughly awakened, with spotlights shining in their eyes, and asked, "Who are you?"
 
    Now if you were one of these agents, and as you awakened you said, "I'm Henry Smith," and then to the questions "Where are you from?" and "Where are you going?" replied, "Canada," and "I'm going home to mother," it would be a long time before you went home to mother!  But if you said, "Mein namen ist Heinrich Schmidt [or something like that]," and "I am from Frankfurt, and I am going to Berlin," then before long you would be in Berlin.
 
    Some of them passed the test.  But I think I see a different scene.  I see a Master Teacher who deals not simply with food and clothes and outward actions.  He deals with minds, and hearts, and motives, and tastes, and desires.  When you have been trained in close connection with this Master Teacher, who is your best friend, you are transformed within and without.  Someday the spotlight comes on.  You are shaken, as from a deep sleep.  There are voices saying, "Who are you?"  And you say with great assurance, "I am a follower of Jesus Christ, who died in my place."  "Where are you going?"  "I look for a better country, a city that has foundation, whose builder and maker is God."
 
    Thank God for the little crises that precede the big ones.  Thank God for the opportunity to know, before it is too late, whether our faith in Him is based solidly on Christ.

   COURAGE FOR THE CRISIS
 
        Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.  Heb. 10:35.
 
    There was a vision given a long time ago, recorded in one of the first books that was given to this church by the special gift that God provided.  It's found in the book Early Writings, page 269 and onward.  It was a vision of what would take place in the lives of people just before Jesus comes.
 
    We have sometimes spent a lot of time studying and discussing what is going to happen politically and internationally at the very end.  But it is even more interesting to notice what happens internally and experientially to the people of God.  You may want to study the whole chapter, entitled "The Shaking," on your own.  But notice parts of it here.
 
    "I saw some, with strong faith and agonizing cries, pleading with God."  What kind of faith?  Strong faith!  Don't miss that.  "Their countenance were pale and marked with deep anxiety, expressive of their internal struggle....Large drops of perspiration fell from their foreheads."
 
    This description can be extremely encouraging.  Have you ever had the idea that people who are experiencing deep anxiety and internal struggles were people who were far from God?  Have you ever thought that anxiety and struggle were signs of lack of faith?  That if you had strong faith, you would never experience this sort of agony?  Not so.  You can be strong in faith and still have deep anxiety!
 
    Then it says, "Now and then their faces would light up with the marks of God's approbation."  When?  All the time?  No, only now and then.  "And again the same solemn, serious, anxious look would settle upon them.  Evil angels crowded around, pressing darkness upon them to shut out Jesus."  Notice their main purpose--to shut out Jesus from the believers' view.  "As these praying ones continued their earnest cries, at times a ray of light from Jesus came to them, to encourage their hearts."  Not all the time, but only at times.
 
    When the heavens are as brass over your head, take courage.  It is not an evidence of defective faith on your part.  You don't have to add to the struggle and anxiety that you experience by berating yourself for your lack of faith.  As you continue to seek Jesus, and continue your earnest pleading with Him, rays of light from Jesus will again come to encourage your heart.

THE DAY OF THE GREAT CRISIS
 
        They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.  Amos 8:12.
 
    At the very end of time, just before Jesus comes, there is going to be a great crisis.  People at that time will have revealed that they are going one way or the other--fast.  The difference between this great crisis and the smaller ones preceding it is that when the winds really blow with hurricane force, there is no time to change direction.  The changes will need to have been made before the storm.  If that's true, then God would be exceedingly anxious to have us understand ourselves before that time ever came.  In Amos 8 is a prediction of the day coming when people will be running from sea to sea, from coast to coast, looking for a faith that they have neglected and that they can no longer find.  They will realize that nothing counts except this, and they will throw their riches to the moles and the bats, desperate, panicky, seeking with fear that which they could have had earlier but refused.
 
    How can we know if we are safe from the storms that are about to blow?  There are two clues as to how to know whether you are going in the right direction.  Matthew 7:21, are you doing the will of God, and Matthew 25:12, do you know Him?  "When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience."--The Desire of Ages, p. 668.  This places knowing God as the cause, and doing God's will as the result.  Both are equally significant and important, but one is completely the cause of the other.  How can I know if I am going toward God, if I am going up the mountain instead of down?  The important factor is, Do I have a personal, meaningful relationship with God day by day?
 
    When I know Him as it is my privilege to know Him, my life will be a life of continual obedience.  If I am having trouble with the continual obedience, it isn't because I'm not trying hard enough to obey.  It's because I don't know God as it is my privilege to know Him.  That's where the trouble is.  If I will continue to seek fellowship with God, continue to take advantage of the privilege given me to know Him, then He will complete the work that He has started in my life, and bring me into the final great crisis with security and assurance.

     THE CRISIS OF TEMPTATION
 
        My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  James 1:2, 3.
 
    A crisis doesn't change us or our direction.  It merely reveals to us where we were headed before it came along.  It is interesting to notice that even temptation is a crisis.  Every time the enemy hits us with a temptation, it is a mini-crisis--or sometimes a maxi-crisis!  But a crisis, nonetheless.  Every temptation that comes to us reveals to us, by its results, our direction at the time the temptation came.
 
    If a person is not surrendered to God at the time of a temptation, there is little chance of surrendering then.  What happens if we are apart from God at the time of the temptation is that we are then dependent upon our own backbone or willpower.  The strong overcome, externally, on their own steam, while the weak don't make it at all.  But internally, where it really counts, both are equal.  Both give in to the temptation, because the devil is stronger than we are, and we will lose every battle with him that we attempt to fight in our own power.
 
    In Hebrews 4 we are reminded of our great High Priest, and invited to come boldly before His throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  There is a sequence.  We come boldly before His throne of grace now, that we may find grace to help in time of need, when that time comes.  The person who comes before the throne of grace only in time of need will fail.  When the time of need, the time of temptation, comes, it reveals whether or not that grace has been obtained.  "We may keep so near to God that in every unexpected trial our thoughts will turn to Him as naturally as the flower turns to the sun"--Steps to Christ, pp. 99, 200.  If trial comes, and we shake our fist at God and charge Him with dealing harshly with us, this reveals to us that we must have been walking some distance from Him.  We do not know our own hearts.  Some people who have thought that they could weather the storms on a thousand seas have drowned in the bathtub.  We are so deceived concerning our own hearts.  So, because of His love, God allows trials and temptations to come, that we may see things as they really are.

Faith                        BUILDING ON THE ROCK
 
        For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  1 Cor. 3:11.
 
    Jesus told the story of a wise man who built his house upon a rock.  "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock" (Matt. 7:25).  But there was also a foolish man in the parable, who built his house upon the sand.  "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew"--a great crisis, obviously--"and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it" (verse 27).  Notice that the house did not change foundations.  It fell.
 
    Today there are crises of wind and flood and rain--crisie of tragedy and grief and sorrow, which come into our lives.  It is when these crises come that we are revealed for what we really are, instead of what we might appear to be.  There is a sort of spiritual schizophrenia possible in the realm of the Christian religion, where a person can look good on the outside but be bad on the inside.  We see it among the disciples of Jesus--there was one who looked good, who appeared to be as loyal as the rest, but when the crisis came, the separation was quite clear.  Judas was able to cast out devils and heal the sick.  He was one of Jesus' closest companions.  But when the crisis came, it was discovered that inside he was quite different.
 
    You see a tree out in the woods.  It looks good on the outside, but it's rotten on the inside.  Nobody knows--until the storm breaks, and it goes crashing to the ground.  The storm doesn't change the tree from being rotten.  Nor is it the storm that causes the tree to be rotten.  The storm merely reveals the tree's true condition.
 
    So it is when the storms come.  A house does not change foundations.  The house goes down.  If it is not based on solid rock before the flood comes, it goes down when the flood comes--every time.  It's just that simple.  A crisis doesn't change anybody.  If we are going to have a faith that will withstand the storms of life, this faith must be developed by becoming personally acquainted with Christ before the crisis hits.  It is only the house that is founded upon the Rock before the storms come that stands.

Faith                        FAITH OUT THE WINDOW
 
        And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  Mark 11:22.
 
     A small boy was on a bus on his way home from Sunday school.  The day was warm.  The windows were open.  The boy had received a motto on a card, "Have faith in God."  As the wind swept through the bus, his card went flying out the window.  He shouted, "Stop the bus!  My faith in God just went out the window."
 
    Now the truth is that faith, if it's genuine, does not go out the window.  The only kind of faith that really goes out the window is the kind that's on a card, only surface faith.  I'd like you to notice today that there's a time coming when everybody's faith is going to be tested to find out just how real it is, and that although everyone may look the same now, at that time there will be two distinct classes.
 
    We read in Amos 8:11, 12,  about a time coming when there will be people running from sea to sea, looking for faith.  The context shows that it has something to do with the end of time, as well as with the days of Israel, because it talks about the sun and moon and dark days.  It is well for us to evaluate now the extent of our faith.  In Matthew 7 we find some texts as to whether a person really has genuine faith or not.
 
    Matthew 7:21, in Jesus' own words: "Not everyone 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.  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."  Then He proceeds to tell the story of the wise man and the foolish man.  Both of them built houses.  However, one house was on the rock and the other was on the sand.  It wasn't until the storm came that the real difference became apparent.  Then the difference between the two houses and their foundations was easily seen.
 
    Whether a person has genuine faith or not may not be that apparent when things are going well.  But when the winds blows, when the storm comes, it is only genuine faith that can withstand the crisis.

Faith                        FAITH IN THE CRISIS
 
        And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?  Luke 24:32.
 
   One day on the road to Emmaus walked two men who did not believe.  Their faith had been shattered.  They were miserable.  They talked to a Stranger who walked along with them, saying, "But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done" (Luke 24:21).
 
    These men had evidently been among the followers of Jesus, among the disciples who had been told repeatedly that Jesus would go to Jerusalem, be delivered into the hands of sinners, be put to death, and rise again the third day.  They had heard Him say it, yet they hadn't heard Him say it!  The Jewish leaders had remembered what He said.  That's why they had gone to Pilate and insisted on a guard to place around the tomb.  Mary Magdalene had heard what Jesus said.  That's why she had anointed Jesus' feet with spikenard.  But these followers had not heard.  And so when a crisis came, it revealed the true nature of their faith.
 
    We experience crises in our lives.  Sometimes when these come, we wonder and are dismayed.  But it is a blessing to have shaking experiences before the great final shaking.  It is a real advantage to have the small winds blow before the big ones come.  It is an advantage to learn to run with the footmen before you must contend with horses.
 
    The reason a crisis is not all bad is because even though a crisis doesn't change you, it does reveal to you the direction in which you are already headed.  And if there is time after a crisis to change, it can be a means of showing you your need.  Disciples who were discouraged, fearful, and doubting, when they finally discovered the secret of their burning hearts on the road to Emmaus, were able to come back with allegiance and trust and faith that they had not known before.  The crisis didn't produce the change--but it did give them an insight into their own hearts, which motivated them to change afterward.  Crises bring understanding of our condition, so that we recognize our need and can turn to Christ before the final crisis, after which there is no opportunity for change.

Faith                        UNDERSTANDING TRUE FAITH
 
        Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?  Luke 18:8.
 
    One of the great reasons why people don't believe, why there are so many unbelievers, as we call them, is because the devil keeps a constant misunderstanding of God before us, to prevent us from having faith in Him.  Although, as Hebrews 12:1, 2, tells us, Jesus is both the author and the finisher of our faith, even the faith of which He was the author fades away if you don't do more about it than just nod your head.
 
    Jesus said in our text for today that when the Son of man comes, He is hardly going to find faith on the earth.  We are told that in the last days the earth is going to be almost destitute of true faith (Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, p. 94).  There will be people everywhere who will be saying, Believe, believe, only believe.  But this is not genuine faith.  Genuine faith comes as a gift from God, and grows as it comes in contact with God's Word.  "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  So the first necessity for faith of the deeper hue is a knowledge of God and His Word.  Yet even this knowledge is not enough.  There must also be an understanding and accepting of God's Word.
 
    One day Jesus walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus.  He saw that they had a problem with their understanding.  They had been like people with veils over their eyes.  Jesus opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).  It would be worthwhile for us, rather than merely reading the Bible for knowledge, to pray for understanding as well; to pray that the misunderstanding of God that Satan is constantly urging upon us will be recognized in their true character.
 
    The third ingredient for genuine faith, which comes as a result of the knowledge plus the understanding, is trust or confidence in God.  As we see Jesus, who came to reveal God, and as we spend time in seeking Him, in coming in contact with His Word, in order to become acquainted with Him, we will see through the devil's deceptions regarding the character of God.  Our misunderstandings of God will be corrected, and we will come to have the confidence and trust in God that is genuine faith.

 
Faith                        BEHAVIOR OR RELATIONSHIP
 
        This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.  John 6:29
 
    Our purpose today is to point out that faith is something more than the ordinary understanding of the word belief.  In John 6, the Jews came to Jesus and asked, "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?"  Jesus answered, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."
 
    What is involved in "believing"?  We are told that the faith in Christ that saves the soul is not what it is represented by many people.  Believe, believe, is their cry.  Only believe in Christ and you will bee saved. (6 Bible Commentary, p. 1063).  One of the popular ideas of faith is that it is simply nodding your head, simply saying Yes to the fact that Christ exists, and that's all there is to it.  Coupled with the rising emphasis on the theme of salvation by faith in Jesus alone, comes the immature, naïve, license-ladened cry, All you have to do is believe.  Just believe.  Well, you'll find there's something far deeper than that if you study the the word believe and the context in which it is used in God's Word.
 
    When the question came to Jesus, obviously the Jewish leaders at that time were hung up on the usual idea that you must deserve heaven and work your way in.  And so their question is sort of a behavior-based question.  "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?"  What they were really saying was, What can we do to deserve heaven?  Jesus immediately shifted their attention from behavior to relationship when He said, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."  Immediately you have a clue.  In the first place, belief is not based on what, it is based on whom.  It isn't what set of doctrines or creeds you consider to be correct.  I know inwhom I have believed--not in what I have believed.
 
    James says that even the devils believe--they believe and they tremble (James 2:19).  But the devils obviously don't have saving faith.  They don't trust God.  An intellectual assent to certain Bible truths will always be insufficient.  Even the devils believe to that extent.  But the belief that is saving faith refers to the deeper trust, which comes only from a personal relationship with Jesus.