Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The topic which we will address today is one that is to be clearly understood, especially in the context of the work of the Gospel being carried to all people of the earth in these last days of history.
The good news of God’s soon coming kingdom is to be preached, and all the instructions, principles, and laws of Chrit’s kingdom should be shared with those we come in contact with, because every Christian is called to take up the mantle of service, as is given in the great commission. Let’s read:
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
After coming to know The Lord, He bids us go, and let others know, the things of the kingdom, with all of its precepts and promises Jesus bids us to preach and live by.
But in going to preach, teach, or give Bible studies, we are to understand that there is a huge difference between giving out information, and the conviction of conscience that only the Holy Ghost can bring.
We will discover that presenting truth in a manner that cannot be controverted, does not necessarily translate into conviction. The individuals in question may not be able to dodge the straight truth, but the mind may still not be convinced.
That is because the servants of God cannot convict anyone in their conscience; it’s only God who can do the work of convicting. Hence the reason why when a person decides to give his/ her life to Christ today, in very many instances that will not be the first time that they had heard the truth.
One of the problems with fallen humanity is that we often don’t get it with the first round of information given to us in any matter. Very few persons on our planet are able to grasp with clarity, any subject that is presented to the mind, for it often takes several rounds of repetition for persons to understand fully.
Case in point is the 27 doctrines of our church which if you were to ask most Seventh Day Adventists of, it will be a teeny tiny minority who would remember, let alone explain what we believe.
Again, the prophecies of Daniel, including the 2300 day prophecy have been explained by preachers and evangelists such as Doug Bachelor and others on a number of occasions, yet very many don’t seem to get it, for one reason or another.
That’s because we only use a small percentage of our mental capacity, and therefore, the ability for us to grasp things readily, especially, deep, sacred truth is not something which takes place either rapidly, or regularly.
Persons may have already discovered that when the Scripture is read, it is very often the case that truths are missed on the first and second pass and it’s only after reading the same passages over and over again that the lights may finally go on in our heads.
Hence the reason why it becomes necessary for God to send several different preachers, so that the truth will finally sink in. In the majority of instances, it can take several passes, going over the very same info in different formats, before persons finally get it. Let’s read:
2nd Chronicles 36: 15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place.
Therefore, there are persons who might have been spoken to on some aspect of present truth, upon whom the truths just may not seem to register. And in some cases, because persons may not readily get the full meaning of the truth in question, they might even put up a stiff resistance to it, to the chagrin of the layman in question.
Just because folks might have grasped some sacred truth readily, does not mean that everybody else should be expected to do so, and if this is the case, then the matter of convincing should be left up to The Holy Spirit, who alone can send the rays of truth home to a person’s mind, in a way that will resonate with their understanding.
Hence the reason for the topic for this evening: Information Versus Conviction.
When we hear people say that a layman or preacher speaks with conviction, that does not necessarily mean that the Holy Spirit convicts the hearers to the point of decision making, anytime such a preacher opens his mouth to speak. It could also mean that the speaker is deeply persuaded by his or her own words.
It is true that whenever the unadulterated word of God is spoken, The Spirit of God is present to drive home the truths thus presented, but in many cases, the minds of persons may not be convicted enough to the point where they will make a decision for the right.
There is a difference between mere information and conviction and even though the two might work in tandem, it is often the case that information may sit on the backburner of a person’s mind, long before any conviction finally does its work, or even arrives.
This fact should not discourage, or dissuade the one who is sent to teach or preach, for our mission is to sow beside all waters not to convict. And thus, in the fullness of time, the God of heaven causes seed to germinate and grow, and it will often bring forth fruit, some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundredfold. This fact is clearly stated in the Bible. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Habakkuk 2: 2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run who reads it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Psalms 126: 6 He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
There are times when some point of truth is spoken in clear lines, yet for some reason, it may not impact the hearts and minds of the hearers in ways that will bring conviction to the point of decision, even if The Holy Ghost is present.
This is what took place with William Miller, as truth of the Sabbath was presented to him from scripture. There it was before his face, he couldn’t reasonably deny it neither could he dodge it, yet Miller was not able to fully grasp its significance then, because of circumstances that were unfolding at that time.
Thus, even though the word of God was there, and The Holy Spirit was present, the convincing power of God did not sway Miller’s mind, to the point of decision and he died without accepting the present truth, yet he will be saved in God’s kingdom. Let’s read:
[Early Writings pp 257>258] My attention was then called to William Miller. He looked perplexed and was bowed with anxiety and distress for his people. The company who had been united and loving in 1844 were losing their love, opposing one another, and falling into a cold, backslidden state.
As he beheld this, grief wasted his strength. I saw leading men watching him, and fearing lest he should receive the third angel's message and the commandments of God. And as he would lean toward the light from heaven, these men would lay some plan to draw his mind away. At length William Miller raised his voice against the light from heaven.
He leaned to human wisdom instead of divine, but being broken with arduous labor in his Master's cause, and by age, he was not as accountable as those who kept him from the truth. But angels watch the precious dust of this servant of God, and he will come forth at the sound of the last trump.
Not only does information not guarantee conviction, but even the convincing power of God, at times, has to be engaged several times upon the person’s mind before he or she finally gets it.
The time when folks gave their lives to Christ, when they came up to the altar with tears, and confession of sin, after hearing the sermon, was most likely not the first time The Holy Ghost tried to reach such and such persons with conviction.
In some instances, it took The Holy Spirit hundreds, or thousands of attempts before the ice was finally broken, yet God did not throw in the towel after the very first try, just because persons refused to budge.
The Lord sends both His word, and His Holy Spirit on multiple occasions with convincing power to people, and in some cases the positive response comes right away, while in other instances it might come only years later.
This truth can be certified in the experiences of king Manasseh to whom God sent both prophets and His Holy Spirit for many years, yet the king didn’t budge. It was only after a very long time that Manasseh got it, and the rest is history. That’s because information does not always result in conviction, to the point of decision, even when The Holy Ghost is present. Let’s read:
2nd Chronicles 33: 9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.
10 And the Lord spoke to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.
11 Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.
Now, it’s never advised to put aside the word of God for a later date, nor is it ever recommended for any person to say tomorrow, because procrastination is the devil’s tool and he can use it to his advantage, in tempting persons to delay and delay, until the cold fingers of death may close the person’s probation.
Thus, even though we are studying the facts on the ground, as it pertains to information and conviction, the God of heaven does issue a warning against any delay after one hears His word clearly, yet refuses to make good on the grace offered through the Holy Spirit’s convincing efforts. Let’s read:
Hebrews 3:7 Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost says, Today, if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Thus, even though persons are cautioned against a delayed response to the Holy Spirit’s work upon the heart, the raw facts on the ground teach us that, in many cases, after the seed of truth has been sown, a gestation period ensues, where persons may have to weigh the evidence presented, before making a determination upon the truth in question. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 3: 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he who plants, anything, neither is he that waters; but God that giveth the increase.
Isaiah 32: 20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.
Acts 18:5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
9 Then spoke the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace.
10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Acts 6: 7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
[L.D.E pp 197] The Lord has His representatives in all the churches. These persons haven’t had the special testing truths for these last days presented to them under circumstances that brought conviction to the heart and mind; therefore, they have not, by rejecting light, severed their connection with God.
The issue of information versus conviction also took place with all the disciples of Jesus Christ, who upon multiple occasions, were plainly told what was going to happen to their Master. Yet, though the info was given in the clearest lines, it just didn’t fully register in their minds, even though Jesus Himself was with them. Let’s read:
John 16: 28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
29 His disciples said unto him, now you’re speaking plainly, and not in a proverb.
30 Now are we sure that You know all things, and need not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that You came forth from God.
31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
32 Behold, the hour comes, yea, is now come, that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
Matthew 17: 22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men.
23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
Luke 9: 18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?
19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.
21 And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;
22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
Matthew 16: 21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
We would think that by now they would have gotten it and be fully convinced in their hearts, for it wasn’t just any old preacher uttering these words, it was Christ Himself who was speaking, and therefore, if information, always, automatically translated into conviction, then the following would not be written. Let’s read:
Luke 24: 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.
In fact, this particular encounter reveals something that needs to be understood by those who carry the everlasting Gospel to the people in our day. Unless The Holy Ghost illuminates a person’s mind, such a person is rendered incapable of understanding, or being convinced of truth, regardless of how much information on the subject in question is given out. Let’s read:
Luke 24: 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.
Layman preachers in our day, who are preparing to run the last leg of the long running marathon of the Gospel, must understand that The Hoy Spirit will be given to drive home specific truths pertaining to the issues of worship that will obtain in our day. He isn’t scheduled to convince people under the latter rain, of all 27 fundamental doctrines of the church.
In fact, when we read Revelation chapter 14 very carefully, we would discover that the message to be given under the latter rain is uniquely streamlined, for it deals with surgical precision upon the mark of the beast, and the commandments of God.
Therefore, the other hot button issues in Adventist circles, together with all Adventist hot potatoes will be stripped entirely of their former significance and the straight testimony John designates will be given to the masses of people. Let’s read:
Revelation 14: 6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation……
Therefore, just like it was of old, this is not the very first time that most people would be hearing about the mark of the beast and the true Sabbath of the Bible. Some will be hearing it for the first time, but many others would have heard it years before, but now, the seed sown will spring up and bear fruit, to the tune of abundant harvests we didn’t anticipate.
In other words, the information had been given for many years in some cases, but the issues were not brought prominently to the forefront of the intellect and therefore, the outpouring of The Holy Spirit will accomplish that which could not be done under less favorable circumstances. Let’s read:
[Publishing Ministry pp 356] The results of the circulation of this book [The Great Controversy] are not to be judged by what now appears. By reading it, some souls will be aroused, and will have courage to unite themselves at once with those who keep the commandments of God. But a much larger number who read it will not take their position until they see the very events taking place that are foretold in it.
The fulfillment of some of the predictions will inspire faith that others also will come to pass, and when the earth is lightened with the glory of the Lord, in the closing work, many souls will take their position on the commandments of God as the result of this agency.
Therefore, let not the laymen get frustrated, and let not the preachers be discouraged, if the immediate results of preaching the everlasting Gospel do not meet expectations. God knows those who are His in every single church, and in the fullness of time He’ll ratchet up the Latter rain, to produce persons who will obey His voice.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that will help us to remember the differences between information and conviction, and God will bless those earnest efforts made by His people to reach persons who are now sitting in darkness. Let’s read:
Isaiah 55: 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not thither, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the Sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
God Bless!