Putting a Knife to Your Throat: The Forgotten Gate of Self-Denial

That sounds like a powerful and provocative title! I will certainly prepare both the full sermon and a detailed outline for "Putting a Knife to Your Throat — The Forgotten Gate of Heaven."

Putting a Knife to Your Throat — The Forgotten Gate of Heaven

Friends, we stand today amidst the solemn closing scenes of this world's history, a time when preparation is everythingARSH December 29, 1859, page 47.12. Every soul longs for a share in the eternal inheritance, a place free from impurity in the city of GodCTBH 24.1+1. But how do we enter that city? The gates are not opened by chance or by mere profession of faithARSH September 9, 1862, page 119.18. We are called upon to seek the right path, the narrow way, that leads through the gate of self-denial into the city of GodST February 1, 1899, par. 5. The science of salvation demands that we address a fundamental struggle that determines our fate: the mastery of self1TT 480.1.

The battle is intensely personal, waged in the quiet confines of our own appetites and inclinations, symbolized by the ancient wisdom that instructs us to put a knife to our throatTSDF 141.5. This rigorous, daily self-control is not a burden, but a blessed condition of following Jesus Christ Luke 9:23ARSH August 4, 1863, page 79.11. It is this daily victory—this constant, practical self-denial—that is the forgotten gate of heavenLUH April 21, 1909, par. 3.

🧒 A Lesson in Ruling the Spirit

Dear children, and all who seek to enter the heavenly gates, the great Teacher, Christ, said that ruling your spirit is better than taking a cityYI November 12, 1907, par. 8. We must bring our thoughts into subjection to the will of Christ1MCP 125.3.

Imagine little Willie, who struggled with impatience1LtMs, Lt 2, 1860, par. 3. When he allowed his feelings to control him, he was unhappy, and no one wanted to be around him1LtMs, Lt 2, 1860, par. 3. But when he determined to rule his own spirit, being obedient, loving, and good all day, the Lord loved him, and everyone loved him1LtMs, Lt 2, 1860, par. 3.

To deny self means to rule the spirit when passion seeks mastery; it means resisting the temptation to speak fault-finding wordsST June 17, 1886, par. 10. God requires us to subdue self, not giving the rein to self-indulgence or appetite, forming characters that will stand the test of the judgmentAUCR January 5, 1914, par. 4. This fight to control ourselves is the first, essential step toward the gates of the City of GodYI November 12, 1907, par. 8.

1. The Peril of the Unguarded Appetite ⚠️

Why must we wield this knife of self-control? Because intemperance lies at the foundation of all evil in our worldTe 165.3. The indulgence of appetite affects us in all the relations of life—in the family, in the church, and in our spiritual perceptionCTBH 151.2.

The world’s Redeemer knew that indulgence of appetite was bringing physical debility and deadening the perceptive faculties so that sacred and eternal things could not be discerned1MCP 334.3+2. When we yield to lower impulses, we bear an accusing conscience, and we lose our love for truth and for the church assembliesCTBH 152.3.

Consider the consequences of unchecked indulgence:

• Ruined Judgment: Intemperate eating—eating too frequently, too much, and of rich, unwholesome food—destroys the healthy action of the digestive organs, affects the brain, and perverts the judgmentTe 138.3. We need clear brains and sound minds in sound bodies to stand in the last daysT18 32.2.

• Wasted Means: Professed Christians often rob God in tithes and offerings while consuming an immense sum on needless and hurtful indulgences, such as tobacco and rich foodsHF 293.1+2. If all these channels of needless expense were closed, money would flow to glorify God and advance the causeRH May 14, 1901, par. 5+1.

• Spiritual Blindness: If your brain is benumbed by a wrong course of living, and its vitality is withdrawn to care for improper food, how can you give counsel or discern spiritual things2T 356.2? You cannot afford to pursue any wrong course without causing others to suffer2T 356.2. We must awake from our self-indulgent appetitesLDE 70.4+1.

This is why God has permitted the light of health reform to shine upon us in these last days—that we may escape the dangers of gratifying inclination and animal instinctsT25 157.1+1. True temperance, let it be understood, is abstinence from all injurious articles and a moderate use of that which is goodCOOD 162.2.

2. Christ: The Exemplar of Self-Sacrifice 🙏

Our only hope for achieving this necessary self-control lies in gazing upon Christ, the great Exemplar4T 375.2. Jesus paid an infinite price to redeem the world John 3:16PH013 18.1. He sacrificed His honor and His glorious home and lived a life of hardship and toilPH013 18.1.

The Tried Stone that upholds our faith is Jesus Christ, who was subjected to the greatest test Isaiah 28:167LtMs, Lt 15, 1892, par. 15. He endured nearly six weeks of agonizing fast, not only bearing the pangs of hunger but the terrible weight of the sins of the worldPH013 18.1+1.

• Victory Over Appetite: Christ withstood the fearful test upon appetite, love of the world, and pride, conquering Satan on these three great leading temptations in man's behalfPH013 18.1+1. Though weakened by His long fast, He resisted temptation, proving that our cases are not hopelessCD 169.2.

• The Path of the Cross: Christ gave us an example that we should follow in His steps, departing from our own pleasure and abhorring selfishnessCE 96.2. He declared, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” Luke 9:23+1.

• Implanted Righteousness: His imputed righteousness becomes implanted righteousness in us if we continually follow His steps of obedience and self-denial19LtMs, Ms 116, 1904, par. 24. The transforming power of Christ’s grace molds the one who yields, making him ready to deny self and make any sacrificeRH August 12, 1902, par. 6.

The cross is the center of hope for the human familyPUR December 17, 1903, par. 6. We must look upon Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest we be wearied and faint in our minds10LtMs, Lt 37, 1895, par. 15. The purpose of the gospel is to clothe the soul in the garments of His righteousness and fit us up to be laborers together with GodCE 96.2.

3. Entering the Gate of Heaven 🚪

The path to eternal life is not broad, but narrow; it is the path of self-denial and self-sacrifice Matthew 7:14YI February 13, 1902, par. 3. Those who walk this path must lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset usYI May 1, 1902, par. 2.

What does it mean to prepare to enter through the gates into the City of GodRH August 17, 1897, par. 9+1?

• Daily Surrender: We must die to self daily, bringing our will into subjection to the will of God4MR 341.2+2. This self-crucifixion produces fruit of the right quality4MR 341.2. If we wait for a time when the "loud cry is given," we are indulging in one of Satan's delusions; our time to awake is nowARSH August 4, 1863, page 79.11.

• Living Sacrifice: We are besought by the mercies of God to present our bodies "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" Romans 12:1CTBH 24.1+2. This is genuine sanctification—a living, active principle that enters into everyday lifeCD 164.3.

• Obedience and Fidelity: It requires more grace to carry the precepts of Christianity into the ordinary business of life than to labor as an acknowledged missionaryCT 279.2. Following Christ means obedience to all His commandments7BC 949.3.

• The Assurance: When Jacob awoke from his vision, he declared, "Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.... This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" Genesis 28:16-17RR 18.4. If we worship in spirit and in truth, even our humble dwelling can become the very gate of heavenRH October 24, 1899, par. 5.

The goal is to cultivate pure and chaste thoughts, strengthening the moral powers rather than the lower and carnal powersLDE 70.4+1. We must work out our character after the divine similitude, practicing Christ’s virtues of self-denial and sacrificeLUH April 21, 1909, par. 3.

The Final Call 📢

My friends, the Lord is seeking those who will be His self-sacrificing servants4bSG 16.2+1. He is watching to see how we are fighting the battle against temptationTe 191.3.

The question of decision is now laid upon every soul: Will you continue to walk in the broad road of self-indulgence, or will you choose the narrow path of self-sacrificeYI February 13, 1902, par. 3? To be "almost" Christian means to be wholly lostRH August 8, 1899, Art. A, par. 8.

I beseech you, yield yourselves entirely to the great Teacher13LtMs, Ms 21, 1898, par. 37. Will you deny self daily, lift the cross, and follow the MasterGCDB January 27, 1893, page 15.2+1? We must have the Holy Spirit to sustain us in this conflict, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places Ephesians 6:12TM 161.2.

Today, let us resolve to deny the lustful appetite which wars against the soul, and to rise higher and still higher upon the question of Christian temperance, practicing it not only by word but by deedTSDF 115.12+1.

Christ has done everything necessary for your redemption. He will lead you by the living waters, and all the time He is educating and talking with you9LtMs, Ms 49, 1894, par. 35. Do not let your character be formed after the similitude of the prince of evil, but reflect the divine attributes of goodness, mercy, and loveRH October 16, 1894, par. 3.

Let us commit to the principle of self-denial and self-sacrifice, allowing it to pass like a plowshare through hereditary and cultivated habits11LtMs, Lt 73, 1896, par. 41.

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 22:1410LtMs, Ms 61b, 1895, par. 25+1.

What are you going to do? Will you deny self and consecrate your life to Christ, so that when He comes, you will be prepared to enter in through the gates into the city of God16LtMs, Lt 133, 1901, par. 15+1?