To My Dear Friends Podcast

0938, Cross - Offense or Power

Episode Title: Cross—Offense or Power Episode Summary (short): W. D. Frazee asks the searching question: is the cross to you a stumbling block, or is it the power of God? A study on daily cross-bearing in appetite, service, and sacrifice. Show Notes / Description: "Is the cross a stumbling block to you—or is it the power of God and the glory of God?" With that piercing question, Pastor W. D. Frazee opens a 1963 study on the daily cross that Jesus calls every disciple to lift. Working from Galatians 6:14, Luke 9:23, and 1 Corinthians 1:23–24, Pastor Frazee gives the inspired definition of cross-bearing: to take a course directly against our inclinations—and to do it daily. He then walks through two of the three areas where that principle must be applied: * Temperance and the control of appetite — tracing from Eden through Noah, Sodom, and Israel in the wilderness, and warning that "Satan's temptation to indulge appetite will be more powerful… as we near the close of time." Whenever someone offers a health program that doesn't require denying appetite, Pastor Frazee cautions, "you had better be afraid of it." * Personal ministry to the poor and sick — a close look at Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25, where God deliberately designed medical-missionary work to cost us inconvenience. Donations cannot substitute for personal ministry; Satan stands ready as the great medical missionary of a sacrifice-free gospel. Along the way, he lingers on the rich young ruler, on David's refusal to offer what cost him nothing (2 Samuel 24:24), and on one of the most arresting lines in all his preaching: "Jesus didn't give up bad things so He could be saved. He gave up good things so we could be saved." The message ends with a sobering realization: there will be no cross in Heaven. No inclinations to deny. No suffering soul to minister to. The only opportunity we will ever have to show our love for Jesus by self-denial is here and now. Key Scriptures * Galatians 6:14 (opening text) * Galatians 5:11, 24 * 1 Corinthians 1:23–24 * Luke 9:23 * 1 Corinthians 9:25–27; 15:31 * Isaiah 58:7 * Matthew 25:35–36 * Mark 10:17–22 * 2 Samuel 24:24 Key Themes * The cross as offense, snare, or the power of God * Daily cross-bearing defined: a course against our inclinations * Temperance and the last-day battle with appetite * Isaiah 58 and the cost of true medical-missionary work * Satan's sacrifice-free gospel and the counterfeit health program * "Love for Jesus" as the one sufficient motive for cross-bearing * No cross in Heaven — the urgency of self-denial now Companion References * Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1 (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1948), 286. * Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5 (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1948), 70, 94. * Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6 (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1948), 275, 662. * Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1905), 453. * Ellen G. White, Counsels on Diet and Foods (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1938), 145, 147, 162, 164. * Hymn: "In the Cross of Christ I Glory," by John Bowring Memorable Line "Jesus didn't give up bad things so He could be saved. He gave up good things so we could be saved." About To My Dear Friends brings the timeless messages of Pastor W. D. Frazee to a new generation of listeners. Visit WDFsermons.org for the full sermon library.

0851, The Two Gardens

Episode Title: The Two Gardens Episode Summary (short): W. D. Frazee walks us from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane—from the smallest test God could devise to the infinite cup our Savior drained for every man. Show Notes / Description: Two gardens stand at the hinge of salvation history: the Garden of Eden, where everything was lost, and the Garden of Gethsemane, where everything was won back. In this 1960 evening study, Pastor W. D. Frazee invites us to place these two gardens side by side and let the Spirit do His work. Opening with Genesis 2, Pastor Frazee shows how Eden's single forbidden tree was the smallest test God could devise—because love requires the freedom of choice. He then takes us, four thousand years later, across the brook Cedron to Gethsemane, whose very name—"oil press"—foreshadows the infinite pressure about to crush our Lord. Anchored in Hebrews 2:9 and rich counsel from the Spirit of Prophecy, the message peers into what really happened among the olive trees: not merely dread of the coming scourge and nails, but the full weight of the second death pressed onto the Son of God. Human nature, we are told, would have died then and there but for an angel sent—not to remove the cup, but to strengthen Him to keep drinking it. Here Pastor Frazee paints one of the most tender pictures in all his preaching: the Father's one hand raising the sword of justice, the other hand placed beneath His Son to hold Him up beneath the blow. The message closes with a sober and searching invitation: to spend a thoughtful hour each day beneath the shade of the olive trees, where sin gets spoiled for us, where pride looks ugly, and where the love that drained the cup demands "my life, my soul, my all." Key Scriptures * Genesis 2:8–10, 15–17 (Eden) * John 18:1–2 (Entry into Gethsemane) * Matthew 26:38 * Hebrews 2:9 (main text) Key Themes * Eden and Gethsemane as parallel gardens of history * The smallest test God could devise and the reality of moral freedom * The meaning of Gethsemane — "oil press" * What it means to "taste death for every man" * Why the angel came to strengthen, not to spare * The Father's suffering alongside the Son * Daily contemplation of the closing scenes of Christ's life Companion References * Ellen G. White, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5 (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1956), 1103. * Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1898), 83, 694, 759. * Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2 (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1948), 205. * Hymn: "My God, my God, and Can It Be," by Frederick W. Faber * Hymn: "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," by Isaac Watts (stanza quoted) Memorable Line "Jesus took the sin and endured the separation, that we might give up the sin and have the separation ended." About To My Dear Friends brings the timeless messages of Pastor W. D. Frazee to a new generation of listeners. Visit WDFsermons.org for the full sermon library.

0414A, Preaching of The Cross

Episode Title: Preaching the Cross Episode Summary (short): W. D. Frazee opens 1 Corinthians 1:17–18 to show why "the preaching of the cross is the power of God"—and how beholding Calvary daily becomes the secret of victory over sin. Show Notes / Description: What does Paul mean when he says "the preaching of the cross… is the power of God"? In this 1968 message, Pastor W. D. Frazee turns to 1 Corinthians 1:17–18 and walks us carefully through what the cross is not—not a heathen-style arrangement to appease an angry deity, and not a license to break God's law without consequence—and what the cross truly is: the supreme revelation of how terrible sin is and how deep the Father's love runs. With his trademark warmth and vivid illustrations (a flick of a light switch on the TVA grid, a friend who "fixes" speeding tickets with the judge, and a hammer poised over a mother's hand), Pastor Frazee invites every listener to come to Calvary and behold two great lessons: how bad Satan really is, and how good God really is. When those truths become real, "the power of sin is broken." The message closes with Christ at the door of the heart in Revelation 3:20—His scarred hand still knocking—and the old hymn "Who At My Door Is Standing?" inviting a personal response. Key Scriptures * 1 Corinthians 1:17–18 (main text) * 1 Samuel 3:9 * Romans 13:1 * Matthew 28:18–20 * 2 Corinthians 5:19 * Matthew 27 · Mark 15 · Luke 23 · John 19 * Isaiah 53 · Psalm 22 * Revelation 1:1; 3:20 Key Themes * The cross as the very power of God * Two misconceptions of the cross — appeasement and license * How Calvary unveils the true character of Satan * How Calvary unveils the heart of the Father * "Jesus died for me as if that death were to be forever" * The scarred hand still knocking at the door of the heart Companion References * Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1911), 209. * Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1898), 83. * Hymn: "Who At My Door Is Standing?" by Mary B. Slade Memorable Line "The cross shows me how bad Satan is and how good God is. The cross shows me what a terrible thing sin is and what a wonderful love God has." About To My Dear Friends brings the timeless messages of Pastor W. D. Frazee to a new generation of listeners. Visit WDFsermons.org for the full sermon library.

0729, They Pierced My Hands

They Pierced My Hands | W.D. Frazee Sermons #0729 What was going through the mind of Jesus during those dark hours on the cross? In this reverent meditation, Elder W.D. Frazee walks through Psalm 22 — written a thousand years before Calvary — to trace the very thoughts that passed through the suffering soul of Christ between His first cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" and His final declaration, "It is finished." Elder Frazee unfolds the physical agony, the shame, the God-abandonment, and the demonic temptation to desert the human race. But at the heart of the sermon is a breathtaking moment: with no visible evidence, no lifting of the darkness, no voice from Heaven — Jesus presses the hand of faith through the blackness and declares, "Thou hast heard Me." And by that faith alone, He sees His seed. He sees the redeemed. He sees you and me. This is a sermon to listen to quietly, prayerfully, and with an open heart. Key Themes: — Psalm 22 as the inner life of Christ on the cross — The darkness of God-abandonment: no voice, no dove, no glory — Christ justifying the Father even while crying out in agony — The mob as bulls, lions, and dogs — fulfilling prophecy unknowingly — The hand of faith pressed through the darkness: "Thou hast heard Me" — By faith, Jesus sees His seed and declares victory: "It is finished" Key Texts: Psalm 22 | Matthew 3:17 | Isaiah 53:11–12 | Mark 11:24

0399 Less Atempted More Achieved

Less Attempted, More Achieved | W.D. Frazee Sermons #0399 What if the key to accomplishing more for God is to attempt less? In this remarkably practical study from March 24, 1972, Elder W.D. Frazee opens the familiar invitation of Matthew 11:28–30 to reveal something most of us miss: Jesus promises rest not by removing the yoke, but within it. And for some of us, finding that rest means learning to put fewer dishes on our tray. With warmth and humor — from overloaded cafeteria trays to a dog trying to keep up with a Cadillac — Elder Frazee addresses the conscientious Christian who is always behind, always burdened, always trying to catch up. Drawing from inspired counsel written to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, he shows that the failure to learn moderation was at the very foundation of Kellogg's departure from the faith. The sermon's liberating message: life is a cafeteria, and most of what passes before you is not for your tray. The truly temperate Christian learns to say "No, thank you" — not just to food, but to work, obligations, and opportunities — and finds in that holy moderation the rest that Jesus promised. Key Themes: — Rest found in the yoke, not apart from it (Matthew 11:28–30) — Moderation as preparation for the Second Coming (Philippians 4:5) — "The power of man cannot hasten the work" (Testimonies, Vol. 7) — Life as a cafeteria: learning what not to put on your tray — The Kellogg warning: gathering responsibilities God never assigned — Temperance in all things — including work itself — Morning devotion as the key to knowing what to do the rest of the day Key Texts: Matthew 11:28–30 | Philippians 4:5 | 1 Corinthians 9:25 | Revelation 14:12 | 2 Thessalonians 3:10–12 | John 15:2 | Isaiah 50:4 | 1 Corinthians 2:9 Spirit of Prophecy References: Testimonies, Vol. 7, p. 298 | Testimonies, Vol. 8, pp. 188–189 | Temperance, pp. 138–139 | Medical Ministry, p. 294 | Evangelism, pp. 80–81, 653–654 | Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 316