T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
74
February, 1938
Many a man sees double through the drunkenness of sin. He thinks that he has one life to sow his wild oats in, and then the last part of his life in which to turn to God ; so, like a fool, he blows out the only candle that he has, and in the dark he will have to lie down forever.—W . W yatt G ill in One Thousand Evangelistic Illus trations, by Webb. MARCH 27, 1938 G R E A T TA SK S T O BE ACCOM PL ISHED IN OUR W O R LD L u k e 4:18, 19; M ark 2:17; E phesians 2 :8 -1 0 Meditation on the Lesson When the Lord Jesus went into the syna gogue at Nazareth (Lk. 4:16), He began to read from Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 61:1, 2) a passage which was being fulfilled through Him. He read that He was anointed “to preach the acceptable year of the Lord,” and to “ set at liberty them that are bruis ed.” It was His purpose to heal the broken hearted and to set free the slaves of sin. He came to destroy the works of the devil and to give eternal life to those who would receive the Saviour. From our passage in Mark we hear again the words concerning Christ’s mis sion to this world: “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call rhe righteous, but sinners to repentance” (2:17). What a mighty task was His! Yet He tells us that as the Father has sent Him into the world, so has He sent us (John 17:18). W e are chosen to represent Him here on earth. What a stupendous commission! Who is sufficient for these things! How can we possibly carry forward the work which was designated for the Lord Jesus, the only Saviour of the world? In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we find our answer. With penetrating clarity the inspired apos tle tells us that our salvation is an accom plishment entirely independent of any human assistance: “ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your selves: it is the gift of God: Not o f works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8, 9),. Our salvation was wrought out by the Lord Jesus on Calvary; and we have nothing to contribute to it, nothing to do but to •ac cept it at its face value. Christ is our only hope for eternal life. By no works- of righteousness, however great in the eyes of men, can we earn one step of our way into the kingdom of God. The price of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus has bought our glorious redemp tion, and it is complete and perfect. When we have accepted what Christ has done for us, then are we born into the family of God and become His children (John 3:3, 9; cf. vs. 14-16). W e then realize that we were “created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). He gives us our work to do after we come into rela tionship with Him through the blood of the cross. As sons of God, we have the Holy Spirit, and He furnishes us with the power to do tasks for God which before
would have been impossible. The works or energy of the flesh can never avail, either for salvation or for spiritual service. T o do the service of God in unregenerate pow er is comparable to burning “strange” in cense upon the altar of God. How wonderful to work for the Lord when He endues us with His might and energy! Without Him, the task of chang ing conditions in this world is hopeless and discouraging, for man in his natural state always comes “ short of the glory of G od” (Rom. 3:23). Our great work is to bring men to see the plan of Christ for them through the W ord and the Spirit of God. W e are His ambassadors, and our message is that of reconciliation through the finished work of the Lamb of God (2 Cor. 5:18-21). Are we working for the Lord Jesus who has placed in our hands the words of life, God’s means o f effecting the new birth? Are we telling the old, old story as faith fully and joyfully as we should? Let us pray for a deeper love for Him that we may have a love for souls and a concern for our Master’s work for us to do. Helps for the Leader I. B oldness for C hrist Dr. Pentecost tells of how, with some trepidation* he once ventured to ask a great man whether he was a Christian. Cour teously the man answered and allowed him to continue the conversation. At the close, Pentecost said: “ I hope you have not con sidered me impertinent in speaking so abruptly on this subject.” Grasping his hands, with tears in his eyes, the man answered: “ Don’t ever hesi tate to speak to any man about his soul. I have been longing for twenty years to have some one speak to me. I believe there are thousands of men in this city who are in the same condition that I am, carrying an uneasy conscience and a great burden on their souls, not courageous enough to seek instruction, yet who would willingly receive it.” —Sunday School Lesson Illustrator. II. O ur T ask , H is T ask Among the art treasures of Rome there is a mysterious statue. It represents a bar barian king in chains— one of those tall fair-haired men of the North—men of our own blood—who, even when they stood in captivity before their Roman conquerors, extorted admiration by their splendid phy sique and their royal dignity of bearing. The peculiarity of this statue is that it has never been finished. The work is wrought with great care and skill up to a certain point—then it suddenly stops short. Con jecture has been busy about the statue. Why did the sculptor stop, after having done so much? Was the reason caprice, or accident, or sudden death, or impa tience at his failure to realize the ideal aimed at? Who can tell? The secret lies buried in a forgotten past. But He who labors at the chiseling of new men and women in Chriát never loses patience, never tires of His task. Obstacles may delay, but they can never finally baffle His sublime purpose.— M artin L ew is in One Thousand Evangelistic Illustrations, by Webb.
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