eternity. Men of the earth are oc cupied with learning the things of earth. Christians are occupied with learning the things that lie beyond the tomb. God wants us to know Him intimately so that we may depend upon Him fully and trust in Him with' confidence. He has revealed Himself to us in His outdoor book of nature and in His indoor book, the Bible. He has revealed Himself by precept, by act, and by experience. 2. WE LEARN TO KNOW GOD’S WORD. Rev. 1:3., The past year should have brought to us much of the knowledge of God’s truth. Surely we have learned by reading it and studying it ourselves. We have learned through the preach ing and teaching of others. We have learned through the printed page which has revealed the thoughts of other men and women of God. We have learned as we have read and prayed under the guidance of the Spirit for He came to teach us all things and to guide us into all the truth. We have learned as we com pared Scripture with Scripture and contrasted, as well as compared, the things that seem to differ. We have learned by asking questions of Chris tian leaders and teachers as well as by personal research. We grow in grace and usefulness only as we be come more skillful in understanding and using the Word of righteousness. 3. WE LEARN HOW TO SERVE EF FICIENTLY. 1 Tim. 2:15. God’s work must be done in God’s way. The Philistines could send the ark of God on a new cart but they had no instructions. When David tried the same thing, judgment fell from God for he had been told what to do. God has not told the wicked how to carry on His service, for the unsaved are not expected to try to please God or to serve Him. The Christian is told in the Scriptures God's thoughts, His will, and His plans. Only general prin ciples are given—the details are omit ted in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, all the details were given with regard to God’s service. Now, however, He only reveals to us what is to be done and expects us in the fear of God and by the leading of the Spirit to serve Him acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 4. WE LEARN HOW TO WIN THE BATTLE. Ex. 14:13. Human strength is no match for Satanic power. Human flesh cannot win the victory against wicked spir its. God’s plan is that we learn from the experience of others in the Scrip tures that salvation is of the Lord. Unless we learn it, we shall be found fighting a losing battle through life. The Lord said to Zerubbabel: “Not by might [personal strength], nor by power [the strength of others], but [the victory is won] by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” TH E K I N G ’ S BUS I NE SS
3. CHRIST IS LORD IN CONVER- VERSION. Acts 16:31. Christ Jesus is the only Saviour. “By Himself’ He purged our sins. He had no help in it. No assistance was needed. He has the power to forgive and shares this power with no one else. He is the giver of eternal life. He only can write the name in the Book of Life. He alone can bring us to God. It is the life of Jesus that is implanted in the soul. No other life will do for eternity. Christ alone has the power to translate us from Satan’s family into God’s family, and to give us a name, His own Name, that is ef fectual in prayer. It is His Name that we wear—Christian. It is His presence in our lives that separates us from the world of sinners around us. He is the One we shall adore throughout eternity as the Lord of our lives and the Saviour of our souls. 4. CHRIST IS TO BE LORD OF THE NATIONS. Rev. 19:15. The time is coming when Christ Je sus will rule every nation in the earth. He w ill control Russia and Japan. He will hold sway over Italy, Germany, and the United States. His Word will be law in China, Brazil, and Norway. The British Empire will be ruled by Jesus Christ and so will Spain and Ethiopia. What a wonder ful day it will be when God gives to Him the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them. He earned the place and will receive it. He made the earth and should enjoy it. God will see to it that the Man of Cal vary will become the conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah with every en emy under His feet and every nation His kingdom. December 29, 1946 LEAR N ING THRO UGH THE YEARS L uke 2:39, 40 T HERE ARE two things which we should learn: (1) to know God, and (2) the practical meaning of His Word In our daily lives. We learn this through the years slowly, but we should learn it thoroughly. We learn the Word of God by studying it care fully and by observing its truths as they are acted out in human lives. We also learn the truth of the Scrip ture by our own experience. We find how true and how accurate the Word of God is as we see it operating in various circumstances. We learn by our own experiences as well as by the experiences of others with whom we are in contact. We see the Scrip tures fulfilled many times by the experiences of our friends and ene mies. The Lord enable us to observe closely and to learn the lessons well. 1. WE LEARN TO KNOW THE TRIUNE GOD. John 17:3; John 14:17. How wonderful it is that we may in this life learn to know the God of
December 22. 1946 “LET EARTH RECEIVE HER K IN G ” L uke 2:1-20 rpHE KINGSHIP and Lordship of Christ are pre-eminent throughout both the Old and the New Testaments. When the four Gospels were arranged in the Bible, the Spirit led those men to place Matthew first for he pre sents Christ as the King and the Lord. When Thomas first saw the risen Sav iour, he called Him “my Lord.” When Paul first met Christ, he looked up and called him "Lord.” When the jailor heard the Gospel message from Paul, he heard, “Believe on the Lord . . .” Paul’s message to the Romans was, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Je sus as Lord” (R.V.). Sin is lord of the unsaved and so is Satan. But, at con version, Jesus becomes Lord and is the Sovereign of the life, the heart, and the soul thereafter. Let . us exalt the Lordship of Christ to believer and un believer. 1. CHRIST IS LORD OF THE INDI VIDUAL. Rom. 10:9. Pharaoh was the lord of Israel un til the Passover Lamb died. Then Moses became their lord. Jewish cus toms had lordship over Paul until that memorable day when the light of God struck him down. Then Jesus became his Lord. Jesus expects to be Lord in the life of each one who professes to trust in Him. He said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). It is not enough to say that one believes in Jesus. The life must prove whether Jesus is Lord or only a convenience. It is easy to see whether one is a real Christian or not by the place that he gives to Christ in his daily life. When Christ is Sovereign of the soul, then the individual w ill walk with Him, live for Him, talk about Him, obey Him, and seek to bring others to Him. 2. C H R I S T IS L ORD OF THE CHURCH. Eph. 1:22. Through man’s plans and schemes, the Lordship of Christ has been set aside. The Pope and other dignitaries assume the place of lordship in the Roman Catholic Church. Mary Baker Eddy has been lord over the Christian Scientists. Joseph Smith was lord over the Mormons. There are lords many, as the Scripture says, but there is to be just one Lord in the life of the Christian. He is to rule the life, di rect the conduct, and hold the affec tion of his followers. There should be "no man save Jesus only,” in the Christian life. If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. Christ in structs the Church concerning her gift and her work. He presents the doctrines she is to believe and teach. He instructs concerning the music, fi nances, and the social life and min istry. Let us crown Him Lord of all.
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