April 1926
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
184
Go.d ’8 call and command is sinful. There is no good deed that we can do that can equal the deed of.waming the lost and working for their salvation. Sin separates from God. Participation in known sin on the part of a believer is cruel, for it hurts the heart of Christ arid hinders the unsaved. The greatest good that any one can do is to do that which will please Him most, and we know that if we “ walk as He walked” we will be seeking the lost, for He came to “ seek and to save that which was lost.” And He says, “ .As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.” How tre mendous, then, is the sin of one who knowingly allows the blind to walk into the ditch when a word of warn ing might have saved them! . It is a wonderful privilege to know Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord. Our hearts leap with joy at the very mention of that precious truth. It is blessed to have the assurance of our salvation and know that we have inalienable rights and titles to Heaven, sealed by the blood of Christ and attested by His own words. We cannot magnify enough the grace and love which has made all this possible, but what a solemnity accompanies i t ! To know that there is only one way to peace and Paradise; to look into the faces of men and women, boys and girls, with the deep consciousness that many of them do not know the way out o f the maze; that they carry heavy hearts and know no rest of soul; and yet to have no prayer for them, no word of warning, no sorrow of heart, no holy passion for their salvation, should convict us of an awful sin in God’s sight. We know He came from Heaven to earth to save the lost and left the message with us, and we are sinning every day and all the way if our hearts do not throb with a holy longing that others may know the way, the truth and the life ; and, not only so, we must and will be judged for this sin and lose—not our salvation—but the joy that might have been ours eternally. “ If we know these things, happy are we if we do them!” FIXING THE FUNDAMENTAL FLAG Paul was surely “ The Great Fundamentalist,” as Mr. Pace has depicted him, and he had his instructions from the Holy Spirit as to what constituted the funda mentals of the faith. These doctrines are all definitely stated in the Word of God, and all have been thor oughly tested during nearly two thousand years. We love to emphasize them because they are so dear to Him who is so dear to us. „ He is supreme. He is the virgin-born Son of God. What He is can only be described by the several hun dred names and titles ascribed to Him in the Bible. He comes first in every thought we have of eternal things, and so He is named in the Word of God : “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1 :1). Great is the mystery! God manifest in the flesh—the Marvel of marvels in Position, in Personality, in Power,—the man Christ Jesus, conceived by the Holy Ghost and bom of a woman, and yet “ before Abraham was” He says “ I am ;” prophesied in Scripture, portrayed in scores of pictures in the Old Testament, and pointed to by John the Baptist when he said, “ Behold the Lamb of God !” Never man spake as this Man. The Bible is a blood-stained Book. Take your con cordance and run through both Testaments, see the references to the blood and then ask the deniers of the
words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” Is not the Word of God “ quick and power ful, sharper than any two-edged sword” ! What -is it brings conviction to the sinner! The Word of God. What is it produces eternal life ! The Word of God given and accepted. Thank God for every message given in beautiful English by preacher or evangelist,'if it glorifies Christ; but polished snd refined language can never produce salvation; that can only come through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit, who is the author of the Word, • must never be ignored. He quickeneth whom He will. God is a jealous God and His glory will He not give to another. He has chosen the weak things to confound the things which are mighty. The church is largely ignorant of the wonders of God’s Word, easily soothed by the sweet notes and silver tones of the speaker, and he gets the praise and his glory is published abroad; but the Spirit must be grieved. The speaker must realize that spiritual power lies in the words which are so frequently omitted lest they give offense, “ He that believeth on the Son hath ever lasting life ; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” The Word of God is a savour of life and a savour of death. What does the poor, lost soul need today! The Word of God. Who is authorized to give out the Word! Every believer! Prom pulpit to pew, every Christian will be held responsible—every one! If the pew does not realize this, then God pity the preacher, for it is his business to instruct them. If any reader of this message is convicted we suggest that you take the Gospel of John (which was written for this very purpose, John 20:31) and give yourself to it for a couple of months, reading, if necessary, on your knees, and then go out in the Spirit’s power to win souls. THE PENALTY OF PRIVILEGE “ Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4 :17 ). “ Therefore” always marks the conclusion of an argument, so read the context in which this verse is found (vs. 13-17). Life is full of uncertainties, but there is one certainty for every child of God. We are responsible for knowing the will of God, for it is clearly revealed and defined to us in His Word. We know that we were lost and we know that now we are saved. We know that others are lost and need to be saved. We know that it is the will of God that the unsaved should have the message of salvation. We know what the message is and that He has auth orized us to go and give that message. We know that we have peace and that they are with out peace,—restless, helpless, hopeless sinners. We know that we have the light of life and they grope in darkness. We know that Heaven is our home and the best is always before us. We know that hell is their home and the worst . . . We know that every day increases our responsibility and lessens the prospect for the unsaved. Our text shows us that increased knowledge means increased responsibility, and therefore indifference to awaits them. * '
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