MARCH
1 9 3 2
She
e Tamil#
Ine
B I B L E I N S T I T U T E
wmmmç
HE IS HOT HERE; HE IS RISEN
THIEVES byNIGHTor MONEY SHARKS b y DAY-cannotrobyou o f this p r o t e c t e d Income x x q &SM. ¿ J E S S S B f *
§
¡PI
Happy days may vanish and unhappy ones take their place,if income is not protected! Protea V YOUR income for yourself and / \ loved ones .. . buy Jm \ annuities!
m
T JL .H I hro ugh years o f struggle man saves lest inescapable old age prove inhospitable . . . but thieves and money sharks will rob him of his life accumulations if he is not constantly alert. Guard Your Income! Annuities provide a way to avoid losses of this character. For example . . . a thief steals an annuity agreement. . . but he cannot steal the income . . . IT IS PROTECTED . . comes to the annuitant irrespective of what happens to the annuity agreement itself. Or again . . . a money shark peddles his worthless securities . . . but he cannot stop the annuity income . . . IT IS PROTECTED . . . it comes to the annuitant regardless of how plausible the wild cat proposition may have sounded. Stop Worrying! Annuities eliminate financial worry! Thievery . . . business depressions . . -. bank collapses . .. suspended interest.. . reduced earnings . . . are hazards unknown to annuitants. Old age .. . no income . .. bitter tragedy that
. . don't let it happen in your case . . . and it need not . . . for you may create a life income ■. for yourself (and some loved one if you choose) through one or more annuities with Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Merely send your check for $100.00 or more attached to the coupon below showing your name, address, and birth date . . . and remember an an nuity with Bible Institute of Los Angeles helps train men and women in the knowledge of the Word of God.
T w o o r th ree lives m ay be included in one an n u ity , slif Mly se ra are
Please send without obligation copy of Biola Annuity Booklet
----- No. 332 -------------------------
M
N am e _
AGE 3 0 3 5 4 0 4 5 5 0 5 5 6 0 6 5 7 0 7 5 8 0
A ddress
D ate o f B irth .
BIBLE INSTITUTE of LOS ANGELES | q A Training School for Christian Service 536-558 South Hope Street Los. Angeles, California L_
A m o u n t E nclosed .
When 2 or 3 persons are to be included in one annuity, the | name, address and date of birth of each must be indicated. | _________________________________ i
©fie Sible ^amiï# 3ta$a^îne Motto: "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood’’-— R ev . 1 :5.
Volume XXIII
March, 1932
Number 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS Crumbs from the King’s Table—The Editor ........................ ....... 103 The Grave Christ Never Entered—Keith L. Brooks.......................105 El Shaddai—Louis T. Talbot........... •. ............. ............................ .....106 The Fullness of the Gospel-—Robert Excell Fry............................ 108 Denying the Resurrection—James H. Brookes............ .................. 110 Claiming our Musical Heritage—J. B. Nield—................................I l l In the Beginning—Roy Talmage Brumbaugh...................................114 Present-Day Fulfillment of Prophecy—Louis S. Bauman.............116 The Return of the Tide—Zenobia Bird........................ ................. 118 Heart to Heart with our Young Readers— Florence Nye Whitwell.................................................................121 Studies in the Epistle to the Hebrews—John C. Page....... ............. 123 Songs of Spring.......................................... ....................... ............... 125 In the Jewish World—J. A. Vatis....................... .......,.............. ..... 126 Homiletical Helps ............................................... ........... ................. 127 Bible Institute Family Circle—Cutler B. Whitwell.........................128 Junior King’s Business.............. .............. .............. ;......................... .129 International Sunday School Lesson Commentary.........................131 Notes on Christian F.ndeavor-L-Mary G. Goodner...........................138 Daily Devotional Readings .............................. 141
to those eager to spread God’ s Word and to as* sure themselves o f a safe life-income. I n this interesting booklet (which will be sent for the asking) you will find a sincere message—o f service to others and of interest to yourself. Here you will read of a Society which has given 122 years of Christian service, and which now distributes over 900,000 Bibles and Scripture portions each year—in 71 languages to immigrants, sailors, the poor in slums, the desolate in prisons, the sick in hospitals, the lonely in hotels, and in raised type to the needy Blind. You protect yourself from bad loans and investments when you place your money in the Annuity Bonds of the New York Bible Society. These bonds pay you a fixed in come (ranging from 4% to 9% according to your age) as long as you live. Besides bringing you a sure income your bond' also makes you a partner in the great Christian work of spreading the Word of God. Let Us Send You This Message
Read the m essage contained in “A T ruly C hristian Investm ent.” will bring your copy, w ithout obligation. If you are sincerely interested in rendering a w orth while service to others a t the same time you assure yourself a safe income, send th is cou pon a t once.
the booklet, The ‘coupon the slightest
SUBSCRIBERS’ INFORMATION
ADVERTISING: For information with reference to ad vertising in THE KING’S BUSINESS address the Re ligious Press Assn., 325 North 13th St.-, Philadelphia, Pa., or North American Bldg., Chicago, I1L Entered as Second Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3. 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage pro vided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized October 1, 1918. 15c Annual Subscription ................................................$ 1.50 Two-year subscription or two annual subscriptions 2.50 TERMS: Single Copies,......................................
Five annual subscriptions ..................................... 5.00 Eleven annual subscriptions .................................... 10.00 Subscriptions in countries outside of U. S. require 25c extra. REM ITTANCE: Should be made by Bank Draft, Ex press or P. O. Money Order, payable to *’Bible Institute of Los Angeles.” Receipts will not be sent for reg ular subscriptions, but date of expiration will show plainly, each month, on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. MANUSCRIPTS: THE KING'S BUSINESS cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent to it for consideration. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please send both old and new addresses at lease one month previous to date of desired change.
Nrui § ark Hiblr D ept. 3C, 5 E ast 48th St., New York, N. Y. W ithout cost or obligation to me, please send me your booklet, "A T ruly C hristian In vestm ent,” which tells all about your Bible A nnuity Bonds.
AGE
POLICY AS DEFINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES (a) To stand for the infallible Word of God and its great fundamental truths, (b) To strengthen the faith of all believers, (c) To stir young men and women to fit themselves for and engage in definite Chritian work, (d) To make the Bible Institute of Los Angeles known, (e) To magnify God our Father and the person, work and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and to teach the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our present practical life, (f) To emphasize in strong, constructive messages the great foundations of Christian faith.
NAME.
ADDRESS
CITY.
STATE.
536-558 S. Hope St., BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Los Angeles, Calif.
536 S o u k P « ’*’® ^ tecet
OF THE presid en t
February 25 , 1932 .
r F riend s:
p00rbouse and
*t0 °
"H! H e l d " .
. 3 beeQ H u b only “ eager neoes-
=
l is ishear
U e s through impersona r in g s and moisten th
don, t they?
reaoh
ve ry words ”>*
Perhaps — ¿ ^ . b u t . g g ” a* ’
Wh t r a g i c e n d . - ot p r o t e c te d .
v e a r s , has been
0f l o s Ange lM ^»* |1 the p l a n - -
B ib le Inst-11.
. i r i n c o m e . . .her
the
ielp ing the Xn stitu te and, j ^ ,ou g ive * “ ° ; ° ur l i t . . the InSedt w your age a t the time remainder of you . aetermmed by the amount or -income fo r of malting your g i • only p ro te c t you > lth hun. In t h i s way you un ite your g B | f u r t h e r- y o u r s e u a m o v e d g j | | | a c o - o n P“ * “ 1 din ldot°the | | g | g | g or outright, m a y ^ a h e » ^
s ib le I
M i M §
^ i y ^ t T g l T h l v e brought such a
‘c S ^ t e e i v a u lt s of banlcs
1 ° X 3not ded icate
s i - 1 — » s t l ^
H
« -
^ “ ¿ ' . » - • • ^ ““ f s u S e s r t h e l to your tr iend s? W S m S m g e n e r o u s l y in a id in g 0- Pree you responded « ^ “ anlt 7 „u one and a l l .
® S
L ite ra tu r e Pund t h i s m
F a ith fuU y Your3'
P r e s i d e n t .
March 1932
103
T h e K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
I
rum bsjr om
THE KING’S TABLE B y the E ditor
0 oon , soon in matchless vision,: I shall see Him face to face, And I ’ll read in the nail and spear marks The story of saving grace. Oh, then I shall know the meaning O f the life-blood’s crimson flow; I shall know the mystic meaning; I shall know how much I owe.
from the dead, then was He the Son of God, then all His claims and professions and promises are true, then the work of salvation is a reality, then the prophets were in spired men, their words are the words of God, and all their blessed declarations concerning the Christ are stead fast. The fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as the impregnable fortress of our faith. There is nothing in Christianity which does not find there its shelter, en trenchment, and vindication. Standing at the empty tomb of our Lord, all doubts give way, all misgivings vanish, and all the bruised and shattered fragments .of failing con fidence are restored, reanimated, and established forever. Do you doubt whether Jesus was the Christ ? Go to His tomb and settle it in your soul how Almighty God could give such triumph to a man, slain because He professed Himself to be the Christ, if He were not what He said He was. Look at all the facts of the case, and what other ex planation is possible, save that which Christianity has al ways given, and which the first witnesses attested with their blood. Hear and weigh the story of the Jews, that His disciples stole the body and falsely pretended that He had risen. Examine the varied contradictory theories of skepticism and philosophy. Review all the suggestions of rationalism. And when you have searched all of them to their deepest depths, lay them by the side of our simple Easter faith, and if you have any susceptibility to truthfulness and conviction, your doubts will disappear like mists before the rising sun. Do you question that there is another life after this, or that it is in the power of God to reconstruct and reanimate these fleshly tabernacles when once death has dissolved them ? Go to the tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ, behold its emptiness in spite of guards and seals and mighty block ades, and tell by what other means His mangled and life less body got away, except by the power of a life to which rocks and bars and wastes of fleshly organism are no hin drances. Learn the angelic tidings of a Saviour risen and moving in the majesty of angelic life, and you will have no more trouble with the question of whether, if a man die, he shall live again. Easter settles it forever.- Do you ever question whether it is safe to trust in a
The Refuge for Our Faith I t was a great blow to the confidence and hopes of the first disciples to behold their Lord and Master seized, cru cified, and -slain. They had built upon the fond belief that He was chosen and sent of God to redeem Israel, to break the yoke of their oppressors, and to set up for them the predicted kingdom. They had become thoroughly estab lished in these glad anticipations, but now the Object and Center of all these joyous ideas had fallen a victim to the malice of His foes, and the redemption for which they looked had not yet been achieved. Perplexity and con fusion filled their hearts, their hopes were confounded when they beheld their Master dead. But Easter morning brought again the daylight; a new world of hope broke, with the tidings, “He is risen.” Bruised and expiring faith betook itself to that open tomb, and thrilled with new life and animation. The women came and were overwhelmed with the blessedness of the facts they learned. Confidence sprang up afresh and flooded their hearts with the grandeur of the reassurance. The doubting disciples came running to the spot," went into that empty tomb, “saw and believed,” and the entire little band of despondents, as the Easter tidings entered their souls, found their confidence restored, their doubts dissolved, their hearts cheered, and all their endangered hopes reviewed, confirmed, and forever settled. Their faith had reached a city of refuge. / / I hat E aster was to the first disciples, it is to all who are willing to be convinced. If we have any doubts about the divine sonship of Jesus, or any questions about the truthfulness of Christianity, or any disheartening skepticism about the reality of gospel blessings, it is be cause we have not done justice to the facts concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The religion of the gos pel must forever stand or fall with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If He was not raised from the dead, then the Scriptures have not been fulfilled, then the inspiration of the Bible stands contradicted, then the whole doctrine of the Messiah vanishes into fiction, then our preaching is vain, and all our faith is vain. But if Jesus was raised
March 1932
T h e K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
104
evenings are enjoyed by great audiences of praying people. His enthusiasm for the Institute is contagious, and we are happy to have the backing of a great congregation of peo ple who love the Word of God.
complete forgiveness through the merits and righteousness of Christ alone ? Go to the sepulchre at Easter morn; be hold the surety of fallen man, on whom all the debts and sins of all men were laid, and who went into that rocky prison house voluntarily, having made Himself respon sible for all mortal deficiency; see Him as He comes forth in life and glory; and how can you doubt that the whole debt has been effectually canceled ? If He died on your ac- cOunt, that account must be settled, or He never could have thus triumphantly been made alive again. Look at the facts and reason it out as the Scriptures bid you, and you cannot fail to find in Easter day the full assurance that, as you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are forever justified and free. And shall we see our Lord again? "We do not worship a dead Lord. He arose and ascended on high, and the tes timony of His two messengers was, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” In that holy sacrament given to us by our Lord, we are told to observe the Lord’s death “till he come.” There is coming a greater day than Easter—the day of the return of the Lord Jesus for His church. Perhaps before another Easter morn shall dawn upon the old world, all the saints will be with Him in His resurrection glory. Our God is not Dead r/TE are told that Martin Luther, during the dark days 'JU of the Reformation, found himself one evening great ly discouraged, and he showed it in his face and actions. When he awakened the next morning, his wife was up and dressed in deep mourning with a long crape veil hanging from her head to the floor. “What has happened?” asked Luther in great aston ishment. “God is dead,” cried the good wife. “Shame, shame, woman!” said Luther. “It is the height of irreverence to utter such words.” “Is it more irreverent, my dear,” said Mrs. Luther, “to say it than act it, as you were doing last night?” Why should a Christian ever act as if God is dead? These are times when Christians should be rejoicing in the ever-living God. He is as much interested in you as when He gave His Son to die for you. Have you lost your wealth ? You have not lost your part of the riches in glory. Have you lost your position? You have not lost your stand ing in grace. Have you lost your friends ? You have yet a Friend who “sticketh closer than a brother.” Have you lost your life in wasted years? You have eternal life through Jesus Christ the Son of God. Oh, friend, you are not half as bad off as you think you a re ! As a child of God, keep looking up; very soon you will come into your full inheritance. The Church of the Open Door We are pleased to tell our friends that the Bible Insti tute and the Church of the Open Door that worships regu larly in our building are working together in perfect har mony. The coming of Rev. Louis T. Talbot, with his strong preaching, his consistent living, and his enthusiastic pur pose to work in harmony with the Institute, was a re markable answer to prayer. Three record audiences greet him every Sunday in the auditorium that seats about four thousand people. His prayer meeting talks on Wednesday
About a Friend of Yours
[Hosts of friends all over the world have corresponded with Mr. Hunt. From time to time, they have asked, “Who is Mr. Huht? What does he look like?” Natural questions these; hence this pho tographic likeness of Mr. Hunt and brief sketch of his ii/e.BEDiTOR.]
M r . H . C. H u n t Dean of Biola’s Field Representatives
r . H . C. H un t is dean of the field representatives of Bible Institute of Los Angeles, having been identi fied with this important arm of service since October, 1920. He was born in London, England. His father and brother were barristers, both of whom were in the ser vice of the British Government for more than forty years. At the early age of fourteen, he moved to Canada where, for fifteen years in the French country hear Montreal, he followed the occupation of farmer. Later, he pursued the same occupation in Belleville, Ontario, and subsequently affiliated himself with the Canadian Pacific Railroad. While in Belleville, he assisted in the formation of a hardware company and was its secretary-treasurer for a number of years. He then became the managing director of a brass and steel enterprise. When the creditors threatened to take over the half- million-dollar Y.M.C.A. building in Vancouver, B.C., he was enlisted as financial secretary to save the structure. From the first, the task was virtually impossible of accom plishment; nevertheless, he threw his whole energies into it and, in the face of gigantic obstacles, was successful in raising a large sum of money thought to be uncollectable. During his residence in Vancouver, he assisted in the founding of the Christian Institute and was also for two years an instructor in salesmanship and business efficiency in the Soldiers Civil Reestablishment Bureau of Canada un der the supervision of the Canadian Government. He married Miss Rachel Hall Boyd in Montreal during the time of his residence in Belleville. Prior to their mar riage, Miss Boyd was the means of his conversion. After accepting Christ, he united with the Presbyterian Church. He has served both as an elder and as Sunday-school super intendent. He and his wife are now members of the Church of the Open Door, Los Angeles. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have a son and a daughter, both of whom are resid ing with their parents. Not infrequently some of Mr. Hunt’s “unseen” friends find their way to Los Angeles, and when they do, Mr. Hunt always accords them a real welcome. Mr. Hunt’s efforts have led many Christians to sup port the work of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles through temporal gifts and through prayer, and to secure such sup port for the Institute, Mr. Hunt makes willing and lib eral sacrifice.
March 1932
B u s i n e s s
105
T h e K i n g ’ s
HIS GLORIOUS RESURRECTION B y R ussel E. K auffm an
n And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, nei ther was any deceit in his mouth. » (I sa . 53:9).
“Not here!" The angels to His resurrection Gave witness when sad Mary came to mourn; “Not here!” The Lord is risen as He promised — And in her saddened heart new hope was born. Could it be true—had He, her Lord, not suffered The agonies of Calvary, and died? Had they not mocked and scourged her blest Mes siah? Had not her precious Lord been crucified? Yes, Mary, Jesus diedI And He was buried In Joseph’s tomb—by Roman soldiers sealed; But over death He triumphed, more than con queror, His resurrection power He revealed! We worship not today a dead Messiah, But One who lives again—our glorious Lord! Because He lives, we too o’er death shall triumph. Believe the wondrous promise o f His word!
G R A V E
ever
By KEITH L. BROOKS Los Angeles, CstTf or n ia
' a a
*
T he words of the text, in Isaiah’s great prophecy, have presented difficulties to expositors and furnished material for the critics. At first sight, the statements seem to be in the wrong order, and some would change about the words “grave” and “death,” because naturally Christ’s death came before the grave. areful students of the original have come to see, however, that the passage needs no altering as to or der, and that the words in their present arrangement yield a startling truth fully borne out by the New Testament. There was a grave dug for Christ—a grave in which His body never lay. The Revised Version comes somewhat nearer the cor rect sense in rendering it, “They made his grave with the wicked,” instead of, “He made his grave.” Hebraists agree that the verb “made” is here impersonal. Dr. Calkins .trans lates it, “They appointed him a grave with criminals.” The simplest rendering seems to be, “His grave was made.” Yet, when He came to die, He was buried in the tomb of the rich. Who made this grave? It is a well known fact that,
sunset. In the case of the death of Christ, a second law came into effect, for the following day was the Passover ( “an high day” ) and must not be profaned by the exposing of the bodies of criminals. The Romans, for the sake of peace, made certain concessions to the religious convictions of the Jews. What would they do, then, with the bodies of Jesus and the two malefactors? They provided for the burial of three men, either by digging three graves somewhere in the vicinity of the crosses,, or by making one grave capable of holding the three corpses. “They made his grave with the wicked”—but God had another plan. There was a man named Joseph, of Arimathaea, hither to a secret disciple. Strangely enough, there came to him the thought of, pleading for the body of Jesus, that he might place it in his own new tomb. Officials were about to dump His body in a hole with criminals, but seven hundred years before, God had declared that His suffering Servant should have a grave with the rich. ‘♦'■7' oseph of Arimathaea,an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and
according to Roman law, the bodies of crucified criminals were generally left hanging until they disappeared through exposure or were picked by ravenous birds, the bones then being burned.. In Judaea, however, a religious problem pre sented itself. There would be no peace with the Jews if the law of Moses was needlessly trampled under foot. The law of Moses taught that the bodies of exe cuted criminals must not be exposfed after
went in boldly unto- Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus . . . He gave the body to Joseph” (Mk. 15:43-54). “He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the [Continued on page 130]
106
March 1932
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
u And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the E l S haddai ; walk before me, and be thou perfect (G en . 17:1). u
By LOUIS T TALBOT* Los Angeles, California
Louis T. T albot vation. God’s grace was exemplified at Calvary, where Jesus Christ shed His blood that all who believe in Him might live. If you are a trembling soul, wondering whether the work of Calvary is really adequate, you may rest as sured that “the God who is enough” did not send His Son to suffer and to die in vain. No, the atonement that was made is sufficient to meet the need of the vilest of sinners. ome years ago , I was preaching on a street corner in a certain city. At the close of the meeting,' a man asked me if I would be willing to visit the worst man in town. I voiced my willingness, the name and address were given me, and on Monday morning I called to see the “worst” man. I was •warned, before I went, that he had no confidence in preachers, no sympathy with the church, no belief in God. He was an infidel. When I arrived at his home, I found he was just recovering from double pneu monia. When I told him who I was, he became very angry and informed me that there was nothing I could say that would interest him one bit. In spite of his protests, I told him about the grace of God, and what that grace had done for me. Then he began to unfold to me the story of his life. As he did so, turning over page after page in his autobiography—pages blackened and marred by sin—I pointed to verse after verse in the Scriptures to show that even his need might be met. Suddenly, with a despairing gesture, he spread his hands before me, exclaiming: “Do you know that these hands are red with the blood of my fellow man ? Years ago, I participated in a lynching. I was the man who did the hanging; and if there is a God, I stand before Him condemned as a murderer!” It was a wonderful thing, my friends, to be able to tell this man of the El Shaddai, “the God 'who is enough,” whose grace covers even such a sin as he had described. It was my privilege to lead him to Jesus Christ and to show him that “where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound!” There was a time when I, too, questioned the sufficiency of the atonement of the El Shaddai, but that day is past. My sins have been many, but I can sing-4|^j
E ach name that is given to God in the Scriptures has a different shade of meaning, but I question whether any of them is freighted with quite so much meaning, or has such depth to it as this Hebrew word, El Shaddai, which is translated “the God who is enough.” hirteen years before the Lord came to Abram with ^ this revelation of Himself, Abram had received a mar velous promise from God. Up to that time, no seed had been born to Abram, and he was mourning because his heir would be not his son,-but one born in his house. God promised him an heir. The days, the weeks, the months, and the years went by. Because of hope deferred, Abram lost touch with God. He got out of fellowship when he fell from the platform of simple faith concerning the birth of the promised son to the lower level o f human expediency. He and his wife turned from faith in God, and Sarai sug gested that Hagar, her handmaid, be taken to wife by Abram, that seed might be born of her. From that time on, trouble and despair entered into their experience; fellow ship with God was broken, and for thirteen long years, Ab ram wandered about from place to place,, a disappointed, dissatisfied man. But God had not forgotten His promise, and He appeared unto Abram once again, when he was ninety-nine years old, with this wonderful revelation of Himself: “Abram, you have been influenced by unbelief, but I am the El Shaddai, the God who is enough; and once you get that into your heart, you will get your eyes off cir cumstances, and you will have faith to believe the promise that I now renew to you, that Isaac, the child of promise, shall be born to you in your old age.” God was desirous that Abram should know Him as “the God who is enough.” The day the words were uttered, Abram- looked into the face of the great God. He believed His word. His fellowship with God was restored, and soon afterward, he came to know that God was able to fulfill His promises in spite of human conditions. God wanted Abram to know Him as “the God who is enough”; and He has the same concern for every doubting, discontented, dis satisfied soul in the church of Jesus Christ. There are three ways in which we may know God as “the God who is enough.” “E nough ” for S alvation First of all, He is “the God who is enough” for our sal- *Pastor, Church of the Open Door.
Upon a life I did not live, Upon a death I did not die, Another’s life, Another’s death, I base my whole eternity!
March 1932
107
T h e K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
If you have never found God to be the El Shaddai, if you are still trying to satisfy your thirst with water drawn from broken cisterns, throw away your worldly water pots and drink henceforth of the “living water” which alone can satisfy. Jehovah Jesus, “the God who is enough,” wishes not only to save, but to satisfy. “E nough ” for S ervice The third way in which we may know God as the El Shaddai, is as “the God who is enough” for strength in His service. If God ever calls you into His service, no matter how weak you are, or what sense of insufficiency you may have, He will be your sufficiency. Before He went away, He said to His disciples: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age.”: He gave them that -assurance in connection with the greatest task that He ever committed to any one. He was sending them into a world filled with selfishness, sensual ity, and materialism, to be His witnesses “unto the utter most part of the earth,” to preach His word, to proclaim His gospel, and to make disciples of men. What a sense of insufficiency must have taken possession of those disci ples as they realized the tremendous task that the Lord had given them to do ! And how often they must have reminded themselves of His reassuring promise, “Lo, I am with you alway” ! Endued with power from on high, they went into the world and made converts everywhere. In the strength of El Shaddai, they preached the gospel of Christ; and at the close of the first century, they had brought to Him over two hundred thousand men. At the close of the third cen tury, the number had increased to about eight million, or one-fifteenth of the entire population of the Roman Em pire, and that took place in spite of “dungeon, fire, and sword,” in spite of arenas filled with wild beasts, in spite of persecution and hardships of every description. What was the secret of their success, their persistence, and their en durance ? El Shaddai, the living God, was with them! If He calls you for difficult service, whether it be at home or abroad, remember that the great El Shaddai, “the God who is enough,” will go with you, and will give you strength. Fortify yourself, even as the early disciples for tified themselves, with His promise, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age.” id you ever hear the story of the preacher who was visiting an old Scotch lady, who knew her Bible well ? He thought it his duty to leave a text with her, and as he rose to depart, he remarked: “What a wonderful promise that is, ‘Lo, I am with you alway’ !” [Continued on page 120]
“E nough ” for S atisfaction T he second way in which God wants us to know Him is as “the God who is enough” for our satisfaction. What a multitude of dissatisfied people there are in this world today! And their thirst for satisfaction is greater than their thirst for water. One of the saddest sights we have seen in recent years was brought to us through the newspapers which published pictures of starv ing Armenian children. Long rows of little children were shown, waiting their turn, when their little cups—one in each child’s hand—would be filled with soup, the only daily ration to satisfy an appetite that was never fully appeased. I can tell you of an even sadder sight than tha t: to see hu man beings trying to satisfy the great desires of their hearts with the weak and beggarly elements of the world. God created us, that He might dwell within us, and He is the only One who can satisfy our hearts. He said to the woman at the well, “If you drink of the water that I shall give you, you shall never thirst.” That woman was like many people living today. She had tried everything else. She had gone into the depths of sin, looking for satisfac tion. But that day at the well, she came face to face with the El Shaddai. She drank of the water that He offered, the “living water,” and the result was that “she left her water pot.” Did the significance of that action ever strike you? She left the thing which she used to draw water. Does it not seem to you that, in this little incident, God is teaching us the fact that, when a man comes in contact with the Son of God, with El Shaddai, all the water pots that are" used to draw water from the broken cisterns of this world are left behind ? The Pacific Garden Mission of Chicago is a place where thousands of men have been redeemed and reclaimed. A visitor there will hear wonderful stories of how sinners, after meeting the Son of God, found there was no more need for them to drink from the muddy streams of the world, of how the things in which they sought satisfac tion, the “water pots” which they used to draw water to satisfy their thirst, were left behind. I wonder, have you ever Heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold I freely give The living water, thirsty one, Stoop down, and drink, and live!" And can you, with countless multitudes, sing,
/ came to Jesus and I drank Of that life-giving stream; My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, And now I live in Him!
AUDITORIUM OF THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, IN WHICH THE CHURCH OF THE OPEN DOOR WORSHIPS
March 1932
T HE
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
108
thing to receive the gospel. It is another to stand in it. The importance of this steadfastness was evidently much in the mind of the inspired writer, for he returns to it at the end of his resurrection testimony: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast.” It is well, however, to know definitely wherein and wherefore one is to be stead fast, hence the setting forth here of the basic terms of the gospel. It is “the gospel . . . by which also ye are saved.” This is its ultimate value and purpose. “It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,” and there were those in Corinth who had found it so. But what is this gospel? What is the content of this message, this good news, which has such a fourfold signifi cance in the experience of those to whom it comes ? T he C ontent of the G ospel “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ”—stopping short just here, yet scanning the statements which immediately follow, it be comes evident that the gospel is entirely concerned with a central Figure, and that there are certain basic facts con cerning this Figure, that constitute the fullness of the gos pel message. Christ, not humanity, is the central Figure in the gos pel message; not a vague deity, but God the Father re vealed in Jesus Christ; not a mere Jesus of Nazareth, a man of sinless beauty, and a teacher of matchless charm and authority, but—“these are written, that ye might be lieve, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” Surely there is no alternative. Surely there is no ground for com promise. The gospel is unalterably based upon something connected with this unmistakable Figure, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. hat are these things concerning Him that constitute the basic facts of the gospel? Two statements follow, each presenting in the barest, simplest terms the fact of a momentous event. Each of these statements is accom-
T he resurrection chapter of Paul’s great letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:1-5) is notable not only for the sublimity of its testimony to the ultimate fact of the Chris tian faith, but also because it begins with the. clearest and fullest description and definition of the gospel to be found in the Word of God. Surely we need such a clear state ment, for the term has been most grievously misused. Almost anything today may be called “preaching the gos pel.” Even among those who would not secularize or will fully pervert the meaning of the precious phrase, there is all too frequently a restricted conception of the content of the gospel. Paul’s declaration, however, leaves little room for misunderstanding or failure to receive the message in its fullness. “Moreover, brethren,” he says, “I declare unto you the gospel.” First, he proceeds to describe this gospel. After that, he sets forth its content. T he D escription of the G ospel T t is as if the apostle were saying, “I am about to declare the gospel to you in such clear and simple terms that it may stand as a summary of my message,” and then, before he proceeds to the terms of this summary, he makes use of certain descriptive phrases which will identify that gospel indisputably to those who may receive his testimony. It is “the gospel which I preached unto you.” It is the evangel which Paul had heralded in Corinth., Then he had set forth the various factors of its content, over and over again, in season and out of season. Now all this preaching is to be summarized. It is “the gospel . . . which also ye have received.” The preaching had not been in vain. It had been a message of life and light unto many who were in the midst of the sordid darkness of cosmopolitan Gorinth. Possibly, how ever, as with many who receive it today, there was some lack of clarity as to its terms. It is. “the gospel . . . wherein ye stand.” It is one *Pastor, First Presbyterian Church.
March 1932
109
T h e K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
panied by a fulfilling corollary. Embraced in them all we may find the fullness of the content of the gospel. “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” Thus is set forth the past and perfected element of the gospel. It is attested by the prophetic record of the Old Testament Scriptures. The event has taken place in exact accord with that which was written aforetime. Consider the occasion for the event—“our sins.” From the fact of sin, as recorded in Genesis, every succeeding portion of the inspired Record has followed. The Old Testament is the record of human sin and failure. It ends with the warning, “Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Consider the significance of the event-—“Christ died.” Turning the page from that last ghastly word of Malachi, our eyes fall upon these words: “Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” The failure of human provision is complete, and manifested as complete. God sends forth from the heart of His love that provision which is all-sufficient. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy head! Our load was laid on Thee; Thou stoodest in the sinner’s stead — To bear all ill for me , A victim led, Thy blood was shed; Now there’s no load for me. Surely, this is the gospel. The record of the fact is made complete by the fulfilling phrase, “And that he was buried.” This, however, is not all the gospel. The fullness of the good news is not received until that other momentous event is attested unto u s : “He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Thus is set forth the continuing and prophetic element of the gospel, which also is in accordance with the record of the Old Testament Scriptures. Unless the crucified Christ has become the living Christ, “your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” The first element of the gospel leaves us with only a dead hope. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most mis erable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” Our hope is not a dead hope, but “blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begot ten us again unto a lively [living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” For me, Lord Jesus, Thou hast died, And I have died in Thee; Thou’rt risen: My bands are all untied; And now Thou lii/st in me. The Father’s face of radiant grace Shines now in light on me. Surely this is the capstone of the gospel. The signifi cance of the fact is further suggested by the fulfilling phrase—“and that he was seen.” He was seen as the risen Christ by many witnesses; and then He was not seen, for “he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” Because He is risen and ascended, and because “ Christ died for our sins,” “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Some day He will be seen again, and “we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see hint as he is.” This is the gospel in all of its glorious fullness. Let us declare it through all the days.
The Wounded Christ
I . , B y H. A. C ameron “Fie was woutmed for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon h im : and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). / / I ounds , according to the definition of the surgeon, V j LI are divisions of the soft parts of the body by a me chanical force applied externally, and they are clas sified by their different characters as (1) contused, (2) lacerated, (3) penetrating, (4) perforating, and (5) in cised wounds. It is remarkable that in the simple state ment, “He was wounded” (Isa. 53:5), there is included each kind of wound. The contused wound : a wound produced by a blunt instrument. Such would result from a blow by the rod, as foretold in Micah 5:1: “They shall smite the Judge of Is rael with a rod upon the cheek,” and fulfilled in Matthew 27:30: “They took the reed, and smote him on the head,” and John 18:22: “One of the officers struck Jesus with a rod.” The lacerated wound: a wound produced by a tearing instrument. Laceration of the tissues was the result of scourging, and. scourging had become a fine art among the Romans at the time of our Lord’s submission to its inflic tion. The Roman scourge was a many-tailed lash, each thong tipped with metal or ivory, so that, in the hands of a cruel expert, the sufferer might truthfully say, “The ploughers ploughed upon my back: they made long their furrows” (Psa. 129:3). Thus the prophetic word of Isaiah 1 :6: “I gave my back to the smiters,” finds its ful fillment, as recorded in Matthew 27:26, and in John 19:1, where we read, “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him.” The penetrating wound: a deep wound caused by a sharp pointed instrument. This we have exemplified in the wounds upon the head produced by the crown of thorns. The Jerusalem thorn, from which that “victor’s crown” was platted, bore spicules four inches long, and as the soldiers pressed down the cruel diadem upon His head (Matt. 27:29, John 19:2), a circlet of wounds ensued, wounds which were deepened by the blow of the reed when they smote Him on the head (Matt. 27:30). The perforating wound: from the Latin word meaning “to pierce through.” “They pierced my hands and my feet” (Psa. 22:16). The iron spikes were driven between the bones, separating but not breaking them. Crucifixion was not practiced as a means of capital punishment by the Jews, and the words must therefore have puzzled even the writer of the psalm.. But at that early date, God was thereby “signifying what death he should die.” The prophetic question in Zechariah 13:6: “What are these wounds in thine hands?” was ever before the Lord. The incised wound: a cut produced by a sharp-edged instrument. “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water” (John 19:34). This wound was inflicted by the practiced hand of the Roman soldier, to make certain that whatever vestige of life was present would be extinguished. While it did not cause death in His case, it is an assurance to all men that death had actually occurred, and it is also a ful fillment of the scripture which saith, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” And from the wound (so large that Thomas could have thrust his hand into it) “came there out blood and water” : the water that flowed from the pericardium, and the blood that flowed from the heart. ■—T he R eaper .
110
March 1932
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
TRUTH THAT IS OFTEN DENIED —BUT UNALTERED! “Jesus said, I' am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” “The hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth.” “I f the Spirit of. him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glor rious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
enying esurrechon
l l ie S R ,
A FORM OF INFIDELITY By the late JAMES H. BROOKES, in The Brookes Quarterly
firstfruits of them that slept,” triumphantly writes the Spirit of God. The man wbo denies the resurrection is, therefore, a mad man. If we were to see the head come forth from the grave, we should know that the body must follow; and as Christ, the Head, has surely risen, the church, His body, shall surely rise with Him. Away, then, with your scientific objections and nonsense! Bring God upon the scene, and your difficulties vanish into offensive smoke. Some will say, “How are the dead raised up ?” The only answer the Holy Ghost deigns to give is, “Thou fool.” Mark it well: The same body that dies, that decomposes, that is burned, that crumbles into dust, that it taken up into vegetable matter, as the scientists tell us, that is sunk to the depths of the ocean, that mingles with the1dust of ten thousand other mouldered bodies, that is scattered upon the winds, arises. M artial It is a martial resurrection. “Every man in his own order [band, cohort, company, brigade, division], Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s, at his com ing.” “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout . . . the dead in Christ shall rise first” ; then the living, changed in a moment, shall be caught up in clouds together with them. It will be in military array. Some regiments will be in advance of others. Some will be placed over ten cities, and others over five. Some will re ceive a reward, and others will be saved, yet so as by fire. The place assigned us in the magnificent procession that will sweep before the gaze of myriads of admiring angels, will be according to our fidelity; and may God help us to remember it every day. G lorious It is a glorioils resurrection. “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory [Continued on page 117]
I t is one of the numerous indications of coming apos tasy that so many in evangelical churches deny the resurrection. If any one doubts this, let him set on foot an inquiry in any congregation he may select, and he wills'oon be convinced of the truth of the statement. He will'find that unbelief as to the rising of the body from the grave is wide spread, and that the doctrine and the fact are disfcarded and rejected, sneered at and scouted, as impos sible'on scientific grounds. It will be in vain to bring to bear tipon these unbelievers the authority of Scripture, for such persons, some of them in high official position in the church, will set aside the testimony of the Bible with the cool contempt of arrogant infidelity. f lit his form of infidelity is as old as the days of the apos- •uu ties, and more than eighteen hundred years ago, the Holy Ghost met it by showing the tremendous conse quences of denying the truth. ■ ' First, if the dead rise not, then is Christ not risen, for in the nature of the case, the two resurrections stand or fall together. Second, preaching is vain, for there can be no preaching of the gospel that does not involve the resur rection of the dead. Third, faith is vain, for if there is no resurrection, there is nothing upon which faith can rest. Fourth, the apostles are found false witnesses, for the resurrection was the center and circumference, the sum and substance of their testimony. Fifth, we are yet in our sins, for the resurrection is the only proof we have that the great sacrifice for sin has been accepted. Sixth, our beloved ones who .have fallen asleep in Christ are perished, and “ever lasting despair” may be inscribed on the tomb. Seventh, we are of all men most miserable, for we have lost this world, and all hope of the future is torn from our grasp, as we drift upon a dark and stormy sea without one star in the sky. ; “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the
March 1932
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
111
J. B. N ield
MUSICAL HERITAGE By J. B. NIELD * Los Angeles!"California
D r . R eginald H eber , late Bishop of Calcutta, wrote many fine hymns. In “The Son of God Goes Forth to War” are these lines occurring in the last stanza: They climbed the steep ascent of heaven, Through peril, toil, and pain: O God, to us may grace be given To follow in their train. One of the greatest perils to the church and home to day is that boys and girls are growing into manhood and womanhood and have not “laid hold” on part of their spir itual birthright and heritage, that is, a knowledge, of the great treasures of Christian hymnology. How poor is the life of a man or woman who does not have stored away those treasures of Christian verse which enrich and en noble mahhood and womanhood and bring comfort and cheer at all periods of life! The great hymns of the church have truly come to us “through peril, toil, and pain.” ne of th e worst sins of modern youth is taking things for granted, merely taking things for granted, ignor ant of the struggles, the sufferings, and in many cases, the bloodshed which has been the price paid for our great musical heritage. Apathy and indifference are often the children of ignorance. Ingratitude for what has come down to us through the struggle of the centuries and through the church is the worst sin of all. T he B lessing of O ur H ymns Christian song, what a blessing it has been! Volumes could not contain all the good it has done, nor count the lives of those who have been redeemed, reclaimed, com forted, strengthened, and blessed by it. How drab our ser vices would be were it not for the sweet songs of- Zion! The psalmist said, “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord.” And to David, the courts of the Lord were praise and song as well as sacrifice and prayer. The sound of harp, the trumpet call of the Levites, the sounding cymbals, and the great chorus of trained singers, consecrated to their temple office, had a marvelous charm for him. How great is our debt to the Hebrew race for giving us the true lyric outbursts of song! Where did this mighty river of song have its source? Was it not in the religious life of a people who feared and loved Jehovah— * Director of. Music, Bible Institute o f Los Angeles, and Choir Master, First Presbyterian Church, Hollywood, Calif.
the spontaneous expressions of nationalism and religion at their highest combined points ? This culminated in the school of the prophets under Samuel. David, the sweet singer of Israel, was a product of this- school and era. From a tiny stream, as in Miriam’s “song of triumph,” it broadened into a great and mighty river in the Psalms of David. In the Psalms, we have the highest and noblest ex pression of lyric outburst that the world has ever known, and also the purest in form. It has been the pattern for the church in every age. Jehovah set His seal upon this form of musical expression, and praise, no less than sacrifice, was henceforth considered an integral part of worship. If we would know the meaning of the-words, “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,” let us read 2 Chronicles 5 : 9 to 13. T he A rt of W orship The ritual, or art of worship, is today almost lost. It is no wonder; for some churches have no truly risen Lord, so why sing, “Alleluia, Christ is risen” ; others have no divine Son of God, so why bother about “Hark, the Herald Angels,” or “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” ; while millions care not about the unsaved in other lands, so why sing, “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations,” or “Waft, Waft Ye Winds His Story” ? There is no story to tell or sing about, when it is considered that Jesus was just an ordinary baby, who grew into a good man, was a lov able character, a fine and kind-hearted teacher. But the man who knows he has been lifted through grace has the kind of Christ to praise and sing about that the Bible declares. The reason that worship is a lost art is that the object of wor ship has become commonplace. Christ is merely man to many. A man cannot worship something on his own level. He must cry out to some one far above him, covered in that spiritual realm of the infinite, with that mystical sothe- thing which sometimes seems so near, and yet at other times so far away—almost unapproachable. hTF the holiness of the divine Son of the Everlasting Fa- ther does not strike a sense of awe into the soul of the worshiper and make him want to say with Isaiah, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,” he does not get to the first step in worship, which must be awe. The glory, the holiness, the purity, the justice
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker