“Beatle craze” contains three things mentioned here: “ The lust of the flesh” — proven by the “ unnatural” actions of the thousands of teenagers as they listen; “ the lust o f the eyes” — one doesn’t read of any blind people going to “ see” the Beatles: the first step in sin is the “ seeing” of evil; “ the pride of life”—thousands of teenagers, and many silly adults, will “ pride” them selves that they have seen these singers. 5. The Spirit of Shame. Some of you who read these lines will not like this, but take a look at the “mop- head” hair style of the Beatles, and then read I Corin thians 11:14 which says, “Doth not even nature itself each you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” Now, let’s take some warnings from our text which says, “ Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil” (Exodus 23:2). I want to call your attention to four warnings in the Bible about the crowds. Don’t follow the crowd in 1. Salvation, 2. Separation, 3. Surrender a/nd Service, and 4. Supplication. 1. D on ’ t F ollow the C rowd in SALVATION “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). The “ crowd” is going to Hell. That is pretty plain from the Scriptures. Maybe you say, “ I would like to go to Heaven, but I want to follow the crowd too.” You can not have both for they are heading in different direc tions. Either you take Jesus Christ or you take the crowd. You may say, “ If I go to Hell, I will have a lot of company.” You will be in such eternal pain and torment that you won’t have time for “ company.” Hell is a lonely place. There is a Satanic doctrine going around today which says: “ I believe in the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. God is our Father. We are all God’s children and we are all heading in the same direc tion, but we are taking different routes to get there.” My dear friend, that is a lie out of the pit of Hell, and the Devil’s disciples are scattering it. We are not all going to the same place, and God is not your Father unless you have been born again by faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, the Bible makes it very plain that if you have not received Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour from sin you are a child of the Devil and that you are headed for Hell with the crowd. Jesus said, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). There is one way to Heaven, and that way is Jesus Christ. 2. D on ’ t F ollow the C rowd in SEPARATION We need more Christians today who are “ separated to” the Lord, and “ separated from” the world. “ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteous ness? and what communion hath light with darkness? Wherefore come out from among them and be ye sep arate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you” (II Corinthians 6:14, 17). Christians should not be yoked together with the unbe lieving world, whether it be in marriage, business, lodges, churches, denominations, or so-called “ union campaigns.” It is said of Daniel that he “ purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank” (Daniel 1 :8 ). Daniel was a “ separated” man of God, who did not care what the “ crowd” did. We need more Christians like that today! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego dared to stand alone for God, when the whole nation
Evangelist Wagner, a Biola graduate, writes this penetrating Biblical analysis for young and old alike.
(crowd) bowed to the image Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They took this stand knowing that if they did they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. But, bless God, the Lord Jesus walked with them in that fiery fur nace and He so air-conditioned that furnace that not a hair of their heads was scorched. I would rather walk alone with Jesus than to walk with the crowd. We quote again I John 2:15: “ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." That is so plain and simple that anyone can understand it. There is no middle ground. You cannot love the world and the crowd and love Jesus too. 3. D on ’ t F ollow the C rowd in SURRENDER AND SERVICE When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had to make a decision about the crowd or God, they said, “We are not careful to answer thee in this matter, If it be so, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace . . . But if not . . . (Daniel 3:16-17). Why could they serve the Lord alone? Be cause they were fully surrendered to the Lord and not to the crowd. Elijah by himself opposed 850 false prophets who were defeated and killed (I Kings 18). How could one lone man do this service? Because he was fully surren dered to the Lord, and he did not care if the entire crowd was against him. If we are surrendered to the Lord, we can have victory in our service for Christ. Why? Be cause “One with the Lord is a majority.” 4. D on ’ t F ollow the C rowd in SUPPLICATION “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6 :5 ). Those who pray “ to be seen of men,” or to please the “ crowd,” will get just that, and nothing more. But God’s way of getting our prayers answered is praying “ in secret.” I have a quotation written in my Bible beside Matthew 6 :6 : “ The secret of prayer is praying in secret.” Brother, that will bring results! Can you see why it is dangerous to “follow the crowd” regarding Salvation, Separation, Surrender and Service, and in Supplication? And, do you now understand why God said, “ Thou shalt not follow a mul titude to do evil” ? As I see Jesus hanging on Calvary’s Cross for me, and for you, the crowd mocked Him, ridiculed Him, spat on Him, slapped Him, nailed Him to a cross, and rejected Him. There were a very “ few” at the Cross who loved Him, and who trusted Him as their own per sonal Saviour from sin. Will YOU receive Jesus Christ as YOUR personal Saviour? If you are a Christian, will you be willing to walk with Jesus in the matter of Separation, Surrender, Service, and Supplication? It may be a lonely life—but thank God, “ I f Jesus goes with me, I’ll go—anywhere” !
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MAY, 1965
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