342
September, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
OCTOBER 10, 1937 THE CHRISTIAN IN GOD’ S KEEPING P s a l m 121 ; B o o k o f J u de
there would be freedom from dishearten- ment because of the lack of seeming suc cess in Christian service. In the midst of such conditions, the Christian is to build himself up in the faith (v. 20)—in the faith which is spoken of in verse 3 (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18; 1 Pet. 2:2; Acts 20:32). The Christian is to continue praying in the Holy Spirit' (v. 20). The Holy Spirit needs human hearts through which to pray, just as surely as .He needs human lips through which to speak (cf. Eph. 6:18; Rom. 8:26; 1 Cor. 2:9-12). Along with the prayer, there should be a reliance upon the love of God, not that the Christian is to keep himself aware of his love to God, but of God’s love to him. The love of the Lord Jesus finds its ex pression in the provision of every truth and grace of which the believer stands in need (cf. John 14:7-11; 20:26; 13:36-14:1; Mk. 16:7; 1 Cor. 15:5). On the part of one who is the recipient of divine favor, there should be the constant looking for the blessed hope (v. 21). The blessed hope of Christ’s second coming belongs to the church, and the glorious appearing will one day belong to all the world. III. T he C hristian ’ s P erfection (24,25) At the coming of the Lord, the Chris tian will be presented faultless before God (cf. Rom. 8:29; 1 John 3:1-3). His eternal purpose will be, as it should be now, unto God’s everlasting praise and glory. Points and Problems 1. "Sanctified . . . preserved . . . called ” (Jude 1). These are three of the great words of salvation, describing three dis tinct works of God in and for the Chris tian believer. The chronological order of these is “called,” “sanctified,” “ preserved” ; and this order is allowable in the orig inal language. God first calls, then He sanctifies, and finally He preserves. But since God is above time, all His works for us are linked together in one eternal present. Therefore, sometimes in Scripture He ignores the order of time. See 1 Thes- salonians 2:13 where sanctification is placed before faith. But looking at the matter from the time standpoint, we may say that the' “ call" of God represents the be ginning of the Christian life, sanctification represents the progress and perfection of this life, and the work of preservation looks toward its completion, guaranteeing that the work God has begun will be finished. BLACKBOARD LESSON
Lesson Text: Jude 1-4, 17-25. Golden Text: “ Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 21). Outline and Exposition I. T h e C h r is t ia n ’ s P lac e (1-4) A cco rd in g to Jude, the place which the believer occupies is one provided ,.by God Himself (vs. 1, 2). Jude wrote to those who were “sanctified by God the Father,” that is, set apart to be come His children; who were “preserved in Jesus Christ,” that is, guarded and pro tected from all that might separate them from God’s purpose. Jude’s personal intention seems to have been to write concerning the common sal vation, but the Holy Spirit moved him to write an exhortation for Christians to “ earnestly contend for the faith once de livered to the saints” (v. 3). That “ faith” is the body of teaching contained in the Word of God. It is in the hands of the saints and nowhere else. And for that faith, the believer must earnestly contend. Sometimes this exhortation is distorted, and in enthusiasm for combating error, the real issue is forgotten. An illustration at this point may be helpful. During the World War, when the country was flooded with counterfeit money, the government estab lished schools for bank officials in which to teach them to detect counterfeit currency. For weeks, these men labored in handling money, but during that time not one piece of counterfeit paper or coin passed through their hands. They handled only the gen uine. Knowledge of the genuine protects one from falling a prey to the counterfeit. The reason given for contending for the faith is the presence of certain men who have “crept in unawares,” and who would make ineffectual (if they could) the faith once delivered to the saints. But fellow ship with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and familiarity with His work, will make the place of the Christian secure against all attempts of the errorists. II. T h e C h r is t ia n ' s P ro tectio n (17-23) In the midst of the errors and heresies offered by ungodly men, the Christian has the protection of that which has been writ ten in the Word of God (vs. 17-19). The presence of false teachers, giving rise to infidelity and apostasy, would not unsettle the Christian, but the very fact of their presence would be to him an added proof of the truth of the Word of God. The apostles plainly told that the Christian profession would contain mockers and un godly persons (cf. 2 Pet. 2:1, 2; 3:3, 4; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 4:3, 4; 1 Tim. 4:1). Hav ing read the Word, the Christian should not be surprised to discover that the world is evil in its nature, evil in its conduct, and evil in its processes (cf. John 16:33; 15:19, 20; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 2:1, 2; 1 John 5:19). Furthermore, accepting God’s ver dict concerning the course of the world,
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