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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
September, 1937
The ladder begins with salvation and ends with royalty. Between these two col ors we find orange and yellow reminding us of the streets of gold, the green speaking of growth and fruitfulness, and the blue suggesting that we are a heavenly people..
of Christ. There is no rainbowl of promise until Christ is accepted as Saviour. The last color is purple. If speaks of royalty. This reminds me of a promise found in 1 John 3:2. Christians shall be kings and shall rule with Christ.
OCTOBER 31, 1937 THE MORAL ISSUE IN THE DRINK PROBLEM R omans 13:12-14; 1 C orinthians 6:9-11; G alatians 5:16-24
h i . T he P ower of the C hristian (Gal. 5:16-24)
Golden Text: “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). Outline and Exposition I. T he C hristian ’ s P lace (Rom. 13:12-14)^ T he Christian is waiting for “the day” that is “ at •hand.” But in “the night” which surrounds him, he is to walk as one who is connected with the day. “Let us therefore cast off” as a garment, the manner of life suitable for the darkness; “ let us put on” as a garment, the manner of life suitable for the light; “ Let us walk honestly” (“in good form” ).— that is, let us adopt a manner of living suitable for the new clothing in light. To attain this condition, the Christian is to “put . . . on the Lord Jesus' Christ, and make not provision for the flesh.” It is one thing to have the Lord Jesus Christ dwelling within, and it is another thing to be “clothed” with Christ; that is, to be so possessed by Him that others will see, not the individual, but the Lord. T o “make not provision for the flesh” means to “take no foothold” in the present scene, which is one of darkness. The man Lot made provi sion for the flesh when he pitched his tent toward Sodom (Gen. 13:12). Balaam made provision for the flesh when he went after the reward of Balak (Num. 22-24). II. T he C hristian ’ s P ractice (1 Cor. 6:9-11) There are ten great evils spoken of here, drunkenness being.one of them. When we consider it in its place in this list of evils, we gain some idea of its fearful im morality. The renewed man—the one who is a new creature in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 5:17) — may look back to the dreadful scene which shows what he The “ flesh,” or what a person is by na ture, and the Spirit, the One whom the Christian receives from God, are here con trasted, and in the contrast is revealed the way by which the believer may obtain power for victorious Christian living. T o “walk in the Spirit” (v. 16) means to have the life controlled . by the Spirit’s counsel and power, hence not controlled by the desires of the flesh. The Spirit lusteth against the flesh, as the flesh lusts against the Spirit, so that the Christian may not, need not, do what he was once forced to do (v. 17, R.V.). And this walk is free from legalism, is at liberty to do what the new nature desires to do, that is, to please God (v. 18). Neither flesh nor the Spirit can be changed, hence they can never be reconciled. The law deals with the flesh; hence one who is led by the Spirit is not under bondage to. the law, either as a medium of justification or as a rule of life and conduct. To be “ led” by the Spirit means to yield willingly and • intelligently to the Spirit’s direction. The ’works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit are contrasted (vs. 19-24). The works are manifest to all, though one can not look upon the desires which give rise to them. Some of these works are men tioned here. There are four that are sensual, two religious, nine social, two personal; and to the list the words are added “ and such like,” meaning all sim ilar evils. The fruit of the Spirit comes from the hidden life of the Christian. It is fruit, not fruits. There are many forms, but only one source. Love, joy, and peace are the internal, subjective graces, having God Himself in view. Long-suffering, gentle ness, and goodness have other persons in view. Faith, meekness, and temperance (self-control) concern the Christian himself. Points and Problems 1. “ The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:12);. It is well, in the midst of our modern optimism, to remem ber that according to the Word of God, the age in which we live is called “ the night.” Of course this view of the matter is an offense to unbelieving men, but that is to be expected. Having never lived in the Light, they have no way of judging light from darkness. We who believe may see the difference because we are “chil dren of the day,” but they are children of the night (cf. 1 Thess. 5:5). “The day” will dawn upon this world when our Lord returns from heaven to establish His king dom; but even before the arrival of the Day, every true believer enjoys the light of that Day in his heart, as the children Everypageand f e a t u r e o f “ The Service Hymnal” car ries the stamp o fquality. it preaching or singing, architecture or furnishings, everychurch recognizes the drawing pow er of the distinguished and the exalted. • That is why “The Service Hymnal” will . advance the work of your church and school. It is a book of quality—in mate rials, manufacture and binding as well as in musical contents, Scripture readings and spiritual force. Send for sample copy; you will sense in stinctively its fitness -for every religious need. Descants to established tunes are a popular feature. First classified hymnal to be completely orchestrated. 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