I F T H E FO U N D A T IO N S
BE D E S T R O Y ED , W H A T C A N T H E R IGH T EO U S D O ? Psa. 11:3
They know not, neither will the$ understand; thej> walk on in darkness; all the foun dations' * * are out of course. Psa. 82:5
Laymen’s Number—SEPTEMBER, 1921
(Money Is Not the Only Thing to Invest)
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T H E K IN G ’S B U S IN E S S MOTTO: “I, the Lord, do keep it, I w ill water it every moment, lest any hurt it, / w ill keep it night and day.** ■ — ■ - ■ ' ■ Isa. 27:3 — f PU B L IS H E D M O N T H L Y BY T H E BIBLE I N S T I T U T E O F L O S A N G E L E S 536-558 SO U T H H O PE STREET, LOS ANGELES, CAL. Entend as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California under the A ct of March 3, 1879 Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917 authorized October 1, 1918. Volume XII September 1921 . Number 9
Rev. T . C . H O R T O N , Editor in Chief
Rev. KEITH L. BROOKS, Managing Editor
A LA N S. PEARCE, Ad*?. Manager Contributing Editors
DR. F. W . FARR
DR. FRENCH E. OUVER
REV. WM . H . PIKE"
DR. A . C D IXON
CONTENTS E d ito rials: The Believer’s Business (853 ), Public P ress and P reachers (854 ), America Disgraced (854 ), Stand Up and Speak Out (855), Violating. Sacred Vows (857 ), Must the Pew P u t Up? (858 ), Grow ing L ike Hell (859 ), The T rue Safeguard of Orthodoxy (860) Sentence Sermons (861) Page fo r th e Unsaved (862) W arning to a W avering Church— By Dr. R. A. Torrey (863) Back T alk from th e Pew— By a Layman (870) The Sunday School Problem (874) The Second Coming of Christ—By Dr. Geo. B. Edwards (876) The Modem A rena— By Wm. J. B ryan (878) F an n y F undam entals—A Review (879)
L ast Message of Jesus— By Rev. W. H. Pike (881) A Day in a Bible Institute-—By a S tudent (884) Evangelistic Stories— By In stitu te W orkers (890) Hom iletical Helps (896) Extension D epartm ent (900) Notes on th e Jew s and Prophecy (902) In tern ation al Lessons (903) Daily Devotional Readings— By Dr. F. W. F a rr (924) E d ito rial A fterthough ts (934) Good Books (936) Bible Mnemonics— By Rev. Wm. Coburn (937)
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THE BELIEVER’S BUSINESS Every believer, upon his acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior, and his confession of Him as Lord, has immediately imposed upon him certain obliga tions and responsibilities for which he will be held accountable when he stands before the judgment seat of Christ, to be judged for his works (1 Cor. 3:13-15). He becomes: (1) A servant (1 Cor. 4 :1a): , ~ “ Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers (servants) of' Christ;” ‘ . (2) A steward (1 Cor. 4:1b): “ And stewards of the mysteries of God.” (3) An ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20): . “ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God: ” (4) A witness (Acts 1 :8): “ But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall, be witnesses unto me both in Jerusa- lem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (5) A missionary (John 17:18): “ As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.”. (6) A business man (Luke 19 :13) : “ Occupy (do business) till I come.” (7) A fisher of men (Matt. 4 :19): “ And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. ” These Scriptures have no reference to any official position that a be liever may be called upon to fill, but are for every believer. No one who has the Bible in his hand, can plead ignorance as an excuse for neglect of his duty. T. C. H.
854
T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
THE PUBLIC PRESS AND THE PREACHERS It is a well known fact that the leading and reliable newspapers all over our land, are greatly concerned—as they should be—as to the pulpit performances of many of ourpreachers. The editors may not be professing Christians, but they are honest, 'thinking men, students of world condi- , tions. They know the difference between true and false notes in public speakers, and they know whether a man in the pulpit is preaching the Gospel or parading his own opinions, and many of them are calling time on some of these camouflaging, spineless pulpit-strutters. We take pleasure in giving to our readers a clipping from “ The Dallas News,” a great daily, wielding a great influence, in the great State of Texas: “ Any minister of the Gospel who doesn’t believe that the Gospel is inspired, but goes on the assumption that he himself is inspired, faces the likelihood of not getting anywheremuch. He isn’t necessarily wicked. But his ministry is bound to be more or less barren of practical results for righteousness. He will have a comfortable place probably, with a hand some church and a talented choir. Culture will probably drip from his congregation and run down the aisles in invisible but almost palpable rivulets, as it were. The mention of Browning or of Dante will call forth a rustle of silk; discourses upon ‘The Esthetic Relation of Intellect to Beauty’ will doubtless gurgle silently into the souls of fleshly dowagers and sleek clubmen; oratorios and arias from the choir loft will bear the musically in clined away upon clouds of ecstasy. But so far as fair dealing on Monday and sweet spiritedness in the home is concerned, it means mightv little. If the man in the gutter had to wait until that sort of minister and that sort of congregation helped him to his feet he’d have mighty slim chances. If the- strong young man just stepping out into life had to bump up against the rough places with no stay and no restraint beyond the atmosphere of refined phrases and trained-cadences, he mightn’t find them of much ac count. Ear tickling epigrams feed no starveling lambs. If the Book of faith, hope and love isn’t inspired, then the world’s an accident and life a bad joke.” We have but one sentence to criticize and that is “ He isn’t necessarily wicked. Isn’t he? He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, obtaining a reputa tion and money under false pretences, if he is in an evangelical church. The same sort of performance in any line of secular public service would bring down upon him the anathemas of his fellow men, and does bring down the anathemas of Almighty God. Do you, fellow-followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, talk plainly to these, men, plead with them to forsake the' error of their way, and pray for them ? Let us pray earnestly for them that they may be 'truly converted to Christ, become loyal to the Old Book, or else that God may remove them from their places of honor in the church. T. C. H. AMERICA DISGRACED The prelude to our national holiday was the most amazing, atrocious outrage ever perpetrated. While the people "of the greatest nation in the world were preparing to remember the fight of.our forefathers for freedom,' and the victory which was given them through sacrifice and suffering,
T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 855 through prayer and the shedding of blood, two men were found who for filthy lucre’s sake were willing to make a spectacle of themselves at so much a head to 90,000 people. They called it a fight, but it was a slugging match. We do not allow chicken fights, or dog fights, or bull fights, in our country. When two men engage in a fist fight on the street they are arrested, jailed and fined. But these two thing's in human form battered and banged each other until one was knocked out. There may have been something heroic in the combats of the gladiators of old, but who would deign to call this butcher business heroic? And the 90,000 people, including many beings wearing feminine apparel (not women, —our mothers were women, noble women, glorious women, with hearts and souls, with Bibles and prayers, with minds and mother hearts), paid the price, for ten m inutes of the most inhuman, degrading, degenerating, de basing performance ever enacted. Men travelled across the continent and wagered their money. Two hundred Frenchmen, coming from France, were too late for the fray, only coming in sight of the land. Newspapers gave millions of columns of their space for days in advance to the news of the coming “ nose-battering.” One of the contestants was housed with a millionaire over night, in preparation for the event. Our country and the State of New Jersey made $320,000.00 out of the game. What will our government do with the money? We would like to have our disabled soldiers have that much but it would be a disgrace to those real heroes to use that kind of money in their behalf. Better use it for running, down bandits and booze-fighters. And our flag—dear old' flag—we hope they did not disgrace you by dis playing your blood-striped folds over such a den of iniquity. Ninety thou sand beings,—black and white, red and yellow, having a ten minutes’ spurt at*what they called sport. Great country this! 'Evidently we need less politics, less pandering to the pit, less putrid pugilism; and a little more wholesome living. The gate receipts amounting to one million, six hundred thousand dollars, would have built some splendid structures for our heroes, but would the kind of people who spent ten minutes at the bloody bout de liver their dollars? T. 0. H. STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT In the July and August numbers of The King’s Business we have called attention to the church conditions in our beloved land. We have given the figures showing that there are morp than fifty thousand vacant churches in our country, and more than twenty-five thousand churches which were better vacant than to have in thei^..pulpits men who handle the Word of God deceitfully, fooling the people with their false and fanciful interpreta tions of the Word. We have sought to awaken deep conviction concerning the peril which confronts-us,—a peril far more dangerous than any which we have as yet faced. Unless the men of our evangelical churches wake up, brush the cob webs from their eyes, stand on both feet and call a halt to the present pussy-
856 T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S footing policy of the self-constituted leaders of the church who are, in fact, the greatest enemies of both the-true church and the Christ of the church, then—humanly speaking—the outlook is hopeless. The defence of the truth has never been a pleasing position. Warring for the right has always been attended with sorrow and suffering; but no true patriot ever pauses at the price to be paid; and God’s true soldiers should never shrink from service in His behalf no matter what the cost. A great and growing wrong has been wrought by the leaders of the evangelical church of this country. There can be no excuse for the pitiful condition which exists. Who is to blame that hundreds of communities are without the message of the Gospel; that thousands of Christians are with out the Bread of Life; and that tens of thousands of children are lacking the training demanded by the Word of God? The leaders—the men in charge of the business department of the church. What is the cause of this catastrophe ? Lack of common sense and lack of obedience to the command of Christ. Whose hands have shut the doors of the vacant churches? The hands of the ecclesiasts. Why have they done this? Because they desire to lord it over God’s heritage; because they have shut their eyes to the history of the church; shut their ears to the voice of the Book, and shut their hearts to the Spirit of God who would have the Bread broken to hungry saints and the Gospel given to the famishing multitudes. If a group of business men should attempt to run a business establish ment in the manner and with the methods used by the lofty leaders of the church, they would be bankrupt in sixty days. What are their methods ? Any man who has been through the college and seminary is a fit subject for ordination, whether he has any other quali fications for a successful minister or not. On the other hand, a layman who has not had college and seminary advantages, but who knows the Word of God, is successful in preaching and teaching and has practical business ex perience, is denied authority to preach. And because of this, churches are ' closed, the saints are neglected and the cause of Christ suffers. Almighty God will never bless the program. It is unscriptural; it is unbusinesslike; it is the old game of the Pharisees; and there is a long, loud call for God’s laymen to assert their rights and demand that the church buildings—God’s business houses—shall be opened and that practical men shall be put in charge and the business run in a practical manner so as to produce practical results. The Gospel of the grace of God must be given to the people. The precious food of the Word must be given to the saints. The children must be taught the Way of Life. Do you, fellow-believer, see the point? Then, act!* Agitate! Agitate! Agitate'! Until the men who are blocking the wheels of progress stand aside and allow the chariot of God to go on its God-appointed course. T. C. H.
D O N ’T F A I L T O R E A D ‘I N S E T I N
857
T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
VIOLATING SACRED VOWS When men enter the ministry they take solemn vows. These vows are taken publicly and are supposed to be sacred and inviolate. They are as sumed in connection with the most sacred service ever committed to men. A service which relates to the eternal interests of men. Men are not supposed to take these vows lightly. They are supposed to have meditated and prayed and to have solemn convictions concerning the matter, and to have had a call from God for this special service. Thank God,, so many men have been true to their vows and have gladly yielded their lives in the carrying out of the purpose of service. Thank God for the harvest that has followed the ministry of true men during all the history of the church. But some men seem to have a trifling regard for their vows, claiming the right to interpret them as they please, and then putting such a construc tion upon them that they are made to mean the very opposite. In some cases, these men turn around and attack the very essential truths involved in their vows. Were they members of a club or political party or secret organization, they would never be allowed to hold their positions, but in the church where they are supposed to minister the Word of God and to represent Him in their ministry to the people, they are allowed to violate their vows with impunity. In other organizations they would be expelled and tagged as lacking the first fundamental principles of honesty, but in the church it is different. They rely upon the kindly hearts of the people, lord it over them, and laugh at any one who dares to question their integrity. Were they officers in the Army or Navy they would be courtmartialled and shot; but in the church,—these men are such good men; such sweet, affable men; such good mixers! They certainly are good mixers, for they mix truth and error so wondrously that the people cannot distinguish be tween them. Notice how these good, sweet men always find a place on the committees which enable them to guide the affairs of the church along the smooth places. They are never very definite as to what the Bible teaches, but are very definite as to what they think, and what the scholars think. Why should any man who has forsaken the faith, who no longer be lieves that the Bible means what it says,—why should he take the money of the saints at the same time that he takes advantage of their credulity? But this is true of many a man in the ministry today, as we know to our sorrow. Should we not pray with earnest entreaty to the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that He would give deliverance to the people of God and save them from the men who are robbing them of the food they crave? Pray that God will convince men of this most awful sin. Pray that He will break their hearts, bring them to conviction of conscience and con fession, save the pulpit from its disgrace and save the people from the de stroying, influence of trifling teaching. T. C. H.
C E N T E R O F T H I S M A G A Z I N E
T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
858
MUST THE PEW PUT UP? Canon A niger’s lines well voice the lam ent of many pewholders today: “W ith eager knife th a t oft has sliced At Gentile glos§, or Jew ish fable, Before th e crowd they lay th e Christ Upon the lecture table. F rom bondage to th e old beliefs They say our rescue must begin, Yet men w ant refuge from th e ir griefs, And saving from th e ir sin.” ' There are altogether too many leaders who seem to th in k th e pew should have no voice in th e discussion concerning th e Bible. P ersonal experience of th e •power of a renewed life th rough acceptance of the Bible counts for nothing w ith these leaders. Their a ttitu d e tow ard those who have proven the Bible through v ital experience is exactly th a t of th e Pharisees tow ard th e blind man in th e n in th chapter of Jo h n ’s Gospel. Though th e healed man insisted th a t he knew th a t whereas he was blind, now he could see, they taun ted him w ith his inferior knowl edge and even suggested th a t he was never blind. Because these skeptics could not account for th e facts by th e ir theories, they sh u t th e ir eyes to th e facts altogether. But Christian experience is a much safer teacher th a n reason. There are thousands in th e pew who can say, “We know th a t we dwell in Him and He in us because He has given us th e Holy S pirit.” T h at experience cannot be so lightly set aside. The attem p ts to “ divest Christianity of its myths and m iracles and o ther disfiguring encumbrances,” will never be popular w ith men and women who know the Gospel to be “ the power of God unto salvation.” A t a recent church conference a Mr. W. R. F o ster, a layman, is reported to have made the following statem ents, which will find h earty response from thou sands of pewholders. “The pew has a rig h t to expect th a t if th e pulpit discards, as no t acceptable, any of ‘those things which are most surely believed among us,’ it shall a t least provide an equally efficacious substitute. The pew expects th a t the pulpit shall adhere to th e teaching to which i t gave adhesion, in regard to the doctrinal stand ards held by th a t p a rt of th e Church to which it belongs. In some cases these are defined w ith sufficient clearness to enable th e pew to judge how far th e preacher agrees w ith or d eparts from them . The pew has a rig h t to expect th a t any occu p an t of a pulpit, who, for any reason, finds himself unable to continue his faith in th e teaching by v irtu e of which he gained his position, w ith th e resu ltan t emolu ment, shall (unless he finds he is in erro r in his new view and abandons it) resign th e position. This would be only the commonest commercial honesty, bu t alas! th e course is very seldom followed. The pew does not expect to have doubts pu t before it as to th e credibility of our Lord; nor th e absurd statem en t th a t in this, th a t and th e other, He must have been ‘m isreported,’ nor yet th a t He adopted views th a t were the common teaching of His day, bu t which th e wise men of today assure us were erroneous. The pew has a righ t, also, to expect th a t the man in th e pulpit shall have a t least as much regard for th e Old T estam ent as his Master had.” K. L. B.
Y O U R U N N O R I S K - S e e Inset in Center
T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
859
GROWING LIKE HELL R ichard Baxter once said, “Lord, if you do not soon come th is world will • grow like hell.” - , Some modernists, who certainly m ust have th e ir eyes fast closed to actual conditions in the. world, are telling us th ere is no need of the Lord coming for the world is fast growing like heaven. But is it? J u st following th e recent ho rro r a t Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Kansas City Jou rnal made comment upon “ th e narrowness of th e margin which today separates civili zation from savagery.” The ou tbu rst a t Tulsa, like other recent outbreaks of mob rule, was abso lutely unjustified and unnecessary. It was simply a m anifestation of th e devilish sp irit of the times, A hysterical girl reported th a t an impudent colored boy had insulted her by tak ing hold of her arm . A yellow -journal rep o rter made a story out of it, a lot of hot-headed white people enlarged on it and resolved to string up the boy. The boy explained satisfactorily to th e police th a t in entering th e elevator which was operated by the girl, he had stubbed his toe and fallen against her. The girl was in no wise injured. As the story was magnified 400 whites gathered a t th e jail where the boy was taken for protection, determ ined to kill him. A group of colored men assembled to protect him should he be taken out. Some rattle-head white man fired a shot and then hell was let loose. F o rty people were killed, 200 wounded, a million and a half worth of property burned to th e ground and 5,000 negroes left homeless and hungry. Firem en were forbidden to tu rn w ater on any of th e burning homes. Officers of th e law were absolutely helpless. Disre gard for law is in th e atmosphere. I t is the an tich rist spirit— th e sp irit of the
“My! It's a good thing I ha^e an umbrella with me.'
T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
860
lawless one. The Oklahoma City Leader rem arked— “Mob violence has become common and if th e tendency is not checked, one may not measure the depths of sorrow to come.” The Scientific Monthly says, “The world seems to be getting more and more dangerous to live in .” “ In th e last days perilous times shall come;” They are here. Democracy— th e ru le of the people— is here. The clay and th e iron are mixed in th e feet of Daniel’s prophetic image. A uthority centers nowhere. The tide of democratic lawlessness is rising higher every year, defying all authority. The socialistic sp irit of revolution gains streng th in every land since the world war. The opening statem en t of th is editorial will he almost literally tru e before th e end of these days. All th e sweet oratory of liberal th ink ers will no t do a th ing to change the situation. One power alone can be of any avail in th is hour. The un adu lterated Gospel of Jesus Christ m ust be preached to as many as pos sible. Not all will accept, b u t many may be saved from th e coming wreck. Let every Christian man and woman say w ith Paul, “ I am made all things to all men th a t by all means I m ight save SOME.” K. L. B. T rue, heresies are multiplying and draw ing thousands afte r them. True, th e Christian faith is being denied from many pulpits by men who have taken th eir oaths to defend the Word and who accept money th a t is consecrated to the Gospel of Christ. S atan’s tim e is growing sh o rt and his most subtle efforts are being put forth. But Christianity is in no danger. The Bible is in no danger. There is one fact th a t forever overcomes all attack s on the Word of God. It is th e fact of Christian experience. A sa in t is the product of th e Word of God. So long as men and women are born again by believing in th e Gospel of God, the faith is secure. The faith is safe dn the keeping of th e saints. The saints are safe in the keeping of God. A fter th e resurrection and ascension of Christ, thousands stood w aiting for proof th a t the sacrifice of Calvary really would be accepted of th e F ath e r on be h alf of believing sinners as had been proclaimed. The day arrived and the Holy Spirit came upon the people, applying th e benefits of Christ’s atoning work. Since th a t tim e men and women by the millions have been experiencing pew life by believing in Ghrist. His Word is confirmed. The evidence is in th e h earts of men. To th e tru e believer it is unanswerable and to any honest seeker for tru th it is a conclusive argum ent. Any man can verify it. The Lord H imself threw down the challenge when He said, “ If any man will do his will, he shall know of th e doctrine, w hether it be of God.” . The man or th e woman who has had a genuine experience is undisturbed by th e objections of cavillers, no m a tte r how logical, philosophical, scientific or sarcastic. There is one sufficient answer to them all: “ But one thing I know, th a t whereas I was blind, now I see.” Oh th a t Christians would realize th a t th e best way to defend th e faith is to tran slate the Gospel into real Christian character. This, afte r all, is the g reatest safeguard of orthodox Christianity. Let us not forget dt. K. L. B. THE TRUE SAFEGUARD OF ORTHODOXY Christianity is in no danger.
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«•> REMARKABLE REMARKS GATHERED FOR BUST READERS
is the first step tow ard tru e life. The pessim ist looks, backward; the optim ist forward, the th eo rist inward; the practical man outw ard; th e good man and wise man, upward. Death is not the g reatest ill; life not the g reatest good nor happiness the noblest end. The g reatest ill is to die w ithout having lived; th e g reatest good to live only a f te r . having died. The g reatest earth ly boon is to be righ tly employed. A necessity is w hat we cannot afford to m iss; a luxury is w hat we can afford to lose. Only he is free who is a slave to duty. Folk th ink themselves fiddlers de signed to improve by playing. ■ They are only fiddles designed to improve by being played upon. The righteous are called stars in Scripture, never comets. They are meant to Shine and be steady, not to be drag ging a giant ta il behind a pigmy head. Thé small soul lives itself in ;. the g reat soul lives itself out. The te st of greatness is how it deals w ith littleness. Two m arks of a royal soul:, to be never in a hurry, to be ever on time. Avarice is th rift gone to waste. “ I cannot” on the tongue means most-: ly “ I will n o t” in the heart. Doubt is the tax paid for useless knowledge. Obstinacy is the mask under which weakness hides its lack of strength. The rainbow is only rain permeated w ith sunshine. T rue resignation is streng th of soul yielding w ith a smile. Selfishness is only another name for short-sightedness.
WO things are equally hard: to speak of one’s m erits in his presence w ith discretion; to speak of one’s fau lts in his absence w ith lore. There is a hesitation of speech more eloquent th an
many a passionate outburst. Don’t cross your bridge before you come to it and maybe you won’t have„to burn it behind you. The meek shall in h erit the earth and th ere shall be no inheritance tax. Some men sell themselves to the devil; others merely ren t themselves out by the day. Only those who have stru ck the deep est note of penitence can reach the highest note of praise'. Some men chew up, smoke up and spit out a dollar a day in tobacco but have nothing for the church. Know all you say: say no t all you know. We make as many enemies by our virtues as by our vices. If we have no enem ies we had b e tte r'lo o k to our v ir tues. A neglected bu t highly profitable study-r-the virtues of those we dislike. We cannot live on la st year’s food, nor rem ain virtuous on last year’s vir tue. A common blunder—m istaking its platform for virtue itself. W hat is tru ly done is beautifully done. If it is not beautifully done, it is because it is not y et tru ly done. To learn from all is wisdom; to over come self is streng th ; to be content w ith w hat you have is riches; to believe what you' cannot see is faith. There is one remedy for all ills— time. T o recognize the vanity of th is life
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I “WHERE ART THOU?” i In the Evil One. The whole world lieth in the Evil One.
In Christ Jesus. In Christ . . a new creation. The Sphere of Life.
Propitiation One died for all. Made sin on .our behalf. The Just for the unjust.
The Sphere of Death. Death passed unto all . .all sinned. The wages of sin is death. Dead through our i trespasses and sins. The Sphere of the First Adam. The first Adam . . a living soul. The first man . . of the earth earthy. As in the earthy . .'th ey that are earthy. The old man which waxeth corrupt after the lusts o f deceit. Put off the old man with his deeds.
The free gift of God is eternal life. The Spirit of Life . . in Christ Jesus. Abundance of grace . . shall reign in life. The Sphere of the Second Adam. The last Adam . . a Life-giving Spirit. The second Man is of heaven. As is the heavenly . . they, that are heavenly. The riew man which is after God created in righteousness. Put on the new man . . renewed in knowledge.
A curse for us.
Peace through the Blood of His Cross Fellowship All died.' Baptized into His death. Crucified with Christ. ‘ Dead unto sin. Died with Christ, from the elements Crucified unto the world. Crucified unto the flesh. Becoming conformed unto His death. of the . . world.
Reconciled to God . . . Justified by His blood . . Heareth . believeth . passed
. saved in His life. . saved . . through Him. . out of death into life.
The Sphere of Darkness. Walketh in the darkness . . knoweth not whither he goeth. Darkness hath blinded his eyes. Unfruitful works of darkness. The Sphere of C aptivity. Walked . . according to the prince of the power of the air. The god of this world hath blinded the minds . . . The spirit that now worketh . . . The Sphere of this world. Walked according to the course of this world. After the elements of the world. The Sphere after the flesh. They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. The mind of the flesh is death. The mind of the flesh is enmity against God. The Sphere of Bondage. The spirit of bondage . . unto fear. The wrath of God upon . . sons of disobedience. All their lifetime subject to bondage. The Sphere according to Men. Carnal and walk after the manner of men. The natural man receiveth not. The Sphere of Self. Every one of you saith, I.
The Sphere of Light. God is light, and in Him is no dark ness at all. Now ye are light in the Lord. Sons of the light . . sons of the day. The Sphere of Victory. Translated . . into the Kingdom of the Son. In the Lord . . able to stand against the wiles of the devil. They overcame..because of the blood. The Sphere of the Heavenlies. Not fashioned according to this world. Quickened . ..raised . . sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ. The Sphere after the Spirit. They that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Themind of the Spirit is life and peace. Baptized into one Body . . all made to drink of one Spirit. The Sphere of Sonship. The spirit of adoption . . Abba Father. God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. As children of obedience. The Sphere according to God. We received . . the Spirit which is of God. Live according to God in the Spirit. The Sphere of Christ, No longer I, but Christ
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The Holy Spirit • . shall teach you all things. John xiv., 26.
He shall testify of ME...John xv., 26.
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He shall take of MINE and shall declare it unto you. John xvi., 14. | Verses used in chart! Down the centre—2 Cor. v. 14; v. 21; 1 Pet. Iii, 18; Gal. iii, 13; ■= Rom. v. 10; v. 9; John v. 24; Col. i. 20; Rom. vi. 4; Gal. ii. 20; Rom. vi. 11; Gal. vi. 14; B g l Phil, iii., 10. On the Left side:—1 John v. 19; Rom. v. 12; vi. 23; Ephes. ii. 1; 1 Cor. xv. 45, 47, 48; Eph. iv. 22; Col. iii, 9; 1 John ii, 11; Ephes. v. 11, ii. 2; 2 Cor. iv. 4; Ephes. ii, Ii, 2; Col. ii. 8; Rom.'viii., 5, 6, 7, 15; Eph. v. 6; Heh. ii. 15; 1 Cor. iii. 3; ii. 14; ir 12. On 1 MS the Right side:—2 Cor. v. 17; Rom. vi. 23; viii. 2; v. 17; 1 Cor. xv. 45, 47, 48; Eph. iv. 24; g g I Col. iii. 10; 1 John i. 5; Eph. v. 8; 1 Thes. v. 5; Col. i. 13; Eph. vi. 10, 11; Rom. xii. 2; § Eph. ii, 5,.6; Rom. viii. 5, 6; 1 Cor. xii. 13; Rom. viii, x5; Gal. iv. 6; 1 Pet. i. 14; * | 1 Cor. ii. 12; 1 Pet. iv. 6; Gal. ii. 20. ^ |
illllllllll!lll|]|||!!lllllllllllllllllll!!llllillllllllllllllillinillllllllIIIIIIIIII!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIillllllllllllllil!i!llltlH A Warning to aWatering Church Seven Great Promises for the Bible Student and Soul Winner. Baccalaureate Sermon, June 12, 1921 By DR. R. A . TORREY tia n home. B u t all of you, by the good hand of God upon you, are to be soul- w inners. So I can th ink of no more appropriate subject for th is most joyous and a t th e same tim e most solemn, oc casion th an th a t which X have an- nounted, “The Seven G reat Prom ises of God for th e Bible S tudent and Soul W inner.” I. Psalm 1:1-3. The first G reat Prom ise is one upon which I preached th re e weeks ago th is morning, P s al m 1 :1 -8 . “Blessed is -the m an th a t w alketh n o t in th e counsel of th e ungodly, n o r stand eth in th e way of sinners, no r sitte th in th e seat of th e scornful. B u t h is deligh t is in th e law of th e L ord; an d in his law doth he m ed itate day and n igh t. And he shall be lik e a tre e p lan ted by th e rivers of w ater, th a t b ring eth fo rth h is fru it in h is season; h is le af also shall no t w ith er; and w hatsoever h e doeth shall prosper.” Please look a t th a t promise steadily and w ith open eyes and clear eyes un til you take in its wonderful meaning, “Blessed is th e man th a t walk eth no t in the counsel of th e ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in th e seat of th é scornful. But his delight is in the ïaw of th e Lord; and in his law doth he m editate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by th e rivers of w ater, th a t bringeth fo rth his fru it in his season; his leaf also shall not w ither; and w h at soever h e doeth shall prosper.” God here prom ises to th e Bible studen t and th e would-be soul-winner, th a t if he meets one of th e fundam ental con ditions of profitable Bible study, thorough-going separation from th e world, not walking in th e counsel of the ungodly, nor standing in th e way of sinners, nor sitting in th e seat of the scornful, and then m editates in God’s own Law, th e revealed will of God, as found in th is Book, which is demon strab ly the Word of God” (Mk. 7 :13 ; 1 Thess. 2 :1 3 ), m editates in it day and night, then he shall be a fru itfu l tree, a constantly, perpetually fru itfu l tree, a well-watered tree; w atered by the HAVE tu rn ed over th e m atter Jin my m ind for some weeks as [to w hat subject I should speak Iupon this morning to the ‘G raduating Class. I though t it was p retty well, settled in my mind th a t I should speak on 2 Tim. 4:5, “Make fu ll proof of thy m inistry.” But not many days ago I was so stirred by reading a book en titled “Modern Religious Liber alism ” th a t I was strongly disposed to speak on “W hat to do w ith th e Bible,” and had th e sermon outlined in my mind. But when I w ent to God in definite pfayer about it la st Monday afternoon, He gave me th e subject, “The Seven G reat P rom ises of God for th e Bible S tuden t and Soul W inner.” F o r two years you have been diligently studying, th e Bible under the direction and encouragment of some of th e best known studen ts and teachers of the Bible in th e world, and you have been studying it, no t merely th a t you m ight get as complete an in tellectu al m astery of it as possible, b u t th a t you m ight find equipment for th e most glorious work in th e world, th a t of Soul Win ning. But you certainly are no t foolish enough to th in k th a t your studies are now a t an end. Only a hopeless fool could fancy for a moment th a t two years of study anywhere, or under any teachers th a t ever lived, could exhaust th is Book in which are hidden th e in finite and inexhaustible treasu res of th e wisdom and knowledge of God. Your Bible -studies are ju st begun. Bible study is to be your life-long employ ment, and you are going out to wear yourselves out in th e g reat work for which you have been preparing, Soul w inning. You are not all to be foreign m issionaries, or m inisters of th e Gospel a t home, b u t you are to be soul-winners all your days; some in th e foreign field; some in large churches, some in small churches, and some in obscure and neg lected unchurched fields a t home; and some Of you in th e most hallowed of all fields of Soul-winning, upon which the Bible lays so much em phasis,'th e Chris- T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 864 stream s of life th a t flow from the throne of God th rough th e channels of this wonderful Book, and th a t “whatsoever h e doeth shall prosper.’’ W hat an amazing promise! W hat a stupendous promise! and w hat an all- sufficient prom ise for the Bible studen t who is about to en ter upon his life work. Young men and women, you certainly long for a good share of prosperity, but, oh! to th in k of it, th a t th ere is a way to make sure of it, th a t everything you may do in these coming days and years shall prosper. If, anyone in your position can faee a prom ise like th a t and not have to pu t fo rth some effort to keep from shouting I can hardly understand it. Be Sure You Meet th e Conditions of th e Fulfillm ent of th e Promise. 1. The first condition is Separation from th e world ip all your conduct, not walking “in the counsel’’ (or, advice) of those who are not fully surrendered to God, not standing in the way th a t sin ners go, nor sitting down “ in the seat of the scornful,” or “ scoffers,” as th e Revised Version tran slates, and th is in cludes all “H igher Critics” and “New Theology” men and other infidels, whose chief stock in trad e is making ligh t of w hat God H imself says and of the most fundam ental and precious doctrines of our faith. If you find yourself located in some “ seat” of learning where, as at th e Chicago University, they make ligh t of th e precious tru th s of God (th a t is the exact force of the Hebrew word tran slated “ scornful” in th e Authorized Version and “ sooffers” in the Revised V ersion), get up out of th a t “ seat” rig h t off, do not “ sit in the seat of scof fers.” 2. AnH th e second condition is, th a t you m ed itate in God’s W ord day and n igh t, th a t is, th a t you deeply, profound ly, continuously ponder the revelation God has made in th is Book, th a t you not merely study th e Bible for a qu arter of an hour or a half hour or even an hour every day, b u t th a t you store up in your m ind and h ea rt w hat you there find and ponder it day and night. Young men and women, never forget th at. There w ill be g reat pressure of work upon you in th e coming days, and many books and papers and magazines and reviews will clamor for your atten tion , b u t stoutly and steadfastly refuse to let either th e dem ands of service or of o ther lite ra tu re th a n th e Bible crowd ou t th e precious Word of God, m edita tion day and n igh t upon which, and upon which alone, spells prosperity in everything you undertake. Why is it th a t so many m issionaries and m inisters and o ther Christian work ers are so little prospered? The answer is found rig h t here, Because they give so little tim e to actually m editating upon th e Word of God, because they let work or other lines of study crowd ou t the Word of God, or else they ponder it w ithout th a t clearness of vision th a t comes from clear-cut separation from th e world and from all “m odernists” and other scoffers. II. Daniel 12:3. The second G reat Prom ise of God for th e Bihle S tudent and Soul-w inner is Daniel 1 2 :3 : “And they th a t be wise shall shine as th e b rightness of th e firm am ent; and they th a t tu rn many to righteousness as th e sta rs forever and ever.” This is a g reat prom ise for Bible studen ts as well as for soul-winners, for i t is only th e Bible stud en t who is really “wise.” It is th e “ entrance of God’s words” th a t “ giveth lig h t;” th a t “ giveth under standing unto the simple” (Psa. 119: 130.) No one can be tru ly wise, wise w ith real wisdom, th e wisdom th a t counts for etern ity as well as tim e, un less he is a Bible student. So God tells us in th is strik ing prom ise th a t th e Bible studen t shall “ shine as th e brightness of th e firm ament” and th e soul-w inner as “ th e sta rs forever and ever.” Every red-blooded man and every woman who is worth while longs to shine. If you did not wish to shine for your own sake, you ought to have a g rea t am bition to shine for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake. He H imself bids us shine. He says in Matt. 5:14, 16, “ Ye are the ligh t of the world . . . L et your lig h t so shine before men, th a t they may see your good works, and glorify your F a th e r which is in heaven.” Well, th is prom ise tells how to shine, how to gloriously shine, how to shine, not for th e few brief days of th is fleet ing life th a t now is, b u t “ forever and ever.” Be a Bible student, a Real Bible Student, and be a Soul-winner; for “ they th a t be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they th a t tu rn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” Oh, th a t large but foolish company of men and women, including not a few m inisters and theo logical teachers and w riters, who wish T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S to shine down here, to have a cheap repu tation for “ advanced scholarship,” forg etting th a t the history of th e world and the church is forever dem onstrating th a t the “ advanced scholarship” of to day ' is th e ridiculous nonsense of to morrow. Young men and women, listen, it is not worth while to shine down here, to get all sorts of degrees and titles attach ed to your name because you are un tru e to God and His inspired Word. Look back and see how th e shores of past tim e are strewed w ith th e whitened wrecks of men who shone in an apos ta te church. No, do not care a fig to shine as a g reat “ pulpit o rato r,” or “ pulpit hum orist,” or pulpit mounte bank, or a pulpit com forter by holding out false hopes to those who desire to live careless and worldly and pleasure seeking lives; it does not pay to shine down here, even as a “ golden-tongued pulpit o rato r.” It does pay to shine up yonder, to “ shine as th e stars forever aifd ever.” And th e re is only one way to shine np yonder, by being a Beal Bible S tud en t and a Soul-winner. III. Psalm 126:6. The th ird G reat P rom ise of God fo r th e Bible S tudent and Soul-w inner you w ill find in P salm 126:6, “He th a t goeth fo rth and weepeth, bearing p re cious seed, shall doubtless come again w ith rejoicing, bringing h is sheaves w ith him .” Here is ano th er promise th a t stirs the a lert and in tellig en t soul to its very depths. W hat intelligent harvester does not long to come home laden down w ith m ighty sheaves of gold en grain? B u t w hat other h arv est is so desirable as the harvest of precious souls? This too is a promise, as we shall see shortly, for both th e Bible S tudent "and Soul^winner, a Soul-winner ju st because he is a Bible student. It tells us how to come, when our brief b u t laborious harvest tim e is over, bringing our golden sheaves w ith us. L isten, “He th a t goeth fo rth and weep eth , bearing precious seed, shall doubt less come again w ith rejoicing, bring ing h is sheaves w ith him .” Ju s t th ree conditions of a bountiful harvest: “ goeth fo rth ,” “weepeth,” “bearing precious seed.” L et me change the order. 1. F irst, “bearing precious seed.” W hat th e '“ precious seed” is th a t must be borne if we are to reap an abundant harv est of the rig h t sort, our Lord Jesus H imself tells us in Luke 8:11, “The seed is th e Word of God.” T h at is the 865 only seed th a t is worth sowing, or th a t will bring a harvest of souls. Men are born again, P eter tells us, “no t of cor rup tib le seed, b u t of incorruptible, by th e W ord of God, which liveth and abid- eth forever” (1 Pet. 1 :2 3 ). To sow th e Word, we m ust know th e Word; so you can see how th is is a promise for the Bible studen t as well as for th e Soul- winner. The Revised Version reads in place of “precious seed,” “ seed fo r sow ing,” and the Hebrew words mean ju st th a t or “ a sowing of se ed ;” and th e only seed th a t is fit for “ sowing” in th e pre pared soil of th e human h ea rt is, God’s Word. H ere too we see why it is so many preachers and m issionaries and personal workers gath er such scant har vests, they are sowing something beside th e Word of God. Go listen to many sermons and note how little th e re is of th e unmixed seed of th e Word of God in them , so much hulls eye daisies and chess and Canada thistles of m an’s no tions and vagaries and speculations and conceits mixed in, un til th e ir churches look like some alleged “wheat fields” th a t we see, full of daisies, mustard, “ th e devil’s p aint-brush,” Canada th is tles and bull th istles and nettles. Oh, young men and women, always bear the “ precious seed” of God’s Word and only that. If someone tells you it won’t draw like poetry and moonshine and “advanced though t” and movies, think of Moody and Spurgeon and some of the things your own eyes have seen these past months in th is very building and elsewhere. 2. Then note th e words, “goeth fo rth .” He th a t goeth fo rth and weep eth, bearing precious seed, shall doubt less come again w ith rejoicing, bringing his sheaves w ith him .” It is not enough to have th e seed, go sow it. Sow it far and wide, th roughou t America, not for getting th e neglected fields, through China, through Japan, th rough Africa, through India, everywhere. It is not the seed the farm er has in his g ran ary th a t brings a harvest bu t th e seed he sows in his field, and it is no t th e tr u th you know, b u t th e tr u th you sow th a t will b ea r a harvest. Remember it is “ seed fo r sowing,” (R. V.) and th e tru th you have learned from th e study of God’s Word here and the tru th you shall learn in your fu tu re study of th e Word is “ seed fo r sowing.” Never forget th a t. Many a man who knows little gathers a far more abundant harvest th a n many who know much, for w hat little he knows he assiduously sows. 866 T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S 3. And once more in regard to th is promise. Note th e words, “an d weep- eth .” It is no t enough to know th e Word of God and it is no t enough to sow th e Word of God: if you would have a bounteous harvest, if you would come “ bringing your sheaves w ith ” you, you must, as you sow- your seed, w ater it w ith your tears. Not only does th-e Word of God teach, bu t experience also abundantly proves th a t it is th e Word of God th a t is given w ith a h e a rt full of love for sinners, a love th a t shows itself in tears of sympathy for th e sinner’s sorrow s and tears of pain over th e sin n e r’s sin and stubbornness, th a t bears fru it in souls saved. Here is where many m issionaries in th e foreign field fail and many preachers a t home fail, they have no deep h eart-felt love th a t leads to te ars for those to whom they preach and w ith whom they work. One of the m ightiest soul-w inners among the outcasts th a t th is country ever saw was Colonel George Clark, th e founder of th e Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. Col. C lark worked faithfully a t his bus iness six days of th e week th a t he m ight preach th e Gospel w ithou t pay seven nights in the week. Every n igh t they would g ath er in th e Pacific Garden Mis sion, four or five hundred men, mostly of th e down-and-out class. They would hang upon every word C.ol. C lark spoke, though he was no t an in teresting speak er, indeed a very ordinary and common place speaker. I never heard him give an original though t in all my life, and yet those -outcasts would sit all the evening and hang upon his words. Some of th e most b rillian t speakers in Amer ica would go there, bu t could not hold th a t crowd, bu t Col. C lark always could. I studied these strange phenomena and finally found the explanation of them. They knew th a t Col. Clark loved them , th a t he would give his la st penny for them , th a t he would wear his life out for them , as he actually did. Col. Clark was a man much given to tears as he spoke. He was a large, powerful man, weigh ing perhaps 250 pounds, and tears from such a man seemed out of place and a fte r a while he became ashamed of his many te ars and held them back. But he found th a t w ith the drying up of his tears he lost his power; and he went to God and cried, “Oh God, give me back my te ars,” and God gave him back his tears and gave him back his power. Young men and women, cultivate a real, h ea rtfe lt love for those among whom you work. Ask the Holy Spirit to make real to you th e ir lost condition and to make vivid to you th e ir coming doom if they are no t saved. I t Is n o t th e one who knows th e most h u t th e one who loves th e most who wins th e most. I th in k I would make a good missionary to th e Chinese, for I love th e Chinese; I confess I love them more th a n I do any other people. B u t look to God to give you a tear-bringing love fo r any people among whom you work. IV. Jam es 1:5. The fo u rth G reat Prom ise of God fo r th e Bible S tudent an d th e Soul-winner you w ill find in Jam es 1 :5 : “If any of you lack wisdom, le t him ask of God, th a t giveth to all m en liberally, and upb raideth n o t; and it shall be given him .” This top is a g reat prom ise for th e Bible stud en t and Soul-winner. To be a successful stud en t of the Word one needs “w isdom” and to be a successful Soul-winner, one needs g reat “wisdom” and tact. This prom ise tells how to get th is wisdom, ask fo r it. “ If any of you lack wisdom, le t him ask of God, th a t giveth to all men liberally, and upbraid eth no t; and it shall be given him .” W hat to do is pu t in one word, “ ask,” definite believing prayer. The next two verses say, “But let him ask in faith , nothing doubting; for he th a t doubteth is like th e surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. For le t n o t th a t m an th in k th a t he shall receive anything of th e Lord.” Our prom ise tells us very clearly of Whom to ask. It is p u t in two words, “of God.” Be very clear about th at. There is much asking th a t is not really “ of God.” Men pray, bu t they do not really get into th e presence of God, and “ ask of H im .” Be sure you do every tim e you pray. And no te carefully of w h at God to ask, t h e .“God, Who giveth to all liber ally and upb raid eth no t.” There is only one God Who does th a t, the God and F a th e r of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. There is much th a t is called praying in these days th a t is not unto Him. Prof. Theodore Gerald Soares, “ Professor of Hom iletics and Religious Education” and “Head of D epartm ent of P ractical Theology” a t th e University of Chicago, says, “The m ental sta te of peace, exultation and resolution which issue upon th e exercise of prayer are due to th e release of conscious tension.” T hat certainly is' no t praying to the “God, Who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth no t,” even if th e w riter is a theological professor. P resident
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