full surrender of their lives to Him. The Spirit of God in this text (Psalm 37:5) urges the believer to commit his entire way to the Lord. God wants all your life, not just a part of it. Having committed it, leave it in the hands of God—“ trust also in Him.” Surrender to Christ should be on a permanent basis; it should be “ for keeps.” Don’t be an “Indian giver” with God or you will miss the blessing. Another blessing that comes through trusting in the Lord is that of guidance for daily living (Prov. 3:5,6). This pre cious portion of the Word of God tells us that when the Christian has turned his entire life over to God he will ex perience the directing of the Lord. When God is the believer’s Guide he can be assured that his life will be holy, it will be happy, it will be useful. Again, be sure to notice that this Scripture states that the believer must trust with all his heart, and he must acknowledge God in all his ways. Half-hearted surrender will never bring the blessing. Again, trusting in the Lord brings the peace of God (Isa. 26:3-9). Read this passage together in the meeting. Discuss the meaning of peace, the need for peace today in the heart, in the home, and in the world; note the means of peace—the mind stayed on the Lord: what does it mean to have one’s mind “ stayed” on the Lord? Make it personal: do you have the peace of God in your heart today? (See also Phil. 4:6, 7; John 14:27.)
Mar. 8, 1953 KNOW GOD BETTER- THROUGH WORSHIP
God created the world out of nothing, He is separate from and other than the world. Because God is the Creator, man instinctively feels his dependence upon God; the expression of this feeling is part of ysrorship. Worship implies the goodness of God. The Christian message promotes the worship of God who in infinite goodness gave Himself as a sacrifice for man’s sins. The moment a man comes to see that Christ was God in the flesh taking the sinner’s place under the condemna tion of a just and holy law, that moment he worships the Son of God as his Saviour and Lord. (Read and discuss Romans 3: 21-31; 8:32; Eph. 1:1-14, etc.) The Motive of Worship Psalm 95:7 We have anticipated this subject in the paragraph above, but let us repeat: the understanding of God’s method of redemption and acceptance of that meth od leads man to the highest expression of worship (Rev. 5:7-9). Worship ought never to be offered out of a sense of duty or with a view to getting something from God. Worship has higher motives than these. True worship recognizes the Person of God—“ He is our God” (Psalm 95:7). As God He is perfect, eternal and un changeable in His being, wisdom, holi ness, justice, goodness and truth. As such He expects and deserves our high est devotion and praise. Not only is He God, but he is our God (Psalm 95:7). He is ours by sovereign grace (Eph. 2:1-10). If we had received justice only, we would spend eternity in hell; but we have received grace and mercy, thus our eternity is bright (Rom. 8:18). It is wonderful that God was willing to become our God in the face of our treatment of Him (Rom. 5:1-11). He becomes our God the very moment we receive His Son as our Saviour (John 1:12). Can you call God your God today? The text goes on to state that the be liever worships God as his God and wor ships Him because of His abounding goodness. This thought is brought out in such words as “ the people of his pas ture” and “the sheep of his hand.” As the people of His pasture we have pro vision; and as the sheep of His hand we have protection. What more could we want than this? The Manner of Worship John 4:21-24 Read this passage. Note that it teaches the true manner of worship. We are told that the sincere believer will worship in spirit and in truth. What do these expressions mean? It is the Holy Spirit that gives the new birth (John 3:3-7). This new birth puts the soul in touch with God through Jesus Christ. The new birth gives life to the spiritual nature of the believer so that he now responds to God and understands the things of God (2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Cor. 2:14). Only the born-again believer can wor- I ship in Spirit. T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
Deut. 26:10; Psalm 95:1-6; John 4:21-24 Have the entire group read these Scriptures in unison, asking everyone to leave his mind and heart open for im pressions as the passages are being read. In discussing the subject of worship it might be well to follow a fourfold outline: let us think of worship as to its meaning, its motive, its manner, and its method. The Meaning of Worship Having read the Scriptures open the meeting for discussion of the topic, “ What does it mean to worship?” Prob ably in the discussion someone will sug gest that worship is an acknowledgment of the fact of God. Discuss Hebrews 11:6 in this connection. What evidences are there for belief in a living, personal God? List these evidences on the black board: the order and design of the uni verse; the universal belief in God; the Bible itself proves the fact of God— how is this so? What is the supreme proof of God? (Study John 1:18; 14:7- 10, etc.). Worship implies the transcendence of God. This is a big word but it is an im portant word: it means that God is above His creation. Some religions teach that God is the world and the world is God. This view is called pantheism. Chris tians, however, believe that although
Dr. Louis T. Talbot Presents four 16 mm. sound films in beautiful color. "I SAW PETRA" Rose colored city of the dead. Fulfilled prophecies in Palestine. "INDIA'S SORROW" Religions of India, Missionary Work, Burning Chats, Child Widows, Lepers, Taj Mahal. ”1 SAW BORNEO" Dr. Talbot’ s trip into the interior o f this jungle island. "SIAM" Land of Fabulous Temples.
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558 S. Hope Street,*Los Angeles, California Please send the 16 mm. sound-color motion pictures: P Siam For showing on (date).............................. .... □ Borneo_____________________________________ _____ P Petra______ ..._____________________ _______ ________ O India...................................... ............................................ Your Name...................................................... ............................ Church____________ V______ ___________________S__________ Address................................ ................................ ...... City.-..___________________________ I______ State.._________
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