1
326 calling him “ Satan.” Peter was Satan- inspired in his objection; he had no savor of the Father, hut the savor of Satan upon him. The'Lord recognizes the same voice that He had heard in the wilderness when Satan said “ Fall down and worship me.” Every true follower must renounce self, self is to be denied—crucified. “If any man will.” Every man must choose for himself. There is a link between the cross and the crown in every believer’s life. “ I f we suffer with Him, we shall be glorified together.” Faith in a crucified, risen Christ will insure your entrance into hea ven, but heaven has no crown for shrink ing, shirking, superficial Christians. There never has been a time when the call was clearer than it -is today, “ I f any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up the cross and follow me.” If you are really loyal to Jesus Christ and His Word, you will have ample oppor tunity to suffer with Him. By W . O E T E R gave his convictions o f who he thought, Jesus was. A young man came into my office and said: “Jesus is a won derful being. I asked Him to help me and He led me to three men who gave them selves to Christ last night. This young man was confessing that Jesus Christ hears and answers prayer in behalf o f unsaved men. Meet the Cross .—Many people love Jesus’ person and like His work and teaching, but do not like His rejection in the world. The stamp o f the cross on the material things and the fleshly things o f this world. Peter shrank from the cross. A little girl asked her papa to buy her some ice cream on Sunday, as they were passing a con fectionery store. But her father said, “ Not today, it is Sunday.” It was a bit o f the cross not to satisfy the flesh by buying things that were not absolutely necessary on Sunday. Bear the Cross .—This old nature does not always enjoy the demands o f disciple-
T H E K IN G ’ S BU S IN E SS
PRACTICAL POINTS (1) Whaf a man thinks o f Christ deter mines his destiny. (2) The cross.of Christ draws the coura geous and drives aWay the coward. (3) A public confession o f Christ is rewarded by a public commendation from Christ. (4) The believer in the Christ o f the cross, • should be the bearer o f the cross of Christ. (5) The savor o f Satan is to be detected in the denial o f the suffering o f the Saviour. ( 6 ) The crown o f thorns gives place to the crown o f the throne. (7) The value o f the soul can be estimated by the price paid. ( 8 ) Our motto should be “ I’ll bear the cross, endure the shame, supported by Thy Word.” H. Pike. ship laid down in this lesson, namely, “ Deny self.” This does not mean self- denial, such as giving up chewing gum for a month and giving the money to Missions, which no doubt would be good for all who chew gum, but it means denying the self- government o f my soul. Most o f us would rather be like the little girl who was asked by her uncle “ how she came to be so big.” She answered, “ God made me and I just grew the rest all myself.” W e Christians like to say, “ God regenerated me, but I have lived a splendid Christian life all myself.” A lady was asked to play at a social function. At the close a minister complimented her and then asked her to give her h.eart and talents to Jesus Christ. She was provoked and went home angry. She wanted' self to have the honor o f her ability instead o f Christ, That night she could not sleep. Before morning she yielded to Christ and wrote those beautiful words, ,“Just as I am without one plea.”
PERTINENT ILLUSTRATIONS
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker