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September 1929
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Lord Jesus Himself is the perfect ex pression of the will of God. Here you find the apostle says that the life that is really presented to God, yielded to God, is a transformed life. The Lord has given us the wonderful privilege of having missionaries from all parts of the world in our home. We have said, “Why is it that our brothers and sisters, who are away in so de pressing and so sinful an atmosphere, as so many parts of the foreign field are, come home with such spiritual life, and power, and endeavor? We are surrounded with so many glorious opportunities, and yet thesè mission aries put us to utter shame by their un selfishness, and deep spiritual life. They are in the place of divine ap pointment, and that is the perfect will of God. A poor woman in London, used to wash clothes, and preach. On Monday and Tuesday she washed clothes, Wed nesday she ironed them. Thursday was a day of preparation to preach, which she did on the three following days. She was used from one end of Britain to another, by the Lord, in leading souls to Christ. She was
“The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” ' P'f -—Isaiah 55 :12.
power, but could not love him. I gave- it up. The mayor of that city was one of my leading members, and my friend. I went to him and said, “I cannot possibly love Joe Webb.” He turned to me and said, “My dear pastor, that is perfectly true. But do you know, my pastor, that the Lord Jesus loves him?” I wanted to run out of that office. I remember leaving that man’s office. As I walked down the street, I prayed, “Lord Jesus, You love Joe Webb, and I cannot, but You can give me love for him, and I ask Yqu to give me love for that man.” I said to myself, “I shall watch my heart when he comes in on the Sabbath.” I was in fear of the Sabbath. But instead of having ugly feelings toward him, I felt strange toward him. Every time I met him, I felt in my heart T could love him. One day I went to him and said, “Joe, will you for give me? Joe, I have had no love for you until the last four weeks, since my visit to the mayor’s office. He an swered : “Well, pastor, if the Lord can do that for you, He can certainly do that for me.”. One Sabbath, I was as well comparatively as I know myself to be at this moment, and was standing up in my pulpit preaching, when I suddenly fell as one dead in my pulpit. The papers everywhere spoke of the minister who had dropped dead in the church. I was picked up as dead, and taken to a neighbor’s house. They worked on my body for hours before the first sign of returning consciousness appeared. For six weeks, by night and day, dear Joe Webb, who loved me, was the slave in our family. My brother and sister, “put ye on the Lord Jesus”; “be clothed with the Lord Jesus.” It is grace at the beginning, grace all in between, and grace at the end. We find we want to bring in a little of the old Adam, and nature, and think we are a little better than God says we are; but how precious it is to put on the whole Lord Jesus, and be clothed with Him. “0 Jerusalem, thou that stohest the prophets,” etc. Christ is the covering of His people.
asked why she didn’t give up her washing, and said, “It is my place. I am in the will of God.” God wants to show us what His will is in your life and mine. T h e P lace of t h e . B eliever ’ s C ooperation Let me pass on to a further thought. The Lord Jesus tells us in His own precious Word that we, His children, are to do something else. We are not only to present ourselves. Another central idea that I desire to gather up is found in Eph. 6:11: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” And I find the Lord saying this, in Rom. 13: 13, 14: “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” This word “ put on” is the same word as that used in Luke 2 4 :49-b, “Tarry ye in the city o f Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” That word, “en dued with power,” means “clothed upon,”—until you are covered; putting on a garment. Here is something strange; the Lord speaks about putting on the Lord Jesus. Then, you will remember that in the letter to the Colossians, chapter 3 (that deals with the life of the be liever, verses 5-17, with applications to husbands, wives, and children, in the following verses), these words par ticularly are for our service : “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels o f mercies, kind ness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering” (verse 12). “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (verse 14). How precious it is for us to remember that the Lord Jesus is the answer to the complete depravity and defile ment, of our lives. The Lord Jésus Himself' is God’s answer to that old Adam. Let me explain with an illustration. Twenty-three years ago I had a man in my congregation named Joe Webb. I did not Jove that man. I did everything in my
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