43
January 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Jesus says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you;” and yet He spake nothing except what He. heard the Father say; for He is the Son of the Father-. The Son, and therefore equal; the Son, and therefore subordinate; yet whether the Father speaks or Jesus speaks, it is one voice, one love. And not merely does He Say, “Verily,'verily;■I say unto you;” but He Himself is His message. Not like the prophets does He testify of one that was to come after H im ; but He says of Himself, “I am the bread of life. I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I give unto every one that cometh unto me rest and the water of life.” And thus, dear friends, we ascend to the marvelous truth that Jesus, the Son of God, not merely declares unto us the message of the Father, but He Himself is the message of the Father. All that God has to say unto us is Jesus. “The Scriptures and the Lord Bear one most holy name: The written and the incarnate Word In all things are the same.” -— Dr. Adolph Saphir. gfe a» N ot My W ill B u t T h ine A S in nature, so in grace, there must be a change of /"A seasons. When grim winter appears and closes the ■4 A. eye and damps the smile of mother-earth, clothing her in a snow-white shroud, and freezing her body hard and cold, think we that her life has gone and we must starve, for nature’s cupboard is empty and; cannot be replenished? Nay; we remember it lay as helpless but a year ago; but creeping beneath the sun’s director rays it day by day revived, and the spring and summer came, followed by ripe eld autumn with his lap full of golden fruit. Oh; how often shall the Master savens. ere we cease to be afraid? When shall we learn to trustfully repose, through hope and despair, through joy and sorrow, in that eternal principle of truth, “We know that to them that love God all things work together for good” ? “All things are possible unto Thee; remove this cup from Me.” The prayer is, however, by no means complete here. There must be something more than the acknowledgment of God’s power. We may come to God and say, “Thou art able,” and He answering may declare, “I am willing.” But should He declare, “I am not willing,” what then? I f there be nothing more than the acknowledgment of God’s ability; the result will be disappointment and unbelief; and according to the estimate we had of God’s ability there will follow this bitterness. “H'owbeit, not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” C hristian Axiom s 1. The best Commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself. 2. The best Teacher of the Bible is the Holy Spirit. 3. The best method for study of the Bible is to obey it. 4. Unless one believe the Bible to contain nothing but the truth, with God as its author, he cannot understand it in its parts. Unless he believe that Jesus Christ not only has come in the flesh, but shall likewise yet come, he cannot understand the Bible as a whole. 5. Unless one love the Lord Jesus as his all in all in this life, and his sole hope in the next, he cannot walk in the full light of the Bible^Aow Panin.
worthy to bear; he shall baptize.you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” If John’s testimony concerning Him was true, Jesus would baptize with the Spirit, and this He did on the day of Pentecost (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 Jeru salem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 2 :1, 4 ) : “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come * * * they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” The Gospel of John gives the manifestation of Jesus from His baptism to His crucifixion. The Book of Acts gives the witness of the Spirit. By water, sin was acknowledged, attested by the Voice from heaven. By blood, sin was atoned for, attested by the Resurrection. By the Spirit, sin was annihilated, at tested by the Church. These three agree. They were all open, all attested. (Acts 26:16) : “For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.” Human knowledge is based on the testimony of man. We only grow in knowledge on this basis. Men are under obligation to receive adequate testimony from a true and competent witness. (Matt. 18:16): ,, “But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” To prove a certain fact one must have witnesses.- all truthful men. The disciples were such witnesses. They had given up all they held dear. They had testified against evil. The effect of their testimony was joy and peace. God gives life through His Son. Man believes in the testimony concerning Him, as recorded in the Word of God. Believing, he enjoys the life which is promised. He has within him the certification of the Holy Spirit (v. 10) I “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in HinisHf.” First, he believed that it was true. Now, he knows it is true. (2 Tim. 1 :12) : “Foi 1 know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day,” The L iving Word W ERE the prophets dependent upon momen tary visits of the Holy Ghost? Look at Jesus. You never read in the gospels that the Spirit came Him, abiding, living. Oh, how beautiful is that expression of the apostle Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” Not, “Thou utterest the words of eternal life;” but, “Thou hast them: they are Thy property, Thy possession. Thou art Lord of the words, Master of the words, fountain of the words.” Notice again, the prophets say, “Thus saith the Lord.”
upon Jesus, or that the word of God came unto Him. The Spirit was always in Him; for He had the gift of the Spirit without measure. The word of God was always in
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