SEPTEM BER , 1962
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B I O L A broadcaster Monthly Publication o f the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP Voi. 2 No. 9 SEPTEMBER, 1962 CONTENTS GOD'S BEACON OF TRUTH ...... 3 PARABLES OF LIFE ................ 6 M A N 'S WORSHIP OF M A N ...... 7 HIS HOLY NAM E .................... I I W ASH ING AW A Y G U IL T .......... 14 DAN: THE BERYL STONE .......... 17 A N AM E FROM G O D ................. 19 ASHER: THE O N YX STONE ...... 21 NAPHTALI: THE JASPER ..........24 M A N 'S REST FROM LABOR ...... 25 HONOR FOR PARENTS ............. 27 THE BIOLA FELLOWSHIP PLAN. ................................29 IS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR TODAY? ......................30 WHEN LOOKING BECOMES SINN ING ............................ 32 REALITY IN CHRIST ...............34 COVER: Courtesy, Union Pacific Rail road. Grand Canyon from Point Im perial, North Rim in Arizona. 9:00 P.M . Monday through Friday 5 0 ,0 00 watts K G 0 810 kc STAFF President .... S. H. Sutherland Editor .............. Ruth D. Gill Supervision ..Thomas E. Steele Production ......... Al Sanders Printing...........Church Press Published monthly by the Radio Dept. BIBLE IN ST IT U T E OF LOS ANGELES 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Cal.
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Commandments given of God to the Children of Israel as His perfect moral law and standard of righteousness. In the Decalogue we find only 297 words. During World War II, the office of Price Stabilization sent out an order on the reduction of the price of cabbage. (Continued on Next Page) 3
T h a t w h ic h is really important by way of pronouncement, usually is capsulized in but a few words. For instance, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is comprised of only 266 words. The Declaration of Independence is a few more, totaling 300; Before us today, we begin a series of studies of the Ten
like as we are tempted, and yet our blessed Saviour was, and is, without sin. Not only was He tempted and re frained from transgression, but He has paid the price of the judgment of God upon the sins of us all. Peter says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto right eousness . . .” Set before us are the Ten Command ments, God’s perfect standards — they must be faced squarely! Our Lord has taken each Commandment, except one, and has set it on an even higher moral plane as recorded in the Gospels. Our blessed Saviour expects no less, of Us who are living under Grace than was expected of the Children of Israel who lived under the Law. The law of God is not obsolescent or out of date. There is good cause for its existence today. First, it provides man with God’s per fect standard of righteousness. Second, it exposes and identifies sin in our lives. Third, it reveals the divine holiness of Almighty God. The Law is a mirror of truth given that we might see ourselves as we real ly are. Recently I was talking with an artist who kindly showed me some of his sketches. He came to one which I recognized as a self-portrait. He de lightedly said, “Do you know you’re one of the first people to recognize me. My wife says it doesn’t look like me a bit!” I asked, “Tell me how you made the self portrait?” He smiled and said, “Well, I sat down one day and looked into a mirror and painted what I saw and can’t understand why my wife doesn’t think it looks like me.” I ven ture to say that when we look at ourselves in a mirror, we see ourselves as we think or want others to see us. Our imperfections are not readily dis- cernable. No one would buy a mirror at which he couldn’t smile politely and see himself as he wants or expects oth ers to see him. But the mirror of God’s law only, and rightly, reveals to us the stain, the vileness, the guilt, and the bent of our own lives to sinning. One of the best definitions of this is the majestic statement, “Sin is any 4
Beacon of Truth (continued) This magnanimous document totaled 26,911 words. Yes, truly, that which is most significant and important is set down in but few words. While there are some 35,000 laws on the statute books of our land, none, individually or put together collective ly, are as all-inclusive and encompass ing as is God’s Decalogue given in Ex odus the 20th chapter, and repeated for the Children of Israel in the Book of Deuteronomy. In my early days of Christian testimony, I remember hear ing one well-known evangelist speak ing on the subject of the Ten Command ments. Because of some of my own pre-conceived ideas and interests, I thought to myself — this man is trying to get Christians to live under the Law, he is not teaching salvation by Grace. This is a legal means of reconciliation which is impossible, of course. Yet, while written to the Children of Israel as they launched their journey through the wilderness, we must realize that the Ten Commandments are cer tainly a part of the “all Scripture” which God has given to us. In Romans 3:20 we read, “. . . by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified . . .” Reading two verses further we come face to face with the succinct state ment on man’s hopeless condition for, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God!” When the Lord Jesus Christ was here on earth, at the start of His ministry, He made it very plain that He had not come to abolish the Decalogue. In Matthew 5:17 He declared, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” How does one fulfil the law? It is done in one of two ways: either we keep the law entirely blameless, or we must pay the price of judgment for failure to keep it. All of us fall into the second catagory, for we have all sinned. Jesus Christ did both of these things in fulfillment. First of all, He kept the law blamelessly, impeccably—there was no sin in Him whatsoever. The Bible says He was tempted in all points
lack of conformity to the will of God.” Sin may be a knowing or an unknow ing act. It may be a sin of commission or it may be a sin of omission. There is the overt deed as well as the trans gression, of which we may not even be aware. But it is all sin just the same. Think of the multitudes of people who, upon myriads and myriads of times, break the law unknowingly. God says that any lack of conformity to the law, whether knowing or unknowing, is a sin! There is no way to escape that fact. We must face it squarely. The first Commandment God has giv en, is the one upon which all of the others hinge or are based—“Thou shalt have no other gods before me!” The Lord had every right to claim . the Children of Israel as His own. He had miraculously delivered them out of the land of Egypt. His hand of mercy had been upon them all the way from the crossing of the Red Sea to their place of worship at Mount Horeb. In Exodus 19:4 and 5, God rehearses their experi ences. “. . . I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself . . . ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people . . .” The experience of the Children of Is rael typifies the believer. Someone may say, “Yes, I know some Christians who are certainly ‘peculiar’.” But the word “peculiar” is not used in the sense as we know it today. It comes from the Latin word “peculium” which means “to acquire by right of purchase.” God has acquired the right to us as His pe culiar treasure because of the purchase price paid by His Son on Calvary’s cross. We are God’s “peculiar” treasure; He has delivered us from the bondage of sin and has every right to say, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” I f you live m SAN DIEGO "The Bible Institute Hour” M O N D A Y THROUGH FR IDAY XEMO, 860 kc. 8:00 A M . and 8:30 P.M.
M O V ING COSTS EVERYONE
If you have just moved, or are planning to do so, you know all that is involved. But did you realize that your move can also cost the Lord's work? If you have moved and have not as yet informed us, from now on it will cost Biola 8 cents (rather than 4) in order to have the post office give us the in formation concerning your new address. If you use a post card, or the forms provided by the post office, this will mean a sub stantial savings for the work of the Lord. With a quarter of the population moving every year, according to statistics, you can well imagine what this will ulti mately mean for Biola. Thank you for your prayer ful help in this, as well as in our other ministries for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Man is incurably religious; he will seek to worship something or someone. When the soul, made to worship the one true God, fails to do so, then that soul turns to lust, fashion, fame or for tune and makes of them idols. Any thing that causes us to turn our thoughts, attention, or desires away from God, has become an idol. It must surely be destroyed or it will mean sorrow to the soul and disaster to the life. John had this clearly in mind when he wrote to the early Christians, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (I John 5:21). The first Commandment is the one from which all the other nine stem. A man, truly worshipping the Lord God, will not set up images, or take the Lord’s name in vain. Such a man will honor the Lord throughout all of his days. 5
Pillow upon my breast Thy weary head, In my circling arms' Thou shalt find rest. "Today I can meet thine every need, And today M y love can fill The echoing chambers of thy heart— Then rest, thee, and be still." Be still and trust— tomorrow's tfears May all be wiped away By God Himself, O grieving heart, Thy Lord may come today! — Martha Snell Nicholson IN A CERTAIN HOME, guests were ex pected. Because of an headache, the mother was compelled to rest for a tirhe and asked her daughter to put the living room in order. The guests arrived and the moth er left her room to meet them. When she saw the living room still in dis array she put her arm around her daughter and said, “M y dear, I am disappointed that you did not take care of my request.” The daughter said, “But, mother, l have a surprise for you — look how carefully I weeded your pansy bed for you.” The mother then told her young daughter, “Yes, but I asked you to do something that I wanted done.” This Is just a picture of you and me as we come before God — we can not please Him until we first learn to obey Him. "God still speaks to those who take time to listen." * "The man who toots his own horn, usually comes out at the small end/ * *
What a joy it has been to have Dr. DeHaan with us this summer. He has given our hearts and our souls such satisfying food. In one of our sessions the Doctor told of a friend of his, a gifted inusi- cian, who, because of cancer of the throat found it necessary to enter a hos pital for serious surgery. The talented soloist asked, “Doctor, will I ever be able to sing again?” The physician, sensing the heart’s cry in this question, could not speak. He shook liis head as he turned away to hide tears. The sick man smiled and re quested that he be lifted up for a mo ment. Then, just before the operation, with a husky, wavering voice he sang: I'll praise my Maker, while I have breath, And when this voice is stilled in death. Then in His presence I shall sing The praises of my God and King. M y days of praise shall never end, When safe in peace with Christ my Friend; I'll sing these songs with perfect voice With all the saints, who there rejoice! Help me to place in Thy hands today The thing that my heart most fears Tomorrow's anguish and bitter pain, Tomorrow's sorrow and tears. Ease Thou my burden, and lighten my load, Until only today is left; Soft comes His voice in the hush of
my soul, " 0 broken heart, and bereft,
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AUGUST RADIO MESSAGES/THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
f
/ \ y m WorshipofMan
"Thou shalt not make any graven image.’
there is this seeming unquenchable thirst for power and fame, a sinful pride sweeping hearts. Molech is an enemy of God, yet, has been worshipped in many lives. In Bible times heathen people would offer children as living sacrifices to Molech. So today, parents, in search of their own pleasure and satisfaction, offer their children to the god of this world! Baal, on the other hand, was the god of lustfulness and sexuality. As we look about us on the face of this earth and realize the sinfulness of man kind, we cannot help but feel that it must surely be now as it was in the days of Noah when man did that only which was pleasing in his own eyes. Everything is bathed in sex to appeal to the depraved nature of man. Finally there is the god of Mammon, which is spoken of in Scripture as the god of money or materialism. That one word, materialism, perhaps capsulizes and characterizes, better than any oth er word, the catastrophic situation which our country faces today. We are living in an hour of godless, atheistic, materialism and covetousness. This dis ease, as a cancer, strikes at each of our hearts. We must keep up with the Jones and have everything we want when we want it. The hymn tells us, “Break down every idol, cast out every foe, Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.” During the history of India, the famed conqueror Mahmound swept across the face of the nation with his faithful followers. Coming upon an ancient temple, the priests begged him to spare the idol. They promised to (Continued on Next Page) 7
T h e m a je s t y of the Word of God de clares, “Hear O Israel the Lord [Jehovah] our God [is in the plural] is one God [a composite].” Throughout Scripture there is, from the first verse of the Bible, the teaching of the Trin ity. In Hebrew the compound word for “one” is “echad” speaking entirely of unity. As an example in Genesis 2:24. we read of the husband and wife join ing together in sacred matrimony, and the words are: “They two shall be one flesh.” Here two become one, the com pound word of unity. The first com mandment God has given is, “Thou shalt have no other gods (small “g”) before the one triune God.” Through the years, as man turns away from God, he starts a pathway of degradation. The first chapter of Romans reveals the awfulness of. man’s sin when he goes away from God and follows his own pattern of religious worship and evil living. First there is the worship of man, the creature rather than the Creator, then man goes to the worship of birds, the worship of beasts, and finally to the worship of creeping things. The children of Israel certinly knew about such objects of worship for they had so recently come out of the land of Egypt where people worshipped not only the cow but frogs, snakes, and the other creatures that were stricken by the plagues of God’s judgment. The Bible mentions at least three kinds of specific gods which were wor shipped in idolatrous practice. First there was the idolatry of Molech. Then the idolatry of Baal, and finally, the idolatry of Mammon. Molech was sup posedly the god of power. In men’s lives
ment, had both busts and candles re moved. Now there are empty niches where once the images stood. The real question is whether the sta tue is art or whether it is a part of worship or idolatry. Instead of loving Him whom we have not seen, men, the world around, have sought for ob jects they can see and touch, falling in sin to this second commandment, and into mere religious ritual rather than the true worship of God. No man in daily communion with the Lord needs to have a picture of Christ to help him pray or find a more wor shipful attitude. As a boy I used to love to fall asleep listening to my mother and father talk ing about the various affairs of the day. I couldn’t hear what they were discussing, and probably I wouldn’t have been able to understand it if I had, but it was a comfort to my child ish heart just to know they were there. Now my wife and I love to do the same thing at the end of the day, I compare notes as it were. How do you think my wife would feel if, before we began our conversation, I said to her, “Now, honey, just a moment, I want to get this picture of you out of my wallet and hold it in my hand so that I can get a good look at you and so that I can know exactly to whom I’m speak ing.” How foolish this would be. A Christian living in close fellowship with Christ doesn’t need such crutches. These things, used in worship, are de vices for the spiritually blind. God help us not to have to lean upon such false idols. In order to comply with their teach ings, some have removed these words from the text and put them in the SAN BERNARDINO RIVERSIDE . "The Bible Institute Hour" is now on the air daily 9 A M.— KCKC— 1350 on the dial (Also Sun., 7:30 AM., KAFY, 550 on the dial) 8
Man's Worship (continued) pay him richly if he would pass on by. In forceful speech, Mahmound said, “No, I would choose to be remembered as a destroyer of idols rather than as one who revered them!” Having made this declaration, he gave his men in structions to hew down and break up thte idol. As the stone image collapsed, a veritable stream of gold and precious stones poured forth from the hollow form. The conniving priests had tried to save a fortune with a temporal bribe. Yes, Christian, let us break down every idol, and cast out every foe! The Jewish people were largely mon otheists. Atheists are those who say there is no god. On the other hand, polytheists believe in many gods. Wor shipping the true God is monotheism. Why should God then give, as the second commandment, “Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image” taken from Exodus 20:4-6. Some may superficially think this is a repetition of the first commandment, coming as more or less an anti-climax. But when one actually stops to consider it and realize the conditions which existed, we can understand why God states this forceful commandment, “Thou shalt not make any graven image.” History records that during the time of Christ a number of the Jews, while they did not worship the gods of heath en lands, they were busy making and selling idols. This commandment d8es not prohibit true religious art for art’s sake, such as Sallmon’s beautiful pic ture of Christ. It should be emphatical ly underscored, however, that the mo ment any work of the hands ceases to be art, and is used in worship, we en danger ourselves and fall into difficul ty. Years ago, in Westminster Abbey — the famed burial grounds of the great and the near great of far and wide — there were busts of the departed set up outside of their individual tombs. These statues bore the likeness of the one who was buried inside. Grad ually candles also appeared, until fin ally the church leaders, in wisdom of the teaching of the second command
notes. Or, retaining the words in the text, they have been explained away in the notes—or else they have been excluded altogether. But God’s pro nouncement, “Thou shalt not make any graven image,” is clearly discemable. Had the Lord wanted us to have such things, He would have mentioned it somewhere in Scripture. But such is not the case throughout the Bible’s 66 books. Missionaries who have been trained at Biola, and other fine schools, tell us that when one comes out of pagan ism, or false religion, one of the first things he wants to do is to give up his heathen practice of idolatry. A mis sionary from Madagascar tells of the thrilling conversion of one couple. The Scriptures lived for the two natives. It was a portion from Isaiah which so impressed them. They had gone to the village in search of the idol-maker. They specifically commissioned him to make a new image for their home. The so-called craftsman went out for a suitable piece of wood. He chopped off some of the limbs and threw them to the side to be used as firewod to warm his home. Then he began cutting and fashioning the wood. The shavings were thrown into a fire which he was burn in g under the food for the evening meal. What was left became the idol for the home of this couple. As they had watched this process, and since it was so fresh in their minds, the Holy Spirit had fertile soil as Isaiah 44:16 and 17 were read. “He heweth him down trees.” “He bumeth part thereof in the fire, with part thereof he eateth flesh: and saith aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: and with the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it and worshippeth it, and pray- eth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. They have not known nor understood for he (Satan) hath shut their eyes that they cannot see.” This is the picture of the heathen but it is also the picture of many in the United States who have turned their faces against Almighty God and have neglected His holy Word.
N EW EVERY M O R N IN G Yes, "new every morning," though we may awake, Our hearts with old sorrows be ginning to ache; With old work unfinished, when night stayed our hand, With new duties waiting, un known and unplanned; With old care still pressing, to fret and to' vex, , With new problems rising, our minds to perplex. In ways long familiar, in paths yet untrod, 0, new every morning, the mercies of God! His faithfulness fails not; it meets each new day With guidance for every new step of the way; New grace for new trials, new trust for old fears, New patience for bearing the wrongs of the years, New strength for new burdens, new courage for old, New faith for whatever the day may unfold; As fresh for each need as the dew on the sod, O, new every morning, the mercies of God! — Annie Johnson Flint "N o t what we gain, but what we give measures the worth of the life we live." * ★ * "Gold goes through every gate, ex cept the gate of heaven." * * * "God gives the very best to those who leave the choice with Him ." 9 " It is bette'r to look ahead and prepare, than to look back and re gret." • * * *
illustrations
DO YOU REMEMBER THE STORY in Exodus of the experience of Aaron A t the very time God was giving Moses instructions for the usefulnes and consecration of the High Priest, Aaron was busy fash ioning a golden calf as an idol of worship. Dr. Joseph Parker, a great preacher of former days declared, “The Lord is ready to make kings of us while we make fools of our selves.” “Remember, he who through life puts God first, w ill find God with him at the last.” AT A RAILROAD CROSSING a man had been stationed with a lantern to warn oncomers of impending dan ger. An unfortunate accident did oc cur, however, and a lawsuit was filed to determine who had been negligent. Naturally, the flagman was sum moned as witness. He was questioned closely as to when and how the col lision took place. A ll questions were asked which would pertain to the details of such an accident, but noth ing of a satisfactory nature was found. The flagman firm ly stated, “Yes, yes, I was there and I was waving my lantern.” A friend later said to the flag man, “How does it feel to be under such constant pressure of inquiry?” He replied that it was all right but that he was constantly afraid the lawyer might ask him if his lantern was lighted. Christian, think your way through this illustration! * * * " A statesman is made of the right kind of timber if he can lead the people out of the woods."
" If you want to kill time, why nof try working it to death." * * * "Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom." A N IN D IA N OF OLDER DAYS who, famished and all but devoid of cloth ing, wandered into a Western settle ment. He begged for just some small morsel of food that might serve.to keep him alive. While eagerly de vouring the portions placed before him, those who were watching the pitiful creature, noticed a small, dir ty pouch hanging by a string around his neck. When asked what it was, the old Indian explained that it had been given him when he was a young man, and that he always carried this “charm!’ with him. The Indian complied with the ret quest of the folk that they might see what it was. Great was their amaze ment when they discovered that it was a discharge from the Federal Army which had been signed by General Washington. It guaranteed that whenever the Indian presented it he would be given food and shel ter — also other provision he might find necessary. This paper was his complete pension, ybt this forlorn Indian wandered around, not know ing the security which was his. We need not smile at such, an account for many are the young and old folk who are wandering men - tally and physically in anguish, and they, too, do not know that sur rounding their lives is God’s promise that if they w ill come unto Him, heavy laden as they are, He will give them rest and in love meet their needs!
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AUGUST RADIO MESSAGES/THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
>HI5 HOLY NAME
"Thou sbalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain!” n p o D A Y , w e , in America, are faced with a growing problem of profanity.
pray, “. . . Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” In the Book of Leviticus, we read that profanity was a capital offense, “And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, He shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certain ly stone him: as well as the stranger, as he that is bom in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.” Now, if that command were ¡true today in the United States, there certainly wouldn’t be many people left. Profanity has seemingly become an accepted part of our society but it is certainly not ap proved by God! There are approximately 350 names ascribed to the Lord in Scripture. In Psalm 111:9 we are told that “holy and reverend” is His Name, I might just say here, frequently we get letters from people who ask, “Do you think we ought to call our pastor, ‘Reverend’ in light of this verse? Isn’t that a name which we should save for God Him self?” Actually, I believe it depends upon your use of the word “reverend.” I think we can become very pedantic and pragmatic about such a matter. I don’t know of any minister who wouldn’t rather be called “preacher” or “pastor” than the word reverend. The real question is do we truly revere God’s Name as holy in all of our affairs of life. Again in Psalm 8:1 we read, “O Lord our Lord, how ex cellent is Thy name in all the earth! who hath set Thy glory above the hea vens.” We are a strange race of peo ple. Most men, whether bom-again Christians or not, pray at some time or other. They may offer the “fox-hole” variety, but when the pressure is on, (Continued on Next Page) 11
How tragic that nothing remains sac red. A school teacher related this amus ing incident as indicative of the trend of our day. A woman was rightly con cerned about her little boy, Johnny, who was picking up so many swear words at school. She wrote a note to the principal declaring rather heatedly, “Dear Sir: If all Johnny learns at school is, swear words, I’m going to keep him at home and teach him my self.” Sociologists tell us that Johnnys across our land are exposed to cursing earlier, and in a more widespread man ner, than at any time known in the history of our Country. Instead of a shrug of innocuous complacency we need, to be alarmed at the growing use of profanity in every area of living. With this problem of profanity, and our many other problems of the hour, we turn now to a study of each of the Ten Commandments, given by Almigh ty God as His perfect standard of right eousness. While the Law cannot save us, it reveals that we are all sinners, therefore we need a Saviour — the Lord Jesus Christ. The Third Commandment, found in Exodus 20:7, is summarized in these few words, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain . . .” In Matthew, chapter six, the words of our Saviour are recorded — they are sometimes referred to as The Lord’s Prayer. Actually, it is more properly known as the prayer which our Lord taught to His disciples. The Lord’s prayer is beautifully recorded in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John, where He, as the High Priest, inter cedes for His people. In Matthew 6, our Saviour instructed the disciples to
His Holy Name (continued) man is always ready to get on his knees and pray to God, moments later from the same tongue, will flow pro fane, lacivious language. We are living in an age when, as a nation, we must be extremely cautious as to the way in which we use the Name of the Lord God Almighty. This is the holy, divine Name by which men and women are saved, “For there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” If you are an alert Christian you, with me, are greatly concerned about the growing public use of profanity. As an illustration, several of the large television networks have declared, through their continuity acceptance de partments, that certain words which were formerly considered profane are now merely “expletives” and that if used after 9 o’clock, the time presum ably when the children have gone to bed, they will be acceptable. Their rea soning is that these words enable the actor to more adequately express him self before the camera. I wonder, if with me, you can remember a few years ago when if someone made a slip and out came one of these swear words, why, it would be in the newspaper the next day — now it is a common occur- ance. Then, our public figures are more and more using profanity. One of the most widely published magazines of our nation, “Look”, dwelt on the fact that our President’s favorite past time was swearing. In evidence, because of this use of public profanity by the chief executive, a man who had been apprehended for a crime and hailed into court, was released without pen alty by the judge because he pleaded, “I only used the same words as the President. If he did it, it must be all right. You cannot punish me.” He was let go. How tragic and how we need to pray for our leaders. It was George Washington who said in orders to his men, “The general most earnestly re quires and expects due benevolence and observance of those articles of war
which forbid profane cursing and swearing.” ' Now, Exodus 20:7 tells us that the Lord will not hold him guiltless who taketh His name in vain.. My friend, in a world of fall out shelters, the name of God is man’s only and last refuge. The word “guiltless” here means “clean.” God will consider no man “clean” who takes His Name in vain. If profanity did some good it might be said that profanity is, in some meas ure, useful. But the fact of the matter is, not only is it completely useless, but also it blasphemously misrepresents God. How often do we hear an un thinking person saying that he wishes God to damn this person or that one. Of course, the one who utters such words may be oblivious as to what he has said, that is usually the case. For the fact of the matter is, that God cannot, and does not, damn any man. The Bible forcefully points out that man by his own sin and wilfulness condemns himself. The Lord Jesus de clared in John, the third chapter, “He that believeth on Him is not condemned or damned, but he that believeth not, has already had himself damned be cause he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Strange these tongues of ours. One mo ment we use them to praise our Al mighty Creator and the next moment we use them to curse and to swear. But for a few moments let us look at something else. I’m sure few of our listeners will fall prey to the devil’s devisements and take God’s name in vain through cursing or swearing. But there is another way by which people take the name of the Lord God in vain. That is through hypocrisy. Now the word “hypocrite” represents T H IN K IT OVER He who has everything except God has nothing. And he who has nothing except God has everything. God hath given to us eternal life . . . in His Son (I John 5:11).
one who says a certain thing but lives a different way—he is actually two dif ferent people—a “Jeckyll and Hyde.” We are individually four different peo ple in one. For instance, I am the per son that outsiders know. I am the per son my family know. Then I am the person only I know. And finally, I am the person God and God alone knows. Historically, a hypocrite in the olden days was an actor. Before he went on the stage he would put on a mask then pre tend to be someone whom he really was not. For the few moments of the play, he changed his identity. There are many people today who attend church, who may know all of the songs, who may even be members, but who have never taken off the mask and are liv ing as hypocrites. In Matthew 7:22 and 23 we read of those who came to the Lord and said, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” To this the Lord Jesus turns and says, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” There are some who may be very busy in the Lord’s service but who have never had the mask of self, the old man, removed to let them see themselves as God sees them. Service is not enough. If this commandment teaches us anything, it reveals the danger of entering God’s sanctuary with unwashed hands and heart. You see, God’s name may be tak en in morality which we face today, however, there is the profanity of the life by one who may attend church but who has never personally placed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Sav iour. The Ten Commandments provide a mirror into which me must look and seek our sinfulness and degradation. Prayer without practice is blasphemy! And having thus looked, God would have us turn our eyes upon Him who is the Lord of life, Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the father but by me!” Take off the mask and receive salvation, full and free, the gift of'Almighty God.
W HO SE D E L INQU EN CY ?
We read in the papers We hear on the air Of killing and stealing, And crime everywhere We sigh and we say, As we notice the trend— "This young generation, Where will it all end?" But can we be sure That it's their fault alone? That maybe a part of it Might be our own? Too much money to spend; Too much idle time, Too many movies Of passion and crime. Too many books Not fit to be read; Too much of evil In what they hear said. Too many children Encouraged to roam By too many parents Who won't stay at home. Youth don't make movies; They don't write the books That paint a gay picture Of gangsters and crooks. They don't make the liquor, They don't run the bars. They don't make the laws And they don't buy the cars. They don't make the drugs That addle the brain; It's all done by older folk greedy for gain.
And how many cases We find that it's true The label "Delinquent" Fits older folk too.
— Author unknown
13
A s a r e s u l t of pastoral experience and counselling situations, to gether with even a most casual reading of the press, I have come to realize more fully that these are truly peri lous times. As one has well said, we live in a combustible world which is
taking a serious toll on the minds and emotional stability of men and result ing in a growing incidence of mental illness, nervous breakdowns and neu roses. In order to cope with the problems of living, the human personality re- 14
sorts to devices which psychologists call defence mechanisms, such as compen sation, withdrawal, regression, repres sions, sublimation, blame, and many others. Many of these are healthy and proper, when wisely controlled and implemented. As believers, may I say that we live in the same world; we are subject to the same pressures, the same difficul ties. As a result, even among believers today, there is an alarming amount of emotional disorder and instability -— so much so, that it is frightening to many pastors who find their counsel ing demands almost more than they can handle. Now while it is true that we are indeed subject to the same emotional stresses and frustrations, God has won derfully made abundant supply for these things. I found that God has ade quately dealt with every situation which we are told creates anxieties. We could spend a great deal of time discussing what the Word of God says about hostilities, worry, disappoint ments, environmental problems, the drive for affection, approval, security, neededness, the problem of fear, and many more. Lately, however, I have been particularly impressed with the unique part that PRAYER plays in every one of these situations. As the Lord leads and gives us un derstanding, we want to discuss many of these problems and their specific re lation to PRAYER in the life of the believer. Doubtless, many of the emotional problems diagnosed by the physicians and psychologists as emotional disor ders, in the lives of Christians, are in reality the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit and problems arising from genuine guilt. The Lord has promised to be “in us the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). He has promised life “more abundantly” (John 10:10). He has said that He would be in us “a river of water springing up into life eternal” (John 4:14), that He would give unto us the “peace of God that passeth understanding” to guard our hearts and minds (Phil. 4:6-8).
God has promised, for the believer, all the resources necessary for a complete ly satisfying and emotionally stable life, in spite of adverse physical cir cumstances or environment and in spite of the limitations of physical illness or disease which are often offered as ex cuses for our emotionally infantile be havior. Let us look now, at the problem of guilt. What effect does our prayer ex perience have on this very perplexing problem? We are told by clinicians in the field of psychology that a feeling of guilt is one of the major factors in emotional disorder and mental illness, and that serious guilt complexes may result in such things as simple insomnia, or more serious mental aberrations such as split personality, or melancholia. Let me point out first that there are many Biblical passages that relate prayer to the removal of guilt and guilt feelings. Many of the great Psalms are built upon this very thing. For instance, in the 25th Psalm Dav id prays, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions, accord ing to thy mercy . . . ’ (vs. 7). He devotes the entire 51st Psalm to telling the story of his guilt and the cleansing ex perience of knowing the Lord’s for giveness. In the 32nd Psalm he lifts a great anthem of praise to God for the blessedness of feeling the cleansing of God (32:1, 2). But before we can thoroughly un derstand this problem, we need to take a broader look at what guilt actually is. Dr. Paul Tournier, a physician and practicing psychiatrist for more than 28 years in Geneva, Switzerland, em phasizes the universal nature of guilt when he says that “All upbringing is a cultivation of a sense of guilt.” This is perfectly in order, when thoughtfully and properly done. In Ephesians 6:1 we read “Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right.” But many times parents abuse this sacred trust and do not take into consideration the further admonition (Continued on Next Page) 15
ard such as the clear teaching of the Word of God. Some psychiatrists have added a third dimension to this definition in what they have described as guilt to ward God (ibid., p. 66). A healthy at titude toward the problem of guilt will not only include the insight to differ entiate between real and false guilt but a knowledge of the teaching of the Word of God as to the cause, the con sequences, and the captivating power of sin. Such a person will be led to re pentance that leads to godliness and blessing. But let us hasten to observe the sec ond important key to handling our guilt feelings according to the Word of God. I believe we must also have a healthy and enlightened attitude to ward God’s capacity to forgive sin. Second Chronicles 7:14 says that if we will humble ourselves and pray and seek his face, forgiveness and restora tion will result. Paul reminds us that “God, for Christ’s sake” has made for giveness for the individual an accom plished fact, if we will but claim it by faith. For it has been purchased “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Pet. 1:18). Finally, let me say that prayer and faith are the instruments by which we unlock the chest of God’s forgiveness and experience His cleansing power. David said, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee . . . and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Ps. 32:3, 5). This is where we begin in the Chris tian life, but this is also where we must continue, keeping short books with God, daily, momentarily confessing our real guilt to Him, as the Holy Spirit en lightens our minds. And then, by faith, claiming and acting upon the forgive ness which He provides.
Prayer (continued) of the Lord: “Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). And Paul adds in Colossians 3:21, . . lest they be dis couraged.” I am afraid that many times we err in setting up unnecessarily strict sit uations, puritanical prohibitions built upon our own lack of understanding and personal prejudices, until we ac tually create emotional problems, and pseudo-guilt feelings that need never exist if we would but learn as parents to “live in the spirit” (Gal. 5:25, 26). Dr. Toumier further states that “not a single person passes through the pe riod of emancipation from parents with out involving himself in a life of se crecy which is always guilt-ridden” (p. 13, Guilt and Grace , Harper Brothers, publishers, 1962). Now that we have seen the uni versality and magnitude of this prob lem, let me briefly state three things that are important to the handling of our guilt feelings according to the Word of God. First, we must have a healthy atti tude toward guilt itself. In order to do so, I believe we must learn to dis tinguish between real guilt and guilt feelings. Psychologists today speak of func tional guilt, which is brought about by social suggestion: for instance, fail ure to accomplish something that needed to be done, because it was phy sically impossible (many of us face work loads that we simply cannot ac complish in the amount of time and the strength available, yet we find ourselves feeling guilty because the task is not completed). Feelings of fail ure to gain approval from a friend or a parent are also many times simple feelings of guilt for which there is no real validity. In addition, many psy chiatrists maintain that all inferiority is actually experienced as guilt. But, psychologists also speak of what is called Value guilt, that is, guilt to ward self, or guilt that arises from actually betraying an authentic stand
“The Bible Institu te Hour ” BILLINGS, MONTANA 8:00 A .M . Daily — 730 kc
AUGUST RADIO MESSAGES/THE TWELVE STONES IN THE j BREASTPLATE OF THE HIGH PRIEST D A N : the beryl stone by Dr. Lloyd T. Anderson
It will be of interest to see what Scripture says according to the words of Jacob, “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.” You will notice that it does not say that Dan shall judge the tribes, even though he may have ascended to that position at one time. What Jacob said was this, Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes — not as a superior, but as an equal. Dan was not judging others, he was judging himself, is the word we get here. This statement is an important point because it holds a lesson for you and me. Judgment has been given to us; we are to judge ourselves as believers. You and I are to listen to the exhortation of the Apostle Paul as he directs this truth to your heart and to mine. Paul applies this to the New Testament Church in its several com munities — “For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?” I Cor. 5:12. Then Jacob said, “Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward” — Gen. 49:17. This verse of Scripture would natu rally arrest our attention, and upon in quiry we learn that this creature to which Dan was likened, was a serpent of the color of sand and marked with white and black spots. By merely stretching out its feelers, it afflicted a (Continued on Next Page) 17
T h is g a l le r y of portraits from the Old Testament is a composite of value and interest, to which is added the fact of much knowledge that we are gaining as to God’s dealings with His people. To be sure, we are finding choice instruction for our own lives — indeed, instruction which may be used from youth up. Now this chapter concerns the life of Dan, the child who had been secured, through unlawful means, by Rachel in giving to her husband Jacob her handmaiden to wife, “And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan” — Genesis 30:5, 6. We see in Rachel characteristics of impatience and jealousy because of her barrenness, for she said that she was as a dead woman, despised and un wanted by the rest of the people. In her determination she resorted to un lawful means — giving her handmaid en to her husband — hoping that she would become a mother by proxy. Now this revealed a lack of real trust in the Lord. Her plan succeeded for the moment, and we do not praise Jacob for this either, but it is in the story and God wrote it down just as it happened. God lays it all out. So Rachel took this child of Bilhah, by her husband Jacob, and she said “. . . God hath judged me . . .” and she called the name of the boy, Dan — which means judge.
Dan (continued) fatal wound in the body of those who came near. These pictures of Dan and the ad der or serpent, are like Dan in his idolatry for his “feelers” in leadership led Israel away from the Lord. The first act of idolatry is revealed to us in the Old Testament Scripture as com ing from the tribe of Dan, and the first bite, as a serpent, was when the chil dren of Dan found an image in the house of Micah (as recorded in Judges, chapter 18) and they took it from the man and made it their own and the children of Dan set up the graven im age — see Judges 18:30 — “And the children of Dan set up the graven im age: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.” In turning from the body of the story of Dan, we would make note of the fact that Samson was a member of the tribe of Dan. Samson also wandered away from the Lord — but of his sto ry, with which the greater number of you must be familiar, you can find the record in the 16th chapter of Judg es. The beryl, with its flashes of yellow ish blue and varied shades of green, served, in position on the breastplate, as the representative of the tribe of Dan. The Greek word for the beryl has the meaning of jewel or gem; while the word in the Hebrew rather holds the sense of treasure.” This latter mean ing is of a stone from Tarsus. Tarsus was an important city in old en times and probably specialized in this particular stone. At any rate, the association of this gem in the high priest’s breastplate with the land of Tarsus is one more link between the Old Testament and the New — you see Paul was a citizen of Tarsus. Strange to say, the ancient peoples connected this jewel with the name of Thomas in their thinking — Thomas who was a far voyager and traveler in his work for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Christ must be given out; the Gospel must be spread abroad, and
Dr. Ray A. Myers has help from two of his grandaughters in breaking ground for My- er’s Memorial Hall. Sherry Myers (left) and Raydean Nauman are both Biota stu dents.
Myers Memorial Hall in mid-July. the believer must have a purity of qual ity in his sincerity. In concluding this study of Dan we want to read something of the words of Moses relative to him, “. . . Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan” — Deut. 33:22. In effect, the free translation is more that he would leap out suddenly as the lions of Bash an were known to leap upon the un wary traveler. This is a possible refer ence to Joshua 19:47. Then his nature was one of severity — when considering their territory was too small, they would suddenly pounce upon a neigh boring people — quiet dwellers, and take their land from them. How greatly the lion of the tribe of Dan differed from the Lion of the Tribe of Judah! 18
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