Biola Broadcaster - 1972-10

cision for Christ. Again, the question is what does Cod do in a given individual's life? In what direction are we headed? Consider two people taking an ex­ amination in school. The one writes his test with some of the best pen­ manship possible. His paragraphs are in beautiful style and every­ thing is expressed well. The other student puts down his answers in a scrawl which is scarcely readable. When the teacher grades the pa­ pers, if the scrawling on the paper has the right answer and the one with the beautiful hand is wrong, what is the advantage? If you are going in the wrong direction, or if you do not have the right answers, and are not walking with God, you need to pause, examine your life, and give yourself wholly to Christ. Jesus said, "Not every one who saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." You see, it is entirely possible to be in­ volved in religious deeds and still not know Christ as personal Sav­ iour. This is a tragic fact. We really must call persons to commit them­ selves to Christ, not just to copy Jesus. We would urge you to give your life to God and walk with Him. In this way you will discover the fullness of life and satisfaction the Lord has promised. The last part of Matthew 7 is a very beautiful illustration and a fit­ ting conclusion for any sermon. Christ says that a man who hears His sayings and does not do them is like one who builds a house on the sand. And when the rains and the floods come, the foundation washes out and the house col­ lapses. The one who hears His say-

righteous precepts and yet they turn aside from Him personally. A study of church history points out how it was the Christians who took care of the orphans and old people during the days of the Ro­ man empire. They built the hospi­ tals, schools and other similar cen­ ters. Wherever Christianity has been adhered to and followed tru­ ly, men beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Christian faith changes, even rather revolution­ izes, a man. Keep in mind that mortal man is the highest level of creation, God's masterpiece. He is really a thinking animal. The im­ age of Cod has been defaced by our sin. When a person makes an idol out of his own freedom, abili­ ties and reason he has turned against Cod. This is why Jesus warns us to beware of false proph­ ets. The difference can be deter­ mined by checking the fruit. You may well be persecuted for Christ's sake because you are a witness who discerns evil. No one likes to have his faults pointed out, telling him that his life is incom­ plete. We must be very careful that we do not develop a censorious spirit or a judgmental attitude. The preaching of the Gospel is not a case of talking down to people, condescending to their level. The issue of being a Christian is wheth­ er you are walking with Cod or not. Such is not measured by a level of our personality or intellect. Many non-Christians can put to shame believers when it comes to emo­ tional balance and mental achieve­ ment. It is entirely possible, how­ ever, that those who walk with Cod have come much farther than those who have never made a de­

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