EDITED BY WM. CARSON LANTZ
3. God will undertake for the right eous and they will finally triumph (Psa. 37:12-15, 17, 28, 38-40). 4. Trust, hope and wait (Lam. 3:21, 26, 31-33, 40; Job 23:10; Mai. 3:16, 17; 4:2; Heb. 12:3-15; Psa. 37:3-7). —R. B. God’ s Wag—The Only Wag 2 Kings 5:1-14 A. Problem: Man is trying to make God conform His will to man’s plans. 1. Man’s endeavors: a. Naaman had his own idea of how he should be saved. b. Paul killed Christians thinking he was doing God a service. c. Peter tried to prevent Christ from going to the Cross. d. The nobleman in John 4 figured out how God should heal his son. 2. Man is incapable of choosing the right way: a. Man cannot trust his own con science (Prov. 14:12). b. Man cannot trust his own heart (Jer. 17:18). B. Solution: Accept the way God offers. 1. Naaman was healed by so doitig. 2. Paul was saved when he did. 3. Peter accepted God’s way and be came a powerful and bold witness. 4. The nobleman’s son was healed by God’s way. — J. H. Successful Christian Living Acts 2:42 “ And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” A. Problem: The unregenerate man questions the possibility of a Christian walk because of the failure of so many. 1. Where is the point of weakness? (Rom. 7:18, 19). 2. Can this weakness be corrected? (Phil. 4:13). B. Solution: The Christian must apply the principles of God’s Word to his life in order to obtain the reality of successful Christian living. 1. Unquenchable desire for the Word of God (1 Pet. 2:2). 2. Unbroken fellowship with the saints (Heb. 10:25). 3. Undying hope for Christ’s second coming (1 John 3:2, 3). 4. Untiring use of our access to God (James 5:16; 1 Thess. 1:10). —AM . 23
every single cell. Likewise in the new birth an individual is born com plete. He does not grow into sal vation by adding virtues, but as a complete, though not fully developed person, he grows into maturity (Phil. 3:12-14; Col. 2:10).— R.C. Aggressive Warfare Upon Christians 1 John 2:18-28 Problem: False teachers in the world are trying to destroy the faith of Christians. 1. Description of false teachers—they are numerous (v. 18). 2. Significance of false teachers—a sign of the last time (v. 18). 3. Disguise of the false teachers— formerly associated with Chris tians (v. 19). Solution: Christians must become aware of the truth of God in Christ Jesus. 1. Truth is revealed in the witness of the written Word (v. 26). 2. Truth is revealed through the wit ness of tradition (v. 24). 3. Truth is revealed through the wit ness of the Holy Spirit (w . 20, 27). 4. All truth culminates in the Person of Jesus Christ (v. 28). — J. M. God Remembers Mai. 3:14-4:2 A. Problem : A ll around us we see the wicked prospering while the righteous are afflicted with trouble, and all the while it seems that God does not see or take notice; hence the question arises in our minds, “Does God remember?” 1. The wicked prosper materially (Job 21:7-13). 2. The wicked prosper even though they tempt God (Job 21:14, 15; Mai. 3:15). 3. The wicked prosper against the righteous (Hab. 1:4; Psa. 38:19). 4. The righteous cry to God and seem not to be heard (Hab. 1:2; Lam. 3:8; Psa. 22:1, 2; Job 30:26; 19:6, 7). B. Solution: Trust and hope and wait patiently. 1. The wicked shall fall into destruc tion (Psa. 37:2, 9, 20; Mai. 4:1; Job 21:13, 17, 18, 20, 32; 20:28, 29). 2. God will judge them in due time (Psa. 37:10, 13; Job 21:17, 30).
SERMONETTES The spirit of a person who opens his heart to the light of God’s Word becomes as lovely as the flower which opens its petals to the rays of the sun.— R. B. The making of a pearl is a painful process.— R. G. A Christian should not permit cir cumstances to affect his relationship with God, but rather, he should allow his relationship with God to affect his circumstances (Gen. 13:5-18). — A. M. Don’t look cross—look up!— G. W. A few giving their all is worth more than many giving a little. —R. C. The Christian life consists not of spasmodic and fruitless sprouting nur tured by sentimental delicacies, but by a steady growth nurtured by the Bread of Life.— J. T. ILLUSTRATIONS Day by day the little plant drooped until at last all sign of life had departed. And then I discovered the trouble. The container in which it had been placed had no outlet at the bottom for drainage of excess water, and the roots had rotted away, caus ing the death of the plant. I wonder if the testimonies - of “ drooping” Christians who sit daily under the instruction of God’s Word are not slowly dying because they have not» provided an outlet for the spiritual food that has been imparted to them. Let us remind ourselves that we are to be not as sponges, but rather funnels whereby the truths of God may flow through us to others. Then shall we be healthy Christians ca pable of fruit-bearing.— J. M. A crane sometimes operates with a magnet in order to pick up scrap metal; all the metal comes up into it and the wood and rubbish remain; likewise when the Son of man shall come, we who are His shall be caught as like unto a magnet to meet Him in the air.— R. M. The cell that forms a human embryo is a whole and complete unit. In other words, at the beginning of life an individual has everything that is needed for development in
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