July, 1968 /
Volume 8 /
Number 7
MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE BIOLA FELLOWSHIP
president ................
S. H. SUTHERLAND
editor .....................
AL SANDERS
production ..............
BILL EHMANN
printing ..................
CHURCH PRESS
ON THIS MONTH’S COVER
CONTENTS
Biola student Sue Wallis of River side, Calif., and next year's presi dent of The King's Daughters gives flowers to Biola's nurse. M iss Ruth Gardner, and housemother, Mrs. Leona Iversen. The two ladies are retiring after many years of dedi cated service for the Lord.
PILGRIMS — Vance Havner ...... 3 FAITH HONORS GOD — Stanley Collins .................... 5 GOD'S AB ILITY TO SAVE ........ 7 GOD'S AB ILITY TO SUPPLY ..... 11 ARE THE DEAD CONSCIOUS? — Lehman Strauss ...................15 PANEL DISCUSSIONS ............... 19 PARABLES A N D PEARLS ..........23 STUDIES IN I JOHN — Lloyd T. Anderson ............. ,.30
Second Class postage paid in La Mirada, Calif. Printed in U.S.A by Church Press, Glendale, Calif. Address: Biola Broad caster, 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, California 90638.
th e b i o l a h o u r
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1050 9:30 A.M. MTWTF San Diego
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9:30 P.M. MTWTF 910 4:00 P.M. Sun. 860 8:00 a.m. MTWTF
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1500
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1440
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1570 8:00 A.M. MTWTF
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Continued on Page 34
I
by Dr. Vance Havner
PILGRIMS S ome op us are beginning by now to rate as old-timers. We can re member when “I’m Bound for the Promised Land” was almost a theme song of the saints. We took seriously the Scriptures reminding us that “This World Is Not My Home.” We’re strangers and pilgrims seeking a City. This earth is our passage and not our portion. Say what you will, the Old Book gives no comfort to those who would drive their tent pegs deeply in these lowlands. It warns against the love of money, the cares of this life and the pride of it. It would have us love not the world, but lay up our treas ure in heaven. It reminds us that a man’s life consists not in the abun dance of the things which he pos- sesseth. It’s high time we heeded this counsel. We used to feel like travel ing on. Now most of the saints feel like settling down. Of course, God’s people have a right to the common comforts of life. The old mystics were sometimes mis taken: we’re pilgrims, not hermits. Living in a hole doesn’t make us any holier. Our Lord had nowhere to lay His head. The early saints bear lit tle resemblance to the new variety out not to overcome the world, but to enjoy it. The heroes of faith in He brews 11 don’t remind us of many modern successful Christians. We are plainly bidden in Scripture not to be conformed to this world. We use the same standards the world uses, but we glorify them with our religious phraseology. There is no denying that the tenor of the New Testament and the spirit of the early Christians are foreign to our pres ent-day “at-homeness” in this world. That spirit prevailed until King Con stantine paganized Christianity, try-
ing to Christianize paganism. Then we lost our pilgrim character and the marks of our heavenly citizenship. The church has become a gigantic super-corporation, another “big busi ness” so like the age in which she lives. It was a dark day when the church forgot that we had no home down here. One of our religious leaders spoke recently about the dan ger of becoming a church instead of a sect. His position was that a sect is usually small and poor, and rises up in judgment against the sins and evils of its day, whereas the church moves along Main Street and its membership is made up of the so- called best people. The tendency of the church is to conform to the pleas ures and comforts of the world and that includes conformity to a self- centered complacent society. Somebody has said that revival begins with a dedicated minority defying the values of this world and living under stringent discipline. It’s possible to have a big bank account and be poor in spirit, but the com bination is rare. If we can use the world without abusing it, well and good, but when we feather the nest too well, the eaglets do not fly. Going to heaven doesn’t thrill sci ence very much today. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard an old- fashioned sermon ab o u t heaven. “There’s a Land That is Fairer Than Day,” but most of us are not look ing that far away. We are near sighted. No longer do we view the distance scene. We’re satisfied to watch the nearest TV screen. At best we think of ourselves as citizens of earth trying to get to heaven when really we are citizens of heaven so journing on earth. Bunyan’s immortal Christian had 3
today Paul is our inspiration and Demos is only a warning. I read somewhere of a wild duck on migration which came into a barn yard where tame ducks were feeding. He liked the food so well that he stayed a day, a week, a month. Then he stayed the whole season. One day, as he was feeding and feasting, he heard a familiar honking in the air overhead. He recognized the call of his companions, winging their way home. His eyes sparkled, his heart beat faster and he rose to join them. But alas, he’d fed too well and could get no higher than the eaves of the barn. He said to himself, “Oh, well, what difference does it make? The food’s good; I like it here.” So he spent the rest of his life in a barn yard. Then the day came when his old companions passed over and he never heard their call. You know, I’ve seen men and wom en who once mounted up with wings as eagles. They’re now content to live in the filthy barnyard of this world. True, sometimes in an old-fashioned meeting or under the spell of some powerful preaching, they may catch a few notes of the life they used to know, the song of saints on higher ground. Their hearts may beat a lit tle faster and their eyes fill with tears. There may even be a moment ary urge to sing, “My heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay.” But, alas they fit too well in the flesh pots of Egypt! Finally they reach the same stage when they respond no longer from the call on high. I beg you, friends, don’t settle down in the barnyard of this world. We have here no continu ing city, we seek one to come! We’re pilgrims and strangers. Set your affection on things above!
no use for Vanity Fair. In our days we’re trying to come to terms with the world. At best we’re out to re form the world, not escape it. Chris tianity always loses ground when Christians make themselves at home down here. We’re transients in this world, not residents. We're spiritual children of Abraham, not sons of Lot. Our homes and churches are only tem p o ra ry quarters. The finest church buildings around are only makeshift structures though they be as big as the Pentagon. The moment we settle down we cease to be pil grims. Then we change our theology to suit our practice. We decide to build the kingdom here instead of bringing back the King. We forget that the Holy City comes down, and that this present order is doomed to destruction, no matter how we dress it up. What use is it to set our affec tion upon it or have treasure in it? We but gather spoil for moths and thieves. Several Bible characters warn us of our folly. Consider Baruch, the sec retary of Jeremiah. He stood with the weeping prophet when almost everyone else was against him. No doubt his contemporaries asked him, “Why do you stick with this old pes simist? He has no future. You’d bet ter side with the up-and-coming young prophets.” Then God said to him, “Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not.” In other words, “This is no place to ‘feather your nest.’ You have no home down here.” In the New Testament there is Demos, who forsook Paul, having loved this present world. I don’t know what form that defection took, whether he was lured by money, suc cess or pleasure, but he liked it too well down here. He may have ended up as Mayor of the town with a good supply of stocks and bonds. When Paul ended his career, he had no stocks save those on his feet and no bonds except those on his wrists, but 4
A child isn't likely to find a Father in God unless he finds something of God in his father.
by Rev. Stanley Collins Glasgow, Scotland
FAITH diorwM GOD
G | od ’ s H all op F ame ” often has been the term used to describe the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Here we find such things as what faith is, what faith achieves, and how faith triumphs. Whenever you are tempted to discouragement, ta k e heart in these blessed truths. As an example of the importance of these verses, we see that the sixth makes it very clear and plain that without faith it is impossible to please God. Here are thrilling stories of great men and women who exercised im plicit trust in God. As a result, God greatly honored them in life and in death. We see from this portion of Scripture that God did not always deliver His people as we would ex pect. In those circumstances, in His divine economy, they knew the bless edness of Paul’s testimony, “To de part and be with Christ which is far better.” It is erroneous to imagine that if one has enough or sufficient faith, he can avoid everything in life which is unpleasant. The fact is, we can have faith enabling us to over come every obstacle. We can have faith that we might believe the im possible. We can have faith that we might achieve great and mighty things for God. This doesn’t mean, however, that as soon as we get the first ache or pain all we have to do is exercise faith and we will be de livered. The Saviour indeed prom ised, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” The first Biblical character I want to call to your attention is Abel. The Word tells us that by faith he of fered unto God a more excellent sac rifice than Cain. You see, God hon ors, faith, because faith honors God! Cain was so incensed with ha
tred that he murdered Abel in cold blood. It is ridiculous to think that God could not have saved Abel. This was the God who was going to de liver Daniel from the den of lions, and the three Hebrews from the burning fiery furnace. It would have been the simplest thing to intervene, even to strike Cain dead before he had the opportunity of wreaking de struction. This is an illustration of the fact that faith doesn’t lead to a life of sunshine, ease and luxury. Abel’s faith cost him his life. With God, however, living and dying are not as important as they are to us. Time is only for a moment while we are to spend eternity with Him for ever. The second case we want to point out is that of Enoch, this remark able man who walked with the Lord in a day when nobody believed in God. Violence and corruption filled the earth. Men’s hearts were over flowing with evil thoughts continu ally. Yet Enoch walked with God. This saint was one of two men who never tasted death (Elijah being the other who was translated). This was because Enoch exercised faith. The Bible doesn’t even begin to intimate that there was the slightest degree of difference between the faith of Abel and Enoch. He was equally pleased with both. For Abel, how ever, it brought murder, while for Enoch there was deliverance from death. The third case we want to point out was Noah. God warned him of things that were yet to be. While no signs were given specifically, the Lord’s words were sufficient for him. The whole situation, as Noah could see it, was entirely opposed to what the Lord had said. God warned of a 5
He will not, He will not Desert to its foes. That soul, though hell Should endeavor to shake, He’ll never, no, never, No, never, forsake.”
coining judgment by flood, and that Noah should build an ark for salva tion. You know how the people mocked the patriarch for his indus trious activities. Noah preached for 120 years, against the scoffing and jeering crowd. His test of faith was just “plugging on.” He did the thing he knew God wanted him to do. When the ark was finished, Noah entered it with his family and all the animals. Noah was delivered by faith. Here were three different men, ex periencing three entirely different results of their faith. God may call you to a life of blessing and deliver ance such as Daniel experienced. Look at Hebrews 11:35 and see there how that “Women received their dead raised to life again.” This hap pened in the days of the New Testa ment. The same verse, however, de clares that “others were tortured, not accepting deliverance . . . others had trial of cruel mockings and scourg- ings, yea, moreover of bonds and im prisonment.” Think of Stephen. Could God have saved him? Of course, but his death was used in the salvation of Saul of Tarsus who became Paul the Apos tle. The vital thing was not the pro traction of Stephen’s life. In his dying Stephen could accomplish a tre mendous purpose in fulfillment of the will of God. Whether Stephen lived or died was probably tremendously important to him, but what was more important to God was the degree of faith which he exercised. Your faith must be tested by God. You must not be left with the impression that the Christian life is just a bed of roses. While it’s the happiest, the most won derful, the most glorious life, still it isn’t easy. Christ never said it would be. Sometimes the Lord permits us to go through deep sorrows. Because of faith we shall never be lost in the waves of trials and temptations.
Put your trust in God afresh to day. Remember, whatever may be in your path at the moment, what God is even more concerned about is that your faith may be a delight to His heart. Yes, God honors faith because faith honors God. "STRENGTHEN ME" To look life squarely in the face, And pay whatever price it asks, And not complain; To mate the ideal and the real, To bridge the high and common place; To understand the souls of them that dream, And yet to love the blind. To learn to summon visions quickly, In times of blinding sudden need, To chase no phantoms. Nor turn aside, Nor cheat, Nor compromise. To fight unceasingly For our most precious faith Delivered once unto the saints, To store within my mind His Word Which meets my every need; To keep always before my eyes Forever painted on the inside of my lids The face of God's dear Son, Who died for me on Calvary; Nor ever doubt His Word, His grace, His power. To see the shining worlds beyond the far horizon, To know there is no loveliness Which I may not possess through Him, To keep the windows of my soul Always open skyward And never to forget that at the end I shall see God— This is my shining banner!
Lord, strengthen my arms, That I may hold it high.
“The soul that on Jesus Hath leaned for repose,
— Martha Snell Nicholson
6
Save
by Dr. Lehman Strauss
3 ABILITY TO
W h e n one studies the personal ity of God, he learns that there are some essential and unique attri butes of deity without which our Lord would cease to be God. For ex ample, the Bible teaches that one of God’s attributes is omniscience. -This is made up of two words. The Latin prefix, omni, means “all.” When cou pled with science, it stands for dll knowledge. There is not one thing that God doesn’t know. Another attri bute is omnipresence. God is every way present in all places at all times. The third is omnipotence. This rep resents the all powerfulness of God. In fact, the ability of God knows no inability. This truism is not debata ble. Millions recite in their creeds every week, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.” Keep in mind that it is a very different thing to live day by day in utter dependence upon the exercise of God’s omnipotence in our behalf. How do you face prob lems, trials, and tribulations? In Matt. 19:26 we read, “With God all things are possible.” The same truth is stated negatively in Luke 1 :37, “With God nothing shall be impossible.” There are many things we humans are unable to do. Luke 18:27 points out, “For the things which are impossible with men, are possible with God.” Jesus said “Without me, ye can do noth ing” (John 15:5). He also said “If ye have faith, nothing shall be im possible unto you” (Matt. 17:20). Oh, the blessedness of discovering our weakness and God’s power! One woman told me she had done all she could to get her husband saved. Now she was just about ready to give up. She needed to learn that God is able to save to the uttermost. She had not yet trusted God for the problem. An
other person told me that she was not able to eat or sleep since the death of her son almost a year pre viously. She had given serious con sideration to suicide. She believed God was able to help her, but she had not committed her particular prob lem to Him. She didn’t trust Him for the help. Because of our lack of faith, we try to meet problems head on with our own strength. How fool ish we are. The Bible tells us clearly the many things God is able to do. We must believe that He will. Take your Bible concordance and note that on the very first page is the little four-let ter word able. Trace it through the Word of God. You will be blessed by such a study, I know. Hebrews 7:25 declares that “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Christ’s priesthood combines two things: intercession and power to save. He is just as able to save now as when He walked along the Pales tinian roadways in the long ago. We talk about saving money, saving property, saving things; Jesus never did. He used the word in connection with saving men from the penalty and power of sin. When Zacchaeus was converted Jesus said, “This day is salvation come to this house . . . the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:9-10). The word uttermost ap pears in only one other time in the New Testament. There it is used negatively of the woman who was afflicted by demon power (Luke 13:11). Luke says that she could in no wise lift up herself. Jesus com pletely healed her. So, from the in completeness of the sinner’s spirit- 7
men should be saved. None are ex cluded from God’s love. Since God wishes all men to be saved, one might wonder why He doesn’t save everybody automatic ally. The fact remains that all do not want to be saved. I used to find this hard to believe until I began to do personal work. I had scores of people tell me that they weren’t in terested in God or His salvation. The Lord has only one way of saving men. That is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). There are those who would devise some scheme of their own. Romans 10:9 is God’s simple plan. If you would trust Christ fully with your own heart as your Lord, then God will save you. If you re fuse to do this, you are automatically rejecting salvation, choosing rather to go to hell. Paul’s prescription is still the only remedy, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). The story of the rich young ruler, who came to Jesus seeking eternal life but went away unsaved, is one of the best known in the Gospel rec ords. It has been well entitled, “The Great Refusal.” There are three dif ferent accounts: Matt. 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18. Matthew says he was a young man, Luke adds that he was a ruler and rich. Luke testifies more over that he had not lived long until he learned that riches can’t satisfy the human heart or purchase eternal life. The fellow came running to Jesus. In humility, he kneels before the Lord. He is honest to admit that he doesn’t have eternal life. He was deeply concerned. It takes more than wealth and influence to satisfy the soul. The tragedy is that he didn’t get saved. He would not accept the fact of Christ’s deity. He called Him “Good Master” (Mark 10:17). The Lord replied, “Why callest thou me good: there is none good but one, that is God?” The critics of the Bible are wrong to suppose that Jesus here denies His own sinless
ual condition, Jesus is able to save completely, from the deepest degra dation of sin to the uttermost. Christ became the author of eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9). His salvation is unending and perfect. He grants pardon from the penalty of all sins. The high priest, under the law, could no more save men than can the Ro man priest, or the Jewish rabbi or the Protestant clergy. Because of their own sinful nature, they cannot effect salvation for others. All men themselves, priests and all, need to be saved. Jesus Christ, the great High Priest, by His virtuous life, vicari ous death, present intercession, is able to save entirely forever. Christ is the only Saviour. There is salvation in none other. The Bible is pre-eminently a Book of salvation and Jesus Christ is the Saviour for whom it is written. Salvation is the one great need of man. The Scrip tures reveal how sinners may be saved. Every prophecy about the coming of Christ is seen to be a pre diction about the coming final salva tion. All men need to be saved because all men are lost. All Jews are lost and need to be saved (Matt. 10:6). All Gentiles are lost and need to be saved (Luke 19:10). All children are lost and need to be saved (Matt. 18:10). Sin has corrupted all man kind (Rom. 5:12). There is no per son in the human family who does not need to be saved. Because of the universal need for salvation, the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men (Titus 2:11). Like th e sun breaking through on a dark and cloudy day, the Divine favor and love of God has come to all men. It is not that all men will be. saved, but that grace alone makes it possible for all to be saved (I Tim. 2:3-4). The Lord is not will ing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). Without distinction of race, color, culture, or condition, all 8
ness and deity. He is trying to show the young man that by the very title he used, He was indeed God. He wanted to see that if he recognized goodness in Jesus, it was because Jesus is God. Jesus told him he should keep the commandments. He gave our Lord some answers we will consider in our next message. Let me urge you to never forget that God is able to save to the uttermost. If you don’t get saved, it isn’t because God doesn’t love you, or hasn’t pro vided a way of salvation. It is sim ply because you have chosen to go to hell. God will never send anyone to hell. Men, themselves, choose to go there. Don’t you be one of them. “Be lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!” P art II I T is always TRAGIC and heart-break ing to see people reject the Lord. Such was the case of the rich young ruler.who, as far as we know, chose to be in hell forever. He went away sorrowful. Keep in mind; no one ever comes to Jesus finding salvation and then goes away sorrowful. Christ al ways makes the heart glad. In Mark 10, Jesus said to him that he should keep the commandments. They all had to do with man’s relationship to his fellow man. He excluded the four that have to do with man’s relation ship to God. The wealthy fellow re sponded, “All these I have kept from my youth up.” There is no reason to think that the young man had not kept them. No doubt he was very sin cere. The Apostle Paul testified simi larly concerning himself in Phil. 3:6. There may be many men who don’t literally violate the law of God. Christ said, “Thou shalt not kill.” I don’t believe the fellow ever did kill anyone. The same is true with other statements. Keep in mind, how ever, that there is more than the letter of the law. The Saviour de clared, “Ye have heard . . . Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say
unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath com mitted adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:27-28). There is more than the overt act. What about the heart? Then the Lord gave the young man an opportunity to prove the righteousness of which he boast ed. “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest; go thy way, sell what soever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me” (Mark 10:21). Jesus isn’t teaching that to be saved one must be poor or give up his riches. He is merely pointing out that a man with a divided heart cannot be saved. This rich young man was willing to guard the law and give out his wealth insofar as his relationship to his fellowman went. But he refused to obey the first commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods be fore me.” He wanted salvation but not at the expense of any sacrifice to himself. Gold was his god. Silver is not a substitute for salvation. The one thing this man lacked was the thing that mattered most. He would not take up the cross and follow Christ. No wonder he went away sad and sorrowful. He made a fatal choice. His was the great refusal. Two things impress me greatly. Jesus loved him. While he was lost, he wasn’t unloved. Then Christ didn’t pursue him. He didn’t try to persuade him to change his mind. Jesus told His disciples why so few were saved. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25). This saying surprised them. They had imagined that riches were an evi dence of God’s favor. There are ob stacles of one kind or another placed in the way of any person who would be saved. In the case of the rich young ruler it was his riches. The disciples asked among themselves, 9
tomobiles, or any other means, to get there except the blood of Jesus Christ.” She resented that. “That’s your interpretation,” she insisted. But you see, this is what God says. He doesn’t have two ways of saving men. There is only one Saviour for all mankind; Jesus Christ is the uni versal Saviour. There is one Book for all the world, the Bible. “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.” The entire Bible is full of salvation. Have you ever been saved? The only reason you are not saved is be cause you haven’t trusted the Sav iour. There are many people who say, “Well, I don’t believe in hell. A lov ing God will never send anyone there.” This is correct. God will not send anyone there. He is a righteous and a just God. God didn’t create hell for men. He created it for the devil and his angels. If you end up in hell, it is because you chose to go there. God is able to save you and is able to save you now. He said, “Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.” God won’t turn you away. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” PROGRESS Until I learned to trust, I did not learn to pray, And I did not learn to fully trust Till sorrows came my way. Until I felt my weakness, His strength I never knew, Nor dreamed till I was stricken That He would see me through. Who deepest drinks of sorrow Drinks deepest too of grace; He sends the storm so He Himself, Can be our hiding place. His heart that seeks our highest good Knows well when things annoy. We would not long for heaven If earth held only joy.
“Who then can be saved?” (Mark 10:26). Jesus answered assuredly, “With men it is impossible, but not with God. For with God all things are possible.” When a man is born again, it is not by the will of man, but of God (John 1.13). It is impos sible for any man to be saved by his own means and methods. At the same time it is impossible for God not to save a man if he will come through Jesus Christ. The trouble is too many people want salvation on their own terms. Many years ago I pastored a church in Pennsylvania. One Monday morning I went into a drugstore for a tube of toothpaste. The woman be hind the counter was taking care of the customers. Her husband was mix ing prescriptions. She greeted me, “Good morning, Reverend. I under stand you were very dogmatic in your sermon last night.” “Well,” I said, “were you in church?” “No,” she re plied sheepishly, “but a customer was in this morning who told me about it. From .your message last night, I understand there is only one way to heaven.” I quoted John 14:6 for her. She responded rather starch ily, “Oh, that’s just your interpreta tion of the Bible.” I asked, “What’s your interpretation?” She began to illustrate, “Suppose the Jewish peo ple in our community want to go to Philadelphia. They decide to do it by automobile. Suppose the Christian Scientists want to go to Philadelphia. They decide to make the trip by train. If the Jehovah Witnesses want to go to Philadelphia they might ride bicy cles. There are many ways to get there. Now any one can readily see that we all got to Philadelphia; we simply went by different routes.” I listened intently to her words, and then as kindly as possible suggested, “There’s one thing wrong with your illustration. When men die, they aren’t going to Philadelphia. They will be going to heaven or hell. You won’t use boats, planes, bicycles, au- 10
by Dr. Lehman Strauss
Supply
SABILITY TO
I T is wonderful to have the assur ance of heart that God is able to supply. II Chronicles 25:9, “The Lord is able to give thee much more than this.” Many people, like the rich young ruler, do not turn to Christ because they fear that they must give up something. The truth of the matter is that the price of our sal vation has been paid in full by Jesus Christ on the cross. Salvation cost God much, but it costs the sinner nothing. Every saved person knows this. While this is a fact, there are those Christians who have not learned to trust God for their daily supply. In this portion of Scripture we see that young King Amaziah, only 25 years old when he began to reign, was con fronted with a problem which caused his people no little concern. The Edo mites, the enemies of Judah, were at tacking them. Feeling that his army was insufficient for the battle, he hired a hundred thousand trained fighters from the neighboring king dom. Each man cost him the equiva lent of about $2.50, or a grand total of some $250,000. Before Amaziah could organize his h ire d army, “Thefe came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel . . . But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy” (II Chron. 25:7, 8). King Amaziah’s first concern was for the money he had paid, a quarter of a million. He wanted to know what to do about the losses. The man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give thee much more than this.” Were you ever called upon by God to give up something? I’m not think ing of your surplus which you could
easily do without. These are the utter necessities I have in mind. You made your plans, but they were suddenly interrupted when the Lord showed you His plan. Deciding to follow Christ under such circumstances is not always easy. God is able to make up any seeming loss we sustain through giving up something for Him. Any sacrifice for Him is never a loss. Some of God’s children will never trust Him fully until they learn that the things which are seen are temporal (II Cor. 4:18). No child of God ever lost anything by trusting his heavenly Father. One trouble with many of us is that we are too like-minded. We are like the honest preacher who said, “Heaven is my home, but right now I don’t feel a bit homesick.” His congregation had just presented him with a new auto mobile. We find ways and means of getting what we want apart from prayer and utter dependence upon the Lord. Most of the things we want we don’t need. There are those who walk daily with implicit faith in God’s ability to supply all their needs. They are not content with merely singing “On ward Christian Soldiers.” They really endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Like Paul, they can say, “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ” (Phil. 3 :7). Christ never failed Paul. “I have all and abound; I am full” (Phil. 4:18-19)i. There are those Christians who confess they haven’t found Philippians 4:19 to work. One reason is obvious: the promise is conditional. Those saints at Philippi had offered a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. Their devoted service had placed them in a posi tion to claim the promise. When a 11
that knowledge now. I needed faith then. I need more faith now. I need ed love for others then. I need more for others now. I needed humility then. I need more humility now. I needed courage then. I need more courage now. I needed joy then. I need more joy now. I will need all these things tomorrow. We are like leaky vessels. We just cannot contain it all. We might have had great pa tience under a previous trial* but old patience is a stale commodity when one is facing a new trial. Thank God, our needs are not beyond the reach of God’s supply. While God worked great wonders for Paul, He desires to do the same for all of His chil dren. Think first of the supply. The Greek word here means to make full. In other words, there is an abundant supply. I think of the widow whose creditors wanted to take her two sons in payment for her unpaid debt. All she had in her house was a pot of oil. At the command of the man of God, she borrowed every available vessel from her neighbors. Then God’s servant said, “Pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And said unto her, There is not a vessel more” (2 Kings 4:4, 6). What a thrilling story! Bring your vessels, not a few. Let God supply all your needs by pouring into those vessels of His fullness. This wonderful promise is to those who offer a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God. May this be true in your heart is our earnest and sincere prayer. The small boy’s profound definition of parenthood was suggesting that his mother and father were babysitters for God. * * * Profanity is simply a public announce ment of a man's stupidity.
Christian sacrifices for Christ’s sake, that Christian can be well assured that God will never be his debtor. This passage is not written to un saved people. It does not even apply to all Christians. It is for those who give themselves and their substance as a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God. Some Christians rightly make their giving an act of faith. I know of no better way to be assured of future supply than faith fulness to God in the present. He is the faithful rewarder of self-sacri- ficial service on our part. Who can estimate the range or the depths of God’s resources? Your need may be met by His riches. Your need may be very great, but His riches are far greater. God’s infinite and ex haustless fullness is enough for any man. He supplies all our needs not to relieve us of responsibility. There are no restrictions or limitations placed upon a faithful steward of God. Just as we trusted Christ for salvation, we can trust Him for our daily supply. Look for a moment at Paul now aging in a Roman prison cell, waiting to be put to death. Yet, he is cheer ful according to Phil. 4:10. He is contented, Phil. 4:11. He is confident, Phil 4:13. Paul’s heart is overjoyed with the love which prompted the saints at Philippi to send him their goods for his release. God would abundantly repay them for all that they had done. What are our needs? The greatest is to recognize that we have a need to begin with. The tragedy of the Laodicean church lay in this very thing. They were saying, “I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” Jesus said, “Thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). I am much more needy now than thirty-five years ago when starting out as a new Christian. I needed knowledge of the Scriptures then. I need more of 12
P art II G od is th e wonderful P rovider for all our needs. The provision is for all our needs. See the plenti- tude suggested in Phil. 4:19, “as- cording to His riches in glory.” There is more than one way of giving a penny to a beggar. You can throw it at him if you like. You can pitch it into the mud as you throw a bone to a dog. You may grab a coin out of your pocket as though you were los ing an eye tooth. There is yet anoth er way of doing it: by a courteous kindness which expresses sympathy for the poor creature’s need. We have seen that God has rich abun dance in wisdom, grace and love. Now we are told that He gives ac cording to His riches. As rich as God is in goodness, wisdom, grace, and glory, so He divinely meets our every need. This He does by Christ Jesus. Never leave the Lord out of this promise. It is by Him that the Father .supplies our needs. “He that spared not His own Son, but deliv ered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). See the won derful truths in such other verses as Col. 2:9 and 10, John 14:2 and 3; John 15:16; and John 1:16. Elijah stands out among the Old Testament saints as one who proved that God was able to supply even in the time of famine and national dis aster. The prophet obeyed the Lord and secluded himself by the brook. There God’s ravens fed him. I don’t know anything about bird language. The God who created birds does. He even tells them how to get their food (Matt. 6:26). They were told to take care of His trusting child (I Kings 7 :l-6). I grant you that this method of supplying the needs of a man is rather unconventional and far re moved from social forms. The aver age Christian would probably appeal to his family, friends, church em ployer or a loan company. How many know how to trust God when a need
arises? Elijah did. David testified, “I have been young, now am I old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread (Psalm 37:25). David didn’t say he never saw the righteous suffering or sorrowing. He did say he never saw a righteous man forsaken by God so that he should be forced to live by begging. The righteous man has a bold entrance into God’s storehouse. His prayers avail much (James 5:15). The secret of the supply is uprightness of heart. “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk unrightly” (Psalm 84:11). You must turn to Christ. Come to Him as you are, empty and in need of His fullness. Trust Him and Him only. There is another interesting point in our study. We read in Scripture that God is able “to succour them that are tempted” (Heb. 2:18). The Greek word translated succour means “to hasten to the cry of another,” “to render assistance.” Christ is the One of whom the inspired writer is speaking. He hears our cry of dis tress and hastens to our aid. In the light of widespread physical, emo tional, and mental distress in these times, I would say that this is a most blessed truth. How comforting to know that the God who saves and supplies our every need is abundant ly able to succour us. Christ came in order that He might taste death for every man. He was made perfect th ro u g h sufferings (Heb. 2:10). This statement has troubled the minds of some students. The ques tion is sometimes asked, “How can a perfect person be made perfect?” The answer is in the fact that verse 10 does not refer to the person of Christ. He had no moral faults which needed to be cured. It is rather in reference to His office, a merciful and faithful high priest (Heb. 4:15). The Greek word translated perfect in Heb. 2:10 means to make adequate or completely effective. The suffering 13
in the face of the unknown future. We need wisdom to meet the respon sibilities of each new day. Why are we so slow in coming to Him who alone is able to help us? The Great Physician lays His ear to the heart of suffering humanity, detecting the restlessness and feverishness in it. He says “Come unto Me.” He is touched with the feeling of our in firmities. Let the grief-stricken, the sorrowing, bring all to Jesus. Our pain is His pain. Our agony is His agony. Our suffering is His suffer ing. Christ was moved with com passion for all sinners, and He moves toward you with compassion today as you trust Him. May God help you to turn to the Saviour at once, and may you find the peace and joy and blessing t h a t can come alone through faith in the Son of God. I'LL LIVE ETERNALLY The Lord is my leader, the Lord is my guide. In Him each day will I abide. He'll guide and direct every step that I make, And watches o'er each path that I take. There is a place up in heaven made specially for me, Just as there's a place for a blossom on each tree. The Lord is my leader, the Lord is my guide. His Word in my heart deep down shall I hide. I walk with Him in faith every day of my life, And I know He'll lead me through trouble and strife. And when He comes back again that glorious day I know that I'll be with those He'll take away. — Cindy Coatney
through which our Lord passed as a man made Him completely effective in His role of succouring mortal men who would need such sympathy. Christ’s sufferings then did not af fect moral perfection. The Bible leaves no room for doubt as to why our Lord took upon Himself the like ness of man. He came to fill the three-fold office of Prophet, Priest, and King. These three offices are re lated to the past, present, and future. He filled His office as Prophet when He appeared on earth the first time. He filled His office as Priest as He appears even now in the presence of Gor for us. He shall fulfill His office as King when He appears on earth the second time. A point not to be overlooked in the Old Testament is the fact that the function of the priests revolved around the blood sacrifice. They were shadows of the one great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the epistle to the Hebrews, Christ’s office of priest is fully and e la b o r a te ly explained (2:17; 3:1; 4:14; 9:26, 24, 28). The prophet represents God before man, making God’s will known to them. The priest represents Him before God, presenting the sacrifice for man’s sins. Our Lord is at the right hand of the Father, engaged in ac tive intercession on ou r behalf. Christ died in order to present us to God. Rising from the dead, He lives in order to preserve us for God (Rom. 5:10). Christ died for the world of lost sinners, but He lives for those who have already received Him (John 17:9). These are the ob jects of Christ’s priestly ministry. There does come a time in the life of every child of God when the heart needs the sympathetic ministry of the Saviour. I don’t suppose there has been a time in America quite like the past fifty years in which the lives and hearts of God’s children need this heavenly balm. Yet, how few have availed themselves of it. We need peace of mind and security 14
by Dr. Lehman Strauss
ARETHE DEAD
famciouA?
O F ONE THING IN THIS LIFE men may be certain and that is death. Millions have died, and millions now living are going to die. “It is ap pointed unto men once to die” (Heb. 9:27). “Death has passed upon all men” (Rom. 5:12). “Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return” (Gen. 3:19). “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4). Men should know the truth about this subject before they die. There is a great deal of the confusion existing about this. Traffic in the realm of spiritism, while it goes back to the most ancient times, is popular in the world today. There are numerous sects, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, and others, who hold to the idea that at death the soul lapses into a state of sleep or unconsciousness. The Bible is the authoritative and final word on the matter of life after death. The Bible never contradicts itself. Satan con tinues to work in men’s minds by the abuse and misuse of statements in Scripture. In the Bible there are true and in spired records of lies. This does not mean that the Holy Scriptures are not true. There are no actual contra dictions whatsoever. There are rec ords of people, however, who have told lies. Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). The first inspired record of a Satanic lie is in the devil’s own words (Gen. 3:4). In Genesis 2:17 God had said, “Thou shalt surely die.” The Holy Spirit guided Moses to record the devil’s lie. There are in the book of Ecclesi astes some statements which perplex the average Christian’s mind. The record of these statements is in spired, but the utterances them
selves are sometimes false. They are the conclusions of the reasonings of natural man apart from divine reve lation. The recurring phrase, “un der the sun” g.ives the correct under standing to this book. Read the book through in one sitting. Note the ap pearance of that phrase. It is re corded 27 times. Solomon is giving his personal testimony of life from a worldly viewpoint. This is not God’s viewpoint from heaven. “Van ity of vanities; all is vanity” (Eccl. 1:2). Now I don’t believe that. While Solomon said it, and the Holy Spirit had him record it, it is still not true that all is vanity. Are you telling me that it is vanity to receive the Lord Jesus Christ? Certainly not! Is it empty and nothingness to read the Bible and study it? Of course not! All is not vanity. Again, “That which is crooked cannot be made free” (Eccl. 1:15). This isn’t true. Crook ed Jacob became the converted Is rael. Crooked Saul of Tarsus became the Apostle Paul. The crooked are still being made straight, as I can give personal testimony. This natural man, reasoning un der the sun, spoke another untruth when he said that carnal indulgence is the best way to live (2:44). That is not true. Solomon said, “Eat, drink, and be merry. Tomorrow we die.” In other words, “Live it up, have a great time, forget all about God.” That’s not true. You had bet ter not live by that verse, my friends. This man left God out of his think ing. He made another false state ment in 3:18-20, stating that men are like beasts in that they both have a common destiny. This is not true. The Holy Spirit recorded and preserved these words to show us how a man will think under the sun, 15
This dear girl had not been properly instructed for the Bible teaches that the dead do know something. They are very conscious. You see, God cre ated you and me for eternal con scious existence. Never accept the false theory that the dead know not anything. These cultists have simply built a doctrine on the part of the text. They have wrested a text from its context and built upon it a false system of error. This is the devil’s lie. The devil would like you to be lieve that your soul sleeps and you are unconscious throughout eternity. It is not so. We need to consider in our next message some of the plain and posi tive Scriptures on this subject. At this moment, however, without wait ing any longer, will you receive by faith God’s gracious truth, revealed in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? Any one of us could die before turn ing the next page. May I solemnly warn you that if you have never been born again, you should come to Christ at once. Confess that you are a sinner. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let God save your soul. P art II T here are some very plain and helpful Scriptures in the Word of God concerning life after death. In Philippians 1 :21 Paul says, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Here is an inspired statement that is true. The unsaved man, in his right mind, does not consider death to be gain. To him, death brings a sting, according to I Cor. 15:55-56. Through fear of death, he is all of his lifetime subject to bondage (Heb. 2:15). Why should he fear death if this would end all? Death is an enemy to the unregenerated; it’s a terror (Job 24:17). For the Chris tian, death simply means to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better (Phil. 1:23). Another plain Scripture is found in Rev. 14:13, “And I heard a voice
apart from the revelation of God. Every Christian knows that such a conclusion is false. Of all the false reasonings of the natural man, one statement in the book of Ecclesiastes is the height of folly. See 9:5 in which we read, “The dead know not anything.” False cultists such as Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others, have seized this lie and have built their erroneous theory of soul sleep upon it. These perplexing scrip tures don’t teach us about the condi tions of the dead. They show us how far wrong a man can be when he reasons apart from divine revela tion. When Solomon said that the dead know not anything, he was not speaking of the truth. Come to Luke in the New Testament. When the rich man died and went to hades, he was conscious. He was in torment and suffering as he begged and pleaded for mercy. He said, “Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame” (16:24). Did he know any thing? He certainly did. He knew that his brothers were unsaved. He wanted someone to testify to his fam ily before they died. Whenever a man reasons apart from divine rev elation, he always comes to a false conclusion. Many years ago, my wife was in a hospital in the city of Philadel phia. She had undergone major sur gery and had a very lovely nurse. We knew the woman was religious by the way she acted and reacted. One day in the corridor, I asked, “Do you go to church?” I wanted to get to spiritual matters. She said, “Oh, yes, I never miss.” She was so gracious, I inquired, “Where are you going when you die?” She brushed it off nonchalantly, “Oh, I never give that a second thought. Don’t you know that when you’re dead a per son doesn’t know anything?” I won dered where she went to church. 16
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