No one can live a complete C h r is tian life until three m ighty events
are behind him in his own experience . These m ighty events are the
c ru c ifix io n and the resurrection and the coming of the Ho ly Sp irit
P eter preached his Pentecost ser mon against the backdrop of three tremendous events, the crucifixion, the resurrection and the coming of the Spirit. He speaks of all three in his message. No man can give a complete Christian message, anymore than he can live a complete Christian life, until all three of these mighty events are behind him in his own experience. There is such a thing as living on the wrong side of either or all three. Consider the matter of living on the wrong side of Calvary. A ll sin ners, of course, are on the wrong side of Calvary in their own experience because they have never come to that fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. Sometimes when a prairie fire breaks out they meet the menace by burning off a stretch of ground ahead so that the hungry flames are stopped when they reach the area already burned over. Calvary has been burned over. Sin and Satan did their worst there. Sinners on the Wrong Side of Calvary The problem of sin was dealt with once and for all and until man ac cepts the provision of God made on the Cross, He is on the wrong side of Calvary for without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Our Saviour was given the name Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. And the way He did it is not found in Peter’s state ment in verse 22: “ Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you
are gospel-ignorant. The average church-member does not know what the gospel is. Jesus did not come pri marily to preach the gospel. He came that there might be a gospel to preach, as Dr. Dale said. The gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried and rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. That is the gospel and we don’t work up to it, we start with it. The early church did not worship a memory or make a living showing shrines where Jesus did this and said that, as visitors are today shown the innumerable places where George Washington slept. They had a living Saviour. We are not to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps trying to imitate a Galilean teacher. That is like watching a play. We are transported out of this world but presently the curtain comes down and we come to and find we are back in the midst of things as they are. Trying to re capture the Galilean experience is a discouraging business. A Personal Salvation, Not Remote Control We need to get on this side of Cal vary. Something was done there that enables us to share His life today. It is not inspiration or imitation but identification. “ Christ liveth in me” is different from my trying to live like Jesus. He came not to take my part but my place and He did that for both sinner and saint. He died for us. He lives in us. We are not operated by remote
by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him, as ye your selves also know.” It is found in the next verse: “ Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and fore knowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” I am thinking of those today who try to be Christians on the wrong side of the Cross. We are not like the disciples who followed our Lord in Galilee. They lived on the other side of Calvary. What was normal for them is not a norm for us today. I have heard it said: “ Start out with what you can believe about Jesus. Follow Him as a teacher if you can not receive Him as Saviour and you will end up saying with Thomas, “My Lord and my God.” Now of course God will meet any man who seeks Him. It does not take a seeking Saviour and a seeking sin ner long to meet. But it is not preach ing the gospel to tell a man merely to follow “ Jesus Christ of Nazareth, a man” . There is a rash of novels today based on the life of Christ and we are conjuring up an imaginary Jesus of Galilee and a lot of dear people are trying to follow Him by way of the Sermon on the Mount and the Golden Rule. But He gave these messages to the disciples and not to the world. The message for today is the gospel. Gospel-ignorant Americans I hear a lot about Americans be ing gospel-hardened. Actually they
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