February 1927
76
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
1 IT GIVES US PECULIAR JO Y to announce Dr. McNeill’s The Rich Ruler coming with us as a member of our facu lty and also as by D r J ohn M c N eill T P a s t o r ° f the Church of the Open D o o r . as » as » as » as » I WANT to speak to you of this story of the rich young ruler as we have it in Mark 10, the man who made the
ence, the Presence of Jesus in the flesh, traveling to the cross and the resurrection and the glory, traveling to meet you and m e . in the C h u r c h today. He is brought under the spell of a great Pres ence ; for even in the days of His humilia tion, do not forget that no humiliation could utterly cloak and hide the essential dignity and glory of the Son of God. Now it is a poor beggar under the spell of Christ’s Presence. When they tell him that Jesus is passing in a crowd, the mere mention of His name electrifies the poor despairing beggar and he cries out to Jesus, “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy-on m e!” Again, at the other end of the scale, Zacchaeus, supervisor of Inland Revenue in the Jericho district, under the spell of Christ’s Presence in the days of His humiliation, before He reached the cross and the resurrection and the glory under •the spell of that Presence he, a public official, with that starchiness which is supposed to go with public officialism, forgot all his so-called dignity of office, and he ran ' before the crowd, like boys running ahead of a procession and climb ing the lamp-posts, to the distraction of the policeman, and climbed up into a syca more tree—he, a man high up in Church and State. And this rich young ruler came under the spell of that same. Presence. We have no rank in our system that corresponds with the rank of this rich young ruler, a member of the House of Lords, so to
great refusal. He refused, through cowardice, the very thing he asked about —the possession of eternal life. "The incident made a marvelous impression on the disciples, that the Lord should have handled this man seemingly with such severity. I am sure that after the Lord had laid His terms upon him, “Sell what thou hast, and fall in behind with these fishermen from Galilee,” Peter wanted to run after him, and to say, “Stay! The Master did not mean just that.” This young ruler was worth all the disciples put together—for prestige, and position, and influence, and money. We are all agreed about money. But there was a look in the Master’s eyes that made Peter stop. He did mean what He had said. Christ never speaks carelessly. But is it any wonder that the disciples said, “On these terms, Master, who can be saved?” A man puts a pistol to your head, and says, “Your money or your life.” But here Christ says, “Your money and your life.” Then they say that preaching gets dull! If we preached as our Master did I do not think it would get dull; and if we kept up the terms as He did. “Hand yourself over just as you are utterly, and I will give you back as much as I want to, and as much as will keep you going. You will have no quarrel with My terms.”
speak, a member of the Sanhedrin. These people are just the people who are apt to be cautious, and to keep inside the lines; but under the the spell of Christ’s Presence, this rich young rifler forgets his rank and his dignity and comes running, and falls down in the middle of the crowd and puts his question, “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” May the Lord revive the power of His own name, and may it quicken us and thrill u s ! At any rate, may we cease to be indifferent; for He is in our midst—Christ, who is clothed with the majesty of His glory and of His resurrection. But when He was here in the flesh, some were glad, and some were sad, and some were mad; but none were indifferent. The people of that generation saw things in the light of that Presence and of that Preacher. The Lord revive His Word, and make His Presence felt, as He did in ancient time; and He will if we ask Him. And we may have that Presence in greater power. Then why this flatness, and tameness, and indif ference ? T he G reatest Q uestion He is under the spell of a great question. There is no greater question. “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” ) It is the greatest question
Blessed be God, multitudes of people have given up for His sake what life holds dear, and they have no regrets. In these days we are sometimes apt to make people think that the Gospel is not only free, but dirt cheap,'— and it is not. It is as severe, if it is severe, as it was then. We talk about changing and advancing and developing. There is no change in the Master’s conditions—absolutely none. Hand yourself over just as you are and just as this hour finds you. This young ruler had a good deal to give up; and every man has something to give up. It all ¿wings round you, and when you meet JeSus you discover a great truth—that He is to be the Center for you, or nothing. “All or nothing” is the call of the Gospel. You, with your pride and masterful ways, hand yourself over; surrender your masterful ways, your will and everything, and let Him be your Master. Let Him be the Master of every penny in your purse, and every dollar in your bank account. If you are a fraudulent trustee, I pity you in the reckoning day when you meet Him. If preaching is dull, then it should not be dull, with a Christ like that to preach. T he P ractical P oint , There is a practical point to the story; all this is intro- dtietory. Here is a man under the spell of a great Pres
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