sires to the Father to come down and protect that lovely Son. God’s love for us was unshaken. Only by way of the life and death of His Son could we be saved and find acceptance with Him. He did not want us to be lost so He let His Son come down into the darkness that we might be raised to glory. T he G reat P roof 1 J ohn 4 :7 In this passage, the Lord is not refer ring to the matter of loving the lovable, but rather of the miracle of loving all of God’s people, regardless of who they are or where they are. This can only be ac complished by the great power of God as the Holy Spirit deals with the heart. The presence of the grace of God in the soul enables the true believer to love unlovely Christians and those of other affiliations. This love enables him to love the lost until he gives of his substance and of himself as a living sacrifice that the lost may be found and saved. Such love enables the believer to prove that he is God’s child, has God’s nature within, and has God’s desires expressed through him. Thus he is known as a man of God. Israel needed a Messiah and the world needed a Saviour who was blessed with these six wonderful attributes. No ordi nary person could meet the extraordi nary demands of lost men. Sin had wrought havoc in the lives of young and old in every nation. This unusual Prophet who was to come needed all the attributes of heaven in order to meet the multitudinous needs of the human heart. Our Lord Jesus Christ was thus endowed and endued. The gracious Spirit of God dwelt in Him unhindered and ungrieved. His wisdom and understanding were be yond all human conception. The counsel He gave and the mighty power He re vealed attested His deity. Only Christ could and does meet that need. G reatness of H is C oming M icah 5 :2 This obscure Messiah born in a stable, cradled in a manger, and nourished in Egypt, was formerly on the throne of His Father in a past eternity. Before His birth, all things were made by Him. After His birth all salvation is through Him. It is said of Him that His “ goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.” He went forth to create the heavens and the earth by the Word of His mouth. He went forth to be born in a home of pov erty and among the animals. He went forth from Bethlehem and from Egypt to live a beautiful, perfect, and sinless life. He went forth to preach and to heal and to cast out demons. He went forth from the tomb to appear in the presence of God for us. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S N eed of H is C oming I sa . 11:2
December 7, 1947 HOSEA EXALTS TRUE LOVE HOSEA 6 : 6 ; 11:1-4
T HE difference between genuine Christianity and every false religion is explained in those precious words, “ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.” Love includes respect, honor, obedience, and reverence, but one may possess all of these things and not have a heart devo tion to the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. True love is placed in the human heart by the Holy Spirit. Love is not a natural plant in the garden of the heart (Rom. 5:5). It cannot be worked up or imitated. It is an indescribable affection for the God whom we have never seen and yet for whom we have a warm, genuine love in our hearts. This love produces a deep desire to walk with God and talk with Him, to know His will, and to do -it because we love Him. T he G reat C ommandment M att . 22:37 When true love fills the heart, obe dience becomes a pleasure and God’s presence a necessity. We are tp love with the heart where the affections are lo cated; we are to love with the soul where the desires are resident; we are to love with the mind from which the thoughts emanate. When the feelings and the thoughts coincide in love to the blessed Trinity of heaven, then the mat ter of living the Christian life is more or less simple. Love is the force which makes difficulties easy to handle and problems easy to solve. The Lord asks for the heart affections. He wants real devotion. When He has it, it will be easy for Him to get the time, money, activi ties, and talents, even the whole person. T he G reat Q uestion J ohn 21:15 The Lord is seeking worshipers rather than servants. Servants are many. They may be found everywhere, but lovers are scarce. Christ did not say to Peter, “Will you work for Me?” nor “Will you estab lish a missionary society for Me?” or “Will you go to Africa for Me?” He asked only for his love. Love alone would cause Peter to live for God’s glory and to die for His sake. Christ knew that if Peter’s love were centered in Him, there would never be another denial nor would there ever come from Peter’s lips again any unwise counsel. Peter’s love for Christ would fill his heart with a longing to live fully with his Lord and to walk closely by His side. The heart is satisfied with nothing less than the presence of the loved one. T he G reat A ttraction 1 J ohn 4:10 The sweetest experience on earth is an unsullied, unquestioned love. God reveals to us His love in the wonderful gift of Christ Jesus. It must have been a tre mendous burden on God’s heart when He sat upon His throne in heaven and saw His own beloved Son being so horribly handled at Calvary. All through His pub lic life Jesus was subjected to indignities and insults which the Father saw and Page Sixteen
Dr. Walter L. Wilson heard in heaven. Not much is told about God’s feelings during those terrible years, but we can well imagine that hosts of angels would be expressing their de
December 14, 1947 ISAIAH FORETELLS MESSIAH'S COMING ISA. 7:10-16; 9:2-7
P AUL said about the coming of Christ, “ This thing was not done in a cor ner.” Throughout the world nothing has been so greatly advertised as the birth of the Lord Jesus. The date is on every coin and on all paper currency. The date appears in every newspaper, magazine, and periodical. This date is inscribed on every check that is written. It is on every bill of sale. It must appear on each birth certificate, wedding certificate, divorce certificate, and death certificate. It is inscribed on every diploma issued by any school. It is on railroad tickets, trans fers, passes, work slips, production slips. Every letter begins with the date. So God makes every hand acknowledge the birth of His Son. A nticipation of H is C oming D eut . 18:15 God gave Israel many prophets. They came from various fields of service and revealed different characteristics. None of them had power to enforce their mes sage. However, each prophet was endued with special gifts and powers which proved that he was in touch with God. Some of them raised the dead. One of them fed a multitude with a meager sup ply of food. One prophet broke the laws of gravitation and made iron swim. The oil was multiplied and water filled ditches while fire came down from heav en at the command of another prophet. But it was necessary that the Prophet come who could not only do all of these things, but also raise Himself from the dead. To Him alone we hearken.
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