October, 1964
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I B I O L A broadcaster Monthly Publication of the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP Vol. 4 No. 10 OCTOBER, 1964 CONTENTS ARE YOU UNCLEAN .................... 3 ARE YOU UNLOVED ..................... 5 SERMON ON THE MOUNT ......... 7 SERMON ON THE MOUNT ......... 9 READY TO MEET GOD ................ 11 WHEN WEALTH IS POOR ......... 13 A TEMPLE WITHOUT GOD ......... 15 THREE GREAT QUESTIONS ......... 17 TALBOT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY TESTIMONIES ......20 PANEL DISCUSSIONS .....................26 BIOLA FELLOWSHIP PLAN .........32 TUESDAY-THURSDAY BIBLE STUDIES ............................33
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President.....................S. H. Sutherland Editor........ i .......................... Al Sanders Production ...............Virginia Schwepker Printing ............................ Church Press Published monthly by the Radio Dept. BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Cal. Controlled circulation postage paid at Los Angeles. California
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H ave you ever felt the more you have read Scripture and the clos er you have gotten to the Lord in fel lowship with Him, “I am so unworthy and unclean?” At a recent Bible conference in England I was speaking with an 18- year-old teenager who seemed to be a very fine Christian youth. He told me that he had a longing to be a mis sionary. Looking very wistful he ex plained sadly, “It’s no good for me. I can’t do it. You probably wouldn’t understand, but some time ago I did something which I can’t get out of my mind. It makes me so ashamed. I was away from the Lord at the time and I got myself tied up in things I shouldn’t have done. Every time I think of what I would like to do for the Lord, these thoughts come into my mind again, ‘What? You? After what you’ve done?’ So I reckon God only has special people as missionaries. I’m no good.” It wasn’t hard to see that here was a boy who had a great sense of vi sion and purpose. He had a deep love for those without Christ. His problem was in being crippled by something in his past. How frequently I have coun selled with older people who have
spoken about how their Christian service had been crippled because of things they had done as believers. Great shame and remorse was their lot. Maybe you are longing to go as a missionary, or perhaps you just de sire to be used in the church in some small way. I told this young man a story about Martin Luther who was similarly tempted. He was having a dream one night which was very vivid. The devil came to him and craftily reasoned, “You are a servant of God. Yet look at this list on which are written all the sins you have committed. How can you ever hope to serve God with such sins in your life?” In response Luther asked, “Devil, are .those all the sins? Can’t you think of some others?” And sure enough the devil could. Finally, when the lists were exhausted and satan could recall no more sins, this great man of God declared, “Pick up your pen and write across that sheet, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’ ” This is the message of such verses as I John 1:9 as well as the entire truth of Scripture. I had this youth read the verse aloud, “If we confess
will be forgiven through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ. When you confess your sin it is immediately blotted out and forgiven in heaven before Almighty God. But the Lord does not stop there. He goes on to cleanse us, and oh, how we need this so desperately. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see any sign of your sin, for you are clean. The enemy of your soul is the devil who wants to keep you from God’s appointed task. If he can hold you from the mission field, from the pulpit, from the Sunday school class, or wherever it may be, he has won a tremendous victory. He does this by lying for he is the father of lies. We seem to fail to remember that when God forgives, He forgets. There is no more record of your sin in heav en. The Lord can only see you clothed in the righteousness of Christ. The devil is the only one who seeks to bring your past record to you after your sins have been con fessed. Have you had similar problems in your life? Is the devil having a great game with you ? Has it left you with a real sense of guilt? You can be sure that God doesn’t do that. Satan seeks to use your memory to his own selfish, mean, despicable purposes. See that which separates you from your possible service for God. What is keeping you away is only make-be lieve. Realize the two things the Saviour can do for you and say, “Thank You, Lord Jesus. Not only am I forgiven, but I am cleansed.” God bless you as you turn away from your past and step out into all that God can do for you and through you. God's promises are lifesavers which keep us from sinking into the sea of trouble and despair about us. * * * An easy-going Christian life will gen erally make the going easy for Satan. By keeping things in your own hands, you'll eventually lose them all. But what you give to God you will forever possess. 4
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But having done so he turned to me and stated, “I’ve confessed my sin to the Lord, and He’s forgiven me. It isn’t that. It’s just me. I feel so miserable and so unworthy inside.” In response I THE HEAVIEST CROSS It is not His cross that is heavy; It is those that our hands have made That hinder us on our journey, On our aching shoulders laid; There is strength for the load He gives us And balm for the thorn He sends, But none for the needless burdens, And none for our selfish ends. We bear a burden of sorrow, We carry a weight of gold, We cling to some treasured idol And. will not loose our hold; We bend beneath troubles and wor ries, We drag the load of a wrong, And we cry that the cross is heavy, And sigh that the way is long. Let us drop the sin that besets us, Let us cast aside our fears, Let ifs give our griefs to Jesus, And break our pitcher of tears! Let us learn of the meek and lowly, Who giveth the weary rest, Let us take His yoke upon us And walk with Him abreast; For His yoke is easy to carry, And His burden is light in weight; He will do His share of the labor, For He is a true yoke-mate. Are we weary and heavy-laden? Are we anxious and full of care? That is not the cross of His giving, But the one that we make and bear. —'Annie Johnson Flint suggested he look at the verse again for it says if we do just one thing, God does two things. If we confess our sins, God is both faithful and He is just. He forgives our sins and then He cleanses us from all unrighteous ness. This young man was only dwelling on the first part. Our sins
ARE YOU UNLOVED?
by John Hunter
T here is a great deal of discussion today concerning the subject of love. But this topic generally carries an earthly, sensual or immoral conno tation. Let me tell you about a woman I met at a Bible conference some three years ago. She came to me with so much sorrow in her heart. She was an attractive woman with three lovely children, but her husband had been re peatedly unfaithful. Finally he had left her and had gone to Hawaii. Here was a woman with deep emo tional conflicts and one who now felt very much unloved. Although the man had treated her in this manner, she still loved him. Now, sometime later, I have had the opportunity of meeting this woman again. It was im mediately obvious that she was exceed ingly happy in a very radiant man ner. Her children seemed especially joyful, too. I assumed that the wan dering mate had returned, however, she informed me that he was carrying on just the same. He had been with many women in the 36 intervening months. She declared, “But I have real peace and joy. God has wonder fully blessed our home and made up for the hollow emptiness. My oldest boy is 15 and as a teenager he loves the Lord. He says he wants to be a missionary when he grows up. What greater blessing could I ask?” This woman had learned to apply the truths of Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit to her spiritual life. The other children were also converted and were growing in the Lord. I asked her, “How about your husband?” She declared, “I would have him back tomorrow if he would 'come with repentance and with a de sire to join us in learning about the Lord Jesus.” What a beautiful spirit of forgiveness she revealed. Her faith had gloriously and wonderfully triumphed over the circumstances of a broken life.
Paul rightly declared, “For I know whom I have believed and am per suaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” To think that He is able to keep all that which we commit unto Him. There are no strings attached to this or to any of God’s promises. This woman, in blind child-like faith, had taken God MY FATHER KNOWETH Precious thought, my Father knoweth, In His Love I rest, For whate'er my Father doeth Must be always best. Well I know the heart that pjanneth Not but good for me, Joy and sorrow interwoven, Love in all I see. Precious thought, my Father knoweth, Careth for His child. Bids me nestle closer to Him When the storm beats wild. Though my earthly hopes are shat tered, And the teardrops fall. Yet He is Himself my solace, Yes, my Friend, my all. Oh, to trust Him then more fully, Just to simply move In the conscious. calm enjoyment Of the Father's love. Knowing that life's checkered path way Leadeth to His rest, Satisfied the way He taketh Must be always best. at His word. She was quietly expect ing the Lord to take care of the situa tion. The fact that her husband was still behaving immorally wasn’t caus ing her renewed heartache. She testi fied,“! know God is working in his life. He writes to me occasionally to tell me how miserable he is, and how he’s so sick of the kind of life he lives. Yes, I can see the hand of God 5
working. I’m still unloved and I ’m still lonely, but I’m rejoicing because God is working. I believe He is going to save my husband, bring him back to me, and make him a real man of God.” Here was a woman of great faith! This woman had literally risen and grown spiritually into a glorious maturity through this experience. She had moved into a place of victory! The joy which had filled her heart was being seen through the lives of her children. They, too, were praying for their father. A BUSY BUSINESS MAN'S PRAYER Take my wife and let her be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Take her moments and her days; Leave me mine for my own ways. Take my weekly offering That so grudgingly I bring Yet report as 10 per cent So that more will be exempt. Take my voice and let me pray Sundays —* maybe twice that day; Otherwise, O Lord, my mother Handles prayers for me and others. Take my children, show them how Respect is due me here and now; Make them do just what I say, Not to follow in my way. Finally, Lord, at end of life Make me faithful as my wife, Today, you may be unloved and in the midst of circumstances which cause you sorrow and distress. You may be a woman with a broken heart. You may be a man with sheer despera tion written across the face of life itself. Standing above all else is the truth that God is able. Take God at His Word. You don’t try to under stand it, or to reason it, or to work it out. How many of us are carrying bur dens which are needless for us to That together we may be Ever, only, all for Thee! — Frances R. Longino "
Dr. James 0. Henry, Chairman of the Divisionof Social Science and Professor of History, Biola College, is a Major in the United States Army. This summer Chap lain Henry worked with cadetsat Camp San Luis Obispo, California. Having served for thepast 12 years with the 40th Armored Division,California National Guard, ChaplainHenry has been, for the past two years, servingwith the California Miltary Academy Cadet Training Program.
shou ld e r? We w o rry our way through a situation knowing that our worry has absolutely no value to the real problem. It really makes it hard er for us. Still most of us follow the same old pattern of worry, frustra tion, and distress. Why not give God an opportunity to do something mi raculous in and through us? Why not come to the position that this woman did and say, “Heavenly Father, I can’t understand it, and yet, I want to take You at Your word. Here it is, now you work it out. It may be a broken home or a coming operation for a health problem. It could be financial disaster, trouble with a teen age son or daughter, or one of many things which we face. When we com mit these things to God then we go forward expecting Him to do some thing. Are you unloved amid sorrow and distress? Why don’t you come to Him? Walk right into the problem, right into the difficulty, trusting Him in child-like faith, to answer the deep est needs of your longing heart. 6
I T is A wonderful thing to be able to take some of the great pro phetic chapters of the Bible and to go through them verse by verse. There are a number of such portions in both the Old and the New Testaments. Con sider John 14, Matthew 24 and 25, Luke 21, as well as complete books such as Jude. In the Old Testament there is Daniel, Ezekiel, Joel, and the many others. Of course, there is the “capstone,” the last great book of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. In this series of studies we are going to be looking at the beautiful Olivet Discourse of our Lord Jesus taken from Matthew 24. This great book actually introduces us to two im portant sermons of the Saviour. One at the beginning of His ministry and the other at the close. Both of them were given on a mountain. We speak of the first as “The Sermon on the Mount,” and the last as “The Olivet Discourse.” The first was given in the province of Galilee where our Lord unfolded the law of the kingdom. The last was given on a little hill, spoken of as a mount, outside the city of Jeru salem. With a breaking heart the Lord looked over the city which had rejected the truth and He wept. In a certain sense the main people to whom He addressed these messages were
His own disciples. Yet He speaks to them in three different categories. In the Sermon on the Mount He speaks to His followers as disciples. They were those under discipline and train ing. When He spoke to His disciples in His farewell message, as recorded in John 14, He spoke to them as His own; those whom He dearly loved. In the Olivet Discourse He spoke to them as Jews. They were interested in the promises which were to be ful filled according to Old Testament prophecies. They wanted .to be de livered from Rome and government oppression. They yearned to be free. The Sermon on the Mount is a fit ting introduction to the Olivet Dis course which we will study in more detail later on. We find this in Mat thew 5:1-7 with Luke 6 giving us the parallel message, and Mark merely touching upon it, discussing the sub ject of marriage and divorce as re corded in the 10th chapter. At the very outset of the message our Lord declares the authority of the Word of God. In the 17th and 18th verses we read, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.” The word “destroy” really means “to loos- 7
en up,” or “to get around.” The Greek word gives the idea of that which begins with compromise and ends with a fatality. Christ wasn’t looking for a legal “loophole.” He did not come to circumvent the law. He rather came to make it full or to be the actual embodiment or the incarnation of the law. Again Christ shows the importance of the Word of God pointing out that before any part of the written law could be destroyed, heaven would have to be destroyed first. Science is able to study the natural laws showing SALVATION IS FREE! Are you lost, my friend, Do you wander alone? Are you sick and discouraged with this world as your home? Is your heart sad and weary, Do you feel there's no friend That would stand by and help you and be true to the end? Have you found the world empty, and futile its goal? Do you stand alone friendless, with no joy in your soul? Ah, Friend, there's a fountain sup plied by His grace, That will wash away burdens and bring peace in their place! He paid the full price, All your sins He did bear. Won't you come friend, right now. Won't you answer His plea? It's the gift of redemption. Yes, sal vation is free! such things as the laws of uniformity and continuity. These laws will never be broken. As the natural law has such a high rating in the physical world, one can understand why our Lord Jesus indicates how the Word of God is to be the basis of the law in' the spiritual world. Our Lord be gins to cut deep into truth. No longer is He interested in formal religion. He talks of a personal living faith which can change the life. This will be the basis for our study together concerning this important portion of His precious Word.
Mr. Ray Weiskopf (left), director oftheBiola Steward shipDepartment, greetsone of the newfield repre sentatives, Mr. Gary Boren who will represent the school in the Long Beach-Southern LosAngeles areas. LIVING LIKE JESUS
A little girl in a foreign land watched a missionary kindly treat the people of her community. He spoke to them graciously and touched them tenderly where they had hurt bodies. She never came to know the name of the man but when she moved away to another village, she followed two girls into a mission school one day and heard the teacher tell about the Lord Jesus Christ and how kindly He treat ed all of the people with whom He came in contact. Then it was that the little girl thought that the missionary, whom she had seen in her own home village, must have been none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Would to God that people could look at us and think that we were Jesus. Do we give them any reason to make that kind of mistake? What type of lives are we living? This doesn’t come out of text books, but out of hearts bathed in the truth of God’s Word, washed and re generated by the power of the Spirit Himself. 8
A popular m isconception relative to the Sermon on the Mount is that this message embodies what is known as the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Looking at it carefully, how ever, one will see that such is not the case. In commenting on the religious people of His day the Saviour de clares, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall ex ceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mat thew 5:20). God’s demand of right eousness is absolute perfection. Of course, there was no Israelite, or any one else who could attain this. Thus they endeavored to circumvent the law. In Matthew 7:12 we read, “There fore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Studying the history of ethics, there are four cardinal laws which come into existence: the law of the jungle, the law of the Old Testament, the law of the Sermon on the Mount, and the law of the Gospel. The law of the jungle says, “Do to others be fore they do to you.” The law of the Old Testament is found in Exodus 21:2, “Do to others as they have done to you.” The law of the Sermon on the Mount is, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This is the altruistic approach. But in Ephe sians 4:32 there is the last enuncia tion of the law. It is, “Do to others even as Christ has done for you.” Herein we see that the gospel of grace is far superior to the Sermon on the Mount. The last discourse of our divine Lord, having finished His public min istry, was given as He had gathered His own about Him. In John 13:1 we read, “Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his
hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” Here is the shadow of Calvary. It was the hour of the cross. He wasn’t afraid to die. This would only bring a moving day for Him. The word “depart” means that He should “step out” of the world. THIS I KNOW I cannot tell you all my sins— Too long the list and black as hell; But this I know, that God's own Son Did die for me —■that, I must tell. They spat on Him and scourged His back; They hanged Him on a cruel tree; But ere they pierced His broken heart He cried, "Forgive them," to you and to me. I cannot tell you all the why He chose to suffer thus and die; But this I know— 'twas love for me, And you, that brought salvation nigh. His precious blood for me was shed From wounded hands, and feet and side; His broken body bread became For all who in His love abide. Yes— this I know— it was for me My blessed Lord did die; To cleanse my soul, to make me whole, To dwell with Him on high. —Arthur Schnasse Look at the love He so wonderfully exhibits to his disciples, and ultimate ly, of course, to you and to me. The disciples thought He would be Mes siah their King. The last thing they expected was that he should be put to death as a felon. They never thought about standing at the foot of His cross. They didn’t plan on being 9
SAVIOUR OR JUDGE An account was recently given about how, on a crowded street comer, a young man was suddenly pulled back from the path of an onrushing truck. His life was saved through t h e thoughtful intervention of an inno cent bystander. When the youth had gained his voice, he thanked the rath er auspicious looking gentleman, and soon both of them were lost in the crowd. But just two weeks later in the county court house, this same young man was seated in the pris oner’s box waiting to be sentenced for the crime of murder. The judge spoke kindly but sternly and declared, “Young man, have you nothing to say before the sentence of death is passed upon you?” Although barely out of his teens his sunken eyes were lifted and he looked, as if it were for the first time, upon the face of the judge. He studied the jurist carefully. Then his countenance brightened as a fa miliarity was noted. He plead, “Why yes, Judge, yes, don’t you remember me?” A strange silence moved as a wave over the court room. The judge shook his head, “I ’m sorry son, I can not place your face.” The youth came to life seeking to explain, “Why, of course you remember me, Judge. It was just about two weeks ago, at the corner of Main and Seventh. You saved my life from that truck that was bearing down on me. Don’t you remember, now? You saved my life then, can’t you do something for me again?” The silence in the court room was painful until the man from be hind the bench solemnly responded, “Young man, I do remember you now. I t’s true, two weeks ago I saved you, but today I must be your judge.” What a picture of life and eternity. I f we fail to accept God’s remedy for sin now, and not know Him as a lov ing heavenly Father and a gracious, compassionate Saviour, then in the hereafter, we must meet Him as a righteous and holy Judge. No wonder Scripture points out the imperitive fact, “Behold now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of sal vation.” 10
Mr. Merv Fishback(right). ExecutiveAdministrator f the Arizona Bible College, meets with Mr. Ronald Brightwel, StewardshipRepresentative for Arizonand New Mexico.
scattered peasants. These men were sad, sorrowful, bitter, and disbeliev ing. That is why Jesus says in John 14:29, “And now I have told you be fore it came to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.” They resented His going away. The Fa ther’s will for Christ was not a throne, but a cross. It was not to be a brown of gold, but rather a crown of thorns. His leaving was imperative as He explains, “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do” (verse 31). Christ did not leave them hopeless and forlorn. There was no need for them to be downhearted or bitter. He said, “And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16, 17). They had the assurance that they wouldn’t be orphans. In a world of turmoil and tribulation He left them His divine legacy of peace. May we rejoice in the realization that the same now dwells in us. In the world we may have our afflictions, but in the Word of God, as we look to Christ, we have that peace which passes every human understanding (verse 27).
I n the O livet D iscourse , we need to remember that our Lord, in ad dition to talking with His disciples as disciples, also is talking with them as different individuals, or with dif ferent positions in view. In comparing the various passages in Matthew, Mark and Luke, it is in teresting to see the different ap proaches which are taken. Mark points out that, in a sense, it is a private sermon. When the questions are to be asked, His disciples come to Him pri vately. They asked the Lord Jesus, “Tell us when shall these things be?” The great temple which they admired, the very center of their worship, was to be totally destroyed. One can under stand their amazement and concern. These men had expected a king and a blessed kingdom. They were tired of the Roman “yoke.” At heart they were still Jews. They thought of the kingdom of heaven in materialistic terms. A political state was to be established in Palestine. Some were even zealous for the chief seats. In Matthew 20:20-23 there is the account of how James and John bra zenly sought the favor of the Lord in order to become His chief prime min isters. They did it fertively by send ing their mother to ask for them. In cidentally, it is interesting to note that in the Gospels, Peter, James and John are generally together. In this particular instance, however, Peter is not a part of it. After all, the Lord has only two shoulders and there is not enough room for three people. The people in the Gospels are so much like us, aren’t they? But the Lord Jesus knew their hearts. He realized that they didn’t want to believe Him when He prophesied His death. They were not interested in being scattered and dispersed. This was the reason for the sorrow and even bitterness of spirit. They could only ask, “When shall these things be?” In other
words, “When will this period of pro bation be over? When will our trials cease? When will we share the glory with Thee?” The Lord warned the disciples against setting a date as He told them, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Mat- PRAISE, PRAY AND REJOICE OH teach me how to praise Thee, Lord, What e'er my state may be: While 'cumbered with my daily tasks, Or bowed on bended knee. When joys have fled and sorrows come, And troubled are my days; Just keep me steadfast Lord, that I May praise and praise and praise! Then teach me how to pray, dear Lord: What e'er the need may be: For groping souls in distant lands, Or for the lack in me. For missionaries of Thy choice; Their needs from day to day: For sick, distressed and wayward, help Me pray and pray and pray! And too, dear Lord, I must rejoice. If I would please Thee yet: So teach me how this I can do, And how my woes forget. When seems some day has turned to night; For me there is no choice: Be near me then and teach me to Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice! thew 24:36). The day of His glorious return is not dated. Our Lord is far more practical than to set dates. In stead, He appeals to our obligation and duty, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44). There is a great lesson for us to learn in this opening passage. 11
KNOWING TO DO GOOD A Sunday school teacher was con cerned about one of her pupils who was not attending regularly. When asked why, the little girl responded, “Well, teacher, I guess it’s because I already know how to be better than I am.” What an honest and human an swer. We know how to be better than we are, but what do we do about it? Self-improvement, spiritually, is folly, when we consider our own strength. Only God can give us the ability through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. THE CHRISTIAN'S MENAGERIE A Christian man told of the many responsibilities he had that caused him always to be exhausted. He re ported that he had to tame two fal cons, that he had two hares to keep from running away, two hawks to manage, a serpent to confine and a lion to chain. In addition, his work also entailed a sick man to tend and to wait upon constantly. A friend asked him where all of these things were kept since he had only a little home. He smiled and replied, “Well, the two falcons to tame are my eyes. They’re constantly wandering and see ing things they ought not to look at. The two hares that keep running away are my feet that wander into places where I would not have them go. The two hawks to manage are my hands which tend to grasp at things they should never hold. The serpent I have to confine and the lion I have to chain is my tongue which always seems to be an unruly evil. And the sick man to tend and to wait upon is my whole body." What an interesting picture and a difficult menagerie. E v e r y Christian has a similar problem. Yet, thank God, the Holy Spirit does give us the power to overcome the trials and testing of this life. For greater is He, the Holy Spirit, that is in us, than he, Satan, that is in the world. * * * It is more blessed to walk in the dark and hold hard to a promise of God, than to trust in the light of the brightest day that ever dawned. 12
Let us ask ourselves, “In what am I interested?” Is it position, material things, price of office, social status? Are we interested in the Lord, or only in what we can get from Him? One can humanly understand the bitterness of the disciples when they discovered that they were not going to get material blessings from follow ing Him. In actuality, they were called upon to give their lives for Him. They were to be scattered as lambs among wolves. It may be that this will be our lot, too. If we are only seeking what we can get from the Lord Jesus to satisfy our own selfish desires, we too may be very disap pointed and become very bitter. May be this is the picture of your heart today. Perhaps you have become very bitter because things have not been going your way. Ask yourself this question, “What have I been seeking from the Lord?” Has your one desire been to make Him preeminent? Much of our own frustration really comes as a result of selfishness. We are not, first of all, delighting in the Lord. And until we do that, He can not give us the desires of our heart. Put Him first in your life and then, no matter what may be your experi ence, you can rest in Him. In this way we can joyfully join the hymn writer in singing: Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my life, my soul, my all.
Dr. LouisT. Talbot (left), Biola Chancellor, withDr. Ralph L. Kelper, editorial researchdirector of the Evangelical Foundation, Philadelphia, Pensylvania.
I T may TAKE courage for us to admit it, but have you ever been proud of the wrong thing? Have you ever put a great price on that which has turned out to be valueless or unim portant while that at which you have been indifferent you have discovered to be most precious? Matthew 24:1 reveals that the dis ciples were in this very same position. The Person they should have valued greatly, was ignored. They were in different toward Him. He was none other than their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. These men were inter ested in brick and stone, in their tem ple which symbolized their status as Jews. The Lord Jesus loved it, too, for it was there that He delivered one of His greatest sermons. It is recorded in Matthew 21:23-39. Here the warn ing and judgment of Christ is called forth. It was so powerful that the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, all natural enemies, joined forces to seek to put Him on the defensive, try ing to trap Him. He answered every one of their questions with authority. They wanted to make a heretic of Him. Each time, however, He quoted the Law and the Prophets. The Lord opened the sinful hearts of these men who professed to be religious, but were really “whitened sepulchers.” Following this He went to the Mount of Olives where He looked over the city and wept, “Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not” (Mat thew 23:37). The disciples couldn’t understand why this beautiful edifice, the temple, should be destroyed. They sought to point out its value to the Lord, not realizing perhaps that He, tot>, loved it. The temple was made up of a number of buildings, none of which
were small. Historians tell us that the temple grounds alone covered more than 30 acres. The structures were magnificent in splendor. Both Mark and Luke verify this evident fact. But while things were beautiful on the outside, there was a sordid pic ture on the inside. John records the words of Jesus when He called it a house of merchandise. This is when THE PILGRIM WAY Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. Psalm 1)9:54 If all my years were summer, could I know What my Lord means by His "made white as snow?" If all my days were sunny, could I say, "In His fair land He wipes all tears away?" If I were never weary, could I keep Close to my heart, "He gives His loved ones sleep?" Were no griefs mine, might I not come to deem The life eternal but a baseless dream? My winter and my tears and weari ness, Even my griefs may be His way to bless, I call them ills, yet that can surely be Nothing but love that shows my Lord to me. Christ threw out the money-changers. Like the inside of individuals, it was sorely in need of cleansing. In Mat thew, He refers to these businessmen as operators of “a den of thieves.” All of this crookedness was carried on in the name of religion. And in Luke it is referred to as “a nest of hypo crites.” Here were actors playing at religion. How sad that such has often been
the picture of religions. Certainly it was true in Israel’s history. Jere miah wrote of God’s hatred for the abominable works by the false re ligious leaders. In I Samuel 4:3-11 we read the account of Israel’s battle with the Philistines and of how they were losing. At the point of defeat they called the elders together say ing, “Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord . . . that it may save us out of the hand of our ene mies.” They used that which God meant to be a blessing. They made an idol of the ark rather than turn ing to the One who gave it to them. Israel was thereby defeated and over powered by the Philistines. God meant the temple to be a place of blessing where His ancient people and He could meet. Instead they made it a status symbol which gave them a pride of nation and race. The Lord has a lesson here for you and'me for He has given us many things to be used as blessings. Have we turned them into curses? Have we made idols of them and do they take the place of our Lord? Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Let us not allow them to be defiled in any manner (II Corinthians 6:16).
The happiest people are those who are too busy to notice whether they are or not. * * * The Bible is like a compass. You have to read it and then follow it, to get where you want to go. * * * COMPLETE FORGIVENESS One of the clever attacks of Satan is to try to persuade us that because of our sins God surely could never forgive us. The Devil came to Martin Luther bringing a list of aU his sins. It was a very grim report. This great man of God, after hearing the of fenses, spoke confidently, “But surely you must have others. Are there not some you’ve forgotten? Why not look a little further?” The Devil did and indeed he found some more. Still Luther responded, “Oh, I ’m sure you’ll find others if you try some more.” The Devil looked and again there were still others he had forgotten. This went on for sometime until every list the Devil could possibly find had been exhausted. Whereupon Martin l/uther suggested, “So the accusations are all correct. But now, i f you wiU, write across them all with red ink, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” What a testimony! The Devil has no way of combating a faith and determination like this. It is what we need in our own lives as well. The Apostle John wrote, “I f we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” James penned, “For in many ways we all sin” (or stumble). The statement is in the present tense. But thank God He has a two-for-one offer to give us. We confess our sins and then He does two things. He is not only faithful and just to forgive us our sins, but also to keep on cleansing us from them day by day! * Life's greatest tragedy is tolose God . . . and never to miss Him. * * * People wouldn't haveto worry somuch about how their children turn out, if they were more concerned about what time they turn in. 14 * *
Mr. Theron Debour (left), BiolaStewardshipRepresenta tive for Oregon, Is interviewedover "The Biola Hour"by Mr. Al Sanders.
I T WAS AN ALARMING thing for the disciples to hear the Lord tell them that their beloved temple was to be destroyed. He said, “Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” He was asking them, “Have you really looked at these build ings? Do you really see them? I am going to tell you something. They are going to be completely ruined and totally destroyed.” No doubt the dis ciples were amazed at this scathing statement by the Lord. They knew that He had come from Nazareth, and after all, what good can ever come out of Nazareth? To the outward eye the Lord Jesus Christ looked like any other man, al though He was, of course, the Saviour. He was lowly and meek. He was also the virile Judge who could, in scath ing rebuke, sizzle the souls of the Pharisees to whom He spoke. As Christ saw the temple He said to them, “Behold your house is left unto you desolate.” The temple was where God’s ancient people met Him in holy service. But now the Lord had departed from the temple. It was no longer His house. It was merely a place of meeting for the Jews. It was a spiritual wilder ness for that is what the word “deso late” means. How true it is that when God leaves a building where He was formerly worshipped, it does become a wilderness. Now the time of the desolation is fully described in Luke 19:43 and 44. Here we find that not only will the temple be destroyed but also the city itself. Israel will be attacked by her enemies. Then, to ta lly surrounded, she, with her temple, will be annihi lated. Great judgment is to fall upon her. But why was this? Simply be cause Israel missed the opportunity to repent. They did not realize that the time of their visitation had come.
They did not know God’s time of in spection was there, and they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. John the Baptist made the great appeal to his people when he cried out to them, “Repent, and turn to God. Bring forth fruit unto repentence.” Our Saviour’s plaintive cry as He overlooked the city was, “0 Jeru- "MARANATHA" If the Lord should come today, Are you ready? Signs around us multiply, All creation heaves a sigh, Many now believe “The Lie." Are you ready? Evil men wax worse and worse, Are you weeping? “As the days of Noah were," Sensual sins have great allure, Yet some Christians hardly stir. Are you sleeping? Are you found with those who care, Or are you shirking? Put all other things aside, Preach the gospel far and wide And to loved ones by your side. Speed your working! Some, indeed, may scoff at you; Will you mind them? Does it matter if they laugh, Just they find His "rod and staff"; They have never known the half. 1 < ■. Will you find them? —Marie Nyquist Salem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under vher wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (a wilderness). The Old Testament prophets speak of the com ing judgment. God gives repeated warnings, all of which, except in in-
dividual conditions, went unheeded. Now what does all of this teach us for today? There is a very important lesson in that the things which God has meant for the blessing of the people can turn out to be a curse. God desired to meet with His people in the house which He instructed David to build. David planned it and Solomon built i t But the hearts of the people were far, far from Him. Since they rejected His laws and His status He consequently departs from them. The place which should have been a green pasture becomes a wild erness. Could this not be true in our day Do we obey the Lord? Are we merely worshipping Him in formality and ritual? Let us not forget that judgment can fall upon us even as it fell upon God’s ancient people. (To be continued next month) WHICH ARE YOU? Someone has classified people into three different categories, describing them as the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb. The test is when an in dividual is asked to give. To get any thing out of a flint, it must be ham mered, and then generally it emits only sparks. As far as a sponge is concerned, it must be squeezed. The more it is compressed the more that comes out of it. But as far as the honeycomb is concerned, it overflows with its own sweetness. Even so, thinking of the three, some people are stingy and hard, and like the flint they give nothing away i f they can help it. Others are more good-natured yielding to pressure. The more the appeal the more readily they give. But the true Christian is to be liken to the honeycomb, delighting to give without being asked at all. Of this one the Bible declares, “The Lord loveth a cheerful giver.” How we thank God for the many of you who are in this category. Through the years you have stood faithfully by Biola, realizing th e fulfillment of blessing in the words of the Apostle Paul when he declared, “Moreover, brethren, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”
STAFF APPOINTMENT Mr. Ronald N. Haynes has been appointed assistant manager of the
Bi o la Book Room which is located at 560 So. Hope Street in downt own Los Angeles. Mr. F. J. Wiens will continue as manager of the La Mi r ada Bi ol a Book Room in addi tion to the overall direction fo r bo t h stores.
Mr. Haynes
Recently the downtown Biola store was remodeled and equipped with Sunday school and church supplies now conveniently located on an ex panded main floor. Mr. Haynes came to Biola follow ing service in the Better Book and Bible Store, Portland, Oregon. He is married and has two children. He is affiliated with the Conservative Bap tist Church and attended Western Baptist Seminary for two and one- half years. TRAINING FOR CHILDREN A University of California survey indicates that a billion copies of comic books are sold in the United States each year and that the money expend ed is about one hundred million dol lars. This is four times the combined annual book purchasing budget of public libraries in the entire country and more than is spent on text books for the nation’s elementary and sec ondary schools. I t is true that what we feed upon we become and when children are given the garbage and trash of this world, what else can be expected? This is the reason why we are training, here at Biola College, Christian school teachers who will go into the public schoolroom and by lip and by life be able to hold high the banner of the cross. We feel that one of the greatest mission fields in all the world is that which is right on our own doorstep. Troubles, like babies, will grow larger if you nurse them!
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h ile t h e disciples wanted to take the Lord on a tour of their beloved temple He rather rebuked them and pointed out that this mar velous structure, in which they had such great pride, was about to be destroyed. No doubt they were taken aback. But yet, of the eleven disci ples present, four had courage. Ac cording to Mark, they came together and posed certain questions to the Lord. In the. four we have two sets of brothers: James and John, and Peter and Andrew. We read, “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives the disciples came unto him privately, say ing, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3). (In Mark and Luke there is only the time of the temple’s destruction that is men tioned. Matthew goes on to quote these two other questions.) In Greek there are two translations for our English word “world.” There is “cosmos,” which has to do with the universe and our world of nature and existence. But the other is better translated “age.” From the Greek we get such words as “era” and “eon.” It is a certain period of time. Peter raises the question, “What will be the sign of the end of this age.” In this verse we are introduced to four terms with which we must become familiar. In our study of this discourse these words will occur again and again. We might refer to them as the vocabulary of eschatology. Eschatology is the Greek word for “last things.” The four words are “sign,” “coming,” “end,” and “age.” The word “coming” is very inter esting. It not only speaks of someone who is in the process of approaching,- but also it puts the emphasis on his actually being present. Peter was real ly saying, “When will be the time when you will be beside us?” The dis
ciples knew He was coming, but they wanted to know how they would real ize that He had actually arrived. We do need to define our terms. For ex ample, what is the meaning of the word “grace?” What is the meaning of the word “salvation ?” What is the meaning of the word “sin?” I have been impressed by the fact that as we turn to the Word of God many of the key words in the vocabulary of grace are defined very very clearly. Take the word “faith.” In Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” “ IN SECRET"
Go tell God "in secret/' The burdens you bear. He heareth you gladly And He answers prayer. He seeth "in secret,"
The pain in your heart, The struggle and anguish And teardrops that start. He worketh "in secret," And sendeth release. His love soothes like heart-balm And He giveth peace.
—Marie Nyquist What a very succinct definition. It is tjlear and precise. But someone may say, “It isn’t very clear to me. How can faith have a substance?” This desk, from which I am writ ing, is hard in substance. I may lean upon it. But how can you lean upon faith? This could become quite a problem. But the reason is that we limit the term to that which we can see and feel. Suppose we go out hunt ing. We see a footprint of an animal. But because the animal itself is not there does that mean it doesn’t exist? The hunter picks up the trail for the footprint which is the substance of the animal he hoped for.
Another group definition is that of the “gospel” as found in I Corinthians 15:3, 4 . how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” This is the essence of the Gospel: the death and the resur rection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The story of man’s complete ruin in sin, the story of God’s perfect remedy in Christ. So we come to our vocabulary of eschatology and we must learn these three questions engaging our at tention in the following studies. They are, “sign,” “age,” “end,” and “com ing.” When shall these things be? MUSIC FROM WITHIN The great violinist Paganini had been asked to perform at an impor tant concert. But just before he was to play it was discovered that someone had stolen his favorite violin. Natural ly long practice had endeared the in strument to him, to say nothing of its intrinsic value. He was particularly upset since all that could be found as a substitute was an inferior violin. AU of this took place just before he was to appear on the stage. Explain ing the calamity to his audience, he shook the bow at them exclaiming, “And now ladies and gentlemen, we shall see that the music is not in the fiddle, but the music is in me!’.’ And true to his word, Paganini’s rendition was flawless and masterful. Even so, the music of the believer's life is not found in merely a human fiddle, for so often this gets out of tune. Our mastery is through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. You can play better than you know as you yield your life to the Lord. It is like putting a poker into the fire. The piece of metal gets red hot so that both the fire is in the poker, as well as the poker being in the fire. The apostle Paul’s testimony should also be ours, “I am crucified with Christ, neverthless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.’’
Biola Students in front ot the Clasrom-Educational Building. KEEP ON
One of Satan’s most effective tools wielded against the believer is dis couragement. No doubt most of us, at some time or other, perhaps even at this very moment, have passed through such a barren valley. A weary pilgrim carried a load of sticks over a long and arduous path. Tired and despon dent he sat down to take his rest and commiserating with himself declared, “I wish death would come to relieve me.” A t that moment death did come and sat down beside him to ask, “Here I am, what did you want of me?” The pilgrim quickly strained to get up, responding, “Why yes, I want you to help me put this bundle of sticks on my back.” In the Word of God we are told to be patient, to have our hearts estab lished, for we know that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon. G. Camp bell Morgan wrote, “To me the second coming of the Saviour is the perpetual light on the path which makes the present bearable. I never lay my head on my pillow without thinking that maybe, before the morning breaks, the final morning may have dawned. I never begin my work without think ing perhaps He may interrupt it and begin His own. This is now His pre cious word to all believing hearts till He come.” So may we as God’s chil dren, be looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 18
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