SEPTEMBER, 1968
With August Radio Features
God’s Final Triumph by Al Sanders
Bittersweet Book by Vance Havner
September, 1968 / Volume8 / Number9
MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE BIOLA FELLOWSHIP
president. ..............
5. H SUTHERLAND
editor .....................
AL SANDERS
production ..............
BILL EHMANN
printing ..................
CHURCH PRESS
CONTENTS
ON THIS MONTH’S COVER Dr. Daniel Rose (right) attends com mencement exercises for B io Ia Schools and Colleges. With him is Biola's Chancellor, Dr. Louis T. Talbot. Mr. Rose is 99 years of age and has faithfully served the Lord as director of the Jewish Depart ment as well as member of the Biola Board of Directors. The Biola Broadcaster is the official pub lication of "The Biola Hour" and is mailed automatically each month to the members of The Biola Fellowship. For information concerning membership in The Biola Fellowship, please see page 33. 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.
GOD'S FINAL TRIUMPH by AI Sanders............... 3 HOLINESS by Vance Havner........... 14 DOORS by Vance Havner........... 16 LIFE'S QUESTIONS by Vance Havner........... 19 BITTERSWEET BOOK by Vance Havner........... 21 PANEL DISCUSSIONS........23 PARABLE AND PEARLS ......26 STUDIES IN I JOHN by Lloyd T. Anderson...... 30
t h e b i o l a h o u r
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CALIFORNIA Arroy Grande-San Luis Obispo KOAG
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99.1 (FM)
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San Diego
KWSO Burbank KBBQ
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KBBW 102.9 (FM)
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910 4:00 P.M. Sun. 860 8:00 a.m. MTWTF
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Chico-Paradise KEWQ Fresno-Dinuba KRDU Lod¡-Stockton KCVR Los Angeles KBBI
930 8:00 A.M. M TWTF
San Francisco KFAX Santa Maria KCOY
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790 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 790 3:00 A.M. MTWTF
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Page 34
by Al Sanders
GOD’S Jinal TRIUMPH
I T was Dwight L. Moody who force fully declared, “I look upon this world as a wrecked vessel whose de struction is getting nearer and near er. One day God said to me, ‘Moody, here’s a lifeboat. You go out and save as many as you can before the crash comes!’ ” This call is even more im perative today. The world is swept up in tumultuous waves of the so- called new morality. Actually it isn’t new at all but rather man’s open and old rejection of God’s perfect laws, the ten commandments, and his efforts directed toward breaking any connection with the Lord. As an ex ample, Dr. Joseph Fletcher, profes sor of Ethics at the Episcopal Theo logical Seminary at Cambridge Uni versity, cynically declared: “It is necessary to throw away all the ta boos and guidelines of the past, leav ing only the law of love to govern human actions. We need to keep in mind that in some situations un married love can be infinitely more moral than married love; lying, more Christian than telling the tru th ; stealing, better than respecting pri vate property.” Perhaps no portion of God’s Word more aptly describes the desperate condition we find in the world today than the 2nd Psalm. Quite a contrast may be observed between the first two Psalms. Psalm One begins with the word blessed, and ends with the heathen. The Second Psalm begins with the heathen and ends with the word blessed. Being such a relatively short chapter, an easy outline divides up this second Psalm into four con venient and n a tu ra l three-verse stanzas. Unlike most Psalms, too, there are a number of different speakers from whom we hear. In the first verse we find two pene
trating questions, the first of which is, “Why do the heathen rage?” We need to keep in mind that the word heathen actually represents the na tions. By this the application is not to just a few countries around the land of Israel but rather it is indi cative of world-wide restlessness in every part of the globe. This raging reminds us pictorially of storms at high sea, in which, as the waves are tossed by the wind, the whole ocean literally seems to boil. The second question which aptly describes today’s situation is, “Why do the people imagine a vain thing?” In the original language, we see man’s complete and utter futility in living apart from God. It shows the sheer foolishness of an individual who would rule the Lord out. It gives us a graphic-picture of the situation which unfortunately prevails today. I was much impressed in reading a modern parallel translation of the first few verses of the 5th chapter of the little epistle of James. It cer tainly fits these difficult times in our American way of life. Consider these forceful words, “Go to now, ye sophisticated Ba bel builders, with bricks made of the same clay as yourselves. Weep and howl for the miseries you have brought upon yourselves. Your dol lars are inflated; your stocks and bonds represent a false economy, your gold standard is swept away, and the souls of men whom you have destroyed to achieve such empty luxuries will rise in judgment against you. You have directed all your ener gies towards security and world peace. Behold, the nations who have looked to you for spiritual leadership have been nothing but the husks of hypocrisy rustling in the winds of 3
Lord and against His anointed.” Looking back some 30 years ago, we can recall that historic conference which took place in Munich, Ger many. In attendance were Hitler and his puppet Mussolini. To that meet ing was added Premier Daladier of France and Sir Neville Chamberlain of England. In agony following in famy, the world vainly watched for some sign of hope and relief. Emerg ing from the conference, Chamber- lain managed a faint smile as he announced to the world, “Peace in our times.” How hollow and empty those words were! They were quick ly drowned out as the dread tanks of the Nazi Jaggernaut pushed through the Balkans and ultimately swept over both western and eastern Europe. Similarly has it always been: “kings of the earth setting them selves.” This statement actually represents the governmental potentates as well as the lawmakers. This is something quite significant when we consider the latter. Think of the jurists who seem to set themselves deliberately against the established order of life as it is morally delineated in the ten commandments! In the December 18, 1967 issue of U.S. News and World Report a pene trating article contains the rhetori cal question: “Are Judges Remaking America?” The answer is rather ob vious for the documented material points out several decisions of our Supreme Court in the last decade. As a result, these days our law offic ers not only have their hands tied, but also the courts are finding it difficult to protect the innocent while seeking to prosecute the guilty. In 1957 it was ordered that a per Love is the doorway through which man passes from selfishness to service.
vain promises. The cries of them who are spiritually impoverished have entered into the ears of the coming Christ. You have preferred worldly pleasures, and have greedily drunk from the bitter cup of licen tiousness. You have fattened your selves for the last judgment of an angry God. You have neglected a lost world while seeking to build a prosperous America. As a result, the nations now hate you and blaspheme you and your God.” Think of the tremendous advance ment man has made only in the last few years! As an example, 90% of all the scientists who have ever lived are living today. Think of the strides made in such fields as electronics and aerodynamics! Soon we will be able to conquer space. In the area of medicine, we marvel at the wonder drugs and cures for various dread maladies which have been discovered. We’re probably on the brink of find ing the cure for such physical foes as cancer and the common cold. Heart transplants have opened up new vistas of surgical possibilities in a number of areas. In Southern Cali fornia men with test tubes and high ly complex gadgets may some day reach the stage where they can con quer what ultimately may be an even bigger problem, namely, smog. In the light of so many dramatic achieve ments still God writes across the inventive genius of man in rebellion against spiritual restraint: “Vanity, empty and foolish!” Such a life can only come to naught. What can amaze us even more is the fact that not only do the rank and file as well as the rulers of nations imagine a vain thing, but more spe cifically and alarming even the lead ers, hold such views. It is tragic to see that those who are in places of prominence, power, and authority have no thought for the Almighty. Notice verse 2: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the 4
son cannot be prosecuted for advo cating the overthrow of the U.S. Government by force unless he actu ally advocates action to accomplish the overthrow. In 1958 the law was passed that the State Department cannot withhold passports from sus pected communists because of their beliefs or associations. In 1965, the law stated that members of the com munist party cannot be compelled to register with the Subversive Activi ties Control Board. In 1967, the rul ing was that an American cannot be stripped of his citizenship, even if he deserts the armed forces in time of war or votes in a foreign election. In 1961, the law was adopted that evidence obtained by illegal search or seizure cannot be used in a state prosecution even if it is reliable. The list seems to be endless. Interestingly enough, the second group in this verse tells us about the rulers who take counsel together. This term “rulers” represents ecclesi astical authorities. How strange and paradoxical it is that religious lead ers should oppose God! The spirit of the age seems to be in conferences and conventions concentrating on mergers in one grand ecumenical movement. This, too, is prophesied in Scripture as in a rejection of basic cardinal truth, church leaders have rushed toward getting together. It has become a world of “ecumaniacs.” In its issue of March 1, 1968, Time magazine carried a review of a new religious record which has the sick title of “The Incredible Shrink ing God.” On the album are sermons concerning the so-called, “God is dead” theology. One quote will suf fice to reveal what vile contempt man has for God. Listen, “The Lord giv- If you find yourself wearing a spirit of heaviness, try a garment of praise.
eth and the Lord taketh away. The Lord God is an Indian, giver.” Added to such blasphemy is the further re port by Time magazine which states that “Many clergymen have applaud ed the work on the ground that the satirizing of the wrathful, capricious God of legend is good theology, as well as being good fun. The origina tor of the album keeps being invited to preach in churches and syna gogues. Is he irreverent? Perhaps, but, argue his fans, who can ques tion that God is too?” Such things will certainly be nauseating to the real believer in Jesus Christ. The problem has ever been that rebellion against God and His commands has always resulted in the downfall of society and civilization. In the February 1968 issue of McCalls magazine, a report is given of a survey of 3,000 Protestant min isters. The writer, Ardis Whitman, reported, “The younger ministers are not concerned about theology but rather are only interested in social action. The majority don’t believe in the virgin birth or even regard Jesus as divine. Salvation is not seen as the major task of the church and in any case has little to do with the hereafter, if there is a hereafter.” To see men who should be stand ing for the truth pervert their high and holy calling reminds us of Paul’s words concerning the last times: “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, being deceived” (II Tim. 3:13). The third verse of the Second Psalm is even more descriptive of the times in which we’re living. The statement is, “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” In Proverbs 29:18 we read the succinct observation, “Where there is no vision, the peo ple perish.” A better translation has it, “Where there is no correct view of God, the people cast off all moral restraint.” The French make it read quite graphically in a way which
no power, except it is given you from God in heaven.” For a man to think that he has something of himself is an open admission of mental bank ruptcy. Some of the most depressing words of Scripture tell us, “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord” (Gen. 4:16). How black and bleak that must have been! Yet, today the world itself has gone out from the presence of God and really is saying that it wants nothing to do with Him. Verse three of the Second Psalm states: “Let us break their bands asunder.” This actually referred to the yoke which animals wore. Wheth er he likes to think of it or not, man still has God’s bands upon him. There is still a moral conscience, no matter how dull it may have become. Yet to break all connections with God is the vain attempt which goes on. The Lord Jesus Christ gently and lovingly invites us instead, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” This is What man wants ultimately. He is so desperately seeking for rest and satisfaction. In his warped and distorted mind, he foolishly thinks that the only way to final content ment is to get rid of any restraint whatsoever. To further amplify this, the Re- troit Free Press recently quoted a minister who is the chairman of the Farmington Township, Michigan, Youth Guidance Committee. He proudly asserted, “We are advocat ing that teenagers who have parental consent be permitted to live together as if they were married. The state should place no restrictions in this regard on individuals.” This, mind you, comes from the lips of a so- called minister, in charge of a young people’s action group. It makes one shudder! No matter where We look today, there no longer seems to be any standard of truth and righteousness.
certainly p ic tu re s these times, “Where there is no view of right eousness, the people are naked.” That’s precisely w ha t we find throughout the land in styles of dress for example. LIFE magazine recent ly carried a major article concern ing the spread of nudity. There are open flagrant avenues of immoral conduct which are seen as people worship this insidious cult of nudity. One other comparison can be noted in Living Proverbs which tells us, “Where there is ignorance of God, the people run wild.” We find today officials of our large cities urging people to stop arming themselves for potential riots. Notice one little word in this third verse which is perhaps the most de scriptive. It completely gives away these people in the end times who would have nothing to do with God. .It is the word “us.” This is certain ly not something new. Away back in the 11th chapter of Genesis, the 4th verse, we find a similar declara tion. Nimrod, one of the generation from Noah, had gone out to start a new world. From this advanced so ciety a tower was to be built which could be a lasting memorial, not to God but rather to man. It was to be high enough, too, to avoid any fu ture floods of judgment. Five times in this one statement we discover the use of the personal pronouns “we” and “us.” Notice, “Let us build us a city and a tower . . . and let us make us a name lest we be scat tered abroad.” Seeking human inde pendence, away from God, has been man’s whole history. Do you remem ber the incident at the trial of our Lord Jesus Christ when brought be fore Pilate? That lame-duck ruler blatantly asked the Saviour, “Don’t you understand? I have the power either to crucify you or to release you?” How that must have caused our Saviour an inward smile at the sheer absurdity of those words. Christ rightly responded, “You have
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This is readily seen in an article ap pearing in the Washington, D.C. Post, concerning a statement made by Supreme Court Justice William 0. Douglas. Speaking at the dedica tion of a Unitarian church, he had the audacity to comment, “Truth is not our goal today for no one knows what truth is. All we can say is that truth is a chameleon, ever changing colors for whoever views it.” This may be his opinion, and the results indicate it, for looking at the record again, we see how that the Supreme Court of the United States has con sistently overruled highest s ta te courts in cases involving such things as pornographic and obscene pictures, books and magazines. The humanized writings and phi losophies of the son of a minister, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzche, were given credit for being the spark of “inspiration” which caused Adolf Hitler to seek, through the murder and devastation of mankind, to wipe out millions of people. Nietzche en visioned a superman, no longer bound by the restraints of law, no longer influenced by a mythological god, but rather men who themselves, could truly rule the universe. (Nietzche suffered from eye trouble as well as mental depression. History records that he finally died, hopelessly in sane.) Hitler’s evil empire has long since vanished, but the writings of Nietzche continue on. They have the dubious distinction of being one of the main sources for study of the “God is dead” theology. The New York Times carried an interesting article with a bit of hu mor to it not too long ago. On the wall of the subway stop at Columbia University in New York City, some one had written in chalk the blantant challenge, “God is dead,” signed “Nietzche.” The next day someone had come along who had a much better grasp on theology. The new inscription boldly affirmed, “Nietzche is dead,” signed “God.” I trust that
Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland (right),standingwith Dr. Royal Bluewho recently received an honorary doc torate at the school's annual comencement exer cises. Mr. Blue, a graduateof Biola, is pastor of the North Valley Baptist Church of Redding, Calif. Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland (left), president of Biola, confers an honorary degree upon Mrs. Martha S. Hooker, for forty years a faithful member of the Biola faculty and now with her husband retired. The event was a part of Biolas' annual commence ment exercises.
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the prophet Elijah. During the his toric contest with the priests of Baal in the time when the land had been destitute of water, the people, in cluding King Ahab, had turned from God. There seemed to be no possible divine intervention from the certain destruction of the drought. There on Mount Carmel the worshippers of Baal would attempt to call down fire to devour the sacrifice they had pre pared to their wicked gods. Elijah was prepared too, armed with un swerving faith. The priests went all through their weird incantations, but nothing happened. Baal was obvious ly silent. Not even a flicker of flame appeared. So Elijah, in justifiable derision shouted out, “Why don’t you call a little louder? Maybe Baal’s sleeping or perhaps he’s even gone on a vacation.” Say what you will, there is something funny about this ridiculous scene of man’s vain and absurd idolatry, replacing the wor ship of the one true God. Over in the New Testament, in the 12th chapter of the gospel of Luke, we find another story, repeated in actual life so often today. Here was a man who had everything to live with, but nothing to live for. His problem was that he didn’t know what to do with all of his money and goods, a problem so many would like to have. He hit on a happy solu tion in that he decided to tear down his old facilities, for after all he could get a tax deduction on them, and build new ones. The trouble was that the very night he made his decision, the death angel came to call. While the world would write his epitaph in the one word, “Success,” God said, “Thou fool.” The divine comedy concludes with the inexorable compelling hand of death claiming him when God declared: “This night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” In more recent history, a worldly- brilliant French philosopher by the
caused you to smile, thinking of the absolute absurdity of the situation. Here is a man who would dare to say that God is dead. How hollow the mockery! Verse four of the Second Psalm takes us into a new area of under standing. The prophet rightly re veals, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision.” To say that God is up in heaven laughing at man comes like a dash of ice water thrown in the face. In preparation for these messages, I had to pause and won der, thinking that perhaps there might have been a translator’s mis take. Would God actually laugh at man? Yet, in the original language, this is exactly what is stated. You see, the only basis we have for com parison is in a thought of how we laugh at each other. Sometimes it can be rather merciless, and without any spirit of love whatsoever. This is obviously not the case with the Lord. We have to rule this out right at the start. God does not laugh at man’s in firmities. He doesn’t laugh at the ignorance of man, He does not laugh at our iniquities. He sees nothing to joke about in the sins of mankind. (How unlike today’s popular televi sion comedians He is!) Our blessed Saviour, of whom this speaks, one night sat on a hill overlooking the beloved city of Jerusalem. There He saw the infirmities, ignorance and iniquities of God’s chosen people. Scripture tells us that He physically wept! The fact of the matter is that God is heart-broken over the iniquity, unrighteousness and sinfulness of all mankind. He is not laughing at any of these things. What then is the cause for the Lord’s derision? We know from the Bible that God laughs at such things as our idolatries. Think of the fool ish things we worship instead of Him! In the Old Testament, one of my favorite stories concerns that of 8
name of Voltaire declared that in a period of some 20 years, he would completely stamp out every sem blance of Christianity. It does cause us to smile when we realize that within 20 years, he himself was dead and later his home was taken over by a Bible society for the storage of God’s Word. Do you see the ab solute absurdity of men's attempts to rule out the Lord? God laughs. Sinclair Lewis, a very intellectual writer, one day stood up before a crowd of friends and foolishly chal lenged, “If there is a God, I defy Him to come now and strike me dead.” He waited a few moments and when nothing happened, he had proven conclusively to himself at least that there was no God. We might easily liken this to an ant which would climb on a railway track, defiantly making the brash declaration, “I don’t believe that Santa Fe has a president. I’ve never seen him, therefore I don’t believe that he exists. If there is a president of the Santa Fe Railroad Company, let him come now with one of his special trains and run over me.” No special train arrives, so the ant has proven conclusively to his own satis faction that the Santa Fe Railroad Company doesn’t have a president. Do you see the folly of this? Keep this clearly in mind that God is not seated on the edge of His throne, overlooking the battlements of Heaven, trying to figure out what man is going to do next. He’s not wringing His hands in desperate frustration, nor is He biting His fingernails down to the knuckles try ing to devise a plan to thwart man’s status quo. Not a bit of it! The heav enly throne can never be imperiled by mere earthly creatures. The only funny thing about such a picture is its sheer and utter futility. God nev er laughs at anything which has not already in essence destroyed itself. Listen to God’s final triumph over wicked man in rebellion here in verse
NO BIBLE What is a home without a Bible? ’Tis a home where day is night, Skyless night, for on life's pathway Heaven can shed no kindly light. What is a home without a Bible? T is a place where daily bread For the body is provided But the soul is never fed. What is a home without a Bible? 'Tis a family out at sea, Compass lost and rudder broken. Drifting, drifting, hopelessly. What is a home without a Bible? List and ponder while I speak, T is a home with a Bible in it But not opened once a week. Lost, the Bible! Lost, its teachings! Lost, its help each day in seven! Lost to live by . . . Lost to die by! Lost! What’s lost? The way to heaven! I HAD NO TIME The day slipped by and time was spent And all the good things that I meant To do were left undone because I had no time to stop and pause. But rushed about, went here and there, Did this and that, was everywhere. I had no time to kneel and pray For that lost soul across the way. I had no time to meditate On worthwhile things. No time to wait Upon the Lord, and hear Him say: “Well done, my child," at close of day. And so, I wonder, after all When life is o’er and I hear the call To meet my Saviour in the sky, Where saints live on and never die, If I can find one soul I’ve won To Christ by some small deed I've done Or will I hang my head and whine, “Forgive me, Lord, I had no time.” — Mrs. Herbert Bell 9
hill is none other than our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is the the King over all His enemies; He is the King over all His saints and He is also God the Father’s King. Since He has been appointed King over all the world, ruling in Jeru salem, we find our Lord’s statement concerning His reign. We know that it is a time when righteousness shall cover the earth even as the waters cover the sea. The Saviour speaks, “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” Since the King has now be come enthroned, as we look ahead prophetically, He is able to issue a statement concerning the nature of His rule. This, in essence, is His inaugural address. When President Kennedy began, his drive was for the “New Frontier.” When President Johnson began officially it was for the “New Society.” Our Lord’s, how ever, is a new world where right eousness shall prevail.. Reading the words, “This day have I begotten thee,” need not cause us any concern. Christ had no beginning for He is coexistent and coetemal with the Father. This has to do with our Saviour’s breaking through eter nity’s ages to come to this earth as the manifestation or the exhibition of God’s divine love and grace. The Saviour willingly came to give His life and to redeem us from sin and its penalty. When the Lord was res urrected, He was seated on the right hand of God the Father in heaven. This is so beautifully and majestic ally portrayed for us in Philippians 2:5-11. The truth of this seventh verse of the Second Psalm is restated in the New Testament three times. In his sermon to the people at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:33), Paul estab lishes the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. This is the portion of the Old Testament from which he quotes. Again, the writer of the book of
five of Psalm two, “Then shall God speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.” God’s Spirit will not always strive with man. Judgment is coming and when it does, people, like ants, will scurry for protection but they will find none. This will take place after the time when the Church, made up of all true born-again believers, has been removed from the earth. The Tribulation will beset mankind and those times will be unprecedented as the wine press of God’s judgment deals firmly and finally with men who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 6 of the Second Psalm, we find the Lord God speaking. He makes this definitive declaration: “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” Actually Zion was a Jebusite city which had been cap tured by David. It was often called “The stronghold of Jerusalem.” Be cause of his love for it, it became known as, “the city of David.” A city some 5,000 feet above sea level, Jerusalem had as a part of its geog raphy Mount Zion. Here, David’s son Solomon built the beautiful first tem ple. Actually, Zion has since become representative as the name for the whole city, with the Israelite people being known as Zionists. Both Isaiah and Revelation speak of the heaven ly Zion, which is the city of God. Here in this verse, however, the Lord is speaking prophetically about the fact that in the Millennium, the thou sand-year reign of Christ, the tem ple will have been rebuilt, and will be the throne of Christ. This word “yet” (circle it if you mark your Bible); contrasts all the futile efforts of men to break the bands of restraint which have been placed upon them. Despite man’s worst, God will triumph finally. Noth ing can impede His divine justice. The old saint had it right when he pointed out, “While man proposes, God disposes.” The King on Zion’s 10
have rejected God through His Son Jesus Christ), “with a rod of iron: thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” This is the time of the end which will be culminated in the battle of Armageddon. It is the end of the Tribulation preceding which time the Church will have been translated into the very presence of God. We earnestly and assuredly be lieve in the visible, bodily, physical return to this earth of our Lord Jesus Christ. What we see here shows the com plete subjugation and irreparable de struction to be brought upon man kind which has rejected God’s gift of love. Keep in mind that there are two kinds of breaking. In this age of grace we find that God is merci fully breaking men, rightly shatter ing our foolish pride, revealing our utter sinfulness apart from Jesus Christ. In a coming hour, during the Tribulation upon this earth, a terri ble breaking will be noted when the weight of Christ’s sceptre shall crush finally and completely all insurrec tion against God. In I Corinthians 15:25 we read the promise, “For he must reign until He hath put all enemies under His feet.” No wonder we are exhorted in verse 10, “Be wise now therefore, 0 ye kings : be instructed, ye judges of the earth.” It is a foregone conclu sion that our leaders are supposed to have wisdom. Yet, in these times Scripture points out that this is often the one commodity they are missing. If those in control of human events need understanding relative to these matters, certainly then none of us can escape from God’s suggestion that we too must have a grasp on the desperate plight of our souls apart from the Saviour. How foolish man is to worship everything and everyone except God! In the 17th chapter of Acts, verses 22 to 34, we have recorded a sermon by the Apostle Paul. There at the Acropolis, the high city, looking up 11
Hebrews, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, establishes the fact of Christ’s superiority over the angels and again makes this state ment in the fifth verse of the first chapter. Then, later in the same book, he shows the contrast and superiority of Christ over Melchisedek in He brews 5 :5. So begotten doesn’t refer to a beginning of existence but rath er to the investiture with royalty which the Lord rightly received, to His rank. Christ is God’s final Word to a lost and dying world. It is the final act by which God declares His eternal relationship between Himself and His only begotten Son. Then, in verse eight, God speaks. Here we find our great Sovereign declaring to His Son and King, “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the hea then for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” We remind ourselves that even as was true in verse one of this chapter, the word heathen rep resents the nations and peoples of all the world. This shows the uni versal dominion of Christ over all the earth. God’s supreme gift to our Lord Jesus Christ is universal con trol and allegiance. The old hymn- writer had it correct when he de clared: Jesus shall reign where’er the sun, Doth His successive journeys run. His kingdom spread from shore to shore, Till moons shall wax and wane no more. In a coming hour, every knee shall bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (We can further contrast this with our Lord’s last high priestly prayer recorded for us in the 17th chapter of John’s Gospel.) Now, because of the sinfulness of mankind, verse nine prophetically speaks of divine judgment, “Thou shalt break them” (that is, those who
at the Parthenon, this magnificent place dedicated to the worship of so many different gods, Paul stood on Mars Hill and preached to the wise philosophers of the world. He had no hesitation in declaring that they were too superstitious in all things. He had even found one place designated for the unknown god, in case they left out any deities. In this way no god would be offended. We read a portion of His sermon, “The times of your ignorance in the past God PRAYER POWER What various hindrances we meet In coming to a mercy-seat! Yet, who that knows the worth of prayer But wishes to be often there! Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw; Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw; Gives exercise to faith and love; Brings every blessing from above. Restraining prayer we cease to fight; Prayer keeps the Christian’s armor bright; And Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees. Were half the breath that’s vainly spent To heaven in supplication sent, Our cheerful song would oftener be “Hear what the Lord has done for me.” winked at.” (This is an anthropor- morphism suggesting the mercy and grace of God.) “But now He has commanded that all men everywhere repent.” As we read Paul’s message, we get the impression that he might have been studying the Second Psalm that day for his morning de votions. Speaking to the intelligentsia of the known world, he points out their foolishness in profaning the one true God. Now in verse 11, the positive ex
hortation is to “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” Reverence and humility must be mingled with one’s service. Fear without joy is torment, and joy with out a holy fear is simply presump tion. It is tragically true that man will think of everything but God. He will read everything but the Bible. He will feel the influence of every thing but the love of Christ, and foolishly he goes on in his own wick ed ways apart from the Lord. The conclusion of this prophetic Psalm is an invitation of loving grace. If this word is not received now, in a coming hour it will be forever too late to embrace Him. Hear these words of compassion, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they that put their trust in him.” The word “kiss” may have been symbolic of the kissing of one’s feet, as some renderings have it. In any case, this shows the complete and abject humility and realization of one’s sinful self in the presence of Almighty God. Kissing represents an outward act attesting to one’s in ward conviction that Christ has won the heart. To kiss God’s Son is the least the Lord could ask of anyone. No one is barred from such obeisance just because he doesn’t have a college degree, is of a different color, or has little of this world’s goods. It makes no difference to God. This invitation is open to everyone. No one is exempt for there is no work involved; sal vation is a free gift of grace and love. This word “blessed” is our term for “well off, contented, satisfied.” Such are those who place their trust in the Saviour. When people think of those who are well-off today, the mind conjectures an individual who has a good job, a nice home, a large bank account, and several cars of late vintage. But, you see, God never puts a premium upon any of these things at all, in fact, they are some-
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times a detriment. Although this may be the way man judges being “well off,” God says a person who is truly blessed is one who has taken his personal refuge from the present, as well as the future storms of life, in Jesus Christ. (Look at the Scofield notes if you have a Bible with those helpful references.) Some years ago, when Ernest Shackleton was exploring the South Pole, severe and oppressive weather set in. Provisions were running short and he had no choice but immediate ly to leave Elephant Island. His boat was small there was no way to take all of his men in the first trip. As many as possible crowded into the craft. Shackleton promised those who were left, “I’ll be back!” Try as he would, however, he couldn’t get back. The dreaded ice flow had closed in. Fog continually enshrouded the area so that it was impossible to effect a rescue. Then, one day, as he con tinued his hopeful vigil, there was a sudden lifting of the clouds. At the same time an opening was seen in the ice which allowed him the hazardous journey back to his men. He could only pray that they would be ready and not too sick to move. By the time he reached the shoreline, he found all of his men waiting. All of their things were packed. Not a moment was lost. This was providen tial, for no sooner had the bdat been turned around than ice, like a vice, started to close in again. The clouds descended lower. A few seconds of delay could have meant death for all of them. Reaching safety back on board the larger rescue ship, a re porter who had followed the expedi tion began asking questions. One of the seamen was asked, “How is it that you and your companions were so ready to leave? Actually by the time Shackleton got there, you must have been wondering if he would ever be able to return.” The weakened man smiled, “Oh, that’s easy. You see Wild over there, second in com
mand, would tell us every morning, ‘Roll up your seabags boys, the boss may come back today!” ’ As we consider God’s final tri umph, we see the judgment, which shall rightly be brought upon the sinfulness of mankind here on this earth. Yet the believer has the joyful realization that before this hour of extreme Tribulation, there will be the Rapture of the Church, when all true born-again believers will be taken into the presence of our Saviour. This is spoken of in I Thessalonians VOICES IN CHURCH The Devil sends his schemes to church Dressed in most every style, His deadly plan looks casual And whispers, "Wait a while!” Its second cousin, smart and bored, Drawls with a languid air, "Don't get emotional; do you— Want folk to think you’re square?" Then comes the fatherly attempt; "Now take it easy, see? Don’t get involved, you're not too strong, Next Sunday—watch TV." But those who listen with their hearts, Hear God say tenderly, “Tomorrow, child, may never come, Remember Calvary!” — Esther Belle Heins 4:13-18. May your heart rejoice in this scriptural certainty, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth him self, even as he is pure.” 13
vision of God in His holiness. That word holy has fallen into disrepute in some circles. It is used in slang, “holy” this and “holy” that. There seems to be no regard for sanctity. God is slapped on the back in rude and crude familiarity. To this gen eration the trivial is serious and the serious is trivial. Church members talk excitedly about a lot of TV comedians but they are bored with the pastor’s message. The subject of Christ and the holiness of God seem so remote. Men laugh at things that ought to make them weep. The word holiness, although it may not be part of some people’s vocabulary, is certainly a Bible word. I started to check the other day on holy and holiness in the concordance. I had to give up. It was overwhelm ing, with column after column of ref erences. Our Lord said that when the wedding invitations went out for the great supper, people made light of it. This is the mood today, making light of the deep things of scriptural truth. It was over in Vienna that a party of tourists was going through one of the museums where Beethoven’s piano is on display. One silly girl sat down and had the impudence to play “rock and roll” on it. The old caretaker, with a kindly smile, re marked, “You know, some years ago Paderewski came through here and saw this piano.” The girl impudently asked, “What did he play on it?” The man answered solemnly, “He played nothing. He said he wasn’t worthy to touch the piano.” There is the same disregard today for holi ness; holy days are turned into holi days. The stadiums of America are packed on Sunday while Churches close the doors Sunday nights.
I T WAS A SAD day for the kingdom of Judah when King Uzziah died. He had reigned for fifty-one years. He had been a good man who sought the Lord and was victorious in battle against Judah’s enemies. He made civic improvements, dug wells, made advances in agriculture and was the best king since Solomon. In his last days, however, he went to pieces. We read his biography in II Chronicles 26. Unfortunately, it was when he was strong that he went to pieces. This has been the story of many men since that day. He had tried to be a priest, disobeying God. He died a leper. No doubt there were those who said, “What’s the use? If he ends like that, what hope is there for the rest of us?” A preacher told me years ago, in speaking of another great man of God who had died under a cloud, “There was a time when he was my greatest inspiration. There came a day, however, when he became my greatest mourning.” The experience in Judah was hard on young Isaiah, who had put great faith in King Uzziah. Today, we are living in a time when “King Uzziah” has died. Religion is at a low ebb. Even some theologians, who should know better, say God is dead and that the church has failed. Civiliza tion is overwhelmed with anarchy. “There is no king in Israel and every man does that which is right in his own eyes.” Our beloved country is plagued with filth and vulgarity and is wallowing in moral putrefaction. We need to keep in mind that it was in the year the King Uzziah died that Isaiah saw the Lord in His glory, as the seraphims cried, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” More than anything else today we need a 14
They tell us that Gospel music needs a “new beat” to fit the tempo and taste of these degenerate days. The church that used to go to the jungle now brings the jungle to the church. We have backslidden all the way from hymns to “hootenannies.” It’s part of the same program that says Christians need this new phrase ology. But why not make the great music of the church beautiful? Some of the holiest men of the ages died young. Sanctity is not lim ited to old age. Many young people would respect sanctity if they ever saw another person who impressed them with his godliness. After all, God didn’t save us just to make us happy. He saved us to make us holy. We were predestinated to be con formed to the image of God’s Son. Paul’s ambition was to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, that he might be made conformable (not comfortable) unto His death. It would be a fine thing if we were as afraid of unholiness as we are of holiness. The attitude today is, “How much like the world can one be and still be a Christian?” The reverse should be true. People are virtually asking, “How near to the precipice can I walk without going over?” Are we afraid that somebody will call us saintly? Preachers sometimes act very silly at civic clubs, as if to say, “I’m just like everybody else; I don’t want you to think I’m different.” Why shouldn’t people think we’re different ? I Peter 4:1-5 tells us some thing about that. “Don’t be surprised if they think you are queer,” a new translation puts it. This doesn’t mean we have to be a bunch of “odd balls,” or peculiar in the wrong sense of the word. You don’t have to go down the street wearing a big but ton that says, “I’m a Christian,” or carrying a Bible as big as the Los Angeles telephone directory. If we belong to a holy nation, as the New
Testament calls Christians, we are to show it in our countenance, our conversation, and our conduct. Some Christians have been advised by physchiatrists to quit reading the Bible and praying. They are told in stead to go to the movies, take a cocktail now and then, use a few curse words. The devil’s been giving the same advice from the beginning. It’s not new. Too many professing Christians would feel quite at home in Vanity Fair today. We must get cured of our facetiousness, flippancy and irreverence or we will be Ichabod memorials from which the glory has departed. John Bunyan said th a t many good messages have been laughed away in the restaurant after the service. I don’t care for the title reverend even though it indicates a degree of respect. Yet the preacher who hobnobs with his flock until they call him by his first name, may well be the life of the party, but the death of the product. If he jokes all week, he can’t stand in the pulpit on Sun day, reproving and rebuking and ex horting. His parishioners will soon get tired of him. He has to be ahead of them, not just one of them. The cause of Christ is harmed more by jokes than by all the infidels. The Gospel fares better on hostility than on frivolity. There is more hope for a man who opposes the truth than for a man who trifles with the truth. We need a new vision of the holi ness of God. It was after Isaiah saw the Lord that he said, “Woe is me!” Then later, he said, “Here am I; send me.” I hear sermons to young people endeavoring to get them to volunteer for missionary service. Sometimes we try to get people to say, “Here am I,” before they have said “Woe is me!” The order can never be reversed. We are often not aware of the sinfulness of sin be cause we have not appreciated the holiness of God. F. B. Meyer was visiting in a 15
Scottish home on a Monday. It was wash day and the clothes were on the line, looking spotlessly clean. Then it began to snow. Soon there was a background of snowy white ness. The minister said, “Isn’t it in teresting what a difference perfect whiteness makes with the best we can do ? Look now how dark the linen shows up against the snow.” The old Scottish saint had declared rightly, “What human holiness can stand against God’s white?” My friends, when you have seen the best you can do against the background of the holiness of God, you will feel like saying, “Woe is me!” Then the Lord will send you out and you will be ready to say, “Here am I, send me.” ’TWAS I WHO DID IT I see the crowd in Pilate’s hall I mark their wrathful mien; Their shouts of "crucify" appall With blasphemy between. And of that shouting multitude I feel that I am one; And in that din of voices rude, I recognize my own. I see the scourges tear His back, I see the piercing crown And of the crowd who smite and mock I feel that I am one. Around yon cross, the crowd I see, Mocking the suff'rer’s groan, Yet still my voice it seems to be . . . As if I mocked alone. 'Twas I that shed the sacred blood, I nailed Him to the tree, I crucified the Christ of God, I joined the mockery. Yet not the less that blood avails. To cleanse away my sin. And not the less that cross prevails To give me peace within. — Horatius Bonar
Dr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Sutherland (standingat either end of the picture), salute two recent re tirees from Biola.At the left is Mrs. Leona Iverson, who has served since1959 as one of the residence hall’s housemothers. Next to her is Miss Ruth Gardner, who has been employed at Biola since 1957 as head nurse. Both women were honored at several special occasionsby their co-workers, as well as students, recognizing the faithful service which they have rendered. Copies of the New Scofield Reference Bible were presented to each woman as a specialretirement remembrance. Dr. J. Richard Chase (left) Academic vice president of Biola, has a timeof fellowship on the school’s 75-acreCampus with Dr. George 0. Peek, a gradu ate of Biola and pastor of the North Long Beach Brethren Church. Dr. Peek is also a member of the school’s Board of Directors.
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I n M atthew 6:6 our Lord said, “But thou, when thou prayest, en ter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy F a ther which is in secret; and thy F a ther which seeth in secret shall re ward thee openly.” The Bible has much to say about doors, both open and shut. When God got Noah and his family into the ark, we read that He shut him in. Throughout the cen turies the ark has symbolized our eternal safety in Jesus Christ. As in the days of Noah, when God shuts us in today, then our lives are hid with Christ in God. We are safe from any flood. After the resurrection and before Pentecost, the disciples met when the doors were shut because of fear of the Jews. Our Lord appeared, giv ing a commission which soon got them out of the doors. So our chal lenge is “As the Father hath sent me, so send I you.” We read of the foolish virgins who, when they came back from buying oil, found the doors to the marriage feast shut. Many an evangelist has dwelt on the awful predicament of the man who waits too long to find heaven’s door shut to him when the day of grace is past. Then there are doors we need to shut. Philippians 3:13 reminds us to forget the “things which are behind.” We need a good “forgettery” in the Christian life. I was a country pastor a long time ago. There was a man in my congregation who had a lot of trouble. His wife committed suicide. For some weeks he was almost be side himself. Just about the time he recovered from that, his only child, a boy, was drowned. It seemed as though he had too much. There were some wretched months. But, by the
grace of God, he got on top of it. I remember one time we were talk ing about insomnia and he said, “Well, I’ve learned one thing that 'when I go into my room and prepare to rest, I must shut the door.” He didn’t mean just the door to his room. He had learned to close the door on all the past. Some of us have trouble with that. Some never learn to close the door on decisions. They are plagued in their minds which have never really been made up. I read of a preacher over in Australia, who lived in one small city and got a call to go to an other place. He had a terrible time, but made up his mind to stay where he was. When things went wrong there, then he wallowed in regret. Later on he did move to a different area. Every time he ran into trou bles there, he mourned that he had left the first place. He lived in con stant agony. He hadn’t learned to close the door. We need to shut the door on sin and evil thoughts. You say, “Well, I can’t help these things coming to me.” That may be but you still don’t have to open the door, inviting them, “Come in, and make yourself at home.” You are to close the door. Is your mind a tavern or is it a temple? Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Close the door on all that is unholy. We certainly must close the door on this world. Everyone usually knows the first verse to the hymn, “The Way of the Cross Leads Home.” Do you know the last? I could get a unanimous vote from most churches on the first stanza, “There is no other way but the way of the cross.” We all agree with that. If you want to throw a chill over the congregation, * 17
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