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THE KING’ S BUSINESS
Friday, June 9 . John 8 : 37 - 42 .
selves in all sorts of fantastic, extravagant, barbaric, unhealthful, and even immodest array, that we see at our social gatherings, and even in our churches ? What mean these slaves ^ f money that sell their souls and trample the poor and perishing under foot at the' crack o f the whip o f their slave- master; Greed for Gold? The Jews could deny their bondage only by closing their eyes to facts, and that is the only way in which men out o f Christ today can deny their bondage. But Jesus opened their eyes by saying, “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that committeth sin is the bond-servant o f sin.” Does any one ques tion the truth o f that assertion? “I will commit this one sin,” many a man thinks, “and then I will quit.” You will not quit. By that one act you have sold your soul to a master that never lets go a slave unless a stronger than he wrests him from his grip, and there is but One stronger than he to do it. A “bond-servant o f sin;” just think o f it, thou man or woman who art contemplating sin. If we are slaves we have no continuing place in God’s household (v. 25). I f we are “bond-servants o f sin” we shall not abide in the house forever. But there is One who does abide forever, that is the Son, and all who become sons by receiving Him (ch. 1 :12) and thus being set free from sin. “ I f therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’’ Have you discovered yourself to be a slave, and therefore without a perma nent place in God’s house? This tells you the way to be free, and the only way. W e are all by nature slaves, as both Scrip ture and experience teach, but there is one who has power to free any one of us, the Son o f God, the Lord Jesus. When He sets us free, we are “ free indeed.” Has He set you free? Many a professing Chris tian He has not set free. Has He you? I f not, will you look to Him to set you free now ? The conditions are simple, “come to Him” (ch. 6:37), continue in His W ord (vs. 31, 32).. Glorious freedom after awful bondage.
The Jews were Abraham’s descendants, but they were not truly his children (cf. Rom. 9 :7 ). I f they had been really the children o f Abraham they would have done the works o f Abraham (v. 39). Abraham was a lover o f the truth, .but they were haters o f the truth and sought to kill the man who told the truth which He had heard from God. I f the W ord o f God is not allowed to have “ free course” (v. 37, R. V .) in one he will turn from faith to bitter hatred (cf. v. 31 with v. 40). Those who clearly see that Jesus is all that He claims to be, but will not accept Him as such, afterwards become His bitterest ene mies. Jesus spoke no mere speculations, but the things which He had actually seen with His Father, God. But those who reject Christ not merely speak but “ do” that which they have learned from their father, the Devil. The Jews claimed God for their father, but Jesus frankly told them that in real fact the Devil was their father. Jesus was a wondrously plain spoken teacher. There are many today who tell us that all men are children ,o f God, but in saying this they contradict the teaching o f Jesus, for He tells us that some men are “ children o f the Devil.” The mark o f the true child o f Abraham was that he did as Abraham did (v. 39, R. V .; ch. Rom. 4:12, 16; Gal. 3:7, 29), and the mark o f the true child o f God is that he does as God does (cf. Matt. 5:45; Eph. 5:1). The one who is a child o f God will love Jesus Christ (v. 42), for God loves Jesus Christ. It is vain for any one who does not love Jesus to call himself a child o f God. Saturday, June 10 . John 8 : 43 - 47 . To understand the words o f Jesus requires not merely intellectual keenness, but spiritual discernment (v. 43; cf. 1. Cor. 2:14). There is a way in which “ any man” can acquire this spiritual discernment, that is, by, the surrender o f the will to God (ch. 7:17, R. V .). The two chief characteris tics o f the Devil are lying and murderous
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