433
December, 1934
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
onChristian Endeavor
NOTES
B y M a r y G. G o o d n e r
What was I ? And what am I ? Less than nought, And yet Thy mercy sought, Yea, Thou hast set my feet Upon the way of holiness, and sweet It is, to seek Thee daily unafraid. W hat I K now A bout G od He is a loving God (John 3 :16). He is an eternal God (DeuL 33:27). He is a holy God (Psa. 99:9; Isa. 6 :3). He is a merciful God (Psa. 116:5). He is a mighty God (Jer. 32:18). He is a true God (1 John 5 :20). He is our refuge (Psa. 46:1). He is the living God (1 Tim. 4:10; Josh. 3:10). He is a personal God (Ex. 3 :14). He is a God of power (Psa. 62:11). He is a God-of wisdom (Job 36:5). There is no god like our God (Isa. 44:6). He is able— 1. To save (Heb. 7 :25). 2. To keep (Jude 24; 2 Tim. 1 :12). 3. To empower (2 Cor. 9:8). 4. To deliver (Dan. 3:17). 5. To make one stand (Rom. 14:4). 6. To do abundantly (Eph. 3:20). 7. To subdue all things (Phil. 3:21). A celebrated freethinker once met a poor laboring man on his way to church. In a sneering tone he asked the man why he went to church. “To worship God, sir,” was the reply. “What sort of a person is your God?” continued the scoffer. “Let me have an exact description.” “Oh, sir,” replied the poor man with fervor, “He is so great that the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him, and yet so little that He can abide in my heart” The scoffer told some friends after wards that the man had done more to con vince him of the truth of Christianity than tomes of theological works. “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is — F ay I nchfawn . i t 8. To help (Heb. 2:18). He is worthy (Rev. 5:12). —M. G. G. III. W hat G od I s L ike
and over. You will find yourself longing to be like your Lord. But in order to know God, we must believe in Him. Love follows trust. Dr. Maclaren says, “The first step is to grasp the great truth of the loving God, and, through that truth, the God that loves.” If we are to love God, we must know that God loves us. And when we have that realization, “we love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Students of acoustics tell us that if two instruments are tuned exactly together, when a note is struck on one, there will be a response from the other. In like man ner, when the deep note of God’s love reaches our poor hearts, we respond, per haps faintly, but surely. “God is love.” In these words is summed up all the essence of His being. The Shorter Catechism has this definition of God: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” Every one of these attributes in its perfection is found in Christ, and yet when we say, “God is love,” we have com bined them all, for real Godlike love in cludes them all, as the white rays of the sun include each color of the spectrum. The desire to know God is the highest thought one can have, for “this is life eter nal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). In order to know people, we must live with them. In the same way, in order to know God, we must live with Him. Our text tells us how: “He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” Leader’s Helps I. O H igh and L ofty O n e ! O high and lofty One! Thou couldst have lived to all eternity Apart from mel In majesty, upon that emerald throne, Thou, with Thy morning stars, Thy dawns, with golden bars, And all the music of the heavenly train, Possessing all things, what hadst Thou to gain By seeking me?
JANUARY 6, 1935 What Do I Know About God ? P salm 89:1-34; 1 J ohn 4 :16 Suggestions for the Meeting Hymn—“God Is Love; His Mercy Brightens.” Hymn—“God, the Lord, a King Remain- eth.” Prayer. Hymn—“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty 1” Before the Scripture lesson is read by a carefully chosen reader, suggest that the group give special attention to the details which reveal the character of God. Scripture—Psalm 89:1-34; 1 John 4:16. Solo—“When I Survey the Wondrous Gross.” Leader’s Message. Three-minute talks by previously ap pointed speakers, dealing with the follow ing attributes of God: 1. Unchangeableness, holiness, truth. 2. Wisdom, power, justice. 3. Love, mercy. Quiet Hour. Hymn—“Our God, Our Help in Ages Past.” Benediction—Jude 24, 25. Meditation on the Lesson Some comprehension of God’s power and of the fact that He is a personal Being can be gained from an observation of nature. But such a picture is seriously limited. For an experimental knowledge of God’s holiness and love, we must turn to the revelation of God in His Word. In this passage from Psalm 89, we find a conception which impresses us with its scope and richness. The power of the Lord is prominent (vs. 5-13, 17, 18), for He is shown as Creator and Owner of the universe, and as the One who continues to guide the world and man. Like a re frain throughout the verses is the re minder of God’s faithfulness (vs. 1, 5, 8, 24, 33) ; Jehovah is the covenant-keeping One (vs. 3, 28, 34). In this psalm, God’s righteousness (vs. 14, 16) is not separated from His mercy (vs. 2, 14, 24, 28). A holy God cannot allow sin to pass unpunished (vs. 30-32), but “that which the holiness of God re quires, His love provides,” and we read in verse 33 the assurance of His love. These passages are a foreshadowing of that fuller revelation of the absolute righteousness of God, united with His perfect love, the revelation given when the Son of God “himself bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24). It is as we turn to the New Testament that we find the fullest disclosure of a God of love. “That disciple whom Jesus loved” would be the one we should natur ally expect to have a message on love. The little epistle in which part of our lesson is found is luminous with love. To catch its glow and gleam, and to fire your own heart with warmth and ardor, read it over
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