TRIUMPH -- July 1958
Editorial
Here we are again. I have a suggestion for you, and I believe a good one. Each month as you receive "TRIUMPH," and as you sit down to read it, stop momentarily--even before reading a word--and breath a prayer to God that He might bless His message to the many who are even at that same moment reading it. I have tried to follow this practice with other Christian publications, radio broadcasts, letters etc. If we are faithful in this respect, prayer will become more meaningful, God will become to us more personal, our concern for others will increase, and the ones prayed for will experience the manifestation of the Spirit of God in their lives and ministry. Can we afford not to pray in this way? I am persuaded that if some of you Christians would thus help with your prayers, I would soon receive letters from joyful individuals, telling me that they were "born again" as a result of reading "TRIUMPH." I sincerely want this. I hope you do too, yes, and enough to do what I have suggested.
Sincerely in Christ,
Art Gordon
Dear Shut-In
The Apostle Paul went through many experiences similar--or nearly so, at least in application--to some in which we find ourselves today.
Two of these experiences in particular I would have you consider. They were similar in many respects and yet ended very differently. In the first instance, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison shortly after their arrival in Philippi. Their confinement was to be brief, however, for God took a hand and by using a natural means in a most unusual way, delivered them.
A miracle was performed for their release. Not a miracle of means but in time. This quake came at just the right time and, too, we might say, with just the right intensity to break their bonds, force open the doors and yet do no harm to the prisoners. Just a few hours after confinement they were set free by Divine intervention.
But in the other incident in which Paul was involved the end result was quite different. The first part of the story was much the same as the other. Paul again, for his testimony of the saving grace of Christ, was thrown into prison. However, two long years later (long to the prisoner), we find him still locked up in jail.
Now, we must ask, why the difference? Why did God not intervene and deliver His child in this case? Was it that Paul had lost some of his faith and could no longer get his prayers answered? Did Paul lose something between his first imprisonment and his last, that he had to stay in jail over two years?
The same could be asked of John Bunyan, English preacher and author of the 17th century. Did he lack praying faith more that his fellow Christians because he spent many agonizing years in a rat infested prison? I say no! To say that these men of God were out of the will of God, and that they were lacking in faith is absurd, untrue, and very unkind.
As for John Bunyan, he has produced a Christ centered book, Pilgrim's Progress, which has sold second only to the Bible itself throughout the world, and which has blessed untold millions of seeking souls. This volume was written while Bunyan crouched in his dungeon cell.
In the case of Paul we find the answer to his last, long imprisonment even before it took place and also as it took place. Long before, God had told Paul that he was a chosen vessel to preach the gospel before kings. In his last confinement he did just that. And even while he was thus confined the Lord assured him that he was to preach in Rome, which he did during and because of his confinement.
"Why this long dissertation," you ask. Because I want to apply to your sickness this same rule. Of course this can only apply if you are a child of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You may have asked the question some time or other, "Why am I sick while others are apparently being healed?" Or possibly you were once healed of some affliction but now no release comes no matter how much you pray. Is it that you have lost faith? or that your faith has grown weak?
As with the above illustrations, IT IS NOT NECESSARILY YOUR LACK OF FAITH that withholds God's hand to deliver. It might prove to be as in the case of John Bunyan and the Apostle Paul: GOD HAS OTHER PLANS. His will is not always to heal, as some well meaning but misinformed men declare. God directed Bunyan, not in spite of his imprisonment but through it, to write a book that would be the means of liberating the captive souls of millions from the prison house of sin. God instructed and led Paul, and again through imprisonment, to present the good news of redemption to King Agrippa, Governor Festus and to the gentiles and Jews of Rome. All, according to God's unchanging and unchangeable plan. These men were in the center of God's will even though the prison bars prevented them from going to and fro as they pleased.
I cannot say, maybe God wants to deliver you immediately from your prison house of suffering. But please don't forget, God may leave you there because He has some high and noble work for you to do, something you could not do were you not thus confined, and something no one else could do. And please remember that the Lord will stand with you as He did with Paul in his confinement. Paul had said, " . . . no man stood with me . . . Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me . . . ." When Job's comforters conclude that you are a hopeless case and far out of the will of God, when men drop you as one who, in their opinion is void of faith, remember the words of your Lord when He said, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
As Jesus suffered to accomplish His Father's will, may we ever have our eyes fixed above our slight inconveniences to the eternal plan and purposes of our great God, so that with Christ we might say, "Not my will, but thy will be done."
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NOW HEAR THIS!!!
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23.
ALL have sinned. This means all women, all men. It means girls and boys. It includes aristocrats and peasants. It includes the rich, the poor, the foreigner, and the American, the church member, and the agnostic. Nice people are sinners. Our leaders in government are sinners. Men who died in combat were sinners. Even the nice, quiet, little old ladies are sinners, and the silver haired old gentlemen. All have sinned. This includes you.
It doesn't mean you made a little mistake once or twice. You SINNED, and that against God. No matter what you call it; no matter where you did it; no matter how you enjoyed it; no matter--it is sin--sin against God.
Thus, you have come short of God's glory. That means you missed the mark. That means you will not go to heaven. It means you will land in hell. Call it Hades if you like. It still is a place of torment. It means that you are as far from heaven as the dope addict. It means that you have no more chance than the worse atheist in the world. It means you are lost. You are lost for eternity.
If you would venture down to the river--any river--and try to jump to the other bank, about the best you would do would be to get wet. Maybe you are big and husky. Maybe you did win the high school award for broad jumping. And possibly on this occasion you jump exceptionally well and far. All you get for this effort, however, is a good dunking. There may be others present who also try this feat, and you excel them all by jumping the farthest. You might even boast of the fact that you outstripped all opponents. Yet, you came far short of the goal--the other bank. You did not jump far enough.
A bit childish, you say? Maybe so, but with the mind's eye I can see a scene equally as childish but far more tragic. I see men and women lining up to try by some self effort to leap onto heaven's shores. Maybe you would rather call it "steal" into heaven. Some with pomp and ceremony make their leap only to find they come short. Some quite humbly but nevertheless confidently plunge in--but far short of the mark. The strong and the weak, the healthy and the sick, the old and the young, the good and the bad, the moral and the immoral--they all make their try and they all fall short.
Don't stop reading; the story is not quite complete. Even though "the wages of sin is death, (the) gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." What does this mean?
It might be illustrated this way. While all of you are trying to jump across the river by mighty bursts of self energy. a man in a nice new boat comes floating into view. He invites all who will, to climb aboard. All who really want to reach the other shore do just that. In a matter of minutes they are safely deposited at their destination.
Likewise, God has prepared a way to heaven's shore. All who willingly climb aboard shall be safely transported hence. Those who refuse will perish as did those in Noah's day when they refused to heed God's warning by Noah.
The gift of God is "eternal life," but this only comes through Jesus Christ, God's Ark of safety. We must, by an act of the will, commit ourselves to Him. We must place our faith in Him--let Him bear us across to yonder shore. We cannot pay our way. We cannot sneak in. We cannot force our way in. We cannot earn our way. We cannot work our way. We can in no way reach the "glory land," except through the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ.
Self effort is useless. Christ is our only hope. RECEIVE HIM NOW!!!
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By Thy merits, entered in;
Only by Thee, Ark of Safety,
By Thee only--saved from sin.
--a.e.g.
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Improper Christian Attitude:
To live as bad as possible and still be saved.
Proper Christian Attitude:
To live as good as possible, not to remain saved but because you are saved.
Sermon Series - XII
The First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians - (Continued)
Chapter 2, verses 9-12
"For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe. As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory."
PURE MOTIVES
POSITIVE
This month we shall look at the last of the Apostle Paul's list of characteristics in which he sets forth the pure motives of the preachers as they preached the message of God at Thessalonica. Possibly, some of the preachers who read "TRIUMPH," have come to the conclusion that I have a bone to pick with them, as month after month I have been compelled to make application in their direction. I think, however, that as you examine the portion of Scripture we covered you will see that to thus apply it was right and necessary.
And now for some more proper motives.
LABOUR AND TRAVAIL
The apostle calls the converts to remember, "our labour and travail . . . labouring night and day . . . . " These preachers worked hard. And Paul was no exception. Today, we would say that Paul was burning the candle at both ends. He labored at night at his trade of tentmaking to support himself, that he might not be burdensome to the people to whom he ministered. He labored during the day at his spiritual duties consisting of prayer, Bible study, and preaching. What a schedule he maintained during this campaign! Very little time did he have for sleeping, eating and refreshing himself.
Let us not becloud the issue here, however. Paul's main job was to preach the gospel of God, as he so often affirms. This secular job was not to fill his money pouch, but merely to keep body and soul together as he performed his main job. Should not every Christian, regardless of occupation, have somewhat this same philosophy? The Christian farmer, business man, and factory worker should not be engaged in these pursuits to pile up earthly treasures which the Bible assures us will pass from us, but to use these jobs to maintain the main and more important job of spreading the gospel.
These preachers labored or toiled at secular and spiritual work until they "travailed." In other words they became weary and weak through their hard work and long hours. They became greatly pressed down in body and soul.
I wonder how many of us can say that we have toiled at this job of disseminating the gospel until our bodies have grown weak and weary. We DO toil at many things. We toil night and day to make a success of some program in the church or community, but to win a soul to Christ--NO! When our labors for Christ and His Kingdom begin to tell on us physically, immediately we say that the cost is too high and we make an "about-face," get a second secular job, and go about making ourselves weary and weak laboring for "self," and the "things" of the world.
HOLILY . . . JUSTLY . . . UNBLAMEABLY
Paul calls in again two witnesses to confirm his statement: the people themselves and God.
He declares that he and his co-workers lived "holily." This attribute was mainly before God. He declares also that they lived "justly," and this mainly before the people. And, too, he says that they lived "unblameably," both before God AND man.
We must realize, as did the apostles, that apart from Christ there is NO hope of living a holy life, for it was He who died and arose to impart unto us His holiness. Likewise, it is through Christ that we are declared just, and only as He lives in and through us can we live in like manner among our fellow men. When Christians live holy lives before God and just lives among men, neither God nor man will be able to blame against them.
The Bible presents this truth thus: "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Romans 8:33,34).
If you, dear reader, would one day stand before God's throne "unblameable," you must in this life receive the One through whom this is made possible, Jesus Christ the Lord.
EXHORTED . . . COMFORTED . . . CHARGED
The apostles' holy, just, and "unblameable" lives gave them the right to exhort, comfort, and charge the people. In fact there is no doubt that the fine reception of the gospel was due in a large degree to the consistent manner in which these men of God lived.
We can see this same principle in operation in our daily lives. The father who lives an exemplary life before his children can ask of them a similar life and very often see them live as he does. On the other hand, the father who is debauching his life through wild reckless living can ask his children to live good lives and exemplary, but very often they live just like he lives. The saying is true that what we do, speaks so loud that people can't hear what we say. If you want your boy to go to church, you must go with him. If you want him to stay at home with a whisky bottle tilted to his lips, you continue to set the example and its sure to be.
The preachers "exhorted," or encouraged; they "comforted," or supported; they "charged," or solemnly pressed home the message to the hearers. All of this in turn was that the converts "would
WALK WORTHILY OF GOD."
As I said before, Christ has made us worthy to come to God. Without Him we are at best, unworthy, sinful creatures. We deserve only Hell. But in Him Who alone is worthy, we too are seen as being worthy. God was well pleased with His Son, and all who have committed their lives to His Son.
To commit oneself to Christ brings also the responsibility to walk in conformity with His will. A worthy walk always follows this worthy position in the Lord.
God's promise to the one who has received His Son as Savior and Lord far outweighs any inconvenience this act might bring when He says, "God . . . hath called you unto his kingdom and glory."
From the Pastor's Pen
A sermon outline by: John J. Auringer, Pastor Anglesea Baptist Church in North Wildwood, New Jersey.
DEGREES OF FAITH
Introduction. When Jesus Christ spoke in Mark 11:22, saying "Have faith in God . . . ," He meant that we were to have the faith that God gives. According to our ability to receive and contain it, God is willing to impart to us the greatest faith. So then, when we talk about the stages or degrees of faith, we have reference to our use of God's faith, not our own.
I. NO FAITH: (the unbelieving, non-Christian).
A. Diagrammatically our message is like an inverted V, or upside down funnel--
1. Beginning with nothing we proceed to infinity.
2. We have an ever widening pattern.
B. Deut. 32:20 "They are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith."
1. "to and fro," is an old expression.
2. "fro" means, away from, in opposite direction, thus: the opposite of faith here.
C. Mark 4:40 "How is it that you have no faith?"
1. When fear comes in, faith goes out!
2. These men "feared exceedingly." vs. 41
II. LITTLE FAITH: (usually the unyielded believer)
A. Matt. 6:30 "God shall clothe you, O ye of little faith . . . " (worry-warts!)
B. Matt. 14:31 "Jesus caught him, and said, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (PETER WALKING ON WATER)
C. Matt. 16:8 "O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves?" (DO WE HAVE BREAD?)
III. WEAK FAITH: (the anemic Christian!)
A. Romans 4:19 "Being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body . . . "
1. Abraham believed (had faith in) God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness
2. Here is one who was not weak in faith.
B. Romans 14:1 "Him that is weak in faith receive ye . . . " (to aid him)
IV. GREAT FAITH: (those who believe God!)
A. Matt. 8:10 "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel."
1. Here a gentile military man beseeches Christ for his servant who is ill.
2. FAITH IS A MATTER OF ONES HEART, NOT NATIONALITY.
B. Matt. 15:28 "O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt."
1. Another gentile, this time a woman, and in response to FAITH that is great, He works.
V. FULL OF FAITH: (the extra-ordinary examples!)
A. Acts 6:5 "They chose Stephen, a man full of faith, and the Holy Ghost . . . "
1. The first deacons in the church, were elected by the "whole multitude," and one condition being, "full of faith."
2. Stephen was chief among these men. (vs. 8)
B. Acts 11:24 "(Barnabas), a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith . . . "
1. When we are FULL of faith there is no room left for doubt OR fear!
2. The cup running over--MORE than brimful! (RARITY)
VI. ALL FAITH: (superlative degree, none higher!)
A. I Cor. 13:2 " . . . though I have all faith . . . "
1. It is not here being said that any human ever had "all faith," but the suggestion is left as a challenge for all of us.
2. This is God's desire for all of us, and it is the suitable goal for each believer.
B. We have proceeded from the point of NO FAITH to the place of ALL FAITH (a large gamut).
1. Christ asks us today "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:25).
2. Yes, He exhorts us: "increase your faith . . . . " Luke 17:5).
(Note: the further suggestion in 2 Cor. 10:15, "when your faith is increased . . . . ")
Conclusion:
Luke 22:32 "I have prayed for thee--that thy faith fail not," said Jesus.
God the Father will not fail to answer the prayer of His Son in our behalf!
"Whatsoever is not of FAITH is sin . . . " (Romans 14:23.
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"How many do you have out to your prayer meetings?" asked the American pastor of the Korean pastor.
After thinking for a brief moment the Korean pastor replied, "We have about 80 out to our prayer meetings."
"Why that is the number we have at OUR mid-week service back home," said the American pastor, as he showed very evident delight at the comparison.
The pastor from Korea looked a bit puzzled at this last remark and after a short pause said, "Oh, I guess I misunderstood your question; we have 800 at our mid-week prayer service; we have 80 at our early morning prayer meeting."
Almost every protestant church in Korea meets at 5:00 a.m. daily to pray for the salvation of fellow countrymen. If the Christians of America had such a burden for lost souls, revival would not be long coming.
