EDITORIAL
With this issue of TRIUMPH begins a series of messages on The First Epistle General Of Peter. Like the series on First Thessalonians, this will extend over many months. We shall proceed slowly and verse by verse. Each month this feature will be found on the middle (loose) page of the paper, thus making it handy, for all who so desire, to put it in a notebook for future reference.
TRIUMPH, as has been suggested before, can be used to good advantage as a personalized tract. You may effectively spread the gospel by passing it to your friends, neighbors, and relatives. Possibly, your church would be interested in distributing them to the community.
God's blessings on you and yours.
Prayerfully yours,
Arthur E. Gordon
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DEAR SHUT-IN
EXCERPTS from
LILLIAN'S LETTERS
Knock! Knock! May I come in? May I chat with you there by your bedside or wheelchair? Those of you who are standing, won't you please have a chair? Oh, my heart is so full of things I'd like to share with you, but since I would only burst the envelope sticking my whole heart in I'll just send a chip.
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Why be defeated when it can be a feat of achievement instead, a challenge, a grip of God's hand, a surrendered heart, a set jaw? No time to quit. A victory to win, a stamp-your-foot determination. We're going through! ! ! Amen! Oh, praise the Lord we are! ! !
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When I was much younger a bunch of us young folks decided to go down to the nearby village store. By the time we came back it was pitch black. Not a star in the sky. There was a very steep hill to go up, a road, but no one could see where he was going. Every once in a while you'd hear a scream. Someone has drifted into the ditch. Needless to say it was a bit frustrating. We knew the direction of the camp so we just kept going, trying to encourage each other along. Pretty soon we saw the camp ground lights. Life gets that way at times too. Suddenly things get pretty dark. We'd like to walk by sight and not by faith. God knew we would go through things like that. Often times prayers are in the process of being answered.
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I get such a thrill oft' times at thinking of us having new bodies. Those dear well people, or well compared to many of us, I believe will be shouting all over heaven at seeing us all new, and as frisky as they. I'm just sure heaven is going to be a noisy place at times. I'm about to take a deep breath and be ready to let loose the minute I hit there. You quiet ones won't mind it either. You'll probably join right in. Well glory!
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If people want thrills God has aplenty on stock just awaitin' to give to any who will exert a tiny spark of effort for Him. I tell you this "teakettle" (vessel) gets to singing, nigh on to the whistling point sometimes. Oh, the joy in serving Jesus that nothing else can bring.
Miss Lillian Butt suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Before her illness she was a nurse.
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"I AM"
God appeared unto Moses one time as Moses tended the flock of his father in law, near Mount Horeb. What an historical meeting this turned out to be. God told Moses that he was to be the man who would lead Israel out of bondage in Egypt. Moses was hesitant, however, being uncertain as to the reception he might get from the Israelites when he should present himself as their deliverer. Concerning his authority for approaching them in this manner, he asked, "What shall I say unto them?" "And God said unto Moses . . . Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
Names in the Bible always carry great significance. No less in this instance, where I AM means, The Self Existent One. Every personality in the world is created and sustained by the One here referred to; but God, and He alone, is self existent. This is the name by which He would be known as He visits Israel in her troubles. This name also denotes the continual presence of God with His people. He was with their forefathers, He was with them, and He would be with their descendants.
Coming to the New Testament we hear Jesus saying to the Jews: "Before Abraham was, I am." Jesus here claimed to be The Self Existent One. The Jews took up stones to kill Him for this seeming blasphemy. But we who believe, know He spoke the truth. And what a wonderful truth for all who believe. The inspired writer of the Book of Hebrews says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." This same One left the glory of heaven, visited us in our troubles, delivered us from the penalty and guilt of sin by His own death, ascended again into glory, and awaits the consummation of time when all things shall be put under Him. But in a very real sense He is present with us now. As he said in His great commission, just after His resurrection and before His ascension, "I am with you."
When Christ voluntarily limited Himself by coming to dwell on earth, in human flesh, He could only be one place at a time. What a blessing came to the places He visited during those momentous days. What great deliverances were wrought. But today, and since His resurrection and ascension, He is no longer limited by time and space, and as the Eternal, Self Existent One can again accommodate Himself to all who believe in Him. When He says to you, then, "I am with you," it is literally true. It is a fact upon which you can rest all your hopes. He is with you, right now. Believe it; live accordingly!
For Israel this name was significant. God, who was their I AM, had said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people . . . and have heard their cry . . . I know their sorrows." And for us today this name is wonderfully significant. I AM is present with us. This means that He sees our affliction, He hears our heart-cries, He knows our sorrows. And even more, as with Israel, He says, "I am come down to deliver them." He will not always deliver us from our troubles -- though sometimes He does -- but He will always deliver us through them.
Of late, when faced with the temptation to succumb to some unholy drive of my lower nature, some evil suggestion of Satan, some wily whim of the world, I have immediately, deliberately turned my thoughts to Him who is with me, I AM. Anyone who will concentrate on His presence will soon find that herein lies the deterrent to evil, the discouragement to worry, the incentive to prayer, the power to work, and the high road to triumph.
How can we continue in sin when we know the Holy One is present? How can we worry and fret when we know the Mighty God is here? How can we refrain our lips from prayer and our life from service when we know He is near who "is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him," and who works in us to perform His will? How can we not triumph when we know He is present "who always leadeth us in triumph through Christ?"
Will you not let I AM minister to your needy soul and body? He is only limited by your failure to recognize His presence. To constantly realize His nearness is to discover new vistas of victory in your Christian experience. "I am with you," said He. You need not claim this as you would a promise for it is more that a promise, even an established fact--whether you realize it or not; just believe it and live in the light of it.
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You are the only Bible some people will ever read; and since you are, as the Scriptures day, "declared to be the epistle of Christ . . . , written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, known and read of all men," "what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?"
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ALL YOUR ANXIETY
Is there a heart o'erbound by sorrow?
Is there a life weighed down by care?
Come to the Cross, each burden bearing,
All your anxiety leave it there.
No other Friend so keen to help you;
No other Friend so quick to hear;
No other pace to leave your burden;
No other One to hear your prayer.
Come, then, at once--delay no longer;
Heed His entreaty, kind and sweet;
You need not fear a disappointment--
You shall find peace at the Mercy seat.
All your anxiety, all your care,
Bring it to the Mercy seat, leave it there,
Never a burden He cannot bear,
Never a friend like Jesus.
-- Lieut. Col. E. H. Joy
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"CHRIST IS ALL, AND IN ALL." Col. 3:11.
The service of Christ is the business of my life.
The will of Christ is the law of my life.
The presence of Christ is the joy of my life.
The glory of Christ is the crown of my life.
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JOHN HUSS -- MARTYR
John Huss was born in the village of Hussenitz, Bohemia, about 1369. When he was old enough he was sent to the university of Prague where he soon distinguished himself. Some years after graduation he was chosen to the responsible position of rector of Bethlehem chapel where he applied himself to an earnest and independent study of the Scriptures. This study soon led him into disputes with the priesthood and brought against him complaints by the clergy to the archbishop. He was deprived of his appointment of preacher, and forbidden to exercise any priestly office in Prague.
About this time the great English reformer and translator of the Scriptures, John Wycliffe, was making himself known as a reformer in many other parts of the world. John Huss received his writings with great approval. However, his writings were not so acceptable to the archbishop who obtained a signed and sealed order from the pope at Rome to prevent them being read. Upon discovering Huss' leanings, the pope ordered him to appear at the court of Rome, to answer accusations of heresy. Huss recognized the danger to his person and refused to go. Soon, however, he was persuaded to attend a general council at Constance, Germany. He was promised a safe-conduct.
In spite of the safe-conduct, when he reached Constance he was arrested and thrown into a dungeon. At length Huss was brought before the council, when the articles which were drawn up against him were read: they were some forty in number, and mainly extracted from his writings. When his examination was finished, he was taken from the court, and a resolution was passed by the council to burn him as a heretic, unless he retracted. He was then locked up in a dark and filthy cell, and in the day-time was so laden with chains on his legs that he could hardly move, while at night he was fastened by his hands to a great iron ring, which was riveted into the wall. He remained in this wretched state for some days.
Finally four bishops and two lawyers were sent to the prison to persuade Huss to make a recantation. But he called God to witness that he was not conscious of having preached, or written, anything against the faith of his orthodox church. The deputies then desired him to remember the great wisdom and authority of the council: to which Huss replied, "Let them send to me the meanest member of that council, and if he can convince me by argument from the word of God, I will acknowledge that I have been in the wrong."
Huss was finally brought for the last time before his accusers. After a long examination, he was called on to recant. This he refused to do, without the least hesitation. The council, after a sermon by the bishop of Lodi, condemned Huss as being "obstinate and incorrigible," and fixed as his punishment, "That he should be degraded from the priesthood, his books publicly burned, and himself delivered to the civil power for execution."
Huss received the sentence without showing the least fear; and at the close of it, kneeled down with his eyes lifted toward heaven, and exclaimed: "May thy infinite mercy, O God! pardon this injustice of my enemies."
Those appointed for the purpose by the council now stripped him of his priestly garments, degraded him, and put a paper mitre on his head, on which devils were painted with this inscription: "A ringleader of heretics." This mockery was borne by the martyr with a resignation and dignity that triumphed over the ignominious garb he was compelled to wear.
After this the bishops delivered the prisoner to the emperor, who committed him to the care of the duke of Bavaria. His books were burned at the gate of the church; and he himself was led outside the city of Constance to the place of execution. When he had come there he fell on his knees, looked steadfastly toward heaven, and said, "Into thy hands, O Lord! do I commit my spirit."
When the fagots had been piled around Huss, the duke of Bavaria begged the doomed man, for the last time, to recant. "No," the martyr replied firmly, "I have never preached any false doctrine; and that which I have taught with my lips, I will now seal with my blood."
It is told of this heroic martyr that, when the fagots were lighted, he sang a hymn, and so loud and cheerful a voice that he was heard through all the cracklings of the wood, and the noise of the multitude. At length his voice was interrupted by the flames, which soon put an end to his life. This took place in July, 1415.
Adapted from "Foxes Christian Martyrs of The World."
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Jesus, I Thy cross have taken,
Crucified am I with Thee,
Dead to sin, yea, sin forsaken,
Live Thy life now, Lord, in me.
-- a.e.g.
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God makes it quite clear in His Word that He has only one answer to every human need--His Son, Jesus Christ. -- Watchman Nee
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SERMON SERIES
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER
No. 1
IF YOU SUFFER AS A CHRISTIAN . . .
I Peter 4:12,13; 4:19; 5:7.
Why has this happened to me? God has surely forsaken me! Possibly these have been your thoughts as trials have come into your life. If so, stop a moment and consider with me a portion of God's Book which deals with this problem -- and it is a problem -- of the suffering of God's children.
If you were abiding in your sins, having never surrendered to Christ as your Savior and Lord, there would be no problem. Suffering in such cases is the result of sin, not any particular sin of the individual, necessarily, but of the human race. The whole creation suffers as a consequence of sin.
But why must the one who has repented of his sins, and had his sins blotted out for eternity by receiving Christ as his Savior -- why must he yet suffer? The answer in part is like that of the sinner: he also suffers as a result of Adam's sin. He awaits deliverance at the end of the age (or at death) when he shall be caught up with Christ to heaven where no sin can dwell. But suffering for the Christian involves much more than this. Peter, an apostle of Christ, under inspiration of God, sets out in his epistle to explain the "whys and wherefores" of the suffering of the saints.
Throughout his epistle he points out the fact that Christians do suffer, a fact already established in the teachings of Jesus. He sets forth the reasons for suffering and exhorts the Christians to have a proper attitude toward it and to conduct themselves properly in it. And he holds before them constantly the eternal glories which shall eventually cause the present trials to fade into insignificance.
Before launching into a verse by verse study of this epistle, we shall first consider the overall theme as seen in the following verses:
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"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (4:12,13).
"Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (4:19).
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (5:7).
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THINK IT NOT STRANGE (4:12)
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning" your trials. Remember, you are beloved. God loves you. I, Peter, love you. I realize that these trials are burning in your midst; but this is not something out of the ordinary. This is nothing strange that is happening to you. Have you so soon forgotten the words of our Lord: "In the world ye shall have tribulation?" And don't think you are the only ones with these trials. Your brethren all over the world have the same afflictions which you experience. Don't think it strange then,
BUT REJOICE (4:13)
But, Peter, aren't you asking the impossible? Can anyone actually rejoice in suffering?
It is possible to rejoice in suffering, that is--if you recognize that "ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings," and that you shall also share in His glory which shall be revealed at His appearing. Paul longed to know this sort of fellowship with Christ, for he said: "That I may know . . . the fellowship of his sufferings." And Paul reminds us: "if so be that we suffer with him . . . we may also be glorified together." And again: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him."
Suffering, in itself, has no particular power to bring us to eventual glory. It is only as we suffer in Christ's name that this is true--only if you suffer as a Christian. But in a very real sense Christians are partners with Christ in this suffering business. Long ago He suffered at the hands of the world, the flesh, and the Devil. We too must suffer at their hands. But if it is true that we share in His sufferings, it is equally true that He now shares in ours. Jesus did not ask Paul, when Paul was persecuting the Christians. "Why are you persecuting my followers," but, "Why persecutest thou me?" When we suffer, He suffers.
The trouble with most of us is that very often our vision is bad. We are nearsighted. All we can see are the troubles which surround us. But we begin to rejoice when we set our sights on things farther out, such as future glory which we shall share with Him. Paul expresses it: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
COMMIT (4:19)
You have some money -- maybe not much -- but some. You intend to use this money some day to get your children started in college. You couldn't trust yourself to leave this money lying around the house, and you weren't sure but that some thief might break in and relieve you of it, and then there is always the danger of fire, so you did the sensible thing and deposited your money in the bank where you knew it would be safe. Banks have been known to fold up, but your money is safer there than in most other places. When you are ready to use this money it will be ready for you, with interest.
The word, "commit," in our text carries this idea of depositing. We who "suffer according to the will of God" are to deposit our souls to the keeping of the "faithful Creator." We need never fear the safety of this deposit. Though all else fails, God is faithful. Any soul committed unto Him is in safe keeping. Paul exclaimed: "I . . . suffer (many) things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed (deposited) unto him against that day." We may be as thoroughly convinced as was Paul, for He who kept Paul's deposit, keeps ours also. Worms may eventually eat our bodies, and in the mean time we may suffer many grevious things, but we can be sure our souls are in good hands. Those same hands will one day clothe our souls with a new, pain-free body -- a spiritual body, one like His own, in which to enjoy eternity.
Do not fear then, you who suffer, to make this deposit of your eternal soul to the "faithful Creator." And forget not to do good among your fellows, as the text suggests. This is well pleasing to God.
CAST (5:7)
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." Throw the full weight of your anxieties upon God. Save none for yourself. He can carry them all; He wants them all.
The word translated "casting," is used only one other time in the New Testament. Luke 19:35 reads: "they brought (the colt) to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt." The disciples took their own garments, which they had been wearing, and threw them upon the colt which was to carry Jesus into Jerusalem. The colt bore the weight of their garments. God wants us to do the same with our anxieties: literally throw them -- all of them, the full weight of them -- upon Him. He wants to carry our cares.
Why should He want to do this? The answer follows: "for he careth for you." He is personally interested in you. Your problems are His problems. He loves you.
Mary A. Baker, a dedicated Christian hymn writer, came to the place in her life where she began to doubt this fact. Her parents were snatched from this life by disease. Shortly after, her only brother, a talented your man and consecrated Christian, was taken by the same disease. This left the young lady rebellious to the will of God, and she said in her heart that God did not care for her. However, before long the Lord got through her doubts and ministered peace to her heart. From this experience Miss Baker wrote the hymn, "Peace Be Still." The second stanza expresses her anguish of soul, thus:
"Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in grief today;
The depths of my sad heart are troubled;
O waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
sweep o'er my sinking soul!
And I perish! I perish, dear Master;
O hasten, and take control!"
The third stanza shows her deliverance:
"Master, the terror is over,
the elements sweetly rest;
Earth's sun in the calm lake is mirrored,
and heaven's within my breast.
Linger, O blessed Redeemer,
leave me alone no more;
And with joy I shall make the blessed harbor,
and rest on the blissful shore."
Miss Baker's poem was based on the story in the Gospels, of Christ stilling the storm. Jesus and His disciples had embarked on a fishing boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. A storm broke violently upon them. The huge waves, one after the other, driven before the raging wind, swept over the small craft until it was nearly submerged. The disciples, some of them former fishermen, knowing well what it meant to be caught in the middle of the sea in such a storm, cried unto the Lord in their distress: "Master carest thou not that we perish?" At this Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and it ceased its fury, and a great calm settled over the troubled sea.
The storm has broken in upon your weak frame. Time and time again the waves of trouble pass over you, until you despair of life itself. All is dark around you; there seems to be no light at all in the blackness. All hope vanishes. All self-effort is fruitless. No one else can help.
Would you be startled if I asked you to rejoice in this situation? Yet that is just what Peter asked of the sufferers to whom he wrote. "Rejoice," said he, "inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings." Now you are partners with Him in suffering; one day you will share His glory. Oh, blessed day -- day unending!
The disciples, as a last resort, committed themselves to the Master. But why wait so long? May we learn to early commit ourselves to our faithful Creator. Our souls are safely deposited when deposited in the bank of heaven.
"Carest thou not, Master?" Surely He cares. Throw upon Him the full weight of all your anxieties. He has a personal interest in you.
If you suffer as a Christian, be not ashamed, but glorify God that you have been permitted to suffer on the behalf of Christ.
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IF YOU SUFFER AS A CHRISTIAN
If you suffer as a Christian here, My son,
And you think that you're alone -- the only one,
Hear Me now, My child, for what I say is true:
Think it nothing strange, which has befallen you,
But, rejoice, in that with Christ you're called to share
The sufferings He Himself had need to bear;
And some day the glory that He gained you'll see,
When from pain, distress, and such you shall be free.
Commit then, dear child, your soul into My charge,
Cast on Me your burdens, whether small or large;
Let Me have your heartaches -- let Me know your fear,
For, My son, I love you, and I'm always near.
Thus has God the Father promised unto you,
Not the smoothest path ways, but the way that's true,
And the way that's leading to the blissful shore,
Nor is it a new way, Christ has gone before.
-- a.e.g.
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