"HE SHALL NOT CRY, NOR LIFT UP, NOR
CAUSE HIS VOICE TO BE HEARD
IN THE STREET." -- Isaiah 42:2.
Matthew applies this prophecy to Jesus Christ and His first coming, and quotes it thus: "He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets." When I read this I couldn't help but think of our election campaigns. The candidate's bid for office pretty much depends upon how well he sells himself to the public. Before election you hear him crying out in the streets his fine points, and decrying his opponent's not-so-fine points. Sometimes it seems the one who "cries" the loudest and "strives" the hardest gets the job.
Jesus came not to sell Himself to the public. He had no political ambitions. He came as Zechariah said, "lowly, and riding (not upon a great white stallion, but) upon an ass (a common beast of burden), and upon a colt the foal of an ass."
He was a King, however. "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee," predicts Zechariah. But not at His first coming was He revealed as such. He came the first time to suffer "for sins, the Just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." He came to "give his life a ransom for many." He came "having salvation." To complete the redemptive work the Father sent Him to do He had to come not as the bold and boisterous conqueror but as the meek and submissive Lamb of God, to be taken and by cruel hands crucified.
Jesus did have some self-appointed campaign managers, however. His half-brothers taunted Him, "Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that does anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world."
They had real political savvy. Buy up some television time and "shew thyself to the world." Let people know of your good works. But they completely misunderstood His mission. They misinterpreted the prophetic Scriptures. His time had not yet come. He must first come as Saviour and then as Sovereign. He had first to suffer and die before He could reign. He must first be rejected before He could be received up into glory.
But reign He shall. As the Father's submissive Servant, He came the first time humbly, meekly, without cry or fanfare. But He is coming again. This time as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." What a grand spectacle for all those who love His appearing. Then we who have believed on Him as the lowly sacrificial Lamb shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
My friend, don't let His quiet demeanor at His first advent fool you, as though there could be nothing in such a one to merit your trust. This had to be, to fulfill all righteousness. If you prefer the bold and loud approach, be sure of this, that day is yet to come and SHALL come. If you would not be ashamed at His second coming, if you want to be among the holy throng who shout His praises and who live and reign with Him forever, then you must now receive Him who "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
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"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . . "
I Timothy 1:15
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OUR FATHER . . .
HALLOWED BE THY NAME
Jesus taught His disciples to pray: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name . . . " (Matthew 6:9).
How many of us can pray this from the heart? How many really want this prayer answered? We may be sure God would have His name hallowed and honored, but is that what we want, actually?
"Hallowed be thy name." God's name is not being hallowed if we take His name in vain, use His name lightly or as an oath or curse word. To use His name with foul language is a gross sin. His name is to be held in highest esteem; many esteem it lightly. His name is holy, and to be considered as such; many treat it as an unholy thing. It is to be spoken reverently; too often it is spoken irreverently. If you use God's name during the week to curse and swear, don't presume on Sunday to pray, "Hallowed by thy name." "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
"Hallowed be thy name." God's name is not being hallowed if we give more honor to the creature than to the Creator. This is a mark of the present day. We have on our coins, "In God we trust," but actually we do not as a nation trust in God. We trust more in ourselves, in our own ingenuity, our own strength, our own wisdom. We only turn to seek God's help and guidance when we have exhausted every other resource.
We use God's name as a last resort. The doctor said to the lady concerning her ill child: "You better pray." "Oh, is it that bad?" she exclaimed. How "bad" does it have to get before we seek God and call upon His name? God's name is honored only when it is exalted above all others. He will not share His honor with another. This is as it should be. May this be our prayer -- "Hallowed be thy name" -- may it also be our practice.
"Hallowed be thy name." God's name is not being hallowed unless we give His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, His rightful place in our lives. It is the Father's declared will "that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him."
We honor God the Father by believing in Him, believing Him to be the true and living God of heaven and earth and believing His Word. Likewise we honor God the Son by believing that He is in truth and truly God and that He gives eternal life to all who put their trust in Him. Jesus exhorts us to "believe in God" but to "believe also in Me."
Christ humbled Himself to the death of the cross where His blood was poured out as an offering for our sins, but "God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a NAME which is above every name." His name is "Saviour" to all who will believe and receive Him as such. His name is "Lord" to all who will submit to His lordship. But His name shall be "Judge" to all who believe not -- unto eternal condemnation.
Jesus Christ wants to reign in your heart and life. When you give Him His sovereign right, then not only do you honor His name but His Father's name as well.
Father, let thy name be hallowed in me today and always, and in each one who reads, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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EARLY EVENING
" . . . He that loveth Me shall be loved of my Father . . . "
John 14:21
I love the quietness of early evening,
When day's work is o'er and sets the even sun;
I love the breeze that softly whisp'reth
God's sweet approval of my work well done.
I love to kneel alone and gently whisper
The Name of Jesus in an evening prayer;
I love to thank Him for each blessing,
And softly tell Him of my every care.
I love by faith to reach and touch His garments,
And to breathe the fragrance of this Holy One;
I love to just be still and listen,
And hear and see the wonders that He's done.
And then I love to draw e'en nearer to Him,
Like John upon the bosom of his Lord;
And there I rest and find refreshment --
And there I love, and there He is adored.
-- Yvonne Virginia Smith
MY LORD WAS THERE
"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever."
Hebrews 13:8
The day was one of glory,
All was sunny, bright and fair;
Sweet joy began my morning, --
My Lord was with me there.
The joyful note lost volume,
As the noon brought on its care,
Clouds bedimmed the sunshine, --
My Lord was with me there.
Then evening's silv'ry fingers
Swept across the sunset rare,
And made things sad and cheerless,
My Lord was with me there.
And then the night fell softly,
Its gloom I had to share --
But even in the darkness,
I found my Lord was there!
-- Yvonne Virginia Smith
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OUR FATHER . . .
THY KINGDOM COME
Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come . . . " (Matthew 6:9). Jesus taught His disciples thus to be anxiously expecting the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth.
The disciples questioned Jesus often concerning the Kingdom. After His resurrection they asked Him, "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus assured them that "it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." It is enough for us to know that God SHALL establish His Kingdom and that it shall SOON appear.
There are many things we could say about God's promised Kingdom, revealed in the Word of God, things worthy of our attention, but there seems to be at least two outstanding features which demand our consideration here.
God's Kingdom will be a reign of righteousness, peace, and joy. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink (fleshly appetites and satisfactions); but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17).
What nation on the face of the earth today can boast these attributes? -- Righteousness? Too often the world's righteousness is self-righteousness which has a way of turning into unrighteousness. -- Peace? There is much talk of peace, but little of it. Talking peace -- practicing war. -- Joy? There is a semblance of joy, a superficial happiness based upon the possession of temporal things, but as for real, lasting joy in the heart, there is none in this world.
But God's Kingdom shall boast all this and more, to the delight of all who delight in God's sovereign rule. But what of those who despise and reject His rule? For all such, the establishment of God's Kingdom will mean a cutting off and a casting out. "The Lord of that (rebellious) servant shall come . . . and shall cut him assumder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 24:50,51). " . . . cast him into outer darkness" (22:13). This too is a necessary feature of God's Kingdom.
If we should look for the MOST important feature of God's Kingdom, it would certainly be this -- the divine Personage there. Looking prophetically into the future, God the Father declares in the second Psalm: "I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." (6). Who is this King? The Father speaks directly to Him and says, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee" (7). Sounds familiar. John says, "God . . . gave his only begotten Son" (3:16). Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son. It is He who shall eventually reign over all. And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.
His Kingdom shall be characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy because He Himself is the personification of these characteristics. Those who in this age receive Him as their righteousness, peace, and joy, will welcome His Kingdom and will be welcomed into it. They are the ones who can pray from the heart, "Thy kingdom come."
But when you pray this you must know that you are not only praying a blessing upon those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ, you are also praying a curse upon all Christ-rejectors. Have you received Him? "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him" (Psalm 2:12). The unbelieving and rebellious shall taste of His bitter iron-rod judgment. "Thou shall break them with a rod of iron."
What have you done with God's King, the Lord Jesus? What you have done with Him will determine what He does with you when He comes into His own.
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HE STRETCHETH OUT THE HEAVENS
(Isaiah 40:22)
Could mortal eyes behold the glory of the Lord on high,
The majesty of Him who rules the earth and sea and sky?
Once Saul of Tarsus' eyes beheld His brightness in the way,
But had no sight for aught besides, so frail our forms of clay.
Our Maker knew that sinful man such glory could not bear,
And so He mercifully hung a curtain in the air.
These mortal eyes can only see the canopy of blue,
Though sometimes it seems thin enough sight almost can pierce through.
It is a lovely curtain, star-bedecked or red with dawn,
But sometimes we've a longing great to have this curtain drawn
Aside that we may catch a glimpse of our Redeemer, King --
The One whose praises sun and moon, planets and stars all sing.
Praise God, one day this barrier an angel hand will raise,
Through cloven skies we shall look up and see our Saviour's face.
Then, free from sin and clothed about with immortality,
Our eyes shall never tire of gazing on His majesty.
-- Cosa Elizabeth Reynolds
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The love of the world, in its foolish vanities, its empty shows, its godless maxims, its defiling pleasures, its lying principles, its soul-beclouding books, and all its idol-worship of talent, wit, and falsely-called glory, must be nailed to the cross. Its conformity must be eschewed as poison -- its touch shunned, as a viper's sting. The heart must have no throne, but for Christ. Every joy must center in Him -- every flower of refreshment must be gathered from Him.
-- Things Concerning Himself
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YOUR MONEY BACK
By Dr. Martin R. De Haan
"O taste and see that the Lord is good . . . " Psalm 34:8
The radio blares: "Your money back if you are not completely satisfied! If this medicated toothpick does not do more for you than any other, you may return the toothpick within ten days and your money will be cheerfully refunded."
Does this sound familiar? It is one of the gadgets the world uses to get us to try their products. They advertise an item in glowing terms and then add -- "None other can make this claim." Yet a hundred and forty-six similar products make the same statement.
Whether it be cosmetics, cigarettes, beer, hair lotions, (that "greasy kid stuff"), soaps, or fingernail polish, each one claims theirs is better than any other, but there can be ONLY ONE BEST, which makes all the rest (or maybe all of them) liars.
These advertisers know that very few will take the trouble to return the goods and get their few cents back. These few are such a small percentage, and the total profits made from the rest of the suckers so great, that they can afford to "return the purchase price."
There is, however, one thing which can be honestly advertised, and offered with an ironclad guarantee of satisfaction: it is SALVATION THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST!
It is not necessary to guarantee "your money back," because it is free in the first place. In the second place, it "never fails." We can unreservedly recommend Christ to anyone and everyone, and they will never be disappointed.
David says, "O taste and see that the Lord is good." You can't "see" it until you "taste" it. Paul says, "Whosoever believeth on him shall never be ashamed." No truly born-again believer has ever been sorry. Anyone who claims he was saved and was disappointed was fooled by a counterfeit.
There is none genuine without this label: "THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST."
(From "Our Daily Bread," copyright 1964 by Radio Bible Class.)
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CHRIST --
THE MESSENGER
By Rev. Miles Taber
It should be obvious that man's greatest need is to come to know God. But how may man know God? If it is not enough just to know certain facts about Him, but absolutely necessary to know Him personally, we find ourselves searching for a Messenger who can and will make God known to us. Where shall we find Him?
It is definitely stated in Scripture that man cannot successfully initiate this contact with God. Every day brings news of man's conquest of Nature. We are amazed at the scientific discoveries that pile one upon another. But even when man's conquest of space reaches its final limits, man will not have found God out there. Even Zophar knew that, when he asked: "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?" Then he added: "It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell: what canst thou know?" (Job 11:7-8). Man cannot find God by searching His universe for Him.
Even many of God's "ways" are beyond the limits of scientific research. Paul exclaims, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33). Man is finite and fallen; he utterly lacks the capacity to know the infinite and holy God.
Furthermore, man has never had access to the heaven where God dwells, so that he might carry on his research there. When Nicodemus could not accept the simplest spiritual truth concerning things in this life, Jesus asked him how he ever expected to understand and believe heavenly things. Then our Lord added: "No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven" (John 3:13). Sinful man is forever shut out from the heaven where God dwells; how then can he hope to find God through his own efforts?
But someone may ask: Is not God revealed in His universe? Does not the Bible say that "the heavens declare the glory of God"? (Psalm 19:1). Yes, but sinful man has lost most of his ability to read that revelation. About all that he can learn from Nature is stated by Paul: "Even his eternal power and Godhead" (Romans 1:20). Man can know from the revelation in Nature that there is a powerful God in the universe, and the man is a fool who does not see that. But this revelation is confined to two of God's attributes; it does not make God Himself known to us.
But that knowledge of God Himself is precisely what we desperately need. Jesus prayed to the Father: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). We need life eternal, and that means that we need to know God Himself. Yet that knowledge is wholly beyond our capacity.
The Emperor Trajan once ridiculed a Jewish rabbi because his God could not be seen. The Roman could show his idol, but the Jew had nothing to show. Finally, Rabbi Joshua invited the emperor outside and asked him to look directly at the mid-day sun. But the emperor objected. "It would blind me." "You ask me," replied the rabbi, "to show you my God, who created all things, yet you cannot look at one of the lesser suns which He has made." Man cannot find God, he has no access to His presence, and he could not see Him if he did. Man cannot initiate the contact that could result in his knowing God.
That leaves us with only one ray of hope: Has God ever initiated such a contact? Has God made Himself known to man? In all the history of the human race, has any man ever seen God?
Our Lord Himself has answered that question. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). Again He said, "Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (Matthew 11:27). Apart from the revelation that God has made of Himself in Christ, no man has ever seen God or known Him.
It might seem that some Old Testament passages would contradict these statements. Did not God appear to man on various occasions? There is a twofold answer. First, in every appearance God clothed Himself with the form of a man or an angel. Men did not see God in the fullness of His glory. Second, every manifestation of God was made through the pre-incarnate Christ. It was not the Father who was seen; neither was it the Holy Spirit.
To summarize: Our message is narrowed down to Christ and Him crucified. So also we have only one Messenger who can make God known to man, and He is this same Christ. Man cannot find God. God has not revealed Himself to man through any other person. As Christ is our only Message, so also is He our only Messenger. It remains but to demonstrate that this self-revelation of God is always made through Christ in all dispensations.
GOD ALWAYS REVEALS HIMSELF
THROUGH CHRIST
Already we have mentioned the pre-incarnate appearances of Christ which have been recorded in the Old Testament. Suffice it to cite one example. When God sent an Angel to lead the Children of Israel through the wilderness, that Angel had power to forgive sin, a power that God has never relinquished to a creature. "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him" (Exodus 23:20-21). It was this One, who bore the Name of Jehovah, whose "back parts" Moses saw (Exodus 33:13-23). God made Himself known to Israel through the Christ.
If we can accept these facts concerning the mysterious former dispensation, we shall have no difficulty in seeing Christ as the revelation of God to men during His earthly ministry. "He hath declared (unfolded, revealed, interpreted) him" (John 1:18). Again He claimed: "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him . . . He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:6-9). He alone revealed God to men during His earthly ministry.
But our Lord did not complete that revelation of God to men at the time of His ascension. That He continued this work is clearly stated in the Scriptures. Luke begins his record of the beginnings of the Church like this: "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus BEGAN both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up . . ." (Acts 1:1-2). According to the clear inference of this statement, Jesus had only begun His work and teaching at the time of His ascension. He continued to work miracles and to teach men about God on a broader scale than was possible while He was still limited by His human body on earth.
Our Lord Himself confirmed His intention to continue His ministry when He prayed for His disciples: "I have declared unto them thy name, and WILL declare it" (John 17:26). He did not plan to finish His revelation of God within the next few hours. Rather, it was to be a continuing ministry.
The disciples were fully aware of this fact; consequently, they consistently attributed to Him all that was accomplished thereafter. This is how Peter explains the miracles of Pentecost: "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:32-33).
When the young church grew it was the risen Christ who was adding to it: "And the Lord added to them day by day those that were being saved: (Acts 2:47, ASV, marg.). Christ had affirmed earlier: "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). Yet there was no church to build during His earthly ministry. When miracles were performed they were not attributed to the apostles or to the church, but to the ascended Christ (Acts 3:16; 4:7-12).
So fully was Christ identified with what was being done that He counted the persecutions as being directed against Him. To Saul He said, "Why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:4). Peter said to Aeneas, "Jesus Christ maketh thee whole" (Acts 9:24). As soon as Peter came to himself outside the prison he said, "now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod" (Acts 12:11).
The risen Saviour may use many agents to accomplish His purposes, but whatever is done in the great work of revealing God to men, He is the doer of it. He is the only Messenger from God, though He may use many agents in His work. For example, He sends the Holy Spirit to do some of His work (John 14:16,18). Again, He sends the Word, and it is powerful only when it goes forth from His mouth (Isaiah 55:11). Or, He may send angels (Acts 12:11). He may use our testimony (Acts 1:8). He may even use our suffering (Acts 9:16). But He Himself is the Messenger.
Man cannot find God by searching. God never reveals Himself except through Christ. But thank God, even in this present dispensation, Christ is active in this work of showing the Father to those who desire to see. God had "shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (II Corinthians 4:6). Not the physical face of His incarnation, for Paul and the Corinthians had not seen that. We today can see that Face, even as they, if we look into His Word and hold communion with Him (II Corinthians 3:18). It is our business to "take time to behold Him"; it is His business to show us the Father in His own blessed face.
Finally, we take a look into the future. The very same Christ who has revealed God to men in past and present dispensations will continue this work in the future and in eternity. He will still be God's Messenger to men, showing us the Father, in eternity to come.
At the Second Coming of Christ, "we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (I John 3:2). The One we shall see is the One who is coming again.
In the first chapter of Revelation, John saw the glorified Christ. In the eighth verse one might assume that it is the Father who is described: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." But this same person speaks in verse 18: "I am he that liveth, and was dead." This makes it clear that the One who is seen is Christ, not the Father, for the Father was never dead.
In Revelation 21:3 one might suppose that the God who will dwell with men is the Father. But in verse 6 He is identified as "Alpha and Omega," who is the Christ in chapter 1.
In Revelation 22:4 it is said, "They shall see his face." Whose face? In verse 7 He is identified as the coming One, the Lord Jesus Christ. In each of these cases it is evident that in all the future we shall know God only as He is revealed in Jesus Christ.
(This article is a condensation of a message delivered at Grace Theological Seminary as part of the Louis S. Bauman Memorial Lectures, January 30, 1961.)
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