A CERTAIN MAN
"When Jesus went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man" (Luke 8:27).
Jesus with His disciples landed on the beach at the country of the Gadarenes, just opposite Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, little known to that community, salvation, deliverance, and sovereignty stepped ashore.
"A certain man" was there. A man with a terrible, desperate need. Hopeless and helpless, demon possessed. He could not help himself. His loved ones could not help him. The authorities could not help. The best they could do was to bind the poor demented fellow with chains, which he broke time and again and escaped into the desert.
But who was it that made up the welcoming committee to meet Jesus and His party when they arrived in the area? Not the mayor nor the governor. They didn't know the importance of their visitor. But this man knew. The demons inside of him knew. The man ran and prostrated himself at the feet of Jesus and cried out: "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high?" The demons begged Him not to send them into the abyss or bottomless pit (or Hell) before their appointed time. They knew He had the authority and the power to do so.
The abyss must wait, but Jesus delivered the man. The people came out to see what was done "and came to see Jesus, and found the man . . . sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid." They bade Him leave their shores.
Jesus and His disciples boarded their ship and left. They left behind "a certain man" no longer bound by demonic power or man-made chains, but one delivered by the grace and power of God, and one commissioned to "return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee." Needless to say, "he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him."
Maybe I am writing to someone who is sub-servient to Satan and bound by sin. For all have sinned. You cannot help yourself. No one else can help you. Neither your loved ones nor your church. Because what you need is not for them to give. You need salvation. Jesus is the same today. When you welcome Him by faith into your heart and life, salvation comes in, deliverance, and a new leadership. Many others may -- indeed, will -- reject Him, but you need not. He is your only help and hope. Having received Him, then begin immediately to tell others what He has done for you.
-- Editor
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"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved." -- Romans 10:13
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Fifth in a Series
HIS INCARNATION
Why did Christ become incarnate?
Our Lord became incarnate in order that He as God might know human life from the inside by personal experience.
There is only one way to have experience, and that is to have experience! For instance, you may read numberless books on poverty, you may investigate actual conditions among the poor, you may study thousands of cases, become the greatest sociological authority in the world. But you will never know poverty by experience until you have actually become poor and live a life of poverty.
Likewise we may say reverently, but on the authority of the Word, that not even an Almighty God, with all His knowledge, can know human life by experience without being born into human life and living in human life. So to this end, He that was rich became poor, He that was in the form of God took the form of a servant.
But why? Did God need this experience of human life? God needs nothing in Himself. The need was ours! Why, then, did He come?
The first reason is given by the writer of Hebrews (2:17-18); -- "Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren." Here we have the assertion of His human experience and its reality. Now for the reason: "that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest . . . for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted."
Have we suffered? He suffered more than tongue can tell. Have we been tempted? He was tempted in all points like as we are. Have we tasted the bitterness of poverty? He has nowhere to lay His blessed head. Have we felt the lash of slander? He could say, "Reproach hath broken my heart." Have we known the heartbreak of friends proved false? He too was "wounded in the house of his friends."
Some of you may be passing through deep waters just now, and in your distress you may find yourself wondering how God in far-off splendor can possible be touched with the feeling of our burdens. In such a time, do not forget that the God with whom we have to do has lived our life; and there is no crisis of the soul (sin excepted) where He has not gone before us. Like the Good Shepherd that He is, when He putteth forth His sheep, He "goeth before them." -- All the way.
Another reason we needed a God with the experience of human life is set forth in John 5:22 and 27. Our Lord is speaking.
"For neither doth the Father judge any man, but he hath given all judgment unto the Son." Surely a most astonishing claim. Why should the Father abdicate the judgment throne and reserve all judgment for the Son? Is it because the Son is somehow wiser than the other Persons of the Godhead? Not at all. The true explanation appears in verse 27: "And he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man."
Of the three eternal Persons of the Triune God, only the Son has passed through the experience of human life. Oh, how wonderful and comforting to know that on that Judgment-Seat before which we must all appear, and on that Great White Throne before which the lost must stand, there will sit One who is both Son of God AND Son of Man.
This is the glory of the incarnation: it gave to us a Saviour, and to the world a Judge who knows the problem of human existence by personal experience. Surely this is grace -- grace beyond compare -- grace even in the midst of judgment.
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A Message to Christians
GOD CARES FOR YOU
By WALTER BROWN KNIGHT
To Dr. Martin, hesitating to leave his very sick wife to fulfill a preaching engagement, the reassuring counsel of his small son came as a word from the Lord. "Don't worry, Daddy; God will take care of Mother while you're gone," he had said. So Dr. Martin preached that night and hearts sought and found the Lord as a result.
Rejoicing, he hurried home to find Mrs. Martin's condition much improved. During his absence she had written the words of the well-known gospel song:
"Be not dismayed whate'er betide.
God will take care of you:
Beneath His wings of love abide.
God will take care of you."
It should gladden the hearts of God's children to know that they are the objects of His tenderest care and unfailing mercy; that "like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him" (Psalm 103:13). His care includes the smallest details of life, for we are told, "the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30).
When Bishop Watts-Ditchford was a small boy, an aged saint asked him to read the words of a motto that hung on her wall. He read, "Thou God Seest Me." Then she said, "Laddie, folks say that God's eye is on you to mark your sins and shortcomings; but always remember it's because He loves you that He never loses sight of you -- even for a little moment."
This is a blessed truth indeed, one we do well to remember.
HE CARES ABOUT YOU
IN TIMES OF DOUBT AND DISTRESS
There are times when our experiences cause us to ask, "Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?" (Psalm 77:9). This is God's answer: "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of thy hands . . ." (Isaiah 49:15, 16). A mother may forget her child -- but God does not forget us. God forgets one thing only. He says, "Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more" (Hebrews 8:12).
While leading a prayer meeting in Philadelphia a number of years ago, the late Dr. Russell Conwell asked whether there were any persons present who had tithed over a period of years. Seven persons, men and women, indicated that they had, six of them gladly testified to God's faithfulness in supplying all their need through the years. The seventh, a frail, gray-haired woman spoke very reluctantly. She said in effect, "I have denied myself for many years in order to tithe my income. Now I am old and am losing my position, and I have no means of support. The future looks very dark to me."
The next day, Dr. Russell Conwell had luncheon with Mr. John Wanamaker of Philadelphia. During the conversation Mr. Wanamaker said, "Doctor, you will be interested to know that we are inaugurating a pension system for our employees. The first life pension is to be issued today to Miss Mary Atherton who has served our firm twenty-five years."
It was she who had confessed fear for the future at prayer meeting the night before . . .
John the Baptist, the faithful herald of the Messiah once wavered in his faith. Though he had called men to behold Jesus as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), he later sent to ask, "Art thou he that shall come? or look we for another?" (Matthew 11:3).
Our Lord did not condemn John. He knew that John's stay in prison tended to give rise to questions like that. God does not censure any of His children who are worsted temporarily by the "fiery darts of the wicked one." "He knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14).
"And if my heart and flesh be weak
To bear the untried pain;
The bruised reed He will not break
But strengthen and sustain."
One time when John Bunyan was arrested for preaching, it took his friends two years to discover that he had been hidden away in Bedford jail. On seeing him, one of them exclaimed, "At last thou art found!"
"Brother," Bunyan replied, "thou liest. God has known for two years that I have been here."
Madam Guyon imprisoned long years for her faith once wrote:
"Strong are the walls around me,
That hold me all the day;
But they who thus have bound me,
Cannot keep God away:
My very dungeon walls are dear,
Because the God I love is here.
They know, who thus oppress me,
'Tis hard to be alone;
But know not, One can bless me,
Who comes through bars and stone:
He makes my dungeon's darkness bright,
And fills my bosom with delight."
It may seem at times that we are utterly forsaken; but our gracious Lord is the same "yesterday, and today, and forever"; and He has said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
HE CARES ABOUT YOU
IN TIME OF PERIL
An elderly Quaker couple who lived at the edge of a wilderness settlement in Pennsylvania were notified one day that the Indians were expected to attack at any moment. That night they read Psalm 91, and having committed themselves to God, prepared to retire.
"We shall leave the latchstring outside tonight, Mother," said the husband. "God's Word tells us, 'Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day'; God will take care of thee and me."
Not long after that they heard their door being slowly opened. A terrifying silence followed. Then, very cautiously, the door was shut again.
Next morning the near-by settlement lay in ruins; and an anxious search revealed to the old couple that they were the sole survivors of a night of terrible pillage and massacre. Their trust in God's care for them had spoken a message of friendship to the red men, and proved the means of deliverance from almost certain death.
When bandits took a North China city, hundreds of Chinese women and children fled to the mission compound for protection. The lone missionary stationed there despaired for their safety, for it seemed certain the compound would be attacked soon after dark. She wondered what she would do when the shooting began.
In this troubled state of mind she prayed, "O Lord, I have borne witness to these people that Thou art able to deliver them that trust in Thee. Prove Thyself strong now on our behalf, for Thine own glory."
All night long she moved among the refugees, encouraging faithful Christians among them who continued steadfast in prayer. Horrible acts of violence were committed on all sides of the compound, but none within the compound suffered harm.
Soon after the bandits had been routed by the militia, the head of a neighboring family called on the missionary. "Little Sister," he said after thanking her for the protection the compound had afforded the women and children, "I would like to know who the four men were who stood guard on your housetop during the night." A second and a third man came later asking the same question, each one vowing he had seen "the men."
Surely, "the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them" (Psalm 34:7).
HE CARES FOR YOU
IN TIMES OF MATERIAL NEED
It is sinful for God's children to burden their hearts with worry about what they shall eat, and drink, and wear. We are told to "be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your (own) requests be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6), who will supply every need "according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
If we honor God in our daily walk, we will have cause to speak of His daily care for us.
The widowed mother of several small children served the last of their meager supply of bread for supper one snowy night. She had no money with which to buy more, and wondered what she could give them to eat for breakfast.
Next morning the table was set as usual, and the children called to take their places. Then the mother said, "Children, we need bread. We must ask the Lord to supply our need." And pray they did -- all of them.
Scarcely had they finished their earnest petitions, when a loud knock at the kitchen door sent the oldest boy running across the room to answer it.
"My truck's stalled in a snowdrift around the corner," said the man at the door, whose arm was piled high with loaves of bread. "Can't make any more deliveries today, and I can't sell this bread tomorrow. Ask your mother if she can make use of it, Sonny."
"This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us" (I John 5:14).
HE CARES ABOUT YOU
WHEN OTHERS FORSAKE YOU
It is a painful experience to be "let down" by a trusted friend. As the proverb puts it, "Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint." But a true friend "loveth at all times." He steps in when the whole world steps out.
Our blessed Lord Jesus is just such a friend! "He abideth faithful." The man who trusts Him as Saviour will never be disappointed; for His love grows more precious as friends and loved ones grow fewer through the years.
When David Livingstone's Bible was examined after his death, there was found written on the margin near our Lord's words, "Lo, I am with you alway," this note: "The word of a Gentleman." It is that! He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.
HE CARES ABOUT US
IN SORROW AND SEPARATION
"Does Jesus care when I've said 'goodbye'
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks --
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?
"O yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Saviour cares."
Just before he died, Dr. F. B. Meyer wrote to his wife, "Dear, I have just learned, to my surprise, that I have only a few days to live. It may be that before this reaches you I will have entered the Palace. Don't trouble to write. We shall meet in the morning."
London has seldom witnessed a funeral service such as was held for him in Christ Church Cathedral. There was not a single note of grief or tragedy heard throughout. The Scriptures read spoke of the Christian's hope of immortality; and Easter hymns were sung.
As the organ began to play at the conclusion of the service, the vast audience rose and stood with bowed heads waiting for the funeral march to begin. But to their surprise the organist swung into the triumphant notes of the Hallelujah Chorus. What music could have been more appropriate? A faithful soldier of the cross had been ushered into the presence of his King!
The "river of life" now divides the family of God. But those of us who remain on the mortal side know that the separation is only for a little while, for we read, "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians 4:16,17).
What a reunion that will be!
HE CARES ABOUT YOU
IN THE WINTER OF OLD AGE
In a moment of fear the Psalmist prayed: "Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth" (Psalm 71:9). But God says to His own: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10).
"E'en down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And then, when grey hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not -- I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never -- no, never -- no, never forsake!"
Just as Dr. Rees was about to enter the pulpit to preach for the last time, a friend said to him, "You are whitening fast, Dr. Rees!" The old Welsh minister did not reply, but at the close of his sermon he said, "There is a wee white flower that comes up through the earth at this season of the year. Sometimes it comes up through the snow and frost. We are glad to see the snowdrop, because it proclaims that winter is over and summer is at hand.
"A friend has reminded me that I am whitening fast. But heed not that, brethren! It is to me proof that my winter will soon be over; that I shall have done presently with the cold east winds and frosts of earth, and that my summer, my eternal summer, is at hand!"
"I am on the bright side of seventy," said one of God's aged servants; "it is the bright side because it is nearer to everlasting glory,"
"My work is done," said the Countess of Huntingdon (Selina Hastings), when eighty-four years old. "I have nothing to do but go to my Father."
"The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness."
HE CARES ABOUT YOU
IN THE HOUR OF DEATH
How many weary pilgrims nearing the end of this life have been comforted by these familiar words of the Twenty-third Psalm: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
Shortly before his execution, Paul the apostle wrote to Timothy, "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand . . . Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me in that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (II Timothy 4:8).
The last words of John Wesley were, "The best of all is, God is with us."
"Earth recedes; heaven opens before me . . . God is calling me, and I must go!" the dying Moody told loved ones watching by his side.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."
David Livingstone testified, "All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in His divine Book."
When John Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides, was translating the Scriptures, he could find no term for "faith" or "believe" in the language of the people.
But his problem was solved one day when a tired native Christian dropped into a lounging chair in Mr. Paton's study, saying as he did so, "How good it is to lean your whole weight on the chair!" The remark prompted this translation of John 3:16: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth (leans his whole weight) on him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
This is God's word of assurance to all who have trusted Him for salvation. This is God's word of invitation to whosoever will come to ask forgiveness for Christ's sake.
"God cares for you."
(Moody Press, Chicago.)
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TRUE RESIGNATION
"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord" -- Job 1:21.
This is the cry of a triumphant soul who gladly acquiesced in the taking away of some precious give; of one who accepted the subtractions of the Lord just as gladly as he accepted the additions of the Lord. This is the story of a man whose interests have been advanced by his losses; whose life has been enriched by its limitations; whose soul has been made fruitful by its prunings.
He took away the love of those,
whom I had loved so well
And what it cost my grieving soul
no tongue or pen can tell,
But as I leaned against His breast,
wounded and crushed and sore
I deeply drank of deeper peace,
than I had known before.
I try to love as He loved me,
and other's sorrows share
For through His chastening loving hands,
He's taught me now to care.
May we truly be able to say, with every loss, sorrow, and disappointment, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord."
-- Dr. G. R. Paterson.
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