A Scriptural Pattern of Prayer

Prevailing Prayer: 7: A Scriptural Pattern of Prayer

By T.M. Anderson


"After this manner therefore pray ye." (Matthew 6:9-15)

The Lord's prayer is not a form of prayer, it is a pattern of prayer. The manner of our praying will follow this pattern of praying if we ask according to the instructions of Jesus. The prayer proceeds in an orderly manner from the opening words to the final Amen. There is perfect continuity in the prayer; it begins with worship and ends with praise.

The prayer follows the Savior's words, "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him;" and embraces in its scope every need of man. If we offer the words of this prayer in humility and sincerity, we have a right to expect our Heavenly Father to answer the petition, and supply our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Therefore let us come with confidence before our Father and make our requests known to Him.

"Our Father which art in Heaven."

It has been stated that the secret place of prayer is in the heart of the worshiper; but the opening words of the Lord's prayer are addressed to "Our Father which art in heaven." There is no contradiction in the truth, for we know that the secret prayers of our hearts are spoken humbly to our Heavenly Father. There is no dividing line between a holy heart and a holy heaven; the Everlasting Father dwells in our hearts, and He dwells in heaven.

When we say "Our Father which art in heaven," we must have in mind that there is a throne of grace where we can come with boldness, and obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. I am convinced that no one can pray intelligently without first knowing the needs of his own heart, and knowing where the place of prayer is established.

I asked a preacher to give me his concept of praying. He said that he conceived of God being a Great Spirit everywhere present, and that he prayed with this thought in mind. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. But one cannot say "Our Father which art in heaven," if He is everywhere in general. Obviously this is not the concept of praying to the Father which Jesus reveals in the pattern of prayer. The Scriptures reveal the proper concept of approaching God in prayer. We see it prefigured in the ritualistic law of Israel's' worship. The Lord dwelt in the most holy place in the temple. The high priest entered this sacred place once each year, and offered the blood of the sacrifice for the sins of the people, and prayed for them before the Lord.

We also know that when the people prayed they looked toward the temple where the Lord dwelt, and prayed facing the most holy place. The people dwelling in strange lands where they had been led captives, prayed with their faces turned toward Jerusalem, where the temple was located.

In the covenant of grace we have a Great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. He is the only Mediator between God and man; and He is seated on His mediatorial throne at the right hand of God.

We must follow the pattern of the worshipers in Israel, and turn our faces toward heaven, where Christ is seated on His mediatorial throne at the right hand of the Father. When we say, "Our Father which art in heaven, we should have a mental picture of these facts as revealed in the plan of Salvation.

I find it impossible to pray in faith until I have first formed a mental image of these fundamental facts. I must envision the Savior seated on His mediatorial throne to have a basis for praying in faith. I must see Him in the office of the Great High Priest before I can ask for the things I need.

The place of the Savior at the right hand of God is not fiction; neither is it a figure of speech. It is the abiding truth revealed in the infallible Word of God. The plan of salvation is a reality, and not a ritual. I cannot conceive of Jesus being in any place in the plan of salvation except at the right hand of the Father performing the work of the High Priest of our profession.

I consider it necessary to emphasize these fundamental truths to show that, "Our Father which art in heaven," is not in some remote place far removed from us; but that He is in a place where we can see Him with the eyes of our understanding, and turn our faces toward Him in prayer, and be heard.

"Hallowed be thy name."

Prayer is a part of worship, it approaches the Heavenly Father with a true spirit of reverence and respect for His Name. Prayer recognizes the Holiness of the Father, and the sanctity of His Presence. coming boldly to the throne of grace does not extend to any one the right to be irreverent in his approach to God.

To worship the Lord at the beginning of prayer will be rewarded by His blessing and a conscious sense of His pleasure. If one prays thirty minutes, he will be richly benefited in spirit if he will worship the Lord at least one half the time of praying. It is a part of prayerful worship to make love to the Savior. He is pleased to have us tell Him of our love; and it pleases Him to have us say that we love Him because of what He is in His Adorable Person. Let the Savior hear you say that you are not following Him because of the things received from Him; tell Him that he is all, and in all to you in time and eternity. If you are sincere in you praise, you are sincere in your prayers.

Prayer is offered in the Name of the Savior, and prayer should recognize the meaning of the Name of the Savior. I find and unutterable joy to my own soul to recall the Names of the Lord recorded in the Scriptures. These Names have great meaning, because they reveal certain qualities of the Nature of the Lord. For an example, consider the Name, Almighty God. We can see at once that this Name reveals the unlimited power of God; and assures us that this invincible power is supporting our faith and hope for eternal life. The Lord said to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM," denoting Eternal Existence, and an Eternal Presence with His people. The prophet called Him Immanuel, which means, "God with us." The Name of Jesus Christ the Son of God is precious to the praying saints. His Name is Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Hallowed be Thy Name, Thou Blessed Son of God. Thy Name is above every Name, for Thou art The King of kings, and Lord of lords. Thou art the Holy One, The Amen, and the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega, the first Cause, the fixed center, and the final conclusion of all creation. In thee we live, and move, and have our being. "Hallowed be Thy Name," in the heavens above, and in the earth, which is Thy footstool.

"Thy Kingdom come."

The prayer brings us to recognize our need of the government of Almighty God. Prayer will bring our souls into perfect submission to the Sovereignty of God; and we will never question His right to reign over us in Supreme Authority.

The soul of man is one place where the Lord does not reign as King. All men have been created with the right of free will, and the power of choice. A man can accept the kingdom of God or reject it, and God will respect the right of man's choice. When we say, "Thy kingdom come," we state our choice to be governed by the Heavenly Father. When we say these words, we must yield the throne of our self-government to the Father, and give Him the undisputed authority to rule over our lives. If we say "Thy kingdom come," we must issue an invitation in prayer for the Lord to enter our hearts, and extend His Eternal Kingdom to include all that we are in body, and soul, mind and strength.

"Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

The Lord's prayer shows the need of man to be in obedience to the will of God. Prayer brings the will into complete conformity with. the Divine will, and links heave and earth in a oneness of spiritual relationship. When the will of man is in perfect accord with the will of God, his obedience on the earth will be like the obedience rendered in heaven. The willingness of the man to serve the Lord, and his purpose to please Him, will equal that of the angels in heaven.

We have no basis for believing that our Heavenly Father will answer prayer, and give us the things we need, unless we sincerely say "Thy will be done."

The pattern prayer asks for harmony with the will of God for all time to come. The days ahead may bring poverty and privation, trials and troubles, nevertheless, "Thy will be done.'

The Father's will can mean sacrifice and suffering, for it presents the cross to us. There is no escape from the sufferings of the cross; there is no crown without a cross. When we offer the Lord's prayer we agree to all that the will of God contains for the present, and for the future: to refuse is to perish; but to yield means eternal life.

"Give us this day our daily bread."

Jesus discloses the fact that the worship of God is first in the order of the pattern prayer; and that we must say, "Thy Name," and "Thy Kingdom," and "Thy Will," before we can ask for our daily bread. We must recognize the Giver before we request the gift.

We frequently present our wants before we prayerfully worship. We pray about our needs, and forget to pray in His Name.

Our Father is not unmindful of our need of daily bread. This fact is vividly shown by the Savior's interest in the needs of His disciples. They could not forget the morning He stood on the shore of the sea, and said, "Children, have ye any meat?" He had compassion on them in the time of need; He fed them when they were hungry, and blessed their labors with a miracle. The same loving Jesus told us to ask the Heavenly Father for our daily bread.

The prayer does not imply that the supply of bread will be greater than our daily requirement. But if the goodness of God grants us an abundance, and gives us security against a future want; let us not turn our hearts away from Him.

"If riches increase, set not your heart upon them." (Psalm 62:10)

When one devotes so much time and effort to earn his daily bread, and neglects to pray and worship God, that man will suffer impoverishment of soul. To do this to the hurt of the soul is evil in the sight of the Lord. In this age of strife and selfishness, we can become slaves to our tasks, and allow our temporal needs to over shadow our spiritual needs. By all means, let us keep the worship of the Lord in the first place, and not seek earthly things more than we seek eternal things Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added.

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

The pattern prayer brings us to a recognition of our indebtedness to our Heavenly Father. We have a moral obligation that must be settled by prayer. We have incurred the displeasure of God by transgressing His law, for sin is a transgression of the law. We have no merits to plead; and no money to pay the obligation. But our gracious Heavenly Father is willing to forgive us our debts; He does not ask us to pay, He only asks us to pray.

Our forgiveness is conditional: we must forgive our debtors, before God will forgive our debts. Our Lord said, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you."

There is no pardon for the person that will not grant a pardon; there is no answer to the prayer of the man who will not forgive.

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Our Heavenly Father knows that we have need of protection, and has enabling grace to preserve His people in the hour of temptation.

We are not to assume that we will not be carried into temptation; we must ask the Father to provide a way of escape when we are tempted. I have no fear of the Lord leading me into temptation without a purpose; but I am afraid of becoming careless and failing to watch and pray, and as a result, be overcome by temptation. We are safe as long as we pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen"

Indeed we ascribe all the praise, and glory to Our Heavenly Father, and to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave us the pattern of prayer.

TEACHING BY CONTRAST

Way Into the Holiest - 21: TEACHING BY CONTRAST
By F.B. Meyer


"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God! (HEBREWS 9.14).


In this marvellous paragraph (verses 6-14) there are five striking and well-defined contrasts between the picture symbols of Leviticus, and the realities revealed in the New Testament Scriptures. And to their consideration we will at once proceed, thanking God as we do so that we live in the very midst of the heavenly things themselves, rather than in the shadows, which, though they doubtless helped and nourished the devout souls of an earlier age, were confessedly inadequate to supply the deeper demands of man's spiritual life.

THE FIRST TABERNACLE IS CONTRASTED WITH THE TRUE (verses 6, 8, 11). 

It must have been a fair and lovely sight to behold, when first, on the plains of Sinai, the Tabernacle was reared, with its golden furniture and sumptuous drapery. The very angels may have desired to look into it, and trace the outlines of thoughts, which perhaps were only beginning to unfold themselves to their intelligence.

But fair though it was, it had in it all those traces of imperfection which necessarily attach to human workmanship, and make even a needlepoint seem coarse beneath the microscope. It was "made with hands."

Besides which it was destined to grow old, and perish beneath the gnawing tooth or fret of time. Already it must have shown signs of decay when it was carefully borne across the Jordan, and, in David's days, its venerable associations could not blind him to the necessity of replacing it as soon as possible.

How different to this is the true tabernacle, of which it was the type, which is so much "greater and more perfect." What is that tabernacle? and where? Sometimes it seems to pious musing as if the whole universe were one great temple, the mountains its altars, the seas and oceans, with their vast depths, its lavers, the heavens its blue curtains, the loftier spaces, with their stars and mystery of colour, and fragrant incense-breath and angel worship, its holy place, whilst the very throne-room of God, where the Seer's eye beheld the rainbow-circled throne, corresponds to the Most Holy place in which the light of the Shekinah glistened over the bloodstained mercy seat.

But such poetic flights are forbidden by the sober prose which tells us that the true tabernacle is not "of this creation" (verse 11). It is no part of this created world, whether earth or heaven. It would exist, though all the material universe should resolve itself into primeval chaos. It is a spiritual fabric, whose aisles are trodden by saintly spirits in their loftiest experiences, when, forgetting that they are creatures of time, they rise into communion with God, and enjoy rapturous moments, which seem ages in their wealth of blessed meaning. Such is the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man (8.2).


THE HIGH-PRIESTS ARE CONTRASTED WITH CHRIST (verses 7,11). 

The outer court of the sanctuary might be trodden, under certain conditions, by ordinary Israelites, but for the most part they were excluded, and service was rendered by Levites and priests, at the head of whom stood the high-priest, radiant in his garments of glory and beauty.

The garment of fine white linen worn next his person, the linen girdle girt about his loins fitting him for ministry (John 13.4), the robe of the ephod, woven all of blue, and fringed with scarlet tassels in the form of pomegranates, the ephod itself, composed of the same materials as constituted the veil, and on his breast the twelve precious stones, engraved with the names of Israel. How grand a spectacle was there!

And yet there were two fatal flaws. He was not suffered to continue by reason of death (7.23); and he was a sinful man, who needed to offer sacrifice for himself (9.7). On the great day of atonement, it was expressly stated that he was not to go within the veil to plead for the people, until he had made an atonement for himself and his house by the blood of the young bullock, which he had previously killed (Leviticus 16.3, 6, 11-13).

In these respects, how different is our High-Priest, after the order of Melchizedek! Death tried to master Him, but He could not be held by it, and by death He destroyed him who has the power of death. "He continues ever." "He ever lives." His priesthood is unchangeable. "He is a priest forever." All this was clearly proved in the seventh chapter.

But now it is asserted that He was "without spot" (verse 14). He was well searched, but none could convince Him of sin. Judas tried to find some warrant for his treachery, but was compelled to confess that it was innocent blood. Caiaphas and Annas called in false witnesses in vain, and at last condemned Him on words uttered by His own lips, claiming divine authority and power. Pilate repeatedly asseverated, even washing his hands in proof, that he could find in Him no fault at all.

No, the Lord Himself bared His breast to the Father in conscious innocence, unlike the saintliest of men, who, in proportion to their goodness, confess their sinnership. "Such a High-Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, who needs not daily to offer up sacrifice for His own sins.

THE VEILED WAY INTO THE HOLIEST IS CONTRASTED WITH OUR FREEDOM TO ENTER THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 

We have the positive assurance of these words that the Holy Spirit meant to signify direct spiritual truth in the construction of the Jewish Tabernacle (verse 8). He Who revealed divine truth by inspired prophets, revealed it so in the structure of the material edifice. The methods of instruction might vary, the teacher was the same. Indeed, the whole ritual was a parable for the present time (verse 9).

The Beatitude for the Mourner

The Master's Blesseds: Chapter 2 - The Beatitude for the Mourner

By J.R. Miller


"Blessed are those who mourn--for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4


The house of sorrow is a strange place to look for joy! Mourners are the last people, that the world would call blessed or happy. Men in their quest for happiness, would not think of looking for it in the shadows of grief. Yet Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn."

There are many who mourn. Few are the homes in which there is not some grief. Not all sorrows hang the death-crape on the door, or wear a badge of grief. There are secret troubles, and tears are shed where no eye sees them fall.

Does Jesus mean that all who mourn are blessed? No! there are sorrows which yield no peaceable fruits of righteousness. There are those who suffer--and are not blessed. He means that the state of mourning is one in which divine blessing may be received--rather than in a state of tearlessness. The deepest happiness is not that which has never suffered--but that which has passed through the experience of sorrow--and has been comforted. The happiest home is not one which has never known grief--but one whose songs of gladness have in them a minor strain.

There is a story of a German baron who made a great Aeolian harp by stretching wires from tower to tower of his castle. When the harp was ready, he listened for the music. But it was in the calm of summer--and in the still air, the wires hung silent. Autumn came with its gentle breezes--and there were faint whispers of song. At length the winter winds swept over the castle--and now the harp answered in majestic music.

Such a harp is the human heart. It does not yield its noblest music in the summer days of joy--but in the winter of trial. The sweetest songs of earth, have been sung in sorrow. The richest things in character, have been reached through pain. Even of Jesus we read that He was made perfect through suffering. This does not mean that there were evils in His nature which had to be expelled by the heat of trial, that there was dross in the gold of His being which only the fire could remove. The meaning is that there were elements even in His sinless humanity, which could be brought to full ripeness only through pain.

There is given us in the book of 'Revelation', a glimpse of the heavenly life, in which this same truth is revealed. It was in a vision of the redeemed, singing their praises to God. Among them were some who appeared to have special glory--a great multitude which no man could number, gathered out of all nations, standing in the place of honor before the throne, wearing white robes and carrying palms in their hands. When the question was asked, "Who are these highly favored ones--and where did they come from?" the answer was, "These are those who came out of great tribulation." This joyous multitude came from homes of sorrow. They were the suffering ones on earth who had passed through a baptism of tears. In heaven they wear the white robes, stand nearest to the throne, and bear the emblems of the most complete victoriousness.

How strikingly this vision interprets the beatitude: "Blessed are those who mourn"! Earth regards suffering as a misfortune. The world pities those who are called to endure sorrow. The condition of mourning, is one from which men shrink. But in the kingdom of heaven those are the favored ones who are called to suffer. Instead of being the unfortunate, they are the blessed.

The same teaching runs through all the New Testament. Affliction is not a mark of the divine disfavor--but a token of the divine love. "Whom the Lord loves--He chastens." Instead of being hurtful to the life, working harm and marring--trial promotes the cleansing of the heart and the enrichment of the character. "No chastening for the present seems to be joyous--but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness."

The secret of this strange teaching is revealed in the second part of the beatitude. Why are those who mourn, blessed? It is because they shall be comforted. It is not in the mourning that the blessedness lies--but in the comfort which comes to those who mourn. Sorrow in itself is not a blessing. Sickness, pain, affliction, trial--are not favors in themselves. These experiences can be nothing else but hard and bitter. It is only in their fruits--that the blessing comes.

The divine comfort is such a revealing of love and good, that it is worth while to mourn in order to receive it. It is a blessing too which we never can have--until we have entered the experience of sorrow. We would never know of the glory of the stars--if the sun did not go down; but it would be a sore loss to us if we were to live our three score and ten years in this world without ever seeing the wonder of the starry skies. It is a blessing to have the night come--that we may see the splendor of the heavens. We would never know God's marvelous comfort--if we never had sorrow.

Abraham - GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE

Abraham 24 - GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE

By F.B. Meyer


"These are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived; an hundred, threescore, and fifteen years. Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people." -- Genesis 25:8.


No human name can vie with Abraham's for the wide-spread reverence which it has evoked amongst all races and throughout all time. The pious Jew looked forward to reposing, after death, in the bosom of Father Abraham. The fact of descent from him was counted by thousands sufficient to secure them a passport into heaven. Apostles so opposite as Paul and James united in commending his example to the imitation of primitive Christians, in an age which had seen the Lord Jesus Himself. The medieval Church canonized Abraham alone among Old Testament worthies, by no decree, but by popular consent. Devout Moslems reverence his name as second only to that of their prophet. What was the secret of this widespread renown? It is not because he headed one of the greatest movements of the human family; nor yet because he evinced manly and intellectual vigor; nor because he possessed vast wealth. It was rather the remarkable nobility and grandeur of his religious life that has made him the object of veneration to all generations of mankind.


AT THE BASIS OF HIS CHARACTER WAS A MIGHTY FAITH


"Abraham believed God." In that faith he left his native land, and travelled to one which was promised, but not clearly indicated. In that faith he felt able to let Lot choose the best he could for himself; because he was sure that none could do better for himself than God was prepared to do for the one who trusted Him. In that faith he waited through long years, sure that God would give him the promised child. In that faith he lived a nomad life, dwelling in tents, and making no attempt to return to the settled country from which he had come out. Indeed, his soul was consumed with the passionate expectancy of the city of God. In that faith he was prepared to offer Isaac, and buried Sarah.

Do not suppose that his faith dwelt alone. On the contrary, it bore much fruit; for if we test him by those catalogues of the fruits of faith which are provided in the New Testament, we shall find that he manifested them each and all. Take, for instance, that chain of linked graces enumerated in the Second Epistle by the Apostle Peter; a kind of golden ladder, stretched across the chasm between heaven and earth, and uniting them.


TO FAITH HE ADDED VIRTUE, OR MANLY COURAGE


What could have been more manly than the speed with which he armed his trained servants; or than the heroism with which he, with a train of undisciplined shepherds, broke on the disciplined bands of Assyria, driving them before him as the chaff before the whirlwind, and returning victorious down the long valley of the Jordan?


AND TO MANLY COURAGE HE ADDED KNOWLEDGE


All his life he was a student in God's college of divinity. Year by year fresh revelations of the character and attributes of God broke upon his soul. He grew in the knowledge of God and the Divine nature, which at the first had been to him a TERRA INCOGNITA. An unknown country grew beneath his gaze: as he climbed through the years into closer fellowship with God, and from the summit looked down upon its lengths and breadths, its depths and heights, its oceans, mountain-ranges, and plains.


AND TO KNOWLEDGE HE ADDED TEMPERANCE, OR SELF-CONTROL


That he was master of himself is evident from the way in which he repelled the offer of the King of Sodom; and curbed his spirit amid the irritations caused by Lot's herdsmen. The strongest spirits are those which have the strongest hand upon themselves, and are able, therefore, to do things which weaker men would fail in. There is no type of character more splendid than that of the man who is master of himself, because he is the servant of God; and who can rule others rightly because he can rule himself well.


AND TO TEMPERANCE, PATIENCE

Speaking of him, the voice of New Testament inspiration affirms that he "patiently endured" (Hebrews 6:16). No ordinary patience was that which waited through the long years, not murmuring or complaining, but prepared to abide God's time; weaned from the breasts of earthly consolation and help, and quieted after the manner of the Psalmist, who said, "I have quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever." (Psalms 131:2-3).


AND TO HIS PATIENCE HE ADDED GODLINESS


One of his chief characteristics was his piety -- a constant sense of the presence of God in his life, and a love and devotion to Him. Wherever he pitched his tent, there his first care was to rear an altar. Shechem, Hebron, Beersheba -- alike saw these tokens of his reverence and love. In every time of trouble he turned as naturally to God as a child to its father; and there was such holy intercourse between his spirit and that of God, that the name by which he is now best known throughout the East is "THE FRIEND" -- a name which he holds PAR EXCELLENCE, and which has almost overshadowed the use of that name by which we know him best.

He found it in the prison house of the devil

He found it in the prison house of the devil (Henry Law, "Psalms" 1878) "Come and hear, all you who fear God,  and I will declare what He has done for  my soul." Psalm 66:16 Of what did the Psalmist speak? Of all that God had done for his soul. Oh! the breadth and length, the depth and height, of this most marvelous declaration! He visited his soul in darkness,  and gave the light of life! He found it in the prison house of the devil, and translated it into the kingdom of grace and glory! He saw it laden with all iniquities,  and removed the total burden! He saw it filthy in all the mire of evil,  and clothed it with the garments of righteousness and salvation! Such is the theme of the believer's story; but heaven must be reached and eternity exhausted, before the whole can be told.

Free grace! Unmerited mercy! Sovereign love!

Free grace! Unmerited mercy! Sovereign love! (Octavius Winslow, "The Soul After Conversion") No truth shines with clearer luster in the Bible than that salvation, from first to last, is of God. God is sovereign in salvation! He often selects . . .   the poorest,   the vilest,   the most depraved,   the most fallen, as if utterly to explode all idea of human merit, and to reflect the free grace of His heart in its richest luster. O precious truth! It stains the pride of human merit! It lays the axe at the root of self! It humbles and abases! It empties and lays low! It ascribes all the praise, honor and glory, might, majesty and dominion, of the new creation in the soul, to the Triune God! No worthiness of the creature allures Him to the sinner's heart! What worthiness can be supposed to exist--what merit can there be in . . .   a guilty criminal,   an outlawed rebel,   a poor insolvent,   one whose mind is enmity,   one whose heart is swelling with treason against God, His government, and His Son? One who owes millions, but has 'nothing to pay'? None whatever! And that the eternal Spirit should enter the heart of such a one . . .   convincing of sin;   subduing the hatred;   breaking down the rebellion;   leading to Jesus, and   sealing pardon and peace upon the conscience; oh! what but free grace, unmerited mercy, and  sovereign love could thus have constrained Him? "Lord, what did You see in me," exclaims the converted soul, "that moved You with compassion, that drew You to my heart, and that constrained You to make me Your child? Nothing on my part, but poverty, wretchedness, and misery! Nothing on Your part, nothing but love, sovereignty, and unmerited favor!" O the riches of His grace!

The infinities of bliss and glory!

The infinities of bliss and glory!

(Henry Law, "Forgiveness of Sins" 1875)

"It was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause 
 Him to suffer." Isaiah 53:10

The Father of all mercies heaped on Christ the 
outpourings of His wrath; that He may heap on 
pardoned sinners the infinities of bliss and
glory!

"Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6

Conceive of the rapid and glorious change!

Conceive of the rapid and glorious change!

David Harsha, "The Crucifixion"

How full of mercy is the Redeemer of mankind;

in His own death saving the dying malefactor!

While nailed to the accursed tree, enduring the

most indescribable suffering both of body and soul,

He turns His gracious eye to the penitent thief, and

addresses to him these cheering words, "I assure

you, today you will be with Me in paradise." Luke 23:43

What more animating words could have been spoken

by the Savior to one whose past life was stained with

sin, and who was now punished for his transgression, and

about to appear before the Judge of heaven and earth!

Today you shall pass with Me through the gates of Paradise.

Today you shall drink wine with Me in My Father's

kingdom, and eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life,

which grows in the midst of Paradise.

Today you shall enjoy the most blissful and intimate

communion with Me in those heavenly mansions which

are irradiated by the glory of God and the Lamb.

Wondrous grace indeed!

How glorious the transition to that poor

dying thief, reclaimed by sovereign grace!

Little did he think, when that last morning of his

life dawned, that the day of his wretched execution

was to end in such happiness; that the storm of

angry elements of the morning would be changed

into so blessed an evening's calm.

Conceive of the rapid and glorious change!

In the morning nailed to the cruel cross;

in the evening wearing a golden crown!

In the morning cast out as too vile for earth;

in the evening welcomed into the highest heaven!

In the morning blaspheming a dying Savior;

in the evening with that Savior in Paradise!

In the morning pierced with sorrows more

bitter than the nails in his hands and feet;

in the evening ceasing from care and pain,

and enjoying a peaceful rest!

In the morning surrounded by angry foes,

in whose curses he joined; in the evening

received among angels and the spirits of the

just, joining in the chorus of the redeemed!

In the morning on earth;

in the evening in heaven!

In the morning on the borders of hell;

in the evening caught up to Paradise.

How marvelous, how matchless, the richness of Divine grace!

Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin!

Precious fountain of redeeming blood!

How many thousands, once as vile as the dying thief,

have since washed their robes in this blood of the Lamb;

thousands who are now with Christ in Paradise. Yes,

with Christ beholding His surpassing glory; now tasting

of the immortal fruit of the Tree of Life; now standing

before the throne, and joining in all the sweet, and

melodious, and transporting songs of the heavenly temple!

"(After that Jeconiah, the king, and the queen-mother, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem)" Jeremiah 29:2

OLD TESTAMENT PARENTHESES (22)

"(After that Jeconiah, the king, and the queen-mother, and the
eunuchs, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen
and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem)" Jeremiah 29:2

THIS is one of the least interesting of the Scriptural parentheses and seems largely to be interpolated as an indication of the actual time when Jeremiah wrote his letter from Jerusalem to the captive Jewish leaders in Babylon. It might have been enough to name Jeconiah, without specifying his entourage and the skilled men who accompanied him, so this appears to have more significance than a mere fixing of a date.

PERHAPS the parenthesis gives point to the contents of Jeremiah's letter. It seems that, as in Jerusalem so in the captivity, there were still plenty of those who blithely claimed to be prophets, finding popularity for themselves and raising false hopes among the bewildered people of God.

THE Word of the Lord had already been spoken. The land was to remain desolate for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11). In his letter Jeremiah had to re-iterate this truth to the cheap optimists who were prophesying dreams which had no divine reality. The prophet's letter advised God's people to accept His Word and to order their lives in accordance with it.

FAR from being negative, Jeremiah's message assured his readers that God's ultimate purpose for them was one of peace and hope (v.11). The immediate need, however, was that they should humble themselves under the mighty hand of God instead of being influenced by the superficial inventions of those who based their ideas on natural and sentimental emotions, instead of being governed by God's Word. They ought to be giving themselves to God-glorifying, prayerful daily living instead of being carried about by excited emotionalism.

IT seems to me that Jeremiah's letter found an echo in some of the New Testament Letters. The circumstances were, of course, very different, but the principle is the same. "That ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you" (1 Thessalonians 4:11).

BUT why was Jeconiah singled out in this connection? What had he to do with Jeremiah's letter? Perhaps it was because he was the one king who had listened to Jeremiah and had surrendered to the Chaldeans. In himself he was no better than the other members of his family, but he did obey the prophet's call to accept the captivity as a divine judgement and not try to avoid or resist it.

IN the end he was justified, as all will be who humble themselves before the Lord and obey His Word. Interestingly enough, it was Jeremiah himself who was able to record the ultimate mercy of God by which, after thirty seven years, Jeconiah was not only released from his prison but given kindness, honour and a continual allowance for the rest of his days (Jeremiah 52:31-34).

THOSE who have only a superficial acquaintance with the Bible are always ready to attach the label 'dismal' to Jeremiah. If they would look for themselves, they could find many proofs of how wrong such a designation is. Among them would be this letter with its assurance to humble believers that God's thoughts are always to give peace and to provide a future and a hope.

"(behold, it cometh)" Ezekiel 33:33

OLD TESTAMENT PARENTHESES (23)

"(behold, it cometh)" Ezekiel 33:33

SOME notable features of this parenthesis are that it is the shortest of them all, that it was spoken by the Lord Himself, and that it has for its context the amazing circumstances of a true prophet of the Lord finding himself on the crest of a wave of popularity: "Thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument."

THE interjection that "it will surely come" insists that God makes no vain threats but will see to it that His warnings of judgment are ratified. Those happy sermon-tasters who got so much pleasure from listening to the eloquent preacher would find in the end that God really meant what He said.

THE passage gives an extraordinary description of enthusiastic listeners urging their friends to come and enjoy Ezekiel's ministry. Through no fault of his own the prophet had become a major attraction to his fellow Jews. They thronged to hear him as if they were being given free sessions by a greatly gifted entertainer.

A lesser man would have been highly gratified. All of us who preach tend to enjoy the enthusiastic appreciation of our hearers. The real test of our messages, however, is not the volume of praises from those who hear us but the practical response of obedience which our words have produced. In the case of Ezekiel there was no response at all of this kind. The people heard the words but they did not obey them.

I do not know which is worse, to have my preaching denounced and rejected, as happened to Jeremiah, or to have it smothered by insincere plaudits and congratulations, as occurred in the case of Ezekiel. In fact there is little difference. What values can there be if the glory is all for men and none for God? The persecuted prophet in Israel and the celebrated prophet among the captivity, being both men of God, must have been heart-broken to see no vital change in their hearers. Perhaps in Ezekiel's case it was even more tragic, since the people made him the topic of their conversation and flocked to listen to him, blithely ignoring the solemn warnings which he gave them in the Lord's name. Mass excitement will not save people. Clapping and cheering will not prevent the divine judgment. "Come it will!"

THANK God that it was not all heartbreak. Both men were privileged to foretell better days and a New Covenant. If the predicted judgments were sure for the insincere congregations, the promised blessings to obedient penitents would be even more sure.

MEANWHILE let no messengers of Christ be complacent just because they get a good hearing and receive appreciative tributes. Let them rather pray and work that their hearers should not just be entertained but be radically transformed.

----------------

Christ stands ready as a fire-escape!

(Arthur Pink)

O how very few ever are savingly convicted of sin by the Spirit! As the Spirit continues His work in the soul, plowing still deeper, revealing the hideousness and heinousness of sin, producing a horror of and hatred for it — He next presses upon that awakened soul, the claims of Christ's Lordship — set forth in such passages as Luke 14:26-33 — and enlightens us to realize that Christ demands our hearts, lives, and all.

Then it is that He grants grace unto the quickened soul to renounce all other "lords," to turn away from all "idols", and to receive Christ as Prophet, Priest and King. And nothing but the sovereign and supernatural work of God the Spirit can bring this to pass. Surely this is self-evident.

A preacher may induce a man to believe what Scripture says about his lost and undone condition, persuade him to "bow to" the Divine verdict, and then "accept Christ as his personal Savior." No man wants to go to Hell, and if he is assured that Christ stands ready as a fire-escape, on the sole condition that he jump into His arms ("rests on His finished work"), thousands will do so!

But a hundred preachers are unable to make an unregenerate person realize the unspeakably dreadful nature of sin, make him feel that he has been a lifelong rebel against God, and so change his heart that he now hates his sin, and longs to please God, and serve Christ. Only God the Spirit can bring any man to the place where he is willing to forsake every idol, cut off a hindering right hand, or pluck out an offending right eye! Ah, a miracle of grace has been wrought when we give up ourselves to the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:5) to be ruled by Him.

The others, where are they?

The others, where are they? (Octavius Winslow "Evening Thoughts") "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,  and I will have compassion on whom I will have  compassion." Romans 9:15 Here is the Sovereign! How like Himself He speaks! He carries forward His gracious purposes of infinite wisdom and love—chooses or rejects—reveals or withholds, "working all things after the counsel of His own will," and "giving no account," either to angels or to men, "of any of His matters." Is the reader a child of God? Who and what made you to differ? You have been taken out of your family, your kindred, your friends, your companions. From this circle you alone have been selected, called, and made a child of grace, an heir of glory. The others, where are they? Still dead in trespasses and sin! The others, where are they? Living in the world, and to the world; lovers of pleasure, lovers of self, lovers of sin, hating God, rejecting Christ. The others, where are they? Bursting through every restraint, and bending their footsteps down to the doom of the lost! The others, where are they? Gone, many of them, into eternity; past the confines of mercy, "in hell lifting up their eyes, being in torments." And what are you? A sinner saved by grace; a sinner chosen and called; pardoned and justified; washed and clothed; adopted and sanctified; brought to the foot of the cross; constrained to welcome Jesus, to take up His cross, and to follow Him. Oh the electing love of God! Oh the distinguishing grace of Jesus! Oh the sovereign operation of the Eternal Spirit! Bow down to the sovereignty of His will—silently wonder, and adore Him who says, "Be still, and know that I am God." Oh precious truth! It stains the pride of human merit! It lays the axe at the root of self! It empties and humbles and abases! It ascribes all the praise, honor, and glory of salvation, to the Triune God! "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,  and I will have compassion on whom I will have  compassion." Romans 9:15

Into the Right Hands

The Beauty of Self-Control: Chapter 4 - Into the Right Hands

By J.R. Miller


"Hold me up--and I shall be safe!" Psalm 119:117

Certain ancient mariners were accustomed to say, as they put out to sea, "Keep me, O God, for my boat is so small--and the ocean is so great and stormy!" There could not be a fitter prayer for a Christian--as he sets out in life. The world is vast and full of perils, and a Christian, even the best, is very weak and frail. He has no ability to face the difficulties, the obstacles, the hardships he must face, if he is to pass successfully through life. The world is large and full of storm and struggle--and only a few get through it safely.

If there were no one greater and stronger than ourselves, into whose keeping we may commit our lives, as we go out to meet the perils--what hope could we have of ever getting through safely? The Christian cannot guide himself. He cannot master the storms. He cannot shelter himself. "Keep of me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge!" (Psalm 16:1) should be his prayer, not once only when he launches his barque--but daily, hourly.

But does God really care for our little individual lives? Does he care for the child that has lost the shelter of human love, and has no one to think of it or provide for it? Does the great God give thought and care to one little child among the millions of the world?

The very thing that Jesus wants to do for us--is to be the keeper of our lives as we pass through the world with its storms and dangers. We do not know what we lose when we keep our lives out of the hands of Christ. No other can make of us what he could make. No other can bring out the powers and possibilities of our being as he can. Our lives are like musical instruments. They have marvelous capacities--but only one who has the skill can bring out the music. Only one who understands our lives, with all their strange powers, can call out their possibilities.

There is a story of an organist in one of the cities of Germany, who one day refused to permit a visitor to play upon his organ. The visitor begged to be allowed at least to put his hands upon the keys and play a few notes, and the old man reluctantly consented. The moment the stranger began to play, the organ gave forth such music as it never had given forth before. The custodian was amazed, recognizing the fact that a master was at his keys. When he asked who it was, the player answered, "I am Mendelssohn." "And I refuse you permission to play upon my organ!" the old man said, in grief and self reproach.

It is said that one day, many years ago, there was an auction in London which was attended by distinguished people. Among other things offered for sale was a Stradivarius violin, more than a hundred years old. The auctioneer raised the violin and held it gently, almost reverently, as he told its story and spoke of its wonderful qualities. Then he gave it to a musician who was present, asking him to play upon it. The man played as well as he could--but the violin in his hands failed to win enthusiasm from the audience.

The auctioneer began to call for bids. But the responses came slowly. Then a stranger came into the room, an Italian. He pressed his way to the side of the auctioneer to see the violin. He took it into his own hands, examined it carefully, held it to his ear as if it had some secret to whisper to him, and then laid it gently on his breast and began to play upon it--and marvelous music at once filled the room. The people were strangely affected. Some smiled, some wept; every heart was stirred. It was Paganini, the great master, whose fingers were on the strings. When he laid the instrument down, the bidding began again, and there was no trouble now in selling it. In the hands of the first player--the qualities of the violin were not brought out, and men did not know what a treasure was being offered to them. But in the hands of the great master--its marvelous powers were discovered and brought out.

The Test Of Self-Interest

By Oswald Chambers

      "If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left."      Genesis 13:9

      As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and luxurious prospects will open up before you, and these things are yours by right; but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God choose for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the right and proper thing to consider if you were not living a life of faith; but if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and leave God to choose for you. This is the discipline by means of which the natural is transformed into the spiritual by obedience to the voice of God.

      Whenever right   is made the guidance in the life, it will blunt the spiritual insight. The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. It would seem the wisest thing in the world for Abraham to choose, it was his right, and the people around would consider him a fool for not choosing. Many of us do not go on spiritually because we prefer to choose what is right instead of relying on God to choose for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eye on God. "Walk before Me."

That Narrow Gate

By A.W. Tozer


Positive beliefs are not popular these days. A mistaken desire to maintain a spirit of tolerance among all races and religions has produced a breed of Januslike Christians with built-in swivels, remarkable only for their ability to turn in any direction gracefully. 

The philosophy behind this whole thing is that religious beliefs are matters of personal choice, and that the Lord adapts His saving truth to the individual, varying it according to the cultural background, educational level and social situation of each one. Whatever this is, it is not Christianity.

A number of popular religious books have appeared of late quite literally filled with swivel-words of uncertain meaning; and because these were written by persons ostensibly evangelical they have been accepted and promoted by the evangelicals. And they are having a real influence on Christian thinking; or more to the point, they are making sound Christian thinking impossible for those who read and admire them. We had better take a good hard look at these books. If the authors will not stand still to let their meanings be examined, there is probably a good reason. Great ideas have a habit of inhabiting the same great words generation after generation. To ignore or reject the word is to reject the idea.

The hope of the church yet lies in the purity of her theology, that is, her beliefs about God and man and their relation to each other. These beliefs have been revealed to her by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the sacred Scriptures. Everything there is clear-cut and accurate. We dare not be less than accurate in our treatment of anything so precious.

The Optimism of Faith

By G. Campbell Morgan


Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the proving of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

The history of the world's progress is the history of the triumphs of faith. Faith, to all human seeming, does the most unwarranted things. It sings in prison. It fights while still in chains. It works without tools. You may put the men of faith into prison, but at midnight you will hear Paul and Silas singing. Sight sings in the morning when it has escaped from prison. Faith sings at night while it is in prison. 

You may put the man of faith into the dungeon and bind him with chains; but there, without a sword, with no carnal weapon, he will still fight a fight, and win a victory the issue of which will be seen in the days to come. Put the man of faith into circumstances devoid of all the forces upon which the man of sight depends, and he will begin to work, and in the long issues you will discover that his work is that which lasts, that which abides.

The literature of the prison is a wonderful literature. We confine ourselves to Biblical illustrations, and to one that is almost Biblical, Biblical in spirit. The great prophecy of failure and tears breaks out into its sweetest music when Jeremiah sings in prison. Find the central messages of hope, and they are messages which were written while he was in the dungeon. The clearest and most startling visions of God ever granted to the ancient people came to Ezekiel when he was an exile by the banks of the river Chebar. The great epistles of the New Testament were written in prison. Though you take the fisher of the Galilean Sea and banish him to the Isle of Patmos, there he sees through the mists and mysteries to the light and glory of the infinite consummation, and the Apocalypse is part of the literature of the prison. If you take the Bedford Tinker and shut him away in the prison house, there Bunyan dreams his celestial dreams and lays the world under a perpetual debt of gratitude to him. Why? Because these men were men of faith. If the test of a word is a work, if the test of a creed is a creation, if the test of a root dry and withered, is fruit luscious and beautiful, then faith is vindicated in the passing of the centuries. The men of faith have found:


Glory begun below
Celestial fruit on earthly ground
From faith and love will grow.


Lo to faith's enlightened sight,
All the mountain flames with light,
Hell is nigh, but God is nigher,
Circling us with hosts of fire.


We may not be able to account for it, but I think no one here will be prepared to contradict the statement, that it is the men of faith who have made the great contributions to the world's progress; always the men of faith. I am not proposing to argue that tonight. My business is of a profounder nature.

I want to ask this simple question. Why is it that faith always triumphs? Why is it that the word of faith materializes into the work that lasts? Why is it that the creed of the man of faith vindicates itself in a creation? Why is it that this root--may I very reverently borrow a word that does not belong here--this "root out of a dry ground," this root which at the present moment is considered by the philosophies of men to be so entirely out of date, why is it that this russet, drab bulb, that seems to have no color and no glory and no light, why is it that it is forevermore breaking through and blossoming into beauty and triumph? Why is faith victorious? The answer is in my text. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the proving of things not seen."

Let us first take two phrases from the text in order that in the briefest way possible we may remind ourselves of what they mean; "things hoped for"; "things not seen."

These are the unreal things, the intangible things, the imponderable and unlikely matters; the uncertain things of the future "things hoped for"; the uncertain things of the present, "things not seen." Mark, I pray you, that difference in suggestion. "Things hoped for" are always future. "Things not seen" according to the interpretation of this writer and this letter, are not future but present.

The "things not seen" are in existence now. How are you going to demonstrate them, be sure of them? By faith. The "things hoped for" are future. How are we to be sure of them? By faith. This is the statement not only of the two sides of the great fact, but of a sequence. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for." Why? Because it is the "proving of things not seen." "Assurance of things hoped for" grows out of faith, because faith demonstrates, proves to certainty the "things not seen." "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for," therefore it sings in the midst of the process and in the prison house. Why does it sing? Why is it sure? Because it demonstrates, it proves the unseen things.

"Things hoped for"; these are things that lie ahead of us, things that we have not yet come into possession of, things that according to the philosophy of men and the appearances of the hour, it is improbable we ever shall come into possession of. "Things hoped for," the realization of our own ideals; the ultimate victory of good in the world; compensation for all the travail, the sorrow, and the loss of today; the striking of an even balance in the affairs of men, when justice shall reign supreme. We all sigh for these things; they pass, ever and anon, like a vision before our eyes, and we speak of it as a mirage, a disappointment, and ask, "Can our ideal ever be realized? Will there ever be the ultimate victory of good? Is there to be compensation for the stress and strain and sighing and sorrow of humanity? Will there be a victory of justice?" "Things hoped for" are the things we fain would see if we could.

"Things not seen." Is there anything unseen? Have we not done with reality when we have looked the last upon the things material? We are gathered together in this building; there are real, seen things in this building, light and life; men and women. Is that all? The man of the world says, "That is all you can prove." Faith, according to this writer, proves the unseen thing, not the unseen things that are distant, but that are near. What are the things that faith claims to prove? For the moment, I will not say faith has proved them. What are the things faith claims to prove? God, the spirit world, the hidden forces; angels sweeping up the mountain side that the prophet saw and his servant did not see, the angel ministers watching in Gethsemane, which Jesus saw and the disciples did not see. 

You say these are the uncertain things which the present age doubts, the unseen things. So much for our phrases. "Things hoped for"; the realization of ideals, the ultimate victory of good, compensation, the even balance and justice; the building of the city of God and the triumph of righteousness. "Things not seen." Oh, if there only were a God, if only there were spiritual forces as well as material forces, if only the dreams of these men of old were true and the mountain flamed with light and angelic hosts; if only these things were real, then we should be quite sure that our dreams would be realized. Fail to believe in things unseen and hope dies, the song is silent, the fight ends, and the work is abandoned. Let the dust of the highway be everything, and the troops will weary upon the march and the territory will never be possessed. Let humanity come to the conclusion that the life of bread and raiment and dust is everything, and thereby is signed the death warrant of all high ideals and aspirations, and of everything noble. There is no assurance of things hoped for unless there be the proving of things unseen.

The writer of this letter declares that "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the proving of things not seen."

It is necessary that we take time to understand what this man meant when he wrote that word "faith." This letter to the Hebrews is peculiarly the letter of faith. It is a letter which supremely warns men lest they apostasize from faith in the unseen. From beginning to end, without waiting to turn to actual passages, sin is synonymous with unbelief; the sin that is in good standing around, that is, the sin that is popular, the sin that men never count vulgar, but which is so insidious that it weakens the nerve and dims the vision, and ends the possibility of strife, is unbelief. The master principle of victory is that of faith, the opposite of unbelief. This eleventh chapter, of which my text is but an introductory, explanatory word, deals with that whole subject. In this chapter, the writer makes pass before us the men of the ancient economy who wrought wonders, won victories, and made contributions toward the final consummation, and it was always by faith that they did these things. It is the story of faith.

What is faith? Faith is not merely intellectual conviction of a truth. Faith is more than intellectual conviction of a truth. Let me turn to one or two words here. In the third chapter of this letter, verses twelve to fourteen--

Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God; but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called Today; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin; for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end.

Entering the Narrow Gate

Entering the Narrow Gate

(Arthur Pink, "The Narrow Way")

"Make every effort to enter through the narrow gate, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." Luke 13:24

Entering the Narrow Gate signifies the heart's acceptance of Christ's holy teaching. Ah, my friend, to really and actually enter this "Narrow Gate" is no easy matter! These words do not picture salvation as a thing of simple and easy attainment. That Jesus should utter such a statement, clearly implies that there are formidable difficulties and obstacles to be overcome, and that slothful nominal professors will surely not enter in. 

Why is such striving necessary to "enter" the narrow gate?

First, because SATAN is striving to destroy your soul. "Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour!" 1 Peter 5:8

Second, because natural appetites of the FLESH are striving to destroy you: "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims--abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11

Third, because the whole WORLD is arrayed against you. It will seek to draw you by its alluring promises, its Delilah-like deceits, and fatal enticements. Unless you overcome the world, the world will overcome you to the eternal destruction of your soul.

From what has been before us, we may plainly discover why it is that the vast majority of our fellow-men, yes, and of professing Christians also, will fail to reach Heaven--it is because they prefer . . .
  sin, to holiness;
  indulging the lusts of the flesh, to walking according to the Scriptures;
  self, to Christ;
  the world, to God.

Men refuse to .  . .
  deny self,
  abandon their idols, and
  submit to Christ as Lord
--and without this, none can take the first step toward Heaven and enter through the narrow gate!

Because that Abraham obeyed My Voice and kept My Charge. Genesis 26:5

 
Our Daily Homily

      Because that Abraham obeyed My Voice and kept My Charge. Genesis 26:5
     
      It is awful to realize how our sins may repeat themselves in our children. Here is Isaac following in the precise steps of Abraham, who had acted in a similar manner toward Sarah when entering Egypt. In each case there was a sad lapse of faith; but it was even worse for Isaac, with Abraham's example to warn him. But a man may pass blessings on to his children, as well as the sad entail of evil habits.
     
      He leaves the blessing of the divine covenant. God had entered into covenant with Abraham, and was prepared to fulfill its provisions to his son. "I will be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee." So a godly ancestor may be able to secure for all his seed a share in the divine grace and favor. The spirit that is put on him does not depart from his seed, or his seed's seed forever.
     
      The blessing of his prayer. - It is impossible to over-estimate the effect of a good man's prayers; they are as streams or trees, which go on flowing and bearing fruit long after they were originated. The legacy of a good man's prayers is of priceless worth. He may have long since passed to his rest; but God remembers them, and answers them in blessings to the next generation. How often in this chapter we read that "God blessed Isaac."
     
      The blessing of a noble name. - We may all leave that, if we can transmit nothing else. To have had a father that knew God, walked with God, pleased God; who was on intimate terms with Him, and could speak to Him, as a man with his friend - illumined the ordinary nature and existence of Isaac with unearthly beauty. Let us live so that our children may be ranked as nobles, because they bear our name.