All The Counsel of God

 Text: Isaiah 49:13-16.
 Intro:
o We are going to see today from the scriptures that in all situations of life, the Lord remembers us and loves us.
o Illustration:
• A preacher was once driving along and he gave this fellow a lift.
• He shared the Gospel and the man received Christ as his Saviour.
• The man stayed for church next day, and decided that he wanted to live in the area and keep coming to that church.
• That week he came to the preacher with a bandage on his arm, with news that he had a surprise for his preacher.
• It turned out that he had tattooed the word ‘Jesus’ on his arm, because he wanted to tell people what Jesus had done for him.
• The Bible says that we ought not to get tattooed (Leviticus 19:28), but God uses this to illustrate His love for us.
• That is what Jesus has done for us.
o The people of Jerusalem said to God in Isaiah 49:14 ‘my Lord hath forgotten me’.
• The Lord replied, ‘Can a woman forget her sucking child?’ (v.15).
• Then in verse 16 God said, ‘Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.’
o Truth: – God has engraved us on the palms of his hands.
• When some men tattoo the names of their girlfriends on their arms, it’s their way of saying that they love them.
o The Lord Jesus is saying to us:
• ‘I love you so much.
• I always think of you.’
o The Israelites said, ‘Lord, have you forgotten us?’
• Have you ever felt that the Lord has forgotten you?
• You may think that the Lord could not know your problems.
o God says in verse 16, ‘Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.’
 Note:
o When the Lord uses the word ‘Behold’, it is a great sign word, and He is pointing to something special.
• This word points to a real treasure.
o God says, ‘You think I’m not conscious of your problems?
• You don’t think I understand your burdens?
• Look, watch this, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.’
o You may have a photo of your loved ones in your wallet or purse.
• God says, ‘Look at my hands.
• I have graven you on the palms of my hands.
• It’s there forever.
• As long as my hands live, you are engraved there.’
o God does know:
• -your burdens today;
• -your heartaches today;
• -where you live, and your street address;
• -your problems;
• -everything about you;
• -your sorrows;
• -your needs;
• -your perplexities;
• -your questions;
• -your distresses.
o He said, ‘Look, I’ve got you on the palms of my hands.’
• God reminds us that He knows all about us.
o God is saying, ‘O burdened soul, O wearied heart.
• Don’t think I’ve forgotten you.
• If you are facing troubles, burdens and sorrows, and feel that the whole world is falling out from under you, look at my hands.’
o Your name is engraved on the hands of God the Father.
 Question: Do you know how many burdens we have here today?
o Answer: The same number of burdens present as we have people.
 The Scriptures say that God has our names in 3 places:
o 1) Our names are written on His heart;
o 2) Our names are written on His shoulders;
o 3) Our names are written on the palms of His hands.
 (1) Our names are in the heart of God, so God never forgets to love us.
o Remember what the Jewish High Priest would wear?
• He wore the breastplate with the 12 Tribes of Israel engraved on the breastplate, each engraved on a precious stone.
• Read Exodus 28:15-21,29.
 (2) Our names are on God’s shoulders, showing what?
o That God always gives us security and supports us.
• He is always holding us up.
• Read Exodus 28:6-12.
 (3) Our names are on His hands to show God’s care for us.
o God says to us:
• ‘I’ve got you in my heart to let you know that I always love you.’
• ‘I’ve got you on my shoulders to let you know that you are always secure.’
• ‘I’ve got you in the palms of my hands to let you know that I’ll always care for your every need.’
 Conclusion:
o You are engraved on the hands of God with the precious blood of His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
• There are scars in His hands today.
• There are scars in His hands today where He shed His own precious blood to pay for your sins, so you could go to heaven, be saved forever and be a child of God.
o So with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the engraving took place on the hands of God.
• Zech13:6.
o Question: Is your name in God’s hands?
• Have you received Jesus Christ as your Saviour?
• Do so today.
• Are you engraved in the palms of Christ?

The Answer Book – Keith Piper

I shall never forget when the modem tide struck our home. It began when my sister, an artist, got music and some other ideas in her head, and went to college. After her first year she came home, and the morning after she came back when we had prayer after breakfast, she rose sweetly and excused herself and went upstairs.

She ‘got by’ with it that morning, but father ‘took note of it’; and the next morning, when she excused herself, he said, “Sit still.”

“But really,” she pouted, “I don’t care to stay.”

“That doesn’t make any difference-stay.”

“I think a person should have some liberty in religion,” she said.
“You can have all the liberty you please in religion,” father told her, “but I run this house; I paid for your grub, I bought the clothes you have on, I paid for your education. Sit down there quietly and listen while a father who loves you reads and prays.”

My big brother came home one day. He had made money for himself and had a big fat cigar in his mouth. He smoked it awhile on the back porch. Father came out, reached out his hand, took the cigar and, throwing it into the garden, said, “Don’t smoke them around here any more.”

“I would like to know what right you have to throw that cigar out,” my brother complained.

“You know my idea,” my father answered. “This is my house, I am rearing boys and making a specialty of it, and you don’t get by with that kind of stuff. When you are working for a man he can tell you whether to smoke in his office or in his warehouse. I am running this house. God gave me the command to do so.”
“I will go somewhere else,” my brother threatened.

“I am sorry; I love you,” my father replied quietly, “but if you want the cigar worse than you do the home, you can go.” He went away three weeks and came back and said: “Dad, you are all right. I submit and will play the game according to the rules.”
Most people say, “Well, you have to let children have their own way.”

Is that so? Then good-bye to home, to government, to everything. God will not stand for that.

I had a father who stood by the river of life, thank God, an old pile-driver, and smiled while he drove down the jetty. He never licked me in his life, but I always knew I had one coming if I needed it. He raised ten children and he did it as an undermaster to God.

God intended parents and children to live together in the unit He ordered. He commanded parents thus, and with a covenant attached, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
I thought I was getting away with something. I left my Father’s Christ and the Bible because of the teaching in the universities into which I went. The antichrist spirit of plunder in modem ‘culture’ clothes attracted me. I lost my faith. My father died, and before he died, he turned his face heavenward with the happiest, most beautiful smile. Someone leaned over the bed and said, Dr. Rader, how can you smile like that when there is not one of your children that is serving the Lord?”

He smiled back as he answered, “That doesn’t matter a bit. It was settled long ago. I brought them up as He commanded me. They will every one be in. They are a strong-headed group, but God will lead them. He will bring them in.”
Now, every last one of them is in.

God talks to fathers and mothers, and God stands behind fathers and mothers with all the army and navy of Heaven when they stand Godward with their children! I tell you; God hears them. He hears!

Paul Rader

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (I John 4:1)

These are times of moral and religious confusion, and it is sometimes hard to distinguish the false from the true. Our faithful Lord has tried to save us from the consequences of our own blindness by repeated warnings and many careful instructions. It will pay us to give close attention to His words.

Toward the end of the age, we are told, there shall be a time of stepped-up religious activity and frenzied expectation, growing out of the turbulent conditions prevailing among nations. The language is familiar to most Christians, “… wars and rumours of wars … nation shall rise against nation … famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places … Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations … And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Matthew 24:6-10).
Concurrent with this state of affairs will be a great increase in religious excitement and supernatural happenings generally. “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:5) “And many false prophets shall rise … “ (Matthew 24:11 ). “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:23-24).

Many tender-minded Christians fear to sin against love by daring to inquire into anything that comes wearing the cloak of Christianity and breathing the name of Jesus. They dare not examine the credentials of the latest prophet to hit their town lest they be guilty of rejecting something which may be of God. They timidly remember how the Pharisees refused to accept Christ when He came, and they do not want to be caught in the same snare, so they either reserve judgment or shut their eyes and accept everything without question. This is supposed to indicate a high degree of spirituality, but in sober fact, it indicates no such thing. It may indeed be evidence of the absence of the Holy Spirit.

Gullibility is not synonymous with spirituality. Faith is not a mental habit leading its possessor to open his mouth and swallow everything that has about it the color of the supernatural. Faith keeps its heart open to whatever is of God and rejects everything that is not of God, however wonderful it may be.

” … try the spirits … “ is a command of the Holy Spirit to the church. We may sin as certainly by approving the spurious as by rejecting the genuine. The current habit of refusing to take sides is not the way to avoid the question. To appraise things with a heart of love and then to act on the results is an obligation resting upon every Christian in the world; and all the more as we see the day approaching.
How can we tell whether or not a man or a religious demonstration is of God? The answer is easy to find, but it will take courage to follow the facts as God reveals them to us.

The tests for spiritual genuineness are two: First, the leader must be a good man and full of the Holy Ghost. Christianity is nothing if not moral. No tricks of theology, no demonstrations of supernatural wonders, no evidences of blind devotion on the part of the public can decide whether or not God is in the man or the movement. Every servant of Christ must be pure of heart and holy of life.

While sinless perfection is not likely to be found among even the best of men, still the leader to be trusted is the one who lives as near like Christ as possible, and who knows how to repent in sorrow of heart when he sins against his Lord by any act or word. The man God honors will be humble, self-effacing, self-sacrificing, modest, clean living, free from the love of money, eager to promote the honor of God and just as eager to disclaim any credit or praise on his own part. His financial accounts will bear inspection, his ethical standards will be high, and his personal life above reproach.

But the test of moral goodness is not enough. Every man must submit his work to the scriptural test. It is not enough that he be able to quote from the Bible at great length or that he claim for himself great and startling experiences with God. Go back “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in him” (Isaiah 8:20).

We who are invited to follow him have every right, as well as a solemn obligation, to test his work according to the Word of God. We must demand that every claimant for our confidence present a clean bill of health from the Holy Scriptures; that he do more than weave in a text occasionally or hold up the Bible dramatically before the eyes of his hearers. His doctrines must be those of the Scriptures. The Bible must dominate his preaching. He must preach according to the Word of God.

The price of following a false guide on the desert may be death. The price of heeding wrong advice in business may be bankruptcy. The price of trusting to a quack doctor may be permanent loss of health. The price of putting confidence in a pseudo-prophet may be moral and spiritual tragedy. Let us take heed that no man deceive us.
A.W. Tozer

There is such a thing as going back in religion, after making a good profession. Men may run well for a season, like the Galatians, and then tum aside after false teachers. Men may profess loudly, while their feelings are warm, as Peter did; and then, in the hour of trial, deny their Lord. Men may lose their first love, as the Ephesians did. Men may cool down in their zeal to do good, like Mark, the companion of Paul. Men may follow an apostle for a season, and then, like Demas, go back to the world. All these things men may do.

It is a miserable thing to be a backslider. Of all unhappy things that can befall a man, I suppose it is the worst. A stranded ship, a broken winged eagle, a garden overrun with weeds, a harp without strings, a church in ruins – all these are sad sights; but a backslider is a sadder sight still. That true grace shall never be extinguished, and true union with Christ never be broken off, I feel no doubt. But I do believe that a man may fall away so far that he shall lose sight of his own grace, and despair of his own salvation.

Now what is the cause of most backsliding? I believe, as a general rule, one of the chief causes is neglect of prayer. Of course, the secret history of falls will not be known till the last day. I can only give my opinion as a minister of Christ and a student of the heart. That opinion is, I repeat distinctly, that backsliding generally first begin with neglect of prayer.

Bibles read without prayer, sermons heard without prayer, marriages contracted without prayer, journeys undertaken without prayer, residences chosen without prayer, friendships formed without prayer, the daily act of prayer itself hurried over or gone through without heart – these are the kind of downward steps by which many a Christian descends to a condition of spiritual palsy, or reaches the point where God allows him to have a tremendous fall.

We may be very sure that men fall in private long before they fall in public. They are backsliders on their knees long before they backslide openly in the eyes of the world. Like Peter, they first disregard the Lord’s warning to watch and pray; and then, like Peter, their strength is gone, and in the hour of temptation, they deny their Lord.
The world takes notice of their fall and scoffs loudly, but the world knows nothing of the real reason. The heathen succeeded in making Origen, the old Christian father, offer incense to an idol by threatening him with a punishment worse than death. They then triumphed greatly at the sight of his cowardice, but the heathen did not know the fact, which Origen himself tells us, that on that very morning he had left his bed chamber hastily, and without finishing his usual prayers.

If any reader of this paper is a Christian indeed, I trust he will never be a backslider. But if you do not wish to be a backsliding Christian, remember the hint I give you-mind your prayers. J.C. Ryle

Bible Reading: Hebrews 4:1-16.
Aim: To exhort each other to do 14 things.

1. Let us Fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest any of us come short of it. Heb 4:1.
2. Let us Labour to enter God’s rest. 4:11.
3. Let us Hold fast our profession. 4:14.
4. Let us Come boldly to the throne of grace in prayer. 4:16.
5. Let us Go on unto perfection. 6:1.
6. Let us Draw near with a true heart. 10:22.
7. Let us Consider one another to provoke to love and good works. 10:24.
8. Let us Lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. 12:1.
9. Let us Run with Patience the race that is set before us. 12:1.
10. Let us Have Grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 12:28.
11. Let Brotherly Love continue. 13:1.
12. Let your conversation be without covetousness. 13:5.
13. Let us go forth unto him without the camp ……, bearing his reproach. 13:13.
14. Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. 13:15.
    From – Answers – Keith Piper

ADVOCATE

(1 John 2:1)
 Introduction:
o An advocate, according to the dictionary, is in its most general sense, “one that pleads the cause of another, esp. before a tribunal or judicial court.”
o This is precisely the sense that the Word of God presents the Lord Jesus Christ in (1 Jn. 2:1).
o The picture that the Bible paints is that of a courtroom and all the major characters are there –
• The defendant is the sinner – [you and I];
• The prosecuting attorney (or the “accuser” – Rev. 12:10; Job 1:9-11) is Satan, who brings the accusations of the sinner before the Judge, God the Father.
• And the Advocate’s job is to defend the sinner in the “eternal courtroom.”
o What are some of the qualifications of a good advocate? And how well does Jesus Christ fit the description of an adept defense attorney?
 I. THE ADVOCATE MUST BE RIGHTEOUS
o It is important to note that this passage, where the word “advocate” is used, is the only passage where Jesus Christ is called “the righteous.”
o It is critical that the advocate be, in all ways, righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).
 A. He must be righteous to actually discern the truth.
o Jesus Himself, in his illustration about correct judgment, says that unless a man is himself free from the deceitfulness of sin, he cannot see clearly to properly discern the sins of another, and be in a good position to help him. (Matt. 7:5)
 B. He must be righteous to speak truthfully, and speaking truthfully is critical to the defense of the defendant.
o He must not flatter to sway the court; he must not succeed in this case by some cunning sleight of hand maneuver in the trial, but by exposing the facts truthfully; otherwise, the victory is not real at all.
o Jesus never had a word of guile in His mouth. (1 Pet. 2:22; Isa. 53:9).
 C. He must be righteous and without sin to truly understand the power and ramifications of the sin of the defendant. (Heb. 4:15).
o It is often thought in this day that the only way to know the power of sin is to give in to it.
• (Oscar Wilde said, which summarizes the philosophy of the day, “The only way to get rid of the temptation is to yield to it.”), but the truth is just the opposite.
• You don’t know the true power of the wind by lying down on the ground, you realize its true force by standing up to it.
• The way to truly know the force of an enemy’s army is be fighting against it, not by surrendering.
o Jesus Christ, because He never sinned, because He followed every temptation all the way through until He was the Victor, is the only One Who can fully understand sin
• And therefore the only One Who can fully defend the man charged with sin.
 D. He must be righteous to let all the hearers know that, He in seeking the justice and righteousness of the case for righteousness sake, is not a hypocrite.
o He must, in His righteousness, quiet all the hecklers and people who are accusing Him of being insincere. (Jn. 8:46)
 II. THE ADVOCATE MUST TRULY UNDERSTAND THE LAW UNDER WHICH HE FUNCTIONS
o A. Jesus Christ grew up with, and under, the Law. (Gal. 4:4; Lk. 2:27)
o B. His life was an adherence to, and a fulfillment of, the law. (Matt. 5.17)
o C He was known by all of His peers to have been familiar with it (even from His youth, Lk. 2:46-48), and He customarily read it to all. (Lk. 4:16)
 III. THE ADVOCATE MUST CARE FOR SAFETY OF HIS CLIENT
o A. Jesus shows earnest concern for the client’s life. (Jn. 10:10)
o B. Jesus is very defensive about the protection of his clients. (Jn. 10:28,29)
o C. Since He cares, and the defendant knows it, the defendant can freely tell Him all the problems and concerns that relate to the case. (1 Pet. 5:7)
 IV. THE ADVOCATE MUST KNOW ABOUT EVERY RELEVANT
 PERSON, AND EVERY RELEVANT CASE THAT SURROUND, AND
 CAN HELP HIM IN, HIS CASE
o A. He knows His clients by name. (Jn. 10:3)
• (See also 2 Tim. 2:19; Acts 15:8,18)
o B. The knowledge of His clients is one of trust and intimacy. (Jn. 10:14)
o C. He has all of the facts at His disposal. (Prov. 15:3; Heb. 4:13)
o D. He knows the details of every case, and can skillfully sift the positive facts from the negative ones.
• Concerning all of the seven churches in Revelation, Jesus Christ proclaims, I know thy works,” and goes on to analyze each one’s works objectively in the light of God’s word. (Rev. 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15)
 V. THE ADVOCATE MUST BE WISE TO THE TRICKS AND STRATEGIES OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
o In the Bible, Satan is pictured as the prosecutor, or the “accuser” (Rev. 12:10).
• Since Jesus knows the hearts of all, He knows every plan of attack that Satan is going to use, and, when defending us, utilizes this knowledge to His advantage at every turn.
• We are told to watch out for the wiles of the devil, and to be wary of his tricks and schemes (1 Pet. 5:8; 2 Cor. 2:11).
• Imagine how well our Advocate knows about them!
 VI. THE ADVOCATE MUST KNOW THE GROUND ON WHICH TO REST HIS PLEA FOR SUCCESS
o The “propitiation” is mentioned directly in context with Jesus Christ and His role as the Advocate.
• His propitiation is the faultless ground on which Christ rests His case for us.
• With this plea, He will never, and can never, lose a case.
o “Propitiation” is the atoning sacrifice offered to appease the wrath of God. – Websters Dictionary
 A. The propitiation is powerful in scope (1 Jn. 2:2) –
o It is powerful enough for any and all who will come to Christ.
 B. The propitiation is powerful in love (1 Jn. 4:10,11).
o Christ’s propitiation is one of the highest expressions of His love toward us.
 C. The propitiation is powerful in its foundation.
o There is nothing stronger than the blood of Christ. (Romans 3:25)

Tithing is an Old Testament law. Under the law, the Israelites were commanded to give not merely one-tenth, but much more of all their cattle and crops to the Lord. The Levites (of the tribe of Levi) were appointed by God to receive the tithes, and they in turn paid one-tenth to the High Priest. Then during certain feasts the law demanded a second tithe of their crops. This was commanded under the law. (Read Leviticus 27:30-34.)

The New Testament plan of giving unto the Lord is one that is determined by the heart. Jesus Himself pointed out that the tithe should be paid, but tithing is by no means your whole duty to God. In Matthew 23:23, we read, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cum min, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” This plan for giving is clearly set forth as we can see by the following Scriptures: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him … ” (1 Corinthians 16:2); “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

There can be no doubt but that Christians under grace should give as much, if not more, than the Israelites gave under the law. But our giving must be according to the heart. If it is not given from our heart, it will be done ” … grudgingly, or of necessity … ” which is hateful to God, for God loves a “cheerful giver.”

Many believers are afraid to trust the Lord. They say that they are too poor to tithe and to give to the Lord’s work. But God’s Word promises that if we honour Him, He will honour us. God is no man’s debtor. In Deuteronomy 8:18, we read, “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth … “ If we believe John 3:16, we should just as readily believe this. You remember the Lord with your tithes and offerings, and He will remember you.

Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Proverbs 11:24-25, “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdest more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

Malachi 3:10, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Also carefully read Luke 6:38; Acts 20:35; and 2 Corinthians 9:6.) God has worked out the system of tithing whereby His people may prosper. In 3 John 2, we read, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” We all agree that God is able to help us in our physical and spiritual needs. We can trust Him to prosper us financially for His own glory. The test is, are we willing to believe what God says He will do?

Five Blessings You Will Receive

1. The joy you have from knowing that you are a partner with God. Your reward will be given in Heaven when you see the Saviour face to face.
2. The amount of money you have for the Lord’s work.
3. The thrill of seeing your own needs met with the nine-tenths you have left.
4. The deepening of your love for the Lord, and your entire spiritual life will prosper.
5. The ease of going from one-tenth to a larger amount in order to further the Lord’s work.

DOES IT MATTER?
It does to God and His work. In Nehemiah 13:10-11, we read, “And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field. Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.” The work of God is team-work. Some are called to preach the Gospel. Others are called to give in order that the Gospel might go forth.

We give Thee but Thine own
Whatever the gift may be.
All that we have is Thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from thee.

The Gospel Standard

A baby can enjoy this world, but only on the baby level. It is also true that Christians can enjoy Heaven on the baby level, but it is not what God wants for any of us. He desires that we enjoy, not only Heaven, but life right now on the adult, mature level.
No normal Christian wants to remain a babe in Christ. He wants to grow up to become a mature believer. This is a God-given desire which finds its basis in the promises of God. Our Lord said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

This is what Paul is talking about when he says, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection … “ (Philippians 3:10). We learn through Scripture to know much about Christ, but there is a difference between knowing about Him – knowing that we are members of His body and other glorious truths -and knowing Him in a personal way through fellowship.

We learn that in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. The fulness of God dwells in Him and He dwells in us. We learn to know Him by His wonderful name, ” … l AM … “ (Exodus 3:14). ” .. .I AM … ” – what? “I am all that my people need,” so we can finish the sentence with our own need. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Christ, therefore, is everything that we need to make us mature and useful in the Christian life. We learn all this in His Word, but the command is to “Study … “ (2 Timothy 2:15).

What an inspiration it is to study with others who are hungry and thirsty! This is the best recipe for keeping young. Try it!

Coffee breaks are very popular these days. Why not invite a neighbor or two in for a cup of coffee or tea or a glass of lemonade and study your Sunday school lesson together. This is a small beginning, but “great oaks from little acorns grow.” You can never know the help and the joy that a time spent with the Word can mean to you until you do it. Time? The devil will always see to it that we have no time for the Word if we let him. We must make time for the best things. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness … ” (Matthew 6:33). Those who have formed this habit find they are better mentally, physically, and spiritually.

The Gospel Standard

Bible Reading: Job 9:2-35.
Aim: To teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to the wisdom of soul winning, to teaching others God’s word, and living like Christ.
Introduction: The Bible compares our life to many things. Why? So that we may realize how short our life is, and how important it is for us to number our days (ie: to plan our life)so that we have the maximum impact on the world for Christ. In order to show us how short our life is, God compares our life to several things:

1. A Vapour. “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow For what is your life? Itis even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14. All our plans depend on our life continuing. But what a frail and uncertain thing our life is. Who can build any solid plans on the permanence of a vapour or a mist? A vapour is a mist that is dissipated by the rising sun. “O remember that my life is wind….As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so is he that goeth down to the grave.” Job 7:7,9. “For he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.”Ps.78:39
   Notice that:
   1) As a vapour or wind passes away quickly, so does the life of man.
   2) As we cannot stop a cloud or wind, so we cannot hinder the speedy motion of our days.
   3) As a cloud comes to its height and then vanishes, so does our life and our full strength.
2. A Flower. “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down.” Job 14:1,2. “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the Word of the Lord endureth forever.” I Peter 1:24,25. Man’s life is compared to a fading flower. Many things describe a flower such as having sweet smell, beauty, variety of colour, and softness to touch. Job discusses none of these, but only of its cutting down. Note the following truths about it’s cutting down:
   a)A flower is often cut down or cropped in it’s budding. Many people are cut off in the flower of life by i) Natural death by sickness, or ii) Accidental death by violence, murder, road accidents etc.
   b) A flower if not cut off, soon withers away and is gone. The “Queen of the Night” flower blooms in one night, gives a beautiful fragrance, and is dead and withered by morning.
   c) As the owner of flowers knows best when to crop then, so God knows the best time when to crop off or take away by death any of his choice flowers.
3. A Swift Post. “Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.” Job 9:25.
   a) As a postman rides swiftly, in a hurry, so man’s life passes away swiftly.
   b) A postman of years ago would

• ride on the swiftest of horses,
• he would change horses at every stage to keep up the speed,
• he would take a morsel of food at each stop, then speed on,
• he would only go to bed at the end of his journey,
• all people would give way to the post rider.

4. A Swift Ship. “They are passed away as the swift ships.” Job 9:25,26.
Watching a ship at sea, we notice how it passes very quickly, reminding us of our lives & opportunities.

5. An Eagle. “As the eagle that hasteth to the prey.” Job 9:26.
An eagle is a very swiftly flying bird, but when it hastens to catch its prey, it makes the greatest speed. The life of man is compared to an eagle hurrying to catch her prey when hunger adds swiftness to her wings. So it is with swiftness that our days pass away. What have you done for Christ with your life?

6. A Weaver’s Shuttle. “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle.” Job 7:6.
a) A weaver’s shuttle is an instrument of very swift motion.
b) When the weaver has finished his web, he cuts off the thread. So it is that when a man has run the length of his days appointed by God, his life is cut off.

7. A Shadow. “He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.” Job 14:2.
David said: “our days on the earth are as a shadow and there is none abiding.” I Chronicles 29:15.
Man’s life today is short compared to human lifespan before Noah’s flood.
Man’s life is much shorter compared to God’s eternity. This is a great motive for us to
redeem our time.
Conclusion:
a) Our days on earth are few.

b) Our days on earth are uncertain.

c) The shortness of our life shows the folly of living only for material things as did the rich man in Luke 12:16-21 who said “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.” (v.19).
“The fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever…This their way is their folly.” Psalm 49:10,11,13.

d) Our minds must be focused on eternity “knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and enduring substance.” Hebrews 10:34.

e) The shortness of life motivates us to use all our labours to get people to heaven, to teach the Bible, to plant churches, to train preachers, be at peace among ourselves, and live holy lives pleasing to God.

Let us be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16.
“Redeem the time” means “to buy it up, rescue it from loss, improve every opportunity.”

THE ANSWER BOOK
KEITH PIPER

Probably not many of us see enough sunrises to enter into their secrets. I am not parading myself as an early riser, for I miss more sunrises than I see, but some that I have seen will abide in my heart forever. There is something about darkness giving way to light, the mystery of a new day being born, the eastern sky aflush, and then aflame, that lingers in the soul.
Sick people can tell us much about sunrises, for they have passed many a restless night longing for the break of day. They know what the Psalmist meant when he said, “My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning …” (Psalm 130:6). They understand Job when he said, “When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day?” (Job 7:4).
One who has passed sleepless morning hours may learn to “… meditate on thee in the night watches” (Psalm 63:6), to pray if he cannot sleep. He begins to understand why the saintly fathers rose early for a session with God. He knows why the New England Pilgrims prayed at sunrise.
Again, one thinks of Jacob wrestling with the angel and crossing Peniel at sunrise, limping but having power with God and men. Especially does one think of the Saviour, who, “… rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). Evidently He found it good to wait on God while the world was waiting for the sunrise.
We are told that during Paul’s experience in the storm at sea “… they cast four anchors out… and wished for the day” (Acts 27:29). We are passing through one of the worst moral and spiritual hurricanes in history; multitudes are at sea, and many are wishing for the day. Whether on beds of pain or bowed down with sorrow or burdened with the uncertainty of today and dread of tomorrow, millions were never so weary of the night and so anxious for the day. Never have so many been homesick for Heaven. They have cast their anchor safe and sure and are waiting till the day dawns and the shadows flee away. “… weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
But so many dear souls are not sure about the sunrise. There is small comfort in a vague hope that “everything will turn out all right.” There is little solace in a mere optimism that “something will turn up.” Neither will dreams of a better world, a brotherhood of man welded together by politicians and diplomats, satisfy the soul.
In the account of one of the appearances of our risen Lord, it is stated, “… when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore …” (John 21:4). The Christian is looking for morning, but to him sunrise means Son-rise, it is the Son that brings the morning. “… to depart, and to be with Christ … ” (Philippians 1:23) is daybreak for the saint. Then he says good night here and says good morning up there.
I am thinking of another sunrise that is due some tomorrow. It is the sunrise the Saviour promised when He said, “… I will come again … ” (John 14:3 ). It is the sunrise promised at His ascension, “… this same Jesus … shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go …”(Acts 1:11 ). It is the sunrise Paul promised when he wrote, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God …” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). It is the sunrise that Peter promised when he said, “… the chief shepherd shall appear.” (1 Peter 5:4). It is the sunrise promised by John when he wrote, “… when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3 2). Christ is both Son and Sun, both Son of God and Sun of righteousness, of whom it was said that He should ” … arise with healing in his wings …” (Malachi 4:2). He was called “… the dayspring from on high …” (Luke 1:78), and Peter tells us to “… take heed …” unto prophecy ” … until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19). For the Son-rise, for the return of Christ, the world is waiting. Ruined by sin, it has never been happy and never will be until He shall reign whose right it is.
THE PHYSICAL WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:19-22). This world of tooth and claw, of thorn and thistle, of sweat and blood is a world that crashed because of sin. The animals that cringe in fear, the birds that furtively look around with every step they take, all proclaim a reign of terror that started with Adam and shall end when the Saviour shall redeem the earth, when the lion and lamb shall lie down together. The Scriptures describe such a blessed state, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed· ‘their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9). Here is a picture of a world which we have never seen, but which we shall see after sunrise, when the night is past and the day has dawned.
THE POLITICAL WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE
The politicians do not know it, of course. They would try to make the day dawn by their efforts around conference tables, but the hope of a better day rests with only One, the Lord of Glory. Only in Christ can you ?ring men together. Capital and labour have no trouble when they meet m the Lord. When Boaz saluted his labourers by saying, “… The LORD be with you …”, and they answered, “… The LORD bless thee” (Ruth 2:4), they gave us then and there the only solution of the labour problem. When both parties love the Lord, they have no trouble. They have most trouble when starry-eyed idealists try to solve their problems. The rich man and the poor meet in Christ: there a Joseph of Arimathea stands on equal footing with fishermen disciples. The learned and unlearned meet in Christ, and an uneducated D. L. Moody can work with renowned scholars and theologians bound by a common love. National lines melt in Him, with whom “… there is neither Greek nor Jew … bond nor free … ” (Colossians 3:11).

The scattered pieces of this bleeding world can never be put together by any conference of experts. Only the return of our Lord holds the answer. There may be armistices and breathing spells while fresh confederacies form, but Christ alone will bring an end to dictators, just as He will bring an end to death and disease and depravity and the devil.
THE CHRISTIAN WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE.

“And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). The people of God are looking for the Lord. Certainly that was the New Testament attitude, not only readiness but also expectancy, anticipation. They were not merely looking for something to happen, they were looking for Someone to come, “… to wait for his Son from heaven …” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). ” … unto them that look for him shall he appear…. ” (Hebrews 9:28), that is the note of early Christianity. The Christian who understands his Bible is looking for the sunrise because he is looking for the Sun! Men may call him a pessimist, but he is looking for morning, not night. He has the brightest outlook of all, for he is looking for a day when there shall be no night. He has the happiest hope in all the world, for he anticipates a day when all tears shall be wiped from our eyes. He has the surest hope, for back of it is the authority of God’s Word.

We are looking for “Sunrise Tomorrow,” and it might be today! For indeed “The night is far spent, the day is at hand …” (Romans 13:12).
Vance Havner