Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

world."
nothing."
city."
. It
required."
garrisons and the governor failed in
their task. They were defeated, broken,
disgraced. And this is the word that
Moses used to tell what Lot's wife be
came when she looked back from fol
lowing. She became burnt out salt, a
broken down pillar, "good for
Surely that was a worse doom than to
be "metamorphosed into a metalic sub
stance"
(M. Henry). Are we following,
or looking back
"Ye are the light of the
From
the mount where Christ was speaking,
they could look across the valley to the
northwest to a city high up on the hill
side, whose white buildings could be seen
far off, and the lights at night were a
guide to belated homecomers. Did you
ever hear anyone say, "Its nobody's
business what I do" We should not do
what we need to conceal. What we do
should be an inspiration to others, and
lead them to glorify our Father who is
in Heaven. We don't need to tell about
a light. We may throw out a lifeline,
but all we have to do with a light is to
let it shine.
Luke 10:30
A lawyer, wishing to find fault with
Christ in what he supposed was a for
saking of Old Testament Law concern
ing salvation, asked Him a leading ques
tion; Christ replied by asking him what
the Old Testament said about it. When
the lawyer gave a fine statement of
the law, Christ surprised him by saying
that was sufficient. The lawyer had
trapped himself, for he had said "Love
your neighbor as yourself."
I think the
crowd laughed. But the lawyer was
ready to argue the matter as to who was
his neighbor that he was to love. Christ
told the story
of the Good Samaritan,
who did not avoid a man because he was
in need as the priest did, or because he
did not know him, as some think the
Pharisee did;
but because he was in
need, he took care of him. On his
wounds he poured oil for healing, wine
for cleansing. The alcohol which made
this wine effective was a product of
God's nature and where it was used, it
was good. If it had been put inside the
man, it would have done the devil's
work. Then this good man took the help
less man to an inn and became sponsor
for his expenses. I wonder if it was the
inn in Bethlehem where Christ was born,
the House of Chimham, which was built
centuries before by David's friend, on
the inheritance of Ruth and Boaz for the
entertainment of travelers.
The lawyer seems to have been com
pletely won over by
the logic of the
parable. Old Testament Law was vin
dicated by Christ.
March 9, 1955
Rom. 13:8
There is one task that we keep per
forming but never complete as long as
we live; that is breathing. There is one
debt that we should pay immediately,
yet it will always remain a debt; that
is to love God and our fellow men. Paul
would have us pay all our debts prompt
ly, and keep our accounts squared, ex
cept the debt of love, that can never be
crossed off the book. It is as continual
as breathing, and for a true Christian,
is just as natural and necessary.
I Peter 4:12-16
I remember the two excellent flails
that hung in our barn. I have seen them
used skillfully in beating out rye on the
barn floor. Their skillful swinging is
very graceful. I have tried it with
neither skill nor grace. When I learned
that "tribulation" was literally flailing,
as of the grain, it made me shudder.
Peter says there is joy even in tribula
tion, if it comes to us because of our
loyalty to Christ. He said, "But inas
much, (in the proportion in which), ye
are partakers of Christ's suffering, re
joice."
The world fails in its effort to
make the followers of Christ unhappy.
Instead, it gives them cause for rejoic
ing. It makes them blessed.
PRAYER MEETING TOPIC
March 23, 1955
Rev. John O. Edgar
OPPORTUNITY BRINGS RESPON
Psalms
SIBILITY
Matt. 10:15
106:1-4, page 260
51:7-12, page 131
143:4-6, page 347
103 : 12-15, page 244
References: Matt. 13:17; 11:20-24; 21:
28-32; 25:11-12; 25:40-45; Luke 12:
48; Acts 18:6; Rom. 2:12
While our Lord was upon earth He
gave many warnings concerning the
judgment. Matthew lists perhaps more
of these warnings than any of the other
writers. The particular group to whom
Matthew was writing was his own peo
ple, the Jews. They had received train
ing in the Scriptures and God had spok
en to them through the last of the
prophets, John the Baptist. With great
boldness he had called for repentance
and had pointed to the Messiah who was
soon to appear. Of all the people who
heard the teachings of Jesus, none had
greater opportunity than the Jews.
Our theme centers around Matthew
10:15. These words were spoken by Je
sus at the time the twelve apostles were
sent out to minister. He told them they
were not to go to the Gentiles, but to
the lost sheep
of the house of Israel.
After
giving detailed instructions about
the manner of their going Jesus told
them that they would not always be re
ceived in a hospitable manner. In those
cases, they were to shake off the dust of
their feet and leave the place. Then
follows the most solemn warning: "Ver
ily, (Amen)
.
shall be more toler
able for Sodom and Gomorrha than for
that
The people of Sodom were responsible
for their conduct. They had a law writ
ten in their hearts and knew when they
were doing wrong. Moreover, their op
portunity to know the right was in
creased when Lot took up his residence
among them. Lot wasn't all that he
should have been, but nevertheless he
must have given some testimony against
evil. Peter refers to him as 'just Lot.'
Nevertheless, Sodom and Gomorrha
were destroyed. How much greater the
responsibility that fell upon the cities of
Judea in the time of Christ for they had
far greater opportunities to know the
truth.
Jesus stated an axiom of profound
truth in Luke 12:48 when he said, "For
unto whomsoever much is given, of him
shall be much
It applies pri
marily in respect to individuals. Many
young people have been raised in Chris
tian homes, and within the church, but
they have deliberately turned their back
upon these privileges and have turned to
sinful lives. Surely, they have a greater
responsibility than the person who has
never heard the gospel.
The Word of God which men hear to
day is the Word which shall judge them
in the last day. If men hear the offer of
salvation and reject it they
will be pun
ished eternally. Furthermore, there are
those who have accepted Christ, but who
do not live in accordance with all His
laws. Surely, any slighting of opportun
ity and privilege will detract from one's
degree of glory.
The Jews of the present day are still
largely concerned with the Old Testa
ment and with the Rabbinical traditions;
still waiting for the Messiah. But on
every hand they have the opportunity to
hear the gospel. Their opportunity to
know the truth is perhaps greater than
it was in the days while Jesus was in
the flesh. The Jew today has the full
testimony of the Word of God. Not a
day passes but what he might hear the
gospel preached by the mere turning of
the dial on the radio. But like the
Pharisees and Scribes of Jesus' day, they
pass by their opportunity.
An important factor in the ultimate
decisions of the judgment day will be the
measure of light which men have re
ceived. Many say, "What of the heathen
who never had an opportunity to hear
Are they to be cast into hell for not ac-
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