Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

me."everlasting."us."fully harnessed. Successful fliers do notdisregard or violate the force of gravitation. They use it.One of our most popular entertainersin fiction, and he has a host of imitatorsnow, sails through the air, not using, butdisregarding all natural laws. Christ metthat"dream"as a temptation, andcalled it tempting God. The specific actthat Christ refused to perform,manyandother feats even more difficult,are now pictured for our entertainment.What does it mean to us and to ourchildren to be entertained by heroes whofeature the disregard of God's naturallaws?Let us get this matter straight. DeanSwift did not represent his hero, DariusGreen, as presuming on natural law.Darius tried to learn from the birdshow to use natural law. He tried usingTiis arms as wings. He tried using hiscoat tail. He became an inventor. He entertains us and we admire him even inbis failure. Perhaps he was an inspiration to the Wright brothers who succeeded.But if we attribute to somecharacter the power to float throughthe air either with or without a sleighor reindeer,and ascribe to him supernatural strength, vision or knowledge, or any power that belongs to Godalone, well, what would you call it?Aesop's Fables give to animals the powers of men, to illustrate man's virtuesand vices. When we attribute to manpowers that belong to God alone,finish the sentence!The Authorityyouof Jesus leaves noplace for Satan's administration.PRAYER MEETING TOPICOctober 26, 1955Rev. John O. EdgarTHE "AMENS" OF JESUS"The Reward of Self Denial" (No. 10)Psalms:Scripture: Luke 18:29, 30119 :l-3, page 287119:1-4, page 30156:1-3, 8, page 14131:4-7, page 71References: Rev. 3:21; I Tim. 4:8; Matt.19:27-30; Luke 22:28-30; Rev. 2:26;Matt. 4:20; Heb. 12:6To fully understand this passage wemust study it in its setting (Luke 18:18-30). These words were addressed to thedisciples immediately after Christ's conversation with the rich young ruler. Jesus had told him to go sell all and give tothe poor, and he would have treasure inheaven. But the young man went awaysorrowful; he was not ready to takethe step of full surrender.October 5, 1955I. Peter's BoastIt almost jars on our ears when Peter,perhaps as spokesman for the others, reminded the Lord that they had forsakenall to follow Him. In the account inMatthew, Peter even went so far as tosay, "What shall we then have?" It iscommendable that when Jesus called thefishermen they immediately forsooktheir nets and followed Him; and thatMatthew left his table at the tax collector's office. But in view of Peter'sremark we might be led to wonderwhether the disciples had forsaken allbecause of a complete devotion to Christ,or whether they may have had some desire for rewards. It appears that thedisciples did have hope of an earthlykingdom, and that when Christ seizedthe reigns of government they might beelevated to power.77. Christ's AnswerIn answering Peter's declaration Jesus said, "Verily (amen, truly), I sayunto you, there is no man that hath lefthouse or wife or brethren, or parentsor children, for the Kingdom of God'ssake, who shall not receive manifoldmore in this present time, and in theworld to come lifeIt might be expected that Jesus wouldhave rebuked Peter for his mercenaryspirit, but with great consideratenesshe gives His reply, "When the Son ofMan shall sit on the throne of his glory,ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones,judging the twelve tribes of Israel."Of this latter statement Burrellwrites, "Whether this great promise isto be literally fulfilled is an open question; though I see no reason why theapostles of Christ should not thus bepromoted to positions of authority. Inany case, however, the promise has beenalready fulfilled in the ever-increasinginfluence of these apostles during theprogress of the centuries. Their powerhas eclipsed that of the Caesars; theirauthority has survived that of the rabbis of Jewry. Their cause has triumphed and their word is with poweramong the whole Israel of God."What spiritual depths are to be foundin these words! Christ never promisedthat it would be easy to follow Him."If any man would come after me lethim deny himself, and take up his crossand followTo the young man whoprofessed that he was ready to followHim, but who asked that he might firstbury his father, Jesus said, "Let thedead bury their dead." It is obviousthat those who would followmust do so immediatelyChristand that noteven the strong ties of filial love shouldprevent that service.Through the centuries there has beena long line of martyrs who have metthis test, even to the point of forsakingthose of their own household. WhenSadhu Sundar Singh became a Christianhe had to choose between the strong tiesof family love, and his love for Christ.Family ties are very strong in India andit was not an easy decision to make.When it was known that he was considering becoming a Christian, an honoreduncle of Sundar Singh, the possessor ofgreat wealth, took him off to his largehouse and led him to a deeplow the main building. Taking him incellar beside the uncle locked the door and Sundar wondered whether his last hour hadcome. But taking a key, his unclestepped forward and unlocked a safe.Throwingopen the door there was revealed to him such wealth as he hadnever dreamed of. Rolls of bank notes,priceless jewels, and quantities of money. His uncle then besought him not tobecome a Christian and said, "All theseshall be yours if you remain withSundar Singh not only met the test ofwealth, but the test of family ties aswell. In a short time he announced hisdecision to follow Christ. When he returned home the pent-up anger of hisfather was let loose upon him. The boywas cursed, disowned and told that hemust go forth from the ancestral homewith only the clothes which he woreupon his back.In the Fifth Commandment we areenjoined to honor our father and motherthat our days may be long upon theearth. But here is an invitation fromJesus to forsake one's own family if itshall interfere with following Him. Howfearful it is to encounter the scorn andhatred of those whom one has lovedsince infancy; how cruel to make warupon their tender and enduring affection; where in this world could such lovebe found as that which exists betweenthe members of the family? But thatis the extreme test which Jesus makesof those who would sell all and followHim.How many young people may havefelt they were beingcalled to the foreign mission field, but were unwilling tomake the sacrifice and separate themselves from their families! Perhapsthere was an obligation to remain athome and care for aged parents. Butwhen Jesus calls men to follow Him, Herequires that not even family ties shallhinder.777. Christ's Promise of Reward.Who can estimate the greatness of reward that shall be given to those whodeny themselves to follow Christ? Doesour Lord not say that those who make219