Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

prospereth"of selfish pride. Instead of accepting theTRUTH in humility, theyThe Ground of Offence.cast him out.The passage read from Isaiah, whether in the regular order for the day, orselected by Christ,was one of the passages that the Jews recognized as foretelling the coming and work of the Messiah. They expected the Messiah to appear in some great place like Jerusalem,with great pomp and an army, and thatHe would drive out the Romans. Theyhad created their Billiken, "The godof things as they ought to be." Christ rejected their Billiken, and theyout.cast himThe Salvation That the Jews Rejected.While the Jews accepted Isaiah astheir true prophet, they had interpretedhim according to their ownWhat theywisdom.wanted for their salvationwas not what God offered. When Christannounced Himself as the Messiahpromised by Isaiah, the Jews were angry because that was not the way theyhad planned it. Under the guidance ofthe Holy Spirit, Isaiah had describedthe Salvation that Christ came to bring,even as it has been fulfilled both literally and figuratively. It is a salvation forboth the individual and the nation. Manymen, and nations, have not realized thissalvation. That is not for any lack inChrist's power or purpose. Every onewho has accepted Christ's plan is saved.As Christ has been obeyed in social life,the people have been blessed.The fruits of Christ's salvation cannot be fully realized until He is acceptedas our Lord in social life. Slavery andoppression, and much of poverty, are thefruits of a godless social order. Un-socialselfishness led us into a deep concernabout our social insecurity. Will man'splan for Security succeed if it is not inaccord with God's plan for the socialorder?Christ's poverty by which we may become rich, has nothing whatever to dowith material wealth. The difference between Christ's riches that he laid asideto assume our poverty that we might berich, cannot be measured bygold. Heoffers us spiritual wealth. If we applythat spiritual wealth in social life, therewill be much less material poverty andwant. The Jews have followed God's financial plan very largely in their dealing with Jews. There is little povertyamong them, individually. But they holdall gentiles as outside of the law, so thatthey are at liberty to deal with them assuits their convenience. That has madethem hated of all nations. They have notprofited by it except in nations whereChrist's law has some influence in social life. Individual and social salvation236should go hand in hand. When man's efforts in research and invention areturned toward the betterment of humanconditions and social relations, then willbe realized the blessings of the greatsalvation that the Jews rejected.The Acceptable Year of the LordSomething to preach! A year that isacceptable to God. God has accepted it.Christ came to preach it, that man too,might accept it, making the acceptancemutual. When is the acceptable year?The question answers itself. It is thisyear. Now is the accepted time. Today.That is the theme of all Gospel preaching; to proclaim that this is the acceptable year of the Lord. We do not need towait. The time has arrived. Not nextyear. This year. I read a promise inGod's law and in nature, that the sunwill rise tomorrow, but no promise thatit will rise for me, or for our socialorder. What does it matter? I have today, and this is the acceptable year,day, of the Lord. If we have wasted thedays that are past, and are wasting today, why should we be given tomorrow?The Message For Us to Receiveand Deliver.Do we find a more important messagethan Luke 4:19? It is quoted fromIsaiah 61 :2, "To proclaim the acceptableyear of the Lord.' The Jews had thisscripture, and refused to enter into itsblessing. They have suffered for theirfolly. We have every advantage that theJew had, with the lessons of 2,000 yearsadded.What will we do with this message?What will we do with THE BOOK?What will we do with JESUS?Psalms:PRAYER MEETING TOPIC73 :l-3, page 178November 2, 1955RICHESJames 5:1-6.M. K. Carson, D. D.49:4-8, page 12515:1-3, page 2673:9-10, page 179References: Matt. 6:19; Luke 12:16-21;Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15; Jer. 22:13; Mai.3 :5. Other references are found in thecomments.The three perils against which Jameswarns us are the wrongtongue,use of theworldliness and riches. The power of speech is one of man's greatestgifts. According to its use, it becomes ablessing or a curse (James 3:9).God has provided, and .isconstantlyproviding more and more of the "goodthings."As we look forward to ourThanksgiving Day,our hearts shouldbe filled with gratitude. "Every goodgift is fromabove"(James 1:17)."Thanks be unto God for His unspeakableterialgift"(II Cor. 9:15). But these ma"things"maybecome a curse ifwe do not learn that a man's life consistethnot in the abundance of the"things"which he possesseth (Luke 12:15). Materialism has had its evil effectupon all of us.Riches too, maybe a blessing or acurse. But the love of money is theroot of all"covet"evil."I Tim. 6:10. So if weriches we are in a dangerouscondition and maybe pierced throughwith many sorrows. Is it safe to be rich?Matt. 19:23-26. How much wealthmayone have? John's word to Gaiuswas, "Beloved, I wish above all thingsthat thou mayest prosper and be inhealth, evenas thy soul(III John 2). What a wise answer thisis! If we were prosperous in materialthings onlyin proportion to our soul'sprosperity, how poverty-stricken someof us would be! Or how sickly some ofus would be if our bodies were nohealthier than our souls! Do we alwaysgive the first consideration to the soul?"What shall a man give in exchange forhissoul?"Mark 8:36-37. EvidentlyJames is describingthose who placedthe emphasis upon "riches." They werethe godless rich (2:2;godly5:1-6). There arerich too. To describe a class ofpeople, such as the rich, as wicked, selfish and oppressive, is unjust. And toooften this is done. The ungodly, the unbelieving and the wicked are in a class,whether rich or poor. There is the brother of low degree, but there is also therich "brother" who is made low (1 :9-10). We do not know how he was madelow. Was his wealth taken from himor was he a true brother with theChristian conception of Stewardship, asBarnabas? Acts 4:36-37How quickly our riches may be takenfrom us! The Apostle Paul speaks ofthem as "uncertain" (I Tim. 6:17). Orwe may be taken from our riches. Onegodly man placed over the door of his"Linquenda"home this word,whichmeans "I must leave it." Family Altar.This word is written over everythinghouses, farms, factories, business,bonds, etc. Sir Walter Scott who wasforced to relinquish a portion of hisestate said,"I have walked my lastin the domains I have planted, sat thelast time in the halls I have built. Butdeath would have taken them from meif misfortune had sparedme."Are weheirs of that "inheritance incorruptible,and undefiled, and that fadeth notaway? (I Peter 1:4.).1. Is Our Wealth Productive?The inevitable result of ill-gottenCOVENANTER WITNESS