"For other foundation can, no man lay than that is laid which
is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every mans work shall be made manifest:
for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the
fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide
which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work
shall be burned he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as
by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy;
for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." I Cor. 3:11-17.
Two men were walking down the streets of London, Elder William
Pennefather, and Reginald Radcliffe, an able Liverpool lawyer. A begger came up
and looked hurriedly into the fact of each. Without a moment's hesitation he
said to the preacher, "0 man, with Heaven shining in your face, give me a
penny."
Long years ago when Moses had been communing with God for eighty
days, when he came down from the mountain, it was written, "That Moses
knew not that the skin of his face shone" (Ex. 34:29). In the early days
of Christianity, the witness of the apostles was truly effective, for do not
the Scriptures say, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled and they took
knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). When I
remember this experience of Moses and that of the New Testament apostles, I
pray for grace that the world may be able to see Heaven shining in my face. I
am interested in the members of the church of which I am pastor having faces
wherein Heaven does shine. Further, I am interested in the members of my
invisible audience being people who have Heaven shining in their faces. It is
because of this desire that I preach this sermon, "Life As A Structure."
Our text declares to us first of all that there is a foundation to
be laid, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is
Jesus Christ" (I Cor 3:11). This is the most important part of any
building. In Philadelphia, opposite the Eastern Theological Seminary, there
stands a great hotel building, which cost over two million dollars, and yet it
has never been used. A building inspector condemned it as unsafe, even before
it was fully complete because imperfect material had been put into the
foundation. How much more important is
the foundation upon which each of us is to build his life!
The only foundation upon which we can build is the Lord Jesus
Christ. "Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in
Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall
not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious; but unto
them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is
made the head of the corner" (I Peter 2:6,7). "Be it known unto you
all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth
this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought
of your builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among
men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:10-12). Jesus Christ then is the
foundation. We cannot take these words too literally. The foundation of all
this world's hopes and of every man's salvation is Jesus Christ Himself.
"My
hope is built on nothing less
Than
Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare
not trust the sweetest frame,
But
wholly lean on Jesus' name.
"On
Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All
other ground is sinking sand,
All
other ground is sinking sand."
Jesus Christ is the only foundation which will stand when the day of testing conies. "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it" (Matt 7:24-27). In view of this Scripture, you need to be sure that you are building upon the Rock; and what is the Rock? "And that Rock was Christ" (I Cor. 10:4).
The foundation thus is what God does apart from man to enable him
to begin to live rightly before God. Man does not do one thing in order to put
in the foundation of his life. When Jesus died on the cross. He said, "It
is finished" (John 19:30). Everything that was needed for man's salvation
was thus completed. Even today though man repents, his repentance is a gift
from God. "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a
Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts
5:31). "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified
God, saying. Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto
life" (Acts 11:18). "In meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging
of the truth" (II Tim. 2:25). Actually the faith which one exercises in
salvation is a gift of God, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man
should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9). Is not salvation thus considered throughout
the Scriptures as a gift of God? "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift" (II Cor. 9:15). "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). "But
Peter said unto him. Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that
the gift of God may be purchased with money" (Acts 8:20). "Ho, every
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: come ye,
buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price"
(Isa. 55:1).
No man can begin to live rightly just as he is. Sin has come into
the very springs of our nature, and has touched and tainted the deepest things
in us. We have been depraved, polluted and enfeebled by its presence. There is
no part of our nature which we hold today in purity. Immense numbers of men are
busy in a vain attempt to lay a foundation of their own. As builders drive in
piles into the marshy ground and throw in vast loads of earth and stone, so men
pile up their good deeds and sufferings, their penitential regrets, their
sacrifices, and their recognitions of Divine mercy, and lay these down as a
substantial basis upon which they hope to raise their life as a structure. What
vain toils are these! The gulf is too deep to be filled up by man; the materials
cast unto it have no real strength or worth.. God has thus declared man's
inability and the futility of man's labors; "But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness" (Rom. 4:5). "Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28).
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the
faith of Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and
not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be
justified" (Gal. 2:16).
Truly the foundation is of the Lord! Long years ago, old Jonah declared this truth, "Salvation is
of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9).
There is a building to be raised upon this foundation. As the
foundation is built by God, so the structure is to be raised by man. God
somewhat retires after laying the foundation, and leaves the building in our
hands. Does He not say, "If any man build upon this foundation"? (Vs.
12). In verse 13 He declares, "The fire shall try every man's work,"
and again in verses 14 and 15 He says, "If any man's work abide which he
hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be
burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by
fire." Thus in these four verses (I Cor^ 3:12-15), God five times refers
to what is put upon the foundation as man's building.
He tells us what we may build and what we ought to build. We may build
a house; we ought to build a temple. The apostle seems to refer to the building
of a house when he speaks of "wood, hay and stubble." Wood was used
for the posts and doors; "hay" mixed with mud was used for the walls;
and "stubble" was used for the roof. These are brittle, inflammable materials used for the building
of a house, but never for a temple. The temples were built of precious stones,
both durable and beautiful and were adorned with gold and silver. Each man then
is called upon to build a temple and not a house, as man's life is to be a
temple of God. We are not to make a living, but to build a life. The man who
just makes a living is building of "wood, hay and stubble," while the
one who builds a life is rearing a temple unto God.
While it is true that the building is to be of man's labors and
efforts, it is also a cooperative work of man and God "Wherefore, my
beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it
is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure"
(Phil. 2:12,13).
While it is true that the foundation of our life as a structure
was finished at Calvary, it is equally true that the structure that we build was
begun at Calvary. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them" (Eph. 2:10). "This is a faithful saying and these things I will
that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be
careful to maintain good works" (Titus 3:8).
By every deed which we do, after we are saved, we lay on a stone.
Be sure you use the right materials. There are six of these mentioned which it
is possible for us to use in the building "wood, hay, stubble, gold,
silver and precious stones." Every man must use one or more of these six
materials.
Just what is included in "wood, hay and stubble"? Our
evil tempers, our worldly habits, and our religious errors. Did you lose your
temper yesterday? Then a little "wood, hay and stubble" were placed
into your building. Have you as a professing Christian spent this evening at a
picture show, a card party or a dance? Then some more "wood, hay and
stubble" have come into your structure this day. Have you as a preacher or
teacher labored to advance some religious error, and have you as an individual
Christian put your stamp of approval upon that error by your presence? Then
more "wood, hay and stubble" have been put into your structure. All
errors but especially religious errors, are very abundant. How easily it is to
build them up into our system of faith. Likewise the vices of the world
abounding on every hand, are besetting the Christian both fore and aft. So
easily, vices work their way into the structure we are building; if we are not
careful they may become a part of us, and thus "wood, hay and
stubble" go into our life temple.
"He
smoked cigars three times a day,
Ten
centers, too, at that,
Then
gave a nickel to the church
When
the deacon passed the hat.
"She
gave one cent for mission work,
Then
spent two cents for gum,
And
really bowed her head and prayed
0 Lord,
Thy kingdom come.
"They
sat at home and wondered why
The
church did not succeed;
She
chewed her gum and couldn't tell,
He
puzzled, smoked his weed."
Surrounded by vices, temptations and evils, some may suspect that
there is no possibility of their building, except "wood hay and
"stubble," but that is a jaundiced view of life. The good and proper
materials are likewise available, for does not the apostle refer to "gold,
silver, and precious stones"? Did you go to church today and worship in
spirit and in truth? (John 4:25). Have
virtue and truth found a welcome in your life throughout your wakeful hours
this day? Have you visited others with an idea of helping them? Has your life
been filled with right and proper living? Have the true Scriptural doctrines of
the Bible been given the proper place in your life? Then, if so, into the
building today has gone some gold, silver, and precious stones.
Here are the six materials before us with which to build. No one
builds entirely of the good nor yet entirely of the evil. At best our building,
is but a patch work. Here is a structure before us. Above the foundation there
may be five or six courses of good, massive stone, well cemented and joined
together; then a mass of poor material, just thrown at the structure; then a
little more good; then some "hay and stubble." Possibly at the top
there is a marble slab. No one would think of putting up a building like this,
and yet it is thus we build our lives as structures before God. The greatest
characters of the Bible, by their examples, have thus built. If you will read
the lives of Jacob, Simon Peter, and David, you will find that even these great
men of God built their lives just as we build today, with the six materials
intermingling them with no thought of architectural beauty and design.
Near Gallipolis, Ohio, there is a building called the "crazy
house," not because of the mental condition of the occupants thereof but
because of its appearance due to a lack of architectural conformity. I am told
that it was built by a man who was a carpenter, and from each job that he had
he would carry home a brick, a piece of board, or some paint. It is built of
various sized and shaped doors. The weather boarding is of odds and ends. There
are many colors and styles of brick in the chimney. The colors of paint on the
outside are too varied for calculation. I wonder if perhaps the structure which
each of us is building by way of our lives does not look a great deal like this
"crazy house." Possibly in God's sight my life structure has no more
architectural conformity and beauty than does the house referred to above.
Doubtlessly your life is an even greater "crazy house," and if you
could see the kind of a house you have built, you would perhaps disdain the
ownership thereof.
The work of building goes on. In storm, in shade, summer and
winter, the work continues. When the builder is active and conscious and when
he is weary and helpless, this mystic temple continues to rise, and at death
the cap stone is placed, and the whole work is finished. This leads us to
declare there is a time given to finish the work and when that time comes not
another stone can be laid on by the builder. "I must work the works of
him. that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can
work" (John 9:4). "'And he said unto them. It is not for you to know
the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power"
(Acts 1:7). "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose
under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die" (Eccl. 3:1,2).
Go out to a cemetery and look at the tombstones. Here is a marker
which tells that an infant was born, who wrestled with mortality for but a few
days, and then died. It may seem that that life was wasted, but depend upon it,
that little history was the building of a temple and when it was finished, the
angels carried the little builder away.
Or here is a stone which marks the meeting place of one who was a
little worker, who had just been saved. He was only permitted to take a few
tiny steps in following the Master. Many would say that he had done nothing to
make a finished life. Even you perhaps would say, "Too bad he could not
finish his life." Wrong you are, that little workman will never need be
ashamed, for when God called, he had finished his temple life.
On the next stone you see may give you a maiden's name, just a
young virgin, ready to marry. As she looked toward her bridal day, she was
snatched away. Her parents and lover read, "Her sun is gone down while it
is yet day" (Jer. 15:9). And they say, "How true it is of
her." But they are wrong again,
for the angels have written, "Evening tide," and the Saviour has
written, "Finished," and her life's temple was complete.
Or perhaps here is a great business man. He has been making money
and giving it liberally. His name
stands as a synonym of justice, truth, honesty, and Christianity. He sickens and dies, as it seems to us
prematurely. It looks like a calamity. It seems that nothing was finished, but
his temple life was complete.
And now we come to the grave of an old pilgrim. He had lingered
long in this world. The shock of corn seems more than ripe. He was blind, deaf,
in pain, and helpless as a child. He wants to die; he begs to die; maybe others
even want him to die. Finally God hears his cry and he passes out into the
skies. Would not it have been better if he had gone years before? No! No! It
was the right time, it was just his "even-tide."
Our text further declares that there will be a testing fire.
"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work
of what sort it is" (I Cor. 3:13). Our day is now; God's day is coming. We
spare our vices, sins, religious errors, worldly habits, and evil tempers, and
all these go into our house. Some day these will be burned, when the testing fire
of God is applied to our life structure and nothing but the good and the true
will be left. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;
that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good or bad" (II Cor. 5:10). Our building may be
a mixture of good and bad, but when God's testing fire burns over it, the evil
which we have spared will all be burned.
Our text seems to imply that there may be some who will have nothing
left except the foundation, "If any mans work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (I Cor.
3:15). Others will have but very, very little. This we do know that all that
has been done in Christian service in the name of, and for the glory of God,
shall endure. "And every man shall receive his own reward according to his
own labour" (I Cor. 3:8). When one builds a house the architect has to
give his certificate before the builder can get his final pay. Truly before any
of the redeemed may secure their rewards, the Divine architect of our lives,
even Jesus, must test that which we have built and only that which endures the
test to which He submits us will be found worthy of recognition or rewards.
When (hat day of testing conies, the gold, silver, and precious
stones will not crumble; they will not lose one atom of their weight. All that
we have done which has been worth while shall stand as a basis of our rewards.
Even the least deed that we do, will receive its rightful reward. "And
whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water
only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose
his reward" (Matt. 10:42).
In view of all of this how shall I as a child of God treat this
body of mine? Shall I smoke, drink, eat gluttonously, over sleep, under sleep,
over work, or under work? Shall I go to church, shall I pray, shall I abstain
from the world, shall I serve God according to the Bible, shall I crucify my
flesh? In view of this testing fire, may you answer these questions remembering
that the "wood, hay and stubble" must be consumed, while the
"gold, silver, and precious stones" must endure.
"I
will go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
Real
service is what I desire,
I will
sing a solo any time, dear Lord,
But
don't ask me to sit in the choir.
"I
will do what you want me to do, dear Lord,
I like
to see things come to pass,
But
don't ask me to teach girls or boys, dear Lord,
I'd
rather just stay in my class.
"I
will do what you want me to do, dear Lord,
I yearn
for the Kingdom to thrive,
I will
give you my nickels and dimes, dear Lord,
But
please don't ask me to tithe.
"I
will go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
I'll
say just what you want me to say;
I am
busy just now with myself, dear Lord,
I'll
help you some other day."
Oh, may this attitude be foreign to the lives of all my audience
tonight! Rather, may you now cry out, saying, "Lord, what wilt thou have
me to do?" (Acts 9:6).
"Keith L. Brooks, the editor of "Prophecy" told
recently of missing some tracts off his desk; suspecting that his little
daughter had taken them because of the colored picture on the front page, he
stepped into the room where she was playing. She had all of her dolls lined up
along the wall rag dolls, china rolls and even a Shirley Temple at the head
of the class. In front of each of these she had placed a tract. When Mr. Brooks
asked about the tracts before the dolls, she said, "I want them all to know
about Jesus." May such a spirit characterize us as we build our temple
lives!
Many months ago I preached this message for the first time. At its
conclusion, one of the best Christian men I have ever known said, "I wish
I could tear down the shack I've been building, start over on my life's
temple." Perhaps many of us wish the same. Well, none of us can do so, but
from this day we can begin to be more careful that we build of "gold,
silver, and precious stones," and use less and less of "wood, hay and
stubble."
Perhaps some unsaved one is listening, who never has begun to
build properly. All of his life has been wasted. May the foundation tonight be
put into your life, by repentance and faith, and now begin to build your temple
for eternity.
"Then they that feared the Lord spake often, one to another;
and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written
before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And
they shall be mine saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my
jewels"
Mal. 3:16, 17.
There are reasons why that God refers to each of the saved as
"jewels." First of all, jewels are of all colors and they are found
everywhere. Truly God's "jewels" are of all colors of mankind and found
everywhere. When the artist had painted "The Children of the World,"
all of them were shown with white faces. In a dream, he saw an angel working by
his easel changing four of these white faces to represent the other colors of
the world. Whereupon, he arose from his bed, mixed his own paints, and finished
the picture showing the black, red, yellow, and brown child as being "The
Children of the World" just the same as the white. In the days of His
flesh, Jesus said "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature" (Mark 16:15).
Regardless of color, and irrespective of location, wherever you find one
who has trusted the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and who has been washed
from his sins in the blood of Jesus that one is one of God's "jewels."
Then, too. God refers to the saved as "jewels," since
jewels are the most durable of mineral substances. Every watchmaker realizes
that this is true, for the bearings, which are subject to the greatest strain,
are always set in jewels. Regardless of how durable earthly jewels may be, they
cannot begin to compare with the durability of God's "jewels." God's
"jewels" endure forever. "His seed will I make to endure for
ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and
walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my
commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their
iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take
from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail" (Psa. 89:29-33).
If it is interesting to note why God calls the redeemed
"jewels," it is even more interesting to notice how the
"jewels" are found. Jewels are often hidden away in rocks and mud. It
is much trouble to find them, and requires much difficulty to uncover them.
God's "jewels" are lost and hidden away in vile sins and earthly
habits. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within and defile the
man" (Mark 7:21-23). They are shut up in hard stony hearts. The Old
Testament prophet, speaking for God says, "And I will take away the stony
heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh" (Ezek.
36:26). No jewel was ever hidden away in more filth and muck than are God's
"jewels." "Yea also the heart of the sons of men is full of
evil" (Eccl. 9:3). When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, he referred
to their former condition before they were saved, declaring that they whom God
had quickened once, "were dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1).
Just as it is often necessary to dynamite in order to find earthly
jewels, so God's "jewels" likewise must be dynamited to be found. The
gospel is God's dynamite. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ;
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth"
(Rom. 1:16). Note the expression the "power of God." The Greek word
which is translated "power" is literally "dynamite." And
isn't it true that the gospel has the same effect upon one's soul as dynamite
has upon stone? Many evangelists and preachers resort to all kinds of claptrap
methods to get converts. They ask the inquiring sinner to come to the front,
and shake hands with the preacher, to pray at an altar of prayer, to reform, to
turn over a new leaf, to join the church, to be baptized, or to sign a decision
card. All of which are human attempts to change the soul. I heard one of these
religious racketeers some time ago, pause in the middle of his sermon and say,
"What you ought to do is join the church; even if you haven't got any more
religion than a horse; join the church; join the church and get religion afterwards."
What a difference between such an hireling and the preacher who is
content to use God's dynamite the gospel of Jesus Christ thus leaving the
results in God's hands. For years I have been able to say with Paul, "For
I am determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him
crucified" (I Cor. 2:2). I remember many years ago a middle aged man came
to the services which I was conducting one Sunday evening, with the avowed
purpose of giving me a thrashing. He did not even intend to come inside the
building. One of the brethren of our church insisted that he wait until after
the service was over, and urged him to come inside the building. That night I
preached on the following text: "For the preaching of the cross is to them
that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of
God" (I Cor. 1:18). I knew nothing at all about this man's intention, or
the reason why he was in our services. When the services were over he and his
family quietly slipped out. The next Sunday night his boy was saved. The
following Sunday night his daughter was saved, and the third Sunday night he,
himself was saved. Truly the gospel is the dynamite of God.
A sinner may go to church feeling happy and perfectly satisfied
with himself. He may have come only out of curiosity or to please some friend
who has invited him. It may be a simple message that is preached, but it takes
a firm grip on his soul. He is not half as pleased with himself when he leaves
the services as on his entrance. His good deeds don't seem nearly so good, and
his righteousness even looks to him as though it might be somewhat
unrighteousness. He comes back a second time, and goes away feeling even more
miserable than before. His pride has given away to humility, and his self-trust
to self-abasement, and self-abandonment. This experience is repeated again and
again until he yields himself to the Lord, and is saved by grace and washed by
blood. 0 what dynamite is the gospel of Jesus Christ!
During these many years of Christian experience I have seen
harlots, infidels, drunkards, thieves, and the vilest of mankind and womankind
turn from their sins to the Saviour for salvation. What is it that has caused
them to cease in their rebellion, and has led them to renounce their sins and
confess Jesus Christ publicly? It is God's dynamite the gospel the fact
that Christ died for our sins.
Are the reasons that we have given why God calls the saved,
"jewels," interesting to you? Does the finding of the
"jewel" by God's dynamite the gospel interest you? Then surely
you will be interested in the fashioning of the "jewel." Even though
the "jewel" has been found, it is not yet ready to be worn. It is
placed in the hands of the great Artificer, the Holy Spirit, who cleanses and
polishes it for God.
Just as a jeweler uses water and fire for the polishing of a
jewel, so the Holy Spirit uses the same methods. What water does He use? In the
Bible, the Word of God, itself is referred to as Water. "Husbands, love
your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word"
(Eph 5: 25, 26). Just as each one takes a bath and washes away the filth of the
body, so each of the redeemed needs to wash in the Word of God after he has
been saved, and thus cleanse away the defilement of the world.
"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto
according to thy word" (Psa. 119:9). "Now ye are clean through the
word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3).
A young woman comes into our church building for the services
today. Most immodest is her dress; high cut at the bottom and low cut at the
top. It has a peek-a-boo front and dιcolletι back. Her hands are weighed down
with rings. Her hair is not only bobbed, but wind-blown, frizzled, and
marcelled. She enjoys the things of the world; dances, cards, and movies are a
part of her nature. In short she is just a modern girl. She has come to the
service only because she has been invited; and to show her appreciation for the
invitation, she decided she will attempt to endure it once. In the course of
the sermon, the Word of God is carried on the wings of the Holy Spirit to her
heart. The gospel is to her, truly God's dynamite. She is convicted, and in due
course of time is saved. I tell her to make the Bible her standard for life,
and request of her that she follow its teachings implicitly. "All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God
may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (II Tim. 3: 16,
17). Next Sunday she comes forward and asks for believer's baptism. I ask her
why that she desires to be immersed. Like a flash, she turns to the Bible that
I have given her, which I requested for her to make her standard for life, and
reads, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death" (Rom.
6:4). Then she reads the Scripture wherein Jesus set the example of baptism.
"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of
him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and
comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him. Suffer it to be so now:
for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And
Jesus, when He was baptized went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the
heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon him: And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying. This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:13-17). She says,
"Pastor, I want to be buried in baptism just like my Saviour was."
What's happened during this first week of her conversion? Simply this, she has
been taking a bath in the Word of God. I notice as she makes her offering to
the Lord Sunday after Sunday, and she cites as her reason for doing so:
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have
robbed me, even this whole nation. 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 the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal.
3:8-10). 0, how badly do the anti-missionary crowd and the penny-givers need a
bath just here! A few weeks later I notice that her bobbed hair disappears, and
her dress becomes much more modest. I say to her, "You look so old-timey
any more; you look like you were born 30 years too late. What's become of that
pretty hair and those fancy dresses?" She replies, "Pastor, didn't
you tell me the Bible was to be my standard for life? Well, I could not follow
it and dress as I have been?" Then she reads, "Doth not nature itself
teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a
woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given for a
covering" (I Cor. 11:14, 15). "In like manner also, that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with
broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women
professing godliness) with good works" (I Tim. 2:9,10). I notice that her
diamond ring, the sign of her engagement is soon removed, and I ask her the
reason when I see her coming to church alone. She explains that her betrothed
was a man of the world, unsaved, unredeemed, and unregenerate. And since the
Scripture said, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers"
(II Cor. 6:14), she had to follow what the Book said, for it was her adopted
standard for life. I notice that her name no longer appears in the society stew
as a partaker of all kinds of worldliness. The cards, dances, and movies which
used to intrigue her have now lost their charm. I notice that she never misses
the services of the church. I ask her why it is that she has given up the
world, and why that she never misses any services in God's House. To all this
she replies, "Pastor, you gave me a Bible, and told me to make it the
standard of my life, it tells me how I ought to live before the world.
"Abstain from all appearance of evil" (I Thess. 5:22). "Whether
therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God" (I Cor. 10:31). It tells me that I ought to go to church, "Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is"
(Heb. 10:25). Therefore I cannot do otherwise as long as I follow the Bible as
my standard." Everybody asks, "What's the matter with her, what has
caused the change?" The answer is simply this, she has just been taking a
bath in God Almighty's bath tub, the Word of God. The Holy Spirit has thus been
fashioning a "jewel" through the water of the Word.
The Holy Spirit though, has another method which He uses, namely,
fire the fire of affliction. In South America there is a flower which is only
visible when the wind blows. It is of the cactus specie. Beautiful flowers
protrude from lumps on the stalk when the wind blows against it. Sometimes it
takes the fire of affliction to cause the flowers of grace to protrude from our
otherwise barren lives. "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now
have I kept thy word. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I
might learn thy statutes" (Psa. 119:67,71). In the Salem Pioneer Register,
I read a poem presumably written by parents who had lost an only child a
babe.
"Only
a baby's grave,
A
foot or two at most of tear-dewed sod,
But
a living God knows what this little grave cost.
Only
a baby's life,
Sweet
as a perfumed kiss so fleet it goes,
But
our Father knows we are nearer to Him for this.
Jewels are really valuable. Not many of my audience possibly
possess much wealth in earthly jewels, but there are multiplied millions of
dollars wrapped up in value in the jewels of this earth. The value of a jewel,
first of all, depends upon its scarceness or rarity. If diamonds were as
plentiful as dust, then they would be no more valuable than dust. It's their
scarceness which makes them valuable. God's "jewels" are exceedingly
scarce too. The majority of churches do not have to build annexes in order to
take care of their jewels. We have plenty of church members. In many instances
large numbers of these church members are so many unsaved hellions. True jewels
God's jewels are exceedingly scarce and hard to find.
Again jewels are valuable because of their luster or their
brilliance in shining. God's "jewels" ought to be shining for the
Lord. This was the experience of the early apostles. "Now when they saw
the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and
ignorant men, they marveled; and took knowledge of them, that they had been
with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Are you shining in such a way that the world is
taking knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, or is your life so
clouded by the things of this world that the luster of your life is lost behind
a multitude of sins?
Don't forget: The value of the jewel does not depend upon the
mounting. A diamond, itself, has just as much value mounted on a piece of lead
as on platinum. God's "jewels" shine just as brightly clothed in
calico as in silks. In fact some of the greatest Christians and noblest souls
that I have ever known, have been those whose outward dress was very poor, but
whose souls really shone for God.
Jewels must be guarded. Those who are fortunate to possess jewel's
of great value keep them under lock and key. How marvelous it is to know that
God is thus protecting His own. "Now unto him that is able to keep you
from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). "Who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (I
Pet. 1:5). "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I
am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is
able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (II
Tim. 1:12). Twenty centuries ago Paul asked, "Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ?" (Rom. 8:35). Shall Satan? "But he that is
begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not" (I
John 5:18). Shall temptation? "There
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above ye are able; but will
with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear
it" (I Cor. 10:13). Shall sin? "For sin shall not have dominion over
you" (Rom. 6:14). Shall the law? "For ye are not under the law, but
under grace" (Rom. 6:14). Shall the world? "For whatsoever is born of
God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even
our faith" (I John 5:4). Shall the believer? "THEY SHALL NOT DEPART
FROM ME" (Jer. 32:40). As it was impossible for Noah to leave the ark
after God had shut him in, so it is impossible for the believer to leave
Christ. Someone asks, "Cannot a believer crawl off the Rock of Ages?"
Beloved, where is the child of God who wants to crawl off the Rock of Ages? But
listen! Paul mentions ten agencies and agents, including the powers of Heaven,
earth and Hell, which he declares are unable to separate the believer from God.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation,
distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword? As it is written,
"For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor heights, nor depths, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:35-39).
How interesting it is to think about the wearing of the jewel.
Kings and queens only wear their jewels on special occasions. All the jewels of
the British Empire were worn at the recent coronation of the King of England.
Some day the Lord Jesus Christ is going to be crowned King of kings and Lord of
lords. Isn't it wonderful to consider our prospect? In that day those of us who
are His "jewels" shall share in the honor of His coronation. "If
we suffer, we shall also reign with him" (II Tim. 2:12). "And hast
made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth"
(Rev. 5:10). "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle,
neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall
reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 22:5).
I imagine that some one in our audience may say tonight,
"This message is not for me, I am not a 'jewel,' I am just a common stone
an unregenerated man." Despair not, dear one, "For I say unto you
that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham" (Matt.
3:9). "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put
within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you an heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26). May God grant to you the gifts of
repentance and faith that you might become one of His "jewels."