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THE TABERNACLE PULPIT
God’s Will and My Life.
“To do Thy will is more than praise,
As words are less than deeds,
And simple trust can find Thy ways,
We miss with chart of creeds.”
OME years ago, during the Woman’s
Conference at Northfield, one Sunday
morning, 1 sat in the front seal in the
corner of the village church. The speak
er took for his subject, “Every Human
Life a Plan oi God.” 1 remember very
distinctly the announcement of his sub
ject, though 1 do not remember his text,
or anything that he said especially.
S
When he had announced his subject, my mind
went instantly back over hills and valleys and rivers
and streams until it rested in a little cottage, out
in the rural district of central North Carolina,
where my eyes first saw the light of day. Then I
asked this question: “Is it possible, 0 God, that
that morning in that little cottage by the side of
that humble little hie, the infinite God stood with
a chart and compass in his hand fur the govemmeu,
of its lile?” There came to me as definitely as
any words ever came to my ears, this answer: “Yes,
it is not only possibxe, Lut it is true.” Then 1 put
my head down on the pew in Ironl of me, and began
to pi ay: “U Lord, 1 am sorry 1 had no one to tell
me tins truth in those days, and now 1 pray thee
forgive ail the mistakes oi the past, and lei me get
this morning into the ciicie of tuy plan, and keep
me there, tioly f ather, until the day oi my death.”
While 1 am conscious of many blunders 1 have
made since that day, 1 am conscious also of tne
fact that that moimng was an epoch in my life.
Since then, 1 have seen God with d.ffeient eyes,
and his truth has been to me what it had never been
before.
It was just this that the Apostle Paul is speaking
about in Colossians 4:12: “mpaph.as, who is one
of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always
laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may
stand perfect and complete in all tne will of
God.” hpaphras was prayaig for certain brethren,
that they might be “pvixect and complete in the
will ox God.” It is one thing to do light; it is
another thing to be right. Many of us are trying to
do light wno are not nglit. All the light doing will
amount to nothing in the sight of God until we
are right.
It seems to me that the Apostle Paul has the
same luea in Galatians 2 20: “1 am ciucified with
Christ; nevertheless 1 live; yet not 1, but Christ
liveth in me.”
There are three classes of Christians. First, the
man whose creed is made up of “don’ts.” Ask
that man to engage tn anything that is question
able, and he at once says: “No, 1 don’t do that;
1 am dead; 1 am crucified with Christ.” 1 wish
we had more of that class in our chuicljes.
Then we have another class whose creed is made
up of “do s.” They are always “hustling.” They
are never absent fiom any church meeting, and are
filled with good works. And yet, 1 am sorry to say,
it does not take very much peisuasion for them to
engage in anything that is questionable. They live
but they aie not crucified.
Now the other class of people—and I .would to
God that there were more of them—is a Class rep
resented by the Apostle when he says: “1 am cru
cified with Christ” (1 don’t); “nevertheless I live”
(1 do); “yet not I, but Chr.st liveth in me.” The
do’s and don'ts are brought together by the plus
sign of the cross, and there we have a perfect
Christian.
PERFECT.
We must understand that the apostle in using the
word perfect is not holding up a hope that we may
enter into a state of perfection that admits of no
higher development. It is not the perfection of
The Golden Age for November 8, 1906.
Tabernacle Sermon by Rev. Len. G. Broughton.
maturity that he is praying for. The Apostle
Paul knows too well that they can never attain unto
that in this life. He is, however, holding up the
possibility of entering the perfection of state. The
difference is illustrated by the apple on the tree.
The apple when it is half-grown is perfect, provid
ing it is appropriating all of the environments that
go to make up perfect fruit: but it has rot reached
the perfection of maturity until it ripens, and falls
to the ground. The apostle here is praying that
these Christians may live in a s*ate of perfection,
appropriating all that God environs them with for
the development of their Christian character.
COMPLETE.
Then let us take the next word. “That ye may
stand perfect and complete.” The revised versh*
translates the word complete “fully assured.”
Thus not only is it possible to enter and live in
the will of God, but likewise that we may know
that we are in the will of God. If that is true, it be
comes a very interesting question, Am I living day
by day in the will of God? Not only am I in the will
of God when I am preaching and explaining the
Scriptures, or attending conventions, but am I liv
ing day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment,
at home and abroad, in the perfect will of God?
That is the question.
HOW WE MAY KNOW HIS WILL.
We may know this by coming to the word of
God and finding out. fiist of all, what the will
of God is concerning his people, and then by an
alyzing our own lives, to see whether or not we con
form to the will of God concerning us.
SAVES.
The first thing I will ask you to note is, the fact
it is the will of God that all men should be saved.
2 Peter 3:9: “The Loid is not slack concerning
his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repent
ance.” That is univeisalism in so far as its pro
vision is concerned, but it is specialism in so far as
its appropiiation goes. 1 used to hear my father
tell how, when he was quite young, the United
States government, by universal proclamation, of
fered land out west to any young man who would go
and settle upon it. My father was anxious to go,
but could not make up his mind. While he was de
bating the question, two of his companions decided
to go, and they went. Those two young men settled
upon the land, and became independently rich. My
father gave it up in doubt, remained at home and
became dependently poor. There is a um’crsil
proclamation, which became special because all
men would not accept it. The atonement of Jesus
Christ is broad enough to take in the universe of
God. Never has there been a soul that has not had
a chance at salvation in the purpose of God, but
how sad it is that so few have accepted this provis
ion and been saved!
Are we standing in perfect harmony with this
part of the will of God ? Do we believe that it is
the will of God that every man should be saved? It
is easy to think that God wills the salvation of our
church and of our neighbors, and of good, respect
able people, but has the thought taken possession of
us that the vilest sinner, the gutter snipe, is just
as eagerly sought by God as the man who lives in
the mansion?
Until that thought has taken possession of us,
so we are willing to live that way, and to work
that way, we are not in the will of God.
Do you not think that the woild sees how the
church makes a division among men? They see
that we are more anxious about the salvation of
some people than we are others; they see us running
after the rich and the intelligent and the iefined to
the neglect of the poor and the outcast. Hence, the
world does not respect our religion. Oh, it is easy
to bring sinners to Chiist when the sinner becomes
convinced that it is his soul that we are after, and
not his wealth!
SANCTIFIES.
Take the next step. It is the will of God that
the saints should be sanctified. 1 Thessalonians
4:3-7: “For this is the will of God, even your sanc
tification. For God hath not called us unto unclean
ness, but unto holiness.” Let us not be frightened
here. I know how prejudiced we are upon this sub
ject of sanctification, and yet there is nothing
taught in the Bible any more definitely than the doc
trine of sanctification.
What are we to understand by the word “sanc
tify”? It means two things, to cleanse and to set
apart. It is the will of God that we shall be
clean.
It is also the will of God that we should be sepa
rate. Surely there is no one who would say that
God does not will the separation of his people from
sin and sinful companions. Is there a true wife who
would be satisfied to live with a husband not sepa
rated unto her? Never. Os course, it is the will
of God that we should live a separate life, holy unto
him.
Now if this is the will of God, it is possible
for us to attain unto it. In the purpose of God,
we are sanctified and separated the moment that
we are re-generated. But though this be ’true of
us in the purpose of God at the time of our re-gen
eration. it is not true of us in our experience. We
have the birth-risht, but we have not claimed it,
and what we need is to get down humbly before him,
and by faith appropriate what he has provided for
us. This is what some call a second blessing; it
is however only claiming by faith the full provision
of God.
DELIVERANCE.
We come to the next step. It is the will of God
that we shall be delivered from the power of sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13: “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 that you are able, but will with the tempt
ation also make away of escape.” How pecious
this truth is! Temptation is not an uncommon
thing. God has not willed to keep us from tempta
tion, but, blessed be his name, he has promised to
keep us from being mastered by it.
But when we are temtped, then what? Fix our
eyes upon Jesus. He says he hath provided for ev
ery temptation. Not only the great temptations, not
the little ones simply, but for every temptation he
has provided away of escape. There is no reason
in the world, as I read the Scriptures, why any
Christian should yield to temptation. Christ has
made the way of escape. If liis word be true, there
is always a remedy if we will only look up, and ob
tain the light and the strength.
So when we come to face our temptation, let us
face our Christ, and in his strength we may be
come strong, but in our strength, we are ever weak
and feeble.
THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT.
Let us take another step. It is the will of God
that we should receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 11:13: “How much more shall your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.”
Jesus Christ wills that every man, that every wo
man, that every child redeemed by his blood shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It may not be
the power to preach, or to teach, or to become a
missionary, or to evangelize, or to write books, or
edit papers, but he wills to equip every saved soul
with the gift of power for the life that he desires
that soul to live. The Holy Spirit is in charge of
the work of extending the kingdom of God on earth,
and when a man believes this, and surrenders his
life to the Holy Spirit as the Master of the situa
tion that he may be guided, directed and instruct
ed and empowered by him, that moment he receives
the gift of the Holy Spirit. How impo taut! First,
it is important in order that we comprehend “the
Word of Life.”
I shall never forget a visit into Luray Cave, Vir-