It may be of
interest to know that his tract was being prepared at the time of the ‘Costa
Concordia’ disaster off the coast of
INTRODUCTION
“IT WAS A
SPLENDID SHIP! Everything a ship designer could imagine was
built into it. It was beautiful,
magnificent, TITANIC! Not
only was it the biggest, it was sleek, fast, and absolutely unsinkable. Did not the designers guarantee it? Every proven safety feature and several new
ones went into its construction. It slid
out to sea from
Plunged in the depths of
humanity’s sea,
Meeting the depths of the being
that’s me,
Right at the heart of the truth of
the world
JESUS –
immortal, enthron’d, and impearl’d.
Wisper’d within the deep dread of the sea,
Held by the certainty - centered
in me –
Right at the heart of the truth of
my
world
JESUS –
immortal, enthron’d, and impearl’d
Doing and dying and sink of the
sea,
Never to take or to terrify me,
Right at the heart of the truth of
the world
JESUS –
immortal, enthron’d, and impearl’d!
- HAZEL POTTER.
The
word “TITANIC” has been defined as:
“relating to the giants of mythology, enormous
in size and strength: gigantic, huge generally.” Now almost a century ago, the word ‘titanic’ was associated with the world’s
largest moving sea-object afloat - the luxury passenger cruise liner - Royal Mail Ship,
TITANIC.*
*
“Tonnage, -
46,328 gross register tons (G.R.T.); Displacement, - 52,310 tons; Length 882
ft. 9 in. (269.1 m); Beam, - 92 ft. (28 m); Height, - 175 ft. (53.3 m);
Draught, - 34 ft. 7 in. (10.5 m); Depth, - 64 ft. 6 in. (19.7 m); Decks, - 9
(Lettered A through G)”.
“The World’s Biggest Graving Dock –
Visit
‘Titanic Quarter,’ is an area of 75 hectare and described as: “Home to one of
This
building - [see picture below] - has been described as the, - “Showpiece of
NOTE: “It is arresting that our Lord, in linking
the days of judgment on
All the
world must know by now the story of how the supposedly “unsinkable”
R. M. S. TITANIC plunged to her
watery grave at 2. 20 A. M. on the morning of 15th
April, 1912. There it lies today
at the bottom of the ocean with the cold waters of the North Atlantic obscuring
the wreck from sight to all but a selected few explorers.
Over
the past number of years there has been much speculation as to the cause of the
disaster. Questions have been asked
about the quality of the rivets which held the huge metal plates of the
ship’s hull together; the standard of workmanship
in the shipyard has also been questioned, and the apparent rush to complete the project
as soon as possible; the speed at which Captain Smith sailed Titanic through
the ice fields of the North Atlantic; the inadequate number of lifeboats on
deck: all of these and many more
so-called ‘mistakes’ were made; and each
in turn had their small part to play which contributed to the disaster.
The
unforgettable number of people who lost their lives, on board the vessel and in
the ice-cold waters of the North Atlantic, was a shock to the world and in
particular to the men of Harland and Wolff Shipyard, where it has been said
that many of the employees - proud of their achievement and high standard of
workmanship - wept bitterly.
We
must keep in mind, that many of the passengers on board Titanic were on their way to begin a new life in America – a land
described at that time as: “the new world.”
“Nothing on earth,” we are told, “can rival the epic spectacle and breathtaking grandeur of Titanic.” The movie, based on the tragedy, is of a
“sweeping love story” which “sailed into the hearts of moviegoers around the globe,
ultimately emerging as the most popular motion picture of all time.”
The
cause of the unforgettable tragedy was discovered before the ship sank – an
iceberg floating in its path which the ship’s lookouts failed to see until it was too
late to avoid a collision. Five
of the watertight compartments on the starboard side were punctured below the
waterline; and because it was a known fact that the ship
was designed to remain afloat with only four of its watertight compartments
flooded, in a relatively short time the broken remains of the ‘unsinkable Titanic’
would come to rest on the ocean floor.
The following is an account of what took place:-
A RECORD OF SOME KNOWN FACTS
“At 12.05A.M., Captain
Smith ordered all the lifeboats
uncovered; five minutes later at 12.10, he ordered them to be swung out; then
at 12.25, he ordered them to be loaded with women and children and then lowered
away.
At 12.50, 4th Officer Joseph Boxhall fired the first white
distress rocket. By 12.05 A. M., the
entire bow was under water, and all the lifeboats, except two, had been
launched. Around 2.10 A. M., the stern rose
out of the water, exposing the propellers, and by 2.17 A. M., the waterline had
reached the boat deck. The last two
lifeboats floated off the deck. … On deck people were scrambling towards the stern or jumping
overboard in hopes of reaching a lifeboat.
The ship’s stern slowly rose into the air, and everything unsecured
crashed into the water. … Shortly afterward, the stress on the hull caused Titanic to
break apart between the last two funnels, and the bow section went completely
under. The stern section righted itself
slightly and then rose vertically. After
a few minutes, at 2.20 A.M., it also sank. …
“Of a total of 2,201 people aboard only 711, less than a
third survived and 1,514 perished. The
majority of the deaths were caused by hypothermia in water believed to be 28
degrees F. (-2 degrees C.), where death could occur in as little as 15 minutes.”
“It is not good to have zeal without knowledge,
Nor to
be hasty and miss the way:” (Prov. 19: 2).*
* See ‘SELECTED
QUOTATIONS’ – No. 167. TO OPEN CLICK HERE.
Sketch above shows the Route and Location of
Titanic.
We
can only imagine how the ship’s crew and passengers reacted at the time* of the collision. How could such a thing be possible! They were told by White Stat Line - the ship’s owners -
and Harland and Wolff - its
designers and builders -
that such a thing could never happen! But as is usually the case - (and especially
so in the spiritual realm) - it is not a question of what the passengers
were told at the beginning of their journey, but their discovery of facts and
details which the owners and builders refused to disclose to them; all of which
suddenly came to their attention, only after they were well into the journey!
*
When Titanic struck the iceberg some
passengers may have been fast asleep - probably dreaming of a
new life in
It
was said that after the collision the band members ‘played
on’ throughout the panic and commotion! This was indeed a brave act of loyalty to
their employers, and a last desperate effort to help soothe the apprehension
and terror of the passengers and crew.
Surely there are ‘titanic lessons for
Christians’ in all of this today; Christians who believe or who
are being told that all is secure and nothing can be lost!
“There is a way that seems
right to man but in the end it leads to
death:”
(Prov. 16: 25. cf. Rev. 2: 23; Acts 5:
1-10; 1 Cor. 6: 8, 9. Eph. 5: 3-5.).
Picture above: “Survivors aboard a collapsible lifeboat, viewed from Carpathia.”
LOOKING FORWARD WITH EXPECTANCY
“Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right
path:”
(Prov. 23: 19).
“ ‘The
Is challenge and choice,
Believing the good news,
Repent and rejoice!
His love for us sinners
Brought Christ to His cross,
Our crisis of judgment
For
gain or for loss.”*
*
We are well aware of the need to be careful not to teach out of we find written
in our Hymn Books! Many of the words in
our best hymns have now been altered, and many others can be misleading! However, throughout this tract we can find
truths from the Holy Scriptures:-
“What lies ahead might seem uncertain and overwhelming – human nature seems to have a need to see
the whole picture,” says the General Director’s Desk of the Slavic Gospel Association
(Jan-Mar. 2012). Writing of a ‘hope,’ he says:- “2012 will
bring a new beginning! The nation is waiting in anticipation of a kick-start in the
economy that will produce another period of
prosperity.”
On
the front cover of the Association’s
Newsletter are the words: ‘I will do a new
thing.’
The
words are from Isaiah
43: 19, R.V., and will introduce the final part of this small tract;
but they have nothing whatsoever to do with any ‘hope’
or ‘up-turn’ in today’s greedy and sinful world,
or of its rapidly failing economy!
There
are a number of selected sermons in a small book entitled: “The Sat Nav Gospel”. On page 95 and under the heading: “The Purpose of
Preaching” we read the following:-
“The purpose of preaching is made clear … ‘Repent and believe the gospel’.
… It’s a changed lifestyle we are preaching
for. There are many who will profess belief - James wrote about devils who professed
their belief - but the ultimate proof of belief is repentance and a changed
lifestyle. As John Calvin wrote, ‘To
know God is to be changed by God’.
* *
*
THE GOSPEL
Now
much of what we hear today from the pulpit has in one way or another to do with
the ‘Gospel’;
and Paul writing to ‘the churches in
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one
who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different
gospel
- which is really no gospel at all.
Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to
pervert
the
gospel of Christ. But even if we
or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally
condemned! As we have already said, so
now I say again: if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what
you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal. 1: 2, 6-9).
Here
the ‘gospel of Christ,’ has to do of God’s ‘grace’
and the truth of how Jesus Christ (Who had no sin) was made sin, in order that we
who believe are made the
righteousness of God in Him!
Yes, it is possible for sinners to be saved eternally and justified
- (i.e., declared righteous
by the Judge of all the earth!) – through ‘faith’ alone in the impeccable and
finished work of Jesus Christ, and by His substitutionary death
for
us on Calvary’s cross!
“Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it”
- [his
faith] - “was credited
to him as righteousness.’
Understand, then, that those who believe are children of
Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the
gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through
you.’ So those who have
faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith:” (Gal. 3: 6-9).
But
this is not the whole truth contained in the Paul’s ‘Gospel’! There
is so much more attached to the word ‘gospel’ -
(‘good news’) - than being justified by faith.
Christians
today are so accustomed to hearing this part of the gospel that they appear to
have completely lost sight of the other!
There is also good news about Messiah’s coming Millennial Kingdom upon this
earth; and there are numerous scriptural exhortations throughout God’s Word for
us to grow in grace, knowledge and progressive sanctification so as to be “considered worthy” of having an “inheritance” in that Kingdom.
“I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has
given me – the task of testifying (1) the GOSPEL
OF GOD’S GRACE. Now I know that none of you among whom I have
gone about preaching (2) THE KINGDOM will ever see me again.
Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all
men. For I have not hesitated to
proclaim to you THE WHOLE WILL OF
GOD:” (Acts
20: 24-27).
(1)
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the good news [i.e., the ‘gospel’] of the KINGDOM and healing every kind of sickness:”* (Matt 9: 35).
*
Christ’s ‘miracles’ were ‘signs’ of what conditions will one day be like
upon this
earth! See Isaiah 65: 18-25.
(2)
“When anyone hears the
message (or ‘word’
R.V.) about the KINGDOM and
does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in
his heart:” (Matt.
13: 19).
(3)
“Do you not know that the wicked” - [and
Paul has just described one of their own number ‘inside’
the church as a “wicked man” (5: 13)] - “will not inherit the
(4)
“For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own house
and welcomed all who came to see him.
Boldly and without hindrance he (1) preached
the
(5)
“I warn you as I did before, that those that live like
this will not” - [referring to some time in the future] – “INHERIT the KINGDOM of God:” (Gal. 5: 21).
(6)
“Whatever you do, work
at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
since you know that you will – [i.e.,
as a result of working for Christ] - receive an INHERITANCE from the Lord as a REWARD:” (Col.3: 23, 24).
(7)
“For you know that we dealt with each of you as a
father deals with his children, encouraging, comforting and urging you TO LIVE LIVES WORTHY OF GOD who calls - [i.e., is presently calling] - you into his KINGDOM
and GLORY”: (1 Thess.
1: 6).
(8)
“…Among
God’s churches we boast about your perseverance
and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
All this is evidence that God’s
judgment is right, and as a result” - [for your suffering for Christ, for kingdom truth, and for
righteousness sake] - “you WILL be COUNTED WORTHY of the KINGDOM of God, for which you
are suffering:” (2 Thess.
4, 5).
(9)
“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will
judge the living and the dead, and in
view of his appearing and
of his KINGDOM, I give
you charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage –
with great patience and careful instruction.
For the time will come” -
[that ‘time’ has now arrived!] - “when men will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own
desires, they will gather around
them a great number of teachers to
say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and
turn aside to myths:” (2 Tim. 4: 1-4).
Finally,
and to a church described as “pitiful, poor, blind and naked”, we read our
Lord’s encouraging words of mercy, love and forgiveness:-
(10)
“Be earnest and REPENT. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If ANYONE” - [that word ‘anyone’ embraces the greatest of all backsliders] - “hears MY
voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with him, and he with
me. To
him who OVERCOMES, I will give THE RIGHT TO SIT WITH ME ON MY THRONE …” (Rev. 3:
20, 21).*
*NOTE. The Word of God speaks to us of TWO manifested Kingdoms to be
revealed: - (1) the millennial kingdom of
Messiah (Rev. 20: 4) upon this
earth (Rom. 8: 19-21); and (2) His eternal kingdom - (after He “hands over the [millennial] kingdom
to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power:”
1 Cor. 15: 24) -
in “a new heaven and a new
earth”
(Rev. 21: 1). TWO Justifications,
- (1) by grace through faith (
* See ‘SELECTED QUOTATIONS’ – No. 576. CLICK HERE.
“The Bible,” says R. Govett, “contains the whole
truth, the whole counsel of God, His full character. But God’s character is two-fold. God is the
Just Governor, requiring obedience from His subjects. But He is also a merciful Sovereign, dispensing benefits to His creatures. …
“… But these
views are distinct: both broadly true.
Scripture maintains them both.
Man is ACTIVE. Man is PASSIVE. Man is active, as related to the JUSTICE of God. Man is passive, as related to the SOVEREIGNTY of God.
“How insuperable, without the Gospel view of the cross of
Christ, would be the contrary demands of the justice and mercy of God! There, in infinite harmony, appear the
perfect justice and the perfect mercy of God.
Each attribute shall in the
future judgment and award of men, be in as harmonious exercise, as in that
wondrous event. But, man could not,
without the revelation of the Gospel, have discovered how the antagonist claims
of these two attributes should be met, in regard to the sin of men. It is not wonderful then, if, with regard to
the harmonious action of those two attributes now, in relation to the conduct
and destiny of mankind, we should find difficulty in the attempt to balance and
adjust their demands. In attempting it,
we have stepped out of our providence. …
“He
who will receive but half the
truth, is ever liable to revulsions: and these are the most vehement, the
more unmingled and one-sided they are.
The vehement Arminian,
who, by some potent antagonist, or by the force of truth, is convinced of the
sovereignty of God, not unfrequently passes into the hard and rigid Cavalinist: and he who begins by making too much of good
works, may end, denouncing and reprobating them. The
Lord give us a single eye, and the teaching of the
Holy Spirit; that each part of His Word may leave its due impression on our
judgments, our hearts, and our conduct.”
‘To know God is to be changed by God.’
All
who have experienced conversion in their life know this is true. When the Holy Spirit comes into one’s live He
gives the believer a new nature with its attendant desires, and strength
to
live a holy life pleasing to God.
But,
like the passengers on board Titanic who heard the ship was ‘unsinkable,’ this is not the whole truth! The whole truth concerning those who
presently have eternal salvation – (through faith alone in the finished work
of their Saviour Jesus Christ) - is that some of them, by wilful
sin and disobedience, have fallen into a ‘lifestyle’ even worse than what they had before their
conversion! Hence our urgent need not
to compromise* with the truth of the gospel; and to be ever mindful of
impending judgment and punishment from a holy and righteous God when dealing
with unrepentant,
disobedient, and regenerate members of His redeemed
family:-
*
There are pressures to compromise all around us – through our work, family, close
friends and in the media. What can keep
us strong and enable us to continue in a life of integrity and victory? Belief in the promises and threats
of a Holy God; a determination to exercise ourselves in loving obedience to Him;
the One who is mindful of our frame and patient and long-suffering with our
weaknesses and ignorance; and a desire to grow in the experience and
knowledge of His ways, being ever mindful of ‘a just
recompense of reward’. At what
points in your life do you feel pressure to compromise with the truths you now
know? Ask God to remind you of the
eternal security you have in Him, and the responsible actions He expects to see
daily from us throughout your pilgrimage.
FOR:-
“We must obey God rather than men. We are witnesses of
these things and so is the Holy
Spirit, whom God has given to
those who OBEY HIM:” (Acts 5: 29,
32). For: “The Son of Man
will send out his angels and they will weed out of his kingdom
everything that causes sin and all
who do evil:” (Matt. 13: 41).
“That servant who knows
his master’s will and does not get
ready or does not DO what
his master wants WILL be beaten with
many blows.” … “From EVERYONE who
has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been
entrusted with much, much more will be asked:” (Luke
12: 47, 48).
Addressing
Ephesian elders, Paul said: “Be shepherds of the
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:
sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred,
discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and
envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will
not
inherit the
To blunt God’s warnings to them, Christians
will say:-
“It’s a
question of interpretation!”
A Calvanistic type of theology has the tendency to ‘draw away disciples’
from some
of God’s teachings and many of His threats! This theology is constantly focused on one
main object and truth taught throughout the Scriptures – the eternal
security of all the regenerate and the ‘free gift’
of ‘eternal life’ – made possible by the
finished work of Christ: but we read as frequently of another, - the
doctrine of reward (Rev. 22:
12) in an ‘age’ yet to come (Luke 20 35), which depends upon the nature of “our works”!*
*See ‘SELECTED QUOTATIONS’ No. 5. CLICK HERE.
Truths
which God was pleased to bring to light, after being buried for centuries
before the ‘Reformation’, were appropriate
for the spiritual life of His Church living in the ‘Dark
Ages’! Four centuries
later, Dr. Clarke, on the last day
of his ministry at Terrace Row, stated another true fact when he quoted John Robinson’s charge to his
congregation:-
“I charge you before God and his blessed angels that you
follow me no further than you have seen me follow Christ. If God reveal anything to you by any other
instrument of His, be as ready to receive it as you were to receive any truth
from my ministry, for I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth and light
yet to break forth from his holy word.”
If
we believe what many Christians are teaching today, - that one’s failure to maintain
good works at some stage after conversion is evidence that, (1) initial and eternal salvation can be
lost! Or (2), that eternal salvation was never found in
the first instance! – then we must question the position and standing in grace
of many great men of faith; even that of one described in Scripture as having
followed God with “all his heart” (1 Kings 14: 8)!
Was his ‘changed lifestyle’ ‘the ultimate proof of belief’?
“Watch your life and doctrine closely:” (1 Tim. 4: 16,
N. I. V.).
Multitudes
of the Lord’s redeemed people are convinced that their interpretations,
beliefs, and practices are all biblical; but the truth of the
matter is that some of their beliefs and practices may be BIBLICALLY WRONG! Satan will always feather his arrows with some truth;
but
the points are coated with deadly
doctrinal poison! Poison
that has a tendency to rock us into a deep sleep - dreaming that all
is secure, and nothing can be lost! If he
is not able take from us what God has freely given to us, he will try his
utmost to (1) use us to corrupt the
gospel of grace by adding our works to it; or (2) prevent us from running in the ‘race’
to win the ‘prize’ – where our
good
works are an essential ingredient for success.
Passengers
on board Titanic were certain (in their own minds), that they were on a journey
to ‘the new world’! But well into it; and at a time when
all seemed to be going well - (‘Full steam ahead,’
Captain’s order from the bridge; probably wanting to establish as short a
journey time as possible - and after ignoring numerous warnings of
icebergs!) - their hopes and dreams of getting
there lay scattered on the ocean floor!
Is there not a ‘titanic lesson’ here for
us?
It’s
absolutely true that all who are regenerate are predestined
to ‘eternal life’ –
the eternal salvation we presently have, guarantees us an eternal inheritance in “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21: 1): but that is not synonymous with an ‘inheritance’ upon this earth – a future ‘rest’ which we must “take hold of” if it is to be enjoyed “a thousand years” beforehand: Heb. 4: 11; 1 Tim.6: 19, R.V.; Rev. 20: 4!
Very
seldom do we hear much about God’s encouragements coupled with His
warnings
relative to ‘the Gospel of
the
Kingdom’! Why? Because Christians usually equate being in
‘the kingdom’ with being saved by grace! ‘Christ is now
reigning in our hearts’ they might say, ‘and
therefore we are now His subjects in His kingdom in a spiritual sense: that’s what
is meant when we read everywhere in the scriptures about ‘the
Now
this interpretation is partly true because when the Holy Spirit comes into our
life, He gives us the desire and strength to live to please Christ: we are, in a spiritual sense, subjects in His
Kingdom now; but Messiah is not bodily present upon this earth now;
nor is He reigning on David’s throne now!
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the
Most High. The Lord God will
give him the throne of his father David, and he will
reign over the house of Jacob:” (Luke
1: 32).
This
cannot possibly happen until the time comes for Jesus to return to this earth,
establish His millennial kingdom, and rule personally upon this earth in
righteousness and peace!
“He will judge* between the nations and will
settle disputes for many peoples. They will
beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against
nation, nor will they train for war any more:” (Isa. 2: 4).
*
Contrast this future judgment of Messiah/Christ with His attitude in Luke 12: 14.
Today
we have an increasing numbers of Anti-Millennialists. They are all adamant that
there will never be a millennial reign of Messiah upon this
earth! If we interpret the
Scriptures as they do, we must neglect the Lord’s warnings to His ‘disciples’ at our peril! and
accept their false interpretation – one which will transfer all of Christ’s
warnings to ‘disciples’ upon someone else - probably
unto
Jews! The Jews - the privileged people of God, who
fulfilled Divine prophecies when they crucified their Messiah
(John 1: 11)! They must be the people who are being
addressed and threatened by God!
Blinded
by a system of false interpretation, and coupled to a theology which ignores
truths having to do with an ‘entrance’
into Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, the A-millennialists tell us that God is
completely finished in His dealings with Israel and the Jews! The Apostle Paul must have been mistaken when
writing his epistle to the Romans (Rom. Ch.11)!
How
popular this spiritializing and allegorizing method
of interpretation has become amongst all classes of Christians today! It is getting multitudes ‘hooked line and sinker’ by what it teaches: ‘Resurrection’ is really ‘Regeneration’!
“For I tell you” - [‘disciples’
vv. 1, 2] - “that unless YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS surpasses
that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly
not ENTER* the kingdom of heaven:” (Matt.
5: 20, N.I.V.).
* See ‘SELECTED
QUOTATIONS’ no. 318, - ‘Exclusion from the Kingdom.’ CLICK
HERE.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter
the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father
who is in heaven. Many will say to
me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew
you. Away from me, you EVILDOERS’:” (Matt. 7: 21-23).*
*
The word ‘evildoers’
may appear to many Christians as not an appropriate description of ‘disciples’ of Christ; but an unbiased reading of the
Scriptures, and a conscious awareness of our sinful nature – (still very much
active and remaining with us; and which needs to be put to death daily) -
should be evidence and proof enough of an accurate description of our fallen
human nature! A humble believer, very
much aware of his sinful nature and the possibility of falling foul through the
weakness of sinful flesh and blood, once looked at the pitiful condition of
another and said: “But for the grace of God there go I”. Satan spoke through Peter immediately
after Peter uttered the truth concerning who our Lord Jesus was; and Jesus
rebuked Satan for speaking through Peter shortly afterwards! At the Supper, Satan entered into Judas, and
Jesus called him “a devil”! And “A changed lifestyle” occurred
in the lives of all the apostles of Christ when they forsook Him and fled! Let us therefore:-
“Make every effort to
live in peace with all men and to be holy; without
holiness no-one will see the Lord:” (Heb. 12: 14). “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings”
(verse 9).
“Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation:” (verse 22).
Again:
“I have forgiven them [apostate
“Those who are CONSIDERED
WORTHY OF TAKING PART IN THAT AGE and IN THE RESURRECTION [OUT] FROM THE DEAD” – [i.e., from the underworld of ‘Hades’ where the souls of the dead are presently
waiting for our Lord’s return and the time of resurrection, when they will be
reunited to immortal bodies from the grave, (Luke
16: 23; Matt. 16: 18; 1 Thess. 4: 16.)] – “… can no longer die; for they are like the
angels:” (Luke
20: 35, 36). cf. Rev. 6: 9-11.
And
again:- “To him who OVERCOMES, I will give the right to sit with me on my
throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his
throne. He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says TO THE CHURCHES:” (Rev. 3: 21).
“Others were tortured” - [lit. Greek, – ‘beaten to death’] – “and refused to be released,
so that they might gain” - [be considered worthy
of] - “a better resurrection:” (Heb.
11: 35b). cf. Phil. 3: 10, 11.
“Co-heirs with Christ if indeed we share in his sufferings in
order that we may also share in his glory:” (Rom. 8: 17b).
A Spiritual Resurrection
“The work of the pulpit
is a desperately serious business,
twenty minutes to raise the dead, and
demands the best that is in us.” Truer words were never spoken from the lips
of Dr. Clarke! But what does he mean by the
words: “twenty
minutes to raise the dead”? Obviously must refer to: (1) those who attend his ministry regularly but remain spiritually
dead! Or (2) – (as I am inclined to believe) - he is probably
addressing some regenerate believers
who have no spiritual energy or growth in their lives! Being either in a backslidden state,
immature, forgetful, unbelieving, or totally ignorant of the Scriptural
doctrine of REWARD (Acts 8: 12, 18-23; 2 Tim. 4: 14)!
“The SPIRIT gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.”
… “Yet there
are some of YOU - [i.e., ‘disciples’ (v. 61)]
- who do
not believe. For Jesus had known
from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him:”
(John 6: 63, 64).
* God will render to each of us a “just recompense of
reward”(Rev. 2: 24)! All believers not indwelt by the Holy
Spirit (Acts 5: 32; John 15: 1, 6, 10),
can be described as ‘Dead’ (Rev. 3: 1)!
If we become disobedient and unwatchful, each and every one of us
can fall into this death–state–category!
When this occurs – and I can assure you from my personal experience it
does happen – we are desperately in need of the Holy Spirit to energise us and arouse
our interest in (1) our responsibilities before God “as servants,” (1 Cor. 4: 1, 2); (2)
to His encouragements, (Heb. 10: 35; Jas. 1: 12, 18); and (3) to fear His severe threats, which must be hanging over all
who are content to remain unrepentant, lethargic and disobedient, (Rev. Rev. 2: 14-16; Rev. 2: 22, 23; 3: 16, 19.)!
“I am the vine and my Father is the gardener. He CUTTS
OFF EVERY BRANCH IN ME that
bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he
trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful.” … “Remain in me and I will remain in you:” (John 15: 1, 4).
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not
gather with me scatters. When an evil
spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does
not find it. Then it says, ‘I will
return to the house I left.’ When it
arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits
more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse
than the first:” (Luke 11: 23-26).
“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching of
righteousness. But solid food is for
the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ
and go on to maturity: …” (Heb. 5: 13-6: 1).
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an INHERITANCE
from the Lord as a REWARD. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be
REPAID FOR THE
WRONG” - [Can we expect a just
Judge to act any other way!] - “and there is no favouritism:
*” (Col.
3: 23, 24).
*See ‘SELECTED QUOTATIONS’ No.
460, - ‘The Danger of an Exasperated Spirit.’ CLICK HERE.
*
* *
2. OUR ‘HOPE’ OF ATTAINING
MILLENNIAL ‘GLORY’
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to
all men. It teaches us” - [who are
regenerate] - “to say ‘No’ to ungodliness
and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly
lives in this present age, while we WAIT for the blessed HOPE
– the
glorious appearing”
- [i.e.,
“the appearing of the
glory” R.V.] - “of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and
to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These
are the things you should teach.
Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you:” (Titus 2: 11-15).
In
other words, instead of continually looking back at the death of
Christ and all the benefits we receive daily from faith in Him, we should be
living holy lives pleasing to God, and looking forward to the time when
His GLORY will be revealed throughout
the whole world, (Isa. 55: 11-13; Jer. 30: 8, 9;
Luke 22: 28, 29; Rom. 8: 19-21; Rev. 20: 4,
etc.). For us to hope
for something which God says we presently have - (i.e., eternal
life, justification by faith, redemption by blood, etc.) - is unbelief;
and to assume the prize, the inheritance and the crown
will be given to all who are regenerate is unbelief:-
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but
only
one gets the prize? Run in such a
way as to get the prize. … Therefore I do not run like a man running
aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so
that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the
prize:” (1 Cor.
9: 24, 26, 27).
“I am coming soon. Hold
on to what you have, so that no-one will take your crown:”
(Rev. 3:11).
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly
rewarded. You need to persevere
so that when you have done the will of God, you will
receive what he has promised. For in
just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by
faith. And if he shrinks back, I
will not be pleased with him. But we are
not of those who shrink back and are
destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved*:” (Heb.
10: 35-39).
*NOTE.
Lit. Greek
reads, - “but of faith to possession of soul”;
the A. V. reads, - “That believe to the saving of the soul”;
the R. V. reads, - “of them that have faith unto the saving of the soul.”
Many
Christians do not understand what is involved in the words, - “receiving the goal of your faith, the
salvation of your souls” and “the glories
that would follow” (1 Pet. 1: 9, 11):
and those who do, doggedly refuse to expound them even when requested
to do so! The fear of man
would appear to be greater than the fear of God! But would it not be prudent for us to
fear
God and obey Him instead of seeking to please man? We need to be asking God for grace, courage
and a better understanding of what the above Scriptures teach!
‘The ultimate proof of belief is Repentance.’
How
true this is relative to receiving initial and eternal salvation though
‘faith’ (=
‘belief’) in Jesus Christ - God’s one and only
means whereby anyone can find and receive eternal salvation: and God gives
‘Repentance’ to all who have this
salvation, (Acts 11: 17, 18)!
Much
error is being taught today about the eternal ‘salvation,’
and the benefits Christians receive from having received it! For example, the gospel of grace
is constantly being corrupted by some who say ‘good works,’+‘perseverance’+‘repentance’ are
all necessary for us to keep hold of it!
But
the word ‘salvation’ does not always
refer to what Christians presently have! That purchased salvation - “the salvation we share” or the “common salvation”
(Jude 3) - cannot be lost: but there is (2)
a present
aspect to salvation also – being saved daily from the power
of sin in our lives; and (3) a future aspect to
salvation described at the time of resurrection as: “the salvation of the soul” (1 Pet. 1: 9. cf. Matt. 16:18; Acts 2: 27, 34; Rev. 6: 9-11;
Heb. 10: 39, etc ).*
*
Most Christians appear to have forgotten these last two realities - one present
and the other future. The present
reality is the power of Jesus among them today - the same Jesus who is always
willing to fellowship with those walking in obedience to
His precepts (Matt. 5: 3-11); and
the future
reality – of eating and drinking with Him at His table in His Kingdom, and sitting
on thrones: Luke 22: 30.
“Produce fruit in
keeping with repentance … and every tree that does not produce fruit , will be cut down and thrown into the fire:” (Luke. 3: 8, 9).
“I preached that they should repent and turn to
God and prove their repentance by their deeds:” (Acts 26: 20).
“I see that my letter hurt you but only for a little while –
yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your
sorrow led you to repentance. … Godly sorrow brings repentance
that leads to salvation” - [i.e., a future salvation, - ‘the goal
of your faith, the salvation of the souls.’ (1 Pet. 1: 9.)] - “and
leaves no regret:” (2 Cor.
8-10).
“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call
on the Lord out of a pure heart. …
The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, instead, he must
be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him” –
[like ‘Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away
from the truth,’ by teaching others that the resurrection has
already taken place! (verse 18)] – “he
must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them
repentance* leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and they will come to their senses and
escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will:” (2 Tim. 2: 22-26).
*
Note. Peter was granted ‘repentance’; others
were not! (See Acts 5: 1-11; Heb. 12: 17, 25).
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,
who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have
tasted the goodness of the word of Gad and the powers of the coming age,
if they
fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because (‘while’) to their loss they are
crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public
disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain
often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is
farmed receives a blessing from God. But
land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and in danger of being
cursed. In the end it will be burned.” … “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make
your hope
sure. We do not want you to
become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience [patient endurance] INHERIT what has
been promised:” (Heb.
6: 4-8, 11, 12).
THE INHERITANCE BELONGING TO
FIRSTBORN SONS CAN BE
LOST
“It will hardly be denied that
all Christians are not ‘overcomers’, says W. P.
Clarke. ‘Even
the Apostle Paul had to run, fight, and buffet his body lest that by any means
after being a herald he himself should be rejected – disqualified for the
Prize; and so, “forgetting those things that are
behind”, he “pressed
towards the mark for the Prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. If the chief Apostle was in danger of losing
his Crown, how much more we! A gift
once received from God is certain, and so eternal life: not so a prize – as the
* See ‘SELECTED QUOTATIONS’ No. 318. CLICK HERE.
One
thousand five hundred and seventeen passengers lost their lives on a ship “designed by experienced engineers, using some of the most
advanced technologies and extensive safety features of the time.” They believed Titanic was ‘unsinkable’!
A host of circumstances - all of which were brought about by
human decisions which were outside of their control - contributed to
the unforgettable disaster! The
following is an account of four selected ones:-
“On the night of Sunday, 14th April 1912, (1) the moon was not visible in the clear sky being two* days
before new moon; the temperature** had dropped
to near freezing, and the ocean was flat. Captin Smith, in response to iceberg warnings received
via wireless over the preceding few days, (2) had
drawn up a new course which took the ship slightly further southward. That Sunday at 1.45 P.M., a message from the
steamer AMERIKA warned that large icebergs lay in TITANIC’S path, (3) but because
wireless radio operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride were employed by Marconi, and paid primarily to relay messages to and
from the passengers, they were not focused*** on relaying ‘non-essential’**** ice messages to the bridge. Later that evening, another
report of numerous large icebergs, this time from MESABA, also (4) failed to reach the bridge.”
* “Two” - Hosea
6: 2.
cf. John
11: 6; 2 Pet. 3: 8; Luke 11: 35; Acts 28: 30, 31.
** “Temperature” - cf. Rev. 3: 15.
*** “Not focused” – cf. 1 Cor. 1:
12, 13.
**** “Non-essential messages” – cf . 2 Tim. 2: 17,
18; 1 Tim. 4: 1; 2 Pet. 3: 3, 4; 2 John 9, 10; Jude 4.
* *
*
3. CONCLUDING REMARKS
In Philip Mauro’ book ‘God’s Pilgrims,’ he wrote:-
“Another ‘Day’ is soon coming;
indeed we can clearly see it approaching.
In that day it will be too late
to give heed to the exhortations found in this portion of God’s Word, and to
gain the recompense of the reward that depends upon the heed given thereto.
…
“It may be of interest to the reader to learn that the
writing of this book was begun and finished on the memorable voyage of the
Steamship Carpathia which was
interrupted by the rescue of the survivors of the Titanic, and by the
return with them to the
SS. Carpathia, May 2,
1912.”
“AND THERE WAS NO
*“The Ocean, God’s instrument of wrath at the flood – ‘the un-plumb’d, salt, estranging sea’ – disappears from the
new earth. These lines, written by Capt. A. S. Hare of H.M.S. Eurydice, have an
unutterable pathos lent to them by the fact that, on March 24, 1878, their author himself went down in the Eurydice
with three hundred of his men. Capt.
Hare coupled together Jeremiah 49: 23 – “There is sorrow on
the sea; it cannot be quiet” – with Revelation 21:
1 – “And there was no more sea.” – D. M.
P.
I stood on the shore of the beautiful sea,
As the billows were roaming wild and free;
Onward they came with unfading force,
Then backward turned in their restless course;
Ever and ever sounded their roar,
Foaming and dashing against the shore;
Ever and ever they rose and fell
With heaving and sighing and mighty swell;
And deep seemed calling aloud and deep,
Lest the murmuring waves should drop to sleep,
In summer and winter, by night and by day,
Through clouds and sunshine holding their way.
Oh! when shall the Ocean’s
troubled breast
Calmly and quietly sink to rest?
Oh! when shall the waves’
wild murmuring cease
And the mighty waters be
hushed to peace?
It cannot be quiet, it cannot rest;
There must be heaving on Ocean’s breast;
The tide must ebb, and the tide must flow,
Whilst the changing seasons come and go!
Still from the depths of that hidden store
There are treasures cast up along the shore,
Tossed by the billows, then seized again,
Carried away by the rushing main.
Oh! strangely glorious the
beautiful sea,
Sounding forever mysteriously,
Why are the billows still rolling on,
With their wild and sad and musical tone?
Why is there never repose for thee?
Why slumberest thou not,
thou mighty sea?
Then the Ocean’s voice I seemed to hear
Mournfully, solemnly, sounding near,
Like a wail sent up from the caves below,
Fraught with the sound of human woe;
Telling of loved ones buried there,
Of the dying shriek, of the dying prayer;
Telling of hearts still watching in vain
For those who shall never come again;
Of the widow’s groan, the orphan’s cry,
And the mother’s speechless agony.
With such secrets hidden within its breast:
There is sorrow written upon the sea,
And dark and stormy its waves must be,
It cannot be quiet, it cannot sleep,
That dark, relentless, and stormy deep.
But a ‘DAY’ will come – a blessed day,
When earthly sorrow shall pass away,
When the hour of anguish shall turn to peace,
And when the roar of the waves shall
cease;
Then out from its depths and darkest bed
And freed from the weight of human woes
Shall quickly sink in her last repose.
No sorrow shall ever be written then
On the depths of the sea or the heart of men,
But heaven and
earth renewed shall shine,
Still clothed in glory and light Divine.
Then where shall the billows of Ocean be?
Gone! for in ‘Heaven’
shall be “no more sea.”
’Tis a bright and beautiful
thing of earth,
That cannot
SHARE IN THE SOUL’S NEW BIRTH,
’Tis a life of murmur and
tossing and spray,
And at resting time it must pass away.*
But oh! thou glorious and
beautiful sea,
There is health and joy and blessing in
thee;
Solemnly, sweetly, I hear thy voice,
Bidding me weep and yet rejoice.
Weep for the loved ones buried beneath,
Rejoice in Him who has conquered death;
Weep for the sorrowing and tempest-tossed,
Rejoice in Him who has saved the lost;
Weep for the sin, the sorrow and strife,
And rejoice in the hope of eternal [age-lasting] life.
* “Then I saw” - (after ‘the
thousand years’) – “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and first earth
had passed away, AND THERE WAS NO LONGER
ANY SEA:” Revelation 21: 1,
N.I.V.
“This is the most glorious of
all times for the preacher to magnify his ministry. The preacher of to-day needs the courage of a Luther, the compassionate spirit of a Phillips
Brooks, the tireless industry of a
John Wesley, the missionary passion
of an Adoniram Judson, the force and fire of a Savonarola.
And there can be no fire in the
pulpit unless the preacher starts it and is willing to be consumed by the
conflagration.”
- EDGAR D. JONES.
“If the church is at
bay, it is not because she has no
gospel, but because she has whittled out of it every disquieting and warning
element, and has preached a ‘God of love’
who is little more than an everlasting amiable stream of tendency. Yet that is not the God of the Bible, and it
is certainly not the God of Calvary.
Whenever the New Testament thinks of the Cross, it is as something that
intervenes, in the Divine mercy, for all who will accept it, between men and
something too terrible for words.”
- Dr. G.
STANLEY RUSSELL.
“After a wild youth at sea,”*
W. P. Nicholson was converted and
subsequently studied at the Bible Training Institute in
[* Note. On the following picture of W. P. Nicholson’s
book are added the words, ‘IS ESSENTIAL.’ This is because the ‘Spirit-filled life’ is NOT the Prize! It most
certainly is needed to win the Prize; but the Prize is the ‘Crown’, the ‘Kingdom
of God’, - the Millennial
‘inheritance’ of the saints – all
of which can be lost by the unbelieving and disobedient Christian!]
“We are truly living in ‘Perilous times.’ These are the ‘Last days,’ the ‘Love of many waxing cold,’
sinners deceived and deluded by a gospel which is not ‘The Gospel’ into a false
security. … I believe messages … are needed to sound a note of warning
alarm. Their language is
clear, plain and not easily misunderstood.
… These are messages
here for spirit-born, blood-washed believers, declaring the urgent necessity
for a sanctified, spirit baptized experience, if we are to live holy, happy,
useful soul-saving lives, worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. There is no substitute for this
blessing. It is the birthright privilege
of every believer. Just as
truly as regeneration is a necessity to a justified saved life, so sanctification
is just as necessary for a victorious, holy life.”
- W. P. Nicholson.
That Christians are to be lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God is foretold, and
already experienced, as the sure sign of a dying age.
“Jenny Lind, appearing as
an actress in 1847, created a profound sensation; but suddenly she renounced
the stage for the concert, to sing for charity.
Years afterwards a friend ventured to ask her the reason. ‘Why did you
leave the stage?’ she enquired. Jenny Lind was sitting with her Bible on her
knee. ‘Because,’ she said, touching the Bible, ‘it left me so little time for this.’ And then, looking at the sunset, she added, ‘and none for that.’”
The Bible says there’s a ‘race’ to run and a ‘crown’
to be won; the Bible says that if you and I lose our life for Christ’s sake
we’ll find it again! But if we’re
trying to make ourselves happy outside of the will of God, we’ll one ‘day’ be
amongst the most miserable people of God; but if we’ll lose our life now – lose it in a godly cause –
we’ll find it again when Jesus returns; and - (in that “day”, 2 Pet. 3: 8) - we’ll be amongst
the happiest people in heaven and on earth!* I know we can’t be any happier than when
we’re in the perfect will of God. That’s
where I want to be; I haven’t got there yet, but that’s where I want to
be. I know what the ‘prize’ is; I know what the Bible says it is; I
know what I must do to win it, and by
God’s grace that’s my goal: but for now I’m working on the mile I’m on! How about you? You and I haven’t arrived yet, so let’s keep
our eyes fixed on the ultimate, and be asking Jesus for the grace and strength
to run according to the rules, and to be allowed to successfully finish the ‘race’ we’re on step by step.
* That is, after resurrection - never before –
Jesus says of those who are to be resurrected, that they will be ‘like the angels’! That is, able to ascend into the heavens and descend
to earth! This has not yet
happened; but is this not what our Lord said will and must
happen when expounding for us Jacob’s dream?
Compare Gen. 28: 12-15 with Luke 20: 35. *
*See ‘SELECTED QUOTATIONS’ No. 336, - ‘Run
for the Prize’ CLICK HERE.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention this: If anyone reading
this tract hasn’t yet found eternal salvation through faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ they’re still on the losing team! They’re not even at the starting line! Ask Jesus Christ to be your personal Saviour,
and then start running in the race of the faith - not to keep hold of ‘eternal life’ -
but to ‘win’ the ‘prize’ - an ‘inheritance’
in the ‘age’ to come.
“One ship drives East,
And one drives West,
With the self-same winds that
blow;
’Tis the
set of the sail
And not the gale
That determines the way they go.
Like the winds of the sea
Are the winds that blow
As we journey along through life;
’Tis the set of the soul
That determines the goal
And not the storms and strife.”
“… We have seen
no recent study so exhaustive and so Scriptural of the searching investigation
that awaits us all as believers. The opposition to this truth is excessively
unwise because the denial or neglect of a fact ahead can involve a lifelong
tragedy of un-preparedness. ‘If a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he
have contended LAWFULLY’ (2 Tim. 2: 5) - that is, according to the rules prescribed and it is
obvious that a doubt if there be any
race-track at all, or a denial that we should be running for a prize, must
jeopardize every condition of coronation, and is quite likely to reduce our
running to zero. We are glad that Mr. Francis includes the supreme
prize:- The ‘authority over ten cities
(Luke 19: 17)
refers
to the millennial period when the true and faithful steward will
receive divine authority and power, and will be called to that honoured
position of assisting Christ in the government of the world.’ ”
“Blessed partakers in this consummation!
Throughout life’s race they did eager
contend,
Aye pressing on in ‘the hope of salvation,’
On toward the Mark for
the Prize at the end.
Lord! grant us
grace, through Thy Spirit of Power,
Constant to dwell in Thee
through life’s short day.
With ‘fear and trembling,’ until its last hour,
Steadfastly watching in prayer, that we may.” -
“… throw off every weight that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the
race marked out for us. Let us fix
our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector
of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from
sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart:” (Hebrews 12: 1-3, N.I.V.)
“A vessel named the Thetis was cruising in the
