One evening, after a gospel preaching, a young woman returned to the room, desiring to speak with me. After a few minutes’ conversation, I found that, though she did believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who had died to save her, and put away her sins by His precious, atoning blood, yet she was not at rest about her eternal salvation and security, saying that she was afraid she would lose, or let Him go.
Seeing that her difficulty was that, though she had faith in Him as the One who had died for her, and rose again, she had not faith in Him as the living omnipotent Saviour and Shepherd of the sheep in the bright glory of God above, I said, “Suppose you could see a shepherd coming across yonder field, with a little, strayed lamb in his arms, tell me, would the shepherd be carrying the lamb, or the lamb carrying the shepherd?”
“Why, of course, the shepherd would be carrying the lamb,” was her reply.
“Yes, of course,” I said. “Now tell me which are you, the lamb or the shepherd?”
“The lamb,” she replied.
“Yes, to be sure; and do you not see the lamb does not hold the shepherd, but the ‘good’ and the ‘great’ Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, holds in His omnipotent arms the little lamb, and carries it safely home to glory?”
“Yes, I see,” she said, “and I can rest now quietly and safely in Him.”
“Thank God,” I said; “and now let us bow down on our knees, and praise and bless Him for His boundless grace to us in giving Himself for us, and for His infinite power and might in thus carrying us safely through all the dangers of the desert way to His glory and rest above.”
We did so, and she arose and went on her way, happy and rejoicing.
May God, in His wondrous ways of wisdom and love, use this brief story to establish many of His sheep and lambs in the infinite love and power of our “Lord Jesus Christ,” as the only “Saviour” and Great Shepherd of His flock. (Luke 15:4-64What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. (Luke 15:4‑6); Isa. 40:1111He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11); Heb. 13:2020Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, (Hebrews 13:20).)
Love Not the World.
Is it right for Christians to attend theaters and other places of amusement? This is a question often asked, as it is one of great importance, affecting the testimony here on earth, and also the reward in eternal glory, it is well that it should be answered in such a way that there may be no possibility of mistake.
For God’s people, God’s Word, which is given to be a lamp to the feet and a light to the path, should be the guide in all such questions. And no surer guide are the chart and the compass to the mariner in his path across the trackless deep, than is the Bible to the Christian in his pathway through the mazes of this world. Its principles are sufficient to govern and guide him in whatever circumstances he may be placed.
But all Christians are not willing to be governed by God’s Word; and such as are not must, sooner or later, go through a breaking which will bring them into subjection. Happy those who unresistingly yield submission to the cleansing power of that Word. To such there is joy now, true joy being found in the path of obedience, and blessing for eternity.
Christians may be divided into two classes: those who “cleave with purpose of heart to the Lord,” and those who “follow afar off.” The first class, allowing God’s Word to shed its light on their pathway, seek to avoid worldliness, and evil in every form.
The second class, giving little or no heed to God’s Word, take what comfort or pleasure they can get, going into the world as far as they can without disturbing their consciences too much. Of this class are those who are found spending hour after hour at games of various kinds. If spoken to about it, they will tell you they see no harm in these “innocent amusements,” and they do not see that the Bible speaks against such things! Such are not governed by the principles of God’s Word; and if they have any thought of pleasing the Lord Jesus, they have little realization of what is due to Him. Do they ever seek to measure the uncounted hours thus passed, every one of which will have to come in review before the judgment seat of Christ? Do they ever stop to question how they will feel in the presence of His all-searching gaze, and what account they shall render for this worse than wasted time? For we shall have to meet Him face to face, and shall then have to speak with Him of things done and things left undone, and each of us will receive according to the deeds done in the body. I cannot answer for your wasted time, and you cannot answer for mine. Each must give account for himself; and it will be a true account that we will render in that day. In the presence of that light which will search us through and through, it will be useless to seek to cover anything up, or to hold anything back. “There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid that shall not be known.” (Luke 12:22For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. (Luke 12:2).)
Is it, then, nothing to the Christian that his life down here should be such that he will have no fear nor dread to have all laid bare when he shall stand before Christ? Will he allow the things of time to shut out the eternal things, and go on from day to day as if this life were all? He may forget, as the days and weeks pass on, the many failures that come into his life, but God does not forget.
True, those who have eternal life will not come into judgment; God says it (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)): and the sins and iniquities of those who believe in Jesus will never be remembered more (Heb. 10:1717And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17)). But while we will not come into judgment on account of our sins, because the judgment has been borne by another, we will have to be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, in order to “receive the things done in the body”; according to what we have done, “whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:1010For 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. (2 Corinthians 5:10)). If errands of mercy, words of kindness and self-denying deeds of love have abounded in our lives; if prayer and the study of God’s Word have found place in our spare moments; how much more will it be to our praise than if a score of amusements have filled up the time! Is eternity a reality to us? If so, is it nothing to me, is it nothing to you, what shall come out to our shame or praise in “that day”?
To return to our question. Is it right for Christians to attend theaters and other places of amusement? That these things have their origin in the world, and are supported by it, no one will deny. The question, then, resolves itself into this: Has the Christian a right to take part in that which is purely of the world? He himself is not of the world (John 17:1515I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. (John 17:15)). Shall he, then, seek and find his pleasure in those things whose source and strength are only of the world? The two things do not agree together. If he is “not of the world,” how can he find his joy in that which is of the world? Pursuing worldly pleasures and lending his support to these things will gain for him the love of the world which provides these pleasures; but here again is inconsistency, for Jesus says, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because we are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:1919If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (John 15:19).) This Scripture should search the conscience of every one who bears the name of Christ.
It is sadly true that a Christian may so far get into the spirit of the world that his ways would lead us to think he is of the world. Too often his ways are not such as to condemn its ways, and instead of having the hatred of the world he has its love. But such a one is in a false position, and will suffer great loss. And if there is one of my readers who does not shun the pleasures of the world, and frown upon its follies, he may well question if he belongs to Him who says of His own, “They are not of the world.”
It is most important to see that there is a breach between God and the world which has crucified His Son, and that we cannot have part with both: we cannot at the same time be friends of God, and the friends of the world. God shows us this in His Word. He says, “Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God” (James 4:44Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4).) Dear reader, are you a friend of God, or an enemy? Have you known the grace that has wrought for you, the love that has met all your need? Has the voice of Jesus reached your soul, and have you passed from death unto life? Is there, then, no answering chord in your heart to that love which led your Saviour to drink the awful cup of God’s wrath and judgment against sin for you? And when He bids you follow Him, and bear His yoke, do you say, It is too heavy a burden? If He has redeemed you, and marked you off for eternal blessing, and now says to you, I want you to live in separation from the world for the little while I leave you in it, until I call you to Myself, to be with Me, where I am, do you say, It is too hard; I cannot live in separation; I must have some of the innocent amusements of this world? If this is the language of your heart, —or of your life—where is the proof that you have bowed to Him and owned His Lordship? And where is the answering love in your heart to that love which led Him to go down into the deep, dark waters of death for you—a death made appalling through God’s forsaking, and that because of your sins borne by Him? Stop! Think! Where are you? What are you doing? Has Jesus strewn these worldly pleasures in the “narrow way” that He has marked out, or has Satan spread them along the “broad road” to allure souls on their way to destruction? And have your feet been caught in the snare? If so, may the Lord deliver you from Satan’s toils! A Christian walking with the world, and finding his pleasure in the things of the world, is a most unenviable person. He cannot have the Lord’s approval, and, with a bad conscience, he cannot find comfort or satisfaction in pursuit of that which the Lord forbids.
(To be continued.)