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The Clarion Herald
A SLAVE ABOVE A SON

    "A wise servant shall rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren", (Proverbs 17:2).

    True wisdom always tends to one's advancement and honor, (Prov. 12:8; 4:3-9). Folly leads to a definite retardation of one's development and progress, (Prov. 3:35). Because of this, there is a constant fluctuation in the affairs of men. Fools are exalted, only to fall. Lacking wisdom, their promotion can only end in ultimate humiliation.
    There are times when young men, by their unruly tempers, contentiousness, pride, rebellion, greediness, prodigality and vices, are a shame and vexation to their families. All loving effort toward their restoration is treated with thoughtless contempt. Little do they realize that such an attitude will guarantee constant trouble and disappointment as their portion in life. Such as are destitute of prudence and diligence will soon become the servants of those who are faithful and discreet. They are sowing seed which must surely be reaped.
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COMPASSION

    "I have compassion on the multitude", (Mark 8:2).

    What a pattern for His people is the tender compassion of Jesus! He found the world He had come to save a moral Bethesda. The wail of suffering humanity was everywhere borne to His ear. It was His delight to walk its porches, to pity, relieve, comfort and save! The faintest cry of misery arrested Jesus' footsteps - stirring a ripple in the fountain of His Infinite Love.
    Was it a leper, - that dreaded name which entailed a life-long exile from friendly looks and kindly words? There was One who had tones and deeds of tenderness for the outcast. "Jesus, being moved with compassion, put forth His hand and touched him", (Mk. 1:41).
    Was it some blind beggars on the Jericho highway - groping in darkness and pleading for help? "Jesus stood still, and had compassion on them, and touched their eyes", (Matt. 20:34).
    Was it the silent pleadings of the widow's tears at the gate of Nain, as she followed her earthly pride and prop to the grave? "Where the Lord saw her, he had compassion



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The Clarion Herald The Clarion Herald

on her, and said, WEEP NOT!" And He restored her son to her, perfectly whole, (Lk. 7:13).
    Even when He rebukes, the bow of our Lord's compassion is seen in the cloud, or, as the cloud passes it pours out showers of mercy. He pronounces Jerusalem "desolate", but that doom is uttered midst a flood of anguished sorrow!
    Do the compassionate words and deeds of a tender Savior find even a feeble echo and repetition in yours? As you pass through the wastes of human wretchedness, does the sight give rise, in your heart, not to a mere emotional feeling which weeps itself away in sentimental tears, but to an earnest desire to help relieve the sufferings of a sorrowing humanity?
    How vast and far-reaching are the claims on YOUR compassion! - the unanswered cry of perishing millions abroad, the wretchedness that lies unhelped at your very door, the mission force that is

dwarfed and crippled by lack of funds, a starving family, a poor neighbor, a helpless orphan, a crowded tenement where misery and vice run riot, some lowly sick room where a light has burned dimly for many dreary nights, or some desolate home where death has entered and where sobbing hearts, under the tattered garb of poverty, mourns its loved one uncomforted and unpitied.
    Are there no such situations within YOUR REACH - where the slightest word of sympathy and concern would make you an "angel of mercy"? How it would hallow and enhance all you possess if you only endeavored to live as of the Lord's bounties! If He has entrusted you with earthly substance, it is NOT to be greedily hoarded, or lavishly squandered. Property and wealth are "talents" - to be used for the good of others and the glory of God. Sacred trusts are NOT to be selfishly enjoyed, but generously employed!
    The most feeble expression of Christian compassion and love, if rendered in the name of Jesus, will be greatly rewarded. Let us, therefore, be Christ-minded!

  Love divine, all love excelling,
    Joy of heaven, to earth come down!
  Fix in us Thy humble dwelling;
    All Thy faithful mercies crown.
  Jesus, Thou act all compassion,
    Pure, unbounded love Thou art;
  Visit us with Thy salvation;
    Enter every trembling heart!
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    "The real measure of a man's wealth is determined by how much he'd be worth without his money."



Studies in I Corinthians

THE INSTRUMENTS THAT GOD CHOOSES

Scripture Lesson: I Corinthians 1:26-31.

    INTRODUCTION: With verse 26 Paul begins to make a specific application of what he has just written in verses 18-25. "Behold, see, or consider your calling!"
  1. They are "called" saints.

  2. They are called to the fellowship of God's dear Son.

  3. Theirs is a holy and heavenly calling, (2 Tim. 1:9; Heb. 3:1).

  4. And it is a "high calling" - with a definite goal in view, (Phil. 3:14; Rom. 8:28-30).
    "Brethren" suggests a new and blessed relationship of love, mutual respect and care for one another.

I. THE STRANGE LIMITATIONS OF THE DIVINE CALLING., (vs. 26).

    "Not many" - though there may have been a few.
  1. NOT MANY WISE MEN AFTER THE FLESH.

    1. Intellectuals, who think deeply and reason logically.

    2. Philosophers, who, to their own minds, can figure out the "whys", "wherefores" and "ought-to-have-beens" in fashioning their own closed system of theology.

    3. God largely passes over these as instruments of His grace because they tend to "judge after the flesh" - mere carnal, worldly wisdom (Jn. 8:15; 7:48); they do not have "the mind of Christ".

  2. NOT MANY MIGHTY MEN - according to the standard of worldly affairs.

    1. Men of personality and force - who "get the job done"!

    2. Men of wealth and influence, (Lk. 18:18-25).

    3. It is too often the "able" men who are zealous against the truth of the Gospel, (Acts 25:5).

    4. It seems so much easier for those who are "poor and afflicted" to entrust their lives into the hands of the Lord, (Zeph. 3:12).
      1. The worldly-wise think their "logic" will enable them to win at the game of life.
      2. Those with an abundance of this world's goods too often


      think they can win concessions from God by returning, for His use, a small portion of that which IS ALREADY HIS!
  C. NOT MANY MEN OF NOBLE BIRTH ARE CALLED, (Job 1:3; Luke 19:12; Acts 17:11).
    1. A noble birth is one thing that often leads to a position of power, or the attaining of worldly wisdom.

    2. Though there may have been a few of noble birth among first century Christians, most were from the ranks of the common people - many of them still slaves, or freed men whose liberty had been purchased.
II. THERE WAS SUPREME WISDOM BEHIND GOD'S STRATEGY (vs. 27-29)
  1. HE CHOSE FOR HIMSELF WHAT THE WORLD REGARDED AS "FOOLISH" - to confound the worldly-wise.

    1. This principle is clearly stated by Jesus Himself, (Matt. 11:25-26; 21:16; cf. Psalm 8:2).

    2. The worldly-wise do not often recognize God, much less "praise Him"! (Lk. 19:39-40; I Cor. 2:7-8).

    3. But, God reveals Himself to His saints through the Holy Spirit, (2 Cor. 4:6-7; 10:4-5; Jas. 2:5).

    4. Thus, there is a wisdom from on high which "makes wise the simple".

  2. HE CHOSE FOR HIMSELF WHAT THE WORLD REGARDED AS "WEAK" - that He might scandalize their "strength".

    1. God's true people are always willing to admit their utter helplessness apart from His grace.

    2. But, His strength is perfected in weakness, (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

    3. And those who trust Him wholly never have cause to be ashamed, (I Peter 2:5-9).

  3. HE CHOSE FOR HIMSELF THAT WHICH WAS "BASE, DESPISED AND UNRECOGNIZED" by the unbelieving world - that He might reveal the utter vanity of what the world regards so highly.

    1. "Base" things - the opposite of noble.

    2. "Despised things", (2 Cor. 10:10).



    1. In His use of such instruments God reveals the emptiness of "the things that are" so highly regarded as indispensible by the world, (2:6; Job 24:19, 24).
   D. GOD DID THIS IN ORDER TO LEAVE NO BASIS FOR FLESHLY BOASTING IN HIS PRESENCE, (vs. 29; Judg. 7:2; Rom. 3:27; 4:2; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Cor. 12:9-10).

III. IN CHRIST THE CALLED FIND THEIR SUFFICIENCY FOR EVERY NEED, (vs. 30-31).

  1. BY FAITH WE DWELL IN A NEW SPHERE - where Christ Himself is the very atmosphere in which we live, move and have our being. W. Graham Scroggie has suggested that Paul's letters all focus upon this great theme, as follows.

    1. Romans - "justified" in Christ, (3:24).

    2. I Corinthians, "sanctified" in Christ, (1:2).

    3. 2 Corinthians, "vindicated" in Christ, (12:19). There are times when "in Christ" it is our duty to defend ourselves.

    4. Galatians, "liberated" in Christ, (2:4). In Him we are dead:
      1. To the law, (2:19-20).
      2. To self, (5:24).
      3. To the world, (6:14).

    5. Ephesians, "exaltation" in Christ, (1:3; 2:6). Through identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, we are dead, buried, raised and seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.

    6. Philippians, "exultant" in Christ, (1:26). This is the epistle of CHRISTIAN JOY; it is shown that joy is the normal experience of those "in Christ".

    7. Colossians, "completeness" in Christ, (2:9-10).

    8. Philemon, made glorious in Christ, (vs. 15-16). The spirit of forgiveness and forgetfulness of wrong done to us takes possession of our hearts and minds, because, "in Christ', wrongs are righted, and crookedness is straightened out.

    9. I Thessalonians, "hopeful" in Christ, (1:3). The expectancy of His coming is the very heart-throb of this epistle.

    10. 2 Thessalonians, "glorified" in Christ, (1:12; 2:14).

    11. I Timothy, made faithful in Christ, (1:18-19); to doctrine,



    worship, spiritual responsibility, and to one's own personal life, walk and work.

    1. Titus, made exemplary in Christ, (2:7-8) - a pattern of good works.

    2. 2 Timothy, triumphant in Christ, (4:6-8). Though persecuted, tried and afflicted, we will ultimately be led in the triumph of His train.

    B. IN THIS NEW SPHERE OF LIFE IT IS DISCOVERED THAT GOD HAS MADE HIS OWN SON TO BE:

    1. Our Wisdom from on High, (1:24; 2:6-7; Eph. 1:7-8; Col. 2:3). Only through Him do we really KNOW God, (Jn. 17:3).

    2. Our Righteousness, (Isa. 45:24; Jer. 23:5-6; 33:16; Romans 4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9).

    3. Our Sanctification, (Jn. 17:19; I Thes. 4:17).

    4. Our Redemption, (Rom. 3:24; 8:23; Eph. 1:7, 14; 4:30; Col. 1:14; Luke 21:28).

    C. ALL BOASTING MUST, THEREFORE, BE "IN THE LORD" WHOSE EXCELLENCIES FAR EXCEED ANYTHING THE SCHEMING MINDS OF PROUD AND REBELLIOUS MEN COULD EVER DREAM! (Jer. 9:23-24; 2 Cor. 10:17; I Cor. 3:21; Psalm 34:2).

A SLAVE ..... Continued

    "As thou to thy father, so thy son to thee!" wrote the late Christopher Bannister. A wise son is industrious - using the present to prepare for the future, (Prov. l0:5a). He obeys the laws of God (Prov. 28:7), heeds his father's instructions (Prov. 13:1), and makes the heart of his father glad, (Prov. 10:la). But, a foolish son brings shame upon his home (Prov. 17:2). His folly is manifested when he sleeps through the harvest, (Prov. l0:5b). He will be a grief to the heart of his father, whom he treats with cruelty; a bitterness to her who bare him, he will selfishly

drive away his mother when she is in need, (Prov. 19:26; 10:1; 17:25; 19:13).
    It is not surprising that a faithful servant should be entrusted with greater authority, and a richer inheritance, than a son who has proved himself unworthy of either, (I Sam. 2:30; Prov. 11:29; Josh. 7:24-25). A slave, who is faithful and prudent, will often be of greater value (and more highly respected) than a profligate son who constantly scandalizes his family.
    At one time God referred to Israel as being His son - His "firstborn", (Ex. 4:22). To the firstborn son pertained special privileges



and blessings - including a double portion of his father's estate. But, through the disobedience of unbelief, God's "firstborn" forfeited his inheritance - it being taken from him and transferred to the despised Gentiles who were willing that the Father should have the devotion of their hearts, their love, their loyalty and faithful service. The "kingdom" was taken from them and given to a people who would bear fruit to God's glory and praise, (Matt. 21:43).
    God honors those who honor Him, (I Sam. 2:30; Psa. 50:23; Dan. 12:2-3). But, He lightly esteems those who despise Him - as revealed by their rebellion, (Mal. 2:9; 1:6-12; Prov. 13:13). "Shame shall be the promotion of fools", (Prov. 3:35b; comp. Isa. 65:13-15).
    When the Prodigal Son became aware of his own wretchedness, and cast himself upon his father's mercy, he was restored to favor, and to the blessedness of his father's fellowship, (Luke 15). And Israel (when brought to true repentance) will ultimately be restored to the favor of the Most High, (Zech. 12:10-13:1; Rom. 11:25-32). But, what wretchedness both might have escaped had they only ceased their rebellion and given ear to the wise and loving counsel of their father!
    Will YOU be wise, and share the glorious rule of the Christ? or, will you walk in folly so that SLAVES may be exalted to rule over you? THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

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    To hatch despair, simply brood over your troubles!

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FAMILY CAMP PLANNED IN COLORADO

    In our haste to get the CLARION HERALD in the mail last month, we neglected to mention a Family Camp that is being planned and sponsored by the New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church of Grand Junction, Colorado. Pastor Danny Babcock wrote that the church in Grand Junction had reserved the Deer Creek Christian Camp of Bailey, Colorado for the week of July 18-22. This camp is located about 40 miles southwest of Denver.
    Classes are tentatively scheduled for the mornings, with assemblies in both morning and afternoon to hear speakers and special music. Pastor Leonard Garlington is scheduled to speak each evening.
    Those interested in making plans to attend this camp may write for information and Registration Forms to:

Ron Hagen
177 Sunlight Drive
Grand Junction, Colorado 81503

FEARS

"Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Fear not!, (Isa. 35:4).

    These words are found in the midst of a prediction describing the nature and results of kingdom blessings. They suggest that for us the Lord has a consoling word for all the trepidations of our fearful hearts.
    Fear arises in some hearts at the very thought of God. They shudder at the prospect of standing before the Judge of all the earth. The root of such fear is guilt.



    Wherever God is pictured as coming to converse with men, in the biblical record, He always begins by calming their fears. He must not be regarded as our enemy, but as our best friend! The cross of Christ was God's great "Fear not" for the trembling heart of a sinful humanity. It witnesses of God's love, and His readiness to forgive all who come to Him through His Son.
    Others are afraid of their fellow-men - a fear that often hinders the fulfilling of known duty. The promise of God's eternal presence
and care is designed as a "Fear not" for those who have been hindered by fear of what men may do. It gives courage and strength to the trusting heart.
    Thoughts of the future arouses a dreadful fear within the hearts of many. Some worry over their temporal concerns; others over their spiritual well-being, or about that of their loved ones. But, the "Fear not!" of our Lord gives consolation, assurance and peace. The root of fear is unbelief. The remedy for fear is faith. Trust in God means peace, and in peace there is strength.

EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN

Faith is the brightest evidence
    Of things beyond our sight;
It pierces through the veil of sense,
    And dwells in heavenly light.

It sets time past in present view,
    Brings distant prospects home,
Of things a thousand years ago,
    Or thousand years to come.

By faith we know the world was made
    By God's almighty word;
We know the heavens and earth shall fade
    And be again restored.

Abraham obeyed the Lord's command,
    From his own country driven;
By faith he sought a promised land,
    But found his rest in heaven.

Thus through life's pilgrimage we stray,
    The promise in our eye;
By faith we walk the narrow way,
    That leads to joy on high.

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PLEASE REMEMBER THIS MINISTRY IN YOUR DAILY PRAYERS! WE WOULD SERVE GCD ACCEPTABLY!