POSSESSION OF PEACE

Evening Star, Issue 21316, 21 January 1933, Page 4

POSSESSION OF PEACE

Address delivered by llev. H. R. Turner, of Roslyn Baptist Church, at Christchurch Keswick Convention. Text; Romans v., 1 (Revised Version) —“ Therefore, being justified by faith, let ns have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” The alteration in the Revised Version makes the passage an exhortation instead of the statement of a fact. M'Lareiij in staling his agreement with the Revised, points out that, as justification is peace, an exhortation to keep the peace we have secured in Christ, is in keeping with the line of thought. The alteration depends upon tho leading of a long “ o ” instead of a short “o” in tho original. Peace should be the possession of every Christian, but in point of fact it is the possession of the few. Since the last war ended Britain lias had a comparatively long peace with the other nations of the world. Yet this period of official peace has been one unrest socially, economically, and spiritually. Unfortunately, that is the experience of many Christians. They have an official peace with God, a..d yet their own lives are 'at cross-purposes with their own convictions. They cry with Paul before he experienced the power of the Spirit of God in his life: “The good which I would 1 do not.” If this first step of perfect union with God’s will is not ours, how can the subsequent verses be true in us—“ Rejoicing in hope ” and “Glory in tribulations”? Mrs Bootli used to speak of “ The oh-wrotched-man-that-I-am Christians,” There arc still a good number of them about, are there not? Sophy of New York, the woman who went to scrub and preach, once went to work for a minister. At last liei simple faith caused him to ask: " Why is it you are always so full and I am so empty?” She replied: “You do not read your New Testament aright.” “ Yes, I do,” he asserted. “ 1 read it in Greek and in English.” Like a flash she replied: “GLORY’ does not spe]l growl. Tho Word says; ‘ Glory in tribulation.’ ” , If there is peace at home wo need not fear tribulation abroad. If we fight in a righteous cause w© need fear no one but ourselves. If we have peace with God constantly, the outside war will be victory for us. May God work in us not only “ to will ” but also “ to do of His good pleasure.”

NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE. Let us look for a minute at the ground of peace. There can be no abiding peace without a just settlement. 'x > war of 1914 was the direct result of former peace treaties -which were not based on justice. Unless the individual is prepared to meet God in a just settlement of all, there never can be a deep and abiding peace. “ The goodness of God Icadeth us to repentance.” The repentance and reconciliation have to be on our side, for we are naturally at variance with God. That big capital I, which we talk or think about so much, must he obliterated with the Cross. We have to frankly face the fact of our sinful, selfish nature, and recognise that “ in us dwelleth no good thing.” We should not, however, forget that there is tremendous potential good in us. If it were not so the revelation of God in the man Christ Jesus would have been useless. Three great texts strike us in the first three chapters of Romans: — “ The doers of the law are justified ” (Rom. 2.13). But where are to be seen the doers of God’s law? “ But there are more righteous ” (Rom. 3.10). “The wrath of God is revealed against unrighteousness ” (Rom. 1.18). D. L. Moody used to teach that God was angry with the sinner, until Henry Moorhouse showed him from the Scripture that God loves tho sinner, but hates the sin. Our text reads “ Being justified by faith.” This faith, which is the human condition of a righteous settlement with God, of course includes in itself the turning from sin and self and obedience to the known will of God. If you want to know what faith is—justifying faith—read the ■'fourth chapter of Romans. “ Abraham believed God. and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” The sin which damns men is the sin of unbelief, which makes God a liar. The Almighty, of His own sovereign purposes, lias decreed that all who turn to Him and take Him at His word may have peace now and all the time, in union with Himself. “ There is no respect of persons with God ” (Rom. 2.11). Does this work in experience? Abraham, eventually stripped of his efforts to bring about God’s revealed will, simply stood by and let God work. Saul, as intellectual light comes with a revelation of Christ, cries: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” Augustine, stripped of his own plans, found God as he turned to Him. Everywhere the rediscovery of this principle of justification by faith has been the commencement of a revival of true religion. Sometimes the revelation has been sudden, sometimes the crisis has been the result of years of God’s dealings, but always tho man who finds peace with God finds it on God’s terms. “ Just as I am ” one hymn writer expresses it. “ Nothing in my hand 1 bring ” says another. REST ON GOD. Have .you tin’s peace? If you are resting on your own feelings you will

rest on an unsecure foundation. If you build your faith on the character of God all will be well. There will come a peace in the emotions if you rest on God, for He cannot deny Himself. If this peace is not yours and you know that your only resting place is in God, you ought to set to work to put right the wrong that exists in your life toward your fellow man or who ever it is that you have wronged. We must' forgive for He has forgiven us. This peace, when secured, must be maintained. The peace which comes when we surrender to God is a peace between ourselves and God—that is, our real selves—not the base and animal part of us, which must bo brought into subjection to our wills. Shall we illustrate by reference to the political state of China. A number of times in recent years we have seen that the Central Government of China has not been able to keep the provinces and factions in order. The Christian philosophy is the only one which satisfactorily accounts for the present state of humanity. Man is a prodigal from God, To bring it down to the realm of the practical I, who have yielded to God, find that there is another I who is still at enmity with God. The other I, Paul calls his members, this baser self glories in succession and in boasting and in lusts of various kinds. In fact these baser things do not recognise the peace that was made between myself and God when I saw His love revealed on the cross of thirst. How "many penitents have been discouraged because they have found that old nature still there. Some have almost given up hope. Let no man think he shall be carried into eternal bliss upon a bed of roses. We should never forget that the things which we see arc temporal; that the things of the body are temporary; that the things of the world are contemptible, compared with our eternal peace and bliss in God. As youths we perhaps stripped for the football field with some diffidence if the weather was showery and the field sloppy. After a few spills in the mud. we little eared for our appearance or togs. When the game was over, and wo were under the shower, we never thought of our muddy togs as objects of regret. The clothes were instruments for ourselves to use. So in this life of peace with God the Eternal, let ns look on the primal instincts, loves and hates and appetites as a moans of developing the life of grace. This new life in God shall be supreme over the body, over the world around me, and over the adversary. If anyone has had a contrary experience Jet him read these comforting words: “ He that has begun a good work in you will continue it till the day of Jesus Christ.” So wo glory in tribulation, knowing that “ tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope.” Peace and long-suffering we are told in Gal. v. are fruits of the spirit. Faith, hope, aiul love are the cardinal virtues according to 1 Cor. xiii. HOW TO KEEP PEACE. How shall we keep this peace with God? We see that our text calls us to an exercise . of willpower. These wills of ours are talked about a great deal. Men boast greatly of willpower, yet it is along the line of the will that the modern world fails morally. God does not violate our wills, but Ho can and does change them. God is sovereign. God saves.sinners in answer to prayer. It is “ not His will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God’s punishments usually consist of allowing ns to go our own way. God’s active will cannot bo resisted. If you and 1 have repented it has been because of God’s grace. Now the crux of the difficulty in most Christian lives is that the will is not strong enough to carry out the moral convictions. That was Paul’s early experience: “ To will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I know not.”— Rom. vii.: xviii. God says that if we do the deeds of the flesh, i.e., floshly lusts, we are their servants. Alas, too many carry belief into action. The word “ believe ” in Scripture menus more than mental acceptance—it means also obedience, too. One of the famous preachers of the past generation used the following story to illustrate the doctrine of election : —An old coloured preacher when called iipon for an explanation of that most difficult doctrine said: “ It’s like this —the devil votes against you— God votes for you—but you have the casting vote.” That is evidently quite true if wo read the “ whosoever will may come ” of Scripture, but when once we have cast our vote with God we have the power of the omnipotent one to carry His will to the end. If ono docs not cal] in the assistance of. omnipotence when it is available, we can only assume that we do not desire to lot His will be carried out in us. Ask the average professing Christian if ho is going to some place where God’s will is called upon—a prayer meeting or some sacrificial service—and what generally is the answer— ‘‘ I don't think so” or “I don’t feel like it”; or frankly, “ 1 don’t want to.” Does

it not look very like an unsurrendered will, emotion, or action,-and of these our soul life consists, psychologists tell

NO PEACE FOR DIVIDED HEART, The divided heart knows no peace,Either we must be for the devil wholeheartedly or whole-heartedly for .God, The peace which wo arc exhorted to keep is a daily, hourly obedience to the will of God. The power to carry out this will of God lies in God alone. God’s revealed will makes it clear that Christians are meant to sit in heavenly place in Christ Jesus—to live lives that are victorious over circumstances, to be full of song,, to be joyous in selfless service for our fellow men. Now there is all the difference between our seeking the help of God to carry out the plan of • action and our surrendering absolutely to God so that He can cany it out in us. But even surrender is not enough. The text says we are justified by faith; then let iia have peace with God by faith. Abraham’s faith was not a thing of only one crisis, but a progressive obedience to God. The giants of faith have had to grow from childhood in faith. There is revealed in God’s word the only terms on which God will have peace with us, and that is that He put His Spirit within us. The peace which must bo kept with God it a peace of acceptance by faith’, not only of God’s pardon through Christ’s sacrifice, hut of His Spirit to take control of pur lives. Let us not be deceived by thinking we cannot invite Him into the heart till we have cleared up this and that sin. There have been some who, despairing of the work of sanctification, have in their extremity called on God’s Spirit to do it, and He has. Others whose faults have not been so glaring have toiled on for years as on a treadmill, with little effect. When a spirituallyminded person comes into' a room where men of all degrees mix, those who hate his heavenly conversation soon leave. So the Spirit of God as the honoured guest. of the - soul of a man soon makes unworthy guests uncomfortable or transforms them. Let all who have been justified by faith receive God’s Spirit by an 1 act, of faith if they have not done so, and let each. Christian by daily recognising the Heavenly Guest do Him honour. God the Lord is a jealous God, and His glory He will not give to another.. The details of what He does for the surrendered life are fully given in the eighth chapter of Romans. The constantly recurring temptation to unbelief lies in our slowness to perceive that God really does love us. It is so easy to repeat the familiar passage of John hi., 16, without realising its import. Christ said that God was not a God of the dead, but of the living. So the God who so loved is not only the God of our experience to-day—the God who reveals Himself in the Holy Spirit. Christ was our first Advocate, this ever-present Spirit is the other Advocate of which Christ spoke. To realise this is the most tremendous thing a Christian can realise. God, eternal God, who broke the silence in the revelation of the Cross of Christ, dwells in myself by faith, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. How this knowledge should make us ashamed _ of unholy thoughts and selfish motives. .Come toils, come tribulation, come sorrow, pain, or woe if God in me work out His purposes in patience, love, faith, and hope. For in all these things we are more than conquerors, through our Lord Jesus Christ. I take—He undertakes.