SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10575, 16 October 1897, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

BELIEVING IS RECEIVING. ■ [BY THE BBV. A. T. WERBON, D.D.] • But as many as received Him, to them gave Be power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe ou His name.—John i. 12. Believing, then, is receiving. "As many as received Him . . . even to them that believe." Faith is so important, being the very means by which salvation comes to a soul, that we cannot too well understand it. And this is one aspect of that believing is receiving. Now, I venture to say that receiving is the simplest act of which Wo are capable. It is the 'first act of which, we are capable. When as now-born babes we came into this world, we first received breath j then the nourishing milk from the mother's breast; then the mother's care, the upholding arms, the ministering hands,' ministering love. It was all " received.'' We could not give anything in ' return, for we knew not enough to give .even answering love. ■~•■->• How gracious it is. of the Lord, then, to make salvation so simple that it has only got to be taken to be received! This is .the thought! want you to get before you: that to be saved, you have nothing to do but to take what God gives. In the 20th chapter of John you will find these words: " Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book': but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing ye. might have life through His name." Now, when a man tells us the object for which the book he wrote was written, we need not look any further; and here John tells us that the object of his whole Gospel narrative is this: first, that we might believe that Jesus is Christ; and, secondly, that, believing, we might have life. We shall naturally expect, then, that this Book will bo foil of two. things— , ;

BELIEVING; AND, HATING like. '• And when we look through the twenty-one chapters of this Gospel narrative, we find that there is not a single case in which the word "repent" occurs.' Some 44 times we hud the word " believe;" some 44 times we rind the expression "life" or "eternal life." Thiis, throughout the Book, as at the conclusion, we are told: Believe and have life; Believe and have life. It is like the constant ringing of bells with but one set of notes. As eternal life, then, depends on believing, it is very important to understand what believing is. And as John at' the end of his narrative tells us the object of writing, 10 at the beginning he tells us what we are to understand by believing. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." Believing, He says, is receiving; and receiving is believing. And you may take any one "pi the cases throughout this Book in which this expression "believing" occurs, arid by substituting for the word "believe" or "believing" the 'other term, "receive" or "receiving" make good sense. 'For instance: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Now read: " For. God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever receiveth Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That makes good sense. Then, take ' the 36th verse of the same chapter: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life : and he that believeth j not the Son shall not see life; bat the wrath of God abideth on him." Substitute again "receive" for "believe," and you makegood sense here also. "He that receiveth the Son hath'everlasting life: and he that receiveth not the' Son shall not Bee life ; but the wrath of Gad abideth on him." Yet another illustration. Take that 31st verse of the 20th chapter: "These are written, that ye might receive Jesus as Christ, the Son of God; aud that receiving ye might have life through His name." ' It is a wonderful thing that God should make the way of salvation so simple. I have already called your attention to the fact that the first acts we perform are all acts of reception ; and that, as they are the earliest acts, so they are the simplest acts. There isn't' a child that can understand anything that can't understand receiving. The child kuows how to take as well as yon know how to give. The youngest child, whose mind is just beginning to unfold, understands iwhat it is to receive. And because God wants His salvation to be adapted to every soul, as wide a salvation as the.death which life is intended to .cover, He gave us a Gospel that-what-ever there may_ be about.it that is mysterious —has nothing in the one great' act by which salvation becomes ours that is not PERFECTLY EASY TO UNDERSTAND.

It is remarkable that the other, words which are. closely associated with this saving act are all Words that mean forms of taking. Take, for instance, the 22nd verse of the 45th chapter of Isaiah: "Look unto Me and be ye saved." What is looking? That is taking with the eye. Take the expression, "Hearken unto Me"-a very frequent expression. What is hearing? Taking with the ear. "My sheep' hear My voice." 'That means that with the ear they take the words of God. Or look at the expression, "Taste and gee that the Lord is good." What is tasting? It is taking with the mouth. Then we are taught to "walk with God." What is' walking? It is taking with the feet. If I have an estate given, to me, how do! take it? Can I take it with roy hands? or eyes? orearg? NoI take it with my feet. I walk round it. - So theu, to look, to hear, to taste, to walk, are ways' iu which we take possession by, the eye, the ear, the mouth, and' the'feet; and all these expressions of the Word of God are all ways 'of ' tolling us that it is as simple to accept'and receive Jesus' as it is to take in a prospect with the eye, music with the ear, meat or. drink with the mouth, something to be possessed in the way of an external estate with the feet. ~,Now, taking this thought and following ii out in i theGp»pelnarrative,you will find how clear, it is. We have seen in the 12th verse of the lit ohapter of St. John,' that to "as many as received Hiirt, to them gave He power to become the sons of GoaVeven to them that believe on His name." In the 3rd chapter, 16th verse, we have the- familiar Words, ; " For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that ~, , ~ , y iWHOWEyiiK BEUETETI IK HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life." So that if God gave Jesus for our Saviour, all we.oan'do.ig to take what. God gives. . Just as in the 4th ohapter, where Jesus meets the woman.rf Samaria at Jacob'* well,, and says f,»,»-'.« thou knewest the gift of God, and.who ibisthat saith to thee. Give Me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water." To Mkttad accept 'a'gift * the "reoeiving" of the 4th chapter of St; John j and it is just as simple u to take a drink when you aire thirsty and feel the satisfaction which that ?nnk ewatei.within you; ;. Again, if you look fa ft? l ?"*' l " - '°{: the.same chapter, you .mllfind, a beautiful story about a nobleman of Capernaum, who came toCanaand wanted '•»*"•.to/go and heal his son. Jesus' said ' $?&$ ye see signs and wonders, ye will not : believe." The, man answered, 'ft Come down; ereimy. child die.* ' «»q 0 thy wav" awdl Jeinj then, .*! thy son liveth » Mow, the fJH w AWI! )rten ™«« awaj.Wihei I taUw.beJieved-Uie of Jew* and I

was so sure of it, indeed, that, tW kit'' could have gone home in a few hoanV SS' stayed somewhere by the way andibtfrSll arrive at home till the following day IK- ; man had the word of God given rohiiLiS'-? he just received it: he didn't wait to we •k! * believed. Take again the stji chapter wh..! H there is another illustration of theftifilli thing. When Jesus found the man at tk! - pool Of Bethesca waiting : for healuu i lfii said to him, "Rise, take up thy beeFiAill walk." And the man took Jesus atK ' word and rose, took up his bed.and walk*? He received the word of Jesus-thrtiiim and hegot'healing just the moment thathi accepted Christ's command. In thefotffijSl chapter, too, what do we find? Take'tuiftt »$ .verse, "Labour not for. ; theTnM/Siek "1= perisheth, but for that meat'which eidaritk unto everlasting life, which the Scflof'yU shall give unto you; for Him bath' God ♦{, tfs Father sealed." , Yon make a mbttke m)un you labour for salvation; for salvation' ( rjj m to be got in that way You have got'to iSP your ordinary food by the sweat of je%hro* f§ or of your brain; but if you think' that voa ' are going to get the meat that endureth unto everlasting life in this way, you are 'under 'all delusion. It is when you step labouring foS ; it, and simply receive it as a gift. ihi?«a. *' get the bread of Life. / ~ i*l I might, if it were necessary or expedient' go through the entire Book' and show thai all you have to do is to receive what' QmM gives. For it is manifest that, if athinik# given, it can't be earned, or deserved, 1 ;, Ifi*® man works for me, it would be an insult W< l the man to call the wages' I give him a rift It is an obligation on my part to pay hli II what he has earned. Therefore you must iter seeking to; deserve salvation, ri!fo^

SEEKING TO EAKf SALVATION'/■ 'Hit and remember that it is a gift, and that God ' will not be insulted by your offering yJa, paltry pay for what cost riot corraptiblj; things like silver and gold, but the preeioy blood of the Son of God. Perhaps you think this is only fit talk for little children. That is where you make a mistake, We nevet outgrow these first lessons of faith. i..Th«. greatest and wisest of men, as one has paid, have to return in' their last days from their speculations and philosophies simnlt to take the first lesions of God. • At anyratZ v. this Gospel is plenty good enough fer'nei •m '•- Now, keeping in' mind that believing it receiving, and that receiving is the aimpleat thine you can do, notice that it is.ail yea need to do. What does our Lord say whig He is.asked, "What shall. we do that we might work the works of' God!!', i"lhis* said He, " is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He'hath sent."' 1 said a moment ago I must stop your working;' thsf your working is what hinders you being saved. It is Christ's : own statement; 3 The only work to be done,' He Bays,'ia:to believe on Himself. See what Paul <mjl Romans iv. 5, "To him that w'orketh n*t; but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is' counted for righteous. nesa." My, friends, if you don't.stop every kind of work as something you are depending Upon, you can't be saved., If you piitastep between you and God as a step on which you depend, yon can't be saved. The only work is to take what God gives: Wait for nothing else. In the same hour that I speak to yon, yon can have salvation—every one of ijoii Just as soon as you take it, you have it. ; I have'said it is very simple; but you don'i belieye it is so simple as I-say. I suppose that two-thirds' of you are. saying, Yes, it sound very well but it is just so simple as he makes out Now.see. lam interested in the work carried on by Mr. Grubb (the Rev. George Grubb, who was also in the pulpit), and I think I should like to give him half-a-sovereign to help on that work. Whose is the money now?: .Mine. Now (offering it to Mr. Grubb), whose is it? Still mine; not his. ,| He' takes it.. Whoseis it nowVhis.or mine? His. How long did it take for it to pass from me to him? It was mine an instant,ago; it is his now. It takes no longer for you to receive the gift of God; 1 Yet, although this is a very simple act, it is hot so .simple after all. Suppose Mr. Grubb hated me: do you think he;would take that half-sovereign? No; he wouldn't. Suppose he. wasn't willing to.accept a-gift from me: would he have taken it? No; he would have scorned it. You sec hat,.although this act is so- simple, it calls fox a certain sympathy between the two parties, It is that which prepares for the reception of the gift. There is the common allegiance to' the same Master, and the common feeling of trusteeship to Him. And although it is a very simple thing for you to receive salvation, yet probably some of you can't receive it, because you are not in sympathy with God, because

YOU ARE NOT WILLING, to be under obligations God for a free gift. If He told you that He would save, you if you walked round London on your knees' for {qui weeks, -plenty of you would 'do' it who wouldn't take the gift of salvation. Why,' the streets would be blocked by people going on their knees. But, I tell you, that there isn't a 'man or- woman among you, whatever your condition previously or your condition now, whatever your sin, whatever. your departure from God, who may not here.and now receive salvation as God's gift by taking it. ' •", ,"''," c; '\ Let me in closing use a simple illustration; You have seen the rings hanging along the Embankment on the Thames. They'are put there so that anybody who' falls into the water may take hold of them and, possibly,' get to land again. hangs promises, blessed promises, from His eternal piers, ana He says to any poor, struggling, dying sinner, - " Here is a promise of salvation within reach; all,you have to do is. to take hold of it Underneath yonr feet you will find the solid, I eternal Bock, and you will come forth intt safely, and sanctity of life!" ' ■'"' Are you willing to take Jesus now? Just ns you are. Just where you are. Will Vol lift your heart to God ana say, " I take Thj gift of eternal life ?' If you will, salvation k yours. •• • "'■••' Do you believe it?