SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13497, 25 May 1907, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

NEAR TO THE KINGDOM. "by REV. DR. TORREY.

I "Thou art not far from tho kingdom of God."— Mark xii. 34. .

Jtjst as I .was about to lie down to sleep last night, God gave- me a text that I have never preached upon before, and this morning, when I knelt down to pray, to ask Him what I was to preach upon this afternoon, He gave me the same text again. You will find it in Mark. xn. 34 {a part of the verse) : "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." There are three classes of people in the world; each class is represented in this building—those who are in the kingdom of God, those who are near the kingdom of God/ and those Who are afar from the kingdom of God. And every, ono of us here to-day is either in the kingdom, near the kingdom, or afar from the kingdom. I.—WHO ARE IN THE KINGDOM:? Everyone who has accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour, surrendered to Him as their " Lord and Master, proven the reality of their acceptance by an open confession of Him boforo the; world, and by daily living to please Him in everything— jail such are in the kingdom, for we read in Christ's"own words, in John i. 12: "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." Every man, woman, ; and child in. this great gathering who has received Jesus as their crucified Saviour, as an atonement for their sin, and in whose atoning death they are trusting for acceptance before God; and received Jesus_as thcir_ personal _Saviour, whom tlTev are trusting to~keop them day by day, and have .received, Jesu3 .as their I Lord and 1 King, to whom they, have surrendered the control of their'heart, and the control of their lives—every i such i an- one is in the kingdom. , No matter what; you have been in the past, no matter ,{ how far you have wandered from God, no matter how long, you have resisted the Holy , Spirit, if at last you have received Jesus, you are in the kingdom of God. , Whilst I was sitting down in front of this platform Mr. Putterill leaned over and whispered to v me : . "On the Ladies' Committee to-day, jit was reported that in rescue home in this city every person in it but one had been conVerted." - - Well, then; ©very one of the young women in that rescue home but one is in the ■ kingdom. ; But • only those who have received Jesus, and who have consequently been born again by the power of God's Holy Spirit, are in the kingdom. Everyone who has not received Jesus, and who has not therefore been born again, is outside the kingdom. They may be near it, but they are not in it, for Jesus Himself says in John iii. 3: "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." -And He says in John iii. 5: "Except a man bo born of water and ;of \the Spirit, he cannot enter, into, the kingdom of God." Everyone, then, who has received Jesus, and who has therefore been born again by the power of God's Holy Spirit, is in the kingdom of God; nobody else is. ll.— ARE NEAE THE KINGDOM? 1. First of all, those are near the kingdom who know the truth about Jesus as an atoning Saviour, and as a risen Saviour who can keep them day by day from the power of sin, and who is willing to accept and save anyone that comes to Him. Everyone that clearly sees that truth, that Jesus i died for them on the cross, i that He rose j again, and is longing to save you if you \ will trust Him, and that He is t willing and able to . save you if you will come to Him, if you see that truth, you are near the kingdom, very near it. But you are not in it,till you act upon the truth which you know.'...;-'*;;" .-.':■'■.>.,*..". ' ■:--[ ■:.■;■:.:'■::':.:,•.';!- '. '..'i

2. Again. Every " one who ' sincerely desires to, know the truths and is willing to obey the truth, is near the - kingdom. That must have been the condition of tho man to whom Jesus uttered the words of the text. He had come asking Jesus which was the great commandment, and had received tho answer, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,with, all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with, all thy strength;" and then this man, I who was a theologian of the Jews, had replied, " Thou hast answered rightly," and some further comments upon Jesus' answer, and we are told that when Jesus saw him and heard this utterance, He turned to him and said, "Thou art not far from the. kingdom.' ; And everyone who sincerely desires to know the truth, and is willing to obey it, is very near the kingdom, for Jesus says in John vii. ' 17 "If any man will do His will, ho shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself." The sincere seeker after truth, who is willing to obey it, is bound to find it, and he is near the kingdom. But he is not in it till he does find it and acts upon it; but he is near it. Take Nathaniel, an Israelite who realised the thought of what it meant to be an Israelite. Nathaniel was full of doubt. Philip came to him and said, "We have found Him of whom Moses and the prophets did write;" and Nathaniel said. Can Christ come out of Nazareth? I dou't believe it. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Nathaniel was utterly sceptical; but he was sincerely seeking to know, and when Phillip; wisely answered, "Come and see," Nathaniel came right along, and in a few moments he saw, and he said, "Rabbi; Thou art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel," and he was in the kingdom. He was near it, even in his doubt; and you may be a doubter to-day, a pretty thorough-going, doubter, doubting very much everything; 'but if you sincerely desiro to know the trufh, and are willing to obey it, you are near the kingdom. If you get right on that line, .you will soon be in r it. - Take Cornelius. Cornelius was near the kingdom, • sincerely desiring, to know the; truth,- praying to God to show him the truth: and God sent His messenger to say. to him, "Cornelius, thy prayers and thy alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send to Joppa, and call for, one Simon, whose surname is Peter ... he shall tell the© what thou" oughtest to do." . His prayer was for the truth, for God said: " Thy prayers are heard. What thou needest is for Peter to come and tell thee words whereby ? thou shalt be -. saved." • He was near the kingdom; he was not in it—ho was in a day or two, for when Peter came he had gathered all his near kinsmen and friends together and said, "Here we all are, present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God." .While

I Peter preached before he M t,, . B sermon, Comelm* and s<a !>>,*,,,t-'V '* ""* ■§ lisved; and God had mt ilk Wti^ i ■■'M tlnMr belief ar„[ the .!.«>,-,- '»[ "'I *■■ /I hearts bv giving 'him Hi- Ho:* terit ," ' ' 1 the spot. _ Wry near _ tin: kinsrUflnj. !u? 8 w«- not in "f nsud m I H'>(.) tha „, *Si and obeyed it. nw ■;§ 3- AgrftU. Tf.' ««.r« v.\\r> £. -~ ,-,j \m te-rsed about hi <-t» ,„.„, ~j t * <tt sins, under tmn \t>it,u of -m, i« kV it ' T-* ■ kingdom. %«y m-ar ?h«- kin ;tb, ti '' l J'- L ■ step.'. A man whs is \n t^ p »is. tl ,: " * 3 very likely to turn \ctv q<i;*fcly i.-, "*, ' .1 Saviour, and if you to-day .v.. biirw-»" I oyer, your w.s, di*trc.*««l t«« .y-ttf,:^->.'?l sick and tired of »iii» longing for ;-<-,,,-... I sits, feeling deep need of » *■•»■*.»»*,. it,/"' :".«■ ing for a Saviour; yon are.very War*!?" ■ -kiiicdotti: bui you are not is it, ;m-'L *?!' I may never ht m it, for .many & ?iMit» : * \ } woman cjbws under deepest ' sin, lift's- the clearest realisation rj t*)«''iv. t i S of a Saviour, and yet never takes ft, .'' , tt think on** of the commonest s.u. ,' i 'I [evangelistic and mission ball ■-■:...■,■. " [the confusion ,of conviction w;th eotitj«J . , and regeneration. Because >,->.5!-.;,> ''"' .deeply convicted of sin. because tlwy.S [and cry, because they are in agtmy '•'.'' [distress of soul, people say they st# «§ ■' right. Very far from all right. "Vr-r\*v, ; " \ j have been there, but never &■*% u>*"i'.'. U i titer. Near tho kingdom, within » *te» «rf the kingdom, but outside th,. kin-.'* | Conviction _of sin never brings a MtttM into the- kingdom until it leaves th*w t» the acceptance of the Saviour. Then ' tm j are not merely near —you are •- *<' 1I _ remember » ; man I was talking hjj' c&j* j night in my own church in America, '« j don't know that I over saw a rnatt tm&4 | dw3»e>r : conviction of sin than he i,., « [Ho sat there all of a tremble, hi*'" ; .j. | jaw s!wx>k like that, in the deep ,-;■>.-,.--!,'' 'his soul. I said, " Will you now take ;\'. (Lord Jesus?" " No." ho said. " Don't- Ttw know you need Him?" "Oh, yes. 1 know 1 need Him." "Don't you know- He died f* | you?" "Oh, yes." "Don't you know ij.l can save you?" "Yes." He was trembiip • [all over. " Well," I said, " thft tin«j h« [com© for you to- accept Him." Ilo'uij I'" cannot do it to-night." I said, "Yc< | had better." "No," he said; "them » something I must attend to. [ will eeaja back to-morrow night and accent, Hißj," I said, "That won't do. Tim .Sp.r.t ol 1 God is working with yen this momentyou have come to a decisive point; only thing that will do is for you to'vie',! to tho Holy Spirit and take Jesus Chrirt now." Ho said, "1 can't do it," J *«,} " .You must, or you may bo lost for e.w.j ' Ho said, " I givo you my word of hoctjiit that I'll como back to-morrow night uA accept Christ." I said, -■*' haven't & doubt that you mean it in all Mncori'W but I have no guarantee that- you will & ■ what you promise. I fear that this is your last opportunity." I had never j>lea<jul with another man before in my life « i pleaded with that man. and ho went eat of the building promising me solemnly that he would como back tho next night and accept Christ. Very near the kingdom, cm* short step off it. One decisive art toi!.> have brought him into the kingdom, but ho never came back. As I saw him a *» out of the door that'night, I said to uiv. self, "I believe that man's destiny "« sealed;" and to tho best of my kuowuslgb it was. Oh, men and women, you wii<> aro under deep conviction of sin, don't rest satisfied with conviction, don't stop short of conversion and regeneration, It can be effected in a moment, right whew you sit, by tho acceptance* of Christ. 4..Again. The One who is almost persuaded to take the step is very near the kingdom, How often, in the after-meeting, when wo workers .go around, wo get hold of a person—they are just balancing: yo;i cannot tell which way the scales are going; it scorns every moment as if they would decide right. Very near tho kingdom. Probably the next moment they will ho in the kingdom; but they aro not in it, and may never be in it. Now, let me put to you the question, Aro you hear the kingdom, or are you in the kingdom? Have you been born again! Have you 'fully and truly received Jesus a} ) your Saviour, who died for you upon th« Cross, as your risen Saviour, whom you are trusting for victory day, by day, for your Lord and Master, to whom you* surrender tho control of your thoughts and your life? Are you confessing Him as four- Saviour openly? Are you living to please Him in everything? If you ore, you ore in tb« kingdom. -Otherwise, no matter how much you read your Bible, how much you pray, how often you go "to church, how often you partake of the sacrament, you nrp not in tho kingdom—you are only'iicar it. And listen. One may be near the fciintdam, and never enter it. There aro thousands of persons lying in Christies,, graves to-day who were once very near the kinj-dom-r-so near .that..their .friends -tJjvotigM that: in a., day or two f they would *«rj»/v "■'■'■ be in it; but they never took tho dtsuive step they lived and died without accepting Christ, they never entered the kingdom, and now they never will. ', Oh, I beseech you, don't stop at being near the kingdom. Dr. Guthrie, has a story somewhere'of a ship with a largo number of passengers on board, returning home; and after a Jong voyage every; heart was happy: as they were so - near to port. Husbands returning' to;- wives, where [returning to- children, children returning to their parents. The sun went down that last evening in glory on a happy night. Early on the morrow they were to roach the homo not; but during the night the boat went down with all on board. Near tho port, they never entered it. Oh, many of you are near the port,' near tho harbour, near the king dom. Don't stop near— Accept Jesus this moment as your personal j,*' surrende * to Him as your Lord and Master, begin to confess Him before tho world, and i go out from this place to live for Him day by day.