The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-02-12
TO GET our REWARD
DR., CHAPMAN'S SUNDAY SERMON
He Shows to us the Great Tlercy OF
Christ Who Grants US a Rewara
For Faithful Service.

'RuleS OF Service. II was pIedEHtu l'''''
the text: mo man that warreth entame'
leth himself with the affairs OF TINS lie.
that he NAV please him who hath chosen
him to be soldier. And If man ALSO
strive for masteries vet i> he not crowned
except nc strive lawfully. Timothy, IL:
Is.
1t is nos enough simply 10 perform what
Wight be called good deeds. III the eNtlma'
tion of the world, for on" might receive 'hc
applause of men, and miss his reward al
the hands OF God. Neither Is 1t enough
tha; one should be so given to service that
he light win the applause OF peOp.e every
where There Is no special promise III
Gods word written for the man who Is
sim1lv faithful in outward service. faul
must have had this in mind when nc SaId:
Yet Is he not crowned except he .trlfc
lawfully" 1t is good thing Tor the L hrs
tian to square his life, both puolic aud PR
vate, his inrermOSt thH2ghtS. and the hId-
den man of his heart. by the word OF God.
to see il in any point ne Is falling away
from Gods plan and the Hoy Ghosts
guidance. When John. in Revelation.
wrote Let no man take thy crown. he
presented what to my mind Is one o. me
most solemn subjects IN all thr Bl!S,
namely. that one might be saved, have ms
sins forgiven. stand before God lustlhed,
be perfectly sure Of being ultimately re.
ceived into His presence. and he saved
throughout eternity. and yea miss hrs re-
ward and lose his crown.
This chapter Is a note or warning aud
heart CIV to peop.e everywhere TO search
their lives. aided by The Spirit. 10 ask God
10 deal very thoroughly with them even
though this dealing MAY mear The cutting
off OF some ve:v nuch loTFd sin or the CIV
ing up ni some long cherished pan.
]. All service must br prompted hF
right motives.
1t is not SO much how the WORK appears
outward,v that commendS il t. Coin
this His Judgment is gwen differently rom
that OF man. but it i altHSe!hc" question:
as 10 what, back oi ii al. prompted the
service. The giving OF the wldow mite
and its hearty acceptance Dv or MaStc:
is an Illustration OF this fact. for III the dc,
sire that prompted the gIt WAS round
that which was of ten thousand times
more value than the gilt itself.
O:,e might preach the gOsre! and Win
hundreds OF souls for Christ. and Tie mo-
tiveS that proa,uted the preaching he
wrong. One might sup2vint"nd Sunday.
school with much success. hr teacher OF
acknowledged ability. lead the yaIng E@o-
pies work in the church. he chosen lead
er OF the mission work. and uDom MI these
positions have the seal Gt TIE approval oi
men aud the plaudi,S oi the multitude be-
cause of acknowledged success. and YET
miserably fai at the great day az %waIdH
TO receive one single crown FOR idlh!n!ncSs
simply because tie work was born IN sell
fshness and carried or IN pride. 1t was
not done for the glory o. God. hut rather
for the glory OF man. Que might bu!id
churches. and ior his supposed generosity
he highly esteemed OF men, and yet rc-
ceive rebuEc from~,he lips 0i thc ri>cn
Christ One might endow schools which,
God would use for the betterment oF So
city and for the accomplishment OF His
own purposes or the working cI His own
plans, and vet have no recognition on the
great day OF awards. One might give his
money to elothe the poor and feed the hun
gry; he might i've known wherever the
English language is spoken. for his charit-
able works. and when the great dav o!
awards should come might hear the Mas
ter say:
Depart, for never knew you.
His soul Is saved. but his life is lost. All
of these things are true, because. wniie
outwardly the service Was wonderful aud
the success great. the motive that prompt
ed it all was selfish. Jesus Himself has
said that there would be some who
should say: Lord, have we not proDhe-
sled in Thy name, and in Thy name done
many wonderful works." Thus the teach
ing becomes more intense and the lesson
more startling. for one might even think
that he Was shaping his life according TO
Gods plan and yet most terribly miss the
reward.
When Paul wrote his ir>t iejtcr to the
Corinthians nc said: "For other founda
tion can no man lay than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ. II any mans work
shall be burned he shall suffer loss: but
he himself shall be saved; vet so as by
y, O.,
lesson TO Christian workers in general. hut
to ministers in particular. The foundation
is the same for us a!l-.JCsuS Christ, hut
the superstructme may he very different.
1t is a most solemn thouShr-one Of the
most solemn l kuow--ihat when the great
day OF fire shall come every man work
shall be tried. OF what sort 1t is. The min,
istry OF the man whom The world honored
shall b. touched by fire. The service OF
the Christian worker. from the first effort
made for Christ TO the last. shall certainly
be tested. The teaching OF The Sunday
school teacher, throughout his or her en-
tire Christian experience, shall bc brought
beneath the searching light OF the Son of
God The testimony of every Christian
in every land shall I've searched through
and through The life in the home. in the
place OF business. III the streets. ii home
or in foreign lands. hv DAY and bv night.
work ,$ burned the man shall suffer los.
but he himself be saved. though Is ny ire.
1t is a tremendously solemn me>>::S'.
might have all the experience God las
given me. AZ preacher. teacher. evangelist.
father husband friend. and ihrn stand he
fore God at the G,St with ali my work
swept away. going int" lI> pre>rnc" with
the smell OF fire Upon NV garments. Tod
forbid. Paul he'd ihi> ate in mind when
he said Il Cor. tx: -. ~: Every man
that strivoth for the mastery j. temperate
in all things Now. they do it 10 obtain Il
corruptiblc crown. but We are iucorurti.
BILE. Blf keep undcr my body. and
bring it iuto Suhieoiion. lc-t that by any
means. when have preached to others. ]
myself should be Il C">taway. or las we
have already secni. be di>lpproved.
God keep It's trU": ;aCc'ing suvh All eN-
per!encc thi>. on th,: great day.
y. We Must labo: wi;i' Clean hands
God never Uses "a unc.cdn man. Ii l.
ssh.c tila; one iaar i:c saved. and yet
allow sin in some way 10 control him. hut
il is rot possible ior God 10 use thar which
= eitiei c0mnuI or unc,c.l. Come out
from among Them ana be ~ separate. and
a., tk,n..' Irn,, Nhi,.n