Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-02-21
GODS PLAN FOR U.s."
Sunday Sermon By Rev. DR.. J. Wilbur
Chapman.
How the Believers May Experience Both JOY
and Peace. Blessing and Power-A High
Ideal for Every Life.

man. 1t is entitled Gods Plan For Us"
and was founded on the text: mot as
though had already attained, either were
already perfect but l follow after. if that
| may apprehend that for which also l am
apprehended OF Christ Jesus" Philip
plans iii: L..
God has plan for every life, and when
this plan is realized there is always in the
experience of the believer both Joy and
peace, blessing and power. If any one IS
having an up-and-down Christian expe-
rience, hot to-day and cold tomorrow,
near enough to Christ to-day so that he
may almost touch Him. and so far away
tomorrow that he questions if he has ever
been saved. this Is a certain evidence that
he has not allowed God to work out His
plan for him. and there is yet much work
TO be ac 'omplished by the Holy Spirit Of
God. An experience of unrest dishonors
z d. and when you find heart in which
there is this unrest and dissatisfaction you
alwaye find a life in which God has not
vet finished His work. peace / leave
with you; My peace / give unto YOU" was
written for such an one. and is his inherit
ance. While it would be most difficult
thing to define peace. yet possibly the best
definition would be to take its opposite,
and so it would read like this: Peace il
the opposite of unrest, of confusion, OF
strife. This blessing is for every one OF
Gods children, if they win but claim it.
1t is no more disastrous for ones arm to
he out of its socket than for ones life to
run contrary TO the plan OF God. Paul
evidently had this in mind when he said:
eff / may apprehend that for which l am
also apprehended OF Christ Jesus" 1t
would be no more disastrous for a planet
TO go swinging out of its orbit than for a
life to run contrary to the plan of God.
The fact is our crosses in this world al
ways come to US when our wills run con.
- L. + IL as
wood placed over another and running In
the contrary direction always makes n
cross. Our peace and JOY come to US in
this life when our wills run parallel to that
of God. Though we may be obliged to
live in poverty and meet with what this
world calls disaster and failure, II we are
perfectly sure we are doing according to
Gods will we NAV saw with the anostle:
"All things work together for good
God has a high ideal for every life. and
we have but to read the Scriptures to
find this to be true. We find in Romans
j: 7. that we are called saints this ~
our name. We learn in Corinthians iii:
Q. that we are ''lahorers together with
God" We are told in ! Corinthians ]:
8. that it is orr privilege to be in fellow
ship with Gods Son. and this word Gel
lowship" is literally partnership" In
Revelation ii: II. God promises to give to
us His own hidden mamma to eat. OF this
rive it nor take 1t away. In the 18th
Psalm. l4th verse, we have pledge that
God will tell to us His secrets. but it is not
to he forgotten that we only tell secrets
to those who are near to us. God never
gives His secrets to those who are out of
fellowship with Him. and every man is out
of fellowship who has in his heart any nm
confessed or unforgiven sin. In Philip
plans iii: 90 the conversation of the child
of God is described It is to he in heav.
en-. from whence also we look for the Sa.
viour. the Lord Jesus Christ. in Ephe-
slams ii: 10 the whole of the Christian
character is described. We are told that
workmanship is literally poem. so that in
Gods plan we are all that is complete and
beautiful.
We are very sure that we have not at.
tanned unto this plan.
We are likewise confident that falling
short of it we are not satisfied, and our
cry is that of the apostle (Romans Z: cD,
deliver me from the body of this death:'
We may have Gods power. 2 Cor: xii:
My grace is sufficient for thee; for my
strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will i rather glory
in my infrmities, that the power of Christ
cease to speak of the presence of the Holy
Ghost as an experience and talk about the
better Christian life as an 'it:" let us re.
member ever after this that Christ is the
power of God. To exalt Him. to follow
Him, to live His life, and to enthrone Him
in our lives. is power always, and never
can be anything else.
We may have Gods rest. Hebrews Nv:
] to 3-''Let us therefore fear, lest. a
promise being left us of entering into His
rest, any OF YOU should seem to come
short of it. For unto us was the gospel
preached, as well as unto them. but the
word preached did not profit them. not
il. For we which have believed do enter
into rest. as he said, As l have sworn in
my wrath. if they shall enter into my
rest; although the works were finished
from the foundation of the world
1t is most significant that in the tenth
verse of this fourth chapter of Hebrews
we read: For he that has entered into
his rest, he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God did from His" Oh, that we
might all of us learn that il Is when we
cease to he self-centred and become Christ.
centred, it is when we live lives of unset.
fshness and therefore for the glory OF
Christ. il is when we look up and not in
in a word, it is when we cease from our
own works that we enter into Gods rest.
We may have Gods holiness. Hebrews
xii: l0-"For they verify for a few days
chastened us after their own pleasure. but
He for our profit. that We might be par
takers of His holiness" Not infrequentiy
we find Christian people who are afraid oil
the word holiness. and yet the Bible has
distinctly declared that without holiness
no man shall see God. If we are shutting
Him out of our lives then we are deprivinq
ourselves of our birthright as His children.
We might sum up Gods plan for our
lives under three heads:
/. 1t is Gods will that we should be re.
generated. John j: l3. 14-'Which were
born, not of blood. nor of the will of the
flesh, nor Of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us. aud we beheld His glory. the
glory as OF the only begotten of the Faith.
er. full of grace and truth "
Regeneration Is not n working over oil
the old nature, for that which is born OF
the flesh is flesh, and never can be any.
thing else. It NAV be educated flesh. cul.
tured flesh, but after all it is flesh, and is
displeasin, to God 1t does not come as
the result OF reformation, for while re.
formation may touch a mans present and
possibly his future, it has nothing to do
with his past sins, which are like the
sands of the sea in number. Environment
has nothing to do with our passing from
death unto life. If environment could
save the soul or keep it, Adam never would
have fallen. for he dwelt in paradise. Lot
would have been a model citizen. for he
abode IT the fairest city of the then known
world.
Regeneration is Gods breathing into man
His own lfe-it is literally being born
from above.
2. It is Gods will that we should be
sanctifed.
Thes. iv: 3-"For this is the will of
God, even your sanctifcation'
Some people feel much prejudiced against
he n hpf ~ &c -.