Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-02-26
GODS OWN PLAN.

GODS own PLAN. |
DR.. CHAPMAN'S SUNDAY SERMON. |
The Eloquent Pastor-Evangeiist Ar
gues that God Has Plan for Every
Mans Salvation.
New YORK CITY-The following sermon
is one of series preached by the famous
evangelist, the Rev DR.. J.. Wilbur Chan
man. It is entitled Goods Plan For Us.''
and was founded on the text: mot as
though had already attained, either were
already perfect, but follow after, if that
apprehended Of Christ Jesus" Philip
plans iii: II.
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 90 far away
tomorrow that he questions if he has ever
been saved, this is certain evidence that
he has not allowed God to work out His
plan for him, and there is. yet much work
TO be accomplished by the Holy Spirit Of
God. An experience of unrest dishonors
God, and when you find q heart in which
always find life in which God has not
yet finished His work "Peace I 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
lnEv L. - IL H.
and SO it would read Hike this. Peace is
the opposite of unrest, Of confusion. Of
strife. This blessing is for every one of
Gods children, if they viii but claim it.
| It is no more disastrous for ones arm to
| be out of it's socket than for ones life to
run contrary: to the plan of God. Paul
evidently had this in mind when he said:
| also apprehended Of Christ Jesus 1t
! would be no more disastrous for a planet
to go swinging out of it's 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-
wood placed over another and running in
the contrary direction always makes a
cross. Our peace and JOY come to us in
| this life when our wills run parallel to that
Of God. Though we may he 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 may say with the apostle:
"All things work together for good.'
God has high ideal for every life, and
we have but TO read the Scriptures to
find @'lis to be true. We find in Romans
i: 7. that we are called Saints. this is
our name. We learn in Corinthians 1T:
Cod We are told in l Corinthians i:
g. that it is our privilege to be in fellow
ship with Gods Son, and this word "fel-
lowship" is literally partnership In
Revelation ii: II. God promises to give to
us His own hidden mamma to eat. OF this
give it nor take it away. In the 25th
Psalm, 14th verse, we have a pledge that
God will tell to us His secrets, but it is not
to be 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, aud every man is out
Of fellowship who has in his heart any nn-
confessed or unforgiven sin. In Philip:
plans iii: 20 the conversation of the child
Of God is described. It is to be in heav-
Ell, from whence also we look for the. Sa'
viour, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Ephe-
character is described. We are told that
we are His workmanship" and the word
workmanship is literally poem, so that in
Gods plan we are all that is complete and
beautiful.
We may have Gods rest. Hebrews iv:
to 3-'Let us therefore fear, lest. a
promise being left us Of entering into His
short of it. For unto lis was the gospel
preached, as well as unto them. but the
word preached did not profit them, not
being mixed with faith in them that heard
it. For we which have believed do enter
into rest. as he said, As I have sworn in
my, 1vratf, ~ fhov shall nDfpr int0 rpy
rest; although the works were finished
from the foundation of the world"
We may have Gods holiness. Hebrews
xii: l0-.SFor they verify for few days
chastened us after their own pleasure, but
defs h for % our M prSS Sdnta hst So s be
we find Christian people who are afraid O.
the word holiness. and yet the Bible ha'
distinctly declared that without holiness
7 no man shall see God. If we are .shuttin,
, Him out of our lives then we are deprivint
, ourselves Of our birthright as His children
lives under three heads:
| I. It is Gods will that we should be re
!, generated. John i: l3, l4-"Whieh wer
born, not of blood, nor Of The will Of tn
flesh, nor Of the will Of man, but Of God
e among us. and we beheld His glory. tn
, glory as of the only begotten Of the Faith
= er, full Of grace and truth"
Regeneration is not working over o
: the old nature, for that which is born 0
l. the flesh is flesh, and never can be any
thing else 1t NAV be educated flesh, cu]
y tured flesh, but after all it is flesh, and
: displeasing to God. It does not come a
+ the result Of reformation, for while re
$ formation may touch a mans present an
:, possibly his future. it has nothing TO d
> with his past sins. which are like tn
I sands OF the sea in number. Environmen
j. has nothing to do with our passing fror
:. death unto life II ENVIRONMENT coul
, save the soul or keep it. Adam never woul
5 have fallen, for he dwelt in paradise: Lc
s would have been model citizen. for b
abode in the fairest city OF the then know
world.
Regeneration is Gods breathing into ma
!. His own lfe--it is literally being Dor
from above.
= 2. It is Gods will that we should /
s sanctifed.
# / Thes. iv: 3-sEFor this is the will (
= God, even your sanctihcation."
70 Some people feel much preiudiced again'
e the idea of sanctifeation, but 1t is IN God
!. Word. and it would be we'll for US to stud
= it and realize it in our experience. To |
- sanctifed is to be separated, and it is ce
: tainly the plan of God that His Peep