The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-03-04
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
GOODS PLAN FOR U.s."

IOtu Guy oSu SNCSs oses
Power-A High Ideal For Every Life.
New YORK CrrY.-The following sermon
II one of q series preached by the famous
evangelist, the Rev. DR.. J. Wilbur Chap.
man. It is entitled Gods Plan For Us"
and was founded on the text: Not as
though I had already attained, either were
already perfect. but / follow after, ii that
I may apprehend that for which also | ain
plans iii: Il.
. God has q 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 30 that he
may almost touch Him. and SO far away
tomorrow that he questions il he has ever
been saved, this 10 . certain evidence that
he has not allowed God to work oct His
plan for him. and there is yet much work
10 he nc -omplished by the Holy Spirit oil
God. An experience Of unrest dishonors
God, and when you find q heart in which
there is this unrest and DISSATISFACTION You
always find . lie in which God has not
vet finished His work. peace I leave
with you: Ny peace I give unto YOU was
written for such an one. and is his inherit.
ance. While il would be o most difficult
thing to define peace, yet possibly the best
definition would be to take its opposite,
and 80 il would read like this: Peace is
the opposite Of unrest, Of confusion, OF
strife. This blessing is for every one OF
Gods children, il they viii but claim it.
It is NO more disastrous for ones arm to
be 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:
IF I may apprshend that for which | an
would be no more disastrous for a planet
to 20 swinging out of its orbit than for q
life to run contrary to the plan Of God.
The fact Is our crosses in this world al.
ways come to ne when q wills run con.
trary to the will OF God. One piece Of
wood placed over another and running in
the contrary direction always makes q
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 may say with the anostle:
IAN things work together for good" .
God has . high ideal for every life. and
We have but to read the Scriptures to
j: !. that we are called ".aintsf:" this ID
our name. We learn in I Corinthians III:
q. that we are "laborers together with
God" We are told in ! Corinthians i:
.. that il ia onr privilege to be in fellow.
ship with Gods Son, and this word "fel.
lowship" il literally Partnership" In
Revelation IL: u. God promises to rive to
Us His own hidden mama to eat. OF this
the world knows rothing-it can neither
give it nor take it away. In the 18th
Psalm. 18th verse, We have q pledge that
God viii tell to us His secrets. out it is not
to be forgotten that We only tell secrets
tn those who are near to Us. God never
eives His secrets TO those who are cut OF
fellowship with Him. and every man il ont
Of fellowship who has in his heart any y
confessed or unforgiven sin. IN Philip;
plans iii: 20 the conversation OF the child
en-. from whence also We 'onk for the Sa.
yiour. the Lord Jesus Christ. In Ephe.
SLAMS ii: 10 the whole of the Christian
character is described. We are told that
we are His "workmanship." and the word
workmanship Is literally poem. SO that in
Gods olan 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: 24l:
"Oh, wretched man that ] am, who shall
deliver me from the body Of this DEATH"
We may have Gods power. 2 Cor. Xii: 0
My grace is sufficient for thee; for my
strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will ! rather glory
in my infirmities, that the power OF Christ
may rest upon me" Let US therefore
cease 10 speak Of the presence OF the Hoy
Ghost "a an experience and talk about the
better Christian life as an 1T" let us re-
member ever after this that Christ - the
power Of God: To cxa,t Him, to follow
in our lives. is power always, and never
can be anything else.
We may have Gods rest. Hebrews ":
I to 3-'Iet us therefore fear, lest: n
promise being left u Of entering into His
rest, any Of YOU should seem to come
shot of it. For unto Us was the gospel
preached, as we'll as unto them. but the
word preached did not profit them. not
being mixed with faith in them that heard
II. For we which have believed do enter
into re.t. as he said, As I have sworn in
my wrath, IL they shall enter into my
rest: although the works were finished
the foundation OF the world"
It is most significant that in the tenth
verse Of this FORTH CHAPTER Of Hebrews
we read: "For he that has entered into
his rest, he also hath ceased from his W
D. God did from His" Oh. that we
might all of us learn that it is when we
cease to he s%elf-centrcd and become Christ
centred, it is when VI live lives OF unset:
fshness and therefore TO-: the glory Of
Christ, it is when we look ;p and not in
in q word, it is when We tease from our
own works that we enter into Gods rest.
We may have Gods Holiness. Hebrews
Iii: l0-"For they verify Tor a few days
chastened US after their " pleasure, but
He for our profit. that We might be par
takers of His holiness" Not inirequent!y
we find Christian people who are afraid OF
the word holiness, and yet the Bib.e has
distinctly declared that without holiness
man shall see God: If we are shutting
Him out Of our lives then We are depriving
We might sum up Gods plan Tor our
lives under three heads:
!. It is Gods will that we should be re-
generated. John j: Is. li-"WhicI: 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, ahd we behe.d His glory, the
glory a. Of the only besotten Of the Faith.
er, full Of grace and truth .
Regeneration is not a working over OF
the old nature, for that which is born OF
the flesh is flesh, and never can be any.
thing else. 1t may be educated flesh. GU
tured flesh, but after all it is flesh. and is
dispieasing to God. 1t does not come as
the result Of reformation. for while re;
may touch a mans present and
possibly his future, it has nothing to do
with his past sins. which are X the
sands Of the sea in number. Environment
has nothing to do With our passing IRON
the soul or keep it. Adam never would
have falan for he dwelt in paradise: Lot
would have been n model citizen. for he
abode IL the fairest city Of the then known
world.
pouanor,t;on 20 Cod's hrcothipo into man