The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-02-20
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
GODS PLAN FOR US"
rhs Rev. Dr. J. wiibur Chapman Tells Of
How the Believers MAY Experience
Both Joy aud Peace, Blessing aud
Pover-A High Ideal for Every Life.


though / had already attained, either were
already perfect. but | follow after. ii that
j may apprehend that for which also am
apprehended OF Christ Jesus" Philip
plans III: Il.
God has a plan for every life. and when
this plan is realized there is always in the
experience of the believer both iov and
peace, blessing and power Ii any one is
having an up-aud-down Christian expe.
rience, hot to-dav and cold tomorrow,
near enough 10 Christ to-day so that he
may almost touch Him. and so far away
tomorrow that h. questions II 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 vet much work
TO be ac 'omplshei by the Holy Spirit of
God. An. experience of unrest dlshonors
God. and when YOU find a heart in which
there Is this unrest and dissatisfaction YOU
always find life in which God has not
vet finished His work. Peace | leave
with you; NV peace | give unto you." was
written for such an one. and Is his inherit.
ance. While IL would be a most difficult
thing 20 define peace, vet possibly the best
definition would be TO take its opposite
and so it would read like this: Peace Is
the opposite OF unrest, of confusion. Of
strife. This blessing is for every one OF
Gods children, II they viii but claim it,
1t is no more disastrous for ones arm 20
be out OF its socket than for ones life 10
run contrary 10 the plan OF God Paul
evidently had this IN mind when he said
III | may apprehend that for which | am
also apprehended OF Christ Jesus" Ii
would be no more disastrous for a planet
70 90 swinging out of its orbit than for a
life 10 ran contrary TO the pan OF God.
The fact Is our crosses IN this world al
ways come TO Us when our wills run con.
trarv 20 the will OF God. One piece Of
wood placed over another and running in
Ia Il =.
cross. Our peace and Joy come 10 us in
this life when our wills run parallel to that
OF God. Though we may be obliged 20
live IN poverty and meet with what this
worl Id calls disaster and failure, if we are
perfectly sure We are doipc according 20
Gods will we NAV say with the anostle;
"AU things work together for good
God has a high ideal for every life. and
we have but To read the Scriptures 10
find this TO be true. We find in Romans
/: 7. that we are called Saints this ia
our name. We learn in Corinthians iii:
9. that we are "lahorers together with
God" We are told in | Corinthians i:
Q, that il j. our privilege to he in fellow
ship with Gods Son. and this word eel
lowship' is literally Partnership" In
Revelation il: u, God promises TO give to
us His own hidden mama to eat. OF this
the world knows nothing-it can neither
rive it nor take It away. In the 25th
i
God viii tell TO Us His secrets. but II is not
TO be forgotten that we only tell secrets
TO those who are near TO us. God never
pives His secrets 10 those who are out OF
fellowship with Him. and every man is out
of fellowship who has in his heart any IN.
confessed or unforgiven sin. In phlin.
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
we are His workmanship" and the word
workmanship Is literally poem, so that in
Gods nlan we are all that is complete and
beautiful
We are very sure that we have not at
tained unto this plan.
We are likewise confident that falling
short Of IL we are not satisfied, and our
cry rs that of the apostle Romans I: 2il.
"Oh, wretched man that ] am, who shall
deliver me from the body OF this DEATH
We may have Gods power. . Cor. xii: 0
My grace Is sufficient for thee; for my
strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore VIII | rather glory
in my inhrmitcs, that the power OF Christ
may rest upon me" Let IA therefore
cease to speak OF the presence Of the Holy
Ghost as an experience and talk about the
better Christian life az an "it:" let us re-
power of God. To cxalt Him. 20 follow
Him, 10 live His life and to enthrone Him
In our lives, - power always, and never
can be anything else.
We may have Gods rest Hebrews iv.
l 20 3-"Let us therefore fear. lest.
promise being left us Of entering into His
rest. any of YOU should seem TO come
sho"t OF it, For unto us was the gospcl
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 ! have sworn in
my wrath, If they shall enter into my
rest; although the works were finished
from the foundation Of the world
IL IL 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, az God did from His Oh, that we
might all Of US learn that it - when we
cease 10 he self-centred and become Christ.
centred, it is when we live lives OF unset
fishness 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
chastcncd Us after their own pleasure but
lie for our profit, that we might be par.
takers of HIS holiness Not infrequentiy
We find Christian people who are afraid oi
the word holiness, and yet the Bible has
distinctly declared that without holiness
no man shall see God. II we are shutting
Him out OF our lives then we are deprving
ourselves OF our bIrthright as His children.
We might sum up Gods plan for our
lives under three heads.
]. IL IS Gods viii that we should be re
generated. John j: l3, Which were
born, no. OF blood, nor Of the will Of the
flesh, nor OF the viii Of man, but OF God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwclt
among Us, add We behe,d His glory, the
glory as OF the only begOtten Of the Faith.
or, full OF grace and truth
Regeneration il not working over OF
the old nature, for that which is born OF
the flesh IL flesh, and never can be any
thing else. IL may be educated flesh. cui.
tured flesh, but after all II is flesh, and is
displeasing 20 God. II does not come az
the result OF reformation. for while re.
formation may touch a mans present and
possibly his future. % has nothing 20 do
with his past sins. which are ike the
sands of the sea IN number. Environment
has nothing 20 do with our passing from
death unto life. j. environment coId
save the soul or keep 10. Adam never would
have fallen. for he dweit m paradise. Lot
would have been A model citizen. for be
abode ~ the iairest city o. the then known
world.
Regeneration is God's breathing .nto man
His own hie-it IS literally being born
from above.
2. It IS Gods will that we should be
sanctihed
Thes. iv: 3-"For this j. the will Of
God. even your sauctihcati0n"
Some people feel much preiudiced against
the idta Of ssnctiication, but u - IN God's