The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-12-24
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

today from the following text to a
packed house,
Work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling, for It is God which
worketh In you both to will and to do
Of his good pleasure" philippians H.,
49,.
The proper relationship between faith
and works and between Gods work
and ours are matters apparently not
clearly understood by the majority OF
Christian people and. Of course. not at
all Compensated by the worldly. 1t
is not only worth while, but very i'm
portant. that each Christian entering
into covenant relationship with God
should understand distinctly his own
responsibilities. the assistance which
God is willing TO grant him through
the merit of Christ. and what Is re-
quired of him individually in the mat
ter of good works A great stake,
great prize Is involved. Carelessness
or ignorance might jeopardize this
prize-might lose us place amongst
heirs with their Redeemer in his Nil
lennial Kingdom soon to be inaugural
ed for the blessing of the whole world.
Mark well that we purposely avoid
the error which so long had becouded
our spiritual vision. Note that we do
not say that failure to be amongst
1.-THE elect" would signify to be with
n mil in, orr tnr No
such unreasonable proposition is rep
resented in Gods Word. The question
of this Gospel Age is to gain or not
to gain eternal life and glory and hcn-
or as members Of the Body of Christ.
In word, not pleasure or misery, but
life or death, Is the alternative.
Who are addressed by the Apostle in
dressing the wilfully or ignorantly
wicked-the world. He is addressing
those who had been such, but who re-
pented, reformed. turned to God and
saw great light. They have seen
themselves to be sinners under Just
condemnation of the Creator, and have
seen also that Jesus. the Sent of God.
Father through his blood-his sacri-
fee. More than this they have by
faith accepted this proffered grace Of
God, and through full conservation
of their all, made acceptable through
their Advocate. they have been re-
ceived of the Father as his spirit-be-
gotten children. They have been ad-
f.hi
of God, joint-hers with Jesus Christ
their Lord. their Head. their Redeem
er, in the glorious Millennial Kingdom
which the Father has foretold shall
be his for the blessing of all the fam
lilies of the earth. But all these bless
ings they have received through faith
and not actually. They must wait for
the actualities until they and all Of
their brethren of the same class, "called
of God in the one hope of their call
ing" shall have been tried, tested, per-
fected. in character, in heart, COPIES
of Gods dear Son."
How God Works In Us.
Our text declares that we should
work out our own salvation, because
it is God that worketh in us. This
puts Gods work first and ours subse-
quently. Let us therefore consider the
matter in this order. How, in what
sense, does God work in his people
not in the world; not in the repentant
sinner; not in the merely justified; but
in those who have passed those stages
of approach to God and, by the be-
getting of his holy Spirit, have en-
tered his family as children, as sons1
Behold what manner of love the Eco
Their hath bestowed upon us. tina; ",
should be called the sons of Cod Il
John iii, n. "And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Jesus Christ our Lord" (3omans
viii, 10. How does God work in such
as have thus become his children
his sons?
We reply that he works in them
through his spirit-the spirit of the
Truth; the spirit of holiness; the spirit
of conservation; the spirit of sonship.
That is to say, a certain holy power
or influence operates in and about the
spirit-begotten children of God in har-
mony with this relationship. 1t has to
do with all of their experiences in
life-home, family, business, joys, suf-
ferings, pleasures, sorrows.
But Gods special way Of dealing
with his spirit-begotten children is
through their ntellects-communica
ing with them through the holy Scrip
lures. AS the Apostle says, God who
spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets hath in these last
days spoken unto us by his Son" (de-
Srews /. u. The twelve apostles whom
the Father specially gave to him, he
particularly accepted as his representa-
tives, his mouth-pieces, the channels
through whom would come to the
family of God the instructions neces-
sary for their development in holiness
the instructions necessary for their
attainment of the hope of their calling
glory, honor and Immortality In joint.
heirship with Jesus their Redeemer as
the spiritual Seed of Abraham for the
blessing of the world Galatians Ill, 29).
Our Lord Jesus refers TO this work
Of God In his people through his Word,
saying, "Sanctify them through thy
Truth. Thy Word is Truth" John