South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-08-30
ACCEPTABLE SERVICE.

ACCEPTABLE SERVICE.
L. Loyalty to God is Essential to
Service. God will not allow rebels to
night in the ranks of his soldiers, he
viii not permit those who are disloyal
TO him to take any part in the moral
and spiritual government of mankind.
Before God will accept any service
at our hands ii is absolutely necessary
for us TO be his loyal followers. We
must first seek the kingdom of God
and his righteousness in our own
hearts and lives before we can sue
cessfully promote the interests of that
kingdom in the reartS and lives OF
our fellow men. If we would follow
Jesus in doing good it is necessary
for us TO be like Jesus in our love and
loyalty TO the heavenly Father. Be-
fore any person is fit to preach or
teach the gospel, or administer spir
itual consolation, he must have re-
nOunced his own sins and have be-
lieved in the Lord Jesus Christ for
the salvation of his soul; indeed before
a man can render any acceptable SER
vice he must be reconciled to God.
Any kindness done to a fellow man by
those who are in rebellion against
God cannot possibly be done with a
pure motive. and is therefore reckon
ed by him either as not having been
done, or as an act of sacrilege.
III. All Service Must BE Rendered
as Unto God. If you will read the text
carefully you will see that this is one
of its meanings. God makes common
cause with his people. If a cup of
cold water is given to a child, prompt
ed by pure love, it is counted as if it
were done to God himself and the
converse of this is true that if an
evil deed is done to one of his chill
dren il is reckOned as if il were done
direct to God. If we would have our
service to our fellows to be we'll pleas
ing to the Lord we must do il in his
name, it must be as an act of worship
and spring out of our love TO the all
wise Father. While this is a duty,
and is essential to make our service
acceptable to God, it is also a blessed
realization that all the good we do
our fellows is counted as If done to
him. You remember the story which
Jesus tells of the judgment day, how
surprised some of the good people
were when the King invited them to
inherit the kingdom because they had
fed him when he was hungry, clothed
him when he was naked, visited him
in prison and attended to him when he
was sick; and how surprised the wick
ed were when he said, Depart from
me, We cursed, for i was hungered,
and We gave me no meat; L was thirsty
and naked, and sick and you did not
attend % my necessities" When both
the good and the bad expressed their
surprise, as they did not remember
having done that which the King COM
mended them for on the one hand, or
condemned them for on the other.
how he said. "Inasmuch as We have
done il unto one of the least of these
my brethren, we have done it unto me,
and inasmUch as you have refused to
minister TO there ye refused to min
lister unto me-"
III. Without Conscious Divine Grace
We Cannot Render Acceptable Ser
vice. The text eXhorts us to have grace
that we may be able TO render ac-
ceptable service. 1t assumes that we
may have all the grace which we need
for this purpose, and ii is a correct
assumption, for Gods grace Is like the
vast and bottOmless sea without
measure or end, ineXhaustible in its
supply. enough for each and enough
for all, and enough for eVermore.
Gods grace is also as free as the air,
to be had without money and without
price. With this grace in our hearts,
we are well-pleasing TO God and are
enabled TO render such service to our
fellows as they need. If, however,
without the grace of God, we start 10
be soul savers to lift up the fallen,
to put them into the way OF lie, 10
lead them to a state of blesedness,
we shall miserably fail. We need
God to perform the work of God; his
grace is absolutely necessary. The
lack of grace is the reason why so
many engaged in Christian work are
such conspicuous failures.
". God is Well Pleased When We
Render Service 10 Him. The notion
that our best acts are necessarily
tainted with sin has always appeared
to me as belittling the almighty pow
er of the grace Of God. We may have
such a consciousness of being the
servants of God, our lives dominated
ny him. our motives purified by the
Holy Spirit that our service 10 our TEL
lows is we'll pleasing to him. All our
TO relieve suffering, 10 help
the poor. to educate the ignorant, 10
lovingly care for children, all our et-
forts 10 create missionary sentiment
TO give of our means for sending the
gospel to earth's remOtest bounds. all
our prayers and efforts OF all kinds
may go up before God as an accept
able sacrifice, as a SAVIOR Of a sweet
smell and we'll pleasing in his sight.
There is nothing which so delights
the heart of the heavenly Father as
fully conSecrated Christian engaged
in helping his fellow men. In fact
such an one is looked upon by God
as he looked upon Jesus, and OF him
he said. This is my beloved Son, IN
,-bor,, I am we'll DlpaSed -