Show 0 f IA 1 f A NEW YEAR i iI I IY If I SERMON j. j I I I I II t I i it t I II t I tt t I Q II t I tt t I By Y t REV JAMES M. M GRAY ORA Y DD D. D D. D i I I D. D U ND D now Lord what watt walt A I l for Psalm for Psalm 3 7 Another twelvemonth has almost t gone and we are yet et In the Inn land of f the living If It we give I this serious consideration we must regard It as as' remarkable Some think death lenth the strangest wonder of human history but Is not life stranger stranger stran stran- ger get When we reflect upon our frame and the shocks of life It must endure must we not exclaim with YO Young Strange that n a harp of or thousand strings Should keep In tune so long Is It to be won wondered ered at nt If f like David we too should put tho time question What walt unit I for forI The mystery of ot being here Is not profounder than thun the mystery of staying here Let us ask God od the question The rhe psalmist felt lie he could not trust his hits own conclusions and so he said Lord what wait walt I ICor Ifor Ifor for Cor It may be you ou are waiting to be saved sn God Is not willing that any should perish but that all nIl should come to repentance and live hive 0 Ephraim how can cnn I give thee up how ow shall I leave thee Judah 7 Behold Behold Deh Be De- h hold Old him hini weeping over the Holy City b 0 Jerusalem how often would woul I have gathered Fathered thy children together as a n hen ben her brood broo un under er her herIngs Ings and find ye would woul not I 1 lie he Is so 50 pleading with some of you today To Togo Togo Togo go back no further farther than the past year has lies there been no sermon no Invitation or warning yearning no supplication or exhortation lion tion that has appealed to your jour intelligence Intelligence Intelli intelli- gence or moved ell your our emotions pleading plead ing with you to accept Christ Have you jou ou lost no friend or neighbor by death eath during that period Have IIa you had hud no noCI escape CI fr from froni m bodily peril or 01 no Illness to to U i l remind you of ot the uncertainty of life liCe Can nn ou you Jou conscientIously say suy that In la all n thc these hose le respects p God has left you jou ou nione has lIas he hp done not a ft thing to 0 you ou out of your false security to 0 co Convince cOn y ym ou o n of sin gln to Invite you ou to the he I repeat has God Gol left you ou absolutely alone Ah All i you ou Cannot ann t say suy ho he ha has III flow w m n halt ye e Between two taro opinIons opinions ions tansy I God Cont pushes for a n decision lon and nn fin m r r reply Today It If y ye e will IU near heir his voice olce harden not your our hearts J It may lOny be e y yoU U are waiting to bear fruit v You are by bj the grace of God already saved gt let let et us ug f suppose But Dut for u b lint hitt nt our Purpose nose were CI you ou saved cd Since G God d loves io you ou with a n love that pass- pass th knowledge Jc and since to lito to depart at mad d be DO with Christ were far better than thao to remain here why here why did he lie not call you OU to himself at nt your conversion Why are e Vol Voli ou i heft hefe stead of or enjoying i Redeemers Redeemer's presence There r r rot tle be e ge ger some o rue region u uy Yo 0 lave pot S' S S t J. J chosen me said Christ but I have chosen you ou nn and ordained you that ya ye should goo go go and bring forth fruit an and d that your fruit should remain Ma May It be to give you ou another opportunity y to glorify his father by bearing fruit that you ou are still h here e eIt It may moy bo be you on are ore waiting wafting to b be e perfected I ought to explain this because because because be be- cause there Is a n sense In which ever evertrue every y true Christian Is perfected the moment momen t he accepts Christ as ns his Savior HeIs He HeIs HeIs Is perfected In that he Is s both Justified d and find sanctified his sin Is put awn away nn and by the nol Holy Spirit he lie himself Is s set apart for God forever The New Testament Testament Tes Tes- Testament Is very clear on this notice Pauls Paul's words In his epistle to the Co- Co for example What then do we ue mean menn by saying we may be waiting to be perfected Do e Do we mean menn the attainment of a state of this side of f heaven No for If a Christian lived JIved to be as old as Methuselah f would he not still sUU require to pray Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who vho trespass against us We only mean menn that In the s sense nse of ot a n ripeness for the tho sickle which comes In the lives of some sonic as If a crown of glory had been vouchsafed to them even cven before they passe passed Into the unseen I may It be he with some of you Though now your our pruning your our digging digging diggins dig dig- ging gins and perhaps your our growing days are c are over yet et the quiet but potent rays of divine grace accomplishing g a n maturity In your our experience so that your our Christian life never will have been so attractive as us In n the hour that you ou depart hence We uWe all nU do rn fade c asa as asa asa a leaf but the fall of 01 you OU ye glory- glory crowned ones Is to be Illumined bythe by bythe bythe the gran grandeur cur of an nn autumnal sunset God bless you ou aged brethren 1 I God bless you ou young oung and old rich and poor saint an and sinner May you OU have havea a Happy N Now New w Year In the highest and truest sense Happy l I Ig the time p people people peo peo- o- o pIc whose Go God Is the time Lord Accept him serve him wait walt for tor him It la Js s sonly only as af we stan stand In such relationship to him that after employing the tho psalmists psalmist's psalm st's 1st's question And now Lord what wait I for we can cnn confidently apply the consolation In n his words that fob fol follow low II My I hope Is In thee |