BIBLE READINGS ON THE SECOND BLESSING
CHAPTER 07 -- THE BEATITUDES
I have selected as the subject of our reading today the
beatitudes found in the fifth chapter
of Matthew.
I desire especially to note the harmony of these beatitudes
and their consecutive unfolding of Christian experience. Kindly read the first
verse: -- "And seeing the multitudes, He went up into
a mountain; and when He was set, his disciples came unto
Him." Just one thought I would note in the reading of that verse, namely:
That the attitude of the Saviour, though in the presence of the multitude, was
most informal. He never sought to appear dignified. In this day much stress is
laid on what is termed 'pulpit dignity.' The minister must stand very erect,
place his right foot forward, throw his shoulders back and look dignified.
Indeed, multitudes judge a minister entirely by his appearance in this regard.
We have known ministers to look dignified until good people were mortified, no
one seemed to be edified, God was not glorified and friends became horrified.
Although in the presence of the multitude, the Saviour was
seated on the hill side and delivered the greatest discourse that ever fell on
mortal ears. Kindly read the second verse: -- "And He opened His mouth,
and taught them, saying," You will note that although He is in the
presence of a multitude, He addresses himself to the disciples. Indeed, all His
sermons, as this entire book, were addressed to the Church and to the people of
God. What is said to the sinner is rather incidental. The divine method of
saving the world is through and by the Church.
Kindly read the third verse: -- "Blessed are the poor
in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Has it ever occurred to
you to ask why should Jesus address the poor in spirit first? Why did He not
say first, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst," or,
"Blessed are they that mourn?" I think the answer lies in the fact
that this poverty of spirit is the first step towards the kingdom. Being poor
in spirit has no reference whatever to melancholia or being dispirited and
dejected. Being poor in spirit is the opposite to that spirit which says,
"I am good enough;" it is the opposite to that spirit which says,
"I am just as good as you are." It is a soul awakened to see its real
inwardness, its lost condition, its utter helplessness and unworthiness. The
greatest barrier to saving men today is their self-sufficiency. Most men, if
not all of us have held too exalted opinions of ourselves, We had so many
splendid traits of character, so many commendable qualities, so many good works
that we scarcely realized any farther need until Jesus by the Holy Spirit
awakened us to a sense of our true condition. When thus awakened, we realized
that we were utterly poverty stricken, that there was not one thing which would
commend us to God, and that we were entirely dependent upon his mercy.
This experience is commonly termed conviction, It is the
soul awakened by the Spirit to the fact that it is lost and is depending
entirely upon the mercy of God. As an illustration of this truth
and in order to see how differently God sees us from what we
see ourselves, please read
Revelation 3-17: -- "Because thou sayest, I am rich,
and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: "These Laodiceans said,
"'We are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing," but
God said, "Thou art wretched and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked: " They supposed
they were all right, but God says they are all wrong. The
soul awakened to see itself in the light of God is most likely to lose its high
estimate of itself, and must take its place as a spiritual pauper, conscious
that it has no merit of its own. When men thus come to feel that they are lost
and dependent wholly upon the mercy of God, there is hope, and not until then.
Men who believe
themselves to be in the enjoyment of perfect health, can see
no need of calling a physician or taking remedies. Their answer to every appeal
is, "I am all right, there is nothing ails me." It is so with men who
are self-sufficient and self-righteous. God gives the kingdom to the poor in
spirit, such as are willing to acknowledge themselves spiritual paupers.
Conviction itself is a great blessing, though it is not
calculated to make one feel very happy. We need to learn that at times we are
blessed when we are not happy. My heart is always made to rejoice when I meet
men who feel they are too great sinners to be saved. I know I can help
such a one. I love to tell them that my Saviour is a
specialist on hard cases, He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance. I have had much experience in this regard. In going to certain
communities, my friends have said, "You will find a splendid people and
are certain to have a very successful meeting." On my arrival I found the
people were kind and sociable and
hospitable, but were entirely self-sufficient. It required
all my time to convince them that they had need of a Saviour, On the other hand
I have labored among those who were down trodden and wicked outcasts, and found
it easier to point them to the Saviour than the moralist, While they were
wicked, they at once recognized and admitted the fact and soon were made to
realize their need of a Saviour. The moralist is likely to depend upon his
self-righteousness, his good works, his morality, to commend him to God. He
must first be brought to see that nothing he has or nothing he can do will
avail, whereas the outcast at once realizes that his only hope is in the mercy
of God.
We will now read the fourth verse: -- "Blessed are they
that mourn, for they shall be comforted." A soul awakened to its true
inwardness and that has come to see itself as God sees it, -- a guilty, lost,
undone sinner, -- will naturally mourn . This beatitude comprehends repentance
and pardon. Repentance is indispensable to Bible salvation. This institution
(the mourner's bench) has been rechristened and men speak of it now as 'the
anxious seat.' I am glad to confess that I was an old fashioned mourner, and I
have a conviction that before men are saved on Bible lines, they will find a
mourner's bench, or a mourner's chair, or a mourner's bedside, or a mourner's
stump somewhere. There will be a mourner with a broken heart crying for mercy.
A soul fully and truly
awakened to the sense of its peril soon loses sight of its
objections to the mourner's bench.
When I became thus awakened to the sense of my need, I was
glad for an opportunity to hurry to the mourner's bench, and could scarcely
wait until the invitation was given, although previous to this time I had been
exceedingly averse to the mourner's bench. I now ceased to be particular and
was only too glad for the opportunity to present myself at the mourner's bench,
I was more than anxious and needed no seat. All I wanted was a place to fall
and mourn because of my sins and for three days and three nights the mourner's
bench became my most favorite resort. I find this experience is common to all
who have been truly awakened. A soul thus mourning because of
sin is certain to find comfort. Jesus comforts such by
saying, "Neither do I condemn thee, go in
peace and sin no more." What joy and assurance and
divine comfort this word brings. Of course,
this promise has more than one application, There is a sense
in which we need comfort all through life, It is a blessed lesson for us to
learn to go to headquarters for comfort.
I wish to give a few references touching this thought of
divine comfort. Kindly read 2nd Corinthians, 1-3-4: -- "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in
all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any
trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." Note
that He is the God of all comfort and comforts us in all our tribulation, and
the beauty is that when thus divinely comforted, we are enabled to comfort
others by the same comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. I am
quite certain that God has permitted men to pass through certain trials simply
to prepare them to help others who meet with like difficulties. Hereafter when
you meet with trouble or sorrow, instead of calling on the pastors or telling
your neighbor, apply at once to headquarters for comfort. We find a beautiful
reference to Christ in Isaiah, 61-1-3. You see that it is His particular
mission to "bind up the broken hearted" and to "comfort all that
mourn," to give unto them "beauty for ashes," "the garment
of praise for the spirit of heaviness What a beautiful exchange. The life
reduced to ashes burned out by sin may yet be made beautiful. Have you ever had
any of this "oil of joy" poured out upon your head and heart? Praise
God for the oil of joy.
Please turn to Psalms, 103-13: -- "Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him." He pitieth
as a father, and read in that connection Isaiah 66:13: -- "As one whom his
mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem." "He comforts as a mother." You note that He pities as a father
and comforts as a mother. He can take
the place of father and mother. Who can comfort as a mother?
Oh, the tenderness and gentleness
and compassion suggested by this word 'mother!' Others may
sympathize, but the mother can
comfort. I have discovered in my own home that while I may
pity my children when they stomp
their toe, and cut their finger, and have their little
trials, it takes their mamma to comfort them. She seems to know how. One thing
is certain, when the mother can not comfort the children, there is not much use
of any one else trying to do so.
Jesus comforts as a mother. So tell Him all your sorrows and
trouble. I wonder have you ever known of such an experience as is mentioned in
Proverbs, 25:19: -- "Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is
like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint." I have found, as a rule,
that men are your friends while you have good health and prosperity, but when
you meet with reverses and trials and difficulties, how often they forsake you.
The "broken tooth" and the "foot
out of joint" fails you just at the time when you need
them most. So it is likely to be with "unfaithful men." I have
learned this by sad and bitter experience.
I have had those in whom I have confided, in whom I have
trusted most intensely, and whom I have believed to be my friends, and such
they were until the hour of my adversity, when they utterly failed me and said,
"I told you so. I knew that would be the ending," and said it was my
own fault. Perhaps this was true, but it does not help one
to be told of it when he is in trouble and
adversity. You doubtless have had, this experience just when
you needed help and sympathy. They said, "It is his own
mismanagement." "She would marry that man, now let her put up with
him," etc. Jesus never speaks thus to the broken hearted disciples, though
it was our own mismanagement. He nevertheless sympathizes and comforts all that
mourn.
We will now read the fifth verse in the lesson "Blessed
are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." You see that this
beatitude denotes a change in our relationship. A moment ago we were
spiritual paupers, bankrupt, poverty stricken, but now we
have become heirs and shall inherit the
earth. This beatitude comprehends adoption. Meekness is
freedom from pride or the attitude of the newly born soul.
Read Romans 8-17: -- "And if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him,
that we may be also glorified together." You will note that we must first
become children before we become heirs. When thus adopted into the family of
God as children of God, we shall inherit all things. Read Romans 8-32: --
"He that spared not his own
Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with
him also freely give us all things?"
Some have supposed that this beatitude concerning inheriting
of the earth had reference to another age. This may be true. I believe it to
have a present tense application as well. This word 'earth' would suggest
temporal things. We use it as a figure of speech. We see a man who is
exceedingly greedy and avaricious, we say that he wants the earth, By this we
simply mean that he wants everything. I think this is the sense in which it is
used in this beatitude; that God has created all things for His children, and
that "all things are yours."
Read 1st Corinthians 3:21-23: -- "Therefore let no man
glory in men, For all things are yours. Whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, of
the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are
yours: And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." We need to remember that
he is interested in our temporal affairs as well as our spiritual interests, I
regard this as the same promise we have in Matt, 6:33: -- "But seek ye
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you." As though He had said, "You go to the store and buy
a pound of sugar and pay for the same, the paper sack and the wrapping twine
are gratis." So you get the kingdom of God and His righteousness; the
sugar of full salvation and God proposes to furnish the wrapping twine.
Read Philippians 4:19: -- "But my God shall supply all
your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." What a
colossal promise. It is difficult to know which word should have the greater
emphasis. Note God does not say He will supply all your wants, but He does say
that
He will supply all your needs. At times there is quite a
margin between our wants and our actual needs. It is astonishing how much we do
want at times, and just as astonishing how little we really need. One of the
most difficult lessons I have ever had to learn was to be willing to live from
hand to mouth, as it is termed. I was exceedingly ambitious and would rest
content only when there was something laid in store against a rainy day. On
entering the ministry, I was obliged to give up that ambition, but I have found
a very great secret. There is a great advantage in living from hand to mouth,
and it is this: In living from hand to mouth, you get everything fresh, God has
never allowed me to go to bed hungry, though on several occasions he has
allowed me to retire with a most excellent appetite. I have lived on crackers
and water for the sake of preaching holiness, but the crackers were fresh and
the water was wet and I had the glory in my soul.
Everything God has made, He made for His children. Satan is
a thief and although he lays claim to some things now, they will eventually all
come back to us heirs. God made every bird to sing, every star to twinkle,
every flower to bloom, not for Satan and his followers, but for us, who are the
children of God. Hallelujah! To get the harmony of this beatitude I want you to
remember
that the first comprehends conviction for sin, the second,
repentance and pardon, and the third,
adoption whereby we become heirs of God and joint-heirs with
Jesus Christ.
If all things are yours, why should you be distressed about
the future and he alarmed about the poor house just over the hill. Believe God
and rest in His promise, and God will surely supply
your every need. Think of the transformation. He found us
paupers, forgave our sins, comforted our broken hearts, adopted us into His
family and has now made us the legitimate heirs to all things.
We will now read verse six in our lesson: -- "Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be
filled." This passage is often misapplied. I have known ministers to quote
this to the penitent, but hunger and thirst implies spiritual birth. The child
can never hunger nor thirst before it is born. Hunger and thirst are the
concomitants of life. Live folks
become hungry; dead folks do not, Not only is hunger and
thirst an evidence of life, but usually it is an evidence of good health, I
have discovered that when my children were sick and in ill health, they have no
appetite, but when in robust health, they want to keep their heads in the
pantry all the while. Whenever I meet people who claim a religious experience
and yet seem to have no spiritual appetite, no keen relish for spiritual food,
no love for the service of the sanctuary, no particular relish for the word of
God, no desire for the better experience, I always feel somewhat suspicious,
some sense of alarm; I fear they are spiritually dead. I insist that live folks
get hungry. Take that babe not two days old and see it cling to its mother's
breast for that that is essential to the maintenance of its life. What physician,
what nurse has taught the babe that it is hungry and must have food?
You answer, "No physician, no nurse has taught the
child." It is simply the expression of its life, If that babe were dead it
would not experience any hunger. In like manner the soul that has spiritual
life will experience spiritual hunger. So we see that this is the promise to
such as have
been spiritually quickened and are alive unto God. There is
here the promise of a filling subsequent to this expression or manifestation of
spiritual life. Thank God I was born alive and am enjoying good health, hence,
have a splendid appetite for spiritual things.
This term 'righteous' is used interchangeably in the
scripture at times denoting the initial grace and then again denoting the more
mature grace, which 'we term holiness, I have consulted a
number of commentaries and all agree substantially with that
of Clark in saying that righteousness here means holiness, or the full
salvation of God, a strong desire to be holy. The
logic of this may be seen in everyday life. What is the
first aspiration or desire of the child? Is it
not to be like its parents. You ask the child who is the
best man in town, or who is the best woman in town and the answer will be
invariably, "My papa," or "My mamma," and who do you want
to be like? and the answer is "My papa" or "My mamma." To
the child the parent is the ideal of perfection. I remember my baby boy was
scarcely two years old and was yet unable to speak plain, when he would step up
to a stand in the room which contained a drawer and pulling out the drawer and
placing it upside down on the floor would make a pulpit out of it, and step
upon it saying that he was going to 'peach de dospel.'
Because his papa was a preacher, he wanted to be a preacher.
This is invariably true of the child. It aspires to be and do like the parent.
How men can believe that their heavenly father is holy and not desire to be
like Him is, indeed, a mystery. Or, how any man can make an honest pretense to
love God who is the essence and embodiment of holiness, and yet be antagonistic
and averse to holiness seems utterly irreconcilable. When I found that my
heavenly father was holy, I wanted to be like Him, and it was this heart hunger
that lead me and has lead multitudes to seek the
fullness of the blessing. Of course, before there can be the
infilling, there must be the emptying, the cleansing process. God can not fill
a heart with His spirit that is filled with prejudice and
worldliness and self-seeking. In order to be filled there
must first of necessity be an emptying.
Multitudes have sung "fill me now, fill me now,"
who might hope for an answer more speedily
would they change the prayer to "empty me now, empty me
now." They are full to begin with.
Whoever will submit to the cleansing and purging of the
heart will surely receive the infilling. Mark you, it says, "They were
filled." Not remaining hungry, not being half filled, but 'filled,' and in
order to have this promise fulfilled in you is for you to be filled full; but
we would
insist that this filling is the second experience, that it
takes place after the soul has been quickened into newness of life and has
experienced this sense of need, this hunger and thirst after
righteousness. This infilling, which is none other than the
blessing of holiness, is essential to entire satisfaction. It is impossible for
a man to be entirely satisfied short of holiness. God never
intended that he should be. We have lost holiness. Until we
regain holiness we are like the man
who lost something. There is something wanting, something
missing. This sense of want is the
common cry among churches today, and yet multitudes
antagonize and reject the only truth that
could bring them the satisfaction and soul rest they so much
crave. I would emphasize the 'shall be' of this passage, not 'maybe,' not 'will
be,' but in the present tense 'shall be.' And wherever you find God's 'shall
be's' flying, you can always find honey if you linger long enough in that
neighborhood. God proposes to fill and satisfy every craving of your heart
here.
You ask, "Do not sanctified people hunger and
thirst?" I answer, "Yes." Then wherein do these sanctified
persons differ from such as have not been sanctified, I may illustrate in order
to make clear this distinction. Did you ever have a craving, a longing for some
favorite dish, some particular relish? I am particularly fond of apple
dumplings. You may have set down to the table
laden with good things three times a day, but the particular
dish that you were craving was not
there. While you ate all that you wished, you pushed back
from the table still craving that
something not contained in the meal. This was my experience
in the justified life, I would attend
the prayer service and be greatly blessed and become
exceedingly happy and yet go home hungry for something not contained in that
blessing. I was still craving the apple dumplings. But when God sanctified me,
He not only gave me all I wanted, but the very thing my soul especially craved.
He gave me the apple dumplings, and since then I have not wanted anything not
contained in that blessing. While at proper intervals I may want some more
apple dumplings, my soul does not desire anything aside from this blessing.
After you become sanctified you are not wanting something different than what
you find on the usual bill of fare. The 'fullness of the blessing' will satisfy
every longing of your heart.
People having the fullness of the blessing are the greatest
feeders in the world. They will attend three preaching services a day and
listen to sermons an hour or more long and take as a side
dish three social services each day and keep it up for ten
days right through and then holler for
more. While they are fully satisfied with the quality, they
are not satisfied with the quantity, and
knowing that the supplies are inexhaustible, they are not
backward in making their wants known,
This being filled is none other than the Pentecostal
experience, the second blessing and is the
privilege of every believer as pardon is the privilege of
every penitent.
The following beatitudes are simply the result of this
infilling.
