Studies in the Gospel Message
The subject of the Sabbath-school lesson for Sabbath, July 5, is The Gospel Message Is for All the World. God's plan for making known his salvation to the world seems simple enough. It is clearly stated in the promises to Abraham: “I will bless thee, and make thy name great: and thou shalt be a blessing.” God's blessings are bestowed upon a man or upon a people with the expectation that these blessings will be shared with others. Indeed, this is the primary condition upon which the blessings can be received in their fullness. When the Saviour sent out his disciples to minister blessings to others, he said to them, “Freely ye have received, freely give.” It is this very sharing with others which opens the channel of supply. The selfish attempt to hoard up God's blessings for our own use apart from others cuts us off from the source of blessing. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” The Lord is teaching us these principles in the great object lesson of nature. “The hillsides and plains that furnish a channel for the mountain streams to reach the sea, suffer no loss thereby. That which they give is repaid a hundredfold; for the stream that goes singing on its way, leaves behind its gift of verdure and fruitfulness. The grass on its banks is a fresher green, the trees have a richer verdure, the flowers are more abundant. When the earth lies bare and brown under the summer's parching heat, a line of verdure marks the river's course: and the plain that opened her bosom to bear the mountain's treasure to the sea is clothed with freshness and beauty,—a witness to the recompense that God's grace imparts to all who give themselves as a channel for its outflow to the world.” These principles are entirely contrary to human reasonings, and are revealed only in the lives of those who have become “partakers of the divine nature,” and who maintain their fellowship with God. All this is clearly shown in the history of God's people. Their experience has proved, over and over again, that when the principles of the heavenly kingdom were actually applied in their individual and national life, they enjoyed the greatest prosperity, and were able to maintain their position and influence among the nations of the earth; when they imparted most freely to others the spiritual gifts of which they were partakers, they were themselves the most completely filled with all the fullness of God; when they mingled with other people in order that the light of God might shine upon them, they were a free people, and the most separate from the world; when these conditions were reversed, and they followed the example of the nations about them, they became worse than the people whom the Lord had driven out before them, they lost the blessing of God out of their own hearts, and they lost their place as a free and separate people. These principles apply with equal force to our own time. God has raised up this people for no other purpose than that he may use them in giving this last gospel message to THE WORLD. The only excuse for our existence as a separate body of people, and the only power for maintaining this existence, are found in giving ourselves wholly to God for the accomplishment of his purpose in this people. Just as soon as we lose sight of this purpose, become conformed to the other churches from which we have been called out, and settle down in a complacent way to a selfish sort of enjoyment of the blessings which we have received, we forfeit all our right to the place to which we have been appointed, and we shall individually lose from our own hearts the message committed to us. The opportunity of giving his last message to the world is the Lord's final call to his own people for their salvation. This was the experience of the Jews in the time of Christ. The sending of his Son was the Father's last call to his own people. “Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them.” Their refusal to receive him and to make him known to the world sealed their own destiny. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” It may emphasize anew in our minds the great fact that this gospel is for all the world if we read some of the simple statements of the Scripture which teach this: “The field is the world.” “Ye are the light of the world.” “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world.” “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” “This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.” “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” The message which is to go to all the world is the message of God's love for6the world. This message of love for the world can only be given by loving the world with the love which God has planted in our own hearts. This love is not a mere sentiment, not a mere impulse of feeling. It is simply the outflow of the life which has been freely given to us. To preach the gospel to all the world is simply to become the channel through which the tide of love and mercy can flow from the throne of God to every needy soul. Thus we become associated with the heavenly agencies who are “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” We need to make this lesson very practical and very personal. We are living in the generation when the whole earth is to be lighted with the glory of God by the proclamation of the message, “Behold your God!” Every gift which God has bestowed upon us should now be devoted to this work. Money, time, and talent are to be consecrated to this one purpose, that the way of the Lord may be speedily prepared. Let each one ask himself, Do I make it manifest by the use which I make of money, time, and talent that I really believe that the gospel message is for all the world, and that it is to be given to all the world in this generation? “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. . . . Lo, I am with you alway.”