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HOMESTYLE MINISTRIES |
"The Man from Wales"
sermons by IVOR POWELL
A HAND, A DOOR, AND A KNOCK
(GENESIS 7: 10; REVELATION 3:20; MATTHEW 25:10-11)
I have often been asked, " If God knew that man would
sin, why did He create him? " The question, however, pre-
sents only a negative approach to a vital theme. We might
also ask, " If God knew that millions of men would find and
enjoy eternal happiness, would He have been justified in not
creating man because some people would choose unwisely? "
There are two sides to every picture; and whatever we may
decide concerning this problem, one thing remains indis-
putable -man was created. Furthermore, he was given a free
will. Varying circumstances may influence him; strong pres-
sure may be brought to bear upon him; but always, man
has the power to choose. When we unite three Scriptures,
this fact is plainly visible.
The Hand that Never Knocked
Noah's strange craft loomed against the blue sky, and
around it, sightseers asked innumerable questions. Surely
this Master-carpenter was a fool! He had worked without
wages for many years. He apparently served an employer
who neither came to see the job, nor remembered to send
payment to the man who did it. Yet Noah continued his
labours. When he took time off, he devoted it to preaching;
and his message was the most fantastic story the people had
ever heard. Probably they listened to the strange old man
and decided he was good fun! When he rebuked their sin,
they tolerated him; when he spoke of the holiness of God,
they probably frowned and denied their sinfulness; when he
said the time of retribution was at hand, they undoubtedly
laughed him to scorn. When Noah's predictions came true,
they were dumbfounded and overwhelmed; yet seven days
of priceless opportunity elapsed between Noah's entering the
ark and the fulfillment of his prophecy. If, during that period,
any man had knocked in faith on the door of the ark, he
would have been admitted.
The Hand that Always Knocks
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man
will . . ." " If any man will . . ." Surely we may repeat an
earlier statement-man has not changed. (i) They were very
satisfied. They said, " We are rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing." Perhaps this was the secret of
their folly. Few men can offset the challenge and temptation
of prosperity. A nation is easier to reach in war than it is
in peace-time; a man engulfed by poverty is more susceptible
to the Gospel than a wealthy financier whose attitude proclaims
to the world "he has need of nothing." (ii) They
were very surprised. Surely it was inexcusable arrogance to
say to such fine people, "Thou art wretched, and miserable,
and poor, and blind, and naked." such statements were
irresponsible: and thereby hangs profound truth. A man may
measure himself against a mountain and feel a midget; the
same man may measure himself against a mouse and feel a
giant. Man's standards may pronounce him great; God's
standards might reveal him to be small and useless. (iii) They
were very stupid. The Lord Jesus was kept waiting at the
door. Constantly He had knocked, seeking admission; but the
"need of nothing " attitude had made the people complacently
at ease. After all, they did not need Him; they were doing
very well without Him. Poor Laodicea!
The Hand that Knocked Too Late
When asked for signs of His return, the Lord Jesus spoke
of ten virgins who went forth to meet a bridegroom. He
said, "And five of them were wise, and five were foolish."
They all heard the same message; to a degree they all shared
the same desire-to be present at the forthcoming celebra-
tions. They were different only in that five were so anxious
about their reception that they were careful to attend to
every detail necessary to ensure their readiness. The other
five were contentedly at ease. They were neither fussy nor
fearful. They fully expected to be there, and without any
fear lay down to sleep. Their attitude said, "Please do not
disturb us. We are fully aware of everything; we have need
of nothing; when the bridegroom comes, we shall be as ready
and as well-equipped as all others." The people of Noah's
day, the citizens of Laodicea, and the five foolish virgins,
appear to be strangely related-related to our generation.
"Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord,
open to us. But he answered and said, Verily, I say unto
you, I know you not." They knocked on the door, but they
knocked too late. Happy is that man who remembers: " Now
is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation."
The Negro's Testimony
Dr. Harry A. Ironside will long be remembered. His forth-
right messages, his living illustrations, and the manner in
which he put these to his ever-widening audiences, revealed
him to be outstanding as a preacher. It was no cause for
amazement when crowds flocked to hear him; and every-
where one heard appreciations of his dynamic ministry.
Among the choicest of his stories was one concerning a
Negro who rose to give a testimony in a certain meeting. In
his quaint but delightful manner the colored Christian
praised the Lord for the grace that had found and reclaimed
him. His language was colorful, and the majority of his
listeners enthusiastic. However, the chairman of that service
was not evangelistic in his outlook, and his liberal view of
spiritual matters included a strong emphasis on man's part
in working out God's salvation. He listened to the Negro's
testimony, and as this continued, became rather restless-it
seemed too one-sided in its emphasis. When the opportunity
came, the chairman rose to say, " Our brother has only
spoken of one side of the great picture. He has told us
something of what God did; he has forgotten to add what
he was required to do. When I became a Christian, I had
to clean up my house, and do many things before I could
even expect God to do anything. Brother," he added, as he
turned to face the Negro, " didn't you find that was the case
with you? " Dr. Ironside in telling the story would smile
as he imitated the Negro, who instantly replied, " Yes, Sah,
Ah clean done forgot. Ah didn't tell you 'bout my part,
did I? Well, Ah did my part for over thirty years, running
away from God as fast as evah my feet could carry me.
That was my part. An' God took aftah me till He run me
down. That was His part."
And that about sums it up. From Eden until Olivet, from
Pentecost until the present time, God has always done the
seeking. Eternal love for sinners guarantees that sooner or
later He will arrive to knock at the door of a man's life, and
say, " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. . . . If any
man will open the door ... I will come in. .
The Meeting in Hell
My first pastor was the late Rev. Arthur Harries, whose
ministry is still recalled in the mining valleys of Wales. He
was an eloquent preacher of the Gospel, and probably did
more to mould my young Christian life than any other. Some
of his sermons, alas, were too deep for a boy's understanding;
but as a man, he was superb. I have since discovered that one
of his most effective illustrations came from The Biblical
Treasury. Arthur Harries had an extensive library, and used
it to good advantage.
A certain minister had been working hard preparing his
sermon for the following Sunday, but in some strange way
the essence of what he desired to say continued to elude him.
His text was to be, " Now is the accepted time; behold, now
is the day of salvation." Suddenly he fell asleep, to dream
that he had somehow reached the abyss in eternity. A meeting
of demons was in session, and the problem of how best
to seduce men was being debated with enthusiasm. One
demon volunteered to go to earth to deceive the mind of man.
He said, " I will tell them that the Bible is all wrong; that
its stories are legendary; that it does not mean what it says."
This idea was discarded, for the majority considered man to
be too intelligent to accept such heresy. Then another demon
offered to come to earth to say, "There is no God, no
Saviour, no heaven, no hell." But again the offer was rejected,
as it seemed highly problematical whether the majority of
earthlings would accept the denial. The entire meeting
seemed bewildered until one demon, wiser than his fellows,
rose to say, " No; I will journey to the world of men and tell
them that there is a God. I will tell them that there is a
Saviour, and a heaven and a hell. Yes, I will assure them that
this is all true; but then I will whisper in their ears that there
is no need to hurry. I will tell them there is plenty of time;
that they may enjoy the pleasures of sin first, and at some
time in the future begin thinking of eternal things." And
all the demons in hell rose to acclaim his wisdom-and then
they sent him to earth!
" Mr. Powell," said a lady to me in New Zealand, " please
pray for my husband. Unless something happens to rouse
him, he'll die. He sits week after week thinking, thinking.
He never goes out; he hardly eats, and sleep seems impos-
sible. He says God called him to be a missionary. He main-
tains that God called him to full-time service; that he refused,
stayed at home, and married, and now it's too late to do
much about it. Please pray for him." I did, but what more
could I do? The man was correct. It was too late.