2000 Issue 4 - A Graduate's Reaffirmation of Faith in God - Counsel of Chalcedon

8/12/2019 2000 Issue 4 - A Graduate's Reaffirmation of Faith in God - Counsel of Chalcedon

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in his presence, you can rest assured that he

will then raise you up to a future of honor and

victory. For the same God who has directed

your steps to this point promises to be your God

throughout every subsequent moment ofyour

life. He will never forget you or fail to keep his

promises. Moses described Jehovah as the

faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for

a thousand generations with those who love him

and keep his commandments. His presence

and promises are the hope of your future even

as

they have been the source of blessing in the

past.

Among the many precious promises God has

made, he promises to go out to fight with you

against his enemies. His enemies are many in

our day. Their number, influence, and power

pose a.real threat to the security of God's

people both ecclesiastically and politically and

to

our own faith as well. But if God goes before

you and is for you, who can be against you?

Determine tonight that no matter how the

enemies of the cross rage against you, ridicule

and malign you for your commitment to Christ,

you will persevere in faith and obedience.

Young people who face the future confident of

God's presence will stand courageously in the

day of trouble. They will boldly say with David,

The Lord is

my

helper; will not fear: What

can man do to me? e promises to bless you.

Our cultnre is on a frantic search for happiness,

prosperity, and security. Our possession of

these in our founding days has not been com

pletely effaced from our national conscience.

And yet we will never obtain them becanse we

no longer pursue them

as

the fruits of God's

covenant promises and our national obedience to

his law, but as state guaranteed rights regard

less of personal morality. know that you

desire God's blessing upon your life. How can

you secure it? By remembering the covenant

of

your God this evening and every evening

of

your

life. Look at every decision as one of either

faithfulness to him or disloyalty to the God who

has so cared for you. Admit your sinfulness

before him, your need ofhis grace, and ask him

fOI a heart that wants to live for him above all

else. And when you rise from your prayer,

endeavor to live as becomes a child of God by

the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Robert E. Lee once said that the most impor

tant thing in life is

to

know God's will and do it.

He hit upon a fundamental truth that is

wholly neglected

in

the lives of many Christians.

The Christian's life is summarized by duty: duty

to God and man. The biblical response to

God s

grace in Jesus Christ is obedience. We gladly

surrender

to

God as his humble servants. His

precious law is our life. His pleasure is our

greatest joy. Like Enoch, the Christian

man s

greatest

joy

is to bring a smile to God s face.

Such a sense

of

duty toward God will provide

strength when those around you crumble under

pressure and temptation. t will give you bold

ness in an age of cowardice. t will give you a

future orientation when our culture lives for

immediate gratification and the church for fast

food spirituality.

Now must remind you here that the ulti-

mate goal of Christian education is to instill

within the breast of the next generation of

Christian soldiers

an

unquenchable commitment

to God 's covenant. Some today entertain the

notion that we pursue Christian education to

retreat from the sins associated with the public

schools, escape the undesirable elements

of

our

population assembled there, allow our children

to be with other Christians, or teach them about

Jesus in addition

to

math, science, and geogra

phy. While these are good and true, they do not

go far enough. They are only the fruits of

Christian education, not its reason for existence.

The heart of your Christian education has been

to teach you to walk in covenant with God in all

areas of your life. For graduates, you do not

belong to

yourselves; you are

God s

possession.

He has total claim upon your life to do to, with,

for, and through yon as he has sovereignly and

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wisely determined. In the final analysis, Chris

tian education, ofwhatever form, is successful

only to the extent that it teaches young people

that their lives belong

to

God and him alone, that

they must live for him exclusively, and that his

claims extend to every area of life, from the

prayer closet to the laboratory.

If you will

remember that lesson throughout all the subse

quent years ofyour life, all of the trials, sacri

fice, hard work, and tears of

your Christian

parents and teachers will be repaid many times

over, and more importantly, God will be given his

rightful due.

In the excitement of this moment, 2000

graduates, remember the covenant ofyour God.

Allow his grace to root out pride, self-love, and

indifference. Reflect back upon how he has

held you in his hand at every step, delivered you

from temptation and evil, and provided for your

every need. As you remember, love. Love the

Lord your God with all your heart, soul,

strength, and mind. Purpose tonight to offer

your life to him as

a living sacrifice of obedi

ence and faith.

Maintain

a Close

Walk

with Jesus

Christ

Remembrance ofGod's covenant will always

lead us to Jesus Christ. t is in him that all of

God'S promises are "yes." ,

The

Christian ife: s

therefore focused on his person and work. The

world

will do everything it can to quench your

love for him. t will depress you with its recur

ring pattern offoolish thinking, shock you with

its blatant immorality, and shame you for main

taining such old fashioned convictions.' When

these methods prove unsuccessful, it will attack

the credibility ofyour faith in the Bible, Christ's

deity, heaven and hell, and the necessity of

blood atonement.

t

is difficult and costly to be

a Christian in such times.

You

will be able to

resist godlessness and give yourself fully and

joyfully to Christ only as you establish your

complete happiness in him and consistently walk

with him every day ofyour life.

Our founding fathers recognized this.

Harvard College required its students to give

themselves to regular, daily Bible study. Why?

Because they understood that faith must be

nourished on the words ofChrist in order to

"You.

,will be able to

resist godlessness and give

'yourself

611ly

and joyfully to '

Christ only

as

you establish your

complete 'happiness in him and

consistently

walk

w ~ t h h i m v r y

day :cif your life."

survive temptation arid bear fruit. I am ~ a r f u l

however, that personal piety tragically lacking

in the lives ofmany Christian yoUng people.

They are busy with so rnany activities that

no

time remains to cultivate a 'close walk with'

Christ. Whereas they started out well; they wilt

under the challenges ofa)lti-Christian profes

sors. They lack the

inner

moral strength to

resist peer pressure

andthe

.world's priorities,

Some lose their love for the &reatbiblical

doctrines of the Pro'testant Reformation, aban

don the biblicarpri)lciples upon which this nation

waS founded,

ir tum away

froll apreaching ,

method that holds up God's

Word

as the no rID' '

rather than thejnner sptritual eXp'eriencesof,

man . And how

raieds

th,at.youngperson with

faith to overcomealfthese p.ressures'arid

to

. ' ,

become a defende\: 'ofth,e fa.ith iII the w o r k ~ '

place; college,

dOFmit9i-y

, and church. '

.'

,

The key

to

the ,Christian ['lfe

a n ~

a victorious

future is a o n s i t i t ~ n t walk with Christ. How'do

you develop

s u ~ h a w a l k ? ( l ) B y f r e q ~ e n t

' ,

medltatIon upon the depth of s'uffering and '

shame he underWent toxedeem you to God:

Never let one daYPllsswithout reflecting

p o n

the precious l o o . C o t C h r ~ s t shed for YOl, . Make

J - "

much of that bl )'o,

li

,Let the though(ofthe .

eternal Son ofGod leaving'his throne ofglory

and enduring

alife

'Ofpoverty and suffering

humble, amaze, ,and endear

yO\

to the Lord

of

glory. (2) By selting apart a,po'rtion of each day

for Bible readiiig, study and meditation, t is on

the pages of Holy Scripture that the glory of the

Son ofGod

is

revealed in allhis saving power.

If

you attend co\lege this' fall, you will need tbe '

light and o w ~ r ~ J Gocl's Word t6 r e s i ~ t va'in ' , '

philosophy, to \1u'd,erstand e';ery. academic '

subject o r r e c ~ l y , and to exterl,d h r i s t i a i J . i n f l ) 1 ~

, ,

6 - THE COUNSEL ofCha1cedon - June/July, 2000

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ence

on

your campus. f you obtain

ajob

the

Bible will provide you with principles of equity,

truth to share with coworkers, and strength to

remain faithful to Christ in the workplace. I can

predict that the degree of success in living for

Christ and advancing his kingdom will be di

rectly proportionate to the consistency of your

Bible stndy. (3) By submitting to his Lordship in

your thinking and living.

You

are Christ's

friends

if

you obey his commands. Do not think

that you will enjoy a close walk with Christ

if

you neglect obedience. Though he be your

Savior, he is also the Lord. As Lord he requires

the joyful obedience

of

his sons and daughters.

(4) By praying each day for a heart that loves

him. Prayer binds us to the throne

of

God

where Christ sits. t obtains the strength neces

sary to remain faithful to duty.

t

invigorates

the mind, will, and passions with a deeper love

for God and desire to praise him .

My friends , you must stay close to Jesus

Christ. You will never succeed in any endeavor

unless love for him is the dominating principle of

your life. In the next few days, find a quiet

place and pour out your soul to Jesus. Praise

him for his life, death, resurrection, and victori

ous ascension. Thank him for his love for you.

Repent

of

past failings and sins. Share with him

your present happiness, fears

of

the future, and

the desires

of

your heart. And ask him for the

strength to remain faithful

in

your new i r u m ~

stances and to guide you into a usefnl future in

his service.

Prepare

Yourself

for

Christian

Service and Influence

e live in an age of uncertainty. Books

predicting financial collapse and subsequent

social chaos appear with regularity. Mob

violence, murder and revolutionary tactics to

resolve our political problems show no signs

of

abating. t is not surprising that the evening

news has become a video obituarial and the

newspaper a rogue's gallery. God is judging

our land, and we are eyewitnesses

of

his wrath.

t is at such a time as this that God has blessed

you to live. In my opinion, it is not an accident

or a reason to hide until the storm passes.

t is

an exciting opportunity to see the power

of

God

and the Spirit

of

truth and revival at work in our

midst.

God has prepared you and other Christian

young people in this generation for a special

purpose. You must understand, graduates, that

you are products of a new reformation in educa

tion and theology. In place

ofthe

socialistic

education advocated

by

John Dewey, your

parents have educated

you

according to the new

covenant in Jesus Christ. Instead

of

endeavor

ing a theology ofpessimism, your pastors and

teachers have sought to instill a victory-orienta

tion in you that sees this physical world not as

the domain

of

Satan but as the playing field

upon which King Jesus will be victorious in

history. Despising mediocrity, they

have

chal

lenged you to reach your full spiritual and

academic potential. They have done this that

you might be trained from your earliest days to

unfurl the banner of Jesus Christ in v ry area

of

ife Above all else, they

want

you to avoid

compromise, cowardice, and complacency. I

call upon you this evening not to receive the

grace of God in vain. No generation

of

young

people in 100 years has received the energy,

prayers, and sacrifice that your parents, teach

ers, and churches have given for you.

Do

n"o.t

let them down.

In the first place, yOU must continue building

upon the foundation you have received in the

home, church, and school. Whether you choose

to attend college or begin working, develop a

Christian mind and outlook on life. Never tire

of studying history, theology, and practical

Christianity. Make the Word

of

God your

constant companion and dedicate

yourselfto

living its precepts. This lifestyle

of

diligent

study and hard work will require discipline and

self-denial. t will force you to make a break

with the poor work habits and personal manage

ment skills that exist in some

of

our young

people. For many

of

your professing Christian

friends are indifferent to the crisis of our age.

Their response is to immerse themselves in the

present, work to make spending money, and go

to school because it is the best thing to do .

Shame on that outlook on the part

of

Christian

young people How can we, who have been

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THE COUNSEL ofChalcedon-7


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raised as

God s

children, heirs of his covenant

promises, close .our minds and hearts to the

pitiful cries of Christendom as she.struggles

valiantly for life? How can we ever forget the

work and labor oflove bestowed upon us by the

Apostles, Augustine, Luther, Bucer, Calvin,

Winthrop, Cotton, Owen, the Hodges, Warfield,

Machen, Van Til, Murray, and all the rest?

What excuse will be given to

ou

children when

they ask why we.did not do more with the godly

upbpnging, education, and enoouragement we

received?

lfwe

refuse to prepare ourselves to

prosecute the war against ~ i l to its fullest, how

will we ever be able to justify ourselves before

the 'great cloud of witnesses that urge us

to

follow in their footsteps? Graduates, in the

name of Christ I urge you to shake off all

laziness, indifference to him, and prepare your

selves for a future

of

usefulness in his service.

Then avoid all associations that would hinder

you from realizing your filiI potential as God's

servant. You will no doubt make new friends in

the coming months and years. But be careful of

picking up the bug of carelessness that infects

so many. They would rather go to concerts, .

movies, and parties lhan plan for the reconstruc

tion of oUf land by the Word of God. They

would rather hangout than share the gospel,

read a Christian biography, or memorize Scrip

ture. I do not say that you must avoid all

friendships with them for they need your good

example offaithfulrtess to duty, and I am cer

tainly not against fun andrecreation. You must

loathe, however, a mindset that robs you

of

a

future by wasting your days of

preparation.

Choose friends who will stand boldly with you in

the day of trouble and to whom you may pledge

your sacred honor, truth, and loyalty in the great

work to which God calls you.

I would also remind you to be faithful to your

mother, the Church

ofJ

esus Christ. It.is in her

bosom that you have been nurtured and

equipped to

live

for him. Her pastors have

brought you up on their knees, have shared the

sweet love of Christ with you from your infancy,

and bave protected you from numerous dangers.

Her sacraments have supplied continual grace.

Her governnient has provided security and

stability for your life. ow it is time for you to

begin repaying her. Loyalty

to

the faithful

visible Church is loyalty to Christ, her Head.

Do not use college or work as an excuse

to be

absent from

her

services. n the contrary,

make attendance upon the.,preaching of God's

Word the top priority ofyour life. Consult your

elders with regularity. Theywill provide direc

tion and oversight at this critical stage

of

your

preparation. But above all else, love her, pray

for her peace and purity, and honor her by your

faithfulness. Remember this, my friends, that

Jesus shed his blood for his Bride. Duty de

mands and oU C cultural crisis requires you

to

love and serve her with fervency and devotion.

Finaliy, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty

power. You will come under attack. Those who

stand for principle in

an

age

of

pragmatism

always wilL So be ready for it. Remember that

it is God who goes before a faithful people

to

fight their battles. Such confidence in the Lord

will enable us to look ahead to the future .

. Realize that every time You resist temptation,

speak a word in defense of the Christian

world view, or disciple

an

individual, you are

laying one more stone in the foundation ofa

restored Church and republic.

t

will take time.

The work is so largethat you will certainly be '

tempted to despair of ultimate victory. But

remember what Je'sus said, The gates of hell

will not

be

able to prevail against you. Young

people, ifyou will remember tbe covenant

of

your God and dedicate yourself to him, ifyou

will walk hand in hand with Jesus Christ, loving

and obeying him supremely, and if you will

prepare YOufselfto be used

of

God, you will

conquer. God will use your efforts in your own

day, and in the days of

your

children, grandchil

dren, and great-grandchildren. He will crush

Satan under your feet. Your enemies, as

Malachi promised, will lick the dust in fear and

submission. May the grace

of

Jesus Christ, the

love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the

Holy Spirit abide with yon, as you seek first his

kingdom and righteousness.

8 - THE COUNSEL ofChaIcedon - June/July 2000

2000 Issue 4 - A Graduate's Reaffirmation of Faith in God - Counsel of Chalcedon

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