VANCE HAVNER AND HIS WISDOM

BY W.F. BELL

I have a large picture of Vance Havner hanging on the wall of my study. Evidently taken at his home, he is seated with an open Bible in his hand, with a slight grin. Havner (1901-1986) was like Peter and John, having much "boldness," and also like them, when it was said the religious leaders of their day "took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). An apt description of Havner! How we miss such preachers as this North Carolina prophet. As we note here some of Vance Havner's wisdom, the big question we must ask ourselves is, Does the world take knowledge of us that we too have "been with Jesus"? Combining his country upbringing with his "open Bible," Havner's true wisdom came from "Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (I Corinthians 1:24). May Christ fill our lives with His wisdom also.

SANCTIFIED COMMON SENSE
"The plainest man who is right with God will make decisions by sanctified common sense that PhD's will never arrive at."

RELIGIOUS SHOP-TALK
"When I listen to the shop-talk in religious gatherings, when I watch the scramble for top seats in the synagogue, when I behold the wire-pulling and politicking for posh pastorates, I cannot make the modern tune fit the Bible words."

CHRIST AND CHRISTIANS
"The issue is Christ. Not the Christ of modernism -- that is a false Christ. Not the Christ of party -- simply Jesus Christ Himself. To know Him and to make Him known, that is enough. The New Testament speaks of being called Christians -- there is our name."

AMAZED OR AMUSED?
"Once we stood amazed at worship in the presence of the Lord. Now a generation bred on entertainment wants to sit amused. What was once an experience has become a performance and the church must put on a show."

SPECTATORS, NOT PARTICIPANTS
"Americans are a generation of spectators. They sit, thousands strong, in a football stadium. Then they go to the movies and thrill to the sham of Hollywood. On Sunday some of them go to church, and once again they are spectators before whom the minister is expected to perform. Many of them have no more intention of doing anything about the sermon than they intend to act out the movies. They are spectators, not participants."

CORNBREAD AND MILK
"On the little farm where I grew up we kept a cow and mother milked the cow each late afternoon. The wood thrush was always at his best at that time and mother called him the milking-time bird. How sweet his vespers as I, a hungry little country boy, waited for my supper of cornbread and milk! A lot of water has run under the bridge since then. This young generation never heard of milking time; they know only about milk in cartons."

Precious memories, how they linger!
How they ever flood my soul!

TRUE GRACE--JONATHON EDWARDS

(Jonathon Edwards is known for being perhaps the greatest theologian in American history. He was instrumental in the great Awakening in New England. He was a preacher famous for preaching "Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God". This was a sermon that moved many, and which God was pleased to use to bring many to Himself. We likely will place it here soon. here is a smaller, but profound quote for you.)

Though true grace has various degrees, and there are some that are but babes in Christ, in whom the exercise of the inclination and will, towards divine and heavenly things, is comparatively weak; yet everyone that has the power of godliness in his heart, has his inclinations and heart exercised towards God
and divine things, with such strength and vigor that these holy exercises do prevail in him above all carnal or natural affections, and are effectual to overcome them: for every true disciple of Christ "loves him above father or mother, wife and children, brethren and sisters, houses and lands: yea, than his own life."

GOD'S PURPOSE--MATTHEW HENRY

"God makes what use He pleases of men, of mighty men, of those that act with the greatest freedom; and, when they think to do as they please, He can overrule them and make them do as He pleases. Nay, in those very things wherein they are serving themselves, and look no further than that, God is serving His own purposes by them and making them to perform all His pleasure. Rich princes shall do what poor prophets have foretold"

TWO MEDITATIONS BY JOHN FLAVEL

Puritan pastor John Flavel (1628-1691) was the son of a dissenting pastor Richard Flavel who died in 1665 of the plague while in prison. Like so many of the Puritans, John Flavel was a deep student of God's word. He pastored in Dartmouth, England and some of his writings concerning Christ are the sweetest in the vast Puritan legacy. Perhaps his best known works are Keeping the Heart, The Fountain of Life Opened, and The Mystery of Providence.

CHRIST, THE CHIEF OBJECT OF OUR LOVE

How worthy is Jesus Christ of all our love and delights? You see how infinitely the Father delighteth in him, how he ravishes the heart of God; and shall he not ravish our hearts? I present you a Christ this day, able to ravish any soul that will but view and consider him. O that you did but see this lovely Lord Jesus Christ! Then would you go home sick of love: surely he is a drawing Saviour, John 12: 32.

Why do ye lavish away your precious affections upon vanity: None but Christ is worthy of them: when you spend your precious affections upon other objects, what is it but to dig for dross with golden mattocks? The Lord direct our hearts into the love Of Christ. O that our hearts, loves and delights did meet the heart of God in this most blessed object! O let him that left God’s bosom for you, be embosomed by you, though yours be nothing to God’s; he that left God’s bosom for you, deserves yours.

CHRIST, ESSENCE OF ALL DELIGHTS

Christ is the very essence of all delights and pleasures, the very soul and substance of them. As all the rivers are gathered into the ocean, which is the meeting-place of all the waters in the world, so Christ is that ocean in which all true delights and pleasures meet.

LESSONS FROM BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

SCRIPTURE MEDITATIONS BY W.F. BELL

Many of us in the modern church often feel like the Jews who were carried captive to Babylon (Psalm 137). There, under the divine chastisement, they hung their once-tuned harps upon the willows in that desolate land. Their anti-Jehovah captors mocked them (adding to their misery), requesting of them a song of mirth. But, note their sad reply: "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" It was impossible, since the once-favored nation was separated from their beloved Jerusalem. "Better to hang their harps on willows than profane them to the service of idols," said C. H. Spurgeon.

We too weep in the modern church and are in mourning as we remember our beloved Zion! How jealous we all should be for the honor and prosperity of Christ's church! We long, with those ancient Jews, for the restoration of songs of praise to the eternal Yahweh! We care nothing for fleshly praise and worldly applause in the "trendy" church of our day. And we too plead, as those ancient castaways, for God to truly arise in retribution, casting out our enemies. Anti-christs abound in our day, but not too many for our holy God to "cast out." But only real, heaven-sent revival will ever conquer our foes and brighten our days!

The world of the ungodly absolutely hates true religion (the gospel of Christ) -- and God's people must hate all false religion. There can be no compromise, and we must ever be praying, "Remember, O Lord." Our hearts may be heavy with the burlesque show in the modern church, but we must never stop crying out to God for Him to arise! When the prophets spoke to the nation, even in their darkest hours, the people were encouraged by the prospects of coming revival. In the very next Psalm, we are told that we must continue to be seekers and worshipers of our great God, no matter the difficulty of our circumstances: "I will praise Thee with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praise unto Thee. I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth; for Thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name" (Psalm 138:1-2). Those are strong, positive declarations, for in the Lord Jesus Christ alone do we have hope!

QUOTE FOR THE DAY
"We must rend our own clothes if we wear the garment of God." Vance Havner

IT IS CHRIST-- CHARLES SPURGEON

Remember, sinner, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ (though that is the instrument)—it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not to thy hope, but to Christ, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Christ, the Author and Finisher of thy faith. And if thou doest that, ten thousand devils cannot throw thee down. . .

There is one thing which all of us too much becloud in our preaching, though I believe we do it unintentionally--namely, the great truth that it is not prayer, it is not faith, it is not our doings, it is not our feelings upon which we must rest, but upon Christ and on Christ alone!

We are apt to think that we are not in a right state, that we do not feel enough instead of remembering that our business is not with self, but Christ. Let me beseech thee, look only to Christ; never expect deliverance from self, from ministers, nor from any means of any kind apart from Christ; keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His agonies, His groans, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession be fresh upon thy mind. When thou wakest in the morning, look to Him; when thou liest down at night, look to Him.

CHRIST OUR ALTAR-MATTHEW HENRY

I have used this one before over a year ago. I like it so well that I thought I would share it again, in case some missed it. Matthew Henry is always worth reading in my humble opinion.(cw)

This brazen altar was a type of Christ dying to make atonement for our sins. The wood had been consumed by the fire from heaven, if it had not been secured by the brass; nor could the human nature of Christ have borne the wrath of God, if it had not been supported by a divine power. Christ sanctified himself for his Church, as their altar, John 17:19; and by his mediation sanctifies the daily services of his people, who also have a right to eat of this altar, Hebrews 13:10; for they serve at it as spiritual priests. To the horns of this altar poor sinners fly for refuge when justice pursues them, and there they are safe in virtue of the sacrifice there offered.