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Scripture Reading: Eph. 2:11-12
Ephesians 2:11 and 12 say, “Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, those who are called uncircumcision by that which is called circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that you were at that time apart from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” I would like to impress you with these three short phrases: apart from Christ, having no hope, and without God. When a man is apart from Christ, he has no hope. Do you have Christ? Is Christ within you? Those who are apart from Christ, who have no hope, and who are without God are pitiful.
Still, we humans are the most wonderful creatures on this earth. We have a mind to think, emotions to love, and a heart to desire things. Moreover, we have something even deeper than the heart, that is, our inmost part, the human spirit, to seek something better, higher, and more important. That something is the very God. Many times when I was alone, I considered a little about man and said, “How wonderful he is! He can do many things. He can study. He can invent. He can even get a doctoral degree.” However, I would ask you, what is the real meaning of human life? What is the real meaning of the life of such wonderful persons that you are? Why are you existing on this earth? Is it only for clothing, eating, and sleeping? In past generations, in century after century, many thoughtful people, philosophers, and wise and learned men did their best to find the answer. We can find many books in the libraries written by these wise men, telling us this and that. However, none of those answers is satisfactory, because they all neglect the source of man.
What is the source of man? God the Creator is the source. Man was created by God. In order to know the purpose of something, we need to go to the manufacturer, the maker, and ask him why he made it. If we did not know what a soft-drink bottle is, we might consider it to be strange yet meaningful. We would ask for what purpose it was made. Someone might say, “I do not know. Maybe it is to hit people with, or maybe it is for children to play with.” I would respond, “Sir, you had better go to the maker and ask him for what purpose he manufactured this strange thing. To be sure, he will tell you that he purposely made it as a vessel to contain something.”
Romans 9 tells us that we human beings are vessels made by God. God is the Potter, and we are the clay, and out of clay God made us as vessels. We know that a vessel is a container to contain something. A bottle is a vessel, and a cup is also a vessel, a container. Even a light bulb is a vessel to contain electricity. If the purpose of a light bulb was not to contain electricity, it would indeed be a strange thing. It looks like a ball, but it is not good to play with. What would be the use of it? It would be useless, just a waste. Today, however, we know that a light bulb is not only useful but important. It contains electricity, expresses the light of electricity, and brings all of us into the light.
We too were made by God as vessels, containers, but what were we made to contain? This is a real problem. A soft-drink bottle is a vessel to contain soft drink, a cup is a container for juice at breakfast time, and a light bulb is a container to contain electricity. As containers made by God, are we made to contain and absorb knowledge? No, because we know that knowledge does not satisfy. The more knowledge you gain, the more emptiness you sense. Then what were we made to contain, receive, and absorb? It is hard for many people to say.
Friends, there is no need for me to argue with you, and there is no need for me to prove to you that in this universe, even today so close to you, so near to you, is God Himself. Today He is Christ; He is the Savior, the Lord Jesus. He is the very God. He is like the air, and He is like radio waves. He is everywhere, omnipresent, and He is waiting for you. You were made purposely as a vessel to contain Him.
I can illustrate this in the following way. Look at ourselves. We have ears, eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Within we have a mind and a stomach. With our mouth we take in water and food, and then we store the water and food in our stomach. With our ears we receive music, voices, and songs. With our eyes we apprehend the colorful scenery, and with our nose we take in sweet odors. Suppose that you are thirsty, but there is no water. What shall you do? You can do nothing but die. Suppose that you are hungry within, but there is no food supply on the whole earth. What can you do? Again, you can do nothing but die. Do you realize that today you have a spiritual thirst and a spiritual hunger within you? This thirst and this hunger can never be quenched or satisfied by anything other than God Himself in Christ.
Regardless of how much wealth you gain, what kind of degree you obtain, and what kind of position or rank you attain, if you do not have Christ within, there is a real thirst and a real hunger within you. Praise the Lord, He created us in such a way! He created a spirit within us so that we may contact Him and receive Him. You have such an organ. In a little radio there is a receiver; it is a receiving “organ.” Why did someone make this receiver? It was made purposely to receive radio waves. Why is there a part—very deep within your being—that is always thirsty and hungry? Why is it that the richer you get, the more hunger you have within? It is because there is a receiving organ within you created purposely by God. That is the human spirit. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit, in the human spirit. You have a spirit within you. Day by day that is your problem. If you did not have a spirit, you would not have this deeper thirst and hunger. It is because God created a spirit within you as a receiving organ that you are always hungry and thirsty for something deeper and something higher. That something deeper and higher is God Himself in Christ.
In 1937, when I was preaching the gospel in Nanking, China, a smart, modern, highly cultured young lady came to me and said, “Mr. Lee, I like what you have preached. I appreciate it, and I would like to believe, but I am afraid of one thing. From my youth I have gone to the opera to see the dramas. This is my habit and a part of my makeup. I am afraid that after I receive Christ, I will have no more liberty to go to the opera. I want Christ, yet I do not want to give up the opera. Please tell me, after I become a Christian, can I still go to the opera?” To answer that question was a real problem. I realized that if I answered no, then she would not become a Christian, but if I said that it does not matter, she would be wrongly encouraged. She had her son with her, a boy about four years old. I said, “Suppose this little boy had a sharp knife in his hand. That is very dangerous. What would you do to get rid of the knife?” She said it would be easy. She would simply throw some candy on the floor, and the boy would take it. Then if she put some delicious fruit down, the boy would drop the knife and pick up the fruit. I said, “You are right. Why would this boy want to take the knife? It is because his hands are empty. Why do you like the opera so much? It is because you are empty. One day when you are filled with Christ, with the better ‘candy,’ you will drop what is not as good. There is no need for me to tell you whether or not you still can go to the opera. If you receive Christ, you will know. You are empty, so you are desirous of many things to fill up the void. However, nothing can fill up the void within you but Christ. You have to receive Christ. Christ is the only One who can fill.” At this point the woman was saved.
Friends, you have heard that God is gracious. Moreover, Christ is omnipresent. He is even at your mouth waiting for you to call Him “Lord Jesus.” He is waiting at the door of your heart for you to receive Him. Oh, just open your heart and tell Him, “Lord Jesus, I need You. This morning I make a decision to receive You.”
Here is a little secret. Twenty-six years ago I was preaching the gospel at a college. After four days of preaching, a very learned man, who was a judge in the local court, came to me and said, “I am very interested in what you have been preaching, but I do not know how to get it.” I said, “Sir, to contact or receive anything you have to use the right organ. If you are going to receive music, you have to exercise your ears. If you are going to take in the beautiful scenery, you have to exercise your eyes. Suppose there is a sweet odor here. If you do not exercise your nose, but merely use your eyes to look at the odor, where would the odor be? You may say, ‘You are lying. There is no odor because I cannot see it.’ The reason you cannot substantiate the odor is that you are using the wrong organ. If you use your nose, then right away you will substantiate the very substance of the odor. In order to substantiate any substance, you have to exercise the right organ. God is a Spirit. You cannot substantiate Him by your thinking or by your looking around. You have to substantiate Him by your spirit. Forget about your thinking. Close your eyes, and open your heart and your spirit. Simply say, ‘Lord Jesus, my God, my Savior!’ Right away you will sense the reality of Christ within you. You will substantiate the reality, the substance of Christ, within you.”
Friends, there is no need for us to say any more. Now is the time for you to make the decision for Christ, to open yourselves to receive Christ as the reality. He is the living and omnipresent Spirit, and you have a spirit, not only a body and a mind, not only a soul, but a spirit deep within you. Forget about your body, forget about where you are, and forget about your mind and emotion. Simply open yourselves from your inmost part to this Christ who is waiting at your heart and at your mouth. Simply open to Him and say, “Lord Jesus, I accept You this morning.” You will contact Him, and He will contact you. Please make such a vital decision for Christ at this time. It is a glory to make a decision for Christ. Do not hesitate, and do not lose this opportunity. He is waiting, and He is knocking at your heart. Receive Him, and receive Him now.
