Christian friends and co-workers in the Lord, it is with deep humility, and also a feeling of gratitude that I speak to you this afternoon on the subject which has been assigned to me, namely: THE BALANCED MESSAGE.

      By comparison I believe God's plan for our spiritual growth and development is not far different from that of His plan for the physical growth and development. Our God is a Great Planner. As we look about us, or as we study any department of science, we cannot help being impressed by the order and design which is to be seen on every hand. He planned and designed our bodies. When He had finished forming man out of the dust of the ground, He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. This body was designed to require food, air, water, light and rest, all of which God provided under a perfect plan. This was necessary for the physical well-being of man. Everybody needs and requires a regular and balanced diet. There are some foods that I like better than others. For example, I ant fond of cocoanut cream pie, but if I could have nothing else I would soon grow tired of it. My body requires a more balanced diet than is found in cocoanut cream pie alone. My health would soon be impaired if I ate only this one food. Specialists and dieticians today are constantly stressing the importance of a well balanced meal.

      It is indeed pathetic to look upon an undeveloped physical body. We view them with much pity and [59] deplore their condition. Many are weak and undeveloped today because they have not had a proper and balanced diet. In most cases this condition is brought about by the lack of food, lack of proper food, lack of exercise, cleanliness and proper care. How tragic!

      Let us now turn for a moment and consider the spiritual nature of our lives. It is much more tragic to see an undeveloped and starved spiritual body, but there are many in our day. The cause is the same, lack of food, exercise, cleanliness and proper care. In our land this condition is inexcusable. There may be times when circumstances will not permit us to obtain the proper food for our bodies, but not so concerning our spiritual bodies. No one in our land need starve himself spiritually. The Word of God is at our disposal. It is the bread of life. Each one who will, can be cleansed in the blood of the Lamb and He will continue to care for His own. The spiritual needs require a balanced diet as well as does the physical.

      We are discovering more and more each day some foods that are best for our health. Some foods that were once considered to be poison, are now used as healthful food. Years ago it was thought that tomatoes were poison. Now tomatoes and tomato juice are essentials in the well balanced diet. In like manner there are those in the brotherhood that consider certain portions and teachings of God's Word to be dangerous, or poison. Most usually upon investigation it will be found that this is the portion of God's Word that you need most.

      Another says that there are certain portions of the [60] Bible that we can't understand, therefore we should let it alone. Friends, suppose we took that same attitude concerning our daily food. We would never take a bite if we had to understand and know all about the vitamins, minerals and other substances in our daily food. "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work." II Tim. 3:16, 17.

      "For when by reason of time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But solid food is for fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil." (Heb. 5:12-14.)

      In Acts 20:27 we find that the apostle Paul shrank not from declaring to his people the whole counsel of God. Friends, I consider this to be the WELL BALANCED MESSAGE. Let us all declare the whole counsel of God.

      The unbalanced spiritual message brings the same results as an unbalanced diet, namely: undernourishment, malnutrition, hunger, nausea, bitterness, starvation, stomach sores such as, indifference, anger, wrath, factions, jealousies, divisions, etc. Often, new converts are driven away from the church, become [61] discouraged and never return to serve the Lord. They become fed up with the messages they have been receiving. Too full of one kind and starving for the food they really need. Not far from here, two fine, capable, godly men were presented by a congregation to be appointed as elders. I know these men and consider them to be fully qualified. But a minister comes along with a message that they are unfit for the eldership because they believe in supporting a home for orphan children. (These men have been supporting our home at Sellersburg). The result in this particular congregation is, some are fed up with this sort of message, and have grown indifferent to the church and the work of the Lord. They are starving for the lack of well-balanced, spiritual messages from the Word of God, the Bread of Life.

      Suffer another illustration. A certain minister visited a congregation for the first time. One of the elders there could hardly wait until he had aired and talked about all the church troubles. This was the first thing he always did when anyone new came to the community. The result in that home is that his son was FED UP with that kind of religion. He is over fifty years old today and has never obeyed the gospel. This father had been very careful to provide the proper food for the physical growth and development of his son, but starved his soul spiritually until that son has no hunger or thirst for righteousness. What a shame! What a tragic situation! I suppose that father yet wonders why his dear boy has no interest in the church. The answer is that the food he got made him sick. May I urge again that we break the Bread of Life to our listeners by faithfully [62] declaring the whole counsel of God.

      1. The main subject matter should be Jesus Christ and him crucified.

      The apostle Paul said, "I am determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified." Again, "God forbid that I should glory in anything save the cross of Jesus Christ." When Peter preached the first gospel sermon on Pentecost, the subject matter was Jesus. The same was true when Philip preached to the Ethiopian eunuch. He preached unto him, Jesus. The apostles went about every day, in the temple and at home, ceasing not to teach and to preach Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 5:42.) This is the message that is badly needed today.

      2. It should be filled with the Word of God.

      Those that were scattered abroad when the persecution arose in Jerusalem, went about preaching the word. The Bible is our guide. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It is not within man that walketh to direct his own steps. The admonition of Paul to young Timothy was to preach the word. What a shame it is for some minister to waste precious time and miss an opportunity to save souls. This is what he does when he fails to declare the whole counsel of God.

      3. It should point people to Christ instead of to the preacher.

      Let us all strive to save souls of sinful men rather than save our sermons, or our popularity. Salvation can be had through the shed blood of Him who died for us. Let us hide behind the cross and present Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of sinful men. [63]

      Before a great audience two men were to quote the 23rd Psalm. One speaker was a great orator with a well trained voice, an elocutionist. The other man was a meek and humble preacher of the Word. The great orator was first and when he had finished there was a great applause. The people said, "What an orator!" Then the man of God in humility and meekness quoted the same words. When he had finished, there was no applause, but instead there was deep reverence, many tears, and the people were saying, "What a Shepherd!" The great orator then stood up and said, "Herein lies the difference. I know the 23rd Psalm, but this preacher knows the Shepherd." Our messages should help people to know God better and His Son, Jesus Christ.

      4. The well-balanced message should picture God's hatred of sin and His love for sinners.

      The cross in itself pictures to us just how much God hates sin, but at the same time it gives us a clear view of His great love for those in sin. These two thoughts must be incorporated in the well-balanced message. God's love, grace, mercy and kindness are essentials in the message we proclaim. Yes, it is necessary to preach some hell-fire and damnation, picturing the wrath of God upon all unrighteousness and ungodliness, but let it always be made known that except for the love and grace of God, we would all receive of His wrath. We see again that it is important that we declare the whole counsel of God.

      5. It should prepare our people for days of trial, temptation and Satanic influences.

      Such days are sure to come to every Christian. Our messages should not only teach people how to be [64] saved, but also teach them of the power to help them stand against the wiles of the devil. It is very noticeable in our day that many converts soon grow cold and indifferent, and become negligent in the work. This should not be. The Psalmist said, "Thy word have I laid up in my heart that I may not sin against Thee." Jesus met the tempter and overcame him with the Word of God by saying, "It is written," etc. The well-balanced message should reveal something of the keeping power of Christ. The doctrine of His intercessory work will help along this line.

      6. It should be the kind of message that will cultivate an appetite for God and His word above everything else.

      No one ever attains unto the best success, or wins the greatest victory in the Christian life until he comes to the place where he can say, "I will put Jesus first in my life." In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, "Seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you." Matt. 6:33. We reach after victory in our Christian walk only by hungering and thirsting after righteousness. If we have this appetite, we shall be filled. God's ministers should proclaim such messages so as to cultivate this appetite. Again, the whole counsel is the answer. This will help people to put the spiritual things above the material, and the soul above the body.

      7. This message should have the substance and quality to supply the needed strength for growth and development.

      This thought was set forth in the beginning of the lesson. Men should be fed such spiritual food as will [65] cause them to become fullgrown men. There are entirely too many babes and weaklings in the Church today. Only those who do the feeding can be blamed. How important it is that we feed them carefully!

      8. It should be seasoned with love.

      I like well seasoned food. If it isn't well seasoned it is disliked. There is no better way to season messages than with love. Love will will the victory when all other methods fail. Why not follow our Master and the example He gave us along this line. He was always loving and compassionate toward those who were in need. May each of us strive to deliver our messages with the same, loving, compassionate spirit of Christ Jesus.

      Permit this illustration. Picture a godly mother feeding her babe. She draws the little one to her bosom and gives of her very strength for the growth and development of the child. But there is something else in that mother's bosom far more valuable. It is love. She feeds the baby because she loves him. Her food is seasoned with tender love.

      Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another." Again, "All people shall know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another." Those that hear us should be able without any difficulty, to see a deep manifestation of genuine love flowing from our hearts as we feed them from the Bread of Life.

      9. It should be garnished with meekness, sincerity, and holy living.

      Dishes of food are often made more appetizing by decorating and garnishing. This helps to create a desire for the food. Even a food that you don't like [66] can sometimes be made so attractive and tempting that you just can't refuse it.

      I know of no better way for a preacher to make his preaching more attractive, or to cause his people to have a better appetite for the word, than to garnish his message with his own consecrated life. Paul told Timothy, "Take heed to thyself and to thy teaching." Many have failed to accept the true message because the minister's life and character are known to be questionable. If the world is to be brought to Jesus, it will be mostly due to the righteous lives and holy living of God's people. Edgar A. Guest wrote a poem that is very fitting here. It is entitled, "Sermons We See."

      10. Finally, the well-balanced message should hold forth THAT BLESSED HOPE.

      I don't know of anything that will leave a sweeter taste in the month of a believer that that of [68] entertaining the thought of that blessed hope we have in Christ Jesus. This may not be the dessert dish of our message, but it is the dessert dish of our lives. It is the climax, the consummation of our hope. "Christ shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him unto salvation." Heb. 9:28. Let us not fail to teach this blessed truth. No message is complete or well balanced without it. Again, you see the necessity of declaring the whole counsel of God.

      In closing this message this afternoon, I know of no better portion to use than that found in Titus 2:11-14.

      "For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world; looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ: who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works."

      Brethren, fellow-ministers and co-laborers in the Lord, I thank you for this great honor and privilege of speaking to you on this occasion, and for your kind attention. Now, may we depart from this great and inspiring meeting purposing in our hearts with that we will shrink not, from declaring the whole counsel of God. This and this only can rightly be termed, "THE BALANCED MESSAGE." [69]

[LM 59-69]