Marshall University Marshall Digital Scholar Gilpin, John R., 1905-1974 Library of Appalachian Preaching 1937 Sparks from a Busy Anvil John R. Gilpin Follow this and additional works at: https://mds.marshall.edu/gilpin_johnr Part of the Appalachian Studies Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Other Religion Commons, and the Rhetoric Commons Recommended Citation Gilpin, John R., "Sparks from a Busy Anvil" (1937). Gilpin, John R., 1905-1974. 1. https://mds.marshall.edu/gilpin_johnr/1 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Library of Appalachian Preaching at Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Gilpin, John R., 1905-1974 by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. ''Sparks from Busy Anvil'' ,W By 252 . G489s JOHN R. GILPIN I - ,. I ' ' ., " " • Radio Messages from First Baptist Church Russell, Kentucky MARSHALL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY WEST VIRGINIANA COLLECTION • "Sparks from a Busy Anvil" By JOHN R. GILPIN .. • Radio Messages from First Baptist Church Russel I, Kentucky (From Moy 30, 1937-August 22, 1937 ) • To A glorious Christian cha racter, to whom I owe a debt, which H eaven alone can pay, MY BELOVED WIFE this volume is affectionately dedicat ed . • • • Foreword When I was seventeen years old, I was called into the ministry. For the past fifteen years, I have been trying to preach the Gospel. All of these thirty-two years have been spent in school: grammar, high, college, seminary, and the school of practical experience. Dur­ ing these years of schooling, I have only learned three lessons that are really worth-while. I was born a totally depraved, vicious sinner; but I did not know it. My parents say that evidences of that sinful disposition be­ gan to manifest themselves before I was three days old. The first day I went to school I rebelled at the authority of the school. I had numerous disputes with other students. Some of these disputes ended in blows. I did not know why it was that I rebelled at all authority, and defied anyone that opposed me. I went to church, but I was not interested. I was never able to understand myself until I read: "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." (Psa. 58:3). Then I read Psalm 51:5, which says: "Behold I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Later, as a beloved brother of the cross read: "For we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23), I saw myself as I was-depraved from birth, with vicious desires and unholy passions; condemned before God. Thus I learned my first lesson. Just how to rid myself of the sin I possessed, I did not know. I had attended a church of another denomination and had heard men speculate about the plan of salvation. I had heard them say with emphasis: "No man can know that he is saved until he gets to heav­ en." I had heard them sing: "'Tis a point I long to know, Oft it causes anxious thought: Do I love the Lord, or no f Am I His, or am I not f" That type of religion made no appeal to me. If I had possessed that kind of religion, I would have been no better off than I was; I was already in a state of indecision. Then, one night I sat in a Baptist church and heard the scripture: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." (I John 1:7.) Like a drowning man grasping at a straw, I laid hold of this; and sang that night with others that trusted the same Savior: 347302 "Happy night, happy night, when Jesus washed my black heart white; He taught me how to sing and shout, and be a Christian out and out, Happy night, happy night, when Jesus washed my black heart white." Then I could say with Paul: "I know whom I have believed.'· ~II Tim. 1: 12.) There was no guess-work about this. I could say with Naaman: "Now I know there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel" (II Kings 5:15). As my second great lesson, I had learned that I was a sinner saved by grace. I was so happy in the Lord that I felt this experience just could not last. I concluded that it must end some time. But, lo, it was not ended; but has grown sweeter with each passing day. Thu~ I learned my third great lesson,-that I was saved eternally, and could never be lost. This was the greatest lesson of all. Now with Paul, I say: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6); or with Peter: "Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (I Pet. 1:5) ; or still again with my blessed Lord: "No man i,; able to pluck them out of my :E'ather's hand." (John 10:29). These three lessons have meant very much to me. I preach them every time I stand before an audience. I have preached them in each of these thirteen messages of the past thirteen consecutive Sunday evenings in our radio broadcast over Station WCMI. These sermons are not attempts at polished literary productions, but are simply "sparks from a busy anvil", being reproduced here exactly as they have been given over the air. May God bless them to the good of the many who shall read them as He has the many who have heard them. JOHN R. GILPIN. September 1, 1937. Study, First Baptist Church, Russell, Kentucky. -4- Contents Page Foreword ---------------------------------------------------- 3 Eternal Life Insurance --------------------------------------- 6 Christ and His Sheep ----------------------------------------- 11 The Stage Being Set for the Closing of This World's History ____ 16 Jesus the Carpenter------------------------------------------ 23 Five Golden Links Which Make Our Salvation Eternal _________ 31· Is God Dead f ------------------------------------------- ----- 37 Life As A Structure --------------~-------------------------- 45 God's Jewels ------------------------------------------------- 54 The Conclusion of One Who Tried the World ___________________ 61 An Exposition of Matthew 23 --------------------------------- 68 The Angel's Charge to Baptists ----------------------------- --- 76 The Greatest Subject in the World for Consideration __ __________ 84 The Good Samaritan ------------------------------------------ 91 -5- Eternal Life Insurance John 10:27-29, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me : And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall a ny pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able t o pluck them out of my Father's hand." I wa nt to t ell you a bout the great est insura nce ·, policy in thE world. I am an agent for the company. I represent the King's Etern­ al Life I nsurance Company . It has headquarters in H eaven. The direc­ torate includes God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The President is the King of kings. The Genera l Agen t is t he H oly Spirit. I I want to offer some reasons why y ou should t a ke a policy in this company. First of a ll, it is the oldest. It has been doing busi• n ess for thousands of years and it has never changed its p'Olicies nor mana gement: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). "For I am the Lord, I change not" (Ma l. 3:6). It is the strongest of all insurance compa nies. It has more capital than all other companies combined, for its capita l is the "unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3 :8). It has the largest number of policy holders. In Matt. 8 :11, we read that J esus said, "Many sha ll come from the east and west , and shall sit down with Abraha m, and Isaa c, and J acob, in the kingdom of heaven" . R ev. 7: 9 speaks of, "A great multitude, which no man could number, of all na tions, and kindreds, and people, a nd tongues, stood before the throne". In R ev. 5 :11, we read, "And I beheld, and I hea1·d the v oice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders : and the number of them was t en thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." Bring on your a d­ ding machine, your posting machine, and your clerks, secretaries, a nd stenographers and try to count the redeemed; y ou will only find tha t it is "a great multitude, which no man could number" . It has no dissa tisfied policy holders. N ot one has been displeased with the benefits derived in 6000 years of the company's existence. Every one is a booster. In f act , all are anxious to get others to en­ roll. It is the only company which insures a man for more than he is -6- worth. In every company there is a limitation except in this one. How much is a man worth 1 Paul tells us, "They are together be­ come unprofitable (Rom. 3:12)". In spite of man's valuation, God insures us for Time and Eternity. You need it. How strongly God argues your need of ETERNAL LIFE INSURANCE! "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jer.