rtf1ansiansicpg1252deff0deflang1033fonttblf0fnilfcharset0 Georgia;f1fnilfprq2fcharset0 Padua; colortbl ;red0green128blue0; viewkind4uc1pardf0fs24 par b The Morning Star.b0 par par cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_2:18-29cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24. par par He who speaks in Jesus Himself. He spoke to His Asian Churches onceu8212?He speaks to us now. He speaks directlyu8212?He speaks from heaven. 'I, Jesus, have sent;' and again, 'Behold, I come.' He is the speaker of these sure words of prophecyu8212?'He who hat an ear, let him hear!' par par He speaks as a b promiserb0. It is to something future that He points the eye of His Churchesu8212?the things 'not seen,' the 'things hoped for,' in their sevenfold fullness and glory. His discourses on earth referred to these futurities in a very general wayu8212?and often not at all. The two great futurities of which He then spoke were, (1) the Holy Spirit, as the promise of the Father; and (2) His own return. Here His promises all pertain to the glory. He takes these things for granted, and proceeds to speak of others. par par He speaks a b giverb0. 'b Ib will give.' He has been a giver from the first. He was Himself the Father's gift, and He is the depositary of all gifts for us, present or future. All is giftu8212?even the rewards are gifts, not wages. For wages are measured by bargain, or desert, or profitu8212?but these gifts are beyond all measure and desert! par par He speaks to the b overcomersb0. Though the gifts are not wages, yet they depend on our winning a battle. They are something beyond mere salvation. In believing we are saved; but there is something more than this held out to usu8212?and that something is the reward to the fighters of the good fight. You say, 'I believe.' It is well; but is that all? No! it is but the first step. The battle now beginsu8212?and to cheer you on, the prize is hung out to view. You are not to fight for nothing. Your Captain, who leads you to victory, will share His spoils with you. He will lavish the whole treasury of His gifts upon His faithful soldiers. What will He not give of glory and honor and blessedness in His kingdom forever? par par He speaks of the b MORNING STARb0. This is His promised gift, and a very glorious one it is. Let us inquire about this 'star of the morning'. par par b (1) What is NATURALLY.b0 It is not any star that appears in the morning, but oneu8212?one 'bright particular star'u8212?a star to which the special name belongs; a star which, above all others, is known for its splendor, and is connected with the departure of the night and the arrival of the day. It is the fairest and brightest of the bright and fair; especially as it is seen rising over the Mount of Olives. It says, Night is doneu8212?day is comingu8212?the sun is about to rise. par par b (2) What is SYMBOLICALLY.b0 Christ Jesusu8212?He is the Star. 'I am the bright and morning star' (cf11ulbf1fs22 Rev_22:16cf0ulnoneb0f0fs24). He is the giver and the gift; as if He said, 'I will give him myself as the morning star.' In Him all that is comprised in the idea of morning star is found and displayed. He saysu8212?Night is just at an end; day is about to dawn; the sun is about to rise. Forerunner of dayu8212?yet also day itself. Sun of righteousnessu8212?yet also morning star. Bright and fair to look upon; attractive and glorious; joy of the traveler, or the sailor, or the night-watchman. He is the Star of Jacob; the glory, not of Israel onlyu8212?but of the earth. par par b (3) What it is PROPHETICALLY.b0 We get Christ, in believing, just now, but we do not get Him as the 'morning-star'. That is yet to come. His 'unsearchable riches' are yet to be unfolded. The day of the bringing forth of the gems and glory is yet future. It is the day of His second coming. Then it is that He rises on our world as the morning star. There are three periods to which Scripture points our eyeu8212? par par (1) the b presentb0, which it calls night, during which we get Christ as our light personally, and in that light the earnest of the future glory. 'I am the light of the worldu8212?he who believes on me shall not walk in darkness.' par par (2) the b millennialb0 period, which ends the night, and which is not yet full day. 'Joy comes in the morning.' This is the period of the morning star; the second coming; the first resurrection; the deliverance of creation; the restoration of Israel, and the kingdom of the saints. It is to this that the promise here refers, 'I will give him the morning-star;' and it corresponds with the 20th of the Revelation, 'Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.' It is something very bright and glorious, yet not perfectu8212?intermediate between night and noon. par par (3) The b eternalb0 state. There the full sun shines in its noonday glory. All is perfection; every trace of the curse is wiped away; every cloud and mist pass off; the new heavens and the new earth are manifested in their perfect glory. par par b 1. Seek to be sons of the morning.b0 In one aspect this is identical with being children of light and day. But it expresses more. Such have their special portion in the glory and freshness of the dawn. They catch the first ray of coming sunshine. The world's night will soon be doneu8212?and all whose portion is in it shall perish with it. But the morning comes! Let us seek our portion there, and, seeking it, be conformed to the glory which is then to be revealed. Live, and act, and walku8212?as sons of morning. Let the world recognize you as such. Let there be rays of dawn seen upon you. par par b 2. Live upon your future eternal prospects.b0 The 'things hoped for' are the Christian man's prospectsu8212?prospects in which there is no uncertainty, and over which there hangs no cloud. Look at them; study them; keep them constantly before your mind. Fix your eye upon the morning-star. Draw strength, joy, comfort, vigor, out of them. They are meant to yield all these. par par b 3. Live up to your future eternal prospects.b0 They are very bright, unspeakably gloriousu8212?live accordingly. Live worthy of your hope. Aim high. Set your affections on things above. Be not conformed to this world. Take up a high and true position. Forget the things behind; reach forward to that which is before. Press toward the mark. Be molded by these blessed hopes. Think of the morning, and the morning staru8212?keep separate from the night, and the men of the nightu8212?and the things of the night. par par b 4. Seek to make other partakers of your future eternal prospects.b0 Say to all you meet with, Will you go with us? We are traveling eastward to the land of the morning; for we are children of the morningu8212?will you not cast in your lot with us? Pity a dark world, and its dark childrenu8212?who have no hope and no morning before them. Point out the morning-star to them; bid them look at it; tell them what its anticipated brightness has done for you. Win souls to Christ. Draw many into the kingdom by your words and by your walk. There is little time to lose; for the coming of the Lord draws near!