The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-25
''CHRIST'S MISSION
TO SAVE AND BLESS"
Interesting Sermon at St. Johns
Methodist Church.
DR.. BRONCOMB'S SUBJECT
Inspiration Taken from Corinthians
Jesus the King of Kings Possess
ed of Divine Power-Prepar-
ing Mansions in the Sky

At st. Johns Methodist church yesterday
morning Rev. L. c. Branscomb the pastor,
preached an interesting and appropriate
sermon, taking for his text the words. For
ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though He was rich, yet for your
sakes He became poor that ye through His
poverty might be rich" II. Corinthians,
viii, 8.
1.-THE coming of the Lord Jesus among mon
Is the great event in all history" declared
Dr. Branseomb. There have been many
other events that have offered great things,
but nothing to compare in Importance with
this event. The discovery of the western
Continent was one of the greatest events the
world has known, but if you will closely
examine the history of the world you will
say with mo that no event since the begin
ming of time can be compared with the
coming of Jesus Christ among men, TO save
and to bless.
"satan, knowing something before hand
of Gods purpose, sent red handed murder
ers to murder and STAY the young Christ
At His birth the angels sang glory in the
highest, peace on earth, and good will to
men.
paul exclaims He was Before the be-
ginning referred to by Moses in Genesis, He
was! And this text sweeping through the
intervening ages touches the present.
Though He was rch yet he became poor
The word rich, in Paul's day, conveyed to
the people everything.
Divine in His Nature
Jesus was divine in His nature cried
the speaker, "or also He was blasphemer
or man insane. He claimed to be God.
He declared before Abraham, I was He
prayed, Father, glorify me- A man to
make such utterances as these was either
crazy or an imposter and basphemer.
"Let us read the sermon on the mount
This is full of divine thought. There is not a
man in all the world that now dares charge
Jesus with blasphemy. Ingersoll said that
if he had lived in Jesus day he would have
heen His follower. Jesus no other than
the second person in the Trinity; the Prince
of Heaven; the King of kings; with all the
attributes that attain to the Deity; all
power in heaven and on earth was His. He
spake and celestial beings began their ex-
istence; all moved at His bidding.
"Where," asked the speaker, 'is the man
who can live without help from without?
We must have help from without. Christ
was rich in His divine nature. He needed
nothing To look at the sun dazzles US.
1t is but one of the mansions in the heav-
ems. All are His. He is rich in His own
creation. The cattle of thousand hills
are His; the riches of men belong to Him.
In His omniscience He takes away, and
some day we will have to give an account
of our use of what we have.
''He who has a friend" earnestly insisted
the speaker, "a genuine friend, Is not a
poor man. 1 care not for his financial con-
dition, or how few of this worlds goods he
has. David was rich in the love of Jona-
than. Damon was rich through the love
for him of Pythias. The man who has
friend like Pythias is not poor. Contrast
what Jesus left and what He came to- He
did not make His advent into the world in
a palace, but in a manager.
Temptations Were In His Way
"As the sparks fly upward cried the
sneaker, $50 is 1T natural for US to do
wrong. Christ had adj the temptations
that we now have. He may not have had
a dollar in the world, and oftimes He was
hungry. He would go to the home of some
friend, to Martha or to Mary, to receive
food So far as we know He had not a
prominent man following him. Nicodemus
and Joseph confessed Him, 1t is true. but it
was after His death. The rabble charged
Him with all manner of crime. Why was
it THAT He bore His sufferdngs meekly
and without complaining at all?
TASK the little child why it is that her
mother tolls and saves, and denies herself
the comforts of life. If the child should
ask her mother why she does this, the an
swer will be, For your sakev Let the
son ask of his father why 1T is that he,
the father, looks seedy and threadbare
and denies himself everything, and the
answer again will be, For your sake, son;
for your sake!'
DIR. Branscomb here drew a beautiful il
Illustration Of self-sacrifice, citing the case
of Cidney Carton, the hero in Dickens
''Tale of Two Cities" "Our Lord" said
the speaker, "tells US that He has gone to
prepare place for us. 1 don't believe He
has been idle since He was here on earth
II has been preparing homes in heaven
mansions in the sky for those who love
Him and keep His word. One moment of
heaven is worth all else, and it was that
we should lbe saved that Jesus died.
Though He was rich He became poor.
and for our sakes.'"