The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-06-05
GODS POTENT GIFT.
Sermon on John $40 by the High
way and Byway" Preacher.
No Fairy's Talfsman or A1addin'f
Lamp Ever Wrought Half the
Blessing as Is Realized
Through Jesus Christ.
copyright, 1902, by A. N. Kellogg Newspa-
paper Col

paper So.J
Chicago,
Text: For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whose
ever believeth on Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.-John 5:lo
The telescope of the astronomer
tells us that beyond the vision OF the
natural eye there exist myriads OF
starry worlds, and we believe him,
even though we have never been PRIV
ileged to search them out for our
selves. The microscope of the sclen-
tist demonstrates tint in the water
we drink and the air we breathe there
are perfect swarms of queer and gro
tesque and hideous looking creatures
We take our glass of water and hold it
| up to the light, and as the beams OF
sunlight fash and CLINT through the
clear crystal liquid it is hard to be-
lieve that what the wise man says IS
true, yet we do accept his statement
as a declaration of fact.
| Gods Word tells us that COOS
throne is in the heavens. and that the
earth is His footstool, and if our spir-
itual vision is not holden we believe
| that it is true. Enoch walked with
| God, and he was not, for God took him.
There is brief and complete biog-
raphy recorded by God. 1t tells us OF
his earthly career. He left the earth
at the behest of God, and went where!
To the heavens where God has His
dwelling place. Elijah, when his mis-
sion on earth was fulfilled, in the Prov
idence of God, was waited to the
heavens in a chariot of fire, and Elisha
was left behind with the mantle OF
the great prophet in his hands to tell
the story. The former pupils of ELIJAH
who doubted Elisha's story, went out
to search for the translated prophet,
but found him not, but it was the priv
ilege of Peter, James and John on the
mountain in Galilee to see the Lord IN
His TRANSPORTATION talking to that
same Elijah, who so many hundreds OF
years before had walked through the
land of Palestine and warned the peo-
pie of their sins and had destroyed the
$50 prophets of Baal. "
When Jesus began His public min
: istry the heavens opened, we are told
} by Gods Word, and a voice from that
, unseen region said: "Thou art My be
, loved Son; in Thee am well pleased
= And Stephen, with his face lit up by
the glories of the Celestial Kingdom
: as he looked steadfastly towards
Z, Heaven, saw it open, and Jesus Him
| self standing at the right hand of God
5 the place which He had designated, be
{. fore His crucifxion and resurrection
E should be His abiding place until the
' fulillment of the time of the Gentlles
Y and He should leave Heaven with
S shout of triumph and return to eartf
I in the clouds of Heaven even as HI
( went from earth into Heaven.
Paul bears testimony to the fac
: that he was carried into the heavens
n and whether he was in the body o.
: out of the body he could not tell, bu
7 he heard unutterabler things and de
: clares that "eye hath not seen no
q ear heard, neither have entered int
the heart of man the things whicl
n God hath prepared for them that Low
Him." Among the last declarations o
Jesus Christ were the words, in whicl
|
O the hour of bereavement: 'In My Fa
v ther's house are many mansions. l
e it were not so I would have told you
n l go to prepare place for you. An
f if l go and prepare place for yo
f will come again and receive you unit
a Myself, that where / am there ye ma
l. be also" s~. .. t.... ...... .....-...
: Surely from the beginning of tn
q history of man, when Enoch steppe
II from earth into the glories of Heaver
q to the vision of John the Beloved, wh
:. saw the new Jerusalem being lie
q down from Heaven, we have ampl
= proof and testimony that Heaven
!, a real place, even though we canno
see it with the natural eye, and it
= the dwelling place of God, and hi
:. Christ and the hosts of angels and tn
- great company of the redeemed.
10 And so in Heaven, before the found;
= tions of the world were laid, God pu,
= nosed in His infinite heart of love
Il give to the world the rarest treasure {
u Heaven in order that earth might /
le enriched and sinful man wooed back
II Him. All Heaven was astir when til
y time drew near that the Word of Go
re the Son of God, should become fies
S. and dwell among men. Abraham, WI
had the promise of God that in his see
should all the nations of the earth I
M blessed, was among the long list
O. patriarchs and prophets of the o
&c Testament who rejoiced with ii
TO Heavenly hosts in the gift which G,
g. was going to give unto men, the fl
III fullment of all the law and the prop
cts.
ed Heavens music burst upon hum;
- ears on that first Christmas mornil
when the shepherds on the hillside
= Judea heard the glad tidings tn
u "unto you is born this day in the ci
!" Of David Saviour, which is Christ t
:. Lord" They came and worshiped t
= young child and received Him in
l.. their hearts as the long-promised M
siah. The wise men brought th'