St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-11-15
WORKSHOP OF GOD.
Place Where the Omnipotent Skill Is
Building Humanity Anew.
Dry Bones of Mans Moral Failure
Made to Live Again in Christ j esus
Sermon by the 'Highway and
Byway" Preacher.
copyright, 1902, by A. N. Kellogg News
paper Col

copyright, 1902, by A. N. Kellogg News
paper Col
Chicago 1902.
Text: For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them. '-Ephesians. 2:10.
The Workshop.-A workshop is a
place where raw material is taken
and the finished product turned out.
Our text makes the declaration that
the Christian is the workmanship of
God. He has taken the natural man
and by His marvellous, wonder-working
power He has created him anew in
Christ Jesus. This thought of Gods
receiving the raw material of perish
able human life and turning out a
finished product for eternity is sug-
gestive of workshop wherein this
marvellous process takes place. Did
you ever go through a manufacturing
plant? What busy place it was. The
hum of the whirling wheels, the click
and grind and pound of the machinery
and the busting, busy workmen, all
told story of something being
wrought. Youwere first shown the piles
and piles of crude, raw, unshapen mate
rails bearing no resemblance whatever
to the delicate and beautiful piece of
machinery being packed for shipment
in the shipping room. Step by step you
saw the process by which the raw mate
rial was cut and nodded and shapen
into the complete, perfectlyworking
machine which was to be sent out on a
mission of usefulness. At each ma
chine you observed that some part of
the raw material was clipped. or
shaved, Or filed or bored away and left
in the scrap box below, while the part
upon which the workman was expend-
ing his skill and energy became more
shapely with every turn of the ma
chine. Every part of the plant, every
machine bore an essential and neces-
sary relationship to the finished ma
chine which was capable of doing the
work for which it was created.
We turn to the conception Of the
spiritual workshop in which God oper-
ates. and find that close parallel ex-
lists between it and the workshop in
which man operates. In the unseen
realm of Gods activity He has estab-
ished His workshop. We cannot know
all the marvellous and beautiful mys-
terry of that wonderful and busy place,
but it is our privilege to behold on
every hand the raw materials of mis-
spent and misdirected human lives
which are taken into Gods workshop
and then to see the finished product of
transformed lives sent forth to per-
form good work. When we. see the
drunkard lifted out of the gutter and
by the transforming power of God
made useful and honored member OF
society; when we see the vicious and
criminal stripped Of their evil pro-
pensities. and filled with new spirit and
purpose; when we see the willful, self
centered expand under the Divine
touch and reach out with His love to
serve a lost. dying humanity; when
we see earthly ambitions and hopes of
the human heart exchanged for the
certainty of eternal riches and honor
and glory; when we see dark and cloud
ed brows transformed into counten-
ances beaming with heavenly light;
when we see burdened hearts and lives,
crushed under the weight of earthly
cares and responsibility, mounting up
into the heavenlies on the wings of
faith: when we see all this, and more,
then we know that great work has
been wrought by the unseen hand OF
God-that the omnipotent forces OF
His workshop have been in blessed
operation. What are these forces?
Gods workshop is co-partnership
affair. consisting of God the Father.
God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.
Perfect harmony and cooperation ex-
lists between this triune management.
God the Father. if we may reverently
so declare, is the Founder and Head
Manager of this spiritual workshop.
God the Son is. the Pattern after which
all lives coming into the workshop are
nodded and formed. But He is more
than this. He is the vitalizing force,
the transforming power which, per-
meating the raw material of the dead
soul. creates it anew in Him. God the
HOLY Ghost is the Active Agent through
whose operation the work OF the Fa-
Their and the Son is made possible. AS
the Special Representative OF the Son,
Jesus Christ, He goes out into the
world soliciting material for Gods
workshop. He convicts the world OF
sin. of Righteousness and Judgment.
Having convinced the soul OF the need
If being created anew in Gods work
shop He returns with the soul to help
carry on that blessed operation.
The Raw Material.-Our text sets
before us attractively the finished
product of Gods grace-a soul bear
ing the impress of the Divine hand.
Think of it! The painting of a
Raphael can be identified by the mas
ter strokes of the brush and the superb
coloring. The graceful lines OF the
sculptured figure reveal to certainty
the sensitive touch and marvellous skill
Of a Michael Angelo. The soul-inspir-
ing lines as they tell off in musical
RHYTHM life's story of love and devo-
tion. of tragedy and sorrow. OF deep
rooted vllIainy and exalted hero1sm
and self-sacrifice, bear the positive
marks of the creative genius OF a
Shakespeare. And the new creature in
christ Jesus which God turns out from
His workshop. shines forth in resplen n
dent glory as the product of His handi-
work. "For we are His workmanship.
created in Christ Jesus unto good
.,,e. Rut what of the raw mate
rails out Of which have been evolved
+bie wonderful Divine creation?
The painting Of Raphael it traced
l.ck to it's elements was but collec-