The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-16
Rev. Morton c. Pearson breaches on
"Christ, Our Example,"

Rev. NJ c. Pearson yesterday morning
at the First Friends Church preached on
the text, Tempted in all points like we
are, yet without SIM Heb. iv. Is. His SUBJ
ject was, Christ Our Example" He said
in part: Every great movement in the
worlds history has been inspired and led
by some powerful personality. When the
time was ripe for the delverance of Israel
from Egyptian slavery, Moses. the great
statesman and general, became the emanci-
pator and builder of the nation of the
jews. Inc striking personality of David
brought the Jewish nation to the very
forefront In influence and power. AT the
very heart Of the restoration movement
after the exile, is to be found a Nehemiah,
full of a fiery zeal for Gods cause. That
strange movement known as the crusades,
had for its inspiration that strikingly odd
ciate George Fox with Quakersm; John
Wesley with Methodism; George Washing
ton with American independence; Abraham
Lincoln with the abolition of slavery. All
this is true of Christianity. We no longer
consider Christianity a mere scheme of
doctrine or system of philosophy, but a his
round the striking personality of Jesus
Christ, the divine man. He has become
the central figure of the worlds history.
He has received the thoughtful, reveren.
tial attention of mankind. More books
are written about Him than in any other
age of the world.
Our text this morning alludeS to Jesus
Christ and sets Him forth as a man of
like passions and temptations as we our
selves. But declares that, though He was
tempted in all points like as We are, yet He
was without sin. We are inclined TO feel
that such a character is unapproachable,
so masterful, so strong, pure and inno
cent, and yet we are enjoined TO be like
Him To follow Him, to conform our life
to His, to be perfect even as He is. Does
such perfection lie within the range of our
possibilities? is the question before us this
Christ is spoken of sometimes as our
model. He is not that. but is our 'ex-
ample. A distinction should be made be-
tween these terms. They are never con-
vertible. We may copy the outline of a
picture. but we initiate the spirit of an
example. A copyist never becomes great
of us to spend our life copying the life
of Jesus We might dress like Jesus wash
disciples feet, feed the hungry, live a wan
may, on the other hand, live life wholly
unlike the outward life of Jesus and yet
breathe so fully of His spirit of love and
devotion, of unselfishness and self-denial,
that our whole life shall be In perfect ac-
cord with His Jesus becomes in this my
life-giving example. For Jesus to be our
example, He must be one Of us, else we
cannot hope to follow Him, and He must
also be above us, or shall not be fully
satisfied with Him. Are these two things
true of Jesus? We answer, yes Jesus
in his first letter, endeavors to show that
Jesus is a man as well as the Son of God.
His deity seems to have been proved by
His teaching and miracles. Jesus thirty
years in the carpenter shop, His feelings,
senstiveness to hunger, sleep and weari
ness of body; His innocent human life and
death, all reveal His humanity and set
forth our ideal humanity, the perfect char
acter for man. But there is a wide distinc-
tions between a man and sinner Jesus
had everything that belongs to man, but
absolutely nothing that belongs to the sin
ner. He had every test, every trial, temp
tation, passion and appetite that belong
to man. He suffered from force of desire.
He won the victory at every point but at
the cost of pain He was obedient at the
expense of tortured feelings He willed
and the garden reveal the intensity OF His
mental and physical temptations. He con-
quered sin on the low level of mans great
est weakness. Sin lies in the absence of
controlling will. 1t Is just here that the
magnificent power and strength of Jesus
character shines forth. His was a con-
quering, triumphant human life. The
glory of redemption lies in the fact that
our humanity may be made like His. BY
the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit
my weakness may be changed into strength;
my weak will may be reinforced by His
strong will. He, the redeemer, has made
Ii possible for us to live the overcoming
life. Jesus had but one purpose in life
to glorify His Father and to do His will.
By becoming partakers of divine nature
we may will to do the same. People do
ever will may come Whosoever will may
live the Christlike life daily and attain unto
the perfection of manhood exemplified in
Jesus Christ"