The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-06-23
a SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED.
"cHRlST'S GIFT OF LIFE"

"CHRlST'S GIFT OF LIFE"
The Rev. George r. Luun breaches From
Text Which He Declares Shows IN
Compact Form the Predominant Aim
of Jesus-Thc Larger Life.
BROOKLYN. y. Y.-Sunday night, in the
LAFAYETTE Avenue Presbyterian Church.
the Rev George r. Lunr, assistant pas.
tor, preached on "Christ's Gift OF Life. ,
The texs was taken from JOAN S:lO: y
an come that they might have life" Mr.
lun2 said:
| ar, sure that do not eSaggerate when
I say that no words OF our Lord are more
profoundly significant than these words OF
the text We have in & compact form i
statement OF the purpose OF Jesus Christ:
All else is saDocdlnatcd to this great and
predominate aim. Jesus Christ has come
into the world to give that life in ever in
creasing abundance This is not (, conclu-
sion <of mine worked out after special in-
vestigation; it is the simple and Clear and
iorceful statement of our Lord Himself. |
rest upon His word IS a hnality. And l
ind in this verse fuller and richer eX-
preston of the purpose OF Christ than is
found anywhere else in Scripture.
What, then, is the life which Christ
seeks to give? 1t is the lie OF Fellowship
with God, the Father; fellowship begun
on earth and continued throughout the
ages OF eternity. 1t is the hfe OF spirltua!
oneness with God, united to Him in
thought, in purpose, in all our varying ac-
tivities. 1t is the larger life which COM
prehends our present life, enriching it with
all the holy purposes OF God. our Saviour,
lifting US by its power into the purified at
mosphere of noble deeds, done for His
sake. In other words, it is the life of
which our Master spoke when He said that
to lose it was calamity, even though
man should< gain the whole world.
I think I ana right in saying that great
many people interpret the words and work
of our Lord as applying chiefly to the other
world. not altogether, but chiefly. They
regard the religion of Christ as an insur-
ance of safety for the next world rather
than definite program OF activity tor the
present. They think more of the saving
Of the soul after death than of saving the
lie before death. No stronger illustration
OF this thought can be found than the
large numbers OF men who delay their de-
cision in reference to Christ to some more
convenient >sasoH. They say. not now,
but at some future time, I Will settle the
great question Of my souls relation to
God. You cannot find a man who will not
express some wish to lead a better hfe;
but in nearly every case they see no need
of an immediate decision. In my pastoral
work have come IN contact with this eN-
periencc time and again. And as l have
endeavored to understand what is the un-
deriving cause Of so much i2decision re-
garding religious things. l lind that most
OF it can be traced to this Fundamental
,nisinterpretation OF the words and work
OF Jesus Christ our Lord. You may ex-
press this in maay ways, bit at heart the
point is this-tbe saving of the soul after
death, instead OF saving the life right here
and now: the gaining Of heaven hereafter.
rather than entering into heaven now.
And because of this Interpretation men
right with God. So long as they are rea-
to delay the great decision of the soul.
Against this view OF religion allow me to
bring the message OF the Saviour, L am
come that they might have life and that
they might have it more abundantly.' You
cannot read the gospels without coming
into contact with this purpose Of Christ at
every turn. Repeatedly do YOU find the
word life. We are struck with the fact
how constantly the word life was on the
lips of Jesus. 1t is a word which gives us
the very heart of Jesus teaching. He was
always praising. always promising life. IL
thou wit enter into life keep My com
hath life.'' Gas the Father hath lie in
Himself, so hath He given to the Son to
have life in Himself, Because I live ye
shah live also "Ye viii not come unto
Ne that We might have life Everywhere
we find this same eager pleading with men
to enter into life, and we further find that
Jesus identified life with goodness. Tc,
jesus life consisted in goodness. Wicked
ness is death. The soul that sinneth. it
shall die" is not SO much a threat as the
statement, of a great truth. For the sin.
ming soul dies by reason OF the very fac: OF
its shining There is no lie for the hu-
man soul but in righteousness. Jesus,
therefore. uses language which we may
Justly call violent when He referred to the
possibility OF mans losing his higher
life Better to cut off the offending hand
or foot If it hinders the aspiring soul.
Better to pluck out the eye which causes
stumbling if by that Leans the real life Of
God may be gained. I have called this
language violent, and such it is. Not that
Jesus anticipated any literal interpreta-
ton and literal following. The forceful
illustration is used to emphasize terrible
and an eternal truth. The very possibility
of mans failing to enter into the life OF
JSfiONSuIp WIFI 0ou. was u InoUsut "hNu
brought strong tears to the eyes OF the Sa-
viour Of men. tell you that in these days
we are harboring in our hearts a santi-
mental sympathy which overlooks sin and
condones iniauity and seeks to apologize
for the stern words of the Saviour. There
was no doubt a ringing doom against sin.
But it was, not the doom of threat:
Jesus never threatened. He revealed
what sin is; its very nature is death. The
open door of life in God Is before men.
To pass by that door does, not mean that
God, viii arbitrarily punish, but that the
very passing it BY is death. The issue of
sin is dooKl, exile into the night, the
eclipse OF desoiation and abandonment.
Does there move in your hearts the sus-
picion that such doom is exaggerated and
overdone? When that suspicion comes 70
me, and it often comes, remember the
words OF sainted preacher: When / am
tempted to think that the doom is over
done, I must remember that the Son of
God, my Saviour, with an infinite insight
into all things, super.ativelr sensitive.
knowing the inmost heart OF lie, He, our
Saviour, pronounced the doom 10 be just.
This Christ, who gave Himself for us, who
loved us, tod us in words-I venture to