The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-06-19
SERMON
BY REV. HENDRIX
Pastor Gives Reasons for Be-
Iieving in Christ
The RELIGION OF HOPE
Christian Should Stand Fast in His
Faith, Not stubbornly Nor Fan.
ticaIly, But As a Reason
able Man.

to give an answer to every man that
asketh you a reason of the hope that is
in you. Peter, 3, Nv.
Mr.. Hendrix spoke in part as follows:
When st. Peter penned those words
relentless persecution was being waged
against the Christians, many of whom
were dragged before assemblies and COM
PEELED to testify as to their attitude to-
ward Christ, and then sentenced to death
on their own testimony. He who had
many years before accepted the commits
sion to shepherd the Lords sheep now
counsels the Christian how to deport
himself under such trying conditions.
He Is to stand fast In the faith, not as
stubborn man too proud to yield, nor
yet as a fanatic who courts death as the
price of a martyrs crown. But as q true
and reasonable man, fully persuaded in
his own mind that faith in Christ with
niartyrdom Is the most reasonable choice
to make, he is to choose 1t calmly, not
so much bewaillng his lot as the pitable
folly of his misguided prosecutors.
Moved by a genuine compassion to-
ward his enemies he is to take the court
room from which the last vestige Of
Justice has been banlshed and convert it
into a pulpit and preach from it such
gospel of truth and reason as would
make converts to the Christian faith
A Religion of Hope.
Even a cursory study of the Epistles
of the New Testament reveals the fact
thai the religion of the first century
Christians was emphatcaly a religion
OF hope. They knew and bore testimony
to the present tense experience of the
Christian life, but they looked to the
future for the fuller manifestation of
the glory of God.
Paul writes to the Romans: "There-
fore being justified by faith we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ by whom also we have access
l. faith into this grace wherein we
stand and rejoice in hope of the glory
Of Cod" Peter gives immortal express
sion to the same sentiment in that no.
BILE Inscription Of praise: BLESSED be the
cd and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
%, according to his abundant mercy,
\ beg often us again unto a lively
5pe by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead to an inheritance incor-
ruptible and indebted, and that fadeth
not away. reserved in heaven for you
who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to be
revealed In the last time
Removal Of Glass Distinction.
Nor was this hope mere vague opin-
Ion that because things had gone wrong
so long they must inevitably change for
the better after awhile. 1t was a def
Mite conviction that certain benefits
would come to them through adherence
to Christ; benefits that would enrich
them beyond all computation, even
though they suffered the loss of all
things for his sake.
Though they propounded no system of
sociology, they evidently expected such
q reimbursement of social and industrial
conditions as would give more peace
fui and virtuous life to all classes of
society. They began at once to ignore
those artificial distinctions which were
hoary with age proclaiming that in Christ
there is neither barbarian nor Scythian,
bond nor free. They preached to the
servant and his master one common
Lord, In whose service all men are made
free.
In the beginnings of the Christian COM
munity they saw the beginnings of the
fufllment of the prophets vision of
regenerated society where the lamb and
the lion shall lie down together, and
there shall be nothing to hurt and de-
stroy in all his holy mountain.
Another object of their hope was that
they would realize an ever widening and
deeping religious experience. They had
tasted OF the good word of God and the
powers OF the world to come, but in the
matter of religious experience they re-
allied that they had neither attained, nor
were yet made perfect They felt the
thrill of new life, they knew them
selves to be children Of God by faith in
Christ, but they looked for such growth
in grace as would bring them to the full
ness ON the stature of man in Christ
Jesus.
They were called to become saints and
with joyous hope they were pressing for
ward for this prize of their high calling
of God in Christ Jesus Their hearts
were filed with joy and their tongues
with singing as they exclaimed: HE
hath begun In us a good work, and Will
perform it until the day OF Jesus Christ"
With what unspeakable JOY must a man
look forward to the day when he shall
be crowned with moral and spiritual per-
lection.
But the most cherished object Of his
faith was his hope of the resurrection of
the dead. and admission into the heaven
ly kingdom where he would dwell for
ever In the happy companionship of
angels and the spirits Of just men made
perfect. While they labored with all
zeal and diligence to establish among
men the kingdom of God, they confessed
themselves pilgrims and strangers hold
ing citizenship in heaven, from whence
they also looked for the Lord Jesus to
come again.
II never occurred to the disciples that
this was an unreasonable hope. 1t had
rome 10 them unsought. Christ In their
hearts was the inspiring cause Of the all
sufficient reason of their blessed hope.
Those who loved and trusted him could
not escape the inspiration of this hope.
That they should love and trust Him
seemed the most reasonable thing that
could be done.
For three years he had lived such
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