The Penn's Grove record., 1907-07-19
NUMBER 2.
/ TIE RUIDIF (
"A SERMON a
pY ThE REV
lAWFENDERSoNT
Subject: Jesus the Teacher.

avenue n Wierfeld
street, on the theme "Jesus the
Teacher" the Rev. Ira Wemmell
henderson, pastor, took a. his text
Matt. So, "And He opened His
mouth and taught them" He said:
From the days of His youth when
He put the wise men of the temple to
shame to those last hours among His
disciples Jesus was a teacher. The
teacher is the one who shows US how
20 do things, how to achieve, how to
attain. Mere theorists may tell US
what we ought to do and be; con-
Fincin3 takers may tell US what the
end OF true effort is; strong preach
srs may tell why we should be thus
and so; but to the teacher alone is
given the task and the power to show
10 US how we may become what the
orlsts, takers and preachers declare
we ought to be.
Fundamentally no teacher is Of
good report save his teaching comes
from experience. The man who is to
leach US how to do and become must,
first of all, have attained. We can
lot impart to others what we do not
know ourselves. Ignorance cannot
enlighten. Jesus mad this rich per-
sonal experience in spiritual things,
and in the teaching of eternal prin-
;ples of the spiritual life He is I'M
surpassed. This we will take for
granted in our estimate of Jesus as
4 teacher.
Let us consider some of the minor
qualities which inhered to the
preaching IF the Christ. Our Lord
taught simply, searchingly, realisti-
;ally, purposefully, authoritatively.
The teaching of Christ was simple.
He did not try to mix matters or the
mind of men with complex state
ments. Deeper than the sea, bound
less in their extent and scope, the
truths which Jesus taught were yet
simply told, were. couched In the
language of childhood, and under
standable to all. The simplicity of
The teaching of Jesus is charming.
The message of Christ does not be-
come silly merely because it is sim
pie. 1t is not a message for the
weak-minCed. Rather is it a stay
for those of the finest and the broad
est intellect. Strong and sensible in
It's simplicity the gospel of Christ
reaches the hearts of all men.
The teaching of Christ was search
ing. How He burned through sham
and cant and hypocrisy, and hit at
The very vitals of sin. How often He
whipped the gates off at the whited
~5epulchres, and revealed the hidden
lniquity within. No wolf under
sheepskin vas safe near Jesus. Jesus
didn't take superficial glances; He
probed deep and to the bottom to
reveal the covered truth or error as
The case might be. With the water
from the we'll Christ leads us to dis
Germ the everlasting springs of eter-
nal life. The good Samaritan is the
example of mercy. The Pharisees
and the scribes show us the folly of
serving of the letter of the law for
its w sake. The boy who grew
faint, homesick, and went back into
his fathers arms, is the type of us
all. What could search out truth
more finally than that story of a
misspent life? Lord, lord" we hear
men cry, and we know that the
Christ life is not an affair of declar-
alton so much as of doing.
Jesus taught realistically. He did
not go into metaphysics to explain
His points, but out into the world.
He didn't pay much attention to
p~hilosophic language. He had little
time for the impractical. But how
realistic He made the truth. Sin is
.exemplified in the erring son. Sell
ishness is shown in the elder broth
er. The blowing wind is the illus
f~rofinn Of tho Cnirit Tho vino NO
reals the essential union of Chris
tians with Christ The two praying
in the temple mark sharply the diff
ference between dissatisfaction and
religious self-suficiency, and the
soul humble in it's sense of guilt.
That fellow who heaped money in his
Golfers and grain in his barns has a
lesson for every one. What differ
ence does it make to you who and
how many are the sinners forgiven,
when once you grasp the import of
the parable of the paying off of the
men who labored in the vineyard?
These are enough to show US how
realistic was the teaching of Christ.
He forced His points home in the
language of the fields, the temple,
the streets, the f1resides. His Illus
trations dealt not with impossible
situations but with daily occurrences
which might easily be %paralleled in
the experience of each of His hear
ers. They knew how self-righteous
the leaders of the people were. They
had more than once seen a woman
sweep her house in search of a coin.
1t was no new thing to learn that a
shepherd would go out into the
leaving the flock behind
to lend succor to some lost and lone
ly lamb. There were tares enough
and sufficient mixed ground in Judea
to enable the farming element to see
the point of the parallels of the tares
and the sower. They knew as well
as we know the p%ervading principle
of yeast. These and a multitude of
other realistic illustrations in the
teaching of Jesus gave charm to His
words and filled His messages with
And the preaching of men
will lose all its freshness and eficien-
cy just so soon as the element of the
realistic which holds personal inter
est is left out.
Then, too, Jesus taught with pur-
pose. with an end in view. He didn't
talk just to hear Himself talk. He
did not engage in vocal gymnastics
the manner of SO many speak
ers of this day and generation. He
did not talk because there was easy
money" to be made that way, or in
order that He might get notoriety.
the contrary, Jesus talked pur-
posefully. 1t meant danger for Jesus
to take the stand He did. He ran
many and great risks in the speak
Ing Of the truth. But the Master had
purpose. He wanted men to see
what sir is; how defiling it as; how
disintegrating end disgusting it's eff
are. He wished humanity to
see and to know that sin is disobe-
dience to God; that it stains and
soils the souls Of men; that it wrecks
and destroys all that is best in man;
how useless it is.
On the other hand, He wanted men
70 know what is the nature of God
and His character; what is the King
1om of Heaven, its entrance-condi-
lions and the joys to be attained there
IN; what is the glory of a cody life.
Christ wanted to assure men that
God is love; He wished them to know