Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-12-07
UNFIT FOR THE KINGDOM

| attendance today at the BruoKlyn Tabernacle
| ''No man having put his hand to the pillow, ann
looking back is fit for the kingdom Of God.
| duke, J:62.D The discourse follows;
The Great Teacher did not use the methods oil
| modern rcv~ilsts TO secure a following. lie
| did not ask the mutltudes to raise their hand
| If they would prefer to 20 to heaven at death
| and then publish them as conyerts-ChristianS.
Indt ed His methods were the very reverse CT
/ this. avoiding all kinds of sensational appeals
] to pride, aelfishness vanity. etc He set forth
| in plain terms the difficulties to be expected
| by all those who espouse His cause and become
| His disciples. lie forewarned them that it would
| mean the raking up of a cross and the bearing
I OF 1t In His footsteps IN the narrow way OF
| sclf-sacrifice. lie warned these, saying. Mar
! vel not. If the world hate you. We know that
! IT hated me before it hated you. II ye were
I OF the world. the would love his own;
/ hut because We not of tne world, bur l
/ have chosen you out of tine world. therefore The
| world hateth YOU" Il John, Sis; John, lo;lS'
! 49,
Instead Of trying to produce an excitement
I which wonld overbalance the Judgment OF Ills
| hearers and lead them TO profess what they
1 subsequently, would not be able or willing 10
practice. the Great Teacher on the contrary
said 10 those contemplating dlSclpleshlp SIT
| down first and count the cost" Instead Of at
! tempting to sway the mutitudes, our Lord
/ took different course and attempted sto make
| disciples of only special class-not the ponr'
not the rich, not the learned. not the ignorant,
| but irrespective of these class lines and dis
| tlnctions, His call was to all those who lowell
| Righteousness ard hated iniquity. All those
who We're weary and heavy-laden, oppressed by
| sin and its penalty to themselves and tnclr
| frtends-thcse He called TO learn of Him and
| find rest Of soul.
So far from expecting or seeking the
sion of the whole people, our Lords words were
I mo man can come unto me unless the Fathe"
! which sent NE draw hun. snd he that cometh
unto me l will in nowise reject The same
| thought is expressed by the apostles, VINO de-
/ clared that they sought and expected TO in
/ flucnce not tie world I'm general. but AS
many as the Lord Your God shall call. -Douht-
! less there is rom for difference of opinion re-
speeding the manner IN which the Father
! ''draws' and calls the church of Christ dur
| ing this gospel age, Our understanding Is that
| the Lord exercises favorable Influence upon
a certain class Of people only and that IL is an
/ enlightenng Influence to the extent of bringing
/ this class TO knowledge of Christie knoWl-
! edge Of the fact that forgiveness Of sins may
| be attained through faith in Christ.
Thenceforth that class, having been brought
: In touch with the Redeemer, can make further
progress only through faith I'm Him and sub
mission to His guidance into all truth and into
! fellowship with the Father. The class thus in
to humanity as whOle-only that portion which
In honesty of heart deplores sin and longs
LOT righteousness and Fellowship with God.
These. like the remainder of the race, are by
nature fallen, imperfect, sinful, condemned, but
I'm these still persists some trace of the image
of God In the perfection of which father Adam
was created. 1t Is this trace strain of the
divine character represented by conscience and
faith which leads them to recognize their fallen
and sinful condition, compared with the di
: vine standard Of perfection, and this becomes
! the basis Of their calling or drawing Of God,
4 their ear" "HP that hath an ear, let him
hear" (Rev., 2:T) II will be observed that
| those who have not the hearing On the
contrary we remember the gracious words of
Scripture, that In Gods due time ''AI the
blind eyes shall he opened all the deaf ears
shall be unstOIped. lisa. 35:5) We are glad
of this promise Of God that ultimately all shall
| see and all shall hear and all shall know Him,
from the least to the greatest. We rejoice. too,
| that when they know Him trHly, they will re-
! joice, even as do we now. That Will be Their
4 4ss,Na, nF IlNv
Judgment for life or death eternal on the earth
| ly plane.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Our text speaks of the kingdom of God. And
It is important that we first Of all notice that
| these words have In the Scriptures a twO-fold
significance For instance, our Lord Jesus
! taught that should pray to the Father, ''Thy
kingdom come; thy Will. be done on earth
ii is In heaven" The reference of this prayer
is TO the millennial reign or government Of
Christ. which st. Paul declares will begin at
the second coming of our Lord, and continue un-
til He shall have put down all insuhordnatOn,
all sin. everything contrary to divine character
VIII subdue all things. 1t Will be the king
dom of God amongst men perfected when all
things shall have been subdued And when
Christs mediatorial Kingdom shall be, at the
end of the millennium. delivered back to God,
even the Father, Gods kingdom will have fully
come in the earth. Gods will then will he
possible of accomplishment by men, because all
will have reached perfection; and Christs me-
diatOrial Kingdom Will end because it Will be no
longer necessary. II VIII have accomplished the
great purpose for which It was intended.
1t was not however, respecting that millen-
NAL reign that mediatorial kingdom. that our
Lord spoke in our text, nor did he refer to the
the Father at the end of the millennium and
will last forever. Our Lord used the words.
Not fit for the kingdom of God" as He did
in many Othres Of His discOurses-in respect
to the church class called of the Father
to be the Kingdom" IN the sense Of being
the kings and priests of that kingdom-the
ROYALTY of that kinQdOm--thp reiuuinR family
! the Queen, the Lambs Wife, associated with
the Heavenly Bridegroom, King of kings and
I ord of lords. in His rule Of thousand years.
In very many Of His parallels our Lord refers
to this kingdom class, which during this gospel
age is in progress of selection or election and
hence subjected 10 trials and difficulties spe-
cially permitted for the development of char
acter-for the chseling and shaping and polish
ing of the elect
NOT FIT EOR THE KINGDOM.
We now have before our minds the two ways
in which the expression Kingdom of Cod is
used, and We can readily see that our L0rd
could not refer to the millennia kingdom ami
say that any would be too degraded TO be liz
for the influences of His mlennial Kingdom,
because, that kingdom is designed for the very
purpose Ot dealing with the unfit and gradually,
during the Thousand years of It's reign Of right
eOusness uplifting men out Of sin and Pcdth
conditions If they will, to the fun human per-
lection which Adam lost, which Jesus redeemed.
and which Is to I've restored 10 the willing ana
ObeGient, as St Peter declared. (ActS, S:IJ-A = !
1t follows, then, that our Lord must have rc- !
copied by Himself to be chiselcd and polished
to be taught in the school of Christ and evcut- |
ually to become His bride and joint IN the
millemal kingdom. No man will be esteelne,i |
fit for a SHARE in that millennial kingdom un |
less he attains to the glorious qualities of char
acter, saintship which the scriptures set .Urth |
as the Divine standard-"CopIcs of Gods dcaT |
Son. Romans, S:2y.
Surely VIII consider IT unreasonable |
that our Creator should set standards tor tbs |
elect class-yery high standards, too, are
reasonable, because of the very high position OF
honor. glory and Immortality which they are |
invited. When consider the apostles ties |
ti:nOny that Divine grace in prOftering this |
great privilege of joint-heirship with CHRIST
passed by the holy angels TO us, were amazed |
at the length and breadth OF the Divine 1avUr, !
and freely concede that even II angels we're /
granted high state they would need to Jp
crucialy tested; much more we, who by |
nature children Of wrath even others. /
but are now justified freely through faith in
the precious blood.
Fit for the kingdom!" let think for a |
moment what these words signify. First OF all. |!
recognize that, sinners, we were most |
thoroughly unfit for any favor of God, Inuc1 |
less this greatest OF all favOrs, iont-heirsnip |
with His Son and ''partakers OF the Divine ma !
ture" UIPet., 1:4.) But tnat difficulty has |
all been overcome with those who have come
unto God through Christ and been made pOr- |
takers OF Ills holy spirit of adoption. OF 5Jcn |
we read, 1T is God that justtieth! Who l. |
he that condemncth?' from, S:SS, S4.) 1t Is |