Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-04-27
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
Prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
Beginning May I, 1910.


Topic. - Christ our Kingdom xviii.
$40. (Consecration meeting) Comment
by Rev. Sherman H Doyle, D. d.
The kingship of Christ is here sug-
gested in connection with the exami-
nation of Jesus by the Roman gov
ernor, PLATE, before whom the Jews
had brought Him. The night before
Jesus had been arrested. He had been
several times before the high priests
and the sanhedrin. But, while they
found him guilty of blasphemy upon
false testimony and therefore worthy
of death by the Jewish law. they could
not execute Him, because the Roman
conquerors of the Jews had deprived
them of the right to take human life.
Only the Romans could condemn to
death; therefore it was necessary to
take Christ before Plate and get his
consent to put Him to death. They
had probably charged Him before Pr
late with claiming to be the king of
the Jews in order to arouse Pilates
Jealousy and fear of losing his high
position; hence PLATE questioned Him
upon this point. But the answers of
Jesus were incomprehensible to PLATE,
though He did not deny His kingship.
Yet PLATE found no fault in Him and
so announced to the Jews. Finally he
released Barabbas unto them and de-
livered Jesus TO be crucified. the Ro-
Of nd
was done. King? Yes, Christ was a
King-yea, King of kings-yet He died
for those who belonged to His king
dom.
Christ was and is today King. His
kingdom was prophesied in the Old
Testament and declared in the New.
On one occasion the people wanted to
take Him by force and make Him
their temporal king, but He left them
and went out to be alone with God.
On another occasion, as the shadow of
the cross was falling upon Him, He
did for once, at His triumphal entry
into Jerusalem, allow Himself to re-
ceive the homage paid to kings alone.
But this was for a short time only
and was soon overshadowed by His
death upon the cross. Christ's king
dom was not of this world, else His
friends would have supported His
claims to 1t. To Pilates question He
answered, My kingdom is not of this
world; if My kingdom were of this
world then would My servants (ofh-
cers) fight that should not be deliv-
cred to the Jews, but now is My king
dom not from hence" Christ meant
that His kingdom was q spiritual one;
that He was to rule over the souls and
hearts Of His subjects. Neither the
Jews nor the Roman governor could
comprehend such a kingship or king
dom. The day had not yet dawned
when the world would understand 1t.
But 1t does understand 1t today, and
in millions of hearts Christ reigns as a
King, directs and defends the spiritual
interests of His subjects, ruling in
their hearts by love and not simply to
a limited extent over their outward
lives by force. No king in all the
world today has so many loving and
obedient subjects as King Jesus, and
LuSy Will COutluue 10 increase III NUM-
bers until "Jesus shall reign where'er
the sun doth his successive journeys
run"
As our King, Christ is ideal In His
Kingship. The true king seeks only
the best interests of his subjects. He
Is indeed no king Yho seeks only his
own interests in ruling the lives and
destinies Of his subjects. But Christ
Is no such King. He even died for
us, and what better proof can we de-
mand to show that He reigns for our
best interests alone? As His subjects
we should strive to be as ideal in our
relation to Him as He is to US; there
fore on this conservation evening let
Us dedicate our lives to more loving
and devoted service to our King.
BIBLE READINGS.
lisa. TX, 6, Z; Ps. ii, "a, 70; Matt. v,
lie; xviii. 10, 20; Luke xvii, 20, 81;
Matt. xxi, Ill; John xvii. Is; xix, 10;
Acts v, 81; Rom. viii, 1918; II Tim. ii,
II; Rev. xix, 11-16.