The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-04
GODS MANNER IN
 ENTERING ONE
Dr. Branscomb Explains Omnipresence of God at
 First M. E. Church

pr. l.. C. Branscomb preached last
 night at the First Methodist church. The
 text of his sermon was from Revelations
 iii 30: "Behold I stand at the door ana
 knock; If any man will hear My voice
 and open to Me the door, will come and
 SUD with him, and he with Me forever
 more."
 "The sinner" said pr. Branscomb'
 "cannot go so far away that God VIII
 not stand at the door of his heart and
 knock. He may build his habitation
 where no man lives; he may construct
 hut of straw in the junges where only
 the wild beasts know he is; he may live
 in the desert, or in a wigwam among
 savages, or hide himself in the city slums; he may build a shining mansion among the palaces of wealth and spien-
 dor. but wherever he Is, there is God
 presence
 "God is not content with simply stand ing at the door of the heart; he also knocks He knocks through a thousand
 blessings and kindnesses. Every day
 brings new blessing as reminders or God
 goodness. Our daily bread is remin- der of the bread of life; our friends are reminders of Gods friendship, all of our blessings are Gods rappings at the LOOT
 of our hearts. He also knocks by speciai nrovidences, the unseen hand that puts it's power on the controlling influences oi
 our lives, the voice of God trying to en-
 ter and take possession of our lives.
 "Sometimes the rappings of Gods hand are more forceful. When the Egyptians
 refused to do the right. the hand or God came upon thtm in the death of then
 first born. iAdycrsity overtakes us' sor-
 rows sweep down, and afflictions strikf us. We cannot say that afflictions come .iiirecti, from the hand of God. Often
 times they are tie results of violations on our part of natural jaws; but these laws and the consequences of their trans eression were ordained by Him. These severer rappings often turn our afrectlon' to Him who keeps us.
 "God reveals Himself to man in many ways. He speaks to him through ma ,nre through every beautiful landscape through the burning sun, through the shining star. God speaks to man through revelation. You may trace the Bioie to any source, you may account for It's presence on any theory that you choose, hut there has never been in the world such another book. He who reads and needs it we'll knows that it is the word of God. and none other. God speaks through the lives of good men and wom- en. There is no unsaved man to whom some mans life, when reflected upon, is not a source of inspiration to & better life. The voice of God comes to us in literature, in history, in prayer and
 praise. And the spirit of God comes d. rectly to man and communes with his
 spirit, and he knows that it is God.
 "'Open the door is the sinners part and not Gods He will not of Himself remove the barriers. The barrier to Gods entrance into your life is your vii rising up against Gods. You must lei your will sink into Gods, and be sur rendered to Him. The reward that He gives for submission of our wills to His is communion with Him, an intimacy a comradeshp with Him. He rewards the little hospitality that we show Him in opening the doors of our lives to Him with reward the splendor of which nc lips can express