Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-02-23

The ministry of John had a goal
Evervthing that he did and said was to-
ward an ultimate end. The object or
his ministry was to make way for Je-
sus When he had introduced the peo-
pie to Jesus the Messiah, he had attain
ed his object. That is your ministry
and mine-to introduce others to Christ,
nothing more, nothing less.
The end Of Johns ministry was about
to be reached. People had throhged 10
him from a.. over Palestine, and he had
by his preaching, created an atmosphere
of desire for righteousness that eoula
be realized only in or by Him who was
to follow him. One day, in the crowns
that came to him, there appeared
young man, a carpenter Of Nazareth. AS
soon as John saw Him he realized that
this was his cousin whose birth had
been surrounded with so many strange
events. He had heard of His spotless
life and noble character, and, If he had
not realized it before, he did now that
this One was the promised Messiah
When, therefore, Jesus applied TO MIA
for baptism, he demurred, saying,
have need to be baptized of thee and
contest thou to meT But when Je-
sus insisted, he performed the rite. vi
course Jesus did not need 1T for cleans
ing from sin, for He had no sin; but
the public ministry upon which He was
now about to enter. AS He came from
the water, and as He was praying, the
Holy Spirit descended upon Him in me
shape of a dove, and a voice was hear0
from heaven saying, This is my below
ed Son, in whom l am well pleased.
John saw the dove rest upon Him, ana
this was his sign. He bore record 10
this later, and introduced his disciples
Andrew and John, to Jesus ploolns
them follow Him.
Immediately after His conservation
to the work on which He was about 10
enter. of wrestling the world from Satan
and bringing it back to God from whom
Satan had stolen it, there came TO Him
a testing that was complete and severe.
He was driven, says Mark, by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted or the
devil. God does not tempt us; He al
lows the devil to tempt us to develop
our strength. Thus God tests us. When
the devil wanted to tempt JOB, Goa
agreed up to certain point nly
(Job 1:12). The devil could not go be-
yond that only" He is like dog
with a chain around his neck, he cannot
go any further than the length OF the
chain. God does not suffer us to pc
tempted above what we are able, put
will with every temptation make Way
of escape. Il Cor. 1O:13). Bear this IN
mind when you are being tested ana
stand like a stone wall.
SO here. God the Spirit, did not tempt
Jesus. but He let Him be tempted ~
the devil, in order that He might per-
form His work best. Let us examine
the three-fold test, for it was aimed at
every side OF His nature--the physical
the moral, and the spiritual. Had
sus never been tempted before or after
ward, and He was every day, &C woulo
have been true that He was tempted IN
all points like as we are, for these three
typical testings took in every other
that can come to one.
THE PHYSICAL TEST.
During the whole Of the 40 days He
had been tempted. Because of the lIA
it would seem that during those days, the
devil had been trying, to make Him
doubt His Sonship. The devil mas Iooleo
many another on. the same point since
He must have spoken to Jesus some
thing like this: $50 you think you are
the Son of God, do you? Oh, yes, how
foolish you are! The idea! Do you not
realize that you are nothing put an
humble peasant, a poor man who has 10
work hard every day to get bread Tor
yourself and your mother and brethren!
You are deluded. You thought you heard
a voice from heaven, did you? Just an
imagination of a deluded brain. me
Son of God? Whoever thought of the
SON of God in such circumstances as
YOU are in, with no power, no splendor,
no glory, no following?"
Recalling the incidents of His life the
devil during all those days had tried
to make Him doubt. He, however, had
been so absorbed in the thought of His
work, the way it was to be done, the
vastness of the task, and its difficulties,
that He had scarcely thought of food. TO
all of these suggestions of the devil, He
had turned a deaf ear. Now. after Az
DAYS, being weak and hungry, the devil
came to Him again, renewing the attack
and said: You say you are the Son or
God, now if you are, show it by COM
manding these stones 10 be made bread.
Surely the Son of God (and I can almost
hear the sneer in his voice. will not suf-
fer hunger when He could make bread
to satisfy it! Your appetite is God-given;
it is perfectly right, that you should
have II, you would not be healthy unless
you did get hungry; then satisfy your
God-given appetite by commanding these
stones to become bread. In that way you
can be sure, and so can ], that you are
the Son of Cod
so did Jesus. The devil probably appear
ed in the form of friend, advising Him
in this way. 1t was a real temptation to
Him, it was no sham battle He fought.
The stones looked like loaves of bread,
and He was intensely hungry The
devils argument was very plausible.
Jesus reply was significant. YES" He
said. lit is true that this appetite is
God-given, but it is also true that the
qualification of it is also God-given. To
crafty it otherwise is wrong. He knows
L am hungry, I'll wait until He sends
the food to satisfy it,
The Scripture He quoted was signifi-
cant. 1t was from Moses account of the
gift of the mama in the wilderness
when the Israelites had complained. God
gave them what they needed. How pro-
life of sin is this temptation when yield
ed tot Remember. brother man, God will
supply your needs do not try to supply
it in any other way thiLn His.
THE MORAL TEST.
Having lost the first engagement, the
devil tries another way. He carried Je-
sus to the pinnacle of the temple-a tall
tower, probably, that overlooked the
court where were gathered large num-
bers of people. Then he said: You are
so sure of Gods providing for you, throw
yourself down from here, for He has
promised to give His angels charge over
you, to keep you, and to bear you up in
THAR. ba rdS last NyOm stumble Now if