South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-07-18
SEVEN MINUTE SERMON
ON THE GOLDEN TEXT
BY OUR OWN PREACHER
Lesson: Blind NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

Lesson: Blind Bartimaeus.-Mark
1O:46-52.
Golden Text: Then the eyes of the
blind shall be opened. and the ears
OF the deaf shall be unstOpped. Then
snail the lame man leap "a hart.
and the tongue of the dumb shall
sing.-Isaiah 1855, @.
SALVATION CONQUERS SORROW.
4. Christ Literally FULFILLED This
Text In our lesson story about blind
Bartimaeus We have one exan.le of
the universal work which Christ has
done and is still doing in the world.
III opening the eyes OF the blind
There are many incidents recorded
In the life Of Christ concerning him
restoring the sight Of blind people.
he is doing the same work today
through the science and art OF sur
gerry, which has been developed al
most, IL not quite. exclusively under
Christian influences. But more par
ticularly Christ opens the eyes OF
men who are spiritually blind caus-
ing them 70 see and walk in the way
of life. While Christ was on earth
ne restored hearing to the deaf and
gave speech TO the dumb. Once when
travelling through DecapOlis they
brought into him a deaf and dumb
man, begging him 10 cure him, and
this Jesus did, so that the people who
witnessed the miracle. were beyond
measure astOnished. saying, he hath
done all things we'll: he maketh
both the deaf to hear and the dumb
10 speak" We also have many ac-
counts OF Christ causing the lame 10
walk, and thus he literally fulfilled the
prophecy contained in our text. Christ
is doing all this humanitarian work
today through the various institu-
tiOns which have been established
through Christian influences.
?. The Word of the Text Are
Spiritually Fulfilled at Every Conver-
sion. The Scriptures sometimes rep
resent sinners as being dead in tres
passes and sin. At other times they
are spoken Of as blind. and deaf, and
dumb, and all these expressions repre-
sent the actual condition in which
men find themselves without the grace
Of God. When a man comes TO God
for the forgiveness of his sins. and
passes through the experience which
we call conversion, he sees things IN
their right perspective for the first
time; his eyes are opened. and ne
sees the invisible. He sees God and
the spirit world. He sees the Won
der-working power of God in his own
experience, in the experience of 9TH
er Christians; he also sees the work
OF God in nature, and the sight thrills
him with new sensations, similar to
the experience OF a man born blind
when he looks upon the face or ma
ture for the first time. At conversion
men also hear for the first time. ana
the sweet words of Jesus, Thy sins
are forgiven thee" are listened to
with rapture They are also able to
walk. and leap for joy and TO sing
the praises of God.
3. The Words of the Text Are True
All the Time for Faithful Christians.
A real Christian life Is not Ike
blind man cropping his way in the
dark. nor like deaf man who cannot
hear. nor a dumb man who cannot
speak. It is a life Of clear vision, In
which men sing and make melody in
their hearts to God. Ii is a LIE OF
victor. over all the handicaps of life,
over temptation. over sickness, Sor-
row and sin. A true Christian feels
like David. who said he could leap
over a wall and run through troop. =
Christ in man fills him witt. JOY ana
gladness. and gives him songs In the
night. He is able TO tell of his own
knowledge the wonderful power OF
God over sin, the flesh and the devil.
The love of God is shed abroad IN
the hearts of all true Christians and
they experience the JOY which is un-
speakable and full Of glory. They
have the experience prophesied by
Isaiah, in connection with our text
For in the wilderness shall waters
break out. and streams in the desert.
They walk through life with clear
vision. with heads erect. and with
the song in their hearts and on their
lips "All things are mine since ! am
his. how can | keep from singing
IL. TfNNT ArR -
i'm Death. Death is called deep, dark
valley. Ii is represented as going out
into the mysterious unknown; the un-
spiritual man when he comes up 10
the river of death is blind, and Sropes
his way in the dark But as all those
who have been with real Christians
when they have passed over the rlV-
err know the deep. dark valley mas
been Illuminated for these children
of God with a great light. Their
spiritual eyes have been opened, ana
al the flesh has failed, and the world
reccded they have had supernatural
vision; i'm many cases have oeeh
through the veil into the spirit lana
they have recognized the friends VINO
have gone before and have stretcheu
ont their hands. telling them they
were coming. Christians at the time
of death. when not under the IN
fuence Of drugs generally have their
spiritual powers operative so theN
can see the faces and hear the voices
from the spirit land; they sing praises
of his love and keeping power, IN the
time OF death They can sing. 20
death where is thy sting. grave
where is thy victory" There Is no
sting in death for them; no darkness
IN the valley, the way is light
Copyright. 1914. by +. $. Davidsonl.