West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-05-13
THE SONS OF GOO
GODS PLAN IS VITAL
Annual Sermon Before the Baptist
General Association of West
Virginia IN Session at Anderson
Delivered by Rev. William II.
Bayles

COunSelS OF unldlnOuaDlt lONc anu
wisdom"
5. Jesus Removes the Obstacle OF Sin
and Guilt.
There now appears one tremendous
obstacle to mans realization OF his
sonship. He is guilty. He knows it
and the consciousness of it has burn
ed into his inmost soul. Conscious
guilt is universal. Strive as he may
to deaden his sensibility TO IL or make
himself believe that it is not there,
like a nightmare his sin rises up be-
fore him and in the depth OF his being
the still small voice of conscience sobs,
II have sinned, and am no more wor-
thy to be called thy SON" While the
sense of guilt remains sonship cannot
be realized. Here is revealed the mar
vellous grace of Redemption. Jesus
does not excuse sin, nor does He re-
gard Il as thing OF little consequence.
On the other hand in the light OF His
presence my sin see to be exceeding
portions of which had not dreamed.
And / hear Him say in words that
pierce my awakened soul "Yes, you
have sinned. more deeply than you
know. Would you see your guilt?"
And before my astonished gaze He lifts
upon His shoulders the guilt-my
guilt-that crushes the very life from
Him. There at the foot OF the Cross
my sin upon His shoulders a thousand
times more hideous seems than when
upon my own. And l hide my face
from my sin. Then comes floating
into my smitten soul a message from
somewhere. "He hath given unto US
the spirit of adoption whereby we say,
Abba Father" Again a voice from
within me sobs brokenly, Call Him
Father! How can it be? 1t cannot
be right that sinner like me can be
restored to sonship" And with a fut-
tering of newborn hope 1 look up and
before my wondering eyes my Sin
Bearer stands, not now the Victim of
Calvary, but the Christ OF the Resur-
rection, declared to be the Son of
God" radiant with His triumph, and in
vaice that sends healing through my
soul, hear Him saying, 81 am your
forgiveness. Your sin with all its
guilt l have abolished. 1t shall be re-
membered against thee no more for
ever. /, even l, have done it. He
that receiveth me hath the right to be-
come son of God. And with raptur-
Gus devotion, my soul exclaims as only
the Sons Of God can, abba, Father!"
6. Jesus Solves the Problem of Human
Weakness.
Furthermore, in His mediation of
the new life Jesus enters into the hid
den depths of the soul to lay hold upon
the problem OF human weakness. The
forces of heredity with their steady
downward pull have to be dealt with
The deep-hidden, elemental forces of
human life have to be captured curbed
and guided. Mans passions, like fiery
steeds need a Master Into this chaos
OF clashing forces Jesus, the Conduer-
or, comes. The broken down castle
walls are rebuilt. He lays hold of
human weakness with tremendous re.
enforcement, Man becomes strength
ened with might in the inner man"
The very forces that wrought his un-
doing, now, under the guiding hand
or the Master, are made to carry him
toward the realization of his sonship.
jerry McAuley and Samuel II. Hadley
are well known examples from among
thousands of men i'm America whose
human forces had all apparently been
marshalled by some evil genius and
were rushing them to ruin when the
command was turned over to Jesus
Christ And presently we have the
astonishing spectacle of these same
men bourne along by these same elc
mental forces in the realization of the
boundless free life OF the Sons of God.
Summary Of Arguments Under This
Head.
Thus we see that i'm His mediation
OF the life of Sons of God. Jesus Christ
Is both revealer and communication
and guardian and developer as well.
He is made unto us wisdom from God
and righteousness, and sanctihcation
and redemption"
III Gods Purpose in His Sons is That
They Shall be i'm Character and
Conduct, Unto Ills Glory.
This brings us to observe in the last
place that these sons OF God are TO be
holy and blameless unto the praise OF
the glory of His Grace. The Almighty
Creator is now engaged upon His
magnum opus, the crownng work OF
all His creation. Into the creation OF
the SONS of God the Father Is pouring
the wealth Of His redeeming love. His
unfailing patience and infinite skill
! stand In silent wonder before the
beauties of a winter sunrise or OF a
summer sunset, while my artist Father
iings out those wonderful paintings
OF His, until my soul cries out, Car
Heaven be more beautiful than this p
But turn from this work Of a mo.
ment that shall fade in a moment Il
look at the beauty in the life OF child
Of God upon whom lie has spent ar
eternity Of redeeming love, wherein
eternal beauty dwells. 1 stand ir
smazement by some foul-smelling