The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-08-04

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! -. pointed him. He
had come to do
the fathers will and he never for
moment let that drop out of sight until
he was ready to say, 81 have finished
the work that thou gavest me to do"
Every man has his appointed work
and ordinarily he knows what 1t is,
and if he keeps that in view, especially
if he keeps in view the one who gave
him the appointment he will not fail.
Jesus Christ realized every moment
that he was an apostle, that is 'Sent
one" and he carried out his work as
sent to be the high priest for his peo-
| pie, viz: to make reconciliation OF
men To God, in short to make their re-
demption complete.
This faithfulness of Jesus Christ
was compared with the faithfulness Of
Moses who was declared to be faith
full in all his house." Nothing omitted
as far as human scrutiny could go.
But the faithfulness of Jesus Christ
was greater-not so much in the quail
ity of it-but in that he was faithful
/
house we are. Here. as in other quail
tiles of the high priest, Jesus was beB-
ter than man or the best Of men.
1t is in this faithfuness of Jesus
| Christ that the believer has the guar
anty of his ultimate salvation. While
man must not forget that he must
hold fast to the confidence and re-
joicing of the hope firm unto the end"
yet emphasis must always be placed
on the fidelity of the Redeemer. Paul
was confident that he that had begun n
good work In him would perform it, or
perfect 1t, until the day of Jesus
Christ To him Jesus was looked upon
as taking hold Of man and guaran.
teeing his salvation. 1t is not presump-
ton to look upon Jesus as undertaking
the redemption Of q man and believ-
ing that he will complete the work.
1t is very rarely that you find Chris
tian man or woman who is instrument
tai in bringing a man to the Lord who
! is thus faithful and the believer might
from two standpoints do well to think
of Jesus as faithful to him. Some
times when he is in the way of temp
tation and Jesus Is having hard time
to hold him; sometimes when man
is really doing his best with tremend-
Gus opposition, Jesus is near at hand
keeping him from falling.
This faithfulness Of Jesus Is some
thing in which we may all share. AS
we look upon men we find many OF
them possessing the talents that we
do not possess. They have splendid
physiques, fine personalities, good
voices, high intellectual attachments,
suavity and many other qualities, and
as we look at ourselves we find our
selves to he utterly lacking, and such
as we have are very inferior, and so
we despair Of making a mark in con-
nection with them.
There is another thing about the
faithfulness of Jesus that completes
our confidence; his faithfulness is
coupled with transcendent ability.
Paul again comes to us and says: "For
I know in whom have believed, and
am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which / have committed unto
him against that day." There was
day when Paul committed his eternal
salvation to Jesus Christ. He left 1t
all in the hands of Jesus; he trusted
him as faithful AT that time Paul did
not know much about the ability OF
Jesus, but now, near the end Of his
life, after the lapse indeed Of many
years, we know that he has tested
Jesus and his testimony is that not
only was he faithful but that he was
able. We cannot doubt but that Paul
had many hard battles, and as he was
passing through some of them II would
seem that he must fall, but just as he
was going down Jesus held out his
strong hand and delivered him. "That
day" was not far distant to Paul al
though It has not arrived yet, but Paul
knew that his eternal interests were
safe in Jesus because he had tested
him for so long. Paul knew that God
was rich in glory and could supply all
his needs, as he wrote to the Phillppian
| Christians.
To every man that has a serious
thought about the salvation Of his own
soul Jesus Christ Is presented as
mediator between God and man, In the
position Of the high priest, and he
has three qualities that are absolutely
necessary to the completion Of that
work. First, he has the ability to do
It; secondly, he has the willingness
to do It; thirdly, he has the faithful
ness to do 1t.