South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-05-01
HOLDS CHRIST
TRUE MESSIAH
Rev. Decker Shows Through
Him All Promises Are
Being Fulfilled.

There are those who confess 70
having little or no interest in the
events that transpired in the distant
past. They demand only that which
is mp 10 date. In a sense this is
perfectly reasonable. but there are
some events OF the past with which
we must consider whether or not
we want TO-" said Rev. Charles A
Decker. pastor Of the First Baptist
church. Sunday morning in his ser
mon on the subject The Messianic
Hope and Jesus OF Nazareth He
said that IL may be possible that We
care little about the religious con-
ceptiCn OF a people in the era pre-
ceding our own. But wnen we find
that their ideas are somehow in
vOlved in our religious system we
are persuaded 10 take notice
In speaking of the Messianic hope
he said in part:
The Messianic hope was one Of
these ideas. Many centuries before
the Christian era il arose and in
creased in clearness as veil as in its
influence upon the Jewish nation.
There were two aspects TO this idea
in the old Testament. At first it
was thought OF as a state OF blessed
ness There was no personal ele-
ment in IT, The time would come
when all the sorrows OF the nation
4 - . ha ion Of q
would be ushered in. Then the idea
Of a personal leader began TO arise.
And he was TO have certain charac-
teristics.
Descendant OF David.
The Messiah was to be a descend
ant Of David. Jesus was Of the lin
cage Of David So that, so far as
His family was concerned, He could
be the Messiah. The Messiah was
TO be in accord with the will OF God
in mind and action. There is moth
ing about the life OF Jesus that indi-
Gates that He ever was out of har-
mony with God What other men
attain by long and patient struggle
Jesus seems TO have found perfectly
natural in His experience. To have
the will OF God established on earth
was but TO extend to all mankind
what He already experienced. My
meat Is 10 do the will of Him that
sent me- was no idle boast on the
lips Of the Nazarene.
THE Messiah was 10 be God s
true representative upon the earth.
Most Christians go farther than this
and say that so far as God has ap-
peared on the earth at all I'm terms
OF personal life, that appearance is
in the person of Jesus Surely most
people will have no difficulty in
believing that Jesus truly represents
the Father in all that pertains TO
righteousness and salvation. For no
matter what our metaphysical con-
ceptions Of Jesus may be. we are
constrained 10 say with Beecher that
the only God I know anything about
is the one that has appeared in the
person Of Jesus the Christ. IL would
be difficult 70 name any sphere of
religious thought or action in which
Jesus does not represent the Father.
Promises Fulfilled.
1T was through the Messiah that
God was TO fulfill His promises made
OF old. These promises are being
fulfilled through Christ today. At
least He is the hope Of their full
hllment. There are no agencies at
work toward this end that have in
them any hope of success outside of
those that are brought into harmony
with the plan of human progress laid
down in the teaching OF Jesus. II
His movement fails there is no pros
pect that another Will take it's place
that Will in any sense establish the
kingdom OF God. Jesus holds the
key 20 that plan Of progress whereby
eventually the race will realize IT'S
destiny in peace and brotherhood
And finally. the Messiah was 10
lead all men TO honor the God Of
Israel. This Jesus has been doing
through two millenniums. The
Christian religion is a religion with
one God universally worshipped and
one Christ who He has sent.
1T is difficult. impossible. 20 read
the description OF that one expected
as the Messiah. and then TO read
the story OF Jesus of Nazareth. with
out concluding that the hope ex-
pressed IN the one is realized in the
other"