South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-02-02
TELLS Of POWER
HELD BY CROSS
Rev. R. /. Phillips Of Trinity
NJ. E. Church in Excel
lent Sermon.

The Power OF the Cross" was
the subject chosen by the Rev. Rus
sci L. Phillips, pastor Of the Trinity
VI. +. church, I'm his sermon Sunday
evening. Rev. Phillips said in part:
Part OF the Corinthian people
did not believe that Christ had died
for them, hence the preaching of the
cross to them was foolishness. We
can almost excuse them however
when we find folks I'm this day OF
enlightment who persist that they
can by their own system OF personal
discipline 40 train their lives that
they will be better than the tarns-
forming power of the cross OF Jesus
Christ can make them. such folks
as these stand amazed at the power
and the influence OF Christian lead
ers like Paul, and Sturgeon. and
Moody and others of like character.
The power OF God was manifest I'm
them because they had a tremend-
Gus experience OF the cross and de-
sired that others might share IL with
them. The preaching OF the cross
IL not foolish to those who realize
that Christianity Is a religion OF re-
demption by means OF that cross.
Summed up In Cross.
The entire Gospel that Paul
preached was summed up in his
conception OF the cross. The cross
was his only text; IL was his symbol
of his redemption; IL was the dyna-
mic of his life. Paul very explicitly
believed in historical reality of the
cross He reJOiced In the fact that
his religion was not an abstract at
fair. He was not saved because Of
an idea Of Savior. but because OF
the fact OF a Savior. He loved to
point TO the experience which he
had encountered as he jOurneyed
toward Damascus. He joyed I'm
pointing TO the fact that ne had
seen Jesus and His cross and had
been commissioned of him TO preach
drawn up for the purpose of pre-
His gospel. Paul no logger lived by
code of laws which had been
venting "A persons SHINING; he was
living according 10 the fact of a per-
sOnal savior, Jesus Christ. who gave
him such a tremendous task to do
constructively and positively that ne
did not have the time to stOOp TO the
lowest things OF life. That should
be Our conception OF our christian
task. 1t should be positive rather
than negative.
Inner experience.
Paul not only preached the his
torical reality of the cross but an
inner experience OF the cross. We
shall never know the depth OF
Pauls meaning when he said. L am
crucified with Christ The best
that we ctn do is TO think that his
personel crucifixion with Christ was
his inner experience of the cross.
In fact the cross of Christ can have
no real significant meaning for any
of us until we have an inward and
transforming experience of II. When
we catch the vision OF the cross and
it transforms our lives. then we
have a living reality of its import
ance and vtlue.
Furthermore Paul preached a
vivid and graphic picture of the
crucified Christ as an unseen, yet
vital power working among men.
The chucifixion unlOOSened a store
mouse of power which through the
spirit of God knew no limitations.
1t must have been this unseen power
of the cross which Paul preached
that did so much good in the fields
of his activity. IL has been this un-
seen power of the cross OF Christ
that has called throughout the
christian ages. so many individuals
Co give their lives in christian serv-
ice for the bettermint OF the human
family. This quiet power OF the
cross is n tremendous force and is
working ut the task OF leavening
every living soul for christian ex-
perience. May we find ourselves
lending a hand that the whole may
be leaVened as rapidly as possible.