The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-10-04
LIFE OF CHRIST
SERMON SUBJECT
Rev. Brown breaches Stirring Ser
mon at christ's Episcopal at
Morning Services.


subject of his sermon the history of
Jesus Christ and who He was. The
preacher used Matthew 22:42 as the
saying What think We of Christ ?
Whose son is He? They say unto
Him. the son of David
"These two questions of Jesus Christ
demand the serious attention of every
man and woman and require honest
answers that shall really satisfy them,''
continued the preacher "They must
be answered by every one of us and
cannot be evaded"
Continuing Rev. Brown said in part:
"They We're asked on one of those
days during the last week of His pub
lie ministry. He had but a few days
before ridden into Jerusalem in such
a manner that every. one understood
Him to mean that He was filling a
prophecy which declared Him to be
the promised Messiah or Christ. He
had cleansed the temple of those who
bought and sold within tits sacred pre-
cincts, and the Pharisees and Sad
ducees had demanded His authority
for these acts. He had by parable
taught the meaning of the kingdom
of heaven.
Among these parallels was one
which told of great wedding feast
TO which many of the invited guests
refused to go. The king, who was
giving the feast, sent out into the
highways and compelled all that were
found to attend. As each entered the
door he was presented with a we'd
ding robe which he must wear at the
feast, but one refused TO wear the robe
presented him. When the king came
in and found this guest without the
wedding garment he ordered his sery-
ants to bind him hand and foot and
cast him out. Those who heard this
parable understood that the point of
it was that God had prepared great
blessings for mankind, but that they
must be accepted as God offers them,
not because God deals arbitrarily with
man, but because dealing with man
in an orderly way there is but one
way in which man can become par
taker of these blessings. And, to be
more specific, our Lord intended them
to understand that salvation and eter-
nal life could come to man only
the Christ who had been sent
into the world, and that any one who
through pride or for any other reason
refused to accept them through Christ
must be compelled to loses them en-
tirely.
For nearly three years Jesus had
been teaching by word and by Won
derful deeds of healing. He had spok-
en- very freely and plainly 70 the peo-
pie. And there was no real reason
why they should not know the truth
about Him, except their prejudice and
determination not to understand. He
had offered to them salvation and
eternal life in the only way that God
could give them to man.. But the
greater part of them and especially
their leaders did not want to accept
them on the terms that Jesus offered,
because it would necessitate COM
plete change in their lives, which they
were unwilling to make.
1.-The standard of life which the
teachings of Jesus Christ established
was absolutely contrary to the stand
ard by which they were living. And
instead of making the effort to change
their way of living to conform to His
they sought to discredit His teachings,
deny His authority and finally, fail
Ing in this, to destroy Him. And to
accomplish this we see a remarkable |
alliance of antagonistic parties. We
find the Pharisees and the Herodians. |
bitter enemies, going together to pro- |
pound entangling questions to Jesus. |
We find the Pharisees standing quiet |
" while the hated Sadducees ask |
Jesus questions intended to discredit |
The truth of the doctrine of the resur- |
rection in which the Pharisee firmly |
believed. In all of this we see men |
who know they are wrong seeking to |
overthrow the truth, we find them al |
lied with their bitter enemies in this !
effort. simply because this truth OPP
poses the evil and materialist lives |
they are living. And when we think !
over the matter, we find that they |
are not so very different from many |,
men and women who today are pur- |
suing a very similar course.
To-day we find those who are will |
Ing to pass by peacably and with in |
difference Jesus Christ. if He will only
let them live as they please. And |
when they find that they must come
into contact with Him they try to dis |
credit His teaching and question His /
authority rather than make an effort |
to change their own evil way of living |
and doing business. And even among !
there are those who will not admit /
the whole truth about who He is be- |
cause to do so will give Him too much /
authority. Consequently, our Lords |
questions are today just as pertinent !
rs they were when first asked. And /
every one of us must ask ourselves |
these questions, and after carefully |
examining the evidence as recorded in |
the Bible we must give an honest and |
true answer to them. even though it /
does, as it will, necessitate a complete /
change in ourselves and in our way
Of living.
Jesus asks us today, as He asked |
those Pharisees nineteen hundred
years ago, What think We of Christ?
Whose son is Hep Have you ever
thought seriously about these ques-
tions? Or do you think it is not at /
all necessary for you to answer them? |
Do you think that it is none of your !
business and that no one has any
business asking these questions of |
you? Well, it is not only your busi--
ness, but it is absolutely necessary /
that you answer them. oh, no, I can
not make you give me the answer to
~ No q