Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-10-28

I themselves, "Is not this Josephs
SOM"
All! but there was the rub! 1t
! took faith to see that He was not
Josephis son, but the Son of God.
He was (as was supposed the son
| of Joseph! He was really the Son
| of God. This man was the man
whom God had annointed; He was
the One of whom Isaiah had been
speaking. He had come to his own
town and to His own people 10 re-
veal His real identity and to bring
| to them the blessings which Isaiah
had prophesied should come in Him,
upon whom the Spirit should rest
for that purpose.
Note what these blessings were
and to whom they were to be given.
Perhaps we may discover then why
none of these of Nazareth received
them. The gospel or good tidings,
was 10 be preached to the poor -
who knew they had need; but these
had no sense of need which Joseph's
son could supply. 1t is only when
they can recognize Him as the Son
of God that they can realize the
enormity of their need-which He
alone can supply. Joseph's son was
poor, only a carpenter among them
working for His daily bread. Many
of them were far richer than He;
He could not supply their needs,
but the Son of God had resources be-
yond their, widest imagination, and
in these things they were the most
poverty-stricken of paupers. Brok-
en-hearted, captives, blind, bruised
they were none Of these so long
as they saw only Joseph's son! But
had they looked a little deeper and
seen the Man who was anointed
they would have appreciated that
they were carrying on their hearts
loads heavy enough to break them
that they were captives bound by
satan. and hopeless1y bound unless
One stronger than satan would
come to give them deliverance: that
they had eyes but could not see
since sin had covered them with an
impenetrable film! That every day
they were being bruised by the hard
'est task master that ever made a
demand.
No wonder Jesus could do moth
ing for them because of their I'm
belief, for their unbelief made them
utterly insensible to their own
need.
Where He Stopped
Did you notice where Jesus stop
ped and closed the Book? In Isaiah
81, the next phrases are, the day OF
vengeance Of our God; to comfort
all that mourn; to appoint unto
them that mourn in Zion, to give
unto them beauty for ashes, the oil
of joy for the spirit Of heaviness.
Jesus believed in the literal mean
ing. of the words of Scripture; these
things were not yet ready for full.
fiilment; therefore He stopped after
the phrase, ''to proclaim the &C
ceptable year of the Lord"
1t is still the day of grace; it IS
still the acceptable year of the
Lord; God is still in Christ reconcil.
ing the world unto Himself. He is
still waiting to be gracious. thanh;
God it is not yet "the day of ven
geance of our God;;" He is postpon.
ing that yet while in order to
give you and me chance to find
in Jesus, the Man who was Amounted,
by the Spirit, the source of ever y
blessing we need. If we but see
Him as other than Joseph's son, v'e
shall appreciate our own poverty
and find in Him our all in ALL lie
will heal our broken hearts when
sin has crushed them. He viii de-
LIVER us from the bondage of sin,
whether it be drink or tobacco, or
lust or blasphemy. or mental I'M
morality or foolish worry, or what
not-whatever Satan has used to
bind you, He will break and loose
you. He will set you at liberty. He
will open your eyes that you Hay
see-see Him in all His beauty and
power, and winsomeness, see Him as
the chiefest among ten thousands
and altogether lovely. He will ser
You at liberty if you are being bruIs-
ed by Satan so that he may not
have any more dominion over you,
or demand anything of you.
But let us stop here where He
stopped The balance is yet future.
Since He left it, let us leave it.
Our ministry is just His-the min
istry of reconciliation. Dc you know
lany one broken-hearted? Go tel