South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-03-27
CHRISTIAN LIFE AS
STRUGGLE FOR GOAL
Is SERMON THEME
Fighter and Gutter Present
in Every Struggle, DIR.
Gardiner States.

The fehtcr and the gutter in the
struggle for a Christian life are
are measured iust az exactly as IN
aa athletic contest. according 20 rev
James T.. Gardiner who delivered q
forceful sermon on the subject az 81
PauIs Methodist Episcopal church
yesterday.
Il have fought good fight Who
first uttered these words said the
pastor The value Of words depends
largely on the person who speaks
them The man behind the gun Is
rnDortant. but is no more important
than the man behind the message.
It IS the character that lies back OF
words that gives their measure OF
iuduence % the world.
These words were uttered by one
who was by birth a jew. by right
Roman citizen. by training Greek
scholar and who by conversion was
a Christian. They were spoken oy
one called saul of Tarsus but who
after his conversion TO Christianity
was known as the great apostle 10
thc Gentiies.
In our text the great Paul uses
three figures Of speech IN setting
forth the Christian life.
-First. the Christian life is pre-
scented as "a battle. Hence, he says,
II have fought a good fight. This
was an illustration which Paul tre-
quenuy used once in writing "a
Timothy lac said. Thou Therefore
ms son endure hardness as a good
soldier OF Jesus Christ on another
occasion Paul wrote. Put on the
whole armor Of God that YOU may
Doe able TO stand aginst the wiIes OF
the Devil To Paul, then, the Chris
tan life was a fight against the
world. the flesh and the devil
81 have finished my course.
Here he looks at the Christian life
as "a race Every man who follows
Christ must be ready 90 lay aside
every weight and the sin that doth
so easily beset him and run the race
set before him. looking unto Jesus
the author and duisher of our faith.
"But the Christian life TO Paul was
also a trust 1t was "a faith that he
had committed 20 him by his Lord
and Master To this faith Paul for
over 500 years has ben true. Hence
he says. 4 have kept the faith.
paul was then "a hnisher. He
Rad finished the Christian race and
now awaited the crown which the
righteous Judge was ready 20 give
unto him and not unto him only
but unto AN those who love his ap-
peariug. Tie had carried out tho
Masters command. BE thou faith
fuI unto death. and now he awaited
The crown of life
"In striking contrast 20 Paul
stands the character of Demas. For
a time Demas had been true. for a
time he had run with patience the
face. for a time he had kept the
faith but i'm the trying hour ne
failed. Paul says 'Dcmas hath for
saken me having loved this present
world
"Demas then was a gutter de-
serted inn the army of the Lord
Worldliness had entered into hi.
heart and had led him to forsake
not only Paul but his Savious and
his Lord.
And what is worldliness? Il is
something which IS hard TO define
In answer however may / say that
it is anything which means the soul
away from God. IL is anything
which draws the heart away from
Christ. 10 is anything that makes
q man less Christian. IT is any
thine that takes the time and talent
that belouE 10 God.
THE sad story OF Dcmas impress