Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-11

the proud. but giveth grace TO the
humble" 1 Pet. SIS.
On a particular Sabbath in Perea
| just about a month before His cruel
| fiXion Jesus accepted an invitation to
dine with a certain Pharisee. During
! the meal Jesus asked the lawyers
and Pharisees, present if they con-
sidered it lawful to heal on the Sab
bath. The question arose from the
fact that there was present a man
with dropsy. They dared not answer
Hmm fact He had been invited
there so that they could watch Him;
and He had turned the tables on
them and had them in trap.
So Jesus healed the man and then
asked them if any of them had an
OK of an ass fallen in pit would
| they not pull him out on the Sab
bath-another question that they
could not answer.
Humility
Well, at this dinner, Jesus noticed
that each one was pushing for the
best seat, so He spoke to the in
vited guests. He told them to take
| the lowest seat always. 1t would
| be very embarrassing to take the
best seat and then be asked to let
someone more honorable be placed
there and be asked to move; where
as it would give them honor to be
invited to take a better seat. The
very thing they were looking for
was glory in the sight of others;
they would get what they wanted
| by, being humble rather than by
grasping for it. He established a
principle of the Christian life-"He
| that eXalteth himself shall be
abased, and he that humbleth him.
self shall be exalted.
How different from the world is
this, The world says, assert yourself;
stand for your rights, don't let any
one run over you; get all that you
can; make the other fellow get out
of your way.
On the contrary, notice the exam
| pie that Jesus set for His followers.
who being in the form of God,
| counted not the being on an equal
ity with God a thing to be grasped,
| but emptied Himself taking the form
FOf a servant, being made in the like
ness of men: and being found in
fashion as a man, he BUNDLED him
self becoming obedient to death,
1853 Even as He had sat at meat
with them He had demonstrated the
most marvellous humility. If He
had stood for His rights you and +
| would be in Il bad fix today-lost
eternally.
But because He humbled himself.
God hath highly exalted Him, and
given Him a name above every
| -
every knee shall bow. What a won
derful name is His-Jesus, The very
music of it thrills our souls and
it is all because He humbled Him
self: because He let the world run
\ over Him, because He didn't stand
for His rights. May God give us
the grace of humility, so that we,
shall not think of ourselves as any
thing, but as wholly dependent on.
Him.
Far Vision
I Jesus was not through. That was
| a notable dinner that Sabbath day.
Having put to silence the lawyers
and PhariSees, and having spoken
bto all the invited guests, He now
| turned to His host and said: When
you give a dinner party don't invite
folks who will invite you back in
a short time; but invite folks who
I cannot pay you back-the poor, the
blind, the manned and the lame.
| You will be rewarded but not now;
the reward will come at the resur
rection of the just. Have far vision
| to see that the biggest and best re-
wards will be given them.
Now Jesus meant that we should
entertain our friends; but He want,
| ed to- show that if we were doing it
for what we could get out of it,
| to entertain those who could not
pay US back now was the best pol
| icy. spe
Stop moment. How many folks
have you entertained that couldn't
possibly pay you back in kind? How
often have you invited your guests
with the expectation and with the
| intention of having them invite you
to their home the next time that
| thty gave party?
| Again Jesus stands out in marked
contrast in His own person. What
He was doing for folks was not only
without hope of reward, but without
the possibility of reward = it was
pure grace-undeserve favor,
| Excuses
One of the invited guests appar.
emily rose to the occasion. The pic
ture of the reward at the resurrec.
ton of the just rose before his mind
and he said, Blessed is he that shall
eat bread in the Kingdom OF Cod"
Well, it is true. Happy shall that
man be who can sit at the marriage
feast of the Lamb. But Jesus saw
how far this fellow was from that
and the others who were there for
the purpose Of watching Him, so He
| had word for him
He told another of His marvellous
| parables-a man gave a great SUP,
per and invited his guests; and when
his supper was ready he sent his
servants to say so. Instead Of com.
ing, his guests made excuses. One
had bought field and had to go and
see it; another had purchased a pair,
! or oxen, and had to try them ont;
another had married a wife and
couldn't Gomez All were excuses.
none We're reasons. And such ex-
cuses! How could one. see a field at
nglht or try out yoke of oxen in
! the evening. To have married a
wife may have been more of a
reason, but his wife could have
spared him for the evening, and be-
SIDES men were not usually so con-
siderate of their wives, they did as
| tahey pleased; it was just another
case similar to Adams, he was lay
ing the blame on his wife.
When the servant told his lord
these things he was angry, and sent
his servant into the streets and lanes
to bring in the poor. the blind the
lame and the manned. Do you no.
tice that these are the ones that
Jesus told the host to invite? They.
could not make any excuses. The
poor couldn't buy field or a pair
of oxen; the blind couldn't see
field if they could buy one; the lame
couldn't try out a yoke of oxen; the