September 1927
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The Words o f Jesus Christ B y R ev . J . T . L arsen Minneapolis, Minn.
“Never man spake like this Man.” John 7 :46. HIS was the admission of the officers who were sent by the Pharisees to take Jesus. “For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes.” Matt. 7 :29. It might be edifying to consider Christ’s m i words in their general characteristics and appli-; cation to the needs of that time and the present. His words were with power. He spake with authority, not as the Scribes. His words were the words of God. They “are spirit and they are life.” His words were from heaven, not from any man, not from any set of books, classics, or literature of that day. They contained not simply human and worldly wisdom,. but the wisdom of God. As He heard He spoke from God. John 5 :30. He took the Old Testament as an authoritative part of our present Bible. He put His O.K. on 22 of the Old Testa ment Books and quoted from them. But He spake orig inal words and teachings like the sermon on the Mount. Matt. 5-6-7, John 14-17, John 5 and 10. His words were with finality on any and all subjects upon which He spoke. We need not seek better truth, or better advice, or better Gospel than His. He spoke words of pardon and forgiveness to the sin ful. He spoke words of peace to the troubled soul. He spoke words of life to the dead; both physical and spirit ual death were' conquered by Him. He spoke words of sympathy to the bereaved and sorrowing. He spoke words of compassion to the lost and erring. He spoke words of sweet invitation to the masses of unsaved. “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He spoke words of love for the deepest fallen woman and man. He spoke words of. healing to the diseased of that day. The words He spoke caused the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the blind to see, the dumb to speak, the lepers to be cleansed, and the dead to be raised. He spoke words of good cheer to the troubled and those who would pass through tribulation. John 16: 33. He spoke to the waters, and there was a great calm. He spoke to the devils, and they came out of men. He spoke to sinners, and their sins were forgiven. He spoke to multitudes of people and showed them the fundamental and basic truths of life in relation to God, to men, to sin, and to proper living. His W ords T h e F in a l A ppeal He spoke words of rebuke to the Pharisees, Scribes, and hypocrites, so that they dared not ask Him questions or deny the truth He spake. He defeated them in argu ments and was their chief opposer in behalf of helpless and deceived masses of people. He spoke words that abide forever. He spoke words which have been safe to believe and obey for men of all ages. He confirmed and verified the miracles and events of Old Testament history and some prophecy. He confirmed such events as the Creation. Matt. 19:3-5. He confirmed the story of the flood and the story of Jonah and the whale. Matt. 2 4 :37-39; 12:39-41. He called both divisions of the Book of Isaiah by that name, showing that both divisions were written by Isaiah, not by two different men, as critics
would have us believe. See quotations from both sections. John 12:38-41; Isa. 6:10, 53:1. Let us go forth, then, speaking words as He did, yea, His words, and meet the critics with His words, and they will be silenced as they were in His day. Let us quickly part company with those who challenge the authority and truth of Christ’s confirmation of any part of the Old or New Testament. Let us not “cast our pearls before swine lest they turn again and rend us.” Matt. 7 :6. God’s Word, Christ’s words, all words inspired by the Holy Spirit, ought to be the final court of appeals to all men of all ages. If they cannot settle questions of dis pute, then, who can settle them ? Let us not fight the devil, the critics, the infidels of today with our own weak argu ments, but with His mighty words, which prevail even against the devil himself. Matt. 4:1-11. Wmm .Ai&. Pastor of First Methodist Church, Rogers, Arkansas That whale was better off without Jonah than with him. . Think! __ _ Marriage ceremonies are about as common in some places as divorce suits. Think! —o— Had my mother been a flapper, I would say that I had always been an orphan. Think! —o— If you are pleased with your pastor and his work, tell others; if not, tell him. Think! -—o-— What kind of work would your church do, if every member in it were just like you? Think! With but a single hope, the world is in a lurch; that one and only hope, is in a Christ-like Church. Think! If your membership is not in the church where you can do the most good, it is not in the right church. Think! — o — If a few of the big ducks in the booze puddle should be trapped, the little ones would hike for dry land. Think! ---0—■ “Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow, a character, reap a destiny.” Think! ____ Sometimes when a pastor preaches against sin, some of his members accuse him of personating them, and quit the Church. Think! __ _ There isn’t a skunk in the world today that would claim kin with the Modernist who claims that he de scended from a lower order of beings: Think! —o--- Bootlegging can be stopped easily by penalizing equally the derelict officer, the drinker, the peddler and the maker, with five years in the penitentiary for each offense, without pardon or parole. Think! Thoughts for Thinkers B y D r . R obert L. S elle ,
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