The Great Misunderstood.

Manawatu Herald, 27 October 1904, Page 3

The Great Misunderstood.

The following extracts ffbm the sermon preached by Rcv» Fox to a crowded congregation in Foxton Parish Church, October 23rd, 1904, are worthy of publication ;—Yon will find, my text for to-night in the 38th chapter of St. Luke’s gospel the 23rd verse: “ And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Latin and Greek and Hebrew, 1 This is the King of the Jews.’ ” I promised yon this morning to speak about a subject which I would like to call u The Great Misunderstood.” My friends, another week has passed, with its toil and with all its labour, and life is still going on, and we are again on the commencement of another week, and as I said before I would like that this church should become a centre-, not only where people should pf&y together, but where people—yoiihg men and maidens, women and men, should come together for a great purpose, to do something better and nobler in this World ©f ours. My friends, what we want is this—to make this church a centre where a great influence for good should go out amongst these hundreds of men who never go to a place of worship, and who never try to enter the temple of God. Mind you I do not say that they are worse than we are, but still I believe that Unity is strength, and so 1 fenlfove if we can get together the young men of this town, we could be doing a great deal of good and be a great power in this busy centre. Now, I read to you this •text, “ This is the King of the Jews.” Picture to yourselves the cross, the Son of Man hanging there—The Lamb of God which taketh away the sms of the world, and Pilate unconsciously . putting above it “ The King of the Jews.” My friends, picture to yourselves the cross with another superscription “The Great Misunderstood.” Oh, if the Christ to-day were understood ! How much happiness and how much welfare would be in this world of ours. If these two nations engaged in fighting and bloodshed would understand the Christ, “ The Great Misunderstood,” all these things could be saved, and peace would reign in this world. But, alas ! the Christ is not only misunderstood by those who ■’ 'do not profess to believe on him, but even by those who did, and even do‘ in this present age. Now, if you go with me through the museums of our large countries on the continent, you will find pictures and figures of the Christ, but what- sort of a Christ ? Alas! it is the Christ who hangs on the cross—who seems to look sick and tired of life. That is the Christ you have had presented. In this times, my friends, such a Christ is no use. The Christ which is exhibited in these museums and picuire and art galleries, is not. a Christ for the men and women living to-day. What we want to-day is the living Christ, a power dominating this world. Yes, the Christ is still misunderstood in this progressive age. To-day there came a little pamphlet in my hands. It has been distributed in this town of ours, and starts with ! an inscription “ Good Tidings,” and goes on and says the nth July, 1897, will be remembered in Denmark as the date of a terrible accident. And good Christians as those people may be, they think because people went to an excursion on Sunday, God punished them and 100 lost their lives. Now you see how God is misrepresented. On one side God is misrepresented by a mocking crowd, and on the other side God is misrepresented even by those who profess to believe in Him. as a God of fear, of hatred, as a God who kills. My friends, we must go away from all these notions; we must go back to the Christ; we must go back to the Son of God who became man, and there we can read on the cross, God is love and Christ is love, and love will conquer this world of ours, and not fear and not hatred. I dare say there may have been a good many in past ages who have been drawn nearer to God through picturing to themselves hell damnation and fire, * but the time has been, and the time has gone, and the time will never never return. We are living in a time where we want intelligence amongst our growing generation, and we want to know what life and beauty and health v means. Let us not misunderstand the Christ. Let us understand Him in the lull power and the full glory, and let those who differ from us be treated with kindness and brotherly love. And so let us walk together that we may accomplish the great purpose for which Christ has died. Yes, I believe the time is coming when we will see the new light, when the light of Jesus will shine fortfo and all war and bloodshed will cease, and men and women will walk humbly and do their duty to their fellow men. So, my friends, I would like to close with this : Don’t misrepresent the Christ ; He has been misrepresented enoughs And if you see that He is misrepresented, take a great lesson on the commencement of thjs week. There is business going ' “ on.* You have to deal with your tellow men, and you know just as I do that i life is not so smooth—that business and work has its difficulties, and we have troubles and we have trials. ■But take the example of Jesus. Nay, if you are misrepresented—as it must come and must be—all great men in this world have been misrepresented—take courage on the journey of this life. Take courage and go on and believe that Christ was misrepresented tqo. He who did not fear to come upon this earth, and who has been despised and misrepresented. Surely yop and I will not heed if we are mis- - represented. And so we can learn everyday the great lessons from the incarnate God because His life and teaching show us that we are men and women doing the same work, or helping to do so as the Son of Man did. Then my brethren, and then Iny sisters, the great thing will be accom- , plished. Yes, after all onr labour, after great misrepresentation, there will come the final glory where you and I and ali those who have gone before, will meet in the courts above, and now to God, etc.