LOYALTY REWARDED.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 12 July 1913, Page 3

LOYALTY REWARDED.

THE REBEL DOOMED. i TWO GREAT EXAMPLES GIVEN US IN THE BIBLE. SATAN AND CHRIST—THE GREAT REBEL AND HIS FAILUREGOD'S LOYAL SON AND HIS VICTORY—GOD'S GREAT LESSONS FOR MEN AND FOR ANGELS. (Inserted by Arrangement.) i'astor Russell, of the London Tabrm'ieta, widely known through his published sermons, on Sunday last addressed Bible Students and also, us usual, the public. We report one nf his discourses from the text: "Mumble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may li you in. due time" (I. Peter v. 6). '!'!;>• Pastor declared that the Bible mv. ryi\ hore holds up the Lord Jesus Christ :is tho glorious pattern of win;r most pleasing to the Heavenly Fa i her. to be copied by all who uii! ;ihi.le in God's favour. He •rrfnicd tits hearers that there are • necessary before any- ■<!•>«• e;in come into the favour of God, n ■:<; »t operly be called Hi-, children, or V,c said to be under His supervision and care, or even permitted to U'iiiress Him in prayer. This is m.'kle very clear ,by the Apostles and by Jesus himself. Tho Apostles derbire tho necessity of an Advocate with the Father before any can ap-r>->m<eh Him, or receive favour from Him. Jesus expressed this same thought, saying, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Therefore a comparatively small portion of humanity has part or lot irv any of God's favours at the present time, said the Pastor btlfc we rejoice that in God's "due time" all shall be brought tq the knowledge of j the Messiah, and privileged through him to enjoy God's everlasting love. Still", what is coming and what is here now are two different matters. No one has authority to make the narrow way a broad way, nor to say that many will find it when the Scriptures say, "few there be that And it." TO WHOM THE TEXT APPLIES. The Pastor left no doubt in the minds of his hearers that his text relates to the consecrated few who during this age hear the invitation, accept it, and become footstep followers of Jesus. These have their sins forgiven as the result of faith in the precious blood of Christ, aiid of consecration to do the will of God. These have the Redeemer as their Advocate with the Father, and are "accepted in the Beloved" as his brethren. These are begotten of the Father through the Holy Spirit, and thus become New. Creatures in Christ. No longer are they- to be classed as of the htii-nan' family, but*-as spiritual sous of God-rof a new order, higher than.th.' angeis, though" not yet perfected. Their perfecting canndt take place until their probationary trial shall have ended, and it will not end until death. In the glorious First Resurrection, these will be perfect, as sons of God on the Divine plane, associates and joint-heirs with their Lord and Redeemer. These are exhorted to come with courage to the throne of Heavenly grace, to obtain mercy, and find grace to help in every time of need. These' may know that their prayers are always heard, as Jesus said, "Their messengers do always have.access to. my Father's presence" (Matt, xviii. 10). The exhortations of iilie Apostles are to those alone, not to the world. THE GREAT EXAMPLE. In our teat the Apostle holds up the Lord Jesiis as the example for all his followers—that they should . walk in his steps, if they would have the Divine favour. He was rich, yet in obedience to the Father's will he laid aside the- riches of hite heavenly estate and became poor—not mere appeared poor. He laid aside his spirit condition and glory, and took the human condition. From being above the angels, he took a nature and place " a little lower than the angels." He did this, knowing that particular steps of self-denial and suffering were to follow. He humbled himself to become a man, because a man (Adam) had sinned, and through him the race, had come under sentence of death, and could not extricate itself. Only an uncondemned man could redeem the condemned one. For this purpose Jesus left his glory, and "was found in fashion as a man." The Jewish people were not ready for the Lord's message. As the Scriptures foretold, they crucified him —ignorantly—as St. Paul declares (I. Co. ii. 8). He reminds us that we should consider him and his unworthiness of persecution, lest we should be "weary and faint in our minds.' So in our text , the exhortation is that as we perceive how Jesus hum-, bled himself, we should think a great privilege and pleasure similarly to experience humiliations. THE REWARD 1 OF HUMILITY AND LOYALTY. No dotibt the Logos, "the beginning of the creation of God," has such loyalty to the Father that he would have been obedient no reward been attached to the invitation given him. On the other hand, it would not have been consistent with kindness, love, or justice for the Father to demand of His' Son such a sacrifice. Justice can make no such demands, and if Love makes such a suggestion it should properly back up the suggestion with some promise of special favour. According to the Apostle, God did just this. He informed His only begotten Son that He would appreciate such a sacrifice and set before him a hope. The Apostle does not explain the details of that hope, but we may infer tliem. (1) The joy of the Father's blessing in a superlative igense. (2) The joy of bringing fnany sons of God to the plane of Glory. (3) The joy of rescuing the world of mankind from sin, sickness, sorrow, pain, death, and of uplifting, or resurrecting, all the willing and obedient of the race to human perfection lost by Adam. (4p The joy of exaltation to a still higher station than that which he had left. He would be made partaker of the Divine nature far above his previous high station. SATAN'S COURSE IN CONTRAST. Satan took the opposite course. Instead of humlbing, himself, willing to do everything that would be pleasing to the Father, he was proud and sought to exalt _ himself. Lucifer was rich before his rebellion, before he became Satan, the adversary of God. Yet he had .not so high a station as the Logos, the very chief of

God's cr.ati.ia, through whom the Divine er"i - !_ r y up* rated in tho creation of i i -sz- that wore made. Mark *«>ll -J. • rour.so of pride, that led to Sni - ii. :uul will ultimately lead t<< V iirtioi). Mark well also the <>f Jesus, which led him throu-Ji b-'dience to humiliation and ill. n !■<► tho highest glory. Which exi»::ii»ic shall we follow? Shall woiri kiimility walk in the footsteps of our Redeemer, and become his joint-heir • in irlory, honour, and immorality i- or >hall wo take tho other course —of pride, and thus become r f Adversary, and reach his fate—d-M ruction in "the Second Death ? Beloved hrarers, it seems to me that with th.-so illustrations before us it would ho folly to permit the loot of pride or personal ambition to spring up in our hearts. Lot us therefore be close students of oui Master, copying his The Lord Jesus and his Church are invited to the very highest position in the universe, next to Jehovah. Such an exaltation would he dangerous to anyone possessed of the spirit of pride or" selfish ambition. Cod tests us upon the general principles operating in His government—viz.. "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted. and he that exalteth. himself shall be abased."