Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1913 — The Best Message [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Best Message

By REV. PARLEY E. ZARTMANN. D.D.

Secretary Enetmon Depaitneot at Moody Bibls Institute,

TEXT—And the ansel said unto them. Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tiding* of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you 1* born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which to Christ the Lord.—Luke 2.10-11.

The best message for this Christmas time, the best message the world ever heard, is the message which c|a me to the Judean shepherds on the first Christmas night nearly two thousand years ago; the message of One who had come to redeem mankind. But who can say

anything new about this wonderful blessing which follows the coming of Christ? The message has come through the medium of angels from Heaven; prophets had foretold the Saviour, the apostles and martyrs, the saints of all ages have spoken of the glory which followed. Nineteen centuries of eloquence -from poets, painters and sculptors;' oratory and literature and song have united in telling the story of the glory of the ■ first Christmas and the transforming power of the Christ-child. And yet the story never grows old; it is still the sweetest story ever told; nor is It strange that this should be so, for the coming of Christ was the supreme event in human history, the turning point in the calendar of the world* and the greatest gift to man. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The message was one of good tidings; of salvation, of forgiveness from sin. of deliverance from bondage, of refuge from the storms of life, of -peace amid the reHtiessness or the world, of power over the evil in human nature, of cleansing from the stain of sin, of comfort in the midst of the world’s sadness, and of a crown at the end of the race. The message was of good tidings of great joy, and this Is the keynote of the Gospel, for he who really has Christ in the heart can hear the Saviour say and realize the truth of It “That your joy might be fulL” The message is all inclusive —to all people. In the Psalms we read that Christ shall hare dominion from sea to sea. There is no narrowness in God’s plan. “There’s a wideness tn God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea.’’ This babe born in Bethlehem is he who shall rule In Jerusalem, and In Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. “AH kings shall bow down before him.” There is no better day than Christmas, and no higher theme and no greater motive for an appeal for our interest in foreign missions, for this same Saviour said: “Go ye into all the world.’’ ! This is the best message because it announced the Saviour. Redemption is the greatest factor in human history; although it reminds us of the awful bust of sin; for these two explain all mystery and unravel all history. Sin is the ground, redemption the process of all salvation. Sin makes redemption necessary; fedemptlon shows us God, and we shout: “What a wonderful Saviour.” In a. very true sense God was a Redeemer before he was a Creator. This Saviour is announced as Christ and Lord, and every word Is emphatic. Christ in the Messiah who was to come, and as Lord he takes his place as ruler in the hearts and lives of those who accept him. The emphasis of the message is upon the fact that Jesus is the Saviour. There is one line that runs through all the Bible; It Is the scarlet thread of the blood of Christ. There Is one fact that shines out on every page of the book, the face of One who became man for us men and for pur Salvation. This is the message of prophets and angels, of types and symbols, of persons and sacrifices; the multitudes have found it true. It reminds one of the first words of a song used in the south: "How do I know my Lord I* divine? i He saves me from my sin.” The mease •• is personal—“ Unto you." Blessed be the night that song was born; blessed be the Saviour who came and who now lives in his saints; blessed be the God who sent such a wonderful redemption and said: "Whosoever believeth tn him shall not perish." So the blessing reaches me and that means Christmas for my soul and redemption for me, and peace, and joy. and Christ, aad Heaven—if I will. How is It with you? Has Christ been born Ante you as a Savior? Have you accepted the greatest gift God could make? Have you made the Babe of Bethlehem your Savior and Christ and Lord? ”0 holy child of Bethlehem, Descend to u*. we pray; Cast out our *ln, and enter In. Be born In u* today. We hear the Chriatmaa angels The great glad tiding* tell; O rorne to us. abide with u*. Our Lord Emanualf*