Show v I 1 tat or U 7 T P I 1 BIT ivinity I 1 OF 0 F C HIN 11 U IS I 1 A N SEnK VICE SERMON BY DAVID W CRANE OF FIRST M E CHURCH text 11 II cor 6 we then as workers together with him you also that ye receive not the grace of god I 1 in vain 4 A study of the tle test text together with its history brings to our attention a double theme namely the salvation of immortal souls and the dignity of christian service I 1 have chosen the latter for my subject of the hour for the reason that many people in the world with possibly some in this congregation do not appreciate their high calling from sinful lives lo 10 righteous living and employment in the kingdom of christ there are many men and women with but a i twofold two fold object in claiming a christian experience the one is to follow a worthy fashion the other is that they may be admitted to heaven when they die to accept christ and become his disciple stands for more than either or both of these the moment we become christians we are called upon by gods word to enter e inq elv the active service connected with the kingdom and become ambassadors of christ god has a divine purpose in his relations with the world and needs each of us to 0 o fill flit a certain place in his ills kingdom and represent him there in cur our position we may not appear prominent in the world nevertheless god considers us worthy of his notice and commendation A few years 3 ears ago I 1 stood on the static i platform at a division terminal and found much interest centered u upon a regular over landrain a aidt brain bound eastward with precious human freight behind the regular equipment there was coupled a special car in which whick was comfortably traveling an ambassador of china together his family and retinue of servants en route for our national capital to represent his empire emple there there was much pomp and splendor surrounding the company an occasion drew the attention and of the crowd assembled on the same train and in ah the chair chat ca car ahead there sat the great evangelist dwight L A loody scarcely noticed save by a few ew fellows in christ that clasped his hand and bade him godspeed god speed in his errands of mercy and truth the men and women there them looked upon the position of the w with envy y and upon the he poor preacher with pity while god doubtless regarded the situation in exactly the converse relations in his ills sight as should appear in the eyes of men there ts ig a dignity accompanying the christian life which lifts it above every other condition in the world the mission of christianity alone establishes its claim all we need Is to demonstrate that its sole object Is to save men and we have sufficient fent grounds to command the interest of ah all peo peoples ples I 1 want to so present the 06 subject to you this morning it if I 1 can we begin then by saying true christianity is in the world for the purpose of exciting men and women to give their hearts to god and then helping them in every legitimate way to live the new life in jesus jesu christ the only question which comes to a genuine disciple of christ in the se selection lee of a subject on which he intends to work Is this Is he or she an intelligent being if so there is a soul to be saved and I 1 must bring it to christ he does not consider any other particular but immediately bends to his work christianity Christl anity frowns upon what a man has and measures him by bv what he is after the grace of goo god has bang come to his heart A merchant grages a man by what he has a mechanic by what he can do a scholar by what he knows an artist by what he feels but god gauges him by what he is note for example the estimate of god on the publicans Public ans over the pharisee and the widows mite over the large gifts of th rich men in the temple I 1 am quite aware that the world charges tile church with catering to the influential people and neglecting the poor but much of iho the judgment is in ignorance As a matter of fact the evangelical churches are constantly putting forth their best energies to better the conditions in the wo world ad and put the tap poor man as well ag as the rich in the very best position he is capable of occupying churches are arising hospitals and other institutions institution s operating with this one object in view and this spirit comes from the founder of the church through the fathers and alid is the very construction of the institution paul himself set the mighty truth to language when he said to the corinthians 1 I seek not yours but you he bore out his declaration in his dealings with agrippa felix the jailor ail and others with whom he be had to do during his christian career christianity not only oily saves the tile soul of the subject but it makes over the man see its operations in the lives of such men as is mckinley andley murphy jones and others even oi of your immediate acquaintance nothing but the power of god could work such reforms as we note in the thought in order that wo we may sec see the reflex action of christian endeavor let me declare that whatever Is performed in the camb name of the master not only enlarges the character of the ono upon whom the labor Is bestowed but also the one by whom the service Is rendered christ the founder waxed strong paul grew peter was enlarged john was transformed luther became immortalized zed wesley made his own name gladstone worked at his own until he was dominated as the grand good old man alan and tho thousands u sands of others arc are living in history oday abday because they patterned the example of the lowly nazarene in this tills letter to tho the corinthians paul was endeavoring to show the grat great benefits coming as a result of gods grace in the world and the high privileges belonging to tho the working disciple of our lord may alay I 1 enlist bour our sympathies this morning in om emphasizing pha sizing that which the worthy apostle sets beets forth you will note that as one well informed he lie declares there Is fr no ground of salvation in any other than tho the r righteousness aness of jesus christ and his atonement made for us its that we ourselves ought not ts to look upon such grace in vain but rather receive k 1 1 I 1 into our lives tho the very verk beat best god has provided us us and that besides we are ambassadors for chorst that in saving he has also appointed us a working place in his vineyard and that instead of rejecting the great commission we wd ought to gladly accept it and go forth to do or die for the gospel of our christ it if we appropriate just enough of this grace to save us from frow condemnation we miss the best of the christian life in not joyously contributing our talent to the tile building of the kingdom in the world let me then as your pastor beseech cli you that ye receive not the grace of god in vain and to you my unconverted friends permit a word of exhortation in giving his son a ransom for souls god has extended his grace to you his ilis offer of mercy forgiveness and salvation Is before you do not I 1 beseech you look upon hla his goodness with indifference but just now with thanksgiving in your soul receive jesus christ as your personal saviour and friend |