Christ’s Mission of Love

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«Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.» 1 John 3:1,2.

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To see Christ as He is, is one of the greatest blessings that can ever come to fallen humanity; and to know Him is to know the Father also. But how few to-day know the precious Saviour as He is! How few know Him and the Father! Many acknowledge Jesus as the world’s Redeemer, but they know Him not as a personal Saviour; this is essential,-the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. «Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.» «And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.» The knowledge of God is eternal life, and this knowledge is received only through Christ.

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«Every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself.» What hope?-Of seeing Jesus as He is, the living faith that lays hold of the arm of the infinite God, the faith that takes Christ as our personal Saviour. A casual view of Christ will not save one soul. Do you know Him by the vital connection of faith? He came to our world in order that, by taking human nature upon Himself, He might bring man into close connection with the living God. No angel could do this work; had an angel come from glory, who could have endured the light of his presence? After Christ was crucified, and laid in Joseph’s new tomb, a great stone was rolled before the opening of that tomb, and a seal was put upon it, so that no man could steal away His body, and say that He had risen. But lo, a mighty angel from the heavenly courts is commissioned to roll away the stone. Clothed with the panoply of heaven, he parts the darkness from his track, and as the light rests upon the Roman guards, they fall as dead men to the earth. They cannot endure the light of his glory. Had Christ come with even the glory of the heavenly angels, His presence would have extinguished humanity. Fallen men could not have endured His glory. But He laid aside the royal crown and the royal robe; He clothed His divinity with humanity, that humanity might touch humanity.

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There was a wondrous work for Him to perform when He came to our earth. Satan seemed to be having things his own way. He claimed the earth as his, and styled himself the prince of this world. Christ came to dispute his claim, and to rescue the human race from his oppressive power. He came to break every yoke, to let the oppressed go free, to heal the wounds that sin had made. This was the work of the only begotten of the Father. Humanity was possessed with the power of demons; and Christ came to break the chains of sin. He came to demonstrate before angels and men, that through divine power, united with human effort, man could keep all the commandments of God. He could be complete in Christ. The battlefield was right here. In this little world, the conflict went on between the Prince of life and the prince of the powers of darkness. Which should triumph? All the heavenly intelligences were looking upon Christ, and taking cognisance of the battle. Christ was disputing the authority of Satan, and Satan was following Him at every step, bent upon overthrowing Him with temptations, determined to weary out and exhaust the love and forbearance of Christ toward the human family, that he himself might be able to ruin every one of them, and thus triumph over God.

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When Christ came, John, the forerunner, proclaimed Him just as He is. Pointing to Jesus, he said, «Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. That is His work. Will you let Him take away your sins, or will you cling to them as a precious acquisition? Sin is the transgression of the law. Will you transgress the commandments of God? Will you trample them under foot, and publish, as Satan has done, that God has no law? He has a law to govern the heavenly intelligences; and He has a law to govern this kingdom upon the earth which Christ came to wrest from the hands of the usurper.

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When John prepared the way for the Messiah, his voice was lifted up in the wilderness. Why did he not go to men in the cities where they were?-For the very reason that it was next to impossible to arrest the attention of people who were all absorbed in the delusive enchantments of this world. He calls them away from the feverish excitement of the world, and brings them into the wilderness, where they can behold God in nature. There the God of nature imbued John with His Holy Spirit to give them the warning that was to prepare the way for the Messiah, to bear the message of mercy to our world, «Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.»

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Christ was baptised by John in Jordan, and as He came up out of the water after His baptism, the heavens were opened, and the glory of God, symbolized by a dove of burnished gold, encircled Him, and from the highest heaven were heard the words, «This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.» This was an assurance to John that Christ was the Son of God. And what do these words say to us, to every member of the human family, whatever our country or position? To every one of us they are words of hope and mercy. Through faith in the provision God has made in the behalf of man, you are accepted in the Beloved,-accepted through the merits of Jesus.

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Many who read this account fail to comprehend its significance. It means that in behalf of humanity the prayer of Christ cleaved its way through the hellish shadow of Satan, and reached to the very sanctuary, the very throne of God. That prayer was for us; the answer was for us, it testifies that you are accepted in the Beloved. That very prayer that entered heaven, bears upward your prayers, my prayers, and the prayers of every soul that comes to God with a hungering and thirsting after righteousness. The merit of Jesus, His righteousness, gives fragrance to our prayers as holy incense that ascends to God.

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This is the very work that has been going on in our world since the gospel was first proclaimed in Eden. «The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.» The weakest child of God, the most oppressed, may find in Jesus hope, mercy, and love without a parallel. Faith in Christ brings to us infinite power. We may lay hold upon the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Therefore not one soul needs to faint, not a soul needs to be discouraged. Whatever may be your weakness, however you may be compassed with infirmities, there is hope for you in God. Our precious Saviour came to save to the uttermost every soul that will come unto Him. He descended to the very depths of human woe; for our sake He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich; rich in earthly treasure? -No. He made the world, it is His, and He placed it in its proper position as subordinate. God and eternity are to be exalted as supreme. To those whose minds are engrossed with earthly things, He lifts the voice of warning, He presents eternity to our view. He opens before you heaven, the threshold brightened with His glory, and the glory streaming through the open door. Thank God, the door is ajar.

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Mothers who have the care of children, train them for Jesus. The gates are ajar, and every mother’s prayer, every mother’s tears, every mother’s entreaty for her children, is marked in heaven. The children and youth are the younger members of the Lord’s family. The work resting upon mothers is to fashion these children after the similitude of the divine pattern,-to place the impress of God upon the character. Instead of taking these children to the horse race, the theatre, or the dance hall, give them to Him who gave His life that He might bring them to the heavenly courts, and crown them with glory, honour, and immortality. I entreat you, as parents, do not neglect the solemn responsibility that is resting upon you.

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Why is it that iniquity has reached such a height in our world, and that children and youth are so generally irreligious?-It is because fathers and mothers have thought more of reaching the standard of the world than God’s great standard of righteousness. Will it pay? «What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?» You cannot afford to sin. «Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.» There is something for us to do to prepare for the future, immortal life. We are to do His commandments, just as He has given them in His word. ( Concluded next week .)

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Christ has gone to prepare mansions for you. Make Him your dependence, your trust. Brethren and sisters, fathers and mothers, are you purifying your souls in your sphere, as God is pure in His sphere? We lift the standard, and point you to it.

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You may say, » I see the battlements of heaven, but how am I to reach it? I see the glory that floods the threshold, but how am I to enter within? What shall I do that I may win eternal life?» Read the answer in the history of Jacob. Because of his sin, Jacob was a wanderer from his father’s house, a poor, discouraged, disconsolate man, as all sinners are when they see themselves in their true character. Jacob saw himself as he was. «Oh, » he said, «I love God, but I have cut myself off from Him; no hope now of my having the inheritance of the firstborn.» At night, as he lies down on the cold earth with a rock for a pillow, an angel comes to the discouraged man, and opens before him the provision whereby he can be reconciled to God, can enter the portals of bliss, and have everlasting life. He sees a ladder, the base of it standing firmly upon the earth, its topmost round reaching to the highest heaven, and God above it, flashing the light of His glory the whole length of the ladder, upon which angels of God are descending and ascending. This is a representation of Christ. He comes to our earth, and meets men where they are; through His own merits He connects helpless man with the infinite God; through the sacrifice of Himself He draws the fallen race unto Him, and imparts to the repentant sinner the divine nature, that we may honour our Creator upon the earth. He gives us power to climb every round of the ladder into the portals of glory.

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This was the import of the vision that Jacob saw. When he awoke, he said, «Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. . . . This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. » What a happy man he was. And any one who receives light from the throne of God can but be filled with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

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Christ is the ladder that is let down in our path to-day, and that reaches to the battlements of heaven, to the very threshold of glory. Now the question is, Will you climb the ladder? Jesus Christ is our pattern, the great standard of moral character. Will you follow His example, or will you choose to follow the example and practice and customs of the world?

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Fathers and mothers, will you let your children go into all the amusements of the world? The enemy will surround them with attractions that in the end will afford no satisfaction; they will bring only weariness, disappointment, and sorrow. Will you place their hands in the hands of the world? Will you teach them to dress after its fashions, to pattern after its customs, or will you educate them to know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent? Shall Christ have died in vain for your children?

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Is there not enough in nature to reveal God’s love, and draw our hearts to Him? Look at the lofty trees; look at the spires of grass that clothe our earth with its green velvet carpet; look at the flowers which our God has provided because He is a lover of the beautiful.

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When I was in Colorado some years since, I visited an art gallery, and there were groups of people standing before the pictures as if entranced, and praising the human artist. At evening as I was walking through the town, I saw the glory of the sunset. The bright beams were shining upon the snowcapped mountains, and it seemed as if the portals of heaven were opened, and its glory were streaming through. Persons were continually passing along the street, but none looked at the sight. My companion and myself were gazing upon it in rapture. I could discern in it heaven’s beauty; I could see heaven’s glory shining from the gates ajar, that we might conceive the beauty of what was within. But the crowds did not look upon the scene. That is the way God is treated.

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How many go out into the garden with their children, and as they point them to the beautiful flowers say, «This is an expression of the love of God to you»? This would lead their minds up through nature to nature’s God. Would not this be far more profitable to your children than taking them to all the shows and amusements of a demoralizing nature that would absorb their attention so that they forget God?

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A solemn responsibility rests upon you who have brought children into the world. You are to educate, and train, and discipline them. Show them how to make the world better and nobler; teach them to seek that which will elevate and ennoble, instead of running into all the amusements and selfish expenditure of money. You may say, «It is my money.» But no, it is not your money at all. It is God’s money. It is lent you in trust, that you may feed the hungry and clothe the naked; that you may elevate humanity, teaching them, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little, patiently, perseveringly, kindly, with the love of Christ in your hearts. In the home teach your children true courtesy; teach them how to keep busy and be helpful; teach them that they are not in this world as mere butterflies, but to form a character after the pattern of Christ, and that they may have that life which measures with the life of God, an immortal inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away. Christ has told you what to seek as that which is precious in the sight of Heaven. He says, «Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament or a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.»

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We want a life that shall endure after this life of sin and sorrow and affliction shall close. I point you to Jesus; I point you to His word. If you will educate and train your children here for the future, immortal life, whom do you have to help you?-Christ Himself. He has said, «Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.» This is our work. And then, fathers and mothers, you have the children entrusted to you of God, to help you in missionary efforts. Every soul who has tasted of the love of God, every soul who has given his life to Christ, is to be refined in character, and to be transformed into the image of Christ’s purity.

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Fathers and mothers are the teachers of their children; and if they realize their responsibility, they will be learners in the school of Christ, to be educated in the home life. Then they can take their children with them into the church, to hear the living testimony borne of the Spirit of God that is preparing them for the future, immortal life. They are not to be swayed independent of God, but are to stand in moral power, uninfluenced by the iniquity that abounds in this degenerate age.

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It is high time that we begin to inquire, Will my work bear the scrutiny of God? Shall I hear the words, «Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.» «Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is forever set down at the right hand of God.» We want to be with Christ at the right hand of God. We want that which was Christ’s joy, the joy of being a blessing to humanity. We must be uplifters, not destroyers. We must not have a character that will destroy the property for which Christ has given His life. He wants us not to be counteractors of His work, but co-labourers with Him. «Ye are labourers together with God.» This you will be when you walk in Christ’s lines, when you separate your children from the poisonous and contaminating influence of this corrupt age, and bring them into the society of Christ, into the light of His example.

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God help the fathers and mothers. He is ready to do this, He is willing to do it, He wants to do it. Will you come to Him? Christ has placed His cross between earth and heaven. Here mercy and truth have met together, and righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Here is salvation for the human race. It is here that you are to bring your sins. Sinners, roll them into the sepulchre, come to Jesus in repentance, and find mercy and forgiveness. You may let your name be traced in honour by the world, and it will soon be effaced; but if written in the book of life, it will be immortalized among the heavenly angels.

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It becomes us to consider what road we are travelling. Is it the road that leads heavenward, or the one that leads to perdition? The gift of God is eternal life, and we want you to have life and happiness and peace. A crown of immortal glory is presented to every one who will overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. This is the warfare. Christ will stand to help you at every step. Angels of God will be round about you. The heavenly instrumentalities are working with men; Christ has given His divine nature to man, and all may lay hold upon it by faith; through the merits of Christ, every soul may win eternal life. Will you have it?

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I see matchless charms in Jesus. I behold in Him all that my soul desires; it is immortal glory, and we want you to have it. We want you to see the King in His beauty, and to dwell forever in His presence. We ask you to give to Jesus your mental, your moral, your physical powers; lay all at His feet, use all in His service. Live to win souls to Christ. He has given His life for you, will you not give your life to Him, and let Him use it for His name’s glory? Then you will have peace here, and an eternal reward at His coming. When the dead shall come forth from the tomb, you can shout victory over death and the grave. The gates of heaven will be open before you, and the eternal reward will be yours. Is not this enough? Will you not determine that Christ shall not have died for you in vain?