PULPIT MESSAGES

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 114, 8 February 1937, Page 14

PULPIT MESSAGES

Wellington Churches

THE LOVABLENESS OF JESUS

Key to Things Divine

Taking as his text the words “We love because He loved us first” fl John, iv:l9, Moffatt), the Rev. L. J. BoultonSmith spoke in a recent sermon at the Vivian Street Baptist Church about “The lovableness of Jesus.” “Our Lord Jesus Christ,” said the preacher, “stands pre-eminent in history. In classifying a dozen great men the distance between the first and the second may be very slight—indeed it is often a matter of dispute as to who is first. But as regards Jesus, His place is indisputable. And the distance between Him and the one who would be placed second is so great that there really is no second. He is unique in every way we look at Him. As a teacher He is supreme, and as a leader His command over all sorts and conditions of men is quite unlike anything we know of. “His lovableness is felt and acknowledged by all who make a serious study of His character. We all know certain people whom we term lovable, but His is lovableness—with a difference. "We epeak of a man and say, ‘Oh, he is a lovable character,’ but quite often that very tribute implies that in some respects he is far from perfect. Many a scallywag ■ like Locke's ‘Beloved Vagabond’ possesses this winning quality. But with Jesus we se lovableness exalter to the nth degree. Jesus stands first and there is no second. He is lovable because He is Love. There arc men whose genius dazzles us, but who arouse within us no noble emotion. But Jesus, who never wrote a book, who never had a university career, and who never travelled 100 miles from home —Jesus, we love. Little children—who in their childish ignorance are so often wiser than the worldlywise—were drawn to Him. A Magdalene bruised in life’s sordid contacts weeps at His feet. False lovers had come to hcrand then cast her aside. But here was One who loved her with a love beyond all bodily passion. It was a love that redeemed her from vice. It was a love that won her and gave her back to God. And down on the lake He made friends with certain watersiders and fishermen. They were drawn to Him; they got to know and love Him. And in due course with •no reward but that love they went to the ends of the earth proclaiming His name. Then. too. there was a proud young rabbi. He was a university man —an honours man of his year and very sure of himself. To him the name of Jesus was anathema. He scorned Him and His paltry sect. But when he met Him face to face on the old Damascus Road it was the end of the section for Rabbi Saul. In a thrice he too found that to know Him was to love Him. The loveableness of Jesus disarmed him. And with voice and pen, by word ami deed, he gave himself to the glad, glad task of convincing man of that love. St. Paul’s real education began when he came under thej’pell of the love of Jesus. He could say with his brother apostle, ‘We love because He loved us first.’ “And to-day the ‘loveableness of Jesus Christ’ needs to be emphasised, or to be more exact, to be unveiled. For in obscuring Him we sin against our fellows. How unloveable He must appear to those whose only knowledge of Him is drawn from what they see in some of His followers. With a full knowledge of His powers He once said, ‘I will draw all men unto Me.’ But instead of the original we present men with a Christ made in our own likeness. And who will be attracted by our pettiness, poverty of outlook and lack of charity? In one of Quiller-Couche's books we ehar a voice complaining about prevailing religion and asking, ‘Why, if it aims to be unworldly, must religion always over-shoot the mark and be merely inhuman?’ In both creed and deed this loveableness of Jesus has often beeen obscured. The New Testament rings with the message ‘Love not the world —love Christ.’ Love is the key to things divine. It gives sure insight into the real, meaning of life. It routs sin and hatred; it laughs.in the dark sullen face of death. To love Christ is our final acknowledgment of God. Such love sees in the Cross and Empty Tomb sure symbols of a faith that triumphs over all things.”