Quiet Talks about Jesus

S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon

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• Publié par: nifeg
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 17
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Quiet Talks about Jesus, by S. D. Gordon This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: Quiet Talks about Jesus Author: S. D. Gordon Release Date: July 3, 2004 [EBook #12809] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUIET TALKS ABOUT JESUS *** Produced by Distributed Proofreaders QUIET TALKS ABOUT JESUS BY S. D. GORDON AUTHOR OF "QUIET TALKS ON POWER," AND "QUIET T ALKS ON P RAYER" CONTENTS A Bit Ahead I. The Purpose of Jesus. 1. The Purpose in Jesus' Coming 2. The Plan for Jesus' Coming 3. The Tragic Break in the Plan 4. Some Surprising Results of the Tragic Break II. The Person of Jesus. 1. The Human Jesus 2. The Divine Jesus 3. The Winsome Jesus III. The Great Experiences or Jesus' Life. 1. The Jordan: The Decisive Start 2. The Wilderness: Temptation 3. The Transfiguration: An Emergency Measure 4. Gethsemane: The Strange, Lone Struggle 5. Calvary: Victory 6. The Resurrection: Gravity Upward 7. The Ascension: Back Home Again Until---IV. Study Notes "Show me, I pray thee, Thy glory."--Moses. "When I could not see for the glory of that light."--Paul. "But we all with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are transformed into the same image from glory to glory."--Paul. "The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."--Paul. "Since mine eyes were fixed on Jesus, I've lost sight of all beside, So enchained my spirit's vision, Looking at the Crucified." --From Winnowed Hymns. A BIT AHEAD So far as I can find out, I have no theory about Jesus to make these talks fit into. I have tried to find out for myself what the old Book of God tells about Him. And here I am trying to tell to others, as simply as I can, what I found. It was by the tedious, twisting path of doubt that I climbed the hill of truth up to some of its summits of certainty. I am free to confess that I am ignorant of the subject treated here save for the statements of that Book, and for the assent within my own spirit to these statements, which has greatly deepened the impression they made, and make. There is no question raised here about that Book itself, but simply a taking and grouping up together of what it says. Most persons simply read a book. A few study it, also. It is good to read. It is yet better to go back over it and study , and meditate. Since learning that the two books on power and prayer have been used in Bible classes I have regretted not including study notes in them. For those who may want to study about Jesus there has been added at the close a simple analysis with references. The reading pages have been kept free of foot-notes to make the reading smooth and easier. The analysis is so arranged that one can quickly turn in reading to the corresponding paragraph or page in the study notes. A great musician strikes the key-note of a great piece of music, and can skilfully keep it ever sounding its melody through all the changes clear to the end. It has been in my heart to wish that I could do something like that here. If what has come to me has gotten out of me into these pages, there will be found a dominant note of sweetest music--the winsomeness of God in Jesus. It is in my heart, too, to add this, that I have a friend whose constant presence and prayer have been the atmosphere of this little book in its making. I. THE PURPOSE OF JESUS 1. 2. 3. 4. The Purpose in Jesus' Coming. The Plan for Jesus' Coming. The Tragic Break In The Plan. Some Surprising Results of the Break. THE PURPOSE IN JESUS' COMING GOD SPELLING H IMSELF OUT IN JESUS. Jesus is God spelling Himself out in language that man can understand. God and man used to talk together freely. But one day man went away from God. And then he went farther away. He left home. He left his native land, Eden, where he lived with God. He emigrated from God. And through going away he lost his mother-tongue. A language always changes away from its native land. Through going away from his native land man lost his native speech. Through not hearing God speak he forgot the sounds of the words. His ears grew dull and then deaf. Through lack of use he lost the power of speaking the old words. His tongue grew thick. It lost its cunning. And so gradually almost all the old meanings were lost. God has always been eager to get to talking with man again. The silence is hard on Him. He is hungry to be on intimate terms again with his old friend. Of course he had to use a language that man could understand. Jesus is God spelling Himself out so man can understand. He is the A and the Z, and all between, of the Old Eden language of love. Naturally enough man had a good bit of bother in spelling Jesus out. This Jesus was something quite new. When His life spoke the simple language of Eden again, the human heart with selfishness ingrained said, "That sounds good, but of course He has human heart with selfishness ingrained said, "That sounds good, but of course He has some selfish scheme behind it all. This purity and simplicity and gentleness can't be genuine." Nobody yet seems to have spelled Him out fully, though they're all trying: All on the spelling bench. That is, all that have heard. Great numbers haven't heard about Him yet. But many, ah! many could get enough, yes, can get enough to bring His purity into their lives and sweet peace into their hearts. But there were in His days upon earth some sticklers for the old spelling forms. Not the oldest, mind you. Jesus alone stands for that. This Jesus didn't observe the idioms that had grown up outside of Eden. These people had decided that these old forms were the only ones acceptable. And so they disliked Him from the beginning, and quarrelled with Him. These idioms were dearer to them than life--that is, than His life. So having quarrelled, they did worse, and