Quiet Talks about Jesus

Dickey Gordon Samuel

Description

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.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 23 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819900900
• Langue: English

Extrait

A Bit Ahead
"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 ofthe Lord are transformed into the same image from glory to glory."– Paul . "The light of the knowledge of the glory of God inthe face of Jesus Christ." – Paul . "Since mine eyes werefixed on Jesus, I've lost sight of all beside, So enchained myspirit's vision, Looking at the Crucified." – From WinnowedHymns .
A Bit Ahead
So far as I can find out, I have no theory aboutJesus to make these talks fit into. I have tried to find out formyself what the old Book of God tells about Him. And here I amtrying to tell to others, as simply as I can, what I found. It wasby the tedious, twisting path of doubt that I climbed the hill oftruth up to some of its summits of certainty. I am free to confessthat I am ignorant of the subject treated here save for thestatements of that Book, and for the assent within my own spirit tothese statements, which has greatly deepened the impression theymade, and make. There is no question raised here about that Bookitself, but simply a taking and grouping up together of what itsays.
Most persons simply read a book. A few study it, also. It is good to read. It is yet better to goback over it and study , and meditate. Since learning thatthe two books on power and prayer have been used in Bible classes Ihave regretted not including study notes in them. For those who maywant to study about Jesus there has been added at the close asimple analysis with references. The reading pages have been keptfree of foot-notes to make the reading smooth and easier. Theanalysis is so arranged that one can quickly turn in reading to thecorresponding paragraph or page in the study notes.
A great musician strikes the key-note of a greatpiece of music, and can skilfully keep it ever sounding its melodythrough all the changes clear to the end. It has been in my heartto wish that I could do something like that here. If what has cometo me has gotten out of me into these pages, there will be found adominant note of sweetest music – the winsomeness of God inJesus.
It is in my heart, too, to add this, that I have afriend whose constant presence and prayer have been the atmosphereof this little book in its making.
I. The Purpose of Jesus
1. The Purpose in Jesus' Coming. 2. The Plan forJesus' Coming. 3. The Tragic Break In The Plan. 4. Some SurprisingResults of the Break.
The Purpose in Jesus' Coming God Spelling Himselfout in Jesus.
Jesus is God spelling Himself out in language thatman can understand. God and man used to talk together freely. Butone day man went away from God. And then he went farther away. Heleft home. He left his native land, Eden, where he lived with God.He emigrated from God. And through going away he lost hismother-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 thewords. His ears grew dull and then deaf. Through lack of use helost the power of speaking the old words. His tongue grewthick. It lost its cunning. And so gradually almost all the oldmeanings were lost.
God has always been eager to get to talking with managain. The silence is hard on Him. He is hungry to be on intimateterms again with his old friend. Of course he had to use a languagethat man could understand. Jesus is God spelling Himself out so mancan understand. He is the A and the Z, and all between, of the OldEden language of love.
Naturally enough man had a good bit of bother inspelling Jesus out. This Jesus was something quite new. When Hislife spoke the simple language of Eden again, the human heart withselfishness ingrained said, "That sounds good, but of course He hassome selfish scheme behind it all. This purity and simplicity andgentleness can't be genuine." Nobody yet seems to have spelled Himout fully, though they're all trying: All on the spelling bench.That is, all that have heard. Great numbers haven't heard about Himyet. But many, ah! many could get enough, yes, can get enough to bring His purity into their lives and sweet peaceinto their hearts.
But there were in His days upon earth some sticklersfor the old spelling forms. Not the oldest, mind you. Jesus alonestands for that. This Jesus didn't observe the idioms that hadgrown up outside of Eden. These people had decided that these oldforms were the only ones acceptable. And so they disliked Him fromthe beginning, and quarrelled with Him. These idioms were dearer tothem than life – that is, than His life. So havingquarrelled, they did worse , and then – softly – worst . But even in their worst, Jesus was God spellingHimself out in the old simple language of Eden. His best came outin their worst.
Some of the great nouns of the Eden tongue – the God tongue – He spelled out big. He spelled out purity , the natural life of Eden; and obedience , therhythmic harmony of Eden; and peace , the sweet music ofEden; and power , the mastery and dominion of Eden; and love , the throbbing heart of Eden. It was in biggest,brightest letters that love was spelled out. He used thebiggest capitals ever known, and traced each in a deep drippingred, with a new spelling – s-a-c-r-i-f-i-c-e. Jesus is God,following us up.
You see, the heart of God had been breaking – is breaking over the ways things have been going down onthis planet. Folk fail to understand Him. Worse yet, theymisunderstand Him, and feel free to criticize Him. Nobody has beenso much slandered as God. Many are utterly ignorant of Him. Manyothers who are not ignorant yet ignore Him. They turn their facesand backs. Some give Him the cut direct. The great crowd in everypart of the world is yearning after Him: piteously, pathetically,most often speechlessly yearning, blindly groping along, with anintense inner tug after Him. They know the yearning. They feel theinner, upward tug. They don't understand what it is for which theyyearn, nor what will satisfy.
For man was made to live in closest touch with God.That is his native air. Out of that air his lungs are badlyaffected. This other air is too heavy. It's malarial, and full ofgases and germy dust. In it he chokes and gasps. Yet he knows notwhy. He gropes about in the night made by his own shut eyes. Hedoesn't seem to know enough to open them. And sometimes he will not open them. For the hinge of the eyelid is in thewill. And having shut the light out, he gets tangled up in hisideas as to what is light. He puts darkness for light, andlight for darkness.
Once man knew God well; close up. And that means loved , gladly, freely. For here to know is to love. But oneday a bad choice was made. And the choice made an ugly kink in hiswill. The whole trouble began there. A man sees through his will.That is his medium for the transmission of light. If it be twisted,his seeing, his understanding, is twisted. The twist in the willregulates the twist in the eye. Both ways, too, for a good changein the will in turn changes the eyes back to seeing straight. Hethat is willing to do the right shall clearly see the light.
But that first kink seems to have been getting worsekinked ever since. And so man does not see God as He is. Man iscross-eyed Godward, but doesn't know it. Man is color-blind towardGod. The blue of God's truth is to him an arousing, angering red.The soft, soothing green of His love becomes a noisy, irritatingyellow. Nobody has been so much misunderstood as God. He hassuffered misrepresentation from two quarters: His enemies and Hisfriends. More from – which? Hard to tell. Jesus is God trying totell men plainly what He is really like.
The world turned down the wrong lane, and has beengoing that way pell-mell ever since. Yet so close is the wrong laneto the right that a single step will change lanes. Though manyresults of being in the wrong lane will not be changed by thechange of lanes. It takes time to rest up the feet made sore by theroughness of the wrong lane. And some of the scars, where men havemeasured their length, seem to stay.
The result of that wrong turning has been pitiable. Separation from God , so far as man could makeseparation. There is no separation on God's part. He has neverchanged. He remains in the world, but because of man's turning hisface away, He remains as a stranger, unrecognized. He remains justwhere man left Him. And any one going back to that point in theroad will find Him standing waiting with an eager light glisteningin His eyes. No ! That's not accurate. He is a bitnearer than ever He was. He is following us up. He is only astep off. Jesus is God eagerly following us up. The Early EdenPicture.
But one will never get to understand this Jesusuntil he gets a good look at man as he was once, and as he is now.The key to understanding Jesus is man, even as Jesus is the key toGod. One must use both keys to get into the inner heart of God. Toget hold of that first key one must go back to the start of things.The old Book of God opens with a picture that is fascinating in itssimplicity and strength. There is an unfallen man. He is fresh fromthe hand of God, free of scar and stain and shrivelling influence.He is in a garden. He is walking hand in hand with God, and workingside by side with God: friendship and partnership. Friends inspirit: partners in service.
The distinctive thing about the man is that he is like God . He and God are alike. In this he differs from allcreation. He is God's link between Himself and His Creation.Particular pains is taken by repetition and change of phrase tomake clear and emphatic that it was in the very image of God thatman was made. Just what does it mean that we men were made in God'slikeness? Well, the thing has been discussed back and forth a goodbit. Probably we will not know fully till we know as we are known.In the morning when we see Him we shall be like Him fully again.