THE world's greatest biographies pale into insignificance when compared with the life-story of Jesus, which can be compressed into four facts, and summed up in eight words. Around this story revolve two eternities. Through heaven's eternal day its echo shall be the glad song of millions who owe their everlasting all to the coming, dying, rising and ascending Jesus.
Jesus Came!
JESUS CAME! And myriads of angels heralded His birth by singing: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”
JESUS CAME! And the God—fearing Simeon, in the presence of the Holy Child, said: "Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.”
JESUS CAME! And with His advent there dawned upon the horizon of this God-hating world eternal hope, for it is written, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
JESUS CAME! Yes, came "to seek and to save that which was lost." Christ's mission to this world was not to teach morality, nor to set a good example, as some would fain have us believe, but, blessed be His Name, this was His mission, to pardon and eternally save poor, lost, guilty sinners, and link them up with Himself by an inseparable bond of relationship
"Which naught can ever sever,
For I am His, and He is mine,
Forever and forever.”
Jesus Died.
JESUS DIED! And the very heavens went into deepest mourning. For three long hours a thick pall of darkness hung over the guilty world, while Jesus died.
JESUS DIED! The hard-hearted, mocking Jews railed upon Him, spat in His holy face, and in vulgar taunt cried: "If He be the King of Israel let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.”
JESUS DIED! But listen! Ere yielding up His Spirit to God, He prays. The grace of this prayer seems even to have broken the heart of the dying thief. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
JESUS DIED! But where are the loved ones to whom Jesus had been everything?
Where, in this moment of extreme anguish and sorrow, are those who professedly were His dearest friends? We read: "Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.”
JESUS DIED! But lo! midst hatred and scorn, betrayal and mockings, a greater sorrow than all befalls this "Man of Sorrows." Yes! ten thousand times greater. GOD FORSOOK Him. What! the One whom He had so perfectly obeyed and served, and from the path of whose will He had never swerved for an instant, the One who had said from the opened heaven, "This is My beloved Son." Yes God forsook Jesus, and therein lies the possibility of your soul ever being saved, of your heart ever being made happy. And this is why. Listen! God is holy and cannot look upon sin; then, since at that moment Jesus was bearing the righteous judgment of God against sin, it became an absolute necessity for God to hide His face from Jesus during those awful hours. It was in order that you and I might in perfect righteousness be pardoned and everlastingly set free from the thralldom of sin. Do you believe in Him as your Substitute and Savior? If not, why not?
The work necessary for your salvation has been perfectly finished. Nothing need be added to it. He has saved millions. He can save you.
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Jesus Rose.
JESUS ROSE! All-glorious fact! He burst the bands of the tomb. He annulled the power of Satan. He robbed death of its sting, and triumphantly and victoriously, in spite of every foe, AROSE.
By wicked hands He had been crucified and slain; by gentle and reverent hands He had been lain in Joseph's new tomb; by the decree of Pilate a huge stone had been rolled to the mouth of the sepulcher, and sealed with the Roman seal. By his orders a band of Roman soldiers was set to guard the tomb night and day, lest the One who said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up," should actually carry out His word. With bitter hatred they watched to make sure that His disciples should not come and steal Him away. But in spite of all their plans, in spite of all their wicked hatred, He arose.
“Hallelujah! Christ arose.”
The grave had to loose Him. Death could not hold Him. Jesus rose, and
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Jesus Lives.
JESUS LIVES—the God-glorified, crown-decked, and heaven-honored "Son of Man." The sins that He bore are gone into the oblivion of the past. The work is finished, God is glorified, Jesus is raised. To-day, as in the days of old, He is saying to you, reader, "Come unto Ale... and 1 will give you rest.”
Then COME NOW to the One who came from the heights of glory to the depths of Calvary for you. Come now to the One who bore sin's awful judgment and rose triumphant so that you might be blest. Come to the One who, in resurrection, power, and life, says to-day, "Look unto ME and be ye saved." He is worthy of your heart's implicit trust and confidence. Men come to HIM and come now.