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4 WHAT WE WERE NOT RUT NOW ARE “Take heed for we are become partakers of Christ.’’—Heb. 3:14. Y purpose at this time is to bring you a message concerning what it is to be 4 ‘ partakers of Christ. ’ ’ In order to do so most effectually, I wish first to give you an epitome of the general teaching of the epistle to the Hebrews. The epistle was primarily intended to put strength and spiritual muscle in to the Hebrew Christians. You can I easily understand why this was necessary when you remember that these Hebrew Christians nad just recently come out of Judaism with all of its spectacular ceremonies and performances. They had come out of this into the simple religion of Jesus Christ, and so long as they were in the ju bilant or visionary state of their new religion, they were satisfied. So long, too, as there was no per secution of the Christians because of their faith, they were satisfied, but when they finally settled down to the drudgery of the daily life, to the actualities of things; when they began to reduce their theories to practice, and when all around them there was the red hand of persecution, in flicting punishment upon them for their faith, then they got weak-kneed, and many of them went back. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews hoped to prevent their apostasy by showing the superior ity of the religion of Jesus Christ, their new faith, to that of the old Jewish economy; and to do this, he stressed Jesus Himself. After all, this is the Christian religion. If we are weak concerning Christ, we have no claim upon religion. I have no ticed that all the heresy trials of late have grown out of improper expressions concerning Jesus Christ. So long as men remain true in their faith to Him, there is little trouble about heresy. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews writes to the scattered Jews who had accepted Christianity throughout the then known world. He writes to show the superiority of Jesus Christ over the whole Judaistic system. CHRIST’S SUPERIORITY. First, he shows them the superiority of Christ over the angels. Under the old Jewish economy, angels spoke to men for God, 'but the epistle to the Hebrews shows that Jesus Christ was superior to the angels in that He is God Himself speaking to men. He then shows that Christ is superior to the prophets. The old Jews regarded the prophets with great reverence and authority. The writer of the epistle shows that Jesus Christ is superior to the prophets in that He Himself is the author of the things prophesied about. He also shows them the superiority of Christ over the law. In the old dispensation, men were saved through obedience to the law. Now, he shows them that Christ is su perior to the law in that He compasses law with grace. He also shows that Jesus is superior to Moses. This was rather a climax step of the au thor of the epistle to the Hebrews, for if there ever was a man among the Jews who was not to be spoken against, it was Moses. They almost wor shipped him, but here Jesus is shown to be supe rior to Moses in that He is His own law giver. He shows also that He is the true and accepted sacrifice. The Jews had to make their annual sac rifice but now tney are told that the sacrifice has been made by Christ Himself once for all. Finally, he shows that Christ is superior to the Aaronic priesthood. Under the old Jewish system, the High Priest was necessary for approach to the Holy of Holies. The sinner could not get into the Holy of Holies. The High Priest must enter in his stead, and make confession for him to God. Now, the purpose of the author of the epistle to the Hebrews is to show that Jesus Christ is their High Priest, that He ever lives in the Holy of Ho lies, and keeps the door wide open to every sup- The Golden Age for December 27, 1906. Tabernacle Sermon by Rev. Len. G. Broughton. pliant sinner, inviting him without intervention, with Him into the sacred place of confession. So much now for the general teaching of the epis tle to the Hebrews. What relation has it to our text? First of all, it means to reveal our exalted position, that “we are become partakers of Christ”; partakers of all the superiority that char acterized Him; that we are with Him superior to angels, to law, to the prophets and to Moses; that we, by substitutionary sacrifice, are with Him in the purchase of redemption; and finally that He is our High Priest, making us welcome to dwell with Him in bhe sacred place of communion with God. NATURE, DISPOSITION, ATTITUDE. But this is not all. It is really not half of what is conveyed. It is not the main thought that I wish to express. What I want mainly to show is that by being partakers of Christ, we are partakers of His nature, His disposition .and His attitude. And there are three things that I want to say with reference to the nature, disposition and atti tude of Jesus. His attitude to God, to the devil, and to man. When we have seen this, we have seen practically all that characterized Jesus Christ in this world. HIS ATTITUDE TO GOD. Let us see first His attitude to God. What was the attitude of Jesus to God? It was that of un questioning, unwavering obedience to His will. We see this when He was only twelve years old. He said to His parents when it was discovered He was not following them, 4 4 Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” We see that at the close of His life there in the Garden of Geth semane: 4 4 Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not my will but Thine be done.” We learn from His own testimony: 44 1 come to do the will of my Father.” What is the attitude of Jesus to God? From the beginning to the end, it was obedience to His will. That was His mission to the earth, to do the will of His Father. Now we are told that we are 44 partakers of Him.” Os course, only Christians are meant here. Our attitude to the Father is identical with the at titude of Jesus. As He came to do the will of the Father, so we are to do the same thing. Never mind about its being contrary to our own will and pur poses. If we are Christians, we must live in read iness to do the will of our Father. If this is not true of us, we have no claim upon Christianity. We cannot be partakers of Christ, and not ask for the Father’s will. Jesus did it, and we must do the same thing. Our attitude, if we are Christians, must be that of perfect obedience to the Father’s will. HIS ATTITUDE TO THE DEVIL. What is His attitude to the devil? We see this dearly in His great temptation. In that temptaion. the devil touched Him at the three vital points of His human nature. His appetite. His faith, and His desire for worldly possessions. Let us look first at His appetite: Understand that Jesus had just fasted forty days, and was hungry. The devil took advantage of this, and His first temptation was for bread. 44 If thou be the Son of God, com mand that these stones become bread.” This is not the first nor the last time that the devil has suggested wrong methods for obtaining bread. It was never according to the Divine plan to make bread out of stones. The plan was that bread should come by the sweat of man’s face, but the devil cared nothing about the plan of God, nor does he care about it today. His desire is to get men to use wrong methods to obtain bread. Never mind what the method is. What he wants the world to be lieve is that bread is more important than any thing else in this world, and that any method to obtain it is legitimate and right. The attitude of Jesus to the devil was one of stubborn, positive resistance, Take the next point of attack, that of his faith. The devil took Jesus up on a pinnacle of the temple, and said: 44 1 f thou art the Son of God, cast thy self down, for it is written, He shall give His an gels charge concerning thee.” This was a tempta tion to tamper with the law of God. He said in plain English, 44 Do a fool thing, and label it faith, and God will take care of you.” There are plenty of men doing this today. Here is a man, for ex ample, who has cut his radial artery and he is bleeding to death. Somebody hays, 44 Don’t touch it. Don’t send for a doctor. Don’t consult a surgeon. Only trust God, and He will stop the blood.” Here is another man equally as silly. He says, 44 Don’t take quinine for chills. Just keep on shak ing, and trust God, and it will all come right.” All this is tempting God. I believe in Divine heal ing. Sometimes God heals independent of all reme dies, but I don’t believe that we have any right to attempt to lock God up in a corner, and say to Him, you shall heal this way, or that. We have no right to try to limit God in accordance with our narrow, circumscribed faith. God is the Creator of everything in the universe. Not a plant grows that has not for its object some blessing for humanity; and God is honored when we use the means that He has provided at our hands, provided, of course, that in the use of them, we give Him the honor and the glory of it all. The highest faith that one can possibly have is in the will of God; to be perpet ually saying: 44 Speak, Lord, thy servant hear eth.” To say to Him, 44 If I am not to use reme dies, I will trust Thee for healing in another way. Let me know Thy will, otherwise I use what Thou hast put at my disposal, and give Thee the same glory for blessings that follow.” The next point of attack is concerning worldly possessions. The devil knew that Jesus had come to the earth to establish a kingdom, but he thought, like the disciples, that it was to be a material king dom from the beginning. And failing to get Him at the point of His appetite or His faith, he now tries a short-cut method for worldly possessions. 4 4 The devil taketh Him into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and he said unto Him, All these things I will give thee if thou wilt fall down, and- worship me.” What a subtle temp tation ! Many a soul has gone down by yielding to it. It was a temptation to compromise for pop ularity. Preachers often surrender to it. It is one of the hardest things not to do. Never mind if we are preachers. It hurts us to go contrary to the opinions of our friends as much as it hurts any one else. Good women in society are tempted in the same way, alas! Alas, many of them yield! The devil says: 44 0 h, don’t be so outspoken in your opposition to the practices of the world. You need not do these things yourself, but don’t make such a fuss about it. Let other people do as they please.” Business men are caught in the same trap., 44 Just compromise,” the devil says, 44 and your field is the world. You can grow rich quick. Only compromise. Don’t be so straight laced in your business methods.” The Church is caught in this way. It has con victions against the worldliness and sin of its mem bers, but it is yielding to the devil’s temptation for compromise. It fails to exercise its discipline, and to hold up its standard of complete separation. Oh, the subtlety of the temptation! God help us to see it! The attitude of the devil concerning the tempta tion for worldly possession was the same as in the other instances, stubborn, uncompromising rejec tion. So, my Christian friends, let me impress you with the fact that if we are partakers of Christ, our attitude to the devil in the time of temptation is to be the same. There is no compromise that can be permitted, however much it offers popularity and position. It is a delusion anyhow, the promises of the devil. He never pays his debts. He has a way of building beautiful air castles, but, like the