The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1887, Page 41

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Che Lutheran Pioneer,

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LuTHERAN SyNopicaL CONFERENCE oF NortH AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

ol. IX.

St. Louis, Mo., November, 1887.

No. 11.

Jesus Is Coming.

Jesus is coming; for that joyful day

In patient hope I watch, and wait, and pray;
The day draws nigh, the midnight shadows flee—
Oh, what a sunrise will that advent be!

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Advent.

Advent means coming. The four Sundays
before Christmas are called the Sundays of
Advent, because they remind us of the coming
of Christ. Christ has come. Christ is still
coming. Christ will come in glory and in
power.

First, Christ has come. The apostle says,
‘When the fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law, that we might receive the adop-
tion of sons.’” The Son of God came into the
world and became man in order to save sin-
ners. He was made under the law and ful-
filled all the demands of God’s law in our stead.
He took the curse of the law, which we de-
served, upon Himself and bore that curse and
the punishment of sin in our place. Through
His coming into the world as our Saviour we
have been redeemed from sin and eternal dam-
nation. Through the merits of this Saviour
we have everlasting life. But this Saviour
with all His blessings must be brought to us
and we must accept Him in true faith.

Second, Christ is still coming. He comes to
every sinner with all His blessings in the Gospel
and in the Sacraments. The Gospel is not a
mere sound of words. It is ‘‘a power of God
unto salvation to all that believe.’’ The sacra-
ments are not mere signs and ceremonies. The

- Gospel promise is connected with them and
therefore they are means of grace by which
Christ and all His blessings are offered unto us.

- Whenever the Gospel is read or preached, and
whenever the sacraments are administered,

_ Christ Himself comes to the hearts of sinners
"and says, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and
knock: If any man hear my voice and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup
With him, and he with me,’’? (Rey. 3, 20).
© wonderful Jove! -Christ has not only secured

salvation for us, but He also comes in His
blessed Gospel with all His blessings to make
us partakers of that salvation and to reign in
our hearts as our merciful King and Lord.
Will you reject that loving Saviour? If you
reject Him, the wrath of God will abide upon

on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son
of God.’ John 3, 18.

‘‘ What de you do without a mother to tell
all your troubles to?’’ asked a child of one

you. Receive Him, and you will be blessed} whose mother was dead.
forever. Jesus will be yours and you will be} ‘Mother told me whom to go to before she
His. You then need not fear His coming at} died,’ answered the little orphan. ‘‘I go to

the end of time. The hope of His coming
again in the clouds of heaven will be a blessed
hope to you. 2

the Lord Jesus; He was my mother’s friend,
and He’s mine.”

‘* Jesus Christ is up in the sky,’’ answered
the other. ‘‘He is a great way off, and has a
great many things to attend toin heaven. It
is not likely He can stoop to mind you.’’

“‘T do not know anything about that,’’ said
the orphan; ‘‘all I know is, He says He will,
and I believe Him.’’

What a beautiful answer was that! and what
was enough for that child is enough for all.
Does God in His word really say that Jesus
Christ tasted death for every man? Heb. 2, 9.
Then He tasted death for me, and through Him
I am saved. Does He say that the blood of

Third, Christ will come. He will come to
judge the living and the dead. ‘‘They shall
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with” power and great glory’’ (Matth.
24, 30). That day will be a day of great ter-
ror to all unbelievers. They will be sent into
eternal woe. But it will be a day of joy to all
the children of God. They will be taken into
the mansions of their Father's house to be for-
ever with the Lord. May all our readers be
prepared for that day of Christ’s coming, which
every setting sun brings nearer! ‘Surely, I

come quickly. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

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What is Believing?

A Christian sailor was once heard explain-
ing the nature of faith to a shipmate of his.
Among other things, he said, ‘Mark you, it
isn’t breaking off swearing and the like; it isn’t
reading the Bible, nor praying, nor being good.
Tt is none of these; for even if they would
answer for the time to come, there is still the
old score, and how are you to get over that?
It is not anything you have done or can do; it
is taking hold of what Jesus did for you. It is
forgiveness because Christ let the ‘waves and
billows go over’ Him on Calvary. This is be-
lieving, and believing is nothing else but tak-
ing God at His word. *God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son that who-
soever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.’”” John 3, 16.

The faith that brings peace and joy to the
soul is just taking what God says in His word
about His Son to be true. ‘‘ He that believeth

His Son cleanseth from all sin? 1 John 1, 7.

Then it can wash away all my guilty stains,
jand now I trust in Him wholly and fully for

the forgiveness of my sins.
‘«Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!**

———_+ <2

Happy Christian.

It is impossible for a man to be a Christian
without having Christ, and if he has Christ, he
has at the same time all that is in Christ.
What gives peace to the conscience is, that by
faith our sins are no more ours, but Christ’s,
upon whom God hath laid them all, and that
on the other hand all Christ’s righteousness is
ours, to whom God hath given it. Christ lays
His hand upon us, and we are healed. He
casts His mantle upon us, and we are clothed;
for He is the glorious Saviour, blessed forever.