Sermon Preached at Union Church of Sunday Evening, January 10, 1926 by the Rev. E. F. Horst-Smith the world knew Him nat" John 1 v. 10, "tte was in the world, and the world wes made by Hin, on In this verse you have an anticlimax. In the context the writer has been speaking of the wonder} and the glory of the Incarnation, of the coming to earth of One who was eternally with God, Who indeed was God. Such an One, says the writer, became man that men might know the character éf God; that they might no longer be left to their own guesses and surmise but that they might sce God mani fest in the flesh. As we sang at! Christmas time felted in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the Incarnate' Deity"
The Incarnation is God's answer to man's deepest need; this is God's response to man's ceaseless quest. The profoundest yearning of man's heart has been, "Oh that I knew, where I might find writer here exclaims: "The word was made flesh and dwelt amor us." What glorious news for mankind! What 2 welcome the Incarnate Word will from eagerly awaiting men But our' text ays it was not 90. The direct opposite of what might have have been expected happened. Instead of the worldwide jubilation, that should have occurred, the vast majority of men were unaware of His presence; they did not re-Jeognise Him. "He was in the world and the world knew Him not."
Now, when the writer says "the! world," he was probably: challenged afterwards, hi epelieneed thera, Wis winnie not, or athirst and gave thee _no drink, or naked and clothed thee not?" So was Jesus on earth, was a king in disguise. "He was in the world and the world was, made by Him and the world knew. Him not, This ya particularly illustrated when Jesus was before Pi Pilate was Rome's representative, He claimed to be in possession of great power. "Knowest thou not, that I have power to release thes and I have power to crucify thee?" And indeed behind Pilate was the whole material power of Rome. But how could he be expected to mow that the one who stood before before him was a King? The state, ay represented by Rome, did not. recognize Jesus, That was ro when Jesue was on earth. How has His Churehy fared. since that time? Has there been, any change in the attitude of the nations to Christ, or of the world, te Christianity? Pondering on were matters has Jed me to suggest, there are Geo ways by which! the world may recognize Chrietianity.
The Policy of Worldliness I. The first way is forthe' Church (9 become worldly. That was the issue that Jesus Himself fr faced. Before Me haean His public ministry He came face to face with two contrasted ide: and it covered "the world" of which he had any knowledge. And thir great Roman Empire, in common with every other created thing, owed everything to the Word of God; all its power was derived from Hin. "Without Him was not thing made that was made. the ong worldly, the other spiritual, way embodied in the hopes of His fellow coun-teamen, in their dream of an earthly Kingdom surpassing in tervitory and wealth and power that, of David. The other ideal was that of the suite servant found in the later part of the Bock of The Roman Empire's View flo not know when these alter=
This non-recognition of Christ by the Roman Empire causes the Evangelist complete surprise. It was so out of harmony with the fitness of things. It was not though the Roman authorities were not alert. They were noted for their perfect communications, thei splendid system of roads, highly orga They were unusually well informed.
a rebellion had broken out some remote corner-of the empire. the news would have reached the capital very speedily. Their agents were everywhere, Yet, when the King of kings comes to "the world" atives first" presented "therm selves to the mind of Jews, But it ix clear that during the temptawilderness, He fought He heard the tempter's voice: "Compromire, and the Jewish Mersiahship is yours. The kingdom of the world and th of them were presented to His Should He take the road that opened so broadly before Him? He could have done so, for he possessed all the powers of the bora leader of men. The material Had He doubt that of His own creating, He is not Yecognized; 20 one kno} What is' the explanation of this surprising circumstance? How could such a thing ever happen? Was it not because there are two kinds!
kingship? The " kingdom Jesus, as He Himself explained to! Pilate, who was a representative of that same Roman empire, was "not of this world," and that fact was clear at every stage of its growth. And so, when Jesus was born, He was surrounded by no outward pomp and grandeur such as would have attended the birth! of a Roman prince. He was born manger, in a stable, because was no room in the inn. Ile grew pina humble home. He earned. His living and perhaps supported His nother and brothers and sisters, by. working as village carpenter; an occupation that was not. without true dignity, yet was one that could not be associated with world rulership. He was a king indeed, but with His own ideas of kingship. Was it any wonder that He was Rot recognized? How shall Sllustrate the point? It was as though an Emperor for the sake fof knowing his people adopted the disguise of a peasant and travelled through his realm. All that he observed, the magnificent. buildings and wealth, was all his own; the laws and customs derived their sanction from his person. But if his disguise was complete. he would Joften meet a cold reception and re-slight and insult. been successful? He could have founded a Jewish state that would have outshone that of David. He ould have thrown off the power of Roman yoke more successfully than Dav' conquered the Phil tines.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.