Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

alone."see."satisfies."motto."What A Jew Find In OWA Gospel SermonBy Dr. Aaron Judah Kligerman'Philip saith unto him, Come andJohn 1 :46.Why is it so hard to reach Jews for Christ? Goback to nineteen centuries of Christian misrepresentation, of Christian hate, of Jewish suffering andyou get the answer. Take any Jew my age, who hascome from a European country, and we will tell youa tale ofsuffering that will make your hair stand.Why is it so hard to reach the Jews for Christ ?Because we have to undo, so much that has beendone, and remove so much that has become stumbling blocks to my people before we can talk to themin a positive manner concerning Christ. Thank God,I 'have reached the state in my thinking where I nolonger apologize. I have a positive message for mypeople, for any people, and that message is, "Wehave found him (Christ), of whom Moses and theprophets did testify." I have no apologies to makefor the Christ of God. I can stand before enemies orfriends, high or low, cultured or uncivilized, educatedor illiterate, and say to them, "Look on Him, theChrist of the centuries, the matchless One, and youwill find no fault in Him. He is the same yesterday,today and forever, and He is the One I am presentingyou."toThrough the manycenturies we Jews have never had anything to do with Christ or with theChurch. As a matter of fact, we never knew Christ.What we heard about Him from the rabbis, what wesaw of Him through so-called Christians, has madeus stay away from Him, farther and farther away.Once some of my people did not even recognize Hishistoricity. He was a myth, they said, the creationof Paul the apostate. But that day has passed. Mypeople now recognize not only His existence but theyrecognize Him to be a son of Israel. They recognizeHim to be one of the prophets, the greatest of theprophets. Theyrecognize that Jesus has brought intothe world something that the world desperatelyneeds. Had not Christ and Christianitycarried thatmessage of the one God, there would have been noknowledge about the God of my fathers, and mypeople recognize that fact.Hence, there is a change in the thinking of theJewish religious leaders. They do not say now thatwhen you begin to think of Christ and Christianityyou are entering into dangerous lines of thinking andexperience. They dare not now come (I am speakingof the so-called spiritual leaders in Israel), they darenot come to the Christian people and the Christianleadership,and say, "Let us Some of themdo come with a question and I have heard rabbisask that "Tell question me, what is there in Christand Christianity that I cannot find in Judaism?"And some of the ministers who have come out oftheological colleges and seminaries tinctured withmodernism stand dumbfounded. They really116do notknow the difference between Christ andJudaism,and they do not know what to say to the rabbis.What may you find in Christ that you cannotfind in Judaism ? That is a challenge to every Christian. Is it because you have not found Christ sufficient that you are keeping away your testimony fromthe Jew? Is it because you Christians have not hada genuine experience of conversion that you are hesitant in sharing that experience with the Jew? Whathave you found in Christ that you cannot find in anyof the other isms, including Judaism? Here is oneJew, thank God, who forty-two years ago came incontact with the Christ and found something in Himthat you cannot find in Judaism.A year or so ago I was to be a speaker at asummer camp in Pennsylvania. I camefully preparedwith a message, and as I came in I saw a sign saying"Jesus saves, keeps andSomehow theSpirit of God touched me, and I said to myself, "I'mnot going to preach that message which I worked sohard to prepare. I'm going to speak on thatI felt I could at that time do it and I can do it today.Why ? Because Jesus saves ; He saved me forty-twoyears ago. Jesus keeps; He keeps me to the verypresent day. And He satisfies all through the yearsof my Christian experience. That is what we can findin Christ that we cannot find in Judaism.A Hope FulfilledLet me direct your attention to three thingsthat I found in Christ, what any Jew may find inChrist. First, I found in Christ a hope fulfilled. WhatTHE COVENANTER WITNESSIssued each Wednesday by the Publication Board of theREFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHOF NORTH AMERICAat 129 West 6th Street, Newton, Kansas orthrough its editorial office at 1209 Boswell Avenue, Topeka, Kansasto promote Bible Standards of Doctrine, Worship and LifeFor individuals, churches and nationsOpinions expressed in our columns are those of the individual writers;not necessarily the views of the Covenanter Church or of the Editor.Dr. Raymond Taggart, D.D., Editor1209 Boswell Avenue, Topeka KansasContributing EditorsFrank E. Allen, D.D.Prof. William H. RussellWalter McCarroll, D.D.Remo I. Robb, D.D.Departmental EditorsRev. John O. EdgarMrs. J. O. EdgarMrs. Ross LatimerSubscription rates: $2.50 per year; Overseas, $8.00; Single Copies10 cents.The Rev. R. B. Lyons, B.A., Limavady, N. Ireland, Agent for theBritish Isles.Entered as second class matter at the Post Office in Newton, Kansasunder the Act of March 3, 1879.Address communications to the Topeka office.THE COVENANTER WITNESS