The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1889-03-02
TIE iIESSIAIlSlIIP.
LESSON TX, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH 8.

will, 34-Commentary by Rev. ID. II.
Stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission of IL S Hoffman. publisher. Philade
phia
Between this lesson and the last one we
have the record of the death of John the
Baptist, the feeding of the multitudes on two
different occasions the walking on the sea,
the great faith OF the Syrophcnician woman
and the healing of her daughter, the healing
OF deaf and dumb man, and others.
-. Whom do men say that | am" He
had come into the town of Casarea Phiiippi.
%, % peter answereth and saith unto
Him, Thou art the Christi After drawing
from them the opinions Of others, He then
pontedly and personally puts the question:
"But whom say We that amp Let every
teacher learn from Him how to teach and
after awakening the interest of thu scholars
by drawing from them what they know, fail
not to ascertain what they individually be-
iieve aud what Christ is to them The full
answer of Peter was: Thou art the Christ.
the Son OF the Living Cod Matt xvi, IGD
but while we call attention to what is writ
ten in the parallel accounts in the other Cos.
Tels, we believe that each gospel is complete
in itself for the object for which it was writ
ten, and there is Il reason for the omissions
and insertions peculiar to each. If we want
to know all about His life as the Goldman,
we read the four gospels side by side; but if
we desire to know Him specially as the Son
of David or the perfect Servant or the Son
of Man or the Son Of God, it would be well
for the time to confine our attention to the
gospel which thus describes Him Much as
we might like to enter here into the precious
things of Matt. xvi no, our limited space
forbids it, but we must say word about
the significance of ''the Christ" John /, II;
iv, -, tells us that Christ is the same rs Mes
siah the former beng Greek anl the latter
Hebrew. John i, a. tells us that He is the
one of whom Moses and the prophets did
write. Daniel tx, 24-27, speaks of Him as 1.-THE
Messiah, the Prince" who shall make an end
of the SIZES of Daniels people and bring to
them everlasting Righteousness. Matt. ii, l.
4, makes it plain that the Christ is the King
of the Jews; tie English word corresponding
to Messiah and Christ is 1.-The Amounted"
and in the song of Hannah Il Sam ii, .0l we
SEQ Him as He will be when He comes in
power to sit upon the throne of His glory is
King OF the Jews. You may know Ilim as
Jesus who saves and keeps you, as Lord
whom you delight to acknowledge as your
Him as the Christ, the coming King Of
Israel and of the whole eartas
30 HE charged the;a that they should tell
no man of film" Matt. xvi, 20, SAYS to tell
no man that lie was Jesus the Christ. lie
never forbade them to say that He was Jesus
the Saviour, but now that the rulers of the
people had fully determined to kill Him
(Matt. xii, IL He forb!ds them to make Him
known as the Christ.
81. ''Hc began to teach them that the Son
OF Man must suffer" At His first cleansing
of the temple lie had forctold His death and
resurrection John ii, 1920, and later, when
they asked a sign He spoke of Jonah as q
type of his death and resurrection tIatt xii
30, 40; but this is his first particular and fun
announcement of this great event which He
again repeats on two other occasions Tx,
81, Y, 81.
81. Peter took Him and began to rebule
Him." saying "Be it far from thee, Lord;
this shall not be unto Thee" CJatt xvi, 22,
or, as in the margin, PITY thyself, Lord"
This was the natural man speaking, and the
tendency Of the natural man, even in the
Christian, is 20 pity himself and see; his own
ease, and against this self indulgence we
must as Christians earnestly contend, ever
yielding our bodies living sacrifice.
33. He re5uiled Peter, saying, Get thee
behind me, Satan" Peter had Just given
forth a sweet SAVIOUR of God in his grand con-
fession of Jesus as the Christ, AMI now from
the same mouth comes the things of men
with Satan urging on; ''out of the same
mouth proceedeth blessing and cursng"
81. "Whosoever Will come after Ne, lie.
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me-" 1t is most precious truth that
the invitation to come is to "Whosoever
win" (Acts x, 81; Rom. x, IL, Is; Rev xxi,
n; and him that cometh shall in no wise be
cast out John Vi, 81; but it is also true that
no one can truly come, unless they are pre-
pared to deny self and bear the cross after
Jesus, and this daily luke tx, 23) Any
other aim but the glory of God, any other
will but the will of God, either proves that
we are not His followers, or if we are, that
we are very unlike our Master, and little
credit to Him.
81. For whosoever VIII save his life shall
lose it That IS, whosocver chooses this
present life with its joys, in preference to
the narrow way of separation from this pres
ent evil world unto Christ, shall find in the
end that his portion here was his all, and his
enjoyment ended when he left this world;
while he who chooses Christ and fellowship
with Him as his portion here, prepared to re-
nounce with the whole heart, the world, the
flesh and the devil, will find that while be
may not have had great success in this
world and, perhaps been sorely tried, yet he
has had Gods own peace and joy in his soul
and shall inherit everlasting life
81 ''What shall man give in exchange
for his life" If be loses it by refusing to let
Jesus save him it is gone forever; the great
gulf is fixed and they cannot pass from one
place to the other. Because there is wrath.
beware lest lie take thee away with His
stroke; then great ransom cannot deliver
thee" dob xzxvi, 49, They that trust
in their wealth and boast themselves in the
multitude of their riches; none of them can
b. any means redeem his brother, nor give to
God a ransom for him" FPS. xix. 6, ~
There is only one ransom: Col has provided
it. even the finished work of tho Lord Jesus
Job xxxiii, u; Matt. Xxx, 2S); that being
refused there is 10 other lActS iv. IN Tho
life of every individual has three stac-cs, that
portion which Is spent here in the mortal
body: that between death and resurrectiOn
and that after tho resurrection If the first
Stage is yielded to Jesus then between death
and resurrection the spirit is with Christ in
Paradise, and at the resurrection of the lust
the soul and body are wanted to be with and
Ike Christ forever; but If the first stage is
Eisspent and withheld from Jesus thea is
tGe tuLure OF lhaJ Sotl dark and awful.
IS. "Of him shall the Son of Man be
ashamed" The Christ viii return in power
and great glory Matt. xvi, Ct; Col iii, a,
bringing His saints with him. Heshall come
III flaming fire, yisding vengeance on them
that know not God and obey net the Gospel
oil Tn i, 7-lG), and not only SO, but when h
comes to the air / His people many OF them
shall be ashamed if He finds them mixed up
with the world and worldly things instead OF
separate therefrom, and watching for Him
TX, |. "5onIe OF them that stand here shall
not taste of death, TIL they have seen the
kinGdom OF God come with power" And
after six days He fulfilled this word to three
OF them when on the mount of trans
EGuration they were eye witnesses of HIS
rla.estJ. III Peter i, 49,