The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1889-01-04
compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by per.
mission of Il. s. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel-

StearnS.
Compiled f. from N Lesson 1 IS Helper Quarterly, BY per
phia.]
1. 'The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, the Son Of God" We shall now be
privileged for six months to study again the
earthly life, or rather the unearthly life on
this earth, Of our Lord Jesus Christ; for al
though He was perfect man, yet He wasan
pathizing with all men, and yet ever speak
ing of and pointing men to homo from
which He had come and to which He was re-
turning. His thirty or four years on
earth as man among men was but an event
in life which had no beginning and shall
have no end, for He was in the beginning
with God, all things were made by Him and
for Him, and He shall subdue all things unto
Himself. Although it is over eighteen hun
dred years since He was on earth, yet He is
real man today, unchanged and unchange-
able, and as we read of Him in the Gospels,
SO we are to think of Him, saving, healing,
sympathizing, comforting; calling us to fol-
low Him, serve Him, wait and look for Him
while we yield our bodies unto Him that He,
by His spirit, may live His life over again in
each of His followers In the Old Testament
He was foretold as not only the seed of the
woman who should bruise the serpent's head,
but also as the seed of Abraham i'll whom all
nations should bo blessed, the Son of David
who should sit on David's throne, the servant
of God, doing all His pleasure, the Son Of
Man subduing all things unto Himself and
restoring the dominion lost by Adam, and
the Son of God, equal with God and reveal
ing God to man. In Matthew's gospel we
learn of Him as Son of David, Son of Abraz
ham, King of the Jews; while in this gospel
we see Him rather Us the servant spoken Of
in lisa. xiii, l, "Behold my servants" also
lisa. xxx, 6; lii, IL; Eek. xxxvii, "a, IS;
Zech. iii, s, etc. There is one word in this
gospel which peculiarly points Him out as
| the servant; it is used about eighty times in
the New Testament, and half chat number of
times it is found in this gospel; ten or eleven
times it is found in this first chapter and is
translated Immediately" 'sstraightway,"
forthwith" 'anon," but in the Revised
Version it is always 'sstraightway." While
each gospel has its distinctive features, we
also find more or less of each in them all, and
this first verse brings before US Jesus, the
Saviour, who saves not only from the wrath
to come, but also from our sins; Christ, the
Messiah, tho anointed King of Israel, and
the Son of God, equal with God, one with the
Father. The beginning of the gospel or glad
S,AAHeoS AA ny oola4 hsao N1C4 1CCtlNGQ
as my own Saviour, and blessed DO God while
there was q beginning there shall bo no end.
| 2. "As it is written in the Prophets" The
| whole history of His humiliation, sufferings,
| death, resurrection and future glory is all
written in the Prophets, for they all spake Of
! Him, tho Holy Spirit speaking through
| them.
| "Behold send my messenger before Thy
face who shall prepare Thy way" This is a
quotation from Malachi iii, /, aud refers to
| John the Baptist as the herald Of Jesus Christ.
Observe carefully Gabriels announcement
| concerning him in Luke /, 1917, and his
fathers utterance by the Holy Spirit in Luke
1, 1910.
3. 'sTho voice Of one crying in the wilder
ness" This is a quotation from Isaiah IL, 3,
and carries us beyond the first coming Of
Christ, when He came to suffer, to His second
coming, when He shall comfort Jerusalem,
pardoning her iniquity and cause all flesh to
see the glory of the Lord when He shall ap-
pear in His glory to build up Zion lPs eli, 16);
when He shall appear tho second time with
out sin unto salvation (Beb ix, 2S); the saliva
ton ready to be revealed at the revelation of
Jesus Christ Il Pet. i, So, 13)
4. 'The baptism of repentance for, or unto,
the remission Of SINS" Such was the preach
ing Of John, and such was tho commission
to and the preaching Of the apostles (Luke
xiv, IL; Acts iii, 10; v, BY. with this diff
ference, that John pointed to a Saviour
| about to come, while the apostles pointed to
| Saviour who had come, suffered, was cruci-
fed. risen. assembled, and would come again
| to restore all things of which tho prophets
had spoken (Acts iii, 1920.
The first essential to present happiness
| and future glory is the forgiveness of our
| sins, and that we cannot havo without re-
| pentance-that is, true turning from sin to
God, or, as our catechisrn has it, 80 change
| OF mind toward God, tho effect of the con-
viction of sin wrought by the Holy Ghost"
5. "There went out unto him all Judea."
| Great multtudes came to him confessing
their sins and desiring baptism, but his esti-
mate Of their sincerity and true repentance
we may gather from his preaching Q4uke iii,
7-ls). No outward form or mere say SO is
worth anything whatever in the matter Of
repentance, or faith, or service, nothing but
iealhonest heart woig is Of any avail, and
John gave them to understand that unless
their lives proved their sincerity they would
like chatf come to the unquenchabe fire
| y. "Clothedwith camel's hair" John was
no fashionable preacher, either as to person
or style; food and raiment were matters of
small Importance to him, and as to his
preaching he sought not to please men, but
God. Gabriel had said that he would come
in the spirit and power of Elijah duke 1, ~,
and although he was not Elijah John i, 2D,
l He was wonderfully like him.
"a. "One mightier than l." And John did
not consider himself worthy to be privileged
to uploose Els shoes. Gabriel himself would
covet such an honor. and what angel in
Heaven would not rejoice to do Him the
lowlest seryice' But the is SO. mighty in
most OF us that Johns "mightier than T."
whom he so delighted to honor, finds us but
poor witnesses. He is "The Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, the Prince OF Peace;"
end ii, we only believed what we profess to
believe, that we are joint heirs with Him
who is Heir of all things, and are thus OK
allied through His sutferings, our devotion to
Him would be such that thought OF self
Paul, "For me to live in Christ and to die is
gain; let Him be gloriticd either by my life
or death" ('hil. j, 20, ~.
=. .He shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost" Unless we have this baptism we shall
never amount to any thing in Christ's service.
o. "Jesus was baptized OF j John in Jordan" I"
| Read the more full account Of this event in
Matt. iii, 1911: John j, 1884. Jesus had no
sin to confess; He needed no repentance ,sbut
He said to John, "Sutfer it to be SO now, for
thus it becometh us to fulfill oil righteous
ness"
10. sThe Heavens opened, and the Spirit,
l like dove, descending upon Him." On just
seven different occasions do we read in Scrip
ture of Heaven being opened, and each time
it is to shew us Jesus either Intimidation or
glory. When He becomes tho center OF our
life on eal'th as He is the center OF all life in
Heaven, then we will have Heaven on earth.
1, IL, ga Voice from E&aven" Three times
l'during His earthly ministry does this voice