The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1889-03-01
THE MESSIAHSHIP.
LESSON TX, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH 8.

LESSON TX, FIRST QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH 8.
Text OF the Lesson, Mark viii, 27-3s-Com.
NIT Verses 36-38-Goldon Text, Marx
viii, 34-Commontary by Rcv. d. M,
Stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per.
mission Of Il. s. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel.
phia.l
Between this lesson and the last one we
have the record of tho death of John the
Baptist, the feeding OF the multitudes on two
different occasions the walking on the sea,
the great faith of the Syrophenician woman
and tho healing Of her daughter, the healing
OF deaf and dumb man, and others.
~. "Whom do men say that l am7" He
had come into the town of Cnsarea Philippi.
2s, ~. Peter answereth and saith unto
Him, Thou art the Christ" After drawing
from them the opinions Of others, He then
pointedly and personally puts the question:
But whom say ye that l amf' Let every
teacher learn from Him how to teach, and
after awakening the interest Of the scholars
by drawing from them what they know, fail
not to ascertain what they individually be-
ieve and what Christ is to them. The full
answer Of Peter was: s'Thou art the Christ.
the Son Of the Living God" cdatt. XVI, 16);
but while we call attention to what is writ.
ten In the parallel accounts in the other ros-
pels, we believe that each gospel is complete
in itself for the object for which It was writ
ten, and there is 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 Il
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 we'll
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, 1910, our limited space
forbids it; but we must say word about
the significance of "the Christ" John i. IA:
iv, rs, tells us that Christ is the same as Mes.
slah (the former being Greek and the latter
Hebrew. John i, 45, tells us that He is the
one of whom Moses and the prophets did
write. Daniel i1, 2+27, speaks of Him as ssthe
Messiah, the Prince" who shall make an end
OF the sins 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; the English word corresponding
to Messiah, and Christ is 'the Anointed,0 y
and in the song of Hannah q Sam ii, 10Y we
see Him as He will be when He comes in
power to sit upon the throne of His glory as
King of the Jews You may know Him as
Jesus who saves and keeps you, as Lord
whom you delight to acknowledge as your
possessor and proprietor, but do you know
Him as the Christ, the coming King of
Israel and of the whole earth?
80. HE charged them that they should tell
no man Of Him" Matt xvi, 20, says to tell
no man that He was Jesus the Christ. He
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, 14) He forbids them to make Him
known as the Christ.
81. "He began to teach them that the Son
of Man must suffer-" At His first cleansing
of the temple lie had foretold His death and
resurrection John ii, 1921, and later, when
they asked sign He spoke of Jonah as a
type of his death and resurrection (Matt. xii,
So, 40; but this is his first particular and full
announcement of this great event which He
again repeats on two other occasions ix.
81; <, 34).
32 ''Peter took Film and began to rebuke
Him." saying, "Be it far from thee, Lord;
this shall not be unto Thee" (Matt. 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 to pity himself and seek his own
ease, and against this self indulgence we
must as Christians earnestly conteAd, ever
yielding our bodies living sacrifice.
33. "He rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee
behind me, satan.s Peter had just given
forth sweet SAVIOUR of God in his grand con-
fession Of Jesus as tho Christ, and now from
the same mouth comes the things Of men
with Satan urging on; "out of the same
mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing"
"a. "Whosoever will como after Mo, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me-" 1t is most precious truth that
the invitation to come is to 'sWhosoever
will" tActs <, 43; Rom. K, IL, IS; Rev. xii,
10; and him that cometh shall in no wise be
cast out John vi, 80; 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 G.uke IL, 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.
lose it." That is, whosoever 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 oil, and his
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 he
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 life2' II he 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 He take thee away with His
stroke; then q great ransom cannot deliver
thee" dob 1xxvi, 1877 'sThey that trust
in their wealth and boast themselves in the
multitude of their riches; none of them can
by any means redeem his brother, nor give to
God ransom for him" (Ps. xix, 9, ~
There is only one ransom; God has provided
it, oven tho finished work of the Lord Jesus
Job 1xSiii, "a; Matt; Xxx, 2s); that being
life of every individual has three stages, that
portion which is spent here in the mortal
body; that between death and resurrection,
and that utter 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 just
the soul and body are wanted to be with and
like Christ forever; but if the first stage is
nlisspent and withheld from Jesus then is
the future of that soul dark and awful.
3S. "Ol him shall the Son of Man be
ashamed" The Christ will return in power
and great glory Matt. XVI, 64; Col Iii, ~,
bringing His saints with him. Heshall come
| in flaming fire, yielding vengeance on them