The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-03-02
JESUS The MESSIAH.
International Sunday-School Lesson for
March 3, 1889.

hurch u, 1888.
Especially arranged from S. S. Quarterly.l !
LESSON TExT-Mark :27.SS; 9:l
GOLDEN TExT-Whosoeve will come after
Ne, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross and follow Me.-Mark $751;
GENERAL TRUTH-Those who would reign
with Christ in Heaven, must follow Him
on earth.
TIME-Summer Of A. d. %. Several
months after the last lesson.
PLACE-On the way from the Sea of Cali
lice to Cesarea Philippi, % or 30 miles TO the
northeast; which We named after the En-
peror Caesar, and Herod Philip, who en-
larged the city.
JEsus-S215 years old, in the third year OF
His ministry.
Parallel ACCoUYTs-Matt 16 1923; Luke
9:1S21.
INTERVENING HISTORY Mark 6:14to 500
including Matt. IA to 6:l2, and John Gill
INrRopUCrloN-Whil the disciples were
engaged in the missionary tour described in
our last lesson, John the Baptist was be-
headed (March, a, d. 29), and the disciples
returned to Jesus and 10 Capernaum. Jesus
sought retirement with His disciples, first
near Bethsaida then in the region of Tyre
and Sidon and now again in the vcinitt Of
Cesarea Philippl.
HELPS OVER HARD PLACEs--21. Went out;
from Bethsada and Galilee, lie asked: in
order to lead them thus TO the truth. 20.
John The BGptiS'; lately killed by Herod.
Elias; Elijah, The promised forerunner Of
the Messiah (hIal i:5). 20 Thou art tie
Christ! Peter saw through His humble cir
cumstances, and recognized the Messiah,
30. TEL 40 man it was not time yet; for %
some would make HIM king GU others OPP
pose Him all the more. 81. Teach them
show them the real nature and work of the
Messiah 49, Get thee behind me, Satan: not
that Peter was Satan, but his suggestion
was from Satan. "a. UlB come after Me:
be My disciple. DENY himself: put Christ
and His kingdom before his personal profit
and pleasure. He must giveup whatever is
wrong and whatever will prevent him from
serving Christ and doing good. Take up
His cross: the cross was the symbol OF
death. Christ did His duty, and saved
men, even though it cost Him death on the
| cross. So must we. 3d. Sdre his life: life
means the bessedness and pleasures which
| give value TO life; sdre his life means get
pleasure or profit at the expense of right or
religion. Shall lose Il: shall fail of his end ;
shall lose eternal life, which is the true life,
Real life must grow out of pure and holy
character He that loses this may gain tenn
porary pleasure, and that only, but must
| lose all true and lasting blessedness. IS.
Adulerots. unfaithful to God. OF linn shall
| the Sou Of man he ashamed. because he has
proved himself unworthy of Christ ConeHs
in The glory: at the day of judgment, His sec
ond coming. |. Seen the Kingdom Of God
come: fully established, and showing its
power This was by Hrs resurrection, and
| by the day Of PentccOst, and was completed
at the destruction of Jerusalem forty years
later, when the old dispensatiOn passed
away, and the new was firmly established.
John lived till after that, and all the disci-
pies till after Pentecost.
| COMMENTS W hen Christ began to show
them that He must suffer many things,
Peter thought that lie was very mach mis-
taken, and began to rebuke Him. This
called forth singing reioluder from the
Lord. Then Christ went on to tell them
that they were fundamental principles Of
| His kingdom. Not crown-wearng so much
as cross-bearng was to dis,iu guish those
who wanted to be His disciples in this
world To lose your life was 30 save it, and
TO try and save it was TO throw it away.
All the rest of the lesson, from verse 81 on,
is a solemn warning to men, uttered by Sle
Saviour. 1t will apply as well to us in
these days as it did to the men who sur
rounded Him and listened to His
words The Master saw that men
were in great danger of making a
fearful mistake in their relative est.
mates OF the Importance of seen and unseen
things. The temptation TO sin for this pres
| ..1y Dt
the flesh, the lust Of the eye, and the pride
OF life had led men into horrible hypocrses,
so that, trying vainly to serve God and
mammon at the same time, they had lost all
| true religion. Pharlsees, scribes and pco-
Pile all supposed that they were making a
! good bargain, and that all would end well.
Jesus tries to undeCeiVe them and make
them understand that any pretended rellg
! ous life which did not involve cross-bear-
| ing and self-denIal was vain and fraudu-
! lent. He assures them that If any one
makes the enjoyment Of this life his chief
concern, he will lose the life to come, and
! that If any one desires the Master 8 service
80 earnestly as to be willing to lose this life
for it shall gam the eternal life beyond
Having said this, the Master propounds
what we might call problem in spiritual
arithmetic: wv nat shall 1T proht man II
he gain the whole world and lose his own
soul, or what shall man give in exchange
for his soulF'-Rev. A. i, Schaufllcr,
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
|. No opinions are 50 important as right
views about Christ.
3. The true church is built upon an atom
| ing Saviour suffering for the sins Of the
world
| 3. Christ tells US the trials, as well as the
| Joys, OF His service.
4. We are 10 rcnOunce the world as mas
ter, but to use it as servant.
3. "Christs cross is the sweetest burden
! ! ever bore 1t is such a burden as wings
! TO a bird or sails 10 ship
t. At how small a price some sell their
souls.
| Z. There is certain triumph for Christs
! kingdom, and hence for all that are Chrlsts
| The poor ag Estyrrs