The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-09-02
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
SEPTEMBER 6.
Lesson Text: "The True Children OF
God" John viii, 31-47-
Golden Text: John j.,
documentary.

81. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which
believed on Him, If ye continue in My word
then are ye My disciples indeed" He is still
at Jerusalem, teaching in the temple (verse
q, and it is just after the feast Of taber
nacles. The previous verse says that many
believed on Him; so, also say chapters iv.,
80, IL; <, 42; xii, 42; but chapter vi. &C.
says that many of His disciples went back
and walked no more with Him, and after
His ascension we read Of the number Of the
disciples as being only about 120.
80. "And ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you Free" To know
the truth is to knQw Himself, for He is the
Truth (chap. xiv, 81, and to know God and
Jesus Christ is life eternal (chap. xvii. 81.
SO. "They answered Him, We be Abra-
any man. How sayest Thou, ye shall be
made free" Being only natural men, they
understood not His spiritual sayings, for it
seemed foolishness to them Il Cor. it,, 1A. To
be descendant Of Abraham, and to have
been clrcumcised, was in their eyes all that
was necessary to entitle them to eternal
happiness. (Gen. xv., 6; Rom. 4, IL; Z,
8, a.
81 "Jesus answered them, Verify, verify,
I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin IS
the servant of SIM As the Spirit through
Paul has said, 40 whom ye yield your
selves servants to obey, his servants ye are
whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death,
or of obedience unto righteousness"
IS. "And the servant abideth not in the
house forever, but the Son abideth ever !"
We cannot become children of God by ma
tural birth, nor by any works OF the flesh,
but only by receiving into Us something OF
God, even His Son Jesus Christ as our Righ-
teousness and our Salvation.
L. ~ lyn x-N
free, ye shall be free indeed" The Righteous
ness Of God stood before them and was talk
ing to them, but they knew Him not. In
Him, and in Him only, was there Life and
Light and Righteousness; all else apart from
Him was only sin, darkness and death.
81. "Iknow that ye are Abraham's seed;
but We seek to kill Me, because My Word
hath no place in you" They were children
of Abraham by natural descent, but they
were not like Abraham spiritually, for Abra-
ham rejoiced in the Christ verse 56, but
Abel were the natural children of Adam and
Eve, but spiritually Abel was Of God while
Cain was Of the devil Heb. XII, 4; I John ill.,,
8, 12).
3S. 81 speak that which have seen with
NV Father, and ye do that which ye have
seen with your father" As to His Father,
He was continually speaking Of Him, pro-
claiming that the Father sent Him, and that
He said and did only what the Father taught
Him; that the Father was with Him, and
that He always pleased the Father; that to
know Him was to know the Father (verses
16, 1S, 10, %, go. His whole aim on this
earth was to glorify the Father, and when
about to be crucifed He prayed the Father
would glorify Him that still He might glo-
rify the Father.
SO. "They answered and said unto Him,
Abraham is our father Jesus saith unto
them, If ye were Abraham's children ye
would do the works of Abraham" They
still cling to the idea of natural descent being
sufficient, but John the Baptist had taught
them the folly Of saying, I'VE have Abra-
ham to our father" (Math. ill.,, 81; and on e
previous occasion Jesus had taught at Ca
pernaum that many would come from east
and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob IN the Kingdom, while many who
thought themselves entitled to do so would
be cast into outer darkness Matt viii, II,
~.
10. "But now ye seek to kill Me, man
that hath told you the truth, which have
heard of God. This did not Abraham" The
true children of Abraham will walk In the
steps Of Abraham (Rom. iv., 12), and his
great characteristic was that he believed the
word of God and acted accordingly. Look
ing for city which hath foundations he
was content to dwell in the promised land
as sojourner.
Al. 'Ye do the deeds Of your father. Then
said they to Him, We be not born Of forni-
cation: we have one Father, even God" In
Isa xiii, 16; Xiv, s. we find these words,
"Doubtless Thou art our Father. though
Abraham be ignorant Of US, and Israel &C.
knowledge US not: Thou, o Lord, art our
Father, our Redeemer; Thy name is from
art
Father; we are the clay, and Thou our pot
ter; and we all are the work of Thy hand"
These are about the only places in the Old
Testament where God is directly spoken Of
as Father, but il they had any reference to
such words as these the comparison Of the
clay would condemn them, for they were
hard hearted as rock rather than as clay,
which could be fashioned by the potter.
49, "Jesus said unto them, Ii God were
your father ye would love Me, for l pro-
ceeded forth and came from God; neither
came of Myself, but He sent Me-" The
Lord had said through Malachi, A son hon.
oreth his father and servant his master; If
then l be father, where is mine honor (Mal.
l., 6)? And in John v. %, Jesus had said,
''He that honoreth not the Son, honoreth
not the Father which hath sent Him." These
people profess to be children OF Abraham,
but do not his work: they call themselves
children Of God, but they hate Him wlom
God sent, even His only begotten Son.
43. why do you not understand My
speech? even because ye cannot hear My
word" Through faith" is the only way to
understand Heb. XII, 3, and If the disci-
pies understood not many things till after
Pentecost, even though they believed in Him
(chauter xii, 16; xiv. 81, how could these
people understand anything when they had
no faith in Him whatever; and here is the
~ +l,o;r i.In nd nf ha
ness and hardness of heart Of all who are
like them-they will not receive the word Of
God.
a. "Ye are of your father the devil, and
the lusts Of your father ye will do" He had
twice told them that they acted Like their
father (verSes 3s, Az, and now He says
plainly who their father is. At another time
He calls them serpents, generation OF yipers
tMath. xiii, 33, probably with reference to
that old serpent, the devil, and their likeness
to him.
g.. ':And because tell you the truth ye
believe Ne not" Paul asks, 'Am | there
fore become your enemy because l tell you
the truth% (Gal. iv., 10y. Truth is to
heart that loves lies like salt to wound ua-
healed, or like strong hght to weak eyes:
4G. (Which of you convinceth Me OF sin?
And if say the truth, why do ye not believe
Me-" They could not convict Him OF sin,
for thero was no sin in Him; He knew no
sin; He did no sin; He was without sin Il
John ill.,, 5; II Cor. ", 81; l Pet. IL, 22,.
Even Judas had to confess that He Was an
innocent man.
Al. "He that is OF God heareth Gods
words: We therefore hear them not, because
We are not of Cod" Not Of God, not of my
sheep, neither part nor lot in tn, matter
(chapter X, &c; Acts viii, 2l. There shall
in no wise enter into it anything that de-
fileth, neither whatsoever worxeth abomina-
ton or maketh a lie but they whlch are
-,.r;+tor in tba lambs hook of life tSey xxi