The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-01
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
JULY 5.
Lesson Text: THE Word Made
FLESH John j., f-1S-Goiden
Text: John l., 14-Com-
mentary.

great words are Love, Light, Life, and he
tells us that be wrote this gospel that we
might believe that Jesus is ths Carist, the
Son of God, and that, believing, we might
have life through His name Xxx, 3D. Here
is no record OF His birth in Bethlehem or His
lowly life at Nazareth, but we are taken at
once into a past eternity before the world
was.
!. In tine beginning was the Word" We
are here introduced to the Son Of God as
"The Word" the telling out of the Fathers
heart by whom we are to know the Father.
By peoples words, il they are honest, we
know their hearts, so by the Son as the Word
of God we shall know our Heavenly Fathers
heart toward u.s. But not until He comes
in power and glory as "The Word Of God"
REV. xix, 13, bringing His saints with Him,
shall we know the fullness of the Fathers
heart concerning His elect church, His elect
Israel and the world.
9. The same was in the beginning with
God" The words lin the beginning" in this
verse and the last take US to Gen. l.. l; but
who can tell when ''the beginning" was2
3. "All things were made by Him; and
without Him was not anything made that
was made" See how full the statement in
Col. j, 16, II, which closes with these words,
"All things were created by Him and for
Him, and He is before all things, and by
Fin all things consist" See Him, . be-
lever, whom you love to think of as having
died for you on the cross that your sins
mighs be forgiven; see Him as the creator
and possessor of all things in heaven and on
earth.
T. In Him was Life; and the Life was the
Light of men" Apart from Him no one,
however good morally or even religiously,
has wLat the Scriptures call Life. He
that hath the Son hath life; and he that
hath not the son Of God hath not life'' Il
Johnv. l2l Dead in sins" is the condition
Of every one who has not received Christ.
and the darkness comprehended it not"
Men love darkness rather than light, because
their deeds are evil Gii., 1g, and because
they do not wish to be separated from their
evil deeds they will not come to nor receive
the Light. Spiritual things seem foolish to
natural men II Cor H., 14), and they will not
and cannot receive them.
8. There was q man sent from God whose
name was John" We now turn for a few
moments from the Light to the herald Of the
Light. The history Of Gabriels message to
Zacharias, and all the incidents Of the birth
Of the most wonderful man, are found In
Luke j., 5-25, lvii., 80.
Z. The same came for a witness to bear
witness of the Light, that all men through
Him might believe" The Spirit said through
Malachi, Behold, I will send my messenger,
and he shall prepare the way before me"
NAL. iii, y. This is now the business OF
every believer, to bear witness to the Light
by letting the Light fill them and shine
through them.
g. He was not that Light, but was sent
to bear witness Of that Light" He bore wit
ness by the Spirit in Him, by whom He was
L l.. IT T,,1ra
only be witnesses by the SAME Spirit tActs l.,
81. Because we do not seek to be filed daily
with the Spirit there is little of Christ seen
in us, and God is not glorIfied in us (Gal. l.,
24) as He should be.
9. That was the true Light which light
eth every man that cometh into the world:
See His own oft repeated. Il am the Light
OF the world" John viii. 12; tx. 5; xii, 49,,
and give good heed to the fact that there Is
no need to walk in darkness.
10. He was in the wcrfc, and the world
was made by Him, and the world knew Him
rot Think of yourself as denied admission
to your own home or business by your own
family or employees Think Of yourself as
going in love to help some afflicted one, ami
YOU are refused admission to the home to
which you are anxious to bring light and JOY
and gladness. Seek, by i'll some faint meas
ure putting yourself in His place, to realizs
somewhat the state of things here described.
II. He came unto His own, and His own
received Him not" "A stranger to His breth.
rem and an alien unto His mothers children
(Ps. Xix, S.. Even Jobs experience when
brethren were far from him, acquaintance
estranged, kinsfolk failed, familiar friends
forgot, a stranger in his own house, wife,
children, servants all against him dob XIX,
13-lg-even this was not equal to the expe-
~ ~ in "a .tnh
was only man, but Jesus Christ was God
from Heaven condescending to mans estate
to restore him to his Inheritance.
r. But as many as receive Him, to them
gave He power Tor the right or privilege to
become the sons Of God, even to them that
believe in His name" While the nation re-
iected Him few believed on Him, and this
was their privilege. And so it continues,
He still comes by His word and spirit to all
who hear of Him, asking recer ton in their
hearts. Each hearer has it in his or her
power to keep Him out or let Him IN, ana
thus continue in darkness and death, or pass
from death to life.
49, (which wers born, not Of blood. nor
OF the will Of the flesh, nor Of the will OF man,
hut of God" Born Of God means real
work OF God by His word and spirit in a
person's heart A receiving and resting in
Jesus Christ alone for salvation (rit iii, S
Rom iv:, 5; Eph. H.. 3, o..
IA. And the Word was made flesh and
dwelt among us land We beheld His glory,
the glory as Of the only begotten Of the
Father. full Of grace and truth" AS the
glory Of God was concealed from the people
in the Holy Of HOLES, within the veil, in the
tabernacle and in the temple 80 in the body
of the Lord Jesus, as within veil Heb. Z,
20, the glory was concealed from natural
-, h,,, ioti
Is. John bare witness Of Him, and cried.
saving. This was He of whom l spake, He
that cometh after ME is preferred before me.
for He was before me" So long as we have
any ambitious desires for our own glory or
our own will we have neither the spirit OF
Christ nor of John, his faithful witness.
Not Mine own will" MT Mine own
glory" were two Of the great
words of Christ which we would do well to
make our own John vi, 3S; viii, 5M.
16 And of His fullness have all we re.
ceived. and grace for grace, 1T pleased
the Father that in Him should all tullness
dwell "In Him dweleth all the fullness
Of the Godheai bodily" tCo!. l., ~; H., y.
And we are fllei full in Him. Receiving
Him (verse II, we must have all that He has
and is; BLESSED with all spiritual blessings
in the beavenlies IN Christ" (Eph. l., 81.
L.. "For the law was given by Moses but
Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ"
The exceeding abundant grace Of God brings
Christ to the sinner for his acceptance that
He NAV become to each repenting sinner his
righteousness, his salvation, and then that
Christ in him may live a righteous life (Rom.
T., 4: viii, y.
ls. No man hath seen God at any time;
the only begotten Son which is in the bosom
Of the Father, He hath declared Him" Sea
the first clause Of the verse repeated in John
iv., 12. Jesus said to Philip, He taat hath
seen Me hath seen the Father" John xiv.
o.. Wherever, in all Scripture, you read OF
sny manifestation of God, see there the only
begotten Son, "whose goiugs forth have been