The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-11-28
FOR THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON IN, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATIONAL SERIES, DEC. =.
Text of the Lesson, Luke vii, 21-3J-
Memory Verses, %, 2S-GoIden Text,
Luke vii, 27-COmmentary by the
Rev. ID. VI. Stearns.

a. "And when the messengers of John
were departed He began to speak unto the
people concerning John, What went we
out into the wilderness for to see? A reed
shaken with the wind ?" 1t is possible that
this lesson precedes in the order of events
the lesson Of last week John, from the
prison into which Herod had put him
Ozark vi, II; Math. xi, p, had sent mes
sengers to Jesus to inquire If He were
the Christ. Jesus wrought miracles be
fore them and said they should tell John
what they had seen and heard and add,
BLESSED is he whosoever shall not be Of
Tended in Me-" Then Jesus begins TO
talk to the people about John and asks
them if he was like a reed shaken with the
wind, a weak one easily blown about.
25 But what went we out for to see?
A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold
they which are gorgeously appareled and
live delcately are in kings courts" They
knew that John did not indulge in fine
clothes nor luxurious living, but as it is
written, 1.-THE same John had his raiment
Of camels' hair and leathern girdle about
his loins, and his meat was locusts and
wild honey" CNath. iii, ~. He sought not
lived TO make known and point out the
Lamb OF God, who tal0eth away the sin
of the world. He did not seek any great
ness for himself John /, %; Jer. xiv, 81.
26. But what went We out for to see?
A prophet? Yea, 1 say unto you, and
much more than A prophet" The father
Of John, flied with the Holy Spirit after
the birth Of the child had said, And thou,
child. shalt be called the prophet Of the
Highest, for thou shalt go before the
face Of the Lord to prepare His ways"
duke /. 20. A prophet was not necessar-
i,y one WHO predicted future events. but
rather one who spoke for God. Abra-
ham is the first one called a prophet in
the scriptures Gen Xxx, y, but he ut
tered no predictions, YET he was Gods
representative See Aaron, the prophet
or spokesman for Moses lex, Nv, 16: vii, u.
q. This is he of whom it Is written,
Behold. / send My messenger before Thy
face. which shaE prepare Thy way before
Thee" The spirit through Malachi, had
said this some 400 years before CAlal. iii,
ID. and about three hundred years before
Malachi the same Spirit had said through
Isaiah that a voice would cry in the
wilderness, Prepare We the way OF the
Lord Qsa. *. -. How clear 10 God is
the end and all the steps that lead to it
from the very beginning, and He says,
my counsel shall stand, and 1 viii do
all my pleasure" Elsa. Xvi 10.
2S. For L say unto you, among those
that are born of women there is not q
greater prophet that John the Baptist,
but he that is least in the kingdom Of God
Is greater that he" Gabriel said of him,
''IIe shall be great in the sight of the
Lord and shall drink neither wine nor
strong drink, and he shall be filed with
the Holy Spirit even from his mothers
womb duke /, 80. Although he was
"a n IN n
prison, yet he ceased not to be great in
the sight of the Lord.
90 "And all the people that heard Him
and the publicans justified God, being
baptized with the baptism of john" All
who honor the messenger of God by be-
lieving and obeying His word thus honor
God CMath. X. 400, but those who reject
the message and the messenger dishOnOr
God and make Him liar because they be-
iieve not His message q John V, 10).
So But the Pharisees and lawyers re-
iected the counsel of God against them
selves, being not baptized Of Him." In
chapter xvi. IA. it is written that they
derided Him, and He said unto them, Ye
are they which justify yourselves before
men but God knoweth your hearts, for
that which is highly esteemed among men
is abOmination in the sight OF God" The
heart is deceitful and desperately wicked,
and none can thoroughly know it but God
der. xvii, 8, 10; therefore His word of
truth must be against it, and to reject the
truth of God against ourselves proves us
children of the devil.
81 And the Lord said, Whereunto
then shall I lil1en the men of this genera
don? And to what are they lke2' He
was ever finding analogies in nature and
in people He called Himself a vine.
door, a shepherd the light, the way, the
truth the life. He compared the present
condition of affairs, called the mystery of
the kingdom, to mustard tree, heaven,