The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-12-22
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON KIN, FOURTH QUARTER. IN
TERNATIONAL SERIES, DEC. 26.

Text Of the Lesson, John ~. 0-le-Mem-
DRY Verses, Oil - Golden Text, John
Ill I6-Commentary by the Rev. ID. M.
stearns.
The lesson committee having given the
choice of this as Christmas lesson instead
of the quarterly review, doubtless the ma
jority will prefer this to the review, and rs
the quarter has taken us over the last
stages Of Paul's sojourn In the mortal body
and given us his oft repeated testimony
that he was ready to die for Christ 1t Is not
aside from the main thought of the review
to turn TO Him who died for us all and
was born In Bethlehem that He might die
on Calvary, the just for the unjust
Q. "In this was manifested the love Of
God toward us, because that God sent His
only begotten Son into the world that we
might live through Him." In chapter Ill,
10, 1t Is written, Hereby perceive we the
love of God, because He laid down His life
for us, and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren" In Rom. v, 8, 1t Is.
"God commendeth His love toward us in
that while we were yet sinners Christ died
for u.s." At the Christmas time when all
are merry and send gifts to each other as
they talk and sing of Him who was born
In Bethlehem, do we stop to consider what
IL cost Him to leave His home In glory and
become a helpless babe In Mary's arms or
what IL cost His Father. God, to give Him
up to this humiliation unheard of before
In the history of all worlds as far as we
know
10. "Herein Is love, not that we loved
God, but that He loved us and sent His
Son to be the Precipitation for our sins. Z"
Oh, the depth of meaning in that phrase,
precipitation for our sinsW See Him in
Gethsemane sweating, as 1t were, great
drops of blood. Hear Him on Calvary cry
out, my God, my God, why hast Thou
forsaken mep" and talk not of Livingstone
for Africa, or Lincoln for America, or a
mother for her child as an analogy or In
any way illustrating His sufferings for us.
1t Is next to blasphemy so to do. His suf-
ferings for our sins as far exceeded all suf-
fering earth ever saw as heaven Is higher
than earth and Gods thoughts higher than
ours. He who knew no sin was made sin
for u.s. The Lord laid upon Him the in
EQUITY of us all. 1t pleased the Lord to
bruise Him. He was wounded for our
transgressions. Who can measure the sig
DlDcanCe Oh SuCn SthU6lneDUSI
IL. Beloved If God so loved us, we
ought also to love one another" How
often we have read and heard "God so loved
us, " and we are glad that He so loved us
as to provide eternal redemption freely for
us even at such cost. But what do we
know about loving one another and laying
down our lives for the brethren? Do we
not often know more about hating one an =
"A ;-ls H.
speak of Christians so called. And as TO
loving the heather in Africa or China or
Japan or India or the islands of the sea or
the poor Eskimos for Christ's sake-what
do we know of it?
IL. "No man hath seen God at any time.
If we love one another, God dwelleth in
us, and His love is perfeoted in u.s." 1t is
also written in John 1, 10: "No man hath
seen God at any time. The only begotten
Son which is in the bosom of the Father,
He hath declared Him." We cannot know
God except as we know Him in Christ.
When Philip said to Him, Lord, show us
the Father" He answered, "He that hath
seen Me hath seen the Father" God was
in Christ. We who have received Christ
and are saved by His precious blood are
saved in order that God may dwell In us
manifestly and be seen In our words and
works. There Is nothing that manifests
God quite so much as love-the love that
was seen In Christ and Is so fully described
in Cor. xiii. Let the children at this
Christmas time be taught that He who
dwelt In the little babe of Bethlehem will
dwell in them and manifest His love In
them.
10. thereby know we that we dwell In
Him and He In us because He hath given
us Of His Spirit" The first fruit of the
Spirit is love (Gal. v, 22), and love seems
to include all the rest, and love Is the full
filing of the law. Notice that as freely as
He gave His Son He also gives His Spirit,
and If we are not filled with His Spirit 1t
can only be because our hearts are not
open to Him, and IL our hearts are not
open to Him 1t Is because we have not be-
held as we might and should His great
love to us In Christ; the love that spared
not His own Son, but delivered Him up
for us ALL and will with Him also freely
give us all things.
IA. "And we have seen and do testify
that the Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world" AS tho angel said
to the shepherds at His birth, behold
bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people" duke ii, 10Y. The
Father did not send Him to be the Saviour
Of a few, but of all who will come to Him.
The time will come when all Israel shall
be saved, and after that all nations but in
this age the gospel Is to be given to all the
world, that all who will may believe and
thus His body be completed from out of
all nations. He Is therefore calling upon
us who believe to show these things to all
the world as quickly az possible. What
are we doing about itp
10. "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus
Is the Son Of God, God dwelleth in him,
and he in Cod" According to John K,
80, 36, the Jews understood the Son Of
God to be equal with God, and Jesus so
taught and said: Though ye believe not
Me, believe the works; that ye may know
and believe that the Father Is In Me and l
In Him." To receive Jesus as God our
Saviour is life eternal, and makes us to be
His dwelling place. Our works should
plainly declare that God Is In us, and this
should be our constant aim and desire II
1t is really so, He will work In us that
which Is well pleasing In His sight. How
wonderful that ttbe saved we only need
to be willing To come TO Him, and to live
a life to His glory we need only to yield
willingly and fully to Him. and He will
by His Spirit do 1t.