Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-12-15
International gessnas.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON XIII, FOURTH QUARTER, IN.
TERNATIONAL SERIES, DEC. 26.

TERNATloNAL SERIES, DEC. 26.
| Text of the Lesson, I John iv, 9-10-Mem.
ory Verses, OIL - Golden Text, John
| Iii, 16-Commentary by the Rev. D. NJ.
Stearns.
The lesson committee having given the
choice of this as u Christmas lesson instead
of the quarterly review, doubtless the ma.
iority 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 ha 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.
9. "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 Iii,
16, it 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
It cost Him to leave His home in glory and
become helpless babe in Mary's arms OF
what it cost His Father, God, to give Him
I'D 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 propitiation for our SINS u
Oh, the depth of meaning in that phrase,
Precipitation for our sins" See Him In
Gethsemane sweating, US 1t were, great
drops of blood. Hear Him on Calvary CRY
out, my God, my God, why hast Thou
forsaken me?' 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.
fcring earth ever saw as heaven Is higher
than earth and God S thoughts higher than
ours He who knew no sin was made sin
for US. The Lord laid upon Him the In.
iquity of US all. 1t pleased the Lord to
bruise Him. He was wounded for our
| transgressions. Who can measure the sig
| nifcance of such stntementsP
II. "Belovcd, II God so loved US, we
ought also to love one another" How
often we have read and heard God so loved
u.s." 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 brcthrenY Do we
not often know more about hating one an
| other, or at least disliking one another? !
speak of Christians so called. And rs to
| loving the heathen in Africa or China or
japan or India or the islands of the sea or
tho poor Eskimos for Christ's sake-what
do we know of it?
10. "No man hath seen God at uDy time.
If we love one another, God dwelleth in
us, and His love is perfected in u.s." 1t is
also written in John !, is: "No man hath
seen God ut any time. The only begotten
| Son which Is in tho 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 Mo hath seen the Father" God was
in Christ. We who have received Christ
and are saved by His precious blood are
saved in order thut God may dwell In us
| manifestly and lie seen In our words and
works. There is nothing that manifests
| God quito 50 much US lovc-the love that
| was seen in Christ and Is so fully described
| in 1 Cor xiii Lot tho children at this
Christmas time be taught that He who
dwelt in the littlo babe of Bethlehem will
dwell in them and manifest His love In
them.
13. "Hereby 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 lovo (Gal. V, 22), and love seems
to include all the rest, and love is the full
filling of the law. Notice that rs 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 if our hearts are not
open to Him it 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 havo seen and do testify
| that the Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world" AS the angel said
to the shepherds at His birth, "Behold l
bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shull be to all people" Nuke ii, 10y. The
ha, bo ha Co autN
of 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 ago 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
tho world as quickly as possible. What
are we doing about itl
Is. "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus
Is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him,
and he in God" According to John x,
83, SO, 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
In Him." To receive Jesus as God our
Saviour is life eternal, and makes US to bo
His dwelling place. Our works should
plainly declare that God Is in us, and this
should be our constant aim and desire. If
it is really so, He will work in us that
which is well pleasing in His sight. How
wonderful that to be saved we only need
to be willing to come to Him, and to live
life to His glnry we need only to yield
willingly and fully to Him, and He will
by His Spirit do it.
16. "And we have known and believed
the love that God hath to us. God Is love,
and he that dwelleth in love dwclleth in