Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-12-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xIII-DECEMB 26--I.
JOHN, 1919.
Golden Text: God So Loved the World,
That He Gave His Only Bogctten Son,
That Whosoever Beiieyeth In Him
should Not Perish."-John 3, i6.

Our Father In Heaven.-With most chill
dren the first idea OF God is OF
great Father up above the sky.
And this is as it should be. The
great principle of all true educa-
ton is an advance, step by step, from
the known to the unknown; and God, in
revealing himself to man, adopts this
principle condescending to liken- his di-
vine attributes to human faculties (as in
the use OF terms Gods eyes" arm"
etc.), and to picture to us his divine char
acter both by comparison and by con-
trast with human qualities. Now. to a
child the embodiment of knowledge and
power and goodness is speaking general
ly) its own parents: and therefore the
easiest and most natural process by which
to gain a true conception of God is to
rise to it from the experience of earthly
relationship. and call him Father. Ac-
cordingly. the child's first prayer, lisped
even before it understands what it is say
ing, is Our Father"
The Two Revelations.-Thus has God
given us in nature two distinct reVeia-
tons of himself. Firs, creation reveals
1.-The invisible things OF him." 'even his
eternal power and Godl. adj" They are
understood by the things that are nsade"
Rom. l. 2O. But besides this our natural
relations reveal his relationship to us. A
fathers love, one of the most beautiful
things Oh earth. Is a pcture-a very i'm
perfect. yet as far as 1t goes n true, pic
ture-of the love of the eternal Father.
And the fact that men have missed the
other, that they have utterly failed to
rise to the thought of a Father in heaven,
leaves them doubly, rs Paul expresses 1t
in the verse just quoted without ex-
cuse." Those heather nations that have
the loftiest ideas of Great Spirit above
all the minor deities and demons which
are the objects of their idolatry, think of
him as afar off an. caring nothing for
them. The Mohammedans. who worship
no idols at all. regard Allah with no ten
der feelings. Even the Jews under the Old
Testament did not understand the father
hood of Jehovah. although once or twice
the revelation of 1t was made by the
prophets. IF 1 be u Father says God
by the mouth of Malachi, where is mine
honor?"
The Father Sent the Son.-But not only
does God show us by the similitude Of
parental relationship what he Is to men,
in higher and more mysterious sense
the relationship exists In the Godhead
itself. THAT holy thing that shall be
born Of thee" said the angel to Mary,
shall be called the Son of God" And
1t was when the Son of God came that
the fatherhood of God was at last re-
vealed In its fun clsarness mo man
knoweth the Father save the Son, and he
to whomsoever the Son will reveal him."
In the Sermon on the Mount, for the first
time is the great truth fully declared.
Sixteen time is 1t there referred to: Luke
8. g. 16, 49, As; G. /, A. 6, s, 8, H. Is, 49, 26, so;
Z. II, q. And in the greatest of the par
ables the story that has touched more
hearts than any other, is a picture OF God
as a forgiving father receiving back his
wandering son.
God Is Love.-Most appropriately, If this
line be adopted, will come in the practical
of lob, 80 ynr1, n6 On
loved us, we ought also to love one an
other" If earthly affections are a pic
ture of Gods love. then let those anec-
lions be manifested in all sincerity, pur-
ity, tenderness and unselfishness, that
men may be led, by seeing them. to catch
a glimpse of what God must be. See
verse II. mo man hath seen God at any
time" that is impossible: but IF we love
one another God dwelleth in us, and his
love is perfected in us" Thus is re-
stored that image Of God In which man
was originally made, but which sin spoiled
and defaced. Christ only is 1.-The express
image of his person" (ieb. l. 81; but,
Our God is love; and all his saints His
image lear below;
The heart with love to God inspired with
love to man will glow.
And so, when Jesus even says. Love your
enemies" what reason does he give?
'"rhat we may be the children of your
Father which is in heaven" as children
bear the likeness of their parents, for
lie maketh his sun to rise on the evil and
on the good etc. 1t is this relationship
that causes John to burst forth with the
wondering exclamation at the beginning
of the third chapter, Behold, what man
ner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us, that we should be called the sons
of Godi" God is love. This is the second
great topic of the epistle. The first was
that which is declared in chapter l.
that God is light. What is the teaching
of these two grand statements? May we
not reverently catch the meaning by
thinking of the twofold division of our
own inner nature-the intellectual and the
moral, the thought and the feeling. the
mind and the heart? God is light-the
perfection of knowledge. truth. justice.
God Is love-the perfection or kindness,
pity friendliness, JOY
How Does John Show Us Gods Love?--
In those wonderful ninth and tenth verses
1t is shown in four ways: l. He loved us
despite our enmity. Not that We loved
God, but tbs. he loved u.s." q He loves
us so greatly as not to spare his Son.
sent his only begotten Son into the
world 8. He loved us in our sins. and
sacrificed his Son to save us. Sent his
Son to the Precipitation for our SINS
Look at verse 1G: I'VE have known and
believed the love that God hath to u.s."
Have we! "A Wonuerlui ana norriple
thing Gas jeremiah would say) 1t Is that
men will not know II, do not believe 1t.
What sort of children does God lover"
asked teacher of his class. Good chill
dren," answered one. Yes" said an
other "and naughty children, too" In
these words lay the whole Gospel.
Lesson Hymn
Glory be to God on high, God, whose
glory fills the sky!
Peace on earth to man forgiven. Man, the
weii-beloved of Heaven.
Sovereign Father, heavenly King, Thee
we now presume to sing;
Thee with thankful hearts we prove God
of Power. and God of love.
Christ our Lord and God we own. Christ,
the Fathers only Son,
Lamb of God for sinners slain, Saviour of
offending man.
Charles Wesley.