The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-02-08
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR FEBRUARY i2.

Lesson Text: "Christ's Divine Authority
John ", 17-27-Golden Text: John iv.
42-Commentary on the Days Lessor
by the Rev. d. n. stearns.
II. "But Jesus answered them, My Faith
or worketh hitherto and work" Be
cause He had healed the impotent man a
Bethesda on the Sabbath day they perse
| cuted Him and sought to Kill Him. DR.
| Weston says that their Sabbath day was t.
them their national banner, and 1t was no
! we'll for anyone who would dare breal
| their laws concerning It. Gods Sabbath!
and feasts which he instituted had be-
come the Jews Sabbaths and feasts, ant
| instead OF observing His laws concerning
them they had multiplied traditions o.
their own, thus making the commandment
OF God OF none effect by their tradition
| (Math. xv., 8, g..
18. Therefore the Jews sought the
more to kill Him, because He not only had
broken the Sabbath, but said also that God
with God" On another occasion they
were going to stone Him because, as they
said, he, being a man, made Himself God
| (John &, 33). What spectacle is this, the
Creator hated by the creature, sticklers for
the Sabbath day seeking to kill the Lord oil
the Sabbath! Yet such Is religion that Is
not Of God.
10. "Then answered Jesus and said unto
them, Verify, verify, I say unto you, The
Son can do nothing Of Himself but what BE
seeth the Father do, for what things soeyer
wise:" Their unbelief and opposition did
not and could not alter the facts in the
case, so without argument He quietly
went on with bis teaching. When one Is
right, the only thing to do Is to keep right
on saying and doing right, sure that they
who war against US shall be as nothing and
as a thing Of naught lisa. XII, 12).
20. "For the Father loveth the Son and
showeth Him all things that Himself doeth,
and He will show Him greater works than
these that ye may marvel" In chapter III: :,
given all things into His hands," In chap
ter Z, 80, "I and My Father are one." In
chapter XIV, 8. 10, 'He that hath seen Me
hath seen the Father; am In the Father and
the Father In Me-" In chapter xv., 9, we
read, GAS the Father hath loved Me so-have
T. loved you," and In xviii, 23, that the
Father loves rs as he loves the Son. We
wonder at the manifestation OF God in
Christ. but what shall we say when we read
that It is His pleasure that Christ should
be manifest In Us? (Gal. H., 20; II Cor. w.,
11)
21. "For as the Father raiseth up the
dead and quickeneth them, even so the
Son quickeneth whom he will" In the
following verses this is explained as refer
ring not only to those who are dead in sin,
living in pleasure unto themselves (Eph.
H., /; Tim. ", g., but also to those
whose bodies are dead in the grave. In
the graves shall hear His voice and shall
come forth either unto life or damnatlon.
"a. "For the Father judgeth no man, but
hath committed oil. judgment unto the
Son." he hath appointed a day in the
which he will Judge the world In right
eousness by that man whom He hath or
daIned, whereof He hath given assurance
unto all men in that he hath raised Him
from the dead (Acts xviii, 3I. One day Is
with the Lord as a thousand years, and
a. thousand years as one day II. Pet. ILL.,,
the judgment of the righteous, aud OF the
living nations, and a. the end Of the day
that OF the unrighteous.
23. "That all men should honor the Son,
even as they honor the Father. He that
bonoreth not the Son honoreth not the
Father which hath sent Him." he will
be honored by all kings and all nations,
and to Him every knee shall bow (Ps.
lxxii., II; Phil. H., 9, 10).. A day is com
brought down, and the Lord alone exalted
lisa. H., II, ID. He Is the only Saviour
OF sinners (Acts w., 12), the only Judge as
we saw In the last verse, and He will be
the only Ruler, for He must reign till He
hath put ,all things under His feet q Cor.
"a. "Verily, veriIy,~I say unto you, He
that heareth My word and believeth on
Him that sent Me hath everlasting life and
shall not come into condemnation, but Is
passed from death unto life." Here is the
receiving Him, In chaper ILL.,, 16, as believ-
ing on Him, and here as hearing His word
and believing on Him. This verse was
blessed to my soul In the summer Of 1878
with blessing that has lasted ever since
and will to all eternity. 1t was somewhat
like this: Do you hear the word Of God and
believe that Jesus died for you and rose
again. and do you receive Him as your
Saviour? I do. Then you have everlast-
ing life. No, cannot feel that ! have.
What does God say? He says that I have.
Is His word sufficient? would like to feel
It. Will you take Him at His word or
make Him O. llar? (John ", l0.) will be-
lleve God.
as. "Verily, verify, say unto you. The
hour is coming, and now is, when the dead
shall hear the voice Of the Son of God,
and they that hear shall live" This hour
has already lasted over 1900 years and Is
still on. The dead in trespasses and sins
are hearing the word OF God, and receiv-
ing It and life in 1t, or rather in Him
who Is the Word and the Life. Faith
cometh by hearing the word OF God. I
had been hearing 1t from my childhood and
before 1865 I had been received into church
membership and was regular In my at
tendance upon ordinances and outwardly
consistent, but until the time and the e1-
perience mentioned In the last verse did
not know that I had passed from death to
life.
as. "For as the Father hath life in Him
self 80 hath He given to tho Son to have
life In Himself" He Is the Life. He that
hath the Son OF God hath life, and he
that hath not the Son OF God hath not life
John xiv, 6; John ", 1N: We can
neither earn nor In any way deserve this
lie, for 1t Is the gift OF God (Rom. VI. 2S):
But whosoever will may receive the Bread
OF Life, the Water OF Life, the Life ITSELF
and even Christ Himself, and in Him find
life begun here, consummated at the
resurrection and enjoyed through all eter-
nifty. We must come as empty and help
less as the impotent man at Bethesda; then
all Is ours.
n. "And hath given Him authority to
execute judgment also, because He Is the
Son OF Man" In the final day otjudgment
and be judged. And all those who have
done good shall see the resurrection a.
life and those who have done evil the
resurrection OF fdamnetion.-Lesson Helper.