The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-01-18
THE SABBATH SCHOOL,
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JANUARY 22.

LessonT Text: "Christ and Nicodem us."
John ILL.,. 1-1e-Golden Text: John
H., 16 - Commentary on the Days
Lesson By tho Kev. d. N. Stearns.
]. "Now there was q man" (R. w.. In
verses'11, %, 23, Of chapter Q, we read that
tho disciples believed and many believed,
but then We read that Jesus did not com.
NIT Himself unto (believe in) men, for he
knew what was in man. Then we have Hin
dealing with this man, ruler OF the Jews,
and revealing Nlcodemus to himself, that
he might know God, for this 1s greater
than riches or wisdom or might Ger. L.,
23, 2D. 80 ~.
Q. Nicodemus knew that Jesus was at
least sent OF God and that God was With
Him, and his soul was hungering for more
Of God, and he felt that Jesus had power to
help him, yet, being ruler and Jesus be.
having beer taught In any Of the schools,
nor having, like Saul, been brought up at
the feet Of Gamaliel or any great teacher OF
the day, he seems to think It wise not to
come at first TO Him too publicly.
8. Jesus passes by the seeming compli-
ment and, recognizing the longing In the
heart OF Nicodemus, tells him briefly the
only way to see the kingdom for which he
longs. To be born Of God G-13) or from
above (margIn) is the only way. No hu-
man wisdom nor royal lineage nor position
enter the kingdom of God. It must be
work Of God in the heart-nothing less
than the receiving OF the Son OF Goo
(chapter l., 12).
4. Nicodemus, though very religious and
q ruler ofthe Jews, was only a natural man
and understood not spiritual things. He
could only think OF q natural birth.
s. A little more fully Jesus now states It,
saying that to be born OF God means to be
born Of water and Of the Spirit. BY calling
up three witnesses-Peter, James and Paul
-aud by comparing Pet. l., %, Jas. l., 18;
Eph, ", 26; John W., So, we learn that
water suggests the Word Of God, by which
tho Spirit always works.
6. The flesh Is the natural man. the man
not subject to nor controlled by GOD. He
may be intellectual, educated, talented,
Wealthy, good citizen, moral, philan-
thropic and in every way all that could be
desired as loving. father, son or brother.
yet II only that never see the kingdom OF
God. He that hath the Son hath life, but
he that hath not the Son Of God hath not
life, whatever else he may have q John ",
12). :, =
I. aye must be born again" There Is
much teaching nowadays to the effect that
there is q. spark of the divine nature In
every one and that It only nNeds to be de-
yeloped, but such Is not the teaching OF the
Word OF God, which says that the carnal or
natural mind is enmlty against God, tor 1t
is not subject to the law Ct God, nei:her,
indeed, can be (Rom. viii., y.
us. but we cannot tell whence 1t came nor
whittier its destination. Thus the Spirit
moves and works. In the darkness OF Gen.
l., 2, the Spirit Of God moved upon the face
OF the waters, and God spake, and there
was light. So God, by his word and Spirit,
shines in hearts and gives the knowledge
of Himself, causing life and fruitfuiness
where all before was waste and VOID III
Cor. w., 6, ~
8. "How can these things be2" Theblind
was cropping for the light and but very
dimly perceiving. These spiritual things,
so simple to the Spirit taught, were too
much for the natural man, even though he:
be q ruler. 81 have wondered II one reason
why the wisdom Of this world dislikes the
book of Daniel and would fain have done
with it Is that there, as perhaps nowhere
else, is shown the utter1mpotence OF such
wisdom to deal with the things OF God.
10, A master Of Israel should know some
thing Of these things for in Eek. xx1yl.,'
26, 27, It was written: "a new heart also
will give you and new spirit will put
within you. I will put NY Spirit Witnin
YOU and cause you to walk In My statutes"
Gabriel was sent from heaven to cause
Daniel to know, but here Is q greater than
Gabriel, and yet Nicodemus does not un-
derstand.
II. This Is the third verify, verify Of our
lesson. Only In this gospel do we ind the
double verify or amenor In truth, and he
who uses It Is Himself the Truth. he knew
all things and all men, even their utmost
imaginings. He said through Jeremiah:
"I. tho Lord, search tho heart; I try the
10. There are celestial and terrestrial
things as we'll as bodies, but the glory OF
the one differs greatly from that OF the
other U Cor. W., 400. The kingdom, al
though not OF this world, Is to be set upon
this earth, and wlllinclude the whole world
John xviii, 36: Dan. viii, az: Hab. H., l4,
but there Is new Jerusalemto come down
out of heaven from God, in the light OF
which the nations Of the earth are to walk:
IS. What wondrous sayings are nerel
While He was on earth he vas In heaven;
He came down from heaven, and does He
saw that as man BE had assembled up to
heaven? II SO, We must believeit. But
what about John 1x., II, 81 am not yet as
cended to My Father" That was in His
resurrection body,
ia. Our Lord Jesus never made light OF
or in any way discounted any record ID tns
Scriptures, but spoke OF them as reaiities.
Here He refers to the ipctdent OF Mum.
XII, 6.9, where the people, dying from tho
bite OF fiery serpents, were to look upon
brazen serpent which Moses, at Gods com
mand, lifted upon pole high enough for
all to see, and when any dying one benelo
the serpent OF brass he lived.
Is. The Israelites bitten were as good as
dead unless they looked. Nicodemus was
az helpless to save himself as bitten Is
raelite: so are we. When bitten and dy-
ing one looked where he was told, he saw
the resemblance Of that which was causing
his suffering and probable death, put 1t
was fastened to pole, and thus IN the
place of death to itself.
16. In Jesus Christ on tue cross for our
sins we SEE the love Of God as 1t never was
seen elsewhere. We see the fulhllment OF
Gen. ILL.,, Is, 81; Ps. xii; lsa I'LL, and every
other Scripture concerning His suflerings
and death. We are not asked to under
stand It nor to grasp its full significance,
for that would be impossible, but, IKE tae
bitten Israeli.e, we are asked to penolo
Him and believe He Is for me. Then We
are assured that through Him we have lie
and can never perish. All who are help
less and turn to Him and simply receive
Him are born Of God. It Is evident from
chapter XIX, SO, that Nlcodemus received
Him. and tho secret disciple became tho
soorD HelDar