The Montgomery tribune., 1908-05-01
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Sunday School Lesson for May ,, 1908
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LESSON TExT.-John IA. Memory
GOLDEN TEXT-'Tn my Fathers
house are many mansions"-John H:2.
TIME.-Thursday evening April 0. A.
ID. 90 Jesus farewell discourse with his
disciples was spoken the evening before
his crucifixion.
PLACE.-An upper room In Jerusalem.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The world and everything In 1t. is
bundle of needs Everything Is hun
cry. The ground greedily drinks in
the rain and the sun. The tree
stretches its hungry roots into the
soil and its hungry leaves into the air
Your house is a focus for incoming
supplies, Of COAL and food, and
thousand luxuries. Every man Is hur-
cry for bread, and air, and knowledge,
and love.
This sense of need in man Is
good thing. Without IT, there could
be no life, no growth When child
10 not hungry, its parents justly begin
to fear for its health. When the soul
does not see its needs, 1t Is Ia sad
condition. a r-. f:s'-
Perhaps the chief cause OF the dis
ciples' trouble was Christ's predicted
departure into the Great Unknown.
See John 1886. All that have seen
their dear ones slipping from sight un-
derstand that one of the principal hui
whittier they have gone. and II there
| is to be reunion.
Christ answered that question for
them and for us.
1. BY revealing heaven as place,
| his Father house. Heaven Is a home
| like place, familiar and dear, with
| lights shining for us in the windows,
and the Father waiting for us at the
| open door,
2. By revealing heaven as place
of private, personal abodes, not vast
caravansary. In 1t ''are many man.
sions," 'abiding-places," mansions"
coming from manere, to remain. These
are permanent homes, not transient
abodes like ours on earth.
| 3. By revealing heaven as large
place, with many Hansions-room for
all. Heaven will contain immense
throngs without being crowded. It's
children will be as the grains Of sand
that bar the oceans waves, or the
stars that begem the vault of night.
Yet there is room! The many man
sions are not all tenanted."-F. B.
Meyer.
4. BY revealing heaven as a pre-
pared place; prepared, moreover, by
the one best able to make 1t delight
full, since he is the creator Of all de-
lightful things on earth, and thor
oughly knows our tastes and desires.
5. BY revealing heaven as the place
Of communion with Christ. That was
the purpose of his going, which sad
dened his disciples-to make ready a
place to which he could bring them
for a fellowship without any more
parting.
6. By insisting that what was left
unrevealed concerning the hereafter
is to be thought of as joyful and not
grieyous.i IF it were not 90" If heav-
en- were not this warm, loving, home
like, beautiful place, 81 would have
told you." would, have warned you and
prepared you, ...i l-ia .fst.at
1t is mot enough. to know the truth
about God, or be in. the way to God, or
even to; have the divine life in us: the
human soul longs after God himself.
Our Lord met this need by disclos-
Inc. the final. supreme truth, that he
was. God: "If ye had known me."-
recognized my true nature-'ye
should have known my Father also"
For Christ was the complete image OF
the Father. But this answer did not
satisfy Philip. He wanted some mar.
velous vision of God such as Moses
saw on Horeb. Perhaps Of all the
disciples Philip was the least recep-
tive and the slowest to comprehend
the thoughts and spiritual beauty OF
the Master He was the materialist OF
the company."-Rev. j. G.. Green.
hough.
Christ emphasized the great truth
his oneness with the Father.
l. BY reminding Philip of the long
time he had been with Christ-for he
had been among the first disciples
and of all the evidences he had seer
of Christ's divinity.
2. BY specifying these evidences
beginning with "the words" he haG
spoken. the wonderful parallels. the
beatitudes, the model prayer, the ser
psons, the private conversations
words so gracious, wise, and powerful
that they must come from God.
3. By naming also the works he hat
done. the long series OF convincing
miracles, showing such mastery o.
nature, disease, and death as only Goo
could possibly possess.
4. By personal appeal: "Believ,