The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-01-09
JESUS AND JOHN
THE BAPTIST
Sunday School Lesson Tor Jan. u. 100,
Specislly Arranged for This Paper


GOLDEN TExT.-"Behold the Lamb Of
God. which taketh away the sin of the
world. John i:29
TIME.-John the Baptist began to
preach in the summer Of A. ID rs. He
preached six months before Christ APP
peared on the scene. He continued a
year and three months preaching whils
Jesus preached; till March A. d. 2S. Jesus
was baptized January. A. D. n. His
emptation-January and February. His
iirst disciples-in February. The delega-
ton Of the Pharisees-February.
PLACE.-The wilderness of Judea The
baptism Of Jesus at Bethabara, on the
east bank of the Jordan.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
John preached the things that were
necessary before one could enter the
kingdom Of God. (D Repentance and
confession Of sin. u) A change Of
conduct that proved the repentance
to be sincere. 90 A public profes.
sion Of this change of life by baptism,
essential to the proof of their sin.
cerity, to permanance Of the new life.
and to power for good. U The king.
dom OF God is at hand
This preaching led people to in.
1uire, what does all this mean? Who
is coming? What is coming?
The Witness of John to Christ
VS.. 1894. The Christian wants proof.
The Issues are too important for
credulity. We need to know.
The witness Of John 10 repeated,
reinforced. more and moro clearly, all
down the ages. The facts written In
the history OF 1000 years confirm his
testimony.
First. John Witnesses That Jesus
Is the Christ, the Son Of God. He re-
fused to be called the Messiah. He
was merely one who announced his
coming. And whom Jesus returned to
Bethabara, John pointed him out 10
the people-"Here 10 the Messiah.
This Is the Redeemer from SIN. This
is the man whom God by sure signs
made known to me as the Saviour"
There is a great deal Of evil In the
world yet. in the best OF countries, In
the best of people. But It is evil
fought against. It is gaining the vic
tory slowly but surely. The very
revelations OF evil. the controversies
and conflicts, are signs that the power
Of Christ is working upon the evil.
lever ending conflict till the good has
'riumphed.
Second. John Witnesses to Jesus
IS the Redeemer from Sin. v. 20.
Behold the Lamb of God" Jesus was
so named by John, because the lamb
was used in three ways as a symbol of
he deliverance which Jesus brought.
- John and his hearers were famil.
Jar with the representation In Isaiah
53:0 Of the coming one, "as a lamb
ed to the slaughter" (2) Still more
would the Jew think Of the Passover
amb as the type and promise Of ma
tional deliverance. (3) The daily
acr.fice Of a lamb was continually
before the Jews, teaching them the
meaning OF all the sacrifices, and con.
tlnually reminding them of their
need OF an atonement for sin
It is well worth noting that Jesus
died for our sins at the Passover
feast, and at the hour Of the daily
sacrifice. (Which taketh away the
sin of the world" ITO bear away
sin is to remove the guilt and punish
ment of sin by expiation. or to cause
that sin be neither imputed nor pun
hed"-Thayer's Greek-E English Lex.
Q) The work of Christ is to do this
for the whole world till this sinful
world Is changed into the sinless
Paradise Regained. (2) Jesus pro-
vides redemption for all the world
(3 He pardons past sin, so that 1t is
no longer remembered by him. but is
blotted out forever. (D He is, In
fact, removing sin from the world.
Wherever he comes, sin is In the
process of removal from each heart
that accepts him, and from the COM
Third. The Witness of the Holy
Spirit. v. 32. 81 saw the Spirit de-
scending from heaven like a dove.
and It abode upon him." He descend
ed not only in the manner OF a dove.
}:22). This means more than 1T
was as plain to him that Jesus was
possessed by the Spirit as II he had
seen the Spirit In visible shape
alighting upon him" II was neces.
sary for his assurance. and that OF the
people. that there should be some
visible proof of the descent of the
Spirit. as there was at Pentecost. and
he results proved that the sign was
by reality. 1t may be
hat John saw the effects "in the de-
neanor of Jesus. In his lowliness. and
and holiness, all of which
,ame to their perfect bloom at and in
lis baptism."-Exp. Greek Test. But
he sign that accompanied this power
vas given to reveal the fact, in let
ers that could be read from the
stars" that the invisible Holy Spirit
vas actually present; to make the
act clear and unmistakable; to show
he source whence the power and Its