Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1908-01-01
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson First Quarter, For
Jan. 5, 1903.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text Of The Lesson, John |, 1.1s--Msm.
cry Verse, s--oeIdsn Text John J.
1+commsntary Prepared by Rev.
.. M. ateerns.


14-commsntary Prepared by Re-
D. M. stesrns.
copyright, 1907, by American Press Association
We now enter upon a study Of eth
good news as recorded by John" CWey
mouth. Jesus Christ is not reyeale
In this gospel as the king or the sery
ant or the man, as He is in Matthew
Mark and Luke, but In the full orbe,
glory Of the Son of God, God NANTES
In the nssh, the eternal God walking
with man. John begins with the grea
uncreated God on the throne of i'm
menslty and In tho undated eternit,
and brings Him down to walk on cart
with man (Mackay). He tells us II
chapter xx, 81. that He wrote thos'
things that we might believe tina
Jesus is the Christ the Son of God
and that, believing, we might have liz,
through His name. Because he said
that He was the Son Of God, making
Himself equal with the Father, the
Jews said that He ought to die, and
they killed Him chapters v, 10; Z, 49,
XIX. y. Remembering His word to
Thomas. BE not falthless, but bellev.
ing" and to Martha, ''If thou wouldest
believe thou-shouldest see" chapters
TX, ~, 20; xi, 40, we rejoice to believe
and say with Nathaniel, "Thou art the
Son Of God; Thou art the King Of Is
rael." Some OF the great words of this
gospel are believe, love, life, light, the
first being used ninety times, the next
two over forty times each and the last
over twenty times. The last carries us
farthest back In the Bible, for the first
recorded utterance Of God is, LET
there be light" and 1t is this that the
unsaved need, the light which comes
by the entrance Of Gods word Cps.
cxix, 1870; II Cor. Nv, 4, O..
The first words of this gospel take
us back to Gen. / l, and unless we be-
lleve that God Is we cannot come to
Him, but Jesus lived and died and
rose again that He might bring US to
God (Heb. xl, G; | Pet. Ill, 49,. The first
three verses reveal God creating all
things by Jesus Christ, who Is the
image Of the invisible God. - . "All
things were created by Him and for
Him, and He Is before all things, and
by Him all things consist (Col. |, 10
10. His name, 'The Word" takes US
on to Rev. xix, 13, where we see Him
coming in power and glory, with all
bis saints. to bind the devil In the pit
For a thousand years, while He sub
1ues and regenerates the earth and
makes 1t the new earth Of lisa. Ky, II;
xvi, p; II Pet. III, 10; Rev. XXI, /.
he will use us.to help bring this glad
ime II we will believe His love and let
Him become our life. There is no real
life except In Him, for He Is our life |
Col. Ill, ~. See also John V, u. He
llso is light, and in Him is no darkness
t all, but all else Is darkness Il John |
1-5). John the Baptist came to re-
eal Him to Israel as the light of the
Torld verse 81, and we also are here
o make Him manifest In our lives to
hose who will not read His book,
pistles Of Christ, known and read Of
II men Oh Cor. ill, 2, 81. The life is
till the light, and the people who sit
i darkness will see II wherever II Is
hinlng, yet the god OF this world will
o hfs best to blind their minds.
That the world which He made
'ould not recognize Him and the peo-
lie whom He made specially His own
'ould not receive Him shows how eff
actually the devil wrought. and he Is
ill at it.
Thank God for verse 12i BY It |
armed how to become a child Of God
nd to know IT, Here Is the second
,e OF the word believe" Compare
,rse q and simple definition Of it
believe on Him Is to receive Him,
, according to chapter II, "a. Commit
les self to him." for the same word
,elieve" is there translated commit
ITO" All such are born OF God by
e blood OF the Lamb, but human
God, however good the heredlty of
e family may be, nor any or every ,
fort Of man ean give or obtain this !
e which Is found only In Christ !
1t. Ill, 5; Acts iv, II; Rom. vi, 23).
AS truly as God dwelt In the taber-
Gle and In the temple In the midst
Israel (Ex. XIV, 81. so did He dwell 7
tabernacle In the body Of Jesus, say
:, "a body hast Thou prepared me"
eb. x, 81. When we truly receive
IN, then He comes to dwell in US, live
us, walk in us, manifest Himself to
hers In our mortal bodies John xiv,
; Gal. II, 20; ii Cor vi, 10; w, III.
e law, which Is the minlstrntion Of
lth, because of Its unattalnable holt
IS by sinful man, bringing us all In
lily before God, was perfectly full
ed In Jesus Christ. who becomes the
l OF the law for righteousness to
cry one that believeth Rom. K, ~.
Him we see the truth concerning .
} righteousness which God demands, u
by contrast we see how far our
st efforts come short of that right a
lsness; then, pleading guilty and cast
ourselves in our helplessness upon q
%, we become justified freely by His
Ice through the redemption that is In
rist Jesus Qom. III. 24). All His
lness becomes ours; we are filled full h
Him, blessed with all spiritual bless
s, and all wholly undeserved by us.
, are saved by grace. stand In grace -
! wait for more grace when He shall
ne again tEph. II. 8; Rom. v, 2; Heb.
1G; Pet. 1, 1871. 1t is the riches Of p
, grace all the way through till we
and share the riches OF His glory d
h. !, Z. 49,. Every manifestation Of
4, from the garden of Eden story II
has been through the Son Of God.
The, tha Stnmaoh Haart 0r Kfdnev NJ