Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1908-04-30
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTs FOR MAY Y3

Subject: Our Heavenly Home, John
14-Golden Text, John 14:2-
Commit Verses 2, 3-Commen-
tary.
TNIE.-Tuesday night. April 4, a.
d. 80. PL4ACE.-Upper room, Jeru-
salem.
EXPOSITION. II. I Will Come
Again, 1-3. The 14th chapter of John
is the richest vein in the most re-
markable gold mine in the world
the Bible. The first clause of verse 1
Is the keynote of the chapter, espe-
cially Of verses 1 to 27. Verse 81
and verse / begin with these words.
All In between might fifty be entitled
thoughts for the comfort and encour
agement of believers during the alb
sence of their Lord. The remainder
of the verse contains Jesus infallible
prescription for heart trouble (see
Am. r. w. The one who truly be-
lieves In God and believes in Jesus
Christ will never be troubled in heart
lis. 26:3). We can take our choice
between believing hearts and trou-
bled hearts. When faith comes in,
anxiety goes out. A number of spe-
cif1c comforting thoughts follow. The
first is that heaven, the Fathers
house, is a large place with room
enough for us all, as we'll as for
Jesus. The second comforting
thought is that Jesus is coming back
personally to take us to that place.
The temporary separation Is to be
succeeded by eternal reunion ". 81.
He does not send for lis. He comes
Himself. Any one who has learned
to interpret scripture by scripture
can easily satisfy himself that the
coming here spoken of Is the personal
second coming of Christ by careful
comparison with 1 Thess. 4:16. II.
The return of our Lord has ever been
"the blessed hope of believers (Tit.
2:13). Jesus here speaks of it to
Danish heart troubles, and when Paul
speaks of 1t in interpreting this pass
age he closes with Comfort one an
other with these. words"
II. The way to the Father, 40.
The third comforting thought was
that they knew the place where He
had gone and how to get tnere. TO
this statement Thomas interposed
doubt. Thomas expression of doubt
was the occasion of some very pre-
cious teaching. Verse 6 is one of the
mountain peaks of scripture 1t tells
us the way to God. Jesus Himself Is
the way. We get to God through Him
and no other way. That way is open
to all (ch. 1879; C;3O. How Jesus
is the way the Bible makes very
tni I,,I
19. 20: (2) Matt. 1l:27; John 1913;
CD Heb, 1:1-3. He is not only the
way, but "the truth" also. He is
truth" incarnate. Other messengers
of God teach us truth. Jesus is the
truth. III we are tnen to know the
truth we must know Him tCol. 2:3,
John 17:3). He is also "the life"
Jesus does not merely give life. He
is "the life" IL you wish life, you
must take Him. AS soon as you have
taken Jesus, you have life John 5:
II, 12). If you haven't taken Jesus.
you may have existence, but YOU
haven't life. If you are anxious to
know what life, real life, eternal life
is, look at Jesus and you will see
John 1:2).
III. "iIc That Hath Seen Me Hath
Seen the Father s-11. If Jesus were
We're a mere man and not divine in a
unique sense then verse 7 would be
appalling presumption and blasphe-
ny. But Jesus had right to say il
they had known Me they should have
known My Father also. God perfect
ly and fully revealed Himself in
Jesus. So Jesus could say what He
did. To know Jesus is to know God.
TO see Jesus is to see Sod. To know
Jesus fully is to know God fully.
Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.
That was cry of deep significance
that Philip uttered. Lord, show us
the Father and 1t sufiiceth u.s." Yes.
that will suffice us to see God and
nothing else will. But for several
years Philip had been looking at God
and not seeing Him or knowing Him.
There are many to this day who are
just as blind as Philip. Jesus longed
to have Philip and the rest Of the
disciples to believe that He was in
the Father and the Father in Him.
And He longs to have us believe 1t
also. His works prove it to all who
have discerning eye Tvs. 10, 1D.
". "IIe That Bclicvcth Oh Me, tho
Works That DO Shall He DO Also;
and Greater Works Than These Shall
He DO," VS.. 12-14. Verse II contains
another of the comforting thoughts.
They certainly do not describe the
experience of the average Christian
to-day, but we must not bring Gods
word down to the level of our exper-
fences, but bring our experience up
to the level of Gods word. Jesus
meant just what He said. We are
now by our faith united to the risen
and ascended Christ. the One who
possesses all power in heaven and on
earth Matt. 2S:1S), and by reason
of this union we have power to do
greater things than Jesus did during
the days of His humiliation. Those
to whom Jesus iirst spoke these words
saw 5000 converted in single day
(Acts %. That was far greater
work than any that Jesus did while
ON earth. Works in the domain of
the spiritual are greater than works
in the domains of the physical. To
raise one dead in trespasses and sins
is greater than to raise one physically
dead. 1t is for each of uE to claim
our measure of this power. Verses
13 and IA tell us how. Those verses
tell us of the prayer that gets just
what 1t asks and anything IT. asks. 1t
is prayer in the name of Christ.