The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-12-31
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
Lesson First Quarter, For
Jan. 2, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text of the Lesson, Matt. III, 1-12.
Memory Verses, q 3-Goldsn Text,
Matt. iii, 3-commentary Prepared
by Rev. o. M. stearns.
We spent last week in a part of
Matt Ii, and now we are to have q
whole year In Matthew's gospel, with
one or more lessons in every chapter
but one. The consummation OF the Bi.
BILE story is the kingdom for which we
pray when we say, Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done in earth, as in
heaven" "A new earth wherein
dwelleth righteousness" Matthew Isl
peculiarly the gospel of the kingdom.
In chapters 1 and ii we have the gen
ealogy and the birth Of the King, the
alteration of the men from the east,
the sojourn in Egypt and the return to
| Nazareth and the massacre of the
babes at Bethlehem for His sake, the
| first martyrs for Him. In Matt. 1, /.
He is the son of David. the son OF
Abraham, and therefore in Him all the
| promises to Abraham and to David
shall be fulfilled, all that was prom
tsed them concerning the land and the
throne at Jerusalem. He will be first
| King of the Jews and then King of all
nations, King OF kings and Lord of
lords, reigning in righteousness. lisa
iah, who foretold so much about the
kingdom (see Ii, 4, IL, IL; TX, 6, z; XII.
lilo; xiv, %; xxxii, l, II; xxxv. 1-10,
| ct all, foretold also of one who should
prepare the way before Him (xl, 1-5).
| See also Nal. iii. l. The same Gabriel
who appeared to Daniel and told him
of the kingdom told Zacharias that his
son would go before the Messiah in
the spirit and power of Elijah Ouke j..
I'D. This wonderful child of Zacha-
rias and Elizabeth was in the deserts
| till the day of his showing unto Israel,
and at the appointed time the word of
/ God came unto him, and he went forth
| preaching the baptism of repentance
for the remission of sins duke 1, go;
iii, 2, 81. He was truly 'the Lords
| messenger with the Lords message"
Hag /, 13). and in NAL iii, /. the Lord
calls him my messenger" All that
/ Is required of q messenger is the faith
full delivery Of the message. the one
sending the message being responsible
for the results. What a comfort to
such messenger are such words as
these: II will be with thy mouth and
teach thee what thou shalt say" BE
hold, have put my words in thy
mouth" (Ex iv, IL; Jer, /, 81.
The first word from Elijah is, ''The
Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom
I stand" Il Kings xvii. u. and the an
gel said. 81 am Gabriel, that stand In
the presence of God" luke 4, 19),
John went forth with a similar con
sciousness, for he was filed with the
Holy Spirit from his birth duke l. 15).
How great is the need that men should
repent, for God now commandeth all
men everywhere to repent because the
day of Judgment and the Judge are APP
pointed (Acts xvii. 80, 81. The woes
that are coming on the earth and the
vials of His wrath are to the end that
men may repent Rev. TX, 90, 21; xvi, 8,
III. The kingdom was preached as be.
ing at hand by John and Jesus and the
twelve and then seventy, and 1t was
at hand and would have then been set
. up If Israel had received her King,
but they would not have Him and de-
termined to kill Him. and so He told
them plainly before He was crucified
that the kingdom would be postponed
till His return duke xix, 11-13). The
age Of the mystery or the time be-
tween His rejection and His return, is
fast closing, the kingdom is again al
hand, and it becomes us all who be-
) lieve In Him to prepare the way of the
; Lord by preaching the gospel every
where and calling upon men to repent
The things of this age should be as un
attractive to us as they were to John
and food and raiment should be wholly
secondary. If we seek first the king
t dom these things are made sure to III
t Cdatt. vi, 3d. and all believers should
be fellow laborers unto the kingdom
(Col. iv, III. AS John magnified th'
q Lord, told of His coming and kingdom
: and urged men TO prepare for Hin
r multitudes focked to him and wer'
baptized of him in Jordan, confessint
their sins. but no man ever spake mor'
: plainly to professed followers thar
\ John did to these. He told them tina
If their repentance was real they mus
prove it by works of Righteousness
2 which all could see. for unless thert
= was good fruit there would most sure
: " be the burning. He told them tina
his baptism with water was to be fol
d lowed by a baptism with the Hol.
v Ghost and with FIRE from Him VIII
o would follow him and whose way b
was preparing. He told them also o
- a harvest time when the husbandmal
d would gather the wheat into His gar
&. ner, but burn up the chaf with IN
quenchable tire. All who hear the gos
pei and profess to believe it are eithe
= wheat or chaff, wheat or tares, and
= will be for all either the kingdom o
the everlasting fire Matt. XIV, 34, Al
49,. While those words just referre'
le to have a special application to spe
70 ciaI Judgment. there is a principle i
4 them which applies to all believers am
= unbelievers. In Matt xiii, 40-43, ou
N Lord Himself speaks of the righteou
IN who will shine forth as the sun In th
y kingdom and the tares which will b
r burned in the fire 1t Is awfully so
emn to hear Him say that in that da
re- He will have to say to some rare prC
Ut fessors: II never knew you. DepaI
r from Me. ye that work iniquity" (Mat
a vii 21-o3l. Nav we be faithful wi