The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-12-22
The
Schools
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR JANUARY 9.

INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR JANUARY 2.
Subject: John, the Forerunner OF
Jesus, Matt. 3:1-12-Com-
NIT Verses 2. 8.
GOLDEN TEXT-The voice OF
one crying in the wilderness, Prepare
We the way Of the Lord, and make
His paths straight" Matt. 1913.
TIME.-A. D., 81. PLACE.-The
Wilderness of Judea.
EXPOSITION.-L. "Repent We, For
the Kingdom Of Heaven is at Hand
40. Johns message is very like that
of the last prophet of the olden days
comp. Nal. 3:1-5; Alb. He had
received his training for the work In
none of the rabbinical schools OF the
day, but largely In solitude and COM
imunion with God in the wilderness
Luke 1:S0). As he had received his
message directly from God (Jno. II
SO; Luke 3:2) he waited for 10 call
or ordination by mar before deliver
ing It. He. sought not the synagogue,
but the open air, for the deliyerypf
his message. His was a startling{cry,
Repent We; for the kingdom OF heav-
EN- is at hand" The average Jew
looked at himself as the unfortunate
victim Of other mems hostility to God.
John said to them, You are yourself
a sinner against God. Your great
need is not deliyerance from Roman
domination, but repentance from your
own sins. The n cry of the pros
phets of God unto man is, repent"
Johns reason for immediate repent
ance was new. Newer still was his
announcement that the King, was
right at hand, and the character OF
the Kings work. the kingdom OF
heaven. was, near them, because the
King was about to appear. He was
about to set up His kingdomsinfthe
hearts of those who would receive
Him. Furthermore, He would have
set up His Kingdom on earth II He
had been accepted by His people.
More than seven centuries had passed
since Isaiah elsa, 40:3-5) had uttered
his prophecysof a coming OF the Lord
and of the forerunner who shoulde
precede Him. He had come at last.
Gods word had been fulfilled sto8the
letter, as 1t always will be sooner or
later, though the fulfllment may wait
for centuries as In this case. John
came in the spirit and the appearances
of Elijah of old Comp. q X. 1881
Matt. 1872, 13). His whole manner
Of life was a protest against the pre-
vailing worldliness and Iself-indul-
gence. Jesus did not follow TN the
footsteps Of John in the outward mani
ner of His protest, But men who
would represent God and have power
with men shoul6 live lives of great
simplicity. Johns earnestness, rug
gedness, fearlessness, frenunciation OF
self and stern declaration In the pow
ertof the, Spirit Of the messagesGod
gave him awakened great interest
Men were convinced that he was "a
man sent from God" i
IT.; Bring Forth Fruit Meet For
Repentance, ITO. John was no trim-Si
mer. He was not an adept at honied
words (cf. Matt 1924; 1888; Jno.
$40. John believed in a coming
wrath of God against sin. 1t was not
any more a popular doctrine In that
day than it is now, but it was true,
and men needed to hear about 1t, and
so this faithful man of God told them
The way to "f1ee from the wrath to
come" and to prepare the, way OF the
Lord'' and to be ready for the king
DOM was to repent with that genuine
repentance that would show itself in
a transformed life, bringing fforth
fruit worthy Of repentance. No one
was ever saved by q pious ancestry. !
A son of Abraham may be a child OF
the devil (Jno. 8:37. IS. 41,544).s
III. The Baptism With the Holy
Wind and Fire, II, IL. John has
emphasized the need of good fruit;
he now discloses the secret of bearing
1t. A mightier than he was coming
who would baptize with something
more eficacious than ~water-"in the
Holy Spirit and in fire." Some have
interpreted these words to mean that
there are two baptisms between which
one may have his choice-the bap-
tism in the Spirit" now or the bap-
tism in the fire of judgment" as in
the next verse Oh, ,after). The orig
inal does not adj . of this interpre-
tation. John doubtless had In mind
Isaiah's expression, "the Spirit OF
burning" Elsa. 4:4) when he uttered
these words. In verse IL we have
three baptismal elements, water"
with which John should baptiZe them
unto repentance; "the Holy Wind"
and fire." with which Jesus would
baptize them. r. Acts 2:2, 8, we
have the fulfIlme. 4 the promise In
the case of; the apostles when they
found themselves engulfed in "a
mighty wind" ''frem heaven"
tongues of fire resting upon their
heads, and they themselves filled
with the Holy Wind" The promise
is a promise not of two baptisms, n
of blessing and the other Of cursing,
but Of one two-fold baptism of Bless
ing, Holy Ghost and fire." But what (
does it mean to be baptized in fire?
The answer is found in considering
the work that fire" does. Cd
Fire" reveals q Cor. 3:13). CD
Fire" refines Elsa. "A; Zech. 1879;
Nal. 3:1-3). (S) Fire" consumes
flthiness and scum eek. 24:9-11).
"a "Fire" Eliminates. 90 Fire"
makes to glow and melt Ger. 1920.
CD Fire" generates energy. A bap-
tism in fire" then reveals DIS to our
selves; consumes the flthiness and
scum - the selfshness, ambition.
worldliness and vileness that We have
yainly ~contended against for years
out of us; makes US to burn and glow
. 1--. L. 90 onl MAN and frfYfh