Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1909-12-29
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson, T. First Frs Quarter, For
.m i,.Ao Ian. 2, 1910. .~.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.


Memory Verses 2, 3--Golden Text.
! Matt III 3--commentary Prepared
by Rev. o. M. Stesrns.i I , i.i.tsi .yu
We spent last week In part Of
Matt. H. and now we are to have a
whole year In Matthew's gospel. With
one or more lessons In ever chapter
but one. The contamination Of the b.
BILE story Is the kingdom for which we
pray when we say. Thy kingdom
come, Thy. will Ike done In earth. as In
heaven" "A new earth wherein
dwelleth righteousness" Matthew Is
peculiarly the gospel CT the Kingdom.
In chapters 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 aud the return to
Nazareth and the massacre of the
babes at Bethlehem for His sake. the
FIRST martyrs for Him. In Matt. l. !.
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.
ised 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. lsa-
| iah. who foretod so much about the
kingdom (see II. 4, Il, II; TX, 9. 7; H
ITO: xiv. %; XXI I. II: xxxv. lilo.
ct all, foretOld also Of one who should
prepare the way before Him (yl. 1-5).
Zee also Nal. Ill, ]. 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 duke !,
| To- This wonderful child of Zacha-
rias and Elizabeth was I'm 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 |. 30;
lii, 2, 81. He was truly "the Lords
messenger with the Lords message"
alag. 1, 13). and in Nal. ill, 1. the Lord
calls him "My messenger" All that
Is required Of messenger Is the faith
full delivery of the message. the one
sending the message being responsible
for the results. What comfort to
such a messenger are such words as
these: ~ will be with thy mouth and
teach thee what thou shalt say" BE
hold. ] have put my words In thy
mouth" (Ex. ". II: Jer. J, 81. -t'.
The Grst word from Elijah Is. "The
Lord God of Israel liveth. before whom
/ stand" Il Kings xvii, u. and the an
gel said, IL am Gabriel. that stand In
the presence Of God luke ], 1eD.
John went forth with n similar con-
seriousness. for he was filed with the
Holy Spirit from his birth duke !. 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 ap-
pointed (Acts xvii. 30, 81. The woes
that are coming on the earth and the
Walls of His wrath are to the end that
men may repent (Rev. TX. 20. 81: xvi. o,
III. The kingdom was preached as be-
ing at hand by John and Jesus aud the
twelve and then seventy, and II was
at hand and would have then been set
I'D II 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 crucined
that the kingdom would be postponed
till His return duke xix, lib. The
age Of the mystery. or the time be-
tween His rejection and His return. Is
fast closing. the kingdom Is again at
hand. and 1t 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 I'M
attractive to us as they, were to John. |
and food and raIment should be wholly
secondary. II we seek first the king |
dom these things are made sure to Us
Matt. vi, 33l, and all believers should
be fellow laborers unto the kingdom
(Col. ", III. AS John magnitied the
Lord. told Of His coming and kingdom
and urged stpfn TO prepare for Him |
multitudes EOcked to him and were |
baptized Of him In Jordan. confessing |
their sins. but no man ever spake more |
plainly to professsd followers than
John did to these. He told them that |
III their repentance was real they must
prove 1t by works Of righteousness
which all could see. for unless there
was good fruit there would most sure
~ be the burptng. Hetold them that
his Baptism With water was to befol-
lowed by Il baptism with the Holy |
Ghost and with FIRE from Him who !
would follow him and whose way he
was preparing. He told. them also OF
q. harvest time when the husbandman
would gather The wheat into His gar
ncr, but burn ny the chaT with un-
Icuercliabie are All who hear the Cos
pei and profess TO believe II are either
wheat or chat. wheat or tares. and It |
VIII be for all either the kingdom or
the ererlastin. Gr9 Matt XIV, "a. Al.
4G). While those words just referred
70 have a sre' i'll application to a spe-
cial Judgment. there is a principle In
them yaich apliies'to all believers aud
unbellevcrs, IN Matt xiii. 4O-43. our
Lord Himself spenks NJ the righteous
who will shine forth ms the sun IN the
kingdom and The taros Which Will hs
burned In the fire. II IL awfully SOL
emn to hear Him sHr.tia;.f III that day
IIe will have 10 sar T. sGinf rure pro-
fcssors: Il reyFr i3"r You. l'ephr'
from No. v~'thatJw f',.'Tlfniir'fMst
s,,i nd.