The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-12-28
The
Sunday School
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR JANUARY 2.
Subject: John, the Torerunncr Of
Jesus. Matt. Com
NIT Verses 2, 3.


Jesus. Matt. 3:I-12- Com
NIT Verses 2, 3.
GOLDEN TEXT. THE voice OF
one crying in the wilderness, Prepare
4 yeI the way Of the Lord. and make
His paths straight Matt 3d.
TIME A. D., ~. PLACE. The
/ Wilderness of Judea.
EXPO9ITION.--I ssRepent We. For
the Kingdom Of Heaven is at Hand.'s
I-6. Johns message is very like that
4 of the last prophet of the oIden DAYS
comp. Nal. Bib; 4:1-3). He had
received his training for the work In
none OF the rabbinical schools of the
day, but largely in solitude and COM
munion with God in the wilderness
! tLuke 1900 AS he had received his
message directly from God Ono /
33; Luke 3:2) he waited for no cali
or ordination by man before deliver
Ing It. He sought not the synagogue.
but the Opep air, for the delivery of
| his message. His was 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
sinner against God. Your great
need is not deliverance from Roman
domination, but repentance from your
| own sins. The one cry of the pro-
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 kingdom in the
hearts of those who would receive
{ Him. Furthermore, He would have
set up His kingdom on earth If He.
had been accepted by His people.
More than seven centuries had passed
since Isaiah lisa. 40:3-5) had uttered
his prophecy of a coming of the Lord
and of the foTerunner who should
precede Him. He had come at last.
Gods word had been fulfilled to the
letter, as it always will be sooner or
later, though the fulfillment may wait
for centuries as in this case. John
came in the spirit and the appearance
of Elijah of old Comp X. 1:8;
Matt. 1912, 49,. His whole manner
Of life was protest against the pre-
vailing worldliness and self-indul-
gence. Jesus did not follow in the
footsteps of John in the outward man.
ler 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, remuneration of
self and stern declaration in the pow
er of the Spirit of the message God
l I -. =
Men were convinced that he was ga
man sent from God"
III. Bring Forth Fruit Meet For
Repentance, 7-1O. John was no trim
mer. He was not an adept at honied
words (cf Matt. 1894; $3.50; Jno.
SAD John believed in coming
wrath of God against sin. 1t was not
any more popular doctrine in that
day than it is now. but it was true.
and men needed to hear about It. 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
transformed life, bringing forth
fruit worthy of repentance. No one
was ever saved by pious ancestry.
A son OF Abraham may be child Of
the devil (Jno S;37, SO, Al, 44)
III. The Baptism With the Holy
Wind and Fire, II, 12. 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 efficacious 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 -"the bap-
.ism in the Spirit (now) or 1.-THE bap.
tism in the fire of Judgment" as in
the next verse (hereafter) The orig
inaf does not admit of this interpre-
tation. John doubtless had in mind
lsaiah's expression, 1.-THE Spirit OF
burning Elsa. 4:4) when he uttered
these words. In verse II we have
three baptismal elements. water
with which John should baptize them
unto repentance; the Holy Windn
and fire - with which Iae,,c uroul6