The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-01-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson II. First Quarter, For
Ian. 9, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

w uue Tue people were III eApecld-
ton or suspense and men were reason
ing in their hearts as to whether John
was the Christ or not, Jesus. being
about thirty years of age. came to
John to Jordan to be baptized of him
duke iii. 10. 23l The Jews had sent
priests and Levites from Jerusalem to
John to ask him if he was the Christ
or Elijah or that prophet, but John
replied that he was neither the one
nor the other, but only the voice of
one crying in the wilderness. Make
straight the way of the Lord. as said
the prophet Isaiah John j. 10. 23I.
Then after His baptism John pointed
Him out as the Lamb of God who
taketh away the sin of the world and
whom men are to follow, and men
hearing John followed Jesus. We are
not good witnesses unless those who
see and hear us follow Jesus because
Of us. According to our lesson. John
at first refused to baptize Jesus. feel
ing his own unwOrthiness, but Jesus
said. suffer it to be so now, for thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteous
ness" verse 15). Remembering the
first recorded utterance Of Jesus. Il
must be about my Fathers business
Uuke ii, 49,. how suggestive is this
second utterance. Suffer it to be So
now" AS believers in Him and
therefore His representatives here we
should always be about His business.
and in reference to all that He APP
points us. however unnecessary and
uncalled for many things may seem to
us. we should remember His words.
Suffer it to be so now" Whatever
God appoints is right and best. auI
we manifest His high righteousness by
cheerful submission to all that is right
in His sight Thus we shall be APP
proved Of Him in some sense as Jesus
was. When Jesus began thus publicly
to identify Himself with sinners. for
those whom John baptized confessed
their sins verse g. but Jesus had no
/ sins to confess. the heavens We're open
ed and the Father testified to His de
/ light in His Son. and the Spirit came
as a dove and abode upon Him. Thus
we see the Father Son and Holy
Spirit in this great event 1t seems to
me that this testimony from the Father
| covers all the previous life at NaZ-
areth. while the testimony at the
| TRANSPORTATION xvii. - covers all His
/ public life. He could truly say Of
Himself in relation to His Father, Il
do always those things that please
/ Him (Johu viii. % We can never
/ be satisfied with ourselves while we
/ stay in these mortal bodies. but we
can walk with God in fellowship if
we are always well pleased with His
/ Son Jesus Christ. In the seven chap
/ ters in which we find the phrase
Heaven opened CEzek i; Matt ill.,
! John l. Acts vii and X. Rev. iv and XIX
We have in each vision of Christ
/ He is always the center Of alteration
/ by the hosts in heaven and the redeem
/ ed on the earth. II Jesus. who must
have been, like John. filed with the
Spirit from His birth duke i, 10,
needed a special filling or amounting for
His public ministry is it any wonder
that so few have any public ministry
unto Him when so few seem to know
or care anything about a special anoint-
ing of the Spirit: His desire is for
many to stand before Him, to serve
Him, to minister unto Him QI Chrou
xxx. III, but He has to say to the
many: II would, but We would not"
"Ye will not come unto me- The
same devil who blinded and led astray
Adam and Eve is still binding the
minds of the lost to the light of the
! glorious gospel and the minds of the
saved ones to the light of the glory Of
God and His kingdom. To submit to
God means to resist the devil JAS
| iv. I; Pet. Y. s, 81. and until We have
! learned something Of his devices and
how to resist and overcome him we
are not qualified for service as wit
nesses unto Christ. God did all He
could for the comfort and happiness
OF Adam and Eve, but the devil told
them that he would do better for them
and make them like God. The devil
lie won and has been winning the
crowd ever since by his suggestions
on the same three lines. Something
for the body, something for the mind
and the power to lord it over others
seem to cover the most of his devices
/ good for food, pleasant to the eyes. a
tree to be desired to make one wise
| Gen. iii. O.. Bread for the body. the
esteem of men. the world and its glory
The first may include all Qualifications