The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-02-23
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson VIII.-First Quarter, Fol
Feb. 25, 1912.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of the Lesson, Matt. w lift
Mark l. s-ff-Memory Verses, Matt.
~, 8, 4-GoIdsn Text, Heb. II, is.
Commentary Prepared by Rev. p. N.
Stearns.
The record OF the baptism is found IN
Matthew, Mark and Luke, but most
fully in Matthew. In Luke i'll. %, we
read that Jesus began to be about thir-
ty years of age, and we cannot but
wonder at the lowly and submissive
life Of all those thirty years at Naza-
reth. How can we ever murrnur at
limitations and humiliations in u
lives as we think of this life lived for
us? He came from Nazareth, where
He had been brought up duke iv, 16),
and after His return to heaven He
called Himself Jesus of Nazareth"
(Acts xxi, 81, yet Nathaniel said, Can
there any good thing come out Of Naz-
areth? p afterward acknowledging that
out OF Nazareth came 'the Son of God,
the King Of Israel John /. 46, 400.
He came to Jordan, river OF judgment,
yet there was nothing in Him to be
Judged, Others were baptized of John,
confessing their sins, but He had no
sins to confess. We do not wonder
that John said TO Him, 81 have need
10 be baptized Of Thee, and CONTEST
Thou to meY' But our Lords Suffer
it to be so now has helped many a
Aa-hI~ RoIlo-av - S,,bpaIA "a oaayufno
Iy unnecessary things that the right
eousness Of God might be seen In them
and others won to Him. This and
that other saying, "About MY Fathers
business" His two first recorded ut
~terances, are good for all Of us In our
daily life. AS BE came up out Of the
water something happened from the
skies-the heavens were opened, and
the Father testified, ''Thou art MY be-
loved Son, in whom I am we'll pleased"
At the same time the Spirit OF God de-
seconded in bodily shape like a dove
upon Him. The Father had told John
that it would be so, and John bare &c
ord that He was the Son of God John
4, 80, 80. The who sent John also
testified that the one on whom the
Spirit would descend and remain would
Himself baptiSe with the Holy Spirit.
Then what hinders rs thus to be bap-
hzed? Luke tells us that Jesus was
praying when the heavens were open
ed. He seems to have prayed always
and about everything and sometimes
all night. He tasted too. Is that
where we fail? Consider the other
six places where we read OF tina heax-
en- being opened and always e HIM
set. Consider well every place where,
% here, the Father, Son and Hody
Spirit are seen or msnti0ned, as In
Matt. xviii, 10; II Cor. xiii, "A:
Heb. TX, IL. See I'm John xiv, II, %.
how the Spirit and the Father ana
the Son make the bodies OF believers
their abode or mansion and TO their
Whom shall I send, ana who Will go
for us3' Let us gladly answer, ~Here
am I; send me-" remembering His
words, "As My Father hath sent Me,
even so send L you" Elsa. vi, 8; John
xx, Ply.
When Spirit filed we may then ex-
pect to be specially attacked by the
devil. AS our representative He was
led by the Spirit into the wilderness
TO be tempted OF the devil. Both Mark
and Luke say that He was forty days
tempted OF the devil. Matthew and
Luke say that He tasted forty days
and forty nights; that He did eat moth
ing. Thus did Moses on two occasions
and Elijah once, and these three we
and on the Mount OF TRANSPORTATION,
and we hear them speak Of the DEVILS
most awful piece of work, the death OF
Jesus. He is the fearful adversary Of
God and man and has been at work
as such aver since he deceived and
conquered Adam and Eve, and he will
not cease till he shall be shut up IN the
pit for 1000 years. As the devil tempt
ed Eve on the line Of the lust OF the
Ilesh, the lust OF the eyes and the pride
OF life Il John ii, 18 and won the day,
10 he tempted the Lord Jesus, but was
defeated. Eve had everything that
the Lord saw that she needed, yet she
ate the forbidden fruit. The Lord Je.
sus, having tasted forty days and be-
ing hungry, yet overcame by the
words, MAN shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word OF God"
luke ". A.. The devils ambition to
be as God conquered Eve elsa. xiv, IA,
Gen. iii, 81, but the Lord Jesus con.
quered by the words, 'Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God" Adam and
Eve had been given dominion over all
things Gen. /, 1928, but they lost it
by giving heed to this great enemy,
and he has ever since been the god OF
this world Oh Cor. iv, A.. The Lord
Jesus, the last Adam, knew that ome
day He would restore the dominion to
man, and the kingdoms of this world
will be His kingdom Rey. XII, 15). So
He could say to the great adversary,
''Get thee hence, Satan It is written,
'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and Him only shalt thou serve" We
read in Luke that when the devil had
ended all the temptation he departed
from Him for a season" and Matthew
and Mark tell us that angels came
and ministered unto Him" We must
remember that the same great adver-
sary is still going about seeking whom
he may devour. But with the armor
provided for us and by the sword and
the blood OF the Lamb we, too. may
be overcomers, seeking nothing for our
selves, walking humbly with our God
0nd worthy OF the kingdom and glory