The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-03-01
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson N.-First Quarter, For
March 8, 1912.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

W0hhr AAy 0fP PF@s
pared by Rev. .. M. stearns.
According to the harmony OF the Cos
pels, II would seem that Jesus returned
to where John was preaching, and as
he cried on two different days, "Be-
hold the Lamb OF Godw two OF Johns
disciples, Andrew and probably John,
the brother OF James, followed Jesus
and spent some time with Him one
day, after which Andrew found his
brother, Simon, and brought him to
Jesus, and the inference is that John
brought his brother James. Then
Jesus went into GaIilee to Bethsaida,
the city of Andrew and Peter, and
called Philip to follow Him. After
this Philip brought Nathaniel, and
thus we see the first six disciples &C.
cording to John i, 29-51. They seem
TO have received several calls before
they left all to follow Him fully. The
lesson today indicates a call to An
drew and Peter as they were casting a
net into the sea-, and to James and
John as they were in the ship with
NfNS@
their father mending their nets. The
account Of this incident is found in
Matt. Nv, 1922, as well as in our lesson
verses from Mark. The incident of
Luke Y, Iii, seems to have been
wholly different and at a different
time. At that time He used Simon's
boat as a pulpit and then filed both
hts boat and that OF his partners,
James and John, with fishes. We
must ever distinguish between Chris
tians and disciples. A Christian is
one who truly receives Jesus Christ as
his Saviour and thus becomes a child
OF God, justified freely by His grace
John 1, 10; Rom. iii, "a; v. u. There
are no degrees in salvation, for all
who are in Christ are equally saved
by His precious blood. He obtained
eternal redemption for all, and all who
receive the gift of God, which is eter-
nal life, have 1T without money or
works OF any kind on their part. Dis
cipleship follows, and as 1t is SO costly
to the believer few are willing to pay
the price; hence the whole hearted dis
ciples are comparatively few, and
there are many degrees in discipleship
and many calls to obtain the few. See
Luke xiv, 26, %, SO; Matt. x, 81, 38;
XVI, "a. Having saved US fully, freely
and forever, He desires us to be ever,
only, all for Himself, His own special
property, that He may live His life in
us and reveal Himself through us to
the world Ps. iv, 8; Tit. ii, IA, r. ";
II Thess. iv, 10, III. The ministry Of
John the Baptist seems to have been
very brief, and, having been imprison-
ed because hated by a wicked woman,
he was in due time beheaded, and the
Lord Jesus suffered it to be so, al
though He said that no greater was
ever born of Matt. ri, III. We
cannot understand, but we must have
unbounded confidence In God.
After John was put in prison Jesus
began to preach the gospel of the
kingdom Of God, urging men to repent
and believe the gospel oversees IA, 15).
Both John and Jesus and also the
twelve preached that the kingdom was
at hand, the kingdom plainly foretold
by all the prophets, a Kingdom of
peace and righteousness under a right
eous king, before whom all kings will
fan down and whom all nations will
serve. Then shall the nations learn
war no more, and from a righteous Is
rael at the center, with Jerusalem as
the throne of the Lord, the earth will
soon be filed with the glory of the
Lord Qsa, xxi, /, II; Ii, A; Jer. iii, IL;
Ps. lxxil, LII. Truly, It Is worth while
to follow such a leader through all
trials to such a kingdom and to walk
worthy Of 1t and Him Matt. xvi, 81;
/ Thess. IL, II; / Pet. v, 1O. We may
so know Him as to be blind and deaf
to all but His face and His voice, and
thus He will make us fishers of men
complete His elect church during
this age OF the postponement Of the
kingdom, because they said, We have
king but Caesar" I'VE will not
have this man to reign over us"
In the latter part Of our lesson we
ind Him in the synagogue In Caper-
naum on the Sabbath day and so
1CaNAAuS JA0L aAI WGIG dEtQ0lSuCA at |
His doctrine, for He taught with au-
The words were not His, but
His Fathers, for He said only what
the Father told Him to say (John xii,
40; xiv 10; vxii, 81. Power belongeth
unto God, and where the word Of a
king is there is power Cps. xii, II
(Eccl. viii, A.. On the night Of His ar
His two words II am" sent the
Roman soldiers to the ground, for 1t
was the same voice which said, LET
there be light Gen. ], 81. A demon
possessed man was in the synagogue.
and the evil spirit knew Him and call
ed Him Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy
One OF God verse 20. for the demons
and tremble JAS. II, 19). 1t
Is not believing about Jesus Christ
that saves, else all demons might be
saved, but it is submission to Him as
God and the reception of Him as the
Saviour of sinners. See how the
lemons confess what many intelligent
people today refuse to be-
Jesus is God. They also be-
in a place OF torment into which
he will cast them at the appointed
CMatt. viii, 29). This. too, is ridi-
by many, but as truly as this
demon obeyed the voice OF Jesus and
,ame out OF the man SO will all peo-
pie obey Him to whom He win say,
Depart from me. We cursed. into ever
IRE prepared for the devil and
lis angels (Matt. XIV. AL.
The 'Child's Welfare movement has
challenged the attention Of thoughtful