The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-02-16
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson vll.-First Quarter, For
Feb. 18, 1912.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of the Lesson, Luke iii, III.
Memory Verses, 1s, H-coIdsn Text,
Matt. iii, documentary Prepared
by Rev. .. N. stearns.
The first cwo verses OF our lesson in.
troduce us to seven men who were. in
a certain sense great men. but only
a was truly great. Caesar, PLATE,
Herod and Philip were great In the
eyes OF the world of politics as earth
rulers. Annas and Caiaphas as high
priests We're great in the eyes Of re.
ligious people. but only of John could
1t be truly said great in the eyes OF
the Lord not a greater prophet than
John the Baptist duke i, 10; vii, 2S,.
He was also filed with the Holy Spirit
from his birth, SO he must have spent
his time in the wilderness with God in
a very special way.
We read seven times In Mum. ~
that the priests began their ministry
when about thirty years OF age, so we
Judge from verse % OF our lesson chap.
ter that John, as well as Jesus, began
their public ministry at that age. He
knew when to come forth and begin
because 1.-THE word OF God came unto
him" So the word OF the Lord came
unto him in whose spirit and power
ne went forth q Kings xvii, 2, 81.
From Gen. XIV, 1, where we read that
the word Of the Lord came unto
Abram," how many times we find this
statement and how much it means OF
definite commission from heaven. How
very strong it is In Eek. i, 3, where
we read, "The word OF the Lord came
expressly unto Ezekiel, the priest"
Unless we each for ourselves hear His
voice in His word His book is not to
us what it might be. This gospel may
be said to begin and end with repent.
anee and remission Of sins (verse 8;
i, 71;xxiv, AZ. The gospel that does not
proclaim the remission Of sins by the
blood Of Jesus is not the gospel Of the
grace Of God, but a ~perversion of the
gospel of Christ Gal. 1. 6, .. Every
truly penitent soul, having received the
Lord Jesus Christ and thus having
been made a child of God and received
the forgiveness OF sins, is commission.
ed to say to every unsaved person,
Through this man is proclaimed unto
you the forgiveness of sins" q John ii,
IL; John l. II; Rev. xii, 16; Acts Kill,
SO, 39l.
The herald OF the Messiah was pre-
dicted in lisa. XII. 3; Nal. iit, l, but in
both places in connection with great
blessing upon Israel. John said of
himself that he was neither the Mes.
siah nor Elijah, but just the voice Of
which Isaiah had spoken to prepare
the way of the Lord (John i, 1929.
Both John and Jesus Christ suffered al
the hands OF those who should have
received them Matt. xvii, 11-13), SC
the kingdom that at hand and
would have come 4 Messiah had
been received did M. come and still
awaits the return Of the King to bless
Israel, and not till then shall all flesh
see the salvation OF God. 1t is after
the Lord shall have comforted Jerusa.
lem, when He shall be reigning in
Zion, that all the ends Of the earth
shall see the salvation of our God Qsa.
xix, 6; Iii, 7-10). This is the age OF
worldwide evangelization that from all
nations the elect church may be gath.
cred and prepared to administer with
Him as joint heirs the affairs Of the
kingdom. In every age true repent
ance must be followed by fruits meet
for repentance. We must prove to PEG.
pie by our works the reality Of oul
faith. God reads the heart, but PEG
pie read the illustrations in our lives
The illustrations in some books are so
poor that they do not help the story.
1t Is even so in our lives. "Not every
one that saith, = . = but he that
doeth," our Lord said. And elsewhere
1t is written that faith without works
is dead" (Matt. VII, 81; Jas. ii, 2Ol
We are delivered from the wrath to
come without any works of ours, but
wholly through Jesus. the Son OF God,
raised from the dead q Thess. 4, 1O).
Yet, as a tree is known by its fruit, SO
the believer should be known by his
actions. If we are new creatures in
Christ we should walk IN newness of
life. manifesting the fruit OF the Spirit
Rom. vi. %: Gal. v. 22). The CUES
lions OF verses 10. IL and Id, What
shall we do" remind us Of the ques.
ton In John vi, %. What shall we do
that WI might work the works OF
GodT" Our Lord replied. This is the
work OF God. that ye believe on Him
whom He hath sent" Thus only can
salvation come to any one. Being
saved. what, then2 "Do Justly, love
mercy and humble myself to walk
with God" QIic. vi. s. margin). Show
sincerity by love to others as opportu
nifty Offers and as God gives the abili-
ty. To the people. the publicans, the
soldiers, He gave q separate answer
suited to their circumstances. We are
not to look around and consider what
others are doing, but each for himself
ask. Lord, what wilt Thou have me
to dor" Concerning our looking at or
thinking of what others are doing, we
need the Lords word to Peter. What
Is that to thee? Follow thou meT' or
the word In I Thess. Nv, ii. Study TO
be quiet and to do your own business
and to work with your own hands"
AS the people wondered at John 1t was
BIS delight to point, them away from
Aimself to the one whom he came to
announce, OF whom he spoke as zone
mightier than i. the Iatchet Of whose
shoes I am mo- worthy to u~nloose'
(verse 16), and of whom he a little
later cried, Behold. the Lamb Of