The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1912-02-15
INTERNATIONAL
SUNnGYSC[IOOL
LESSON
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY 10.
OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
BY Rev. William Evans, ID. D.. Director Bible Cour
Moody Bible Institute, Chicago.

GOLDEN TEXT--Repent ye: for the
kingdom of heaven Is at hand.-Matt 3.2.
The story of John the Baptist's min.
istry, opening as It does with
prophetic reference connects the Old
end the New Testaments, showing the
New to be the fulfillment of the Old.
Thus we say: The Old is in the New
contained, the New is in the Old ex-
planned; the Old is in the New con-
cealed, the New is in the Old revealed. |
Christ is the theme and unifier of both |
Testaments. If he had not been COM
ing. the Old would not have been writ |
ten; if he had not come, the New
would not have been written.
What strange impression this fiery
preacher of the wilderness, John, must
have made upon his hearersl His
dress. as his message, bore the marks
of the wild Strange, is It not that
such a one should be chosen to pre-
rare the way for the Messiah? We
might have chosen a different instru.
ment--a well dressed, polished, elo-
quent, silver-tongucd orator.
The Raptist's message had its basis
in the word of God-"The word of God
came unto John in the wilderness"
That Is where every pulpit message
ought to come from. The business OF
the preacher and teacher of Christ is
not to invent a gospel but to proclaim
one already provided. The Bible is the
final critic of the message.
Johns ministry was preparatory; II
looked forward to the coming Of some.
thing better. Just as John himself
gave way to Christ, so his message Of
repentance made room for faith in
Christ John baptized with water un-
to repentance. The Baptists's ministry
went no farther than that. Jesus
Christ turned the water of Johns bap-
tism into steam by the fire of the
Holy Ghost. John prepared Jesus re-
| generated.
The necessity for repentance cannot
be overlooked in this lesson. In
sense, It is the first step into the King
dom. Both John and Jesus began their
ministry with a call to repentance.
| Repentance is clearly defined In this
lesson as a turning from life of sin
to life of righteousness. There are
three elements in repentance: First,
the intellect Is involved-it Is a
change Of mind or viewpoint; second,
the emotions are involved-it means
to have a care regarding the thing in
question, so we find the words Sigh"
"grief" substituted for repentance;
third, the will plays prominent part
In repentance, for there is included In
the word the idea of an after-thought,
resulting In a change In ones course
of action. Repentance is not only a
heart broken for sin, but also from sin.
That this is Johns meaning of re-
pentance is clear from his exhortation
to those who asked him the meaning
Of his call to repentance-exact no
more than that which is appointed
you; do violence to no man, neither
accuse any falsely; bring forth, there
fore, fruits worthy of repentance. \
little boy was once asked the meaning
of repentance. He replied: ''It means
being sorry enough for thing so as
not to do 1t again"
John preached the wrath to come
Evidently he believed In future pun
ishment. He did not believe that the
desire to escape future punishment
was sufficient or the best reason why
men should receive Jesus Christ. And
1t may be that no man really becomes
a Christian who seeks to be one only
that he may escape the results Of his
sin. We are saved that we may glori
fly God in the life that now Is as well
as to be delivered from the wrath to
come. He who does not serve Christ
here will not dwell with him In
heaven.
The fact of wrath and future punish
ment is not an invention of modern
theology. Christ believed In 1t and
taught It when he referred to the
worm that dieth not, and the fire
that is not quenched," and pictured
the ungodly being cast into "everlast
ing fire." We should have to blot out
a large part of the Bible If we were
to bot out all the Scriptures which
teach future retribution for sin
When we consider the fearful atroci
ties perpetrated upon the sons of men
the frightful iniquities practiced upon
helpless women and children, and then
see the ease and luxury and splendor
in which the perpetrators of these
crimes live, We would be very sorry
to be assured that there is no future
retTibution for the perpetrators OF
such deeds. Give the justice of heaven
the same degree Of common sense
consideration that you give to the jus
tice of earth, and somewhere in the
other world you must place a peni
tentiary.
Johns preaching drew the crowds
and so will the preaching and teach
ing of the Gospel today, when pro
claimed by men as consecrated to theiI
mission as John the Baptizer was to
his. The crowd have not tired Of the
Gospel, but only of the average preach
er of the Gospel. The messenger, and