The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-01-05

All ~
Rev. o. ". Stearns.
Notice in the opening verses that
Luke says to his friend that he is
about to set forth a declaration of
things most surely believed, that he
might know the certainty Of those
things. May all who study these les
sons be most surely believers, knowing
the certainty of all things written in
the whole Bible.
It seems to me that Luke must have
had in mind the words Of Prov. xxi.
81, '"That I might make thee know
the certainty Of the words of truth.
that thou mightest answer the words
Of truth to them that send unto thee"
Thank God for a book OF certainties
concerning things beyond the wisdom
Of men and concerning Him OF whom
the whole book tells, the Creator, Re
deemer, Judge, the Head Of the church,
the Messiah Of Israel, the King OF
kings and Lord of lords. Matthew
writes OF Him as King of the Jews,
Mark tells OF the perfect servant,
Luke describes Him as man, the Son
OF Man, and John sees Him as the
Son Of God, reminding us OF the four
faces OF the cherubim, the lion. the OK.
the man. the eagle. He was foretold
as the coming n from Gen. Ill. IS,
onward, and He often appeared as q
man before BE came as the Son of
Mary. But He was the Creator OF all
things and yet set apart as the Re-
deemer before the world was John
/, 1-3; Col 1, 10, II; I Pet. /, 20l. The
Holy Spirit who wrote the whole Of
this book foretold both by Isaiah and
Malachi that a certain one would pre-
cede Him and herald His coming and
prepare the way before Him lisa. ri,
8, 4; Nal. liz, u. The angel Gabriel
confirms this in verse IL Of our lesson.
Herod reminds US Of the great adj
yersary, the devil, to whom he be-
longed and whom he served SO well,
but God works out His purposes in
spite Of all adyersaries and makes
wen the wrath OF man to praise Him
" % AAAN1 4Ols LLCAON pGtOuECO " Lu0
line Of Cain, which will be consum-
mated in the coming antichrist, or
wicked one, Or beast Of Dan. ri, SO, As;
II Thess. ii, 8, 9; Rev. xix, 10, 90.
Zacharias and Elizabeth are in the
line Of Abel and belong to Him who
shall yet overcome, the Lamb, who is
also the Lord of the whole earth. How
beautiful the testimony concerning
them in verse 9, '"They were both
righteous before God, walking in all
the commandments and ordinances OF
the Lord, blameIess." Their standing
before God was correct, for they could
say, "In the Lord have / righteousness
and strength" and they relied upon
the blood which maketh atonement for
the soul elsa. xiv, "a; Lev. xvii, III.
They lived according to Mic. vi, 8,
doing justly, loving mercy and walk
ing humbly with God. Yet in their life
story there were a loneliness and a
long unanswered prayer oversees z, 13l.
The prayer had been heard from it's
first u~tterance, but Gods time had not
come. Let US never doubt that He
hears us, but let US be gladly patient
as we wait for Him Cps. xxxvii. .. In
their case it seemed n hopeless mat
somewhat like Abraham and
Sarah, but the latter had assurance
from God that the child would be given.
and SO he staggered not through nm
belief (Rom. iv, 10, 22). There must
be good reason for allowing us 10
come to the end of ourselves ana TO
wait till the last minute. so to speak,
m~anifestly answering our petit
ions. Consider the case Of Peter ia
Acts xL. Having committed the mat
ier to the Lord, go about your work
With the assurance that He will see to
I. Zacharias was doing as was his
executing the priests ONCE
,efore God verses $40. 1t was the
inne to burn incense, and the multi
ude praying without. 1t is all
% suggestive OF present privilege,
or there is one before God on our
who ever lIyeth TO make inter-
session for us.
The appearance Of the angel troubled
.sacharias, as also 1t did Mary some
months later, but HIS word to each had
comforting fear not oversees Ills,
3. S0l. There is many a "fear not
or you, o faint hearted believer. IL
'ou would but appropriate them. God
Ioes not give fear Oh Tim. /. n. There
must be great Joy and gladness where
he angels live, for they have much
o say about 1t Verse Ia; n. ii, 10Y.
it is all because OF Him to whose
dice they love to hearken and ex-
cling In strength to do His pleasure
hey delight to do His commandments
Ps. Gill, 20-22l. How wonderful ~
Is. where we learn that this
romised Son would be great in the
light OF the Lord and filed with the
from Els birth, IN order to make
eady a people prepared for the Lord
verse I'D. There is, however, a sep
ration implied, according 10 Mum.
1, is, without which the spirit filed
re cannot become a reality. TnsuIa-
lon from the world IL essential to d
sod clarifying life tRorn. XII. 1 u.
life was a separated one also,
Is motto being. asThe Lord God of
sraeI Iiyeth before whom 7 stand.p
ut even he Gid not always see the
ord alone. nor did he always cease
rom himself. zacharias did b
receive Gabriei's message
nd was in consequence dumb.