The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-12-19
SCHOOL,
Lesson XIl.-Fourth Quarter, For
Dec. 21, 1913.


JonH 10 lS-SornmenGary ny o ~
M. Stearna.
We would be glad to take the reg1l,
lar lesson in Josh. xiv as our medita,
ton for today and be refreshed by the
story Of Caleb, who felt as strong al
e~ighty-ive as he did at forty and asked
Joshua for the mountain where the 81
ants were and received Hebron as part
Of his inheritance because he had
wholly followed the Lord God Of Is.
| rael, but we choose the Christmas les,
son for a greater than Caleb is here
and who kept him alive all those years
while over 100000 died in the wilder,
ness.
The studies for 1914 will be on the
life of Christ in the gospels, concluded
from 1912, when the last lessons were
in Matt. xviii, and this will form q
connecting link as we'll as be q more
appropriate Christmas study.
'"The Word was made flesh" points
us to Gal. ", 4. when the fullness OF
the time was come God sent forth His
Son, made Of a woman, made under
the law to redeem them that were I'm,
der the law also to Heb. Ii, IA, "FoI
as much then as the children are par
takers Of flesh and blood, He also Him,
self likewise took part Of the same
We must remember I Tim. iii, 16
"Great is the mystery Of godliness
God was manifest in the flesh"
We are not asked to understand it
for we cannot, but we can believe 1t
Bishop Thorold has said that to recog
niZe what we cannot explain and tt
consent that 1t should not be explain
ed is the humility of true wisdom, and
to accept what we could not otherwise
have known, on the authority Of Gods
revealed word, is the obedience Of
faith. To this we are called-absolute
and unconditional faith in every WORD
Of God.
This is the eagle gospel, as Matthew
is the lion. Mark the OK and Luke thu
man. Here we oar beyond all thu
others. Matthew takes us back tx
Abraham, Luke to Adam, but here WI
are taken to the beginning, before thu
world was, and to the Creator Of al
things, without whom was not any
thing made that was made (verse 81
He is called "the Word Of God" II
Rev. xix, Is, and "the Word' in I Joh1
Y, 7. To me "the Word OF the Lord
in Gen. XIV, /, is also Himself talking
to Abram. The Bible is the writer
word, and He is the living Word
Some one has said:
The Scriptures and the Lord bear ont
most holy name.
The written and b Living Word are II
all things the same.
He is distinct from and yet one witt
the Father, 1.-THE Word was with Goo
and the Word was God" AS one hat
said, this is too high for US, but IL
verse IL He comes near to us in hu
man form and tabernacles among us
He is the Babe who was born in Beth
lehem, and yet His goings forth have
been from Of old, from the days Of
eternity (Mic. v, p. The same verse
says that He was born to be ruler il
Israel, and in John i, 40, Nathanae
recognized Him as such, saying, "Rab
bi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou ar
the King Of Israel"
He has neve yet ruled in Israel, bu'
He Himself answered PLATE, 'Thor
sayest that 7 am a King. To this enc
was ] born and for this came
into the world" John xviii, 80.
Though we rarely, If ever, e THU
title, ''the Ruler Of Israeli in Christ
mas Sunday school decorations, yet fol
the fuIfllment Of this the world waits
He is the only Life and Light Of mer
individually, but when He shall come
again rs the Light and Glory of Israe
then nations shall come to her ligh
and kings to the brightness Of her ris
ing. Ii shall be to the world as Life
from the dead Qsa., *, 1-3; Rom. xi
15). There is no life or light or knowl
edge OF the true God apart from Him
for He only can reveal the EatheI
verse 1S), and those who do not re
3ceive Him as God do not know TIT
true God. but worship a god Of theil
own Imagination, suggested to then
by the God OF this world, the Ruler. O
the darkness OF this world III Cor. iv
a; Eph. vi, 12). IN
The prophets have. spoken the truth
by the Holy Spirit, but He Is thI
Truth John xiv. 81 and reveals to ri
the holiness Of God and our ~sinfulness
but also the grace that ave- sinner
freely by Els merits verse II; Rom
fiji, ID; ". Il III Cor. viii. 81.
I think that verses 10, IL are anon,
the saddest in the whole Bible. telling
us that the world that was made b!
Him knew Him not. and the people
whom He came to redeem receives
Him not. They make us think of Hi
own words, "Oh, Jerusalem, y
how often would |. and "
would not (Matt. xiii, 80. and OF tn
day when He wept over the city say
ing, If thou hadst known, bu
now'' Z luke xix. Al, ~. Their,
are nc words more precious than thos,
OF verses 12, E13, whieht tell us how I,
be born OF God and the true meaning
OF believing, q word used q hundres
times i'm this gospel. Believing oil
about Him viii not benefit us unless
we humbly receive Him into on!
hearts is u own personal Saviour
who loved us and gave Himself f0
us. bearing our sins in His W body
Believing Is receiving, and he tina
hath the Son hath Life q John v, 12,.