Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-02-04
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson Vl.-First Quarter, For
Feb. 8, 1914.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text of the Lesson, Luke XII, 1926; 49,
36-Memory Verse, 23-Golden Text,
Luke XII, 35-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. M. Stearns.
The topic of this lesson is Light and
Darkness and if fully studied will
take us through the Bible from Gen
esis to Revelation. We are brought
face to face with Christ and Satan
and their kingdoms and are plainly
told that we belong to and are living
in the interest of the one or the other
(verse 23). We can know the truth
concerning these things not by the
opinions of men, but only by the word
of God, and in verses 81. %. our Lord
said to one who thought that His
mother was a blessed woman, Yea,
rather blessed are they that hear the
word of God and keep it"
Ever since Eve listened to the devil
in the garden of Eden and yielded to
the tempter. believing his lie rather
than the word of God, the conflict has
been on and will be until the stronger
than the devil shall bind him and
shut him up in the abyss for thou
sand years verse %; Rev. XXX.
The Son of God was manifested that
He might destroy the works Of the
devil Il John 3-S). and every instance
of His delivering any one from his
power such as the one in our lesson.
was a foreshadowing of the kingdom
of God when there shall be neither
adversary nor evil occurrent q Kings
V, A. Amounted with the Holy Ghost
and with power, He went about doing
good and healing all that We're op-
pressed of the devil. for God was with
Him (Acts K, 3S).
When he shall come with His saints
in resurrection power and glory then
He shall be manifested as a greater
than Solomon. and Israel all righteous
shall see nations penitent as truly as
Jonah, back from the dead in a figure,
saw whole city penitent
To accuse our Lord Of being in league
with the devil was about the worst
thing they could say of Him, but they
were making 1t manifest that they
were, as He said. of their father. the
devil, a murderer. a liar and the IA
Their of lies John viii. 40. They were
fully of darkness and yet supposed
they were in the light; they were
blind and yet thought they saw. The
devil, of whom they spake. the god
Of this world, had blinded their minds
lest the light Of the glorious gospel Of
Christ, who is the image of God.
should shine unto them QI Cor. iv, A..
J Refusing the truth, they were more
filed with the lie; even as it is still
and will be more and more until the
end of the age, receiving not the love
of the truth. God sends strong delu-
sion that they should believe a lie Oh
Thess. Ii, TO- H.. The Lord Jesus is
the light and the truth; the truth is
in Jesus and nowhere else; apart from
Him there is neither light nor truth
John viii. II; xiv. 6; Eph. iv. 2D.
Without Him all is without form and
void and dark, chaos and confusion,
as it was in Gen. /, 2. and only Of
those who receive Him is it true that
God. who commanded the light to
shine out Of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts to give the light of the
knowledge Of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ Oh Cor iv, g..
Darkness is suggestive of the devil
and his demons and those on earth
who serve him and their awful future
Eph. vi, II; II Pet. ii. 4. II; Prov. iv.
10; Matt. viii, II: xxi. 10; XIV. 30).
God is light. and those who become
children of God by receiving the Lord
Jesus are called children of light, for
the entrance of His word giveth light
q John i. 5: Eph. V. 8: Ps. cxix. $50.
As in Gen. i. 8. 4. God divided the light
from the darkness, so it is always, and
in II Cor. vi. IA. the question is asked.
What communion hath light with
darkness?" should lead US to consider
well whether our fellowships in ordi-
nary daily life are with light or dark
ness.
In all the wilderness wanderings of
1SIdtl luey always udu ilSul IoT Tue
pillar of cloud by day became pillar
of fire by night, and He never took
it from them. On one occasion the
pillar was darkness to the Egyptians.
but it was light to Israel. just as dur
ing the plague of darkness in Egypt
Israel had light in their dwellings.
Great darkness is even now in Chris
tendon because many religious teach
ers are turning away from the word
of God, the only true light. Because
they are wise in their own eyes. as
was Israel in the time of our lesson.
when our Lord was ON earth. they put
darkness for light and light for dark
ness. calling evil good and good evil
Qsa. V. 20, 21). This darkness of unbe-
lief shall increase until it shall be
gross darkness: then the Redeemer
shall come to Zion. His glory shall be
seen upon Israel. and the nations shall
come to her light and kings to the