Mexico Missouri message., 1916-12-21
INTERNATIONAL.
SUNDGYSOIOO.
LESSON ,
LESSON FOR DECEMBER "a
UNTO US "A SON is GIVEN.
LESSON TEXT-Isaiab s.1-7.

Is born, unto us a son Is given; and the
government shall be upon his shoulders;
and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, the Mighty God. the Everlast-i
ing Father, the Prince of Peace.-Isa- s:6.t
The Christmas lesson naturally and
logically follows the three lessons we
have Just had from the book of the
Revelation where Jesus in his glory
had been portrayed, and the ultimate
success of his work is foreseen in the
new heaven and the new earth. Isaiah
saw the vision Of his first coming. John
saw the vision of his second coming,
when what he began the first time
shall ultimately be accomplished. The
prophecy here spoken was uttered dur
ing the reign of Ahaz, 3. @. T3S to-
723. The king of Assyria was attack
ing Syria. The tribes of northern Is
rael were carried away as captives.
Judah was in danger Of invasion. (See
II Kings Is :29.) Isaiah was preach
ing in his home city, Jerusalem. His
vision of the Messiah Savior was not
more than 800 years before John saw,
the vision of the gloriied Jesus.
I. Darkness Versus Light (vv. 1-5).
We need to go back into the eighth
chapter to get the full historical situa-i
ton of this part of the lesson. Ahaz,
trembling in Jerusalem, had with him
the Prophet Isaiah, the wisest and
greatest man ! n his kingdom, yet Ahaz
listened not t. his words Of warming
and rebuke. He doggedly pursued his
own course and sought help In every
other quarter than the right one. This
explains Isaiah's words, "The peopleI
that walked in darkness" Primarily
he may have referred TO those of the
lands of Zebulon and Naphtali, the
Galilee of the nations (JOhn 1885
1852 and the light which shone in
them, which was the light Of the world
Jesus of Nazareth (John S:12). But
there is a larger application in this
verse to the whole world which lay
in darkness until Jesus came, and the
whole world has seen or shall see the
great light Uuke 1:7S-79). With the
coming of light comes the increase OF
joy ". 3 r. W. In Israel there is to
! be, through Christ, a wonderful in
crease lisa. 40 :2O-22; Zech. :S). In
Christ there is to be great joy, the joy
of harvest and of victory. The re-
ligion of Jesus Christ is pre-eminently
the religion of Joy (Acts S:S; Phil.
4 "A; Peter 1:S) but the Child that
was to be born was to be a Defiverer
too, for the "yoke Of burden" was tax
of S1,S00,000 that had recently been
levied by the king of Assyria- 1t was
night of thick darkness for Israeli
Then, even as now, we have the moral
darkness. (Read Rom. 1 :20S2) But
the prophet saw the joy Of deliverance.
Jerusalem had been left In peace,
Hezekiah succeeded his father, Ahaz,,
and entered upon a religious revival in
the kingdom. The people who had
walked in darkness had seen a new
light. The prophet saw the dawning
rays through the midst of this dark
ness of ignorance being removed. He
also saw the coming of the Light OF
Men 7C0 years later, and the multi
plication of the nations, the increases
of their Joy.
II. Unto Us Son Is Born wv. 6-O.
The greatest joy for Israel in ISaiah's
time was in this vision of the Messiah,
the promised Savior. Isaiah is look
ing ahead seven centuries. We are
looking back nineteen. He was to be-
king over his people. Name and title
is here given. Q) "Wonderful" be-
cause of his nature, being both hu-i
man and divine. The word made flesh
and dweIt among us. (2) Counselor"
one who has the wisdom to guide him
self and others. No one guided by him
has ever failed of true success. (3)
"The Mighty God" He was truly God
so that we can trust him to the utter
most. He can also save to the utter,
most. (4) Everlasting Father" ex-,
pressing his divine loving kindness and
Standardization with the Father. (5)
He is also "Prince of Peace" the one
who rules so that peace and prosper
ity abide in his kingdom. He brings
peace between mai and God, and be-
tween man and man. He is the peace
of the soul as we'll as bringing
peace to the soul. The completeness
Of this picture which Isaiah saw is
the one which st. John saw, Of which
we have been recently studying. These
two verses are marvellous ones, not
only because of the clear prediction of
Jesus Of Nazareth, made more than
seven centuries before his first advent.
but marvellous also for the fullness
and richness of the revelation they con-
tain concerning the person, characteE
and work of Christ.
Our Lords earth life began at Beth
lehem, but he was from all eternity
(John S:56-5S; John :1-2).
AS man is not at peace with God
he cannot be at peace with himself Ol
his fellows; but as Jesus restores
peace between man and God, he als'
restores peace to the heart of the in
: dividuAl (Phil. 4:7).
: Sunday school officers and teacher
should realize the difference betweel