The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1917-01-04
INTERNATIONAL
SUNlGSCIlO0L
LESSON
fRv r.. q. SELLERS, Acting Director or
the Sunday School Course In the Mooos
Bible Institute of Chicago) ,r,,on,
(Copyright 1917, Western Newspaper onIo-Z
LESSON FOR JANUARY Z
JESUS THE LIGHT AND LIFE Or
MEN.

The studies for the first six months
of this year are devoted to the gospei
of John: the remaining portion OF the
wear to II Kings, Ezra and Nehemlan'
being study with the prophets one
wear from now we begin the ne"
"eraded uniform lessons" recently
adopted by the recognized lnterna-
tional Lesson committee.
John was younger than his brotner'
James. and lived to be the Oldest OF the
anostles. diving somewhere between A.
D. 95 and SO. His name means
"Peace." though he is surnameo tue
"son of thunder" mark 3:1O. Five
If the New Testament books bear MS
name. He blended the gentleness OF
dove with the force and vision OF an
eagle" The purpose Of his gospel Is
clearly stated Och. 20 :31). Only about
per cent of 1t is found In the otner
three gospels. Seventy-six times the
word "witness" is used. The woro
"father" occurs 40 times and the
name Jesus 240 times.
|. The Word wv. 1-5). Words utter
thoughts; word is an expression oI
an inaudible and invisible thing. AS
the Word. Christ is Creator (ch. l4:9;
S:19). he is the source of light. Ine
word is God heard the life is God felt'
and the light is God seen"-Moooy.
This eternally existing person is calleo
the Word because in him God fully ex-
presses or reveals himself. The BlDle
is the written word because in 1t Goa
sneaks and reveals himself through
+his person who is the eternal Word
(Heb. 1:3). The first verse brings OUT
the fact that there are at least TWO
nersons in the Godhead, the one dlVlne
person in company with whom the
word was, and the word, himself was
God: that is, was also divine per-
son. He who by his incarnation De-
came our brother and our savior was
FIRST our creatnr-and| sRo creator OF al
Things, and apart from him not any
thing came into existence. The Worp
did not become the light Of men by his
incarnation in Jesus Of Nazareth He
was ever the Light of Men. The.sf1ght
that shone in the Old Testament time
shone from him. When sin came, algnr
came.
II. The Witness wv. 6-1O). John the
Baptizer came for witness. He was
not the light. Some might have
thought him to be the promised Mes
siah. This he denied. He was lamp
which held forth light to men concern
ing the true light (which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world" he
reflected light ". 81. John told all that
he knew. Testimony will expand as
experience enlarges. The spoken
word of man must confirm the expert
egfce of the word in our lives. Jonn
was a wonderful man, a man Wnom
God delighted to honor, but he was
man. Men are not asked to believe
blindly, but always upon an abundance
Of testimony.
III. The World wv. 11-14). This
world was created by Jesus, and
throughout it's existence he has been
in the world, though the world knew
him not. This living light had been
coming into the world, and was not
fully come until he was manifest TO
Israel at the baptismal act OF Jonn.
In order to be made manifest the
"Word was made flesh" in the person
of Jesus. The world did not apprehend
the light ". 81 nor did the world which
he was in and which was made by MIN
". 10Y. Even his own people. literally
| l. a., Io,,cahA16 Cor,uonfG 4 q. ISrAel.
received him not to themselves, DuG
whoever receives him, even the West
sinner of earth, and takes him into ms
heart to be all Jesus desired to be, sa-
yior, lord, teacher, friend, that instant
he becomes a child of God. We cannot
attempt to explain this mystery. Inc
union Of spirit and body was in one
person, a sample fact; though unex-
planned, still true. The union OF Goa
with a human body, forming one per-
son. Christ Jesus, sometimes spoken OF
separately, sometimes as a Whole,
sometimes as divine, sometimes as hu-
man. We cannot divide his activities
into two sections and say this is divine
and this is human; they are inexpn-
cably blended into one. This Christ
really dwelt among us. He did not
merely appear to some persons, or
come in a vision, and yet his abode
among US was only temporary, only a
few years, and we beheld his glory, the
glory Of the only begotten Son. The
world expected a Messiah and his own
creation, his own inheritance received
him not, rejected him, opposed him.
crucified him, their lord, savior, king