The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1917-01-11
INTERNATIONAL,
SUNlAYSQ10OL
LESSON
(By e. o. SELLERS, Acting Director Of
the Sunday School Course In the Moody
Bible Institute Of Chicago.)
Copyright, 1917, Western Newspaper Union)
LESSON FOR JANUARY a.
JOHN THE BAPTIST AND JESUS

LESSON TEXT-John 1:19-34.
GOLDEN TEXT-Behold, the lamb d
God that taketh away the sin of thu
world.-John 1:29.
John began his public ministry in the
summer of A. D. 26 and the baptism OF
Jesus probably took place in January
A. d. q. The delegation from Jerusa-
lem to interview John must have ap-
peared along toward the latter part of
February.
!. John the Witness wv. 1913.
Johns ministry created great excite
ment. The people were in expectancy.
All classes were reasoning as to who
this strange but marvelously forceful
man might be. Some thought perhaps
he was the Christ duke 3:15). To
settle this question a committee was
sent to Jerusalem to investigate.
Malachi, the prophet, has suggested the
coming Of Elijah (Mal. 1850 before the
Messiah should come, and another
prophecy indicated that the prophet
should be like unto Moses (Deut.
IS 1919. John freely confesses to
this delegation that he is not the
Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet pre-
dicted by Moses. How foolish and
silly are those modern ones who pro-
fess to be the messenger of the COW
enant or some other fanciful title, in
dicating the return of the witness
which is to precede the coming Of
Christ. John exercises humility in the
way he states his real position though
he does apply to himself the prophecy
of Isaiah Qsa@4O :3-5) which sets forth
what his mission was to be. A voice
can be heard but not seen. With our
bodily eyes we never see a spirit. No
man ever saw the soul of his nearest
friend. We do see God, however, in
his works, in his marvellous deliver
ances and his guidance of the world
and his answers to prayer.
IL. John the Raptizer WV. 1920
AS John had denied that he was the
Christ or Elijah, the priests and Lev
ties made bold to question his author
ity at a later time (Matt. 21-23), and
still later the authority of the apOs-
ties and the priests (Acts 5: 28). John
answers them with another display of
his humility. His baptism in water
was nothing to the baptism of the
coming one (See Matt. 3 IL Acts / :5). |
Though Christ was in their midst, they |
were blind and did not recognize him.
(See Wv. 10, Il; Oh. $40; 1879.
Johns baptism of repentance denotes
4 baptism which a penitent submitted
20 that he might receive the pledge
md assurance that his sins were for
given. Baptism meant the cleansing
If the people from past sins that they
night be fitted for entrance into the
lingdom. Baptism is not conversion.
t is a witnessing and a symbol of
piritual truth that we are dead unto
in, and have risen to newness Of life
Rom. $3.50. Like John, our voice
aust be not only that of humility but
must be really a voice with a mes
age from God, one that sounds an I'M
listakable note, one that can be heard
'herever we go, one that will make
len happier, stronger, Drawer, more
Ike God, to prepare the way for Christ
l the hearts Of men.
III. The Witness of the Spirit (vv.
$3.50. The writer is very explicit.
ating the exact time that these things
for he was an eye witness.
1hn first teStifieS that Jesus was the
amb of God, referring Of course to ,
lie sacrificial lamb the atoning sacri-
,e of the Old Testament (Gen. % :7-S;
x. II %; lisa. 53:7). AS the Lamb of
cd, Jesus would take away the sins
the world thus the thought is pri-
arily that of atonement, a Substitu-
IN of another and the deliverance
ON the guilt of sin. The next day
ter Johns witness to the delegation
ON Jerusalem, he saw Jesus coming
to him, and said to the assembled
ople, Behold the Lamb of God"
lis refers not so much to his charac- Z
:, that of innocence, meekness and q
tience, as to his Office, his completed "
,rk of atonement by the sacrificial
aIn "heISlu nc ldheS away IHS SlhS
the world. On the ground of the
Dpitiation for sin which Jesus
ought Il John 90; Matt. 20 :2S; II
r. 5 :21; Gal. 3:13) sin is removed n
IN the sinner as far. as the East is g
m the West. God dealt in mercy 20
III men before Christ's time because -
the lamb which was slain from the tG
of the world (Rev. 13 50. -
re John says that at first he did not .
Ognize Jesus as the Messiah, but he :
IS bear record that he saw the =
rit descending at his baptism, and 1t
de upon him. Az
u, = ,,-S,,.l- 80 gv1,-tr. l. e. A.. -. y,