Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1917-01-04
INTERNATIONAL
SUNNSGlOOL
LESSON
(By E. o. SELLERS. Acting Director OF
the Sunday School Course in the Moody
Bible Institute of Chicago)
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Unionl
LESSON FOR JANUARY 7
JESUS THE LIGHT AND LIFE or
MEN.


year to II Kings, Ezra and Nehemiah,
being study with the prophets One
year from now we begin the new
"graded uniform lessons" recently
/ adopted by the reorganized Interna-
tional Lesson committee.
| John was younger than his brother.
James, and lived to be the Oldest of the
+, apostles, dying somewhere between A
/ d. 95 and 98. His name means
''Peace," though he is surnamed the
"son of thunder. mark $40. Five
of the New Testament books bear Is
name. He blended the gentleness OF "a
dove with the force and vision OF an
eagle" The purpose of his gospel is
clearly stated (ch. 20:31). Only about
| s per cent of it is found in the other
three gospels. Seventy-six times the
word witness" is used. The word
father occurs 140 times and the
| name Jesus 240 times.
! |. The Word wv. 1-5). Words utter
| thoughts; word is an expression of
an inaudible and invisible thing. As
| the Word Christ is Creator (ch. IA %;
S:19) he is the source Of light. 1.-THE
word is God heard; the life is God felt,
and the light is God seen"-Moody.
| This eternally existing person is called
| the Word because in him God fully ex-
presses or reveals himself. The Bible
| is the written word because in it God
speaks and reveals himself through
| this lperson who is the eternal WordS
| (Heb. / :3). The first verse brings out&
! the fact that there are at least two3
/ persons in the Godhead the one divine
! person in company with whom the
word was, and the word, himself, was
| God: that is, was also a divine per-
son. He who by his incarnation bel
came our brother and our savior wasl
| first our creator and the creator of ALL
things, and apart from him not any-l
| thing came into existence. The World
| did not become the light of men by hisl
| incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth. Hell
was ever the Light of Men. The light
| that shone in the Old Testament timel
shone from him. When sin came, night
| came.
II The Witness wv. 6-10). John thel
| Baptizer came for witness. He wasl
not the light. Some might havel
thought him to be the promised Mes-l
siah This he denied. He was lampk
which held forth light to men concern.
! ing the true light (which lighteth everyi
man that cometh into the world" Hel
| reflected light ". 81. John told all that
| he knew. Testimony will expand asI
| experience enlarges. The spoken
| word of man must confirm the experij
! ence of the word in our lives. John
was a wonderful man, man whom
/ God delighted to honor, but he was a
man. Men are not asked to believe
blindly, but always upon an abundance
of testimony.
HI. 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 John.
| 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 him
! ~ 10). Even his own people, literally
J his own household servants. i. e. Israel
] received him not to themselves, but
whoever receives him, even the vilest
sinner of earth, and takes him into his
heart to be all Jesus desired to be. sa-
vior, lord, teacher, friend, that instant
he becomes child of God. We cannot
attempt to explain this mystery. The
union of spirit and body was in one
person, a sample fact; though unex
planned, still true The union of God
with a human body, forming one per-
| son, Christ Jesus, sometimes spoken OF
| separately, sometimes as whole
sometimes as divine, sometimes as hui
man. We cannot divide his activities
into two sections and say this is divine
and this is human: they are inexpli
| cably blended into one. This Christ
really dwelt among us. He did moi
merely appear to some persons, OF
come in a vision, and yet his abode
| among US was only temporary, only
few years, and we beheld his glory the
| glory of the only begotten Son. The
| world expected Messiah ana MS OWE
| creation, his own inheritance received
him not, rejected him, opposed him
crucifed him, their lord, savior. king
and messiah. Those who received him
and believed on his name became sons
To be child of God we must bt
/ born into the nature and character 0;
God, into his spiritual life. We ars
members of his family
We are heirs of all things through
him, his joy, his love, his character anc
his blessing and the privileges Of work
| ing for him and with him. We becom.
heirs by being born of God, not OF
blood, physical descent nor Inheritance
for the best of parents cannot bestoH
t'sis gift upon their children.
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