Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-01-05
LESSON FOR JANUARY 7
JESUS THE LIGHT AND LIFE OF
MEN.

being a 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 90. His name means
Peace" though he is surnamed the
"son of thunder" Mark 3:17). Five |
of the New Testament books bear his
name. He blended the gentleness of
dove with the force and vision of an
eagle" The purpose of his gospel is
clearly stated (ch. 20 :31). Only about
per cent of it is found in the other
three gospels. Seventy-six times the
word witness" is used. The word
father occurs 40 times and the
name Jesus" 240 times.
|. The Word wv. 1-5). Words utter
thoughts; a word is an expression of
an inaudible and invisible thing. AS
the Word, Christ is Creator (ch. IA %;
:19), he is the source of light. '"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 person who is the eternal Word
(Heb. 1 :3). The first verse brings out
the fact that there are at least two
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 be-
came our brother and our savior was
| first our creator and the creator of all
things, and apart from him not any
thing came into. existence. The Word
did not become the light of men by his
incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth. He
was ever the Light of Men. The light
that shone in the Old Testament time
shone from him. When sin came, night
came. Conditions of the world since
the fall have been that of dense spirit
ual and intellectual darkness, but in
| the midst of this universal darkness
there has always been light. Our Sa-
vior must first of all be divine, having
all knowledge and power. He must
have also life which can create and
maintain existence. He must also be
light, for dead minds cannot know nor
dead souls see.
II. The Witness wv. 6-1O). John the
Baptizer came for a 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 lightet4l every
man that .cometh into the world.n 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
ence of the word in our lives. John
was a wonderful man, a man whom
God delighted to. honor, but he was q
man. Men are not asked to believe
blindly, but always upon an abundance
of testimony.
III. The World (vv. 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
". 10Y. Even his own people, literally
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. Tht
union of spirit and body was in one
Q person, a sample fact; though unex
e planned, still true. The union of Coz
with human body, forming one per
e son, Christ Jesus, sometimes spoken O.
: separately, sometimes as whole
g sometimes as divine, sometimes as hu
l. man. We cannot divide his activities
into two sections and say this is divin,
e and this is human; they are inexpli
r cably blended into one. This Chris
g really dwelt among, US. He did no
merely appear to some persons, O
come in vision, and yet his abod
among us was only temporary, only
few years, and we beheld his glory, tn
glory of the only begotten Son. Th
world expected Messiah and his owl
creation, his own inheritance receive,
him not, rejected him, opposed hin
crucified him, their lord, savior, kin
and messiah. Those who received hi1
and believed on his name became sons
To be a child of God we must b
born into the nature and character O
God, into his spiritual life We ar
members of his family. We are unde
a peculiar, loving care, dwelling unde
the shadow of his almighty wing. w
have a share in his beautiful home.
We are heirs of all things throug
him, his joy, his love, his character an
| his blessing and the privileges of worl
ing for him and with him. We becom
heirs by being born of God, not {
| blood, physical descent nor inheritanc
| for the best of parents cannot besto
| this gift upon their children.
| Not by our own efforts or exertior
/ nor the will Of the flesh, not by ii
! will of men, through wisdom and man
highest powers of intellect, but of Co
IT. Gods divine glory became a matte
- of sense perceptions Il John 1 :;
10 Al, 81.
T. Over against every grace in hi
re there is corresponding grace wrougl
ID in US.
a. He fully revealed, not merely by
es own word, but by his own person, 9
ne that is God ". 18).
fe No heart is pure that is not passio
ate.
Let us lead our scholars to a dee