Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-03-16
INTERNATIONAL.
SUNlGYSUOOL
LESSON
By E. o. SELLERS, Acting Director OF
Sunday School Course of Moody Bible
Institute.)
Copyright 1917. Western Newspaper Union.)
LESSON FOR MARCH 18
JESUS SAVES FROM SIN.

shall make you free, We shall be free in
deed.-John 1886.
Teachers should sketch rapidly in a
chronological way the events in the life
of our Lord, (See any good harmony |
and show that this lesson belongs to
the period of the Galilean ministry of
Jesus when he had gone up to Jerusa-
lem to attend the feast of the taber-
nacle John 7:1-52). Let us be sure
to load our guns with temperance am
munition, be familiar with facts, take |
careful aim, concentrate all we have
to say upon one definite aim, and then
pull the trigger e. g. be sure to shoot
temperance charge and make tenn
perance application.
|. The Slavery to Sin. Jesus previ-
Gus references to water (Chs. and y
and to bread (ch. 81 were occasioned
by outward occurrences; so with this
reference to light. In the treasury ".
20) near to Jesus as he Spake were two
colossal, golden lamp stands around
which when lighted the people gath
cred with rejoicing. Amid the blaze Of
this illumination, Jesus exclaims: 81
am the light of the world" What is
more beneficent than light as it re-
Veals, cheers and brings life, health
and happiness to mankind? Without
light there is no vision. Without Jesus
there is no spiritual wisdom. Without
light we know not whittier we are 60
ing. Without Jesus we grope in the
darkness. Every ray of light, of truth,
| of hnlinncS
for God is light, and in him is no dark
ness at all Il John 1 :15). Some think
that these words were occasioned by
the onlookers, seeing what Jesus had
written in the sand (vv 1-11). The
first step in the slavery of sin is blind
ness; the second is habit; and the
third is that of absolute slavery prov.
5:22). Jesus was the incarnation of
the light of God. We cannot con-
ceive of Jesus making such an asser-
ton as this, and being merely a good
man. His is a light, not of single ma
ton nor of particular church or sec
ton of the world. Being the light, it
necessarily follows that everyone who
follows him "shall not walk in dark
ness" He enables us to see clearly
the dividing line between the two ways
of life. He clarifies our vision so that
we make our choices knowingly.
II. The Possibility of Freedom (vv.
31736.) These words were spoken to
''those which had believed on him." and
as the result they were to know the
truth, and the truth should make them
free. knowledge and liberty come from
a continuance (abiding) in the word of
God (John IA rs; 16 :12-13). Many men
reject Jesus Christ because they claim
they wish to have their liberty, and by
so doing they lose their liberty. A dis
ciple is a learner; Jesus is the teacher !;
the entrance examinations to the
school of Christ are the simple and
necessary condition of believing or ac-
cepting him as Lord and teacher. The
scholars are all the disciples who con-
tinue under his instruction. The OBJ
ject of the schooling is to make per-
feet men, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph.
4:22 Col. 4 :12). Christ's school is not
only in the church and in the Sunday
school and Young Peoples society, but
it. is everywhere, in the home, in the
Office, at work and play; wherever one
is trying truly to live according to
Christ's will, he is in his school, and
that school is open both day and night
there are no vacations and no receSSeS
The text book is the Book of books
We need not argue as to the necessity
of sin, but realize the fact that all are
, under sin (Rom, 5:12), but being un
der sin does not necessitate our abid
ing there, nor is sin necessary to oul
being This freedom here is from sir
and the love of sin and the curse anG
the penalty of sin and the bondage anC
corroding care of sin. 1t is also menta
freedom, freedom for Christian ac
tivity. A knowledge of the Englisl
Bible is q liberal education, and brings
true liberty to those who are thus edu
Gated. AS contrasted to that we have
the slavery of sin wv. "a, 36). Tht
= drunkard is slave because he is re
= strained from doing what he knows h
ought to do. He cannot even do wron.
freely for his conscience constantly up
;, braids him. He is a slave because h
- is compelled to bear the consequence
= of sin against his will. The way O
escape ". 56) is through the son: 81
the son therefore shall make you free
!, We shall be free indeed" Any othe
freedom than the freedom granted b
the grace of God is temporary, and ha
no assurance of permanence Whateve
even in this life, and certainly not i
the life which is to come. The wa
of escape is, first, belief on the Lor
: Jesus Christ ". 3D; second, continu
i ance in his word ". 3D; third, abi6
- ing in his teaching ". 81; fourth, re
ceiving the knowledge which he alon
= can give (v. 32). This brings pardon
: freedom from punishment To cor
, tinue in his word brings freedom fror
y the past and the burdens of the pres
u ent. His gospel brings freedom fro1
- sin and the tyranny of habit. T
" boast of heredity or to attempt to fu
= fill the rigors of the law is not free
dom, for the only true freedom is tn
l freedom which we have in Chris
- Jesus. When he sets US free, we ar
free indeed. The conditions are simpl,
\, come to him (6:3O continue in hi
u word wv. 81, 32).
= Ill. The Authority wv. Sc, 5S). Th
II Jews took exception to the words {
. Jesus (33-55). When did Abraham sc
) Jesus? Read the 18th and 10Th chapter
le of Genesis, and we find that one of til
y three who visited Abraham was diffe
L ent from the other two, and remaine
behind while two went on to Sodon
The one who remained was the Lor
49, Jesus, Jehovah appearing in huma
q form before his later incarnation {
- Jesus of Nazareth.
~ 81 Am" is the name of Jehova
"a Jesus here takes that name to himsel
There was a time when Abraham can
to be or was ". 58), but there wf
u no time when our Lord ever came /
70 he for he is the eternal st Am" Beir