The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-02-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson vIII.-First Quarter, For
Feb. rs, 1917.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text OF The Lesson, John v, t.15-Msm.
CRY Verses, 9, s-ooIden Text, John
TX, documentary Prepared by Rev.
.. NJ. stearns.
While the lesson assigned to as to-
day covers only fifteen verses, we
must consider, as far as possible, the
whole Of this wonderful chapter con-
corning Him who Ia the fountain Of
living waters and the only Judge Of
all mankind. These feasts were all
originally 'feasts Of the Lord" Qev.
xiii, 2, 4, ~, but they had degenerat-
ed into mere religious formalities as
feasts Of the Jews. Jesus attended
them because there He found oppor-
tunities to teach and to heal, and 1t
was His custom to go everywhere
preaching the gospel Of the kingdom
and healing all sickness and disease
Matt ~. go. The scene of the heal
Ing Of our lesson was at pool In Jeru-
salem called Bethesda, which was by
the sheep market or, as in the margin
and the Revised Version, the sheep
gate. Bethesda means house of mer-
cy, but mercy can only be found In
Him Of whom the sheep gate is 30 sug-
gestive, the Lamb and the sheep OF
lisa. liii, g, Z, on whom all our iniqui-
ties were laid, the Lamb Of God, who
taketh away sins. Il is interesting to
note that the building Of the wall by
Nehemiah began and ended at the
sheep gate (Neh. lii, /, 30.
This pool, with its troubled waters,
was as useless for really impotent
person as were the feasts OF the Jews
to help any one, for he must needs be,
q lively impotent who would get In
.drst. The poor, hopeless impotent Of
our lesson had his infrmity thirty
eight years, and we remember that the
inhrmities Of Israel In the wilderness
lasted just thirty-eight years Deut. II,
IA. and only the Lord Himself could
and did deliver Israel without help
from any mortal man or without ever
touching the pool this poor impotent
was made whole, for surely the foun-
tain Ii better than the pool, and there
IL none other who can do aught for the
really impotent, and such we all are,
for the whole world Is guilty before
God, and there is not one thing that
we can do, not one step that we can
take toward the righteousness which
God requires.
We can only plead our guilt and ut
Ger helplessness, and then comes from
Him the word of life and health, and
we become justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is In
Christ Jesus Rom iii, 1924. AS It is
stated in verse "a Of our lesson chap
ter, hearing His word and receiving
Him we have everlasting life, have
passed from death to life, and shall
not come into Judgment for our sins.
The Judge Himself says so (verse ~,
ana that settles 1t. This Ia the life
that is given to all the dead In sins
who now receive Him, and the hour
still continues, though It has already
lasted nearly 1900 years verse 25).
The other hour, of verses %, %, will
last 1000 years and viii begin with
the resurrection of the righteous at
the coming Of Christ Il Thess. iv, 1918;
Luke xiv, 14) and will end with the
resurrection Of the rest of the dead
for the great white throne Judgment
Grew. xx, 8, 8, 11-15). Note some Of
the testimonies of Him who alone can
give life, before whom all sickness
fees and to whom all Judgment has
been committed: The Son can do moth.
ing of Himself; the Father loveth the
Son and sheweth Him all things that
Himself doeth; the Father hath COM
mitted all judgment unto the Son; he
that hOnoreth not the Son honoreth
not the Father which hath sent Him:
] seek not mine own will, but the win
Of the Father which hath sent me; the
Father Himself hath sent me: am
come in my Fathers name; had We
believed Noses ye would have belIey.
ed me, for He. wrote Of me Oversees
1928, 80, 81, 43, 49,. Yet this il the
man whom they sought to kill, accus-
Ing Him Of breaking their Sabbath and
OF making Himself equal with God.
One would think that His words and
Bis works would have convinced them
Verse 86). But when people allow
themselves to be blinded by the devil
he does his work very thoroughly.
When the truth Is rejected God allows
lies and strong delusion to grasp the
heart or Thess. Il, 9-19. One great
hindrance to believing God Is the
temptation to seek honor, from men
rather than from God only (verse ~,
the desire to be held In esteem by our
fellows because of learning and schol-
arship, the unwillingness to be wholly
for God and seek In all things only His
approval. Jesus Christ came in His
Fathers name seeking in all things to
glorify Him, and all His words and
works were the Fathers through Him.
But there IL one coming In His own
name, and It may be soon, who will
exaIt himself and whom all the world
Will worship except those whose names
are in the book Of life (verse 4s, with
Dan. II, SO; III Thess. II, 8, ~.
TSrael's trouble and that Of the whole
world can only be remedied by Him
who healed the impotent man at
Bethesda, and He will come in His
power and glory to do It But the
other man, the man Of sin, the devils
man, must get In his work first. Be.
fore this wicked one shall be fully
manifested the church, the hindrance
& ! IN. n a. a.