Middletown transcript., 1917-03-17
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDMSQlOOL.
LESSON
By e. o. SELLERS, Acting Director o.
Sunday School Course of Moody Bioie
Institute)
Copyright, 1917 Western Newspaper Union)
LESSON FOR MARCH 18
JESUS SAVES, FROM SIN.

shall make you free. ye 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 or
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
a 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 ".
2O 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: Il
am the light Of the world" What Is
more benefcent 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 go
in
darkness. Every ray of light, of truth,
of holiness and love comes from him,
for God is light, and in him is no dark
ness at all Il John :15). Some think
that these words were occasioned by
the onlookers, seeing what Jesus had
written In the sand wv. 1-1D. 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 good
man. His is light, not Of single ma
ton nor Of particular church or Sec
ton Of the world. Being the light, 1t
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 wv:
S1-36.) 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 10; 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 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 %; Col. :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 our
being. This freedom here Is from sin
and the love Of sin and the curse and
the penalty Of sin and the bondage and
corroding care Of sin. 1t is also mental
freedom, freedom for Christian ac-
tivity. A knowledge of the English
Bible is 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). The
drunkard Is q slave because he Is re-
strained from doing what he knows he
ought to do. He cannot even do wrong
freely for his conscience constantly up
braids him. He is a slave because he
is compelled to bear the consequences
Of sin against his will. The way Of
escape ". 36) is through the son: "If
the son therefore shall make you free,
We shall be free indeed" Any other
freedom than the freedom granted by
the grace of God Is temporary, and has
no assurance Of permanence whatever
even in this life, and certainly not in
the life which Is to come. The way
Of escape is, first, belief on the Lord
Jesus Christ ". BY; second, continu-
ance in his word ". 31) third, abid-
ing in his teaching ". 31) fourth, re-
ceiving the knowledge which he alone
can give ". 32). This brings pardon;
freedom from punishment. To con-
tinue in his word brings freedom from
the past and the burdens of the pres
ent. His gospel brings freedom from
sin and the tyranny Of habit. To
boast Of heredity or to attempt to full
fill the rigors Of the law Is not free
dom, for the only true freedom is the
freedom which we have in Christ
Jesus. When he sets us free, we are
free indeed. The conditions are simple,
come to him (6 80; continue in his
word wv. 81, 32).
Ill. The Authority wv. 81, 5S). The
Jews took exception to the words of
Jesus (33-55). When did Abraham see
Jesus? Read the 18th and 10th chapters
of Genesis, and we find that one Of the