The Dermott news., 1917-03-15
LESSON FOR MARCH 18
JESUS SAVES FROM SIN.

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- nacIe (John T:1-52). Let us be sure to load our guns with temperance ann munition, be familiar with facts. take careful aim. concentrate all We have to SLY upon one definite aim, and then pull the trigger e. 5. be sure to shoot q temperance charge and make tenn. perauce application.
 1. The Slavery to Sin. Jesus previ- oIgs references 10 water (Chs. i and ? and to bread (eh. @ were occastoned by outward occurrences so with this reference to light. In the treasury (v zo1 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: "l am the light of the world What Is
  vealS cheers and brings life, health and happiness to mankind? Without light there is no vision Without Jesus there k no spiritual wisdom. Without light We know not whither We are go. ing. Without Jesus We grope in the darkness. Every ray of light, of truth, of holiness and love comes from him, J,s ,-I. ness at all q John :t51. Some think that these words were occaSioned by the onlookerS, seeing what Jesus had written in the sand (vv. LID. The first step in the slavery of sin is blind ness; the second is habit; and the third is that of absolute slavery Prov. : :22). Jesus was the incarnation of tho light of God. We cannot con. ceive of Jesus making such an asser- ton as this, and being merely d good man.
 II. The Possibility of Freedom {vv 3I-369 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 continuance (abiding) in the word of God (John II Is; Is :t2-13). Many men reject Jesus Christ because they claim they wish to has their liberty. and by so doing they lose their liberty. A dis ciple iS q learner; Jesus is the teacher; the entrance examinations to the school of Christ are the simple and necessary condition of believing or ae. cepting him as Lord and teacher. The scholars are all the disciples who con. tinue under his instruction. The ob. ject of the schooling Is to make per. feet men, unto the measure of the stature of the fitness of Christ" (Eph. i 70; Col. :12). Christ's school is not only in the church and in the Sunday school and Young Peoples society, but tt is everywhere, in the home in the office, at work and play; wherever one is trying truly 10 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 10 the necessity of sin, but realize the fact that all are under sin Rom, 5:12l. 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. It Is also mental freedom, freedom for Christian ac uvity. A knowledge of the English Bible is liberal education. and brings true liberty to those who are thus edu. cated. As entrusted to that we have the slavery of sin (vv. 34, 36). The drunkard is q slave because he is re. strained from doing what he knows he ought to dc. He cannot even do wrong freely for his conscience constantly up- braids him. He is slave because he Is compelled to bear the consequences of sin against hls will. The way of escape (v. 36) Is through the son: "If the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed"
 Ill. The Authority (vv. 56 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 three who visited Abraham was differ ent from the other two, and remained behind while two went on to Sodom. The one who remained was the Lord Jesus, Jehovah appearing In human form before his later incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth.
 Il Am" is the name of Jehovah. Jesus here takes that name to himself. There was time when Abraham came . to be or was (v. 58), but there was no time when our Lord ever came to be for he is the eternal "I Am" Being thus one with God, he has the power to set men free.
 We have in this chapter the picture which Jesus draws of the character of the devil as the enemy of mankind un- dnr Axxra