The Holt County sentinel., 1917-01-08
LESSON FOR JANUARY 7
JsSvs THE Liohr AND LIFE OF
MEN,

or JOhn; the remaining portion OF the
yenr TO II Kings. Ezra and Nehemiah.
being a study with the prophets One
year from now we begin the new
"graded uniform lessons recently
adopted by the recognized lnterna.
tional Lesson committee.
John was younger than his brother,
James. aud lived to be the oldest Of the
apostles, dying somewhere between A.
ID. 05 and eS. His name means
Peace" though he Is surnamed the
"son Of thunder" MARK 3:iI). Five
OF the New Testament books bear his
name. He blended the gentleness Of a
dove with the force and vision Of an
engle." The purpose Of his gospel Is
clearly stnted tch. 20:3i). Only nbout
4 per cent Of II Is found In the other
three gospels. Seventy.six times the
word "witncss" Ia used. The word
"fathcr" occurs 40 times and the
name "Jesus" 2lO times.
I. The Word wv. 1.5). Words utter
thoughts; u word Is an expression Of
nm innudible and invisible thins. A.
the Word. Christ Is Creator (ch. 14:0;
:l9). he Ii the source Of light. THE
word II God heard; the life is God felt,
and the light IL God scen"-Moody.
This externally existing person Is called
the Word because In him God fully ex-
presses or reveals himself. The Bible
Ii the written word because In Il God
speaks and rcvenls himself through
this person who Is the eternal Word
| (Ileb. 1 :3). The first verse brings out
the fact thnt there IRE Mt lenst two
persons In the Godhcnd. the one divine
person In company with whom The
word WINS. md the word. himself. was
God; TINT IN, was also divine per.
son. lie who By his incarnation be-
cnme our brother and our suvior WINS
things. ind apart from him not any
thing came Into existence. The Word
did not become the light of men by his
incarnation In Jesus II Nazareth. He
was ever the Light Of Men. The light
TINT shane Ia the Old Testament time
shone from him. When sin came. night
cnine.
u The Witness wv. G10). John the
Bariizcr came for a witness. lie was
not the light. Some might have
thought him TO he the promised Mes
siah. This he denied. He was lamp
which held forth light TO men concern.
Ing the true light (which lighteth every
mnn that comcth Into the world" He
reflected light ". 81. John told all that
he knew. Testimony Will expand rs
experience enlarges. The spoken
word Of man must confirm the experi-
ence OF the word In our lives. John
was wonderful man, a man whom
God delighted to honor. but he was a
man. Men are not asked to believe
blindly, but always upon IN abundance
Of Testimony.
~. The World wv. 1i.i4). This
world was created by Jesus. and
throughout its existence he has been
In the world. though the world knew
him not. This living light Ind been
coming into the world. aud 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
". lO). Even bis own people, literally
his own household servants, I. 9. 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. "a.
vior. lord. teacher. friend. that instant
he becomes q child Of God. We cannot
attempt to explain this mystery. The
union Of spirit and body was In one
person. . sample fact; though unex'
planned. still true. The union Of God
with Q human body. forming one per.
son, Christ Jesus, sometimes spoken Of
separately, sometimes a. Q whole,
sometimes % divine. sometimes a. hu.
man. We cannot divide his activities
into two sections and say this IL divine
and this 10 human; they are inexpli'
cably blended into one. This Christ
really dwelt among 10. He did not
merely appear to some persons. OF
come In . vision, and yet his abode
among 10 was only temporary, only q
few years, and We behsld his glory. the
Glory Of the only bet,otten Son. The
world expected q Messiah and his own
creation. his own Inheritance received
him not. rejected him. opposed him.
eruci6sd him, their lord, savior. king
and messiGh Those who received him
and believed On his name became sons
10 b Q child Of God We must b
born Into the nature and character Of
God. Into his spiritual life. We ars
members Of hiJ family.
/ We are heirs Of al things through
him. bis Joy. his love. his character and
bic blsssing and the privileges Of work
ING foe him and with him. ws.bscoml
Aslrs b. bslA6 born q God, not d
Mood physical dssesat ~ Inheritance
fos the bet g pafeats cannot bsstov
UAa.a 49, = -