Middletown transcript., 1917-01-06
LESSON FOR JANUARY 7
JESUS THE LIGHT AND LIFE OF
MEN.

The studies for the first six months
# this year are devoted to the gospel
If John; the remaining portion Of the
5ear to II Kings, Ezra and Nehemiah,
>eing a study with the prophets. One
year from now we begin the new
graded uniform lessons" recently
adopted by the reorganized Interna-
:ional Lesson committee.
John was younger than his brother,
James, and lived to be the oldest of the
apostles, dying somewhere between A.
D. 95 and SO. His name means
"Peace," though he is surnamed the
"son of thunder" Mark 3:17. Five
of the New Testament books bear his
name. He blended the gentleness of -
dove with the force and vision Of on
eagle" The purpose Of his gospel is
clearly stated (ch. 20: BY. Only about
8 per cent Of it is found in the other
three gospels. Seventy-six times the
word witness" is used. The word
father" occurs 14O times and the
name Jesus" 24O times.
!. The ..ford wv. 1-5). Words utter
thoughts; word is an expression Of
an inaudible and invisible thing. AS
the Word, Christ Is Creator (ch. 14:9;
8:19), he Is the source of light. "The
word is God heard the life is God felt,
and the light is God seen"-Moody.
This eternally existing person is called
the Word because in him God fully ex-
presses or reveals himself. The Bible
is the written word because in it God
speaks and reveals himself through
this person who is the eternal Word
(Heb. BY. The first verse brings out
the fact that there are at least two
persons in the Godhead, the one divine
person in company with whom the
word was, and the word, himself, was
God; that is, was also a divine per-
son. He who by his incarnation be-
came our brother and our savior was
first our creator and the creator of all
things, and apart from him not any
thing came into existence. The Word
did not become the light of men by his
incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth. He
was ever the Light Of Men. The light
that shone in the Old Testament time
shone from him. When sin came, night
came. Conditions of the world since
the fall have been that Of dense spirit
ual and intellectual darkness but in
the midst of this universal darkness
there has always been light. Our Sa-
vior must first Of all be divine, having
all knowledge and power. He must
have also life which can create and
maintain existence. He must also be
light, for dead minds cannot know nor
dead souls see.
II. The Witness wv. 6-10). John the
not the light. Some might have
thought him to be the promised Mes
siah. This he denied. He was lamp
which held forth light to men concern
ing the true light (which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world" He
reflected light ". 81. John told all that
he knew. Testimony will expand as
experience enlarges. The spoken
word of man must confirm the expert
ence of the word in our lives. John
was a wonderful man, a man whom
God delighted to honor, but he was a
man. Men are not asked to believe
blindly, but always upon an abundance
Of testimony.
III. The World wv. 11-14). 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 had been
coming into the world, and 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
". 1O). Even his own people, literally
his own household servants, 1. e. Israel,
received him not to themselves, but
whoever receives him, even the vilest
/ sinner of earth, and takes him into bis
heart to be all Jesus desired to be, sa-
vior, lord, teacher, friend, that instant
| he becomes a child Of God. We cannot
attempt to explain this mystery. The
union of spirit and body was in one
person, a sample fact; though unex-
plained, still true. The union Of God
with q human body, forming one per-
son, Christ Jesus, sometimes spoken Of
separately, sometimes as q whole.
sometimes as divine, sometimes as hu-
man. We cannot divide his activities
into two sections and say this is divine
and this is human; they are inexpli-
| cably blended into one. This Christ
really dwelt among US. He did not
merely appear to some persons. or
come In a vision, and yet his abode
| among Us was only temporary, only a
few years, and we beheld his glory, the
glory Of the only begotten Son. The
world expected a Messiah and his own
| creation, his own Inheritance received
him not, rejected him, opposed him,
crucified him, their lord, savior, king
and messiah. Those who received him
and believed on his name became sons.
To be a child Of God we must be
born into the nature and character OF
God, into his spiritual life. We are
members Of his family. We are under
a peculiar, loving care. dwelling under
the shadow Of his almighty wing. We
have a share In his beautiful home.
| We are heirs of all things through