Mexico Missouri message., 1917-01-04
INTERNATIONAL
SLJNIGYSQIOOL
LESSON
LESSON FOR JANUARY 7
JESUS THE LIGHT AND LIFE OF
MEN.
By e. o. SELLERS, Acting Director o.
the Sunday School Course in the Moody
Bible Institute Of Chicago)
Copyright 1911, Western NeWHps TsT Union.)

OF JnlS year are ueNOteu 10 lilc BOSpel
of John; the remaining portion of the
year 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 reOrganized lnterna
tional 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 %. His name means
Peace" though he is surnamed the
"son of thunder" Mark 3:1O. Five
of the New Testament books bear his
name. He blended the gentleness of 9
dove with the force and vision Of an
eagle" The purpose of his gospel Is
clearly stated (ch. 0:31). Only about
s per. cent of it is found in the other
three gospels. Seventy-six times the
word "witness" is used. The wore
father" occurs 140 times and the
name Jesus" 240 times.
1. The Word wv. 1-5). Words utter
thoughts; word is an expression OF
an inaudible and invisible thing. AS
the Word, Christ is Creator Och. 1895
S:19), he is the source of light. "Ths
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 GOO
speaks and reveals himself through
this person who is the eternal Word
(Ieb. 1:3). The first verse brings oui
the fact that there are at least tive
persons in the Godhead, the one divine
person in company with whom the
word was, and the word, himself, wat
God; that is, was also q divine per
son. He who by his incarnation be
came our brother and our savior wal
first our creator and the creator of al
things, and apart from him not any
thing came into existence. The Wore
did not become the light of men by hii
incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth. He
was ever the Light of Men. The lighl
that shone in the Old Testament tint
shone from him. When sin came, nigh
came.
H. The Witness wv. 6-10). John the
Baptizer came for witness. He wal
not the light. Some might have
thought him to be the promised Mes
siah. This he denied. He was lamI
which held forth light to men concern
ing the true light (which lighteth ever!
man that cometh into the world" He
reflected light ". 81. John told all thai
he knew. Testimony will expand al
experience enlarges. The Spoken
word of man must confirm the expert
ence of the word in our lives. JohI
was q wonderful man, q man whom
God delighted to honor, but he was &
man. Men are not asked to believe
bliudly, but always upon an abundance
of testimony.
III. The World wv. 11-14). Thb
world was created by Jesus, ant
throughout its existence he has beer
! in the world, though the world knew
him not. This living light had beer
coming into the world and was no
fully come until he was manifest Il
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 apprehent
the light ". 81 nor did the world which
he was in and which was made by him
". 10). Even his own people, literally
his own household servants, j. Q. Israel
received him not to themselves, but
whoever receives him, even the yilesl
sinner of earth, and takes him into his
heart to be all Jesus desired to be, Sa
vior, lord, teacher, friend, that instanl
he becomes a child of God. We eannoi
attempt to explain this mystery. The
union of spirit and body was in ont
person, sample fact : though unex
planned, still true. The union of Go<
with human body, forming one, PEI
son, Christ Jesus, sometimes spoken
separately, sometimes as a whOla
sometimes as divine, sometimes as hu
man. We cannot divide his activitles
into two sections and say this is divint
and this is human; they are inexplt
cably blended into one. This Chris
really dwelt among us. He did MOI
merely appear to some persons, q
come in a vision, and yet his ahpni
among us was only temporary, onl4
few years, and we beheld his glory TX
glory of the only begotten Son. ani
world expected a Messiah and his FFf
creation, his own inheritance rece
him not, rejected him, opposed ns
crucified him, their lord, savior, hpl
and messiah. Those who received ~
and believed on his name became Qns
To be child of God we mud b
born into the nature and charact d
God, into his spiritual life. We az
members Of his family.
We are heirs of all things thfsngI
him, his Joy, his love, his charact AMI
his blessing and the privileges of FoHs
ing for him and with him. We HsR
heirs by being born Of God, Re
blood, physical descent nor inheri
for the best of parents cannot ~