Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-03-17
JESUS SAVES FROM SIN
Temperance lesson.)
John, S.12, 1887, 56-59.
Golden Text: "If therefore the
Son shall make you free, we shall
be free indeed."-John S.36.
By Rev. H. T, Stevenson.

Jesus was no coward. He did not
allow the opposition that resulted from
His refusal to PROSTATE His powers
for personal profit or political power
to interfere with carrying out His
plans to train the twelve. During the
next six months He worked in seclusion.
He was able during that period to secure
the first confession from Peter that He
was the Christ. From that hour He
tried to prepare the apostles to stand
the strain of the inevitable end that
He foretold them would come. Because
they had misunderstood Him He re-
fused the request of His relatives that
He go up to Jerusalem with them and
exhibit His miraculous powers before
the foreign pilgrims that f1ocked to
Jerusalem at the popular Feast of Tab.
ernacles which was observed every fall
at the close of the harvest season and
vintage to emphasize their thankful
ness for the divine sustenance and pro-
lection. The use of booths recalled
the memories of the wilderness jour-
ney, so that the feast partook of both
d religious and a patriotic nature.
Jesus was a strategist in His plans
of campaign. He took the people and
public officials completely by surprise
close of the feast and commenced to
teach the multitudeS publicly in the
court of the women, near the treasury
of the temple. The guard that the
by His personality and failed to dis
charge their duty. The efforts to en-
trap the Master by bringing before
Him the woman who had failed, if it
took place at this time, did not sue
coed because the Master exposed the
sin of the accusing prosecutors who.
under the pretense of religion. sought
to secure from Christ condemnation
of the woman's acts, SO that they
might report Him to Caesar. If He
approved her immoral deeds they would
call upon the people to condemn Jesus
because He had decided contrary to the
law of Moses. The Man of Galilee who
had surprised them with His knowl-
edge, although He was not a graduate
of any of their theological schools,
made them recognize their own iniquity.
No man standing in the presence of
Christ has ever yet claimed freedom
from sin. The light of the world con-
victs every man that comes in contact
with Christ by its soul-searching rev.
Citations, not only of his own personal
iniquity, but 1t also reveals the way of
salvation.
The illumination of the great candel-
abras whose rays Illuminated the city
of Jerusalem probably furnished Jesus
with the figure of speech by which He
made the revelation of Himself, when
He proclaimed that He was the light
of the world. Either this was the au-
dacious claim of a self-deluded egotist
or else it was the statement of the Son
of God. The Pharisees recognized that
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah by His
terse. pregnant statement. but they
lacked the faculty of approaching spir-
itual values. SO failed to recognize the
moral worth of Jesus, whose character
stands forth the clearest when He deals
with the sinner.
The eminent DR.. Murphy, Chicago's
noted surgeon. who recently passed on
to his reward, has pointed out how
sunlight serves the double purpose of
aiding the growth of those organisms
which are necessary for man as well as
of man himself, while it retards the
production of those which are antag-
onistic to his existence" So Jesus has
been giving to men through the CEN
turtles light upon the use Of intoxicat-