Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1917-02-01
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY 4
JESUS THE SAVIOR OF THE
WORLD.

Sou ~ ehS
world, that he gave his only begotten son.
that whosOevey believeth In him.. should
not perish. but have everlasting life.-John
3:16.
This most famous interview in his
tory occurred probably in some o
In Jerusalem where Jesus was a guest,
u DOR reached by an outer stairway
SO that he could receive visitors pri-
vately.
1. The Teacher Of the Jews wv. l,
q. NicOdemus was u member of the
sanhedrin (Ch. 7:5O). He belonged to
the Pharisees who were much devoted
to the scriptures, and In whose hand
the political affairs were largely
placed by the Romans. There are sew
eral reasons why NicOdemus came to
Jesus by night. Prudence dictated Sc
crecy, but that he came at all was en-
couraglng. He IA more apt to find
Jesus at home in the evening. He had
much that he wished to learn, and
needed a quiet hour, removed from
the crowd. The things that Jesus had
uOAC RiA laugh llluC 4~ASouClhuo
think that Jesus might be the Mes
siah. Nic0demus wanted to know
how to be blessed or happy. He was
willing to be taught. He was an earn
est inquirer.
II. A Teacher From God wv. 3-S).
A great majority of the disciples Of
Jesus came from the common people
Il Cor. 1920 yet for all classes he
had the same message, aye must be
born again." The answer Of Jesus
vas according to the condition of the
man before him. the deepest need Of
his soul. Literally, he said, "hIost as
suredly, except a nan (anyone) be
born again (anew or from abOve) he
10 be born anew means to be born
again. 1t matters not what your par.
entage may have been. If any man
could do without a new birth. Nico-
demus was that n He was moral,
religious and sincere. The instrument
through which this birth is effective
is the word of God II Peter 1923;
James 1:1S; John Is by and the au-
thor is the Holy Spirit ". s.. Titus
$3.50. Water is n symbol of the word
(Eph. $500. Literally translated,
this passage would read, Except n
be born Of water and wind" And as
wind "by universal consent refers to
n factor In regeneration, the Spirit,
so the water manifestly refers to the
other element of regeneration, the
word" The main contention Is that
the word is the instrument in the re-
generation. Although not expressly
mentioned here, 1t is elsewhere.
Nicodemus WIS a teacher of Israel ".
10 r. w and vet he did not know so
fundamental a truth as the new birth,
though the Old Testament taught 1t.
There is no speculation or guess work
about Jesus own teaching. He could
say. 1--WE speak that we do know, ".
ny. He had been in heaven. and in
speaking Of heaven he spoke of the
things which he, himself, had seen.
III. The Pupils Difficulty wv. 9.13).
The works Of the flesh rs contrasted
with the fruits of the Spirit are
brought out in the Epistles, yet. like
Nicodemus. people are asking today.
"How can these things be-" Jesus
challenges N%icodemus with the words,
cart thou a teacher Of Israel and un-
derstandest not these things?" What
Jesus said to Nicodemus wv. 11-13)
is true Of the scriptures now, especial
ly of the New Testament. They tes-
tify to the facts which Jesus knew
and revealed, he having been in
heaven. and come down from heaven
for the purpose of making them
known. To be born implies that 1t
is the starting point of a new life, that
we must grow as a child grows to be
a man until 1t reaches to "a perfect
man unto the measure of the stature
of the fullness Of Christ" (Eph. ABB.
Many of the best saints cannot tell
when they become Christians. The
proof is to be observed In the results
Of their lives. We cannot put our
fingers upon one day and say, "Spring
has come" but the spring does come.
The religious life must have a
growth. that is an unfolding and an
enhancing Of the powers and POSSIBLE
titles Of that life.
~. The Lesson illustrated wv. IA,
IS. 1s). Jesus believed in objective
teaching, and he here refers to a
memorable event in the early history
Of the Jews as illustrating his teach
ing. The Journey through the wilder
ness to the promised land became
weary and discouraging, and the Is-
raelites complained bitterly Of their
hardships. complaining against God
and against Moses. Punishment came
in the form Of fiery serpents. called
fiery from the burning. stinging sensa-
ton caused by their bite. So intense
was the venom of the bites that they
became fatal In a few hours. This
punishment mnde the people realize
the awful evil Of sin. They acknowl-
edged their sin, and prayed for for
~giveness. Moses made a brazen ser
pent, and carried 1t through the camp
so that all could see, and looking be-
came an act Of faith, implying repent
ance and return to obedience and to
God. Thus III salvation Is literally,
"I.ook and live;" believe and have
eternal life; doubt and perish mark
10 :18; John $3.50.
The moment we really look to Jesus
and believe on him, then we have life
coursing in II veins; spiritual life
taking the place Of death, and WI are
born again (John 1:12.1S).
The whole secret is In these three