Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-11
SABBATH
SCHOOL LESSON
For November 14-Matt. SO
DIR. MARION NH. HULL

Golden Text: "And Jesus won't
about all the cities and VILLAGES,
preaching the gospel of the Kingdom,
and healing every sickness and dis
case among the people" Matt. 9:35.
Matthew has told US the genealogy
and birth of the King; of the flight
and return of the King: of the herold
and inauguration of the King; of the
testing of the King; of the beginning
Of the ministry of the King; of the
manifesto. of the King Now very
appropriately he tells US of the Gre
dentials of the King. He is seeking
to prove to the Jews that Jesus of
Nazareth is the King long promised.
What are His credentials?
Matthew groups some Of the char
acteristic and outstanding miracles
of Jesus, which would serve as Gre
dentials. He takes no account of the
time of them in sequence, but his
grouping, as we shall see later, is
for definite purpose. so that it
matters to him little that the healing
some time after the healing of Peters
mCther-in-laW; his purpose is better
served by putting the earlier miracle
later in his grouping, and so he does
it. 1t is the logical rather than
the chronological order that he uses.
And so with others. go.
But before we study his grouping
let US see how miracles are creden-
tails. Miracles are not necessarily
credentials. We shall have to in
What is a miracle? And what value
has a miracle as credential?
There are three words used in the
Scripture-miracles signs, wonders.
A miracle is something that startles,
that arrests attention because it is
unusual and unexplainable by ord1-
nary laws. A wonderland this word
is never used alone, but always in
connection with the word miracle-is
lone that is SO startling that great
wonder is excited by it. A sign is
a miracle that attests the doer as one
sent by some one higher up-as the
miracles which Moses performed
we're the evidences to Pharaoh that
what he said as Gods messenger was
true. 1t is a token of the near pres
ence and working of God.
Now miracles and signs and won
ders were performed by the Egyp-
tan magicians; and they are to be
performed in such marvellous ways
bv the Antichrist in the last days
miracles and signs and Lying" won
ders though-that even the very elect
will be nearly deceived by them.
Miracles are performed today, but
they do not necessarily prove thaI
The doer is of God--in fact many OF
rather. We are told of miraculous
cures effected today by the adherents
of this cult or that, and the inference
is expected that therefore they are
iof God. Beware, beware READ
Thess. 2:S-12.
There were a few things which
| charac terized the miracles of Jesus,
however, that made them signs the
| indications of the near presence ana
working of God. They were never
| nlrDOSe
exciting wonder; they were never per
formed of His own benefit. they were
always 1edemptive in their purpose
! (even the one possible exception OF
cursing the fig tree); and they were
tried bv the doctrine which they at
testad and in turn sealed the doctrine
which they illustrated. Matthew
eathers up ten of these which pore
Those characteristics and presents
them in a group, logically arranged
as credentials Of the klng,
Matthew tells of the healing OF the
leper; Jesus touched him, and was
not defiled, for He was holy, un.
defled, and separate from SINNERS.
No one else could have touched MN
without becoming defled. Inc Iep,
rosy, hitherto incurable, was healeo
Then the centurion's servant. at a
distance, was healed by word.
Coming into the house one day he
found Peters mother-ln- Ia, III III b WA
He raised her up, rebuked the feveT,
! and Immediately she was healed ana
ministered unto Him. THESE ar
| ferent types of disease were cured al
once by Him by entirely d1tferent
| methods, and proved Him TO pe Tie
! Master of Disease.
On another day He was crossing
! the lake to get a little rest from His
arduous labors. A storm threatened
to capsize the boat. 1t was no usual
peculiarly subject to most sudden
and very violent storms. This one
was so bad that these disciples who
| had been raised on this lake were
afraid, and came to entreat Him to
save them or they would perish. ne
sleeping quietly in the stern OF the
boat. Expressinfi surprise at their
little faith (not their lack of iO He
spoke to the winds and the waves.
and they were calm AIM ne re >4 sh0wed
In realty that storm was caused by
the devil, who is the prince of the
powers of the air. He was trying TO
wipe out everything that there was
| of the church-now only in the
stronger than the devil-and the
winds and the waves obeyed Him.
Landing at the country of the Ger
gasenes, they were met by TWO men
demoniacs. They were so dangerous
that no one dared to pass that way.
about them-that they were naked,
that they lived among the tombs
that they had broken all chains with
which they had been bound. They
| were not simply crazy; they were
possessed with demons, and were as
he1nlaSS AGAINST these demons as a
child, They had to do what the
demons willed. had to, say what the
demons wanted said, and their
strength was not their own but that
of the demons who lived in their
bodies. There are evidences of such
demon possession today; and it is in
creasing as the time for Christ's sec
ond coming draws nigh, the time
when they shall be tormented. They
are gaining entrance to men and
women through the ouija board,
through spiritistic senaces, and the
like. Beware of them, lest you be-
come possessed by them.
When they saw Jesus, they recog--
nized Him, and cried out, What
have we to do with thee Jesus thou
Son of God? Art thou come to tor
ment us before the timer" For He
of the men. By permission they en-
tered into herd of swine, and these
persisted in the sea. JSus had shown
Himself, Master of Demons.
Then they brought to Him a para
lytic, the cause of whose disease was
sin. He forgave him his sin, and
cured his paralysis to show that He
as the Son man had power on earth
/ FACTS ABOUT |