Cleveland County herald., 1920-10-07
IMpRovEH gNrroRM INTERNATIONAL SUNIllYSCTN)OL
 LESSON tBy REV ?. B. FITZWATER, D. D., Ieacher of English Bible in the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago)
 0el 1920. Western Newsnaper unionO
LESSEN FOR OCTOBER 10
BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF
 JESUS.
LESSON Tr1x-r ,r..,.

LESSON TEXT-Matthew 8:1; All. GoLDEN TE&T-This is my beloved s:17.
 ADDITIONAL MATERIAT-Iuke 8:1. 4:13; Heb, 2:18; 4:15.
 PRIMARY TOPIC-Jesus PIeasino the Heavenly Father
 JUNIOR ToPIC-Baptism and Tempta- ton of Jesus
 lNTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC Jesus Overcoming Temptation
 YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC Victory Over Appetite. Pride and Am bition.
 |. The Baptism of Jesus 6 313-1O.
 While the forerunner was discharg. Ing his office, the King emerged from his seclusion at Nazareth and de- handed baptism at Johns hands. The incongruity of this with the purpose of baptism brought from John a pro test, but Jesus explanation was satis- factory, so John baptized him. Touch ing Christs baptism, note:
 1. Its significance. CD Negatively (a) It did not mean his own obedi- ence to the commandment of God, be- cause his entire life had been lived entirely within the will of God Not a moment in his entire life but what was lived entirely in accordance with the Fathers will. (b) Not because he had sin for he was absolutely sinless, harmless, undetled, separate from sinners. This separation was so som- 1 plete that even the devil could find no occasion against him (John If :30). CD Positively It's significance is l found in harmony with the central purpose of his coming into the world which was to secure for his people salvation through death, burial and resurrection.
 ?. Approval from the opened heavens (vv. 16, ID. Immediately following his cOnsecration to his work, the heavens were opened and the 1 Spirit came and abode upon him, fol- i lowed by words of approval from the Father. These all were essential for the work upon which Christ now en- tered-revelation (heavens opened), inspiration (doye abode upon him),
  ther).
 II. The Temptation of Jesus (4:1- 11).
 This temptation was the opening battle of the dreadful conflict between Christ and Satan. In this struggle, note:
 1. The combatants. CD Jesus Christ, the Divine Man. now entering upon his mediatorial work. He went imme- diately from the place of amounting and heavenly recognition as the Son of God to meet the arch-enemy of the race. (2) The devil. He was a real person filled with cunning and malice
 ?. The battle ground-the Wilder ness of Judea. The first man was tempted in a garden with the most pleasant surroundings and failed; the second man was tempted in a bare wilderness and gloriously triumphed
 8. The method of attack. Since as our Redeemer Christ sustains a three fold relationship, Son of Man. Son of God and as Messiah, each one was made a ground of attack. CD As Son of Man This was test of the reality of his humanity to demonstrate as to whether the humanity which he ob- tained through the Virgin birth was real The appeal was made to the instinct of hunger. Hunger is nat ural and sinless. Having been forty days and nights without food. as a normal man, Christ had a craving ap- petite. While the appetite was not sinful, to have satisfied it in wrong way would have been sin. CD Son of God. It was to test as to whether this personality which had taken upon itself humanity. was divine. The l devil quoted from Messianic Psalm 1 to get him to presume upon Gods l care. God does care for his own, but | to neglect common precaution-to do the uncalled for thing just to put l Gods promise to a test is to sin and l fall. (3e As Messiah. Christ's mis- sion as Messiah was to recover this world from the devil. Now the devil | offers to surrender to him on the sim | pie condition that he adopt his method, thus obviating the necessity of the cross. The kingdoms were really Chrst's, and he knew that they would ultimately become his. The inducement was to get immediate pos session without the sufferings of the cross.
 4 The defense-the Word of God Christ met the enemy each time and repulsed him with "It is written" Each time he quoted from Deuter- onomy. the book which the higher critics would discredit as reliable.
 5. The issue-the enemy is com