The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-01-09
Improved Uniform international
S1IqqdaySdl'ool
Lesson
(By REV. P. 3. FITzwATER. DID,, Mem
Der Of Faculty, Moody Bible Institute
of ChicagoO
@. 1880. Western Newspaper Union.)
Lesson for January IL
THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION
OF JESUS


OF JESUS
LESSON TEXT-Matthew S:1-A:11
print Matt 3:13-4:11).
GOLDEN TEXT-This II Ny beloved
Son, In whom I am we'll pleased.
PRIMARY TOPIC-When Jesus Was
Baptized.
JUNIOR roPIc-Ths Baptism and
Temptation Of Jesus
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOP.
IC-Jesus Facing His Life Work.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOP.
IC-Triumphing Over Temptation.
.. The Baptism Of Jesus, the King
(3:13-1O.
While the forerunner was discharg.
ing his Office, the King emerged from
His seclusion at Nazareth and demand.
ed baptism at Johns hands. The In
cOngruity Of this demand with the pur.
pose of baptism brought from John Q
protest, but upon Jesus satisfac-
tory explanation, John baptized Him.
Touching Christ's baptism, note:
1. Its significance. ~ Negatively.
a. It did not mean His mere obedience
to the commandment Of God, because
His entire life had been lived within
the will of God. There was not mo-
ment in His life but what was lived
fully in accordance with the Fathers
will. b. Not because He had sinned,
for He was absolutely sinless, harm
less, ndefiled-separate from sinners.
This separation was so complete that
even the devil could find no occasion
against Him John 14:30).
(2) Positively. It's significance lie
found in harmony with the central
purpose of His coming into the world,
which was to secure for His people
salvation through death and resurrec-
ton. This act was the official en-
trance upon His work. It was an act
Of conservation on His part to the
work Of saving His people through
sacrifice.
While baptism is sinners ordi-
nance, Christ was baptized not be.
cause He had sinned. but because He
took the place Of sinners to be SUBJ
stitute for them. In this He who
knew no sin was made sin for us that
we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him III Cor. 6:21).
2. Approval from the opened heav.
ems wv. 16. III.
Immediately following His conse.
Grafton to His work, the heavens were
opened and the Spirit came and abode
upon him, followed by words Of ap-
proval from the Father.
u. The Temptation Of Jesus, the
King (4:1-1D.
Being thus commissioned for His
work, His ability to meet the one
whose destruction He had come to &C.
complish. must be demonstrated (Heb.
2:14). This temptation was the open
Ing battle Of the dreadful conflict be-
tween Christ and Satan. In this strug.
gle note:
1. The Observation-Disclosures Of
Judea ". y.
The first man was tempted In a gar
den with the most pleasant surround
ings. and failed. The second Man
was tempted in bare wilderness, and
gloriously triumphed.
2. The method Of attack wv. 3-9).
Since, as the Redeemer of mankind,
Christ sustains a threefold relation.
ship, the Son Of Man, the Son Of God,
and as Messiah, each one was made a
ground of attack. ~ As Son of Man.
This was test of the reality Of His
humanity to demonstrate as to wheth-
er the humanity which He obtained
through the virgin birth was real. The
appeal was made to the instinct Of
hunger. Hunger is natural and sin
less. (2) AS the Son Of God. 1t was a
test as to whether this personality
which had taken upon itself humanity,
was divine. The devil quoted from a
Messianic psalm to induce Jesus to
presume upon Gods care. God does
really care for His own, but to neglect
common precautions to do the uncalled
for thing, just to put Gods promise to
a test, is to sin and to fall. (3) AS the
Messiah. Christ'S mission as the Mes
siah was to recover this world from
the devil. The devil offered to sur
render to Him on the simple condition
that He adopt his method, thus obvi-
ating the necessity of the cross.
3. The defense-the Word Of God
wv. 4, Z, 10Y.
Christ met the enemy each time and
repulsed him with ut is written"
Each time he quoted from Deuter.
onomy-the book which the higher
critics would discredit as unreliable.
Jesus had enough confidence in it to
use it in this the most crucial hour
Of the worlds history.
4. The issue ". 11).
The enemy was completely routed.
The strong man was bound. so that
the spelling Of his house was possible.