Evening star., 1932-02-06
Sunday School Lesson
IIrN BY
AA Rev. Hugh T. Stevenson.
Rev. Hugh T. Stevenson.

out that their hostility was due to their
spiritual incapacity to understand His
spiritual teachings They were bond
servants to their own sin, which pre-
vented their understanding Him. Thelr
selfishness and sinfulness kept the>l
from seeing the light and understand
ing the truth of His teachings. Whlle
some had professed faith yet they ola
not possess faith. They would 1all 10
prove that they were His by life OF
loyalty, love and labor. They were mis-
guided by their political aspirations.
Men must prove their discipleship by a
life of persistent devotion to Christ ana
His kingdom. The one who fal!eo 10
live in accordance with his profession
Of faith was slave of sin. Many
think that they are Christians untli
they meet the acid test of living LOT
Christ daily. The slave of sin is not
found in Gods house. He may atteno
church occasionally. but he Will not
dwell in the Fathers house forever unI
less he proves by his love, labor anu
loyalty that he is Christ's.
Although Jesus brings real freedom
to ALL He taught that only those Wnose
lives are lived in accordance WIN ms
teachings every day possess real 1fee-
dom He comes to enjoy under the
leadership of the Holy Spirit genuine
liberty. He is free from superstltloh'
from care, from fear, from the traui-
tionS of men, and from sin we are
free to enjoy the false life OF SIN ana
society, but our spiritual life flnoS on
joy in that atmosphere, so 1t mas no
attraction for US. Any Christian Is apt
to face temptation and may fall. The
difference between the sons OF GOD ana
slaves Of sin is found in the fact that
the one who is saved Immediately re-
pents and seeks forgiveness after ne
falls. While the bondservant does not
have any spirit of either repentance OF
a desire for forgiveness. If, therefore
the Son of God makes you free, you
shall be free indeed.
Chains of Slavery.
The Jewish hearers objected to
Christ calling them slaves, claiming
that they were free men and that ILelr
race had never been in slavery. Ihey
forget their own history. The lonely
dayS In Babylon, the exile period IN
Assyria and their bondage in Egypt.
They forgot that Rome was their mas
ter Like many held in the chains OF
slavery they were unconscious OF theT
real condition.
Although we fought the World War
to save democracy for the world, we
find that at this moment 1t oelng
challenged by both Russia and Italy.
The weakness of China at the moment
is probably due to the fact that that
great nation was not ready TO exercise
the functions Of republic When IL
was established. The experience OF
France was identical. They had to
learn after the revolution how to govern
themselves. Our fathers were inf1u-
enced by the same theories that were
prominent in the French Revolution.
The Declaration Of independence re-
veals the influence Of the theories Of
Rousseau. President Hadley OF Yale
has well said that no body Of French
men OF that period could have written
our Constitution. Our fathers had
learned in a hard school, both in Eng
land and in Holland, that civil liberty
is not freedom from restraint, but the
substitution Of self-control for ex-
ternal compulsion" Liberty Is I'M
possible except under law.
Freedom is a matter Of the spirit.
1t develops out of intolerable condl-
tions through repeated social and in
dustrial reforms. until the words OF
Jesus have nodded the life OF the
nation. Individual liberty can only
come through the emancipation OF the
Lord Jesus Christ from the bondage
Of sin. Jesus never speaks OF SINS but
of sin. Our lesson has been elected as
temperance one because, to quote
Fred Douglas, the chains Of intem-
perance are more degrading to soul
than physical bondage"