The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1942-01-01

LESSON TEXT-MattheW IL, H. MARX
IL. a. Is; Luke 1:1-4; Acts lis.
GOLDEN TEXT-Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners.-I Timothy l:l5.
A new year of God-given oppor-
tunity with the assurance of His
grace and strength for our daily
need. Such is the precious gift we
hold in our hands as we enter on
A. D. 1912.
With the new year, we enter upon
a new course of study-carefully
planned ahead through 1947, if the
Lord tarries. We begin very APP
propriately with a study of the life
of Christ as presented in the first
three Gospels, known as the Synop-
tic Gospels.
"Synoptic" is combination of
two words, meaning "a view to-
gether," and refers to the fact that
Matthew, Mark, and Luke give us
the same general view of Christ,
although differing somewhat in their
emphasis.
Matthew, writing his Gospel
especially to the Jews, presents
Christ as King. Mark, for the Ro
mans, presents the Servant. Luke
presents to the Greeks the Son of
Mantle perfect Man, and John, for
the Christian church, reveals the
Son of God. But note that all the
Gospels are for us, and in them we
find the fourfold picture which pre-
sents the many-sided glory and
beauty of our Lord. Turning to our
scriptures we see
I. The King Matt IL, 1O.
These verses come at the begin
ming and end of the kingly geneal-
ogy of Jesus. 1t is important that
the descent of a king be carefully
recorded and studied, for it alone
can prove his right to the throne.
We know that Israel rejected Jesus
as King, but we also know what
prophecy reveals that He will one
day take the throne of David and
reign. Docs He have that right?
In Matthew 1:1-17, we have His
national and royal descent. Being
son of both David and Abraham, He
is heir to both the promise and the
throne. AS King of Israel, there
was no need to trace His lineage
back further than Abraham through
David, but we find that in Luke O.;
1929 the Son of Man is traced
back to Adam. Mark has no gene
alogy for reasons noted below, and
John also has none, for the Son of
God is eternal, infinite, without need
of genealogy.
Turning now to Mark, we find
Him presented as
II. The Servant mark IL, IA, 15).
A servant needs no genealogy, he
needs only to be able and ready to
work, and that is just what we find
in Mark The account plunges at
once into the story of "the gospel
of Jesus Christ, the Son of God"
who is ready to serve-by life or
by death-yes, even by the death
Of the cross.
The forerunner, John the Baptist,
bears his witness. Jesus is bap-
tized. John is imprisoned, and inn
mediately Jesus begins to preach,
Repent ye, and believe the gos-
pei" The key verse of Mark is
10:45: For even the Son of man
came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister" The characteristic
words are "straightway "forth-
oJ;o4oI,,
Greek Wo"d thus translated appears
about 4G times in the book The
Servant of God went quickly about
the Fathers business. Christians,
can we say the same for ourselves?
III. The Son of Man duke LID.
Luke undertakes to write, under
the control of the Holy Spirit, a
careful account of the saving work
of Christ, but he makes it doubly
clear that he writes from frsthand
knowledge. "EyeWitnesses" means
those who made a personal investi-
CATION, hence, those who knew
Christ as the Son of Man, the One
who became flesh and dWelt among
us. ''Ministers" means literally
those who served under Jesus, His
personal assistants; again empha-
sizing His personal ministry as "thc
Son of man who is come to seek
and to save that which was lost"
Gas Luke 1910, the key verse of this
Gospel, expresses it,.
Nv. The Risen and Assembled Lord
(Acts 1:1-5).
Christ who was crucifed arose a
Victor over death and the grave,
and assembled to the Father, where
He now appears as our Advocate.
That does not mean that His work
on earth terminated, for we have in
Acts what Dr. Morgan fittingly calls
''the book of the continued doing
and teaching of the living Christ by
the Holy Spirit through His body,
which is the church y
The Gospels (Acts 1;D told only
that "Jesus began TO do and to
teach" Acts continues, but does not
complete the story. Christ is work.
ing today in and through surren-
dered believers. Will He have lib
erty to work through you and
through me this year of 1912? If so,
it is sure to be happy-yes, a
blessed-NeW Year.