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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1936-12-31, Page 6CVNDAY CHOOLESSON THE SON OI'' GOD BECOMES MAN. --John 1: 1-51. Golden: TEXT. — The word became flesh, and dwelt among us. John 1: 14. THE LESSON IN ITS SETTING Time. — The prologue of John's Gospel entends back to eternity. The birth of Jesus and of John the Bap- tist took place in B.C. 5. The minis- try of John the Baptist and the early ministry of Jesus here recorded are all to be placed in January and Feb- ruary, A.D, 27. Place. -- Practically everything in this lesson took place in Bethany be- yond Jordan. 2. Tlie seine was in the beginning with God. This is simply an empha- do summary of the preceding verse. 3. All things were made through him; and without him was not any thing made that hath been made. Notice carefully that the Word was not made. There was no time when he was without existence. 4. In him was life. No one knows today what life is, but we do know life when we see it. In Christ is every form of life—intellectual, mor- . al, spiritual, and eternal. And the life was the light of men. Here John passes fron the relation of the Word to the world at large to his relation- ship to men. 5. And the light shineth in the darkness. Darkness is the result of sin and the environment in which sin flourishes: in the dark peen stum- ble. and are possessed by fear. Yet God's grace does not cease where darkness has fallen. And the dark- ness arprehended it not. However powerful the hold of sin moon men mi'ht he. and however deep the dark - nest Satan has created. nevertheless that darkness has never been able to extinguish the light of God's truth and grace in Jesus Christ! 6. There came a man. sent from Ged. whose name was John. "The Baetist was the final recapitulation of all prophetic forces concerning Christ, the . great witness of Christ's Advent, the Forerunner." 7. The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the Light, that all might believe through him. "Belief rests on testimony. John's testimony turned men's eyes to Christ and convinced those who be- lieved (cf. 4: 42)." 8. He was not the light, but carne that he might bear witness of the Iight. All ministers and Sunday School . teachers should remember that they themselves are "not the light," but are simply sent to "bear witness of the light"—,all of our ministry and teaching of the Word is simply to point men to the light, the Lord Jesus Christ. 9. There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world. "If John meant. as I believe he did mean, that there is a light that lighteth every men, that no man is utterly finally without light; and that, when Jesus came., that light, in some new sense, came into the world, then I think I have here a clear and remarkable statement of the truth that there is some measure of light in every hu- man below. irrespective of incidental differences." 10. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not. 11. He carne unto his own, and they that were his own received him not. When the Creator himself, the Word of God, carne into the world, the world knew him not. (Cf. Rom. 1: 19, 20.) The phrase "his own" is more ac- leurately translated in the margin "his own things," and refers princi- pally to the kingdom of Israel, which was his by right, and the land of Is- rael, which was also his, and all the thiugs pertaining to the temple and the worship of Jehovah, including the priesthood. The phrase, "they that were his own," refers to the people of Israel in general. 12. But as many as received him. "This refers not only to the people of Israel, but to all mere elsewhere —the individual relationship takes the place of the national," To them gave he the right to become children of God, even to then that believe on his name. This is one place in the Gospel where we find the phrase, "children of God," which is often found in the same writer's First Epistle (especially chapters 3 and 5). It is true that all men are the child- ren of God by creation, but all men are also prodigals, who have left the Father, who have forfeited their rights, and who, by their sins, have no right to the privileges pf sonship, 13, Who were born. The margin more accurately translates "who were begotten," this birth referring, of course, not to our first and natural birth, but to our second and spiritual birth, by which we are inade the sons of God, which spiritual birth is one not ofblood, i.e., it is not a physical birth, the blood being mentioned as the seat of natural life. Nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, i,e,, not by the human will con- trolled by fleshly nature. But of God. "The higher, spiritual, eternal life is the immediate gift of God. To ob- tain it, that divine begetting is need- ed by which God communicates his own nature." 14. And the Word became flesh. The Word did not cease to be God when he became flesh, but when he was made in the likenes' of sinful flesh (Rom. 8: 3), which means, of course, that he became a man, he then was both Gori and man. And dwelt among us. "The origina word describes properly the occupation of a temporary habitation. The tent or tabernacle was easily fixed and easily removed, and hence it furnished a natural term f o r man's bodily frame."—(And we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father.) The glory of God is such part of his majesty, and power, and grace as men are able to behold. Men saw in Christ such manifesta- tions of power, holiness, and grace, and majesty that he had a glove like unto that which anent beheld in God the Father, Full of grace and truth, "In the Old Testament, the two es- sential features which, in John's view, distinguish the human life. And the Word made flesh. 15. John beareth witness of him. The Baptist's testimony to Christ is recorded by all of the evangelists (Matt. 3: 1-12; Mark 1: 1-8; Luke 3: 1-20.). And crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that com- eth after me is become before me. In other words, his successor has be- come his predecessor. Though he came after John in point of time, he really became one superior to John in influence, in holiness of char- acter, and in finality of his mission. For he was before me. "The original phrase is very remarkable; it express- ses not only relative, but absolute priority. 16. For of his fulness we all re- ceived. "As Christ has all the full- ness of God (Col. 1: 19; 2: 9), the church has all the fullness of Christ. John is here looking back and sta- ting"that he and all the other believ- ers were 'simply empty vessels which Christ had tilled, And grace for grace. "Each blessing appropriated became the foundation of a greater blessing." 17. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Grace and truth are superior to law and the One who brought grace and truth to roan is infinitely superior to the one through whom the law was given. 18, No man hath seen God at any time. The meaning here is that no man has ever beheld God with his physical eye, because infinite spirit cannot be the object of human, natur- al vision (Deut. 4: 12). The only be- gotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father. Literally the preposition here is "into," "suggesting the ten- der, intimate relation between child- ren and parents or bosom friends. Christ's relationship to the Father is one of closest fellowship in knowl- edge and love." Christ as the only begotten Son of God, knowing God as no other being ever could know him, living with God from eternity, dwelling in the very bosom of God's love, is certainly one who can unveil the glory and truth of God the Father. Mystery Surrounds Faze of Chinese Premier Widely differing• reports as to the fate of General Chiang Kai-Shek feature dispatches from the far east today. W. L. Donald, the Australian who has been acting as intermediary between the rebel marshal, Chang-Haueh-Liang, and the Nanking government, declares he saw the premier alive and well. Earlier reports from Japanese sources gm)* ;3 Chang.as announcing he had executed Chiang. Transcript of Chang's radio speech, released by Nanking, contains no such statement. The Nanking government has rushed 150,000 soldiers to Sian -Fu, headquarters of the rebel war lord, with orders to rescue Kai-Shek if he is alive, or take revenge. "Get Chang," their orders sa y. This photograph shows Chiang Kai-Shek with his wife, who is a graduate of a woman's college in the United States. Credit Guernsey Cow With Butterfat Record ONEONTA, N.Y. — John Middles - worth, superintendent of the Cathe- dral Farms here, said Friday that Cathedral Rosalie, Guernsey cow, has broken the world's record for butterfat production by a Guernsey with 1,157.29 pounds this year. Middlesworth said the old record of 1,155.8 was set last year by Nor- inda Milkmaid, of the Lockshire Farms • at Cressy, Rosalie, with 25 days to go yet this year, should set a 1936 nark of about 1,240 pounds, Middlesworth said. She is .milked three times daily. The cow is owned by II. H. Buckley. Rosalie set a record for May, Mid- dlesworth said, with 2,413 pounds of milk, of which 124.51 were butter- fat, Speed (Leonard Lyons, in New York Post) Funk & Wagnalls, the publishers, phoned Dixie Tighe Tuesday and asked her to write a book for them —a biography of the new King of England. "We want 50,000 words— and no padding. And we must have the completed manuscript by Sat- urday. Will you do it?" ... "Oh, no -- I can't," Mis Tgihe replied. "You see, that would leave me Thursday, Friday and Saturday free and I just wouldn't know what to do with the idle time!" NOT A TREATMENT (Indh.napolis News) .A horse will eat an apple a day with never a thought of keeping the doctor away. ~ Insofar asactual quantity is con cerned, Japan is self-sufficient in wheat, having produced over 47,900,- 000 bushels in 1935, but 16,818;000 bushels were imported for blending. In spite of the fact that Canada was excluded by trade policies from the market for half of 1935, the Do - Minion stipplied 1,929,029 bushels in that year, Made Burglar Take 01 His Trousers LONDON. — Mr. Sidney Herbert Stanley, baker and confectioner, of Clapham Common, S.W., found an intruder in his house; he hit hint' on the head with an iron. bracket, made him take off his trousers and shoes, and then locked him in his shop while he telephoned the police. .At London Sessions recently, the man, Arthur James Anderson, "aged 30, baker formerly employed by Mr. Stanley, pleaded guilty to breaking andentering the house on Novem ber. 15. He was sentenced to 18 months' hard labor. A Pair of Queens Pictured after their coronation are the queens of the nortl, and south, who will provide incentive for their, respective teams in the New Year's Day gridiron classic -the Orange Howl game at Miami, Fla. "Queen of the north" ('Left,) is Miss f.,00ntine Mc(iregm of Detroit; her majesty of the south is Miss Joan Taylor of Miami. We almost forgot to tet you that the teams are Mississippi Siste and Duquesne University, • Village Threaened .A half -collapsed house on the cliff edge at Pokefield. Eng., where crumbling cliffs are threatening to destroy the village. Missionary Saved From Bandits rhe Kidnapped by bandits Last February, Father Joseph Clarence Burns (marked by X), American missionary, is shown here following his rescue by Japanese troops. He is pictured here in front of the Japa- nese gendarmerie at Antung, Manchukuo, with an officer of the station at his right and a fellow missionary behind him. Churchill's Daughter to Wed Have Vic ane Sarah made up their minds? Miss Churchill, dancing daughter of the British statesman, Winston Churchill, Who recently f18', ured as a possible leader of a new government for the .British isles d ur ing the abdication flurry, and Victor Oliver, T7nited States actor and orchestra leader, have announced wedding bells for Deeetnber 23,