January 9, 1949 SOURCES OF OUR KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS Luke 1:1-4; John 20:30,31; 21:25; 1 Cor. 15:3-5; 1 John 1:1-4 Pointers on the Lesson
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namely, the death, burial, and resur rection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this- instance we see that divine knowl edge is transmitted by a man who had experienced the reality of it in his own life. Accessibility to the Fountainhead We also have brought to our at tention in this passage that most of those who wrote the New Testament had actually heard the voice of Jesus, had looked into His lovely face, and had touched His person. This is as close to truth as any man can come. For Christ is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Helps for the Children Men Who Wrote of Jesus Luke 1:1-4; Mark 2:13, 14; John 20:30, 31; Col. 4:14 , Memory Verse: “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Four men, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, believed that the Holy Spirit wanted them to write the story of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew and John knew Jesus well be cause they had been His disciples. Mark and Luke knew many followers of Jesus. Matthew was a business man, Mark a young adventurer, and Luke a beloved doctor. Luke wrote his gospel because he was eager for his friend, Theophilus, to know the truth about the Saviour’s life upon the earth. It is Luke who told us the Christmas story. Because he was a doctor, he told many of the miracles of healing which the Lord Jesus performed. Each of the four writers gives us a different picture of the Son of God. It is as'though each of you visited a zoo and then wrote a story of your visit. Each of you saw the same things, but one of you enjoyed the bear pits most, another liked the monkeys, an other the bird cages, and still another, the lions and tigers. When you wrote about your trip, you each talked most about that part of the zoo in which you were most interested. So it was with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each wrote of the Lord Jesus Christ. Mat thew wrote of Him as a King, Mark as a Servant, Luke as a Man, and John as the Son of God.. Each of the writers had one main reason for writing his Gospel. John tells that reason: “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” The kindness we mean to show to morrow cannot cure today’s heartaches. The only thing that is not hard to get these days— is confused. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S O f Knowledge (I John 1:1-4)
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The source of a stream of water largely determines its usefulness. If this source is a mountain spring un touched by the filth of inhabited re gions, it may be used to quench man’s thirst and to cook his food. Otherwise it must be diverted from his use lest his life be endangered. When it comes to spiritual matters, it is even more im portant that the sources of knowledge be reputable and pure. Whence comes our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is the source trustworthy? The passages chosen for this week’s lesson deal with such questions as these and provide assurance that our belief in Christ is well founded historically. The Kind of Men God Used To Transmit Divine Knowledge (Luke 1:1-4) In Dr. Luke we have an example of the kind of men whom the Spirit of God used to make available to the world the facts concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke had been in direct con tact with those who “were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word” (2). It was not mere hearsay that he wrote. He had “perfect understanding of all things from the very first.” Luke’s record not only harmonizes with the message of the other Gospel writers; it is also in harmony with the findings of archaeology which show Luke to have been a most accurate historian. Thus his word can be depended upon. The Signs Christ Used To Enforce Divine Knowledge (John 20:30, 31; 21:25) John’s Gospel presents eight miracles or “signs” to show what kind of a person He is Whom mfen must believe in order to be saved. Can you name the eight? Each one of them was carefully selected out of the multitude which He wrought while upon earth in order to present some different aspect of His person. They are the credentials of His Sonship and show the nature of His person. The verse, 21:25, suggests how little of the ministry of Jesus was put into writing, only enough to pro duce faith, not any more lest men’s minds become confused and miss the essential thing. The Method God Used To Proclaim His Message (1 Cor. 15:3-5) The passage before us shows how God put into the heart of a man His own message. Then man proclaimed it. In Galatians 1:11,12, Paul shows that the message was not his own. It was “not after man;” it came by “rev elation.” God revealed His Son in-Paul. After that he could not help but de liver the message of God’s Son to others. The great points in this mes sage are set forth in these verses,
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By Cecilia M argaret Rudin, M. A. WHAT is America’s most popu lar radio hymn? WHICH of blind Fanny Crosby's 8000 hymns is best known? WHO was this writer: “ His Pen was tipped with flame” ? WHERE was “ Onward Christian Soldiers” first sung?
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