November, 1936
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seen, you would be able to find in this dic tionary sufficient words with which to de scribe them. Beyond the power of this dic tionary’s words to describe, and more beau tiful than all the sights you have ever seen, are the glories of heaven. Then, suppose you wanted to tell your frfend of some wonderful things about which you had heard. Again, you would be able to find words in the dictionary that would properly describe these other won ders, although they might be the most start ling you had ever known. The things of heaven are more wonderful than the ear of man has ever heard. Now, after you have seen some wonder ful things, and have heard of things more wonderful than you have seen, suppose you try to imagine possessions which are still more wonderful. You doubtless could find words in this dictionary which would de scribe your imaginations; but better than the descriptive words in this dictionary, and the wildest imaginations of the human mind, are the things which God has pre pared for those that love Him. No dic tionary contains words powerful enough to tell of the glories of heaven. Heaven is a wonderful place. The things of earth will seem as nothing when we re ceive those things which God has prepared for us. cause of His own need that He sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The sins of man must be atoned for righteously be fore God can be satisfied, and that for the very reason that God is love. Sentiment can be satisfied unrighteously, but it is not so with love. Sentiment by spoiling its ob ject, can avoid its own hurt, but God’s love bears all the hurt in order that the heart of God can be forever satisfied. II. T he C haracter of L ove (11-14). The inward character of real love is such that it cannot be restrained, whatever may be the unlovable condition of its object. God loved us when we were dead in sins, filled with enmity against Him, and ready to slay His Son. Christians, then, possess ing God’s nature ought to love one another regardless of the unlovable condition seen or felt in one another (v. 11). The word “if” in this verse has the force or meaning of “since.” “No man hath beheld God at any time” (R. V.), but “if we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and,” of necessity, “his love is perfected in us” (v. 12). We are not to try to work up a substitute for love, but simply to allow the new nature derived from God to master and control us, with the result that God Himself will dwell within us, daily manifesting Himself in a very practical way. This experimental outworking of the new nature will bring assurance of the presence of God within (v. 13), for it will be the presence of the Holy Spirit who will reproduce and trans late what is of God within the believer. The fact that the Father sent the Son to be
night there. And, most important of all, we shall be forever with the Lord.
fectly natural it was, therefore, that John, before outlining his visions, should declare that he was divinely transported into that “day” for the purpose of seeing its events. Golden Text Illustration In friendly conversation, a French gen eral said to a British general, “You won Waterloo, but it cost you a great deal.” “Ah, but it cost you more, for it cost you a Napoleon,” replied the British officer. The great victory on Calvary cost the life of the Victor, who died that “through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). But, unlike Napoleon, the Victor is risen to die no more forever (cf. Rev. 1:18). —lflOO Tales Worth Telling, by Pickering. When John Saw Jesus Again J ohn 14:1-4; R evelation 1:4-18; 3:2-22 Memory Verse: “The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2 Tim. 2:19). Approach: We have been talking about the life of the great Apostle Paul, about his missionary journeys and his traveling to Rome, and about the wonderful letters followers of Jesus. John is sometimes called “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” It was he who wrote down the words which Jesus said to His disciples on that night when He was having His last talk with them. He knew that the disciples were troubled because He had told them that He must leave them, and therefore He spoke these encouraging words which John wrote in his Gospel: “Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Lesson Story: Just before John died, God gave him a vision of this beautiful place that Jesus is preparing. He wrote down what he saw, and we can read about it when we turn to the last book in the Bible, Revelation. Every one wants to know about the fu ture. What happens after death? No man who has died has ever been able.to come back and tell us. Only Jesus, the Man who was God, was able to do that, and when He arose from the dead He said very little about the place where He had been. He knew that in the few days that He re mained on earth it was more important to tell His disciples to go throughout the world and to preach that Christ died, and rose, and went back to heaven to prepare a place for those who would believe that He had died for their sins. God gave John this vision of heaven. He tells us that there is no sorrow, and no which he wrote to his friends and to the churches. Today we are going to talk about the disciple of Jesus who lived the longest, and the book in the Bible which he wrote just before he died. John was one of the three disciples who were the closest
Object Lesion A B ig B ook Object: A large dictionary. (Wrap in paper.) Lesson: Who can guess what is in this package? I will give you a hint. It is a book which is supposed to have everything in it. “It must be a dictionary.” Yes, you are right. It is a dictionary. This book has hundreds of thousands of words in it, many of which most people never use, or understand. This dictionary has much in it, but not enough to tell of the wonders of heaven. If you were to write a letter to a friend about some beautiful sights which you had Golden Text: “Glory to God in the high est, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Lk. 2:14). Outline and Exposition ' I. T he C enter of L ove (7-10). W E should keep in mind the fact that there is a fundamental difference between love and sentiment. Senti ment is common to all men, even to fallen men, but love is essentially of and in God; hence, one who is not born of God cannot know the meaning of real love, divine love. It is, therefore, to Christians only that the words of our lesson can apply. The exhor tation to “love one another” (v. 7) would fall upon the ears of the unsaved without meaning. The reason for such an exhorta tion is in the fact that God is love. Be cause of this truth, every one that loves is born of God and knows God. The nature imparted at the new birth is one of love. “He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love” (v. 8):" It is impossible to awaken that love within oneself, for it is the natural consequence of the new birth. It is tantamount to saying that he that is not born again knows not God. The love of God manifested itself when the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth (vs. 9, 10; cf. Eph. 2:4, 5). God, because He is love, could act in no other way than to send His Son that we might live through Him; His nature permitted no other action. In verse 10 we may discern what love really is and does: “Not that we loved God, but that he loved us,” inferring that it was not so much because of our need but be
DECEMBER 20, 1936 THE SUPREME GIFT OF LOVE 1 J ohn 4:7-19
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