of their separation from the chaff. Unquenchable fire must mean the fire which cannot be extinguished or over- come by any lapse of time. These are solemn words of John—Bear them home upon the hearts of scholars. The contrast between the works of John and Christ is marked. John a voice; Jesus the "Word (Jno. 1:1). John decreased and Jesus increased (John 3: 30). John was sent (Jno. 1:20). Jesus was Christ. John a witness of the Light (John 1:7); Jesus the Light. John the friend; Jesus the bridegroom (John 3:29). There are many lessons growing out of the imagery—vipers, stones, trees, ax, fan, fruit, wheat, water, fire, etc. PRACTICAL POINTS. (1) John was sent from God with a summons to the souls of men. (2) Neither forms nor ceremonies of the Pharisees, nor doubts or denials of the Saducees satisfied the conscience. (3) If you follow the finger of proph- ecy it will point to Christ. (4) The fruit of real repentance will be found in conviction, contrition, con- fession and conversion. (5) If your words are not weighed with a well lived life, they will be as the tinkle of the cmybal. LESSON II. JANUARY 9, 1910. THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS. Matt. 3:13-17, 4:1-11. OUTLINE. (1) The Divine Testimony to the Deity of Jesus. (2) The Devil's Threefold Test of the Son of God. Two lessons in one—either full enough for an hour's consideration. It will be difficult to do justice to both. (1) DIVINE TESTIMONY. "This is my Beloved Son." John had been preaching for some six months. Multitudes had responded to his call to repentance. Now Jesus pre- sents Himself for baptism. Why Was He Baptized? He needed no repentance: He had no sins to con- fess: He did not permit it as a mere form. John's baptism was from Heaven (Matt. 21:25). Jesus desired to fulfill all righteousness—to be subject to God's ordinances. In infancy He was circum- cised—Mary was purified—He went with His parents to the temple. At Bethabara Israel crossed the Jordan and passed into the Promised Land. Joshua succeeded Moses—now Jesus is
t y any external rites. The Jews were \ rithin the sphere but not into the King- c om, so God calls for a repentance v rhich should be unto life. Repentance was preached by Christ (Matt. 4:17), My Peter (Acts 2:38), by Paul to the (»entiles (Acts 26:20), and is implied in every true Gospel message—for no 0 Qe can be saved who does not change his attitude toward God, turning from t he old and turning to the new. Many Pharisees and Saducees —Why did they eome? The Pharisees pro- fossed to be the leaders in spiritual things. Did they need to repent? The Saducees denied the resurrection and s airit—they certainly did not need to b e concerned about future punishment. J ohn had sized them up and saw the s hallow pretense of their profession. He dalled them vipers —the emblem of de- « eit and wickedness. They might de- ceive the people, but they could not deceive John. They may have been 1 laying politics as some men do when tlhey join the church, but John demand- ed the proof of fruit. The ax at the root of the tree was significant. The tree was marked for removal. Israel was the tree (Isa. 10: 3 3-34; Dan. 4:11—20-23). It was also fflri individual matter. The life deter- nkined the character of the fruit. Is- rael 's assumption that because they were the children of Abraham, there- fare they were entitled to the heritage ok Abraham, is swept away by John, *rho assures them that God could do Better with stones. fl3) THE MISSION OF THE ME3- / SIAH. "He will baptize with the \ Holy Ghost." I John proclaims the coming Christ as tJhe mighty man and himself as un- worthy as a servant to carry his san- dals. John's baptism was with water, bait the Mightier One would baptize \fith the Spirit and fire. .John's bap- tism was preparatory to the real one by Vyhich believers would be baptized by ofne Spirit into one body (1 Cor. 12:13). •I John no doubt had in mind Ezekiel SlB:25-27 and Matt. 3:2, where both water and fire are used as symbols of purification. May it not mean that those who are baptized by the Spirit | | e the purified ones and those baptized t y fire are the lost ones? The fan is a figure of the winnowing work of Christ. Hand expresses per- sonal agency in judgment. Floor sug- gests the sphere of the Lord's action in this world. His wheat speaks of pro- prietorship over those who are His and
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