Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

eceive."
prayer."
us."
sober."
and spit in His face and make fun of
Him. But Jesus was bound and couldn't
defend Himself if He had wanted to.
While these things were happening to
Jesus, Peter was watching. Three times
someone accused him of being a dis
ciple of Jesus and each time Peter said
he didn't even know- Him. The third
time the rooster crowed and Jesus
turned and looked on Peter. Peter saw
that look. It was such a look as made
Peter go out and weep bitterly. He was
so sorry about how he had denied Jesus.
The Jews couldn't kill anyone. The
Romans were rulers over the Jews and
had taken this authority away from
them. So Jesus had to be taken before
Pilate, the Roman ruler. Again the Jews
accused Jesus of saying that He is God
and Pilate marveled that Jesus an
swered nothing. Pilate was not a Jew
and didn't care anything
about this re
ligious trial. He thought he could get
out of it by sending Him to another
ruler, Herod. But Herod found no reason
why Jesus should die and he sent Him
back to Pilate. Pilate made several weak
attempts to free Jesus. Finally he
thought of a plan. Surely it would work.
It was the custom for Pilate to release
a Jewish prisoner at the time of the
Passover. Pilate reminded the Jews of
this and offered to release either Jesus
or a very, very wicked man, Barabbas.
Surely they would ask for Jesus to be
freed because if Barabbas were released
he would go about robbing and stealing
and killing. But, No! The Jews asked for
Barabbas to be released and wanted Je
sus to be crucified. So Pilate command
ed that Jesus be crucified. But first they
beat Jesus on His bare back. Then they
made fun of Him and dressed Him up to
represent a king, but for a crown they
used long, sharp thorns and pushed it
down on His head until the blood ran
down His face. Then,
after such a hard
night, and with His back and head
bleeding, they compelled Jesus to carry
a heavy cross. After nailing His hands
and feet to the cross, they set the cross
upright, dropping it into the hole they
had dug.
Seven times are recorded when Jesus
spoke while on the cross. Read Luke
23:34, 43; John 19:26 and 27, 28; Mark
15:34; John 19:30 and Luke 23:46. One
of these sayings was "It is finished."
What was finished Jesus paid for the
sins of all who will accept Jesus' death
on the cross. Jesus worked out our sal
vation by His life and by His death.
"The wages of sin is death; but the gift
of God is
eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord." He is offering this gift
of salvation to us today. Have you re
ceived this gift of
for your sins
Jesus'
punishment
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON
March 20, 1955
(Lessons based on International Sunday Schooi
Lessons ; the International Bible Lessons for
Christian Teaching, copyrighted by International
Council of Religious Education.)
Rev. W. J. McBurney
CHRISTIAN LIVING
TEMPERANCE
Acts 20:17-35; Rom. 6:12-14; Eph. 5:1-
21; Col. 3:1-11; Thess. 4:1-8; Peter 1:13-
16; I John 2:1-17.
PRINTEDActs 20:17, 18, 24, 35-38;
Col. 2:5-11; I Thess. 4:1-8; I John 2:1-6
Memory: I Peter 1:15, 16 "But as He
which hath called you is holy, so be ye
holy in all manner of conversation; be
cause it is written, Be ye holy; for I am
holy."
It is unusual to see the subject,
Temperance, where there is no reference
to alcohol. We talk so much about the
wickedness of alcoholic
intemperance
(the sin of other folks,) that we over
look the meaning of the word, which is
self
control. How about a temperance
pledge requiring total abstinence from
wrath, strife, and the other vices that
rival alcohol as a disturber of peace,
happiness and prosperity
Acts 20:17
Paul called the elders of Ephesus to
come to Miletus for a conference. This
was in some points like a meeting of
Presbytery. He reminded them of what
they had been taught, and urged them
to be faithful. It was his last meeting
with them, and his last recorded words
of his address were words of
Jesus,
pointing them to a happier manner of
life than was common among them.
"It is more blessed to give
than to
After Paul had prayed with
them, they bade him a sad farewell and
helped him on his way.
Col. 3:5
Mortify, put to death, kill. What
Your members that fulfill evil desires
which belong to the earth, in opposition
to the affections that are set on things
that are above referred to in v. 2. The
influences that drag down to a low
plane, away from the high plane that
is set for Christian living, should be
destroyed. As the subject Temperance
suggests, we must not let ourselves run
wild, but should keep ourselves under
control. An auto on the highway is a
terrible thing if it is not under control.
Most of our vices are perverted virtues.
It makes every difference whether our
talents are used for good or evil. Most
sins are habit forming, keep leading
to sin. Paul warns us to kill those
members, motives, habits in us which
drag our talents down to the low level
of earthliness.
Paul is speaking to those who have
lived in the influence of Greek idolatry
and sin. In verses 5,8,9, he gives a list
of sins that were commonplace among
the Greeks, and too common among
Christians, and that bring "the wrath
of God." We are to live as new creatures
in Christ,
and there is no respect of race
or condition of birth.
"
please
. . . . how
God."
I Thess. 4:1
ye ought to walk to
Eastern philosophy cen
tered in pleasing self. The human body
was not valued for any other purpose,
but was looked on rather as an evil
thing
except as it ministered to one's
pleasure. Paul emphasises the Christian
motive, to please God. Paul pointed out
the high dignity of Christian personality.
The Lord told Ananias that Paul was a
chosen vessel to bear His name before
the gentiles and kings and the child
ren of Israel (Acts 9:15). And Paul
writing to the Corinthians (II Cor. 4:7),
speaks of the priceless treasure God has
entrusted to him to carry to them, even
"the light of the knowledge of the Glory
of God." He writes, "But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels,
that the
excellency of the power may be of God,
and not of Even fallen humanity
can be cleansed to serve as a vessel to
carry priceless treasures. A vessel
though earthen, may be clean. Paul
sees the Gospel as reaching far beyond
the felicity of the Christian. The Chris
tian's highest honor is to be trusted
as a vessel to carry the precious treas
ure, message, to others. So Paul urges
personal cleanliness, "That each one of
you may
know how to possess himself
of his own vessel in sanctification and
honor."
Though we
are but earthen
vessels we are to carry a treasure that
is beyond price, (v. 8).
I Peter 1:18
This is assigned for reading, but is
not printed. It has a companion word
for temperance that is worthy of our
notice. "Therefore, gird up the loins
of your mind, be
On this word
sober, I quote from Donald MacKenzie;
"On its positive side, it is the watchful,
alert state of the soul which knows that
the day of Christ has already dawned,
the earnest expectation of the coming
of the Master. The prayerful, hopeful,
longing spirit of love for the coming
of the full day of Christ. It is opposed
on the one hand to the slumber of the
drunkard, and on the other to the list
less stupor that is characteristic of the
half awakened .... The
Christian
soldier is armed against that by a life
of sobriety, of righteousness, of long
ing
I John 2:1-16
John tells us of the love and mercy
of God, not that we may feel that it is
possible to continue in sin and be for
given, but that we sin not. Jesus Christ,
our advocate with the Father, is right-
140
THE COVENANTER WITNESS