Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 91, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 February 1912 — THE SAVIOR'S TEACHINGS BROOKLYN TABERNACLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE SAVIOR'S TEACHINGS BROOKLYN TABERNACLE

DRIVEN INTO THE WILDERNESS. Mark 1,0-11; Matthew iv, 1-11 — Feb. 25. “For in mat He Himself hath suffered, being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted."—HebrewsAi, 18. OUR, STUDY for today is a most interesting one. It points to the time when Jesus reached the age of thirty and was permitted to offer HiLvself without spot to God as the world’s Sin-offering. There the Redeemer became the antitypical Passover Lamb, the antitypical bullock of the Atonement Day Sinoffering. There He gave up His life to the doing of the Father’s will; there He as the Man Jesus died: there He as the antitypical bullock was slain; tjiere He was begotten of the Holy Spirit and became the antitypical Priest—the Saerificer. Through the following three and a half years of His ministry He carried out this conse-

cration and completed it at' Calvary, crying, “It is finished!” When Jesus received the begetting Qf the Holy Spirit at His baptism it was the begetting to the divine nature, and with it ca m e great enlightenment to His mind,

as represented in the words, “And the heavens were opened unto Him.” Forthwith He could see clearly into the Divine purposes respecting Him-1 self in a manner not possible to Him prior to Ilis consecration. At Once the Master realized the full import of the Day of Atonement sacrifices, of the Passover lamb slain, of the prophecies that spoke of Himself as being led as a lamb to the slaughter, and of His being the antitype of the brazen serpent, lifted on high for the healing of Adam’s sin-bitten race. Led of the Spirit—lnto Temptation. As these thoughts began to rush into the Savior’s mind, He was first of all pressed of the spirit (His own spirit) to go apart for nwhile and to study out the full import of the Law and the Prophets and Ilis own obligations according to the Covenant He had just made. For forty days and nights Ills intense earnestness made Him oblivious to almost everything else. Apparently He neither ate nor slept until the forty days were ended; and He “afterward hungered.” Then it was that the Adversary appeared as a tempter—at the moment of His physical weakness as the result of fasting—when His soul was overwhelmed with the realization of the importance of the great contract He had made and of what it would cost Him to fulfil its terms. It was the severest test imaginable. Would the Redeemer prove loyal to God—to the Divine Program—to His covenant of consecration, unto deaths Or would He feel that the Father had poured too bitter a cup for Him—that God had made the tests of loyalty and obedience too severe—that it was neither just nor loving to allow Him to ’ enter Into such a contract? How glad we are to note the loyalty which triumphed over every temptation! With the angels we acclaim, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” To Him be glory, honor, domiuion and might everlasting! Tempted as We Are. The Savior was not tempted with the habits of a drunkard nor the weaknesses of a debauchee or a libertine, neither are those the temptations which come to us—His footstep followers. We are to remember that the Scriptures clearly differentiate between us and the world: “Ye are not of the world even as I am not of the world.” “Tempted like as we are,” therefore signifies that the temptations or trials which Jehovah permits to come upon His consecrated people are of the same kind that He permitted to come upon our Redeemer. It is important, therefore, that we

notice the character of out* tests. God is not testing us to see whether or not our flesh is perfect, for He knew alt along that amongst men th e r-e is none righteous, no, not one; The Father's tests for those whom He receives as sons are tests of loyalty to Him,

loyalty to tbe principles of righteousness, to the Truth, to the Divine methods—a refusal to take our own way or to seek our Own glory at the expense of Truth or of the Divine method. Our Lord was indignant that it should he thought for a moment that, having left the heavenly glory to do the Father’s pull. He should now prove traitor to His covenant, and for fear of the cross and the shame and the death He should enter into a confederacy with the great Arch-enemy of righteousness—Satan. He answered, "Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written: ‘Thou ‘shall worship the Lord, thv God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ I will not serve you nor co-operate with' you in any sense of the word." “Then the Devil leaveth Him," \Y* nre to resist tfce_ Adversary courageously that he may leave us permanently, seeing 1 no hope of winning us.

“Baptized of John in Jordan."

“All these things will I give .thee.”