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TH E K I N G ’ S BU S I NE S S
eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the1mote that is in thy brother’s $ye. 43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. . 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which Is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which-. Is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. LESSON TEXT: Matt. 7:7-12; Lk. 6:39-45. GOLDEN TEXT : “ And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John .8:32). DEVOTIONAL READING: Prov. 3:13-26. Outline and Exposition I. T h e D is c ip l in e o f P r a y e r ( M a t t . 7:7-12) RUE dependence upon God will assure answers to the believer’s prayers (vs. 7, 8). When one is rightly related to thè L o r d Jesus Christ, to ask will be to receive; to knock, to find the door opened; and to seek will be to .find. The Lord Jesus Christ illustrated the benefits that come through prayer by referring to the treatment human fathers give their children. They do not give stones for bread, nor serpents for fish (vs. 9-11). How much more careful and generous will the heavenly Father be! However‘ sometimes God’s
gifts do not appear to be the things for which request has been made. For instance, when patience is asked, tribu lation is often' given, because “ tribula tion worketh patience” (Rom. 5:3). The package in which patience is sent is trouble, and because the wrappings do not look as though they contained \the desired object, the gift too often is spurhed. To possess the spirit of true dependence upon God will result in one’s trusting of the heavenly Father, even in the face of adverse appear ances. This prayer passage, as all' others, must be regulated by the all-inclusive one, “If we ask, any thing according to his w i l l . we know we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14,15). II. T h e D is c ip l in e o f S e l f -J u d g m e n t ( L k . 6:39-42) The one who is truly educated, spir itually, will exercise rigid self-judg ment. The ignorant are blind leaders, without self-judgment, who lead their disciples into the ditch into which they themselyes fall. This blindness issues in intolerance, which is nothing more nor less than failure to see one’s own faults, because one is occupied with another’s faults. The discipline of self-judgment is need ed to cast out one’s own “beam” , be fore removing another’s “mote.”
f h i . T h e D is c ip l in e o f F r u it B ea r in g ( L k . 6:43-45) The educated, or spiritually mature Christian, will produce good fruit. As in the case in nature, so it is with man. Figs do not grow on thorns, nor grapes on brambles; good men do not produce1 evil fruit, nor evil men good fruit. The character of the man gives character to the fruit. The heart, or the inner man, is the. bearer of the fruit, whether it be good or bad. The lips may speak, or the hands work, but these are only mani festations of the heart within. Hence, one needs spiritual “educa tion” if the spirit of dependence upon God is to be fostered and answers to prayer obtained; if true self-judgment is to be exercised and tolerance ac quired; and if the heart is to be sound,, and good fruit produced. Education apart from the discipline of depend ence, or without the exercise of self- judgment, or void of fruit that God counts as good, is something with no profit. Ultimately it issues in produc ing that Which is evil in the sight of God. Religion in much of our modern edu cation leads away from rather than toward the things of wljich the Lord Jesus spoke. But the constant exer cise of the discipline of prayer, of self judgment, and of fruit bearing, will bring one into right relation with Christ and into a position of obedience to His Word. Points arid Problems 1. ; "Ask . . . seek . . . knock” (Matt. 7:7). These three verbs suggest with vivid imagery the attitude of the ear nest supplicant. He should ask even as the beggar who is destitute asks for the supply of his need. This word sug gests simple dependence. He should seek even as one who has lost some precious treasure and earnestly desires its recovery. This word expresses a great longing. He should knock even as one who stands, before a closed door and is desirous of entrance to a friendly fireside for fellowship. The word suggests fellowship or commun ion. The promise in connection with the proper use of these words is that in each case there shall be a gracious response'. What an encouragement to prayer! *. 2. "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you. do ye even so to them" (Matt. 7:12). Is the golden rule sufficient as a way of salvation? Many profess to think so. But it should be clearly noted that these words were not given for un saved people. They were given to those who were already saved, born-again folks. These words are a part of the Sermon on the Mount given by our I
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DR. WILBUR M. SMITH, editor of Pelou.bet’s Select Notes, etc. — “In addition to sound scholarship, Mr. Wiiest brings to his study of the Word a rich experimental knowl edge of the work of the Holy Spirit and, what is rare among Greek students, a fine grasp of the great principles of God’s prophetic program for the ages.” “No one could quarrel with the accuracy and the clarity with which the author ‘offers to the Bible student who has no knowledge of Greek, and who has had no formal training in Bible study,’ some data that has hitherto been denied him .”—Harvard Divinity School Bulletin. WM. B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING CO. 234 Pearl St., N. W . Grand Rapids 2, Mich.
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