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TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
September, 1939
than doing; the doing rises out of what one Is at heart. When we exam ine these words of our Lord honestly, we discover that He alone can fulfill them; they contain, as does all this “Sermon on the Mount,” a full-length portrait of Himself, and hence it is His own character that forms the stand ard for the kingdom. Study the treatment to be expected (vs. 10, 11). The world welcomes nei ther the true righteousness nor its mani festation. The Lord Jesus here gives a hint of the coming rejection of Him self, the righteous One. II. T heir P urpose (12-15) The preservation of the world depends upon the presence' of the Lord’s people; they are the salt of the earth. And the spiritual light of the world depends upon their presence; they are the light of the world.' Our Lord Himself was both the salt and the light, as long as He was in the world; now He is gone, and the preserving power and the spir itual illumination of the world depend upon His people who are left in the world. We sometimes complain about the widespread sinfulness and immoral ity of the world; but we might well ask ourselves whether such a condition would prevail if the %alt had not lost
came to give men a new and easier law—expressed in the “Sermon on the Mount”—which they could keep and thus be saved. Let us note several things about this sermon. 1. The Sermon on the Mount is not a new law at all. It is rather a divine and spiritual interpretation of the Mo saic Law. It reaffirmed the Mosaic Law instead of abrogating it as some have claimed. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law . . Christ declared in the sermon itself. “Who soever therefore shall break one of these least commandments . . . shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:17, 19). Here our Lord makes it plain that His Sermon on the Mount included the entire Mosaic Law down to the very “least” of its commandments, with only those few changes and em phases clearly specified by Himself therein. As the original Giver of the Law, He had a right to make these changes, but where He has not spoken, the original .Law must be left intact. The same idea is taught in Matthew 7:12, where Christ summarizes all that He has been teaching about man’s duty to man in what is called the Golden Rule, and then adds, “For this is the law and the prophets.” Therefore, the Sermon on the Mount, according to the word of the One who gave it, is simply a reaffirmation of the Law and prophets of the Old Testament. 2. The Sermon on the Mount was given to show the inward and spiritual meaning of God’s Law to men who had lost sight off that meaning. The Phari sees, who knew most about the letter of the Law and were most zealous for it, had completely missed its real signi ficance. Seeing onlySts external aspect, they had come to believe that they had kept the Law if they only kept them selves from committing any of the out ward acts which it forbade. And it was the Lord’s purpose to show these men that the Law could be broken in thought as well as in act. The Sermon on the Mount is divine law raised to the nth degree of convicting and death dealing potency. 3. Therefore, -the Sermon on the Mount was not given as a way of salva tion. Those who suppose they can be saved by keeping its precepts are mak ing a tragic blunder. If any one has any doubt on this point, let him take this Sermon and read it prayerfully on his knees, and he will come away cry ing, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” It is only men blinded by the illusion of their own self-righteousness who can take the Sermon on the Mount and com placently adopt it as a way of salvation. Golden Text Illustration M atthew 5:16 Many a man or woman has borne elo quent witness to his Christian faith by
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its savor! And we sometimes complain about the spiritual darkness and ignor ance of the world, but would this sad state exist if Christians’ “light” were not “under a bushel” ? m. T heir E xhortation (16) “Let” your light so shine that men may “see,” and “see” in such fashion as to give glory to our Father in heaven, instead of glorifying the light holder. We are to “allow” the light, wherewith we are lighted, to shine forth, and the only possible way that this may be done is by “good” works, holding forth the Word of life (Phil. 2:12-16). Points and Problems A very popular fallacy is the notion that since the Law of Moses proved too hard for men to keep, therefore Christ
Christian Service Songs Every hymn included in this fascinating new book had to pass a rigid test for sing- ability, character, phraseology, quality and adaptability. 312 hymns were selected from thousands of available copyrights and the re sult is a decided different hymn book! It is keyed into the tempo of TODAY . . . into the changing rhythm and lilt that the new generation demands. This new contribution catches step mu sically with the tempo and rhythm of the great youth movement of America. Christian Service Songs is offered as the most up-to-date book on the market! * An unusually attractive book—Brown Lacqroid leather ette cover, waterproof and easily cleaned. Title stamped in gold. Per copy postpaid—50c; 100 copies not postpaid— $40.00. Heavy Bristol Paper—single copy 35c; 100 copies $25.00 not postpaid. Complete orchestrations. SEND NOW for your examination copy. Test this new book yourself! See the great collection of material offered for your tise.
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