SS3
October, 1939
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
INTERNATIONAL LESSON Commentary Outline and Exposition Blackboard Lesson Childrens Division Object Lesson Golden Text Illustration By B. B. S utcliffe By G retchen S ibley By H elen G ailey By E lmer L. W ilder By A lan S. P earce Points and Problems B y A lva J. M c C lain , President of Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind.
other men (cf. Lk. 18:11, 12; Phil. 3: 4-6). In the light of the so-called righteous ness of the Pharisees, our Lord’s state ment was startling. To these Pharisees He said, in effect, “Except your right eousness exceed that of the best man upon earth, ye cannot enter the king dom.” There is just. One who can meet this high standard, and that One is our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence if any other would enter the kingdom, the righteous ness of Christ must be obtained. Thank God, it may be obtained as a free gift of grace. II. E xhibiting L ife (38-45) Righteousness does not depend upas the existence of law. God is righteous, law or no law. Law deals with the out ward man, life deals with the inward man; and the character of God, which is both holy and gracious, springs from His life. Hence our Lord taught that if one has within him the life of the Father, that life will be revealed in graciousness. Our Lord was not teach ing that in order to become a child of of the Father, one must obtain merit by observing certain practices (vs. 40-42), Tile obtaining of life, whereby one be comes a child of the Father, is possible only through one’s acceptance by faith of the gift of grace (Eph. 2:8, 9). Until that life is accepted, there can be no true righteousness nor true fulfillment of even the least of the law’s commands. III. E xcluding P ride (6:1-4) Perhaps nowhere else is the pride of the natural man more in evidence than in the exercise of charity. Gifts are given to perpetuate a man’s name, to gain favorable notice from neighbors, or for some other reason to feed the pride of fallen human nature. In this lesson, in the discussion of almsgiving, the strong word “hypocrite” is used, which then signified an actor. Literally, the hypo crite was one who donned a mask, alt ered his real appearance, and acted a part which was not his own. The true almsgiver is the one who gives as unto the Lord, expecting no praise from men. To such a one the reward will be as open as his almsgiving is secret. Points and Problems 1. “Think not that I am come to . . . (Matt. 5:17). From the time that the Son of God came into the world, men have been speculating as to Why He came, and have been making blunders about the matter. Today throughout Christendom, just as In His day, reli-
NOVEMBER 5, 1939 RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE KINGDOM M atthew 5:17 to 6:18
Outline and Exposition L E xalting the L aw (5:17-20) I N THIS lesson the Lord Jesus Christ maintains the sacredness of the law, declaring that He had come to fulfill it. The law is righteous, and our Lord’s relation to righteousness is here demon strated. The perfect accuracy of the law is indicated by reference to the “jot” and “tittle,” the smallest marks of the He brew language, like the dotting of the “i” or crossing of the “t” in the Eng lish (cf. Matt. 24:35; Lk. 21:31, 32). It is declared that not even one of these small marks shall be expunged till all be fulfilled. Though heaven and earth should pass away, the law, in all its parts, will be fulfilled. The law is perfect in all its parts. It is implied that disregard of “the least” will bring judgment as quickly and as certainly as will disregard of the great est commandment. When one considers what some of these seemingly minor commands were, it is clear that no per son is guiltless, but all are convicted and condemned. For example, the law declared that no fire was to be made on the Sabbath day, on pain of death; one who cursed, taking the name of God in vain, was to be stoned to death; ass and ox must not be yoked together; wool and cotton must not be used in the 'same garment (cf. Ex. 35:2; Lev. 24:1- 16; Num. 15:37-40; Deut. 22:6-12). More over, not content with the many stipu lations contained in the God-given law, the Pharisees invented over six hundred other precepts, and prided themselves in their observance of them all. Thus, judged by outward evidences, the Phari sees were the most righteous of all peo ple; one of them could truthfully say that he was more punctilious in his ob servance of religious requirements than BLACKBOARD LESSON •&EHETHEREFORE PERFECT. EUERFISHOUR FF1THE&UJHICH IS Ui HEFlUEn 15PERFECT." —m,TT. s:4&-----------n -------
M a tth e w 5:1 7 T h in k n o t t h a t I am com e to d e s tr o y th e la w , o r th e p r o p h e ts : I am n o t c o m e to d e s tr o y , b u t to fu lfil. 18 F o r v e r ily I s a y u n to y o u , T ill h e a v e n a n d e a r t h p a s s , o n e j o t o r o n e t i t t l e s h a ll in n o w is e p a s s fro m th e la w , ti ll a ll b e f u lfille d . 19 W h o s o e v e r th e r e f o r e s h a ll b r e a k o n e o f th e s e le a s t c o m m a n d m e n ts , a n d s h a ll te a c h m e n so , h e s h a ll b e c a lle d th e le a s t in th e k in g d o m o f h e a v e n : b u t w h o . s o e v e r s h a ll d o a n d te a c h th e m , th e s a m e s h a ll b e c a lle d g r e a t in th e k in g d o m o f h e a v e n . 20 F o r I s a y u n to y o u . T h a t e x c e p t y o u r r ig h te o u s n e s s s h a ll e x c e e d *he r i g h t e o u s n e s s o f th e s c rib e s a n d P h a r is e e s , y e s h a ll in n o c a s e e n t e r in to th e k in g d o m o f h e a v e n . 98 Y e h a v e h e a r d t h a t i t h a t h b e e n s a id . A n e y e f o r a n e y e , a n d a to o th f o r a to o th : 39 B u t I s a y u n to y o u . T h a t y e r e s is t n o t e v il: b u t w h o s o e v e r s h a ll s m ite th e e o n th y r i g h t c h e e k , t u r n to h im th e o th e r a ls o . 40 A n d if a n y m a n w ill s u e th e e a t th e la w , a n d t a k e a w a y t h y c o a t, l e t h im h a v e th y c lo a k a ls o . ,4 1 ' A n d w h o s o e v e r s h a ll c om p e l th e e to g o a m ile , g o w ith h im tw a in . 42 G iv e to h im t h a t ask e tf? th e e , a n d fro m h im t h a t w o u ld b o r r o w o f th e e tu r n n o t th o u a w a y . 43 Y e h a v e h e a r d t h a t it h a th b e e n s a id . T h o u s h a lt lo v e th y n e ig h b o r, a n d h a te th in e en em y . 44 B u t I s a y u n to y o u , L o v e y o u r e n e m ie s . b le s s th e m t h a t c u r s e y o u , d o g o o d to th e m t h a t h a t e y o u , a n d p r a y f o r th e m w h ic h d e s p ite f u lly u s e y o u , a n d p e rs e c u te , y o u : 45 T h a t y e m a y h e th e c h ild r e n o f y o u r F a t h e r w h ic h is in h e a v e n : f o r h e m a k e th h is s u n to r is « o n th e e v il a n d o n th e g o o d , a n d s e n d e th r a i n o n th e ju s t a n d o n th e u n ju s t. 8 :1 T a k e h e e d t h a t y e d o n o t y o u r a lm s b e fo re m e n . to b e s e e n o f th *» m : o th e rw is e y e h a v e n o r e w a r d o f y o u r F a t h e r w h ic h if in h e a v e n . 2 T h e re f o r e w h e n th o u d o e s t th in e a lm s , d o h o t s o u n d a tr u m n e t b e fo re th e e , a s th e h y p o c r ite s do in th e s y n a g o g u e s a n d in th e s tr e e t s , t h a t th e y m a y h a v e g lo r y o f m e n . V e rily I s a y u n to y o u . T h e y h a v e t h e i r re w a r d . 3 B u t w h e n th o u d o e s t a lm s , le t n o t th y le f t h a n d k n o w w h a t th y r i g h t h a n d d o e th : 4 T h a t th i n e a lm s m a y b e in s e c r e t: a n d th y F a t h e r w h ic h s e e th *n s e c r e t h im s e lf s h a ll r e w a r d th e e o p e n ly . ■LESSON T E X T : M a tt. 5 :1 7-20, 38 -4 5 : 6:1 -4. G O LD EN T E X T : “B e y e th e r e f o r e .p e r f e c t ,'e v e n a s y o u * F a t h e r w h i c h is In h e a v e n is p e r f e c t” iM a tt- 5:4SY. D EV O T IO N A L R E A D IN G : M a tt. 6 :9 -15. {These lessons are developed from outlines prepared bp the Committee on Improved Uniform Lessons of the In ternational Council. The outlines are copyrighted by the International Coun cil of Religious Education and used by permission. 7 he Scripture Portions quoted are from the King James Ver sion unless otherwise stated.J-
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