388
T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
October, 1939
into his glory as one of the greatest painters of his day, this same woman, Whose influence made itself felt in every picture he painted, reminded him, "Re member, son, that you were a Christian before you were a painter.” A Christian first! This is the advice that every child of God must heed. Whether we are business people or pro fessional people, whether in the family, the factory, or the field, $?e must be Christians first.—W. E. Biederwolf. MEMORY VERSE: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father” (Jas. 1:17). APPROACH: Our story last week was about how the Lord Jesus told His followers to act. Our story today is about this, too. Jesus had many things to tell His followers, those men who had left everything to follow Him. He must to their homes and earn money for fu ture needs! Jesus had something to say about this, too. LESSON STORY: He said something like this: “Don’t lay up treasures on this earth. All of the treasures you collect upon this earth may disappear in a minute. Lay up t r e a s u r e s in heaven.” What did He mean by laying up treasures in heaven? I think that He meant showing others the way to get to heaven and living, ourselves, the way He told people to live. Then He went on to tell them not to be anxious about tlie things of this world, not to worry about what they should have to eat or what they should have to wear. He told them to look at the birds in the sky and the flowers in the field. They just let God provide things for them. And He does provide, because He knows what they need. In this same way, our heavenly Father knows what His children need. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” 5 - D i v i s i o n Outdoors with Jesus M atthew 6:19-34 h a v e known that sometimes t h e y began to wonder whether following Him was such a g o o d thing after all. Would they al ways have a bed to s l e e p on and food to eat? Per haps it would be better to go back
5 T h o u h y p o c rite , f i r s t c a s t o u t th e b e am o u t o f th in e o w n e y e ; a n d th e n » h a lt th o u s e e c le a r ly to c a s t o u t th e m o te o u t o f th y b r o th e r ’s ey e. 6 G iv e n o t t h a t w h ic h is h o ly u n to th e d o g s , n e i th e r c a s t y e y o u r p e a r ls b e fo re sw in e , le s t th e y tr a m p le th e m u n d e r t h e i r f e e t, a n d t u r n a g a in a n d r e n d y o u . 7 A sk , a n d i t s h a ll b e g iv e n y o u ; s e e k , a n d y e s h a ll f in d ; k n o c k , a n d it, s h a ll b e o p e n e d u n to y o u : - 8 F o r e v e ry o n e t h a t a s k e t h r e c e iv e th ; a n d h e t h a t s e e k e th f in d e th ; a n d to h im t h a t k n o c k e th i t s h a ll b e o p en ed . 9 O r w h a t n u n is th e r e o f y o u , w h om if h is s o n a s k w re a d , w ill h e g iv e h im i s to n e ? 10 O r i f h e a s k a fis h , w ill h e g iv e h im a s e r p e n t? 11 I f y e th e n , b e in g e v il, k n o w h o w to g iv e g o o d ' g if t s u n to y o u r c h ild re n , h o w m u c h m o re s h a ll y o u r F a t h e r w h ic h is in h e a v e n g iv e g o o d th in g s to 't h e m t h a t a s k h im ? 12 T h e re f o r e a ll th i n g s w h a ts o e v e r y e w o u ld t h a t m a n s h o u ld d o to y o u , d o y e e v e n s o to th em * f o r th is is th e la w a n d th e p ro p h e ts . 13 E n t e r y e In a t th e s t r a i t g a t e : f o r w id e Is th e g a te , a n d b ro a d is th e w a y , t h a t le a d e th to d e s tr u c tio n , a n d m a n y th e r e b e w h ic h g o in th e re a t* 14 B e c a u s e s t r a i t is th e g a te , a n d n a r r o w is th e w a y , w h ic h le a d e th u n to life , a n d fe w th e r e b e t h a t f in d It. LE SSO N T E X T * M a tt. 7*1 -14 . G O LD EN T E X T * “A n d a s y e w o u ld t h a t m e n s h o u ld do to y o u , d o y e a ls o to th e m lik e w is e ” (L k . 6*31). D EV O T IO N A L R EA D IN G * ' M a tt. 7 :2 4-27. Outline and Exposition I. T he W arnings (1-6) "¥" TTUMAN experience reveals a con- I 1 I tinual need for the warnings I 1 that open Matthew 7. Much of failure in the church today could be avoided if these words were heeded. 1. Against Censoriousness (1-5). Our Lord warns against the natural tendency to sit in judgment upon others and their actions. On our part, the virtues of others must be sought rather than their faults. Moreover, when self judgment is properly exercised, there will be little time left for one’s judging of others. The judgment given to others in a condemnatory fashion is really hy pocrisy—an attempt to cover one’s own faults by magnifying the faults of oth ers. The necessity for getting rid of the “beam” in our own eye will occupy so much of time and attention that, when the cause of offense at last is cast out, perchance the “mote” seen in the brother’s eye will have disappeared entirely! Our Lord does not teach here that we are to close our eyes to what is wrong around us, or fold our hands from any attempt to right tliose wrongs, and allow them to proceed unchecked; but, rather, that when the eyes are open to them and the hands busy with them, we are to watch lest censoriousness creep into our hearts and self-judgment go out. The safe way is to be unspar ing in judging oneself and compassion ate ' in judging others. 2. Against Zeal without Knowledge ( 6 ). Wisdom is ever needed in the appli cation of the Word of G.od. The thought Is that ministry designated particularly for Christians is not to be given to the unsaved, nor is ministry belonging to well-established Christians to be given
G od ’ s C are OBJECTS: A few silk scraps, several lilies, and a small cardboard bam which can be taken apart. LESSON: With these pretty pieces of silk, we shall be able to make some beautiful little robes. This is the way I want you to make them. Run a bast ing thread about half an inch from the top, draw the thread up, and turn the top back for a collar. “What are we to make them for?” you ask. Why, don’t you see that these lilies do not have any clothes? Don’t you think it would improve their looks if they had some pretty dresses? “The lilies are prettier just as they are,” you say. You are right; it is Impossible to do things better than God has done them. Well, boys, if the girls do not think it necessary to make dresses for the lilies, we can go ahead with the build ing of our barn. Now that we have the side walls up, we will put on the roof. You will notice the name on the front. I t reads, “Bird Bam—Free Storage.” If we were to put this little bam outside, do you think that the birds would use it as a place in which to keep worms and bugs until they were ready to eat them? No, I am sure none would.. The birds do not use bams, for the same reason that the lilies do not need dresses, and that reason is that God cares for them. The Lord Jesus tells us that our heav enly Father knows the things for which we have need. While we are not to be extravagant with the money God pro vides for us, it is not necessary or wise that we should worry about our needs, when God has promised to care for us as completely as He does for the lilies and the birds. In Matthew 6:33 we read, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His right eousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
NOVEMBER 19, 1939 WARNINGS AND PROMISES M atthew 7
M a tth e w 7*1 J u d g e n o t, t h a t y e b e n o t ju d g e d . 2 F o r w ith w h a t ju d g m e n t y e ju d g e , y e s h a ll b e ju d g e d : a n d w ith w h a t m e a s u r e y e m e e t, i t s h a ll m e a s u re d to y o u a g a in . 3 A n d w h y b e h o ld e s t th o u t h e m o te
t h a t is in th y b r o th e r ’» e y e , b u t c o n s id e r- e s t n o t th e b e am t h a t is in th in e ow n e y e ? 4 O r h o w w ilt th o u s a y to th y b ro th e r, L e t m e p u ll o u t t a e m o te o u t o f th in e e y e ; a n d , b e h o ld , a b e a m is i n th i n e ow n e y e ?
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker