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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S
SUNDAY LESSONS
SCHOOL
Outline and. Exposition - B. B. S utcliffe
Points and Problems H omer A. K ent
For the Children ' A llison A rrowood
Lesson material is based upon outlines of International Sunday School Lessons, copyrighted by the International Council of Re ligious Education; used by per mission.
worth, the person must be added up, not the things that he owns. III. T he D anger of F olly (L uke 12:16-21) Following His caution a g a i n s t covetousness, the Lord Jesus took up the matter of being occupied with material things. The man whom He used as an illustration was not a fool because he had great possessions; his success indicated t h a t he was a thrifty, hard-working, capable farmer. He was not rebuked for that. But God considered him a fool because his earthly treasures were all t h a t he had; his heart was taken up with them. Eventually, he would be obliged to leave .these things, and then it would be very evident that, with barns overflowing, he was not rich to ward God. At the end of a life of hard labor, he would have nothing. Points and Problems 1. "Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me" (Luke 12-:13). How irrelevant and self-seeking was this petition! Jesus had been speaking on matters of great spiritual import in which this man seems not to have been much interested. He was concerned merely with things of the flesh. His request was a rank intrusion upon Jesus’ teaching, and indicates his heart was centered on temporal things. Not even the preaching of Christ interested him. The ambassa dors of Christ today need not be sur prised if they experience inattention and worldly thinking when the Gos pel is proclaimed. 2. “And he thought within himself" (Luke 12:17). This man had “I” trouble. All, of his thinking was about himself. He was not concerned about the approval of God. Nowhere do we find any évidence that God was in any of his thoughts. He is a per fect picture of the natural maqj the
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 2 The Christian and His Economic Relations LESSON MATERIAL: Deut. 8:17, 18; Luke 12:13-21. GOLDEN T E X T : “A man’s life consist* eth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). Outline and Exposition ■ E i p ; '' 1| T he D anger of S elf -S ufficiency (D eut . 8:17, 18) The Book of Deuteronomy contains .instructions for the life of the chil dren of Israel when they should be established in theii own land. God had promised them material bless ings, but. the dangei in this was that they might begin to believe that these benefits had come through their own power instead of their being bestow ed by His grace (v.17). Israel was preserved by reason of the covenant which God had made with their fathers. Because of that covenant relation, He had blessed them, and, apart from Him, they had nothing. Hence, they were exhorted to remember that their possessions had come from Him, and not because of their ability to procure them. II. T he D anger of C ovetousness (L uke 12:13-15) While the Lord Jesus was predict ing the persecutions that His true fol lowers should meet, He was interrupt ed by a request for Him to act as ar biter between brethren over a matter of material possessions. He refused to engage in the dispute stating that He was not “a divider of inheritances” (vs. 13, 14). This gave occasion for a warning a g a i n s t covetousness (v. 15). The covetous man is an idolator, who worships things rather than God (cf. Col. 3:5). A man cannot estimate his wealth by counting his earthly goods; his life consists of his char acter—what he is. To find one’s
center and circumference of whose life is himself. Such a man, in God’s sight, is a fool (v. 20). 3. "What shall I do?" (L u k e^T ?). This question is the hinge upon which the life of the rich man swings. When he said “What shall I do?” he was thinking only of himself and how he might increase his position in this world. If he had said “What ought I to do?” he would have demonstrat ed the right attitude. God then would have had an opportunity to bless him. Wise men everywhere, as they con sider their possessions, should ask: “What ought I to do with them, Lord?” 4. "I will pull down my barns, and build greater" (Luke 12:18). The en tire horizon of this man’s life was filled with barns. They stand for the things of this world which keep men from seeing the face of God. There are many kinds of “ barns” which men are building today: “barns” of riches, pleasure, popularity, fame, business, etc. In any one of them man may think that he can hide from God, but some day the Lord will say: “This night.” For the Children W hat B elongs T o M e L uke 18:18-24 MEMORY VERSE: “All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee” (1 Chron. 29:14). AIM: To teach that all that we have belongs to God and should be used for His glory. APPROACH: You boys and girls who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, are d o i n g many things to show your love for Him. You are doing many things, too, to show others that you love Him. Perhaps one deed is the giving of your tithe (one penny out of every ten) for His work.
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