T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S ship. Three of the four things are re lated to worship. Confession of sin is th e prelude to worship, for th ere can be no worship if th ere is sin oh the conscience. Atonement is th e basis of worship, for we can only worship God through th e sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 10:19,22; Eph. 2 :1 8 ). Communion is essential to worship, for we can only worship th e Lord as we have all things in common w ith H im ; and worship itself is th e h ea rt boiling over with g ratitud e to Him fo r H is love and mercy to us (Ps. 103:1-2). 10. The dwelling of faith . "H is te n t” (v. 8). The te n t is th e symbol of th e pilgrim -life (Heb. 11:9) and a confession th a t Abram was looking for an abiding city (Heb. 1 1 :10 ). In like manner, th e believer in Christ is a strang er and a pilgrim (1 Pet. 2 :11 ). As a strang er h e has no home in the world; th a t is, the world cannot satisfy him ; and as a pilgrim , he is passing through th e world; th a t is, his aim and object are to please God in having no fellowship w ith th e evil things in the world (1 Jn. 2 :1 6 ). — F. E. Marsh in “Five Hundred Bible Readings.” n Abraham Obeying God. Gen. 12; 1-9. Memory Verse— “Abraham , when he was called, obeyed.” Heb. 11:8. Approach.—Use sand table and con stru ct a map of Abraham ’s journey. Show th e plains of Mesopotamia, th e Euphrates, th e desert, Damascus, Mount Hermon, th e Sea of BEGINNERS Galilee and the AND p r im a r y Jo rdan , and finally Mabel L. M errill Shechem. Give the children some ich a of th e great evils of idolatry, and paint in con trast th e blessedness of th e tru e religion revealed to Ab' aham , and his courage in following th e light. Apply the lesson to th e bad habits which they are to leave as they follow Jesus into his country of happiness.— Peloubet’s Notes. Lesson Story.— How many of you like stories about men who are brave and tru e? Yes, we all do, and our story today is about a real hero. The name of the man we are to h e a r about
388 enough for him th a t God had said, “X will shew th ee” (Gen. 1 2 :1 ). Surely it is b etter to w alk w ith God in the d ark th an go by ourselves in th e light. F aith says, “Yes,” and acts accord ingly. 6. The concern of faith . “Abram took” (v. 5 ). Abram did not leave his fam ily behind him, bu t took them w ith him. F a ith is ever concerned about th e w elfare of others. It is never content to be blessed alone. “ Go home to thy friends, and te ll them how great things th e Lord h ath done for th ee” (Mk 5 :19) is th e Lord’s word to faith — faith never hesitates to respond, for th e evidence of faith in Christ is seen in its concern for the welfare of others, as illu strated in the case of the, saints a t Thessalonica, who, having “ tu rn ed to God,” were “ ensamples” to others, and who, “having received th e word,” “ sounded th e word o u t” to th e ir friends and neighbors (1 Thes. 1:9, 7, 6, 8). 7. The enemy of faith . “The Canaanite was then in the land” (v. 6). The Canaanite would probably dispute Abram ’s rig h t to be in th e land and th e re are those who question th e be liever’s walk of faith. Self says, “ I would no t.” Unbelief says, “ I can no t.” Reason says, “ I will no t.” The world says, “It pays no t.” Satan says, “ Do no t.” F aith says, “Why n o t?” By faith, God is my F ath er, Christ is my Savior, the Holy Spirit is my Com fo rter, holiness is my walk, tru th is my regulator, saints are my companions, and heaven is my home. 8. The revelation of faith . “The Lord appeared unto Abram” (v. 7). This was for Abram ’s encouragement and strength. Trapp well says: “The sight of those wicked Canaanites m ight discourage him and unsettle his faith .” But then, the sight of God relieved him, and th e promise, “Unto thy seed will I give th is land,” could not bu t put sp irit into him, and make his h ea rt to dance in his bosom. When the soul sinks sometimes a t th e sight of those Canaan ites, and despairs almost of a conquest, God lets in a beam of His own light, and com forts it w ith some cordial prom ise, which is as Boaz was to Naomi, “ a resto rer of thy life and a nourisher of th in e old age” (R uth 4 :1 5 ). 9. The worship of faith . “There builded he an a lta r” (v. 7). The a lta r speaks of four things, namely, confes sion, atonement, communion and wor-
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online