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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
February, 1934
[Continued from page 59] John, it removed every doubt that Jesus was the Messianic King o f prophecy. And to us, it should prove what to John needed no p ro o f; namely, that when the kingdom comes, it will he a literal kingdom, identi cal with the vision o f Old Testament prophecy (cf. Isa. 35:1-6). Some students of the Bible have given themselves a great deal of worry trying to reconcile divine sovereignty with human responsibility. Often the problem has been “ solved” by affirming the one and explain ing the other away. Thus schools of the ology and philosophy arise, depending on which is made the spear-point of the sys tem. Now Christ solves the problem very simply: First, He teaches both God’s sov ereignty and man’s responsibility. Second, He never teaches the one apart from the other. Third, He never tries to reconcile the two by any rationalizing arguments. Verses 27 and 28 of our lesson constitute one of the finest examples o f our Lord’s handling of this difficult matter. No one knows the Father except he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal Him—there you have absolute divine sovereignty. But read on : “ Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”—there you have human responsibil ity. (Read also John 6:37 for another fine example.) God is sovereign; but God’s sovereignty has never shut any soul out of the kingdom. Only sin can do that; and man is responsible for sin. Lesson Questions Vs. 2-6. Where was John the Baptist when he sent his disciples to Jesus? Why was John imprisoned? Why might he be puzzled about the real identity o f Jesus? What wise course did John follow when doubts assailed him? What do you do with your doubts? How did Jésus answer John? Christ had power to set John free; why did He not liberate him? Vs. 16-19. Describe the children in the market place. In what way was the Jew ish nation like these children? Does this spirit of censoriousness exist today? Vs. 25-27. Why was Jesus not dis couraged when He saw the unbelief of His nation? Who are the “ wise and prudent,” in verse 25? Who are the “babes” in the same verse? What is our only source of revelation o f God and o f Christ? Vs. 28-30. How many does Jesus in vite to come to Him? What is meant by the “yoke” ? In what sense is it “easy” ? Memory Verse: “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matt. 11:5). Approach: Last week we talked about how Jesus took His twelve dsiciples and _ sent them out to . Jesus Shows He Is God’s Son M atth ew 11 :l-6
not hear Jesus preach, but he was told about the wonderful things which Jesus said and did. John felt sure that Jesus was the Son o f God, the promised Messiah and Saviour. But he wanted to know from Jesus Himself that this was true. So he sent messengers to Jesus, who asked, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” Jesus answered, “ Go and show John again those things which we do hear and see.” John’s messengers looked around at the multitudes. They saw the blind re ceive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers cleansed, the deaf made to hear, the dead raised, and the poor having the gospel preached to them. Surely no one but the Son o f God could do all this I By the things which He did, Jesus showed the people that He was the Son of God. By the things that we do, we show the unsaved that we are the children of God. God wants us to be filled with love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle ness, goodness, faith, meekness, temper ance—that others may see Jesus living His life again in us. Golden Text Illustration An interesting sight was once seen in Liverpool harbor during a very fierce gale. A pilot boat sailed up the river with the signal, “Follow me,” at her masthead. Be hind her were eight or nine vessels of all sorts and sizes. Every vessel got safely into harbor. All the helmsman on each ship had to do was to keep his eye on the pilot boat, and steer straight in the course indicated. All the sinner has to do is to heed the invitations o f the Saviour, “ Come unto me,” and, “ Follow me.”— S elected . Object Lesson C redentials Objects: A report card, and diplomas from grammar school, high school, and college. Lesson: What is this strange looking card with “ l’s,” “2’s,” and “3’s” written on it ? “A report card.” What is it for? “ To tell your grades in school.” How many of you like to bring your report cards home for your parents to Lesson T ext: Matt. 13:31-33, 44-52. Golden T ext: “ O f the increase o f his government and peace there shall be no end” (Isa. 9:7). Outline and Exposition The seven parables in this chapter re veal the character and course o f what is called Christendom. The first three de scribe the kingdom, or Christendom, as it will be seen by men; the second three, as it will be seen by God; and the last one BLACKBOARD LESSON IV/TH Wf/CHARE YOU IDENTIFIED P Gäfe FLAWLESS PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
see? In answering this question, you have let me know whether or not you make good grades. When your grades are good, you are glad to have your parents see then;. If you should move to another school district, your former teacher would send your report card with you, in order that the new teacher might know the progress you had made in your studies. You would not be allowed to go into a grade higher than that which your card said you might enter. When you have finished grammar school, how happy and proud you will be to receive a diploma such as this one! It will be much better than a report card, because it will mean that you have finished something. You may then start on a four years’ journey through high school, to re ceive a diploma like this one. Some of you may go to college for four years and receive this kind o f a diploma. Report cards and diplomas are called “credentials,” meaning that they give credit for work that has been accomplished. When Christ came to earth, His Father did not send written credentials with Him, saying that He was the Son o f God. The miracles which the Lord Jesus performed were JTis credentials. When John was in prison and wanted to know whether Jesus was the Son of God, Christ replied to John’s messengers, “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” These great miracles were credentials proving to John and to people of all ages that Jesus Christ is the Son of God as He claimed to be. as it will be seen by all at the end of the age. Verses 10 to 17 and 34 and 35 give the reason for speaking in parables. T h e M ustard S eed (31, 32). This is a picture of the outward devel opment of Christendom showing its small beginning, as the mustard seed is small in comparison with other seeds. Its growth is rapid and tremendous; it quickly be comes a tree. That which should have been an herb becomes an abnormal thing, a monstrosity. Such is Christendom. The true church will always be a “little flock” o f sheep, but Christendom has grown until it is a mighty herd of goats, an abnormal thing in the earth. It aims at greatness in the world, roots deeper and deeper in the earth, drawing its sustenance from below, instead of from above. Christendom has forgotten its heavenly character. The “little flock” with its promised tribulation has been forgotten and overlooked, and the words of our Lord in John 16:33 and 15 :,19 and 20 are as though they had never been spoken.
MARCH 11, 1934 PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM M atthew 13 :l-52
preach and to heal the people. Jesus did not stop w o r k in g just because He had sent out His disci ples. He Himself also “ departed . . to teach and to preach.” L e s s o n S to r y u- John the Baptist had not seen Jesus for a long time — perhaps
O R TH E SM ALL CHEAP /MtTAnoA/S ? js î P V WORLDLY ASSOCIATIONS
not since he had baptized Jesus and had heard the voice from heaven say, “ This is my beloved Son.” Soon after that, wicked men put John in prison. There he could
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