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March, 1936
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
only partly filled. The unsaved are not raised from the dead until a thousand years later, as is told in Revelation 20:5. We will pour the corn representing the unsaved into this other glass. - The first glass we will cover with a white cloth, reminding us of the white robes of the redeemed, the saved ones. The other glass we will cover with a. black cloth, representing those who, as Christ warned, will be “cast into outer darkness;!’ These words of the Saviour should be a warning to all who have not accepted Christ, that they should receive Him at once, in order that they may be included in the first resurrection. Explanation: About three inches from the bottom o f the can, a heavy cardboard shelf is glued to the sides-of the can. The shelf reaches two-thirds of the way across the can. Each side of the shelf should have a lip to keep the corn from spilling. A part of the corn lodges on the shelf; the remainder goes to the bottom. When the first amount is poured out, the Corn which is in the bottom will be held back by the shelf. The second time, the can is tilted in the opposite direction, allowing the corn to come through the opening. If the glasses are on opposite ends of the table, it will be perfectly natural to tilt the can in opposite directions. vailed in the far country, and the young man came .tc^ dire want. Second, slavery of the most humiliating kind befell the young man. For this Jewish boy, the low est menial labor was the feeding of swine, for,(fto{ the Jew, the mere touch of the swine would bring ceremonial uncleanness. Third, black despair loomed before him. The service o f Satan becomes harder and harder, with no hope of ever securing freedom from the burden and the unclean ness. But, though the young man knew it not, the very bitterness of his experience was to lead him at last to repentance and to his father’s house. The young man’s story is the history of every wandering child o f God who is seeking satisfaction in the world. Bitter experiences are al lowed to come to him, difficult times are permitted, and even despair is used, in or der to bring the wandering one back to hist God. In all these experiences, one may see the goodness of God leading to repentance (cf. Psa. 107:8-14; Jonah 1 :17-2:1; Rom. 2:4 ). II. T h e R etu rn to t h e F a th e r (17-20). 1. The recognition o f his state (v. 17). When the prodigal son “came to him self” he was well on the road to restora tion. Facing his condition, he discovered he was worse off than his father’s ser vants. They were well fed and housed; they had no sorrows and hardships such as he was enduring, while he, the father’s son, perished with hunger. Likewise, the angels and the beasts and the birds—all creation—receive their provision from God’s generous hand. How much more will He care for His children if they but trust H im ! 2. The resolve o f his mind (v. 18). The young man said: “ I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.” These words were really a confession o f his. sin in leaving the fa-
Lesson'. In thinking of Christ’s victory over death, it is well for us to remember that all who die are to be raised from the dead. W e will let these grains o f corn re present individual people. This can with the green paper around it will remind us of the ground in which the bodies o f the
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dead are buried. I will pour the corn into it. In 1 Thessalonians 4 :16, we are told about the resurrection. “For the Lord him self shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of G od : and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” Only the dead who in life have accepted Christ as Saviour will be raised at this time. . I will pour the corn out. The glass is
APR IL 19, 1936 GOD THE FORGIVING FATHER L u k e , C h apte r IS
Lesson T ext: Lk. 15:11-24. Golden T ex t : ;“ Like as a father pitieth his.children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him” (Psa. 103:13). Outline and Exposition I. T he R ejection of the F ather (11-16). T h e reason for the younger son’s leaving home (vs. 11 , 12 ) is found in the desire for independence which is so deeply imbedded in the nature of all men. In this young man who was seek ing an elusive freedom from all restraint there is an example o f the self-will which is found in all men. The willful one us ually overlooks the fact that it is impos sible to attain freedom to serve self alone. Men must and do serve either God or Satan. Enticing his followers with false promises of freedom, Satan imposes hard bondage upon them. But true freedom is found in the service of God, in the free dom o f His Son. In the lesson before us, the son’s first step in the rejection o f the father was his separation from home (v. 13). It is to be noted that this separation was effected by the son, and not the father. Here is a pic ture of God and the sinner. It is not true that men are seeking for God, but God is ever seeking men who continually hide from Him (cf. Psa. 14:1-3; Rom. 3:11; Lk. 19:10). Not only was there separa tion, but the father’s goods were wasted in riotous living. Here is another picture of the sinner and his ways. God gives him life, and health, and money, and countless other blessings, but these are squandered. The one who is created for the glory of God and provided with every means to re veal that glory, uses those means for self gratification. The results of rejecting the father were threefold (vs. 14-16). First, resources came to an end. Famine conditions pre
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