October, 1945
391
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS
Outline, tand Exposition R. 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 lnternationaU-Council of Re ligious Education; used by per mission.
of practice, and* harmony of purpose. Each member is given his own office with ability for that task. How can there be any room for self-congratula tion? God’s gifts are' to be made manifest in seven different avenues, with none taking precedence over an other (vs. 6-8). II. T he D emand for L ove (V s. 9-18) Love must be genuine, without hypocrisy—a real interest in the wel fare of brethren. This love will be shown in various ways—abhorrence of evil, cleaving to the good; affectionate attitude; preference for each other where honors are being bestowed; diligence not laziness; prayerfulness; interest in physical needs; hospitality. To those without the church fellow ship, blessing is to be given for cursing; rejoicing with the joyful; sympathy w i t h the grief-stricken. Such exhibition of the love of God in the heart will bring the unsaved to a desire to know the Christian’s Lord (cf. 1 Pet 2:21-23). Love will lead us to be of the same mind with our Lord, will enable us to condescend to the lowly, and will bring about denial and distrust of self. We will not engage in revenge— repaying evil for evil. We will not only be honest, but we will take care that all men see our honesty, for Christ’s sake. We will be at peace with all men if they will allow us to be. The world has a right to demand that the Christian live what he pro fesses. Points and Problems 1. "Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think" (Rom. 12:3). There is no room for conceit in the life of the believer. Were it not for grace, he would have nothing. In this passage, as A. T. Robertson affirms, conceit is treated as a form of insanity. Insane persons are not adjustable to society, and believers
LESSON FOR NOVEMBER 4 The Church as a Fellowship L E S S O N M A T E R IA L : R om ans 12:3-18. G O L D E N T E X T : “ Be kind ly affectlonecf one to another w ith brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” (Rom . 12:10), Outline and Exposition j] T he D emand for H umility (R om . 12:3-8) Humility has been called "the fair est flower in Christ’s garden,” and .it might be added, “the rarest.” It has been defined also as “unconscious self-forgetfu lness.” Humbleness of spirit should characterize those who' are in the fellowship of the Church be cause all that Christians are, and all they have, they have received from an other—the Lord Jesus Christ. Their powers are not attainments, but gifts; not h u m a n accomplishments, but Divine graces. In glory there will not be any “self-made” ' one. Hence, it is not the measure of. intellect, or wealth, or social position, or anything of human nature, which forms the stand ard .for correct judgment of self. It is the measure of faith which mani fests itself in humility. This is the thing of value in the sight of the Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 10:17, 18). Humility is the fitting attitude for one who has the light, who sees things in right proportion, who looks at values as the Lord does. The spiritual darkness of the a n c i e n t s can be measured by the fact that they con sidered humility a vice and not a virtue. Certainly h um i 1i f y is not groveling. It is a recognition that the believer owes all to grace alone. For true humility, we have the example of our Lord (cf. Matt. 11:29; 18:1- 4; John 13:1-17). No one possesses all the gifts (vs. 4-6). Humility may be expressed in recognizing the talents of others. All believers are members one of another, possessing a unity of placi, diversity
inflated with pride are not fit for serv ice in the Church of God. The believer ought not to think too highly of him self, yet the .text implies that “he ought to think” of himself in a man ner becoming a child of God. He should consider his spiritual gifts, his oppor tunities for service, his talents, his influence, and seek to use them all for the glory of God. To be humble does not mean that one must possess an inferiority complex. 2. "Having t hen gifts differing" (v. 6). Each member of the body of Christ has his own particular gift. This gift is bestowed by the indwelling Spirit in order that each believer may administer blessing to the entire body of Christ. A realization that these gifts are from the Spirit who distributes them “severally even as He will” (1 Cor. 12:11) should eliminate all boasting. Rewards will be granted on the basis of one’s faithfulness in using the gifts bestowed, not on the great ness of the gifts. 3. "Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good" (v. 9). Two aspects of Christian living, the nega tive and positive, are here set forth. Christians ought to be good haters« despising all forms of sin and evil; they should also be good lovers, loving God and every good thing upon which His smile rests. 4. "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord" (v. 11). The slothfulness mentioned here has no reference to worldly “business” or affairs. It concerns spiritual matters. It comes from a Greek word meaning to hesitate or to be slow. The business of the Lord is so important that His servants ought not to be dilatory in discharging it The latter part of the verse presents the proper temperature for God’s servants. They should be “red hot” for the Lord, burning out in His service.
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