AUGUST, 1946
355
S U N D A Y
Lesson material is based upon outline's of International Sunday School Lessons, copyrighted by the International Council of Re ligious Education; used by per mission.
S C H O O L
LESSONS
For the Children A llison A rrowood
Outline and Exposition B. B. S utcliffe -
Points and Problems H omer A. K ent
poverty or riches. This Agur does not "For after all these things do the Gentiles seek" (Matt. 6:32). Anxiety concerning material things is a com mon sin of the world. This is not sur prising, for the world does not know the Heavenly Father who cares for His children. But such apprehension should not exist among believers. As Matthew Henry aptly declares, “Thoughtfulness about the world is a heathenish sin, and unbecoming to Christians.” The world worries because it knows no better. Christians do know better and should not so sin against the Lord. For the Children B eing H onest E xodus 20:15; L uke 19:1-8, 45, 46; 2 C orinthians 13:7 MEMORY VERSE: “Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15). Some people who are not Christians believe that if they are not “caught,” it is all right to take things that do not belong to them. God’s Word tells us about a man who was dishonest until he met the Lord Jesus Christ. Zacchaeus was a wealthy man who had received some of his money dis- h o n e s t ly . One day the Lord Jesus passed through the town where Zac chaeus lived. Because of the crowd, Zacchaeus, who was small, had to climb a tree to see the Saviour. Jesus k n e w that Zacchaeus was watching Him; He knew that Zacchaeus needed the Saviour. As the Lord came to the tree, He stopped and said: “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.” Some people complained because Jesus was the guest of a sinner, but Zacchaeus became a follower of the Saviour that day. He told the Lord that he would give half of his goods to the poor, and that he would repay four times any thing that he had taken dishonestly. Zacchaeus knew that a Christian must be honest at all times. deny. 3.
anxiety with regard to material things. The Father in Heaven feeds the birds; will He not feed His children? He clothes the grass; will He not clothe His family (vs. 25-29) 7 Anxiety about material necessities brings the rebuke: “O ye of little faith.” Compare Solomon’s glory with that of the lily; Solomon had to put on his own garment; the lily is adorned by God. I n s t e a d of feverishly striving for material things, as Gentiles do, Chris tians should rely upon their Heavenly Father to feed and clothe them, and to give themselves to seeking His king dom and His righteousness. As they engage in this endeavor, they will find the material necessities added to them (vs. 30-33). Points and Problems 1. "Thou shalt not steal” (Ex. 20:15). The seriousness of stealing is indi cated by the other sins with which it is associated in the Scripture. For in stance, in Jeremiah 7:8, 9 and Hosea 4:2, stealing appears in the company with lying, murder, adultery, false swearing and idolatry. One may steal from God or man ; one may steal time, honor, and many other valuables as well as material possessions. It is a sin that exalts =elf instead of God. 2. "Give me neither poverty nor riches" (Prov. 30:8). The man who ut tered this prayer was a wise man. He recognized that there were snares in both penury and wealth. Poverty leads to thievery, violence, depression, and lack of trust; riches result in self-suf ficiency, indulgence and utter forget fulness of God. Happy is the man who is not faced with either of these temp tations. The man of this petition ad mits that a moderate position between poverty and riches is the safest posi tion. However, it should be remem bered that God is able even to keep a person from falling before these temp tations, if He feels it is best for His child to endure the tests of either
LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER 1 Right Uses of Property L E S S O N M A T E R IA L : Ex. 20:15; Prov. 30:7-9; M att. 6:25-33. G O L D E N T E X T : “ L a y up for yourselves treasures In heaven, where neither m oth nor- rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: .for w here your tre asu re is, there w ill yo u r heart be a lso " (M att. 6:20, 21 ). Outline and Exposition I T he P recept (Ex. 20 :15 ). rpHIS command is usually considered -*• in connection with stealing money or material possessions, but time, repu tation, or influence, as well as other precious immaterial things, may be stolen from man. There is also the very common sin of stealing f^om God by the misuse of time, of influence, or of money. Long ago, Israel was ac cused of robbing God by withholding tithes (Mai. 3:8) and of robbing Him of their influence as His representa tives among the nations (Ezek. 36:20, 21). This sin is not foreign to Chris tians today. II. T he P rayer (P rov . 30:7-9) The wise man desires neither pov erty nor riches, but only food needful for him (see R.V.). There would be danger of denying God if riches were his portion, or stealing if poverty came, and both would be taking God’s name in vain; hence, the prudent man wants only what God sees that he needs at any given time. It is true today as well that riches lead to a denial of God, and poverty to theft. The way of wisdom, as well as the path of peace, is trusting God that e v e r y need will be supplied (Rom. 8:28; Phil. 4:6, 7; Deut. 33:25). III. T he P rivilege - (M att . 6:25-33). Every Christian may be w i t h o u t
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