May 1931
226
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Not long after Jesus had given the peo ple this wonderful message,: He went back into heaven. There He is now, waiting to receive us. We must love H im , for all He has done for us,- and we must thank God the Father, too, because it was He who “so loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.” - o - | ' June 21, 1931 The Sin of Causing Others to Stumble Lesson: Romans 14:13-23. Golden Text: “It is good not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine’, nor to do any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth” (Rom. 14:21). * * * L esson in O utline I. Destroy not the Weak Brother (13- . : 1. By harsh judgment (13). 2. By a “stumblingblock” (13). 3. By a false liberty (14-16). II. Edify the Brother (17-19). 1. By recognizing the true nature of Christianity (17). a. It is not eating and drinking ; —externals. b. It is righteousness, peace, joy j—things of the Spirit. 2. By a life acceptable to God and men (18). 3. By pursuing the things that edify (19). III. Overthrow not God’s Work (20, 2 1 ) . . M l 1. By eating “with offense’ (20). 2. By hurting a brother (21). IV. A Double Rule (22, 23). 1. For the strong—abstain from self- indulgence (22). 2. Fo r the weak—a b sta in from doubtful things (23). . CH A PT ER 14 of the Epistle to the Ro- mans deals largely with the question of the relation of mature Christian^ to those who are weak. The first three verses summarize the argument. First, says the apostle, those Who are “weak in faith” should not be excluded from fel lowship (v. 1). Next, the apostle warns against discussions about secondary ques tions (v. 1). Then he gives general rules, which are elaborated later, and which must govern both the mature and the im mature Christian. The strong in the faith who are able to eat foods which have been previously offered to idols must not de spise or injure the weak disciple by insist ing upon their own personal liberty. On the other hand; the weak are counseled to abstain from eating such foods if their consciences are thereby defiled. The apostle argues further that no Christian should judge his brother, for God is the only Judge (v. 4). Those who have enlightened faith, and therefore dis regard observance of special days and eat “meats” without any scruples, are moved by the desire to please God. So also are those who do regard special days, and who abstain from “meats” (vs. 5, 6). We are accountable, not to one another but to God (vs. 7-9), and we must all stand at the judgment seat of Christ (vs. 10-12). • 16 ) . * . * * A pproach to the L esson
G olden T ext I llustration When Dr. Doddridge lived at Nor thampton, there was a poor Irishman con demned for sheep stealing. In those days, the statute book of England was very cruel. The preacher thought that there was scarcely proof of the man’s guilt, and he believed in the Book that teaches that a man is better than a sheep. He traveled, toiled, and tried hard to get the man a reprieve, but was unsuccessful. Finally, he came back, and the man was hanged, On the road to execution, the convict requested that the cart should stop just opposite Dr. Doddridge’s house. There, kneeling down, he said, “God bless you, Dr. Doddridge. Every vein in my heart loves you; every drop of my blood loves you; for you tried to save every drop of it.” What love he had for the intercessor who had failed! But Christ has not failed. At tremendous cost—-His death on Calvary—He has purchased pardon for all who will accept it. Oh, that ev ery one would realize this and would be led to exclaim, “Every vein in my heart loves Thee, O Christ! Every drop of my blood loves Thee, for Thou hast died to save me and dost live to intercede for me.” * * * Jesus Living Now Luke 24:1-9, 50, 51 Memory Verse.—“ Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).* Approach. —When the soldiers and the priests and their friends saw Jesus’ body sealed in the tomb, they thought that they
out His earthly life? Has He ceased to bless His own? Is it of value to us that-He is now at the right hand of the Father, securing blessing for us (cf. Heb. 7:25)? * * * P ractical P oints 1. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of faith’s building (1 Cor. 15:12-18). 2. The crucifixion scattered the little flock ; the resurrection regathered it. The cross brought fear to the disciples; the resurrection renewed and increased their courage. At the cross, there was grief because the Saviour in whom they trusted was dying ; the risen Saviour gave a new peace and joy. Before the disciples'feally accepted the fact that Christ was risen from the dead, they had dull minds and slow hearts ; when their eyes were opened and they knew Him, they had assurance that nothing could shake. When Jesus died, they thought they had lost every thing ; when they knew that He lived again, they recovered all that they had given up. 3. The Emmaus disciples had seen in Jesus a prophet, a miracle-worker, and a deliverer. But they had not under stood the meaning of His sacrifice on Calvary. The resurrection made it all clear. 4. The experience of these disciples shows us thè Lord’s method of making Himself known. First, study the Scrip tures; then God gives the revelation. No revelation ever comes apart from or con trary to the Word of God. 5. This incident illustrates Christ’s pro vision for the whole of man. The dis ciples’ hearts were warmed by His pres ence; their dull minds were quickened by His teaching; their bodies were refreshed with the bread that He gave. 6. The Lord Jesus never intrudes where He is not wanted. His fellowship must be desired and sought, or He will pass on. 7. These distracted disciples were go ing away from light. The disciples who remained in Jerusalem, had testimony con cerning. the rdseni Christ of which the oth ers were ignorant. Yet the Lord Jesus, in His mercy, followed them and made Himself known. 8. The resurrection of Christ is the best-attested fact in history. The follow ing lines of proof can be noted: (1) The empty tomb ; (2) His frequent appear ances after the resurrection; (3) His free mingling with His disciples (cf. John 20 : 19-29; Acts 1:3-11); (4) the testimony of many competent witnesses (cf. 1 Cor. 15: 5-8) ; (5) the establishment of the Lord’s Day in memory of the resurrection ; (6) the continued observance of the Lord’s Supper (cf. 1 Cor. 11:23-26) ; (7) the transformation in the lives of the dis ciples; (8) the establishment and preser vation of the church (cf. 1 Cor, 15:17 ; Rom. 4:25) ; (9) the continued ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:1). 9. The resurrection of Jesus Christ brought no comfort to the Jews. If He were dead, they had no reason to fear any of the judgments He had pronounced upon them. But if He was indeed risen from the dead, His words had risen with Him, and those who had rejected Him must one day face Him as their Judge (Acts 17:31).
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had put an end to Jesus and His pow er. They thought that, because they would not believe that He was the Son of God. ‘ They didn’t know that He had pow er over death. L esson S to ry .— On Sunday morn ing, when some of
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the women came to the tomb bringing perfume and spices to place on the body of Jesus; they found the stone rolled away froin the door of the tomb. They looked in and found th e , tomb empty. They were frightened, for they thought that Some one had stolen the body. But two angels were there to tell them about it. “Did you expect to find Him dead?” they asked. “He is not dead. He is risen.” The women ran to tell the disciples. The disciples thought that the women must be mistaken. Then Jesus Himself came and talked to them, and they knew that it was s 6 . He had suffered death for them; and because He arose, His dis ciples, too, may rise. Death cannot hold them either.
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Necessary Enclosed find check for one year’s su b sc rip tio n for T he K ing ’ s B usiness . I t g row s more necessary to my life every day. —From Santa Monica, Calif.
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