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give la rg e r responsiblity to those w ho are fa ith fu l in sm all things? V . 45. W h a t w ro n g a ttitu d e o f a ser v a n t is described? W h a t w rong idea o f th e com ing again o f C h rist is noted? W h a t w rong effect upon stew ards does this b rin g ? V. 46. W ill th e u n fa ith fu l stew ard be called to account? A t w h a t tim e w ill the lo rd o f th a t serv an t ap p ear? W ith w hom w ill this faithless stew ard have his p o r tio n ? Can any ju d gm en t be m ore terrib le th a n eternal d eath? V . 47. W h a t lesser offense is charged to th e serv an t in this verse? A re, dis obedience a n d ' neglect serious offenses? W h a t ju d gm en t w ill be passed upon this serv an t? Is this penalty less th an eternal death ? V. 48. W h a t still lesser g rad e o f sin is h ere noted ? W h a t w ill be the punish m ent? W h a t is the basis o f ju d gm en t? * * * P ractical P oints 1. T h e first an d g reatest evidence of folly seen in the m an described by the L o rd Jesu s is in the fact th a t he had no fe a r o f God. H e gave no place to God in any o f his ideas and plans. 2. I f you a sk God w h at to do w ith y o u r goods, H e w ill n o t answ er, “T e a r dow n y o u r barns and build g re a te r,” in o rd er th a t you m ay store up m ore goods. B u t H e w ill com m and: “ Sell th a t ye have and give alm s” (L k. 12:33). 3. T his m an w as a liar and a th ie f as well as a fool w hen he said, “My barns,” “my goods,” etc. H e w as a false stew ard ' of G od’s property. 4. A _Scotch evangelist is rep o rted to have said th a t this m an m ade the fatal m istake o f th in k in g th a t he could feed his_ soul on grain. M aterial things never satisfy the longings of th e h eart. 5. M en m ay leave larg e estates w hen they die, and yet be paupers in eternity because they have not laid up treasu res in heaven (cf. M att. 6 :20). 6. G od w ill require again the soul of every p erson on earth. W hen y o u r soul is re tu rn e d to God, w ill H e find it starved, debased, and fo fev er ruined ? 7. I t is im p o rtan t to decide w here you will spend eternity. I t is equally necessary to decide w h a t you w ill be in eternity. T h e tw o things cannot be separated. 8. Foolish stew ards are m ore concern ed about feeding them selves th an about m inistering to the household o f God (cf. A cts 20:28-30). 9. M any false stew ards, w ho think they are feeding th e flock o f God, offer the w rong kind o f food—the philosophies of m en instead of the b read o f life. 10. T he idea th a t C hrist’s com ing to reckon w ith H is servants, is a m a tte r of u n c e rta in ly o r an event fa r distant, has been a prolific cause o f w orldliness in the church. 11. B ackslidden stew ards o f m odern times a re n o t unlike those w hom Jesus described. T h e ir controlling idea is self- indulgence, even w hen th a t m eans the op pression o f the weak. 12. G od’s stew ards w ill be judged ac cording to th e ir light. H« * * G olden T ext I llustration R ev. F. B. M eyer s a y s : “W hen I w as a boy, I used to go to the Polytechnic, in L ondon, w here my favorite diversion was a diving bell w hich had seats around the
should have sought th e kingdom o f God, and then all o f these things w ould have been added to him .
BLACKBOARD LESSON f y—l w \ / \ UCH GOOD! Wise say n\erv / m a n y year ; / IAKE MERRY i f p
M arch 29, 1931 Review: Jesus the World’s Saviour Golden Text: “Jesu s o f N a z a re th . . . w ho w ent about doing good, an d healing all th a t w ere oppressed o f th e d ev il; for God w as w ith him ” (A cts 10:38). * Hs H« Lesson 1. T h e B irth o f Jo h n the B ap tist. Lk. 1:8-17, 80. G olden T ex t, Lk. 1 :76. T h e m ain facts o f th e lesson g a th er aro u n d the m inistry o f th e godly p riest in th e tem ple (vs. 8-10), the angel’s a n nouncem ent o f the b irth o f th e fo reru n n er (v. 11), th e reassu rin g m essage o f the angel to Z achariah (vs. 12-17), and th e description of Jo h n ’s g row th (v. 18). P ractical lessons to be em phasized a r e : (1 ) God answ ers th e p ray er o f the rig h t eous. (2 ) T h e gospel rem oves fe a r and brings jo y and gladness. (3 ) T ru e greatness “in the sight o f the L o rd ” is the only kind w o rth striving to obtain. Lesson 2. T h e C hildhood o f Jesus. Lk. 2:40-52. Golden T ex t, Lk. 2:52. T h e physical and m ental grow th of Jesus th ro u g h “the grace o f G od” is first d e scribed. N ex t, H is visit to Jeru salem at the age o f tw elve is m entioned. T h e boy Jesu s astonished th e teachers and p e r plexed H is p arents. T ho u g h desiring to be about H is F a th e r’s business, H e re tu rn ed hom e to be subject to H is parents and to advance in w isdom and in stature. A very im portant lesson is th a t Jesus learned subm ission both to earth ly p a r ents and to H is heavenly F ath e r. T his w as the secret o f H is grow th. Lesson 3. ' T h e M in istry o f Jo h n the B aptist. Lk. 3:7-17. G olden T ex t, Lk. 3 :8. Jo h n w arned fruitless Isra e l o f “w rath to com e.” T hen, he exhorted them to show fru it to prove genuine re pentance. F inally, he proclaim ed M es siah’s coming. Jo h n ’s hum ility stands ou t very clearly. H e w as the h erald o f A n other, g re a te r th an he. Johnls fa ith fu l ness also is to be noted. F urther,, . he show ed him self genuine, sincere, hating sham and falsehood. Lesson 4. Jesus T em pted. Lk. 4:1-13. Golden T ex t, H eb. 2:18. T h e H oly S p irit led Jesus to the place o f tem ptation. T he devil tem pted H im . T h ere w ere th ree a s s a u lts : (1 ) upon the body; (2 ) upon the so u l; and (3 ) upon the in n er life. By dependence upon the F ath er, Jesus was victorious. H e ro u ted the tem oter w ith the sw ord of ■the S pirit, th e W o rd of God. H e conquered w here A dam and E ve h ad failed. Irt H im , every child of God can find stren g th fo r overcom ing in the h o u r o f tem ptation. Lesson 5. Jesus th e G reat P hysician. Lk. 4:38-44; 5 :12-16. Golden T e x t, Isa. 53:4. B ecause Jesus is the L ord of life, H e is able to trium p h over disease. T he lesson describes, first, a su fferer from a g re a t fever, then a m ultitude com ing w ith divers diseases and w ith dem on posses sion. A m an full of leprosy also found deliverance. T h e m ethod in each case differed, b u t th e deliverance w as alw ays complete. T h e L o rd Jesu s was, m o re over, a g re a t p reach er (vs. 42-44). H is m iracles confirm ed and illu strated the gospel, but they w ere n o t the gospel it self. T h e cu rin g o f the soul is m ore im -
t.G.H nar.zz.i9H-
rim an d w hich, a t a given tim e, w as filled w ith people and low ered into the tank. W e used to go dow n deeper and deeper in to th e w ater, but n o t a drop ever cam e in to the diving bell, although it had no b o t tom and th e w ater w as quite w ithin reach. T he bell w as so full o f a ir that, though the w ater ‘lusted’ against the air, th e air ‘lusted’ ag ain st the w ater. T he a ir was being pum ped in all the w hile from the top, and th e w ater could not do w h at it otherw ise w ould.” T h e life th a t is full of th e H oly S pirit, although the flesh-life is u n d ern eath and round about it, is kept in safety. Hi H« * Jesus Tells Us How to Use God’s Good Gifts L uke 12:15-21 Memory Verse .— “E very good g ift and every p e rfe c t g ift is from above, com ing dow n from the F a th e r” (Ja s. 1:17). Approach .—L ast week, in o ur lesson, Jesus was telling M a rth a and M ary th a t Lesson S to ry .—T h is sto ry is about a selfish m an. H e w as a fa rm e r and he w as very rich. O ne day he looked a t his house and looked a t his b arns and said to h im se lf: “T hese barns aren ’t h a lf big enough fo r all o f th e things th a t I have to p u t in them . I ’ll te a r them dow n and build bigger ones. T h en I ’ll sit in my com fortable house and I ’ll say, ‘I have every th in g I could possibly n ee d ; so now I ’ll ju s t have a good tim e.’ T h en I ’ll eat and d rin k and be m erry and I ’ll not th in k about anyone b u t m yself and th e good tim e I ’m having.” T h en Jesus show ed the people w h a t a big m istake th a t m an had m ade. D o you th in k th a t m an w ould have been happy if he had done w h at he had planned to do? N o, he w ould have found ou t th a t w h at the Bible says is true, th a t it. is m ore blessed to give th an to receive. B ut th e m an w asn’t given th e tim e to find this out, fo r God had planned th a t th a t very nig h t he should leave this w orld. H e couldn’t tak e any o f his things w ith him , and he h a d been so busy being selfish th a t he w asn’t ready to en ter the kingdom o f God. Jesu s show ed th e people th a t this m an had done things backw ards. F irst he O/vüio* studying about God and g etting ready to live in H is kingdom w as th e m ost im p o rtan t thing to do. L ater, as Jesus look ed about H im , H e saw th a t a g re a t m any people h ad fo r gotten this, so H e told another story in o rd e r to help them rem em ber it.
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