T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
May, 1939
192
"I don’t see Mything to read. It looks blank to me.” Did you know that the Bible looks meaningless to many people? When they read it, they do not understand it. I will take this bright light and let it shine on the white pages. W e shall see whether any thing is revealed. (Preheat the bulb, if pos sible, and wrap the white paper around it. The heat will cause the invisible writing to appear.) This bright light reminds me of the Holy Spirit. It is He who causes us to see won derful truths in the Bible. Notice what is happening—writing is appearing on the white pages. It reads, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” The Bible becomes a new book when the Holy Spirit reveals its truths to us. Each ChristiM should ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. God will give the guidance we need, and then we are to re member the words of Paul to Timothy : “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Doctors study medicine, lawyers study law, and the Christian should study the Bible carefully. fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4 :7 ). Devotional Reading: Phil. 4:4-13. Outline and Exposition I. P aul ’ s P hilosophy (Phil. 1:12-14, 21-24) P AUL’S philosophy of life is expressed in his own words: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (v. 21). The power of this philosophy was oper ative in his life continually. For example, when the saints at Philippi were distressed because Paul was arrested, he could assure them that this very circumstance was work ing out for the larger success of his purpose. His arrest had led to the gospel’s being preached where otherwise it never would have been heard, and this triumph caused Paul to rejoice even in prison. Further more, the fact that nothing more violent than imprisonment had befallen Paul gave courage to some of the brethren to boldly proclaim the gospel outside the prison walls. The heart of Paul’s philosophy was not a system, nor a doctrine, nor a creed of any kind; it was a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, the acceptance of the re vealed facts about Christ were essential to Paul’s personal, saving knowledge of Him. To Paul, life was nothing apart from Christ. His very environment was Christ, so that the prison was transformed into a palace, and the prospect of death brought to him, not fright, but the joy of Mtidpation of knowing Christ all the more fully. This manner of living led to Paul’s devoted, joyous, profitable and triumphMt life. The practice of his philosophy vitally af fected his dealings with others (vs. 22-24). For his own sake, he would prefer to de-
Onesimus had done Philemon a great wrong, but you remember that Jesus said to His disciples that they must forgive and forgive and forgive again, even to seventy times seven. W e must forgive that way, too.
3. “Unfeigned faith . . . in thy grand mother . . . thy mother . . . in thee also " (v. 5 ). It is certainly true that salvation cannot be passed from parents to children by the process of inheritance. The new birth is "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). But while holding firmly to this Biblical truth, we should not overlook the fact that the child bom into a godly home has an immense advantage. 4. “Stir up the gift o f God, which is in thee” (v. 6 ). The various “gifts” are be stowed upon the members of Christ’s Body, not according to our fallible notions or self ish seeking, but according to the sovereign will of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11). It is our duty, therefore, not to seek vainly for some gift w e would like to have, but to "stir up” and exercise the gift G od has given us. The Greek verb suggests the idea of stirring up a fire that is burning low. W . M. Taylor, of New York, tells of how his father, finding him in the early hours of the morning reading plays, ex claimed: “My man, if you are going to preach Christ’s gospel, you had better be doing something else at this time of the morning than reading a play-actor’s book.” "Study to show thyself approved unto G od.” — 1,000 Tales W orth Telling by P ickering . Paul’s Shortest Letter P hilemon Memory Verse: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Approach: W e are going to talk today about another letter which Paul wrote. He wrote it from the city of Rome not long be fore he died. It is the shortest letter which we have of his, but it says a great deal in its few lines. L e s s o n S to r y : the people Paul had helped to know the Lord Jesus. Philemon had had a slave whose name was Onesimus. Now this slave had run away from Philemon and had traveled all the way to the city of Rome. He had run away because he had done something wrong. The letter does not _say what it Was. Probably he had stolen money from Philemon. At any rate, he had gone to Rome to hide. But there, from Paul, he had heard the story of the love of •God, who sent Jesus, His Son, to die for our sins.Onesimus repented of his sins and believed, and now we find him taking this letter back to Philemon and asking forgive ness. Paul is pleading for him in this letter and asking Philemon to receive him in Christian love. He reminds Philemon that -they are no longer master and servant, but brothers in Christ. Golden Text Illustration 2 T imothy 2:15 This letter was writ ten by Paul to his friend Philemon. W e don’t k n o w v e r y much about Phile mon, just what we learn from this letter. He lived at Colosse. He was a wealthy man. He was one of
R D M -
c ■ IS • 50
Objects: A piece of white paper folded and cut to represent a book, a strong elec tric light bulb, ten drops of sulphuric acid diluted with twenty-five drops of water. (Lemon juice, undiluted, may be used in stead of sulphuric acid.) Write on the white sheet of paper with a sharp stick, dipped in the acid solution, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Lesson: Who will volunteer to read what I have written on this white paper?
JUNE 25, 1939 PAUL REVIEWS HIS LIFE 2 C orinthians 11:16 to 12:10; P hilippians 1:12-24; 3:7-16; 2 T imothy 4:7, 8
Philippians 1:12 But I would ye should un derstand, brethren, that the things which hap pened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak die word without fear. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but 1 follow after, if that I may apprenend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have ap prehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 4 :7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his ap pearing. Lesson Text: Phil. 1:12-14, 21-24: 3:12- 14; 2 Tim. 4:7, 8. Golden Text: "I have fought a good BLACKBOARD LESSON
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker