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THE KING’S BUSINESS
(3) Stephen’ was a staunch steward o f the gospel o f God’s grace. (4) Men may stop their ears here, but they cannot escape God’s sentence hereafter. (5) While heaven was opened for Stephen, hell yawned for the Sanhedrin. (6) Stephen saw a Glorified Man in the glory.
(7 ) They-buried his body, but his soul had ascended to his Saviour. (8 ) Better to die like a Stephen than to live like a Saul. (9) While Saul made havoc, fo r. the Church, Christ was making a home for Saul.
--------- --O ------ i - ----- Heroes and Martyrs of Faith MARCH 12, 1916. LESSON XL Heb. 11:1, 32-12:2. (Read the entire eleventh chapter. Commit ch. 12:1, 2). | G olden T e x t : “Wherefore, let us run with,patience the race that is set before us, look ing unto JesUs the author and finisher o f our faith.”—Heb. 12:1, 2.
DA ILY BIBLE READINGS Mon., Mar. 6—Heb. 11:1-16. (The Lesson). Tues., Mar. 7—Heb. 11:17-31. (The Lesson). Wed., Mar. 8—Heb. 11:32-12:2. (The Lesson). Thurs., Mar. 9—Phil. 3 :7-14.
Fri., Mar. 10—2 Cor. 11:23-33.' Sat., Mar. 11—1 Peter 2:17-24. Sun., Mar. 12—Rev. 2:1-10.
EXPOSITION AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
jj v. 1. “ Now faith is the substance of things hoped fo r ( the assurance o f things hoped fo r ), the evidence ( cdhviction ) of things not seen." •In this verse we have a very explicit and suggestive definition of faith, God’s own definition o f faith. In the verses that immediately follow we have many illustrations o f faith, and in the clos ing verses o f the chapter a description of the triumph o f faith. God’s own definition o f faith is “the assurance o f things hoped for, the conviction o f things not seen.” The ground o f this assurance and conviction is, as we clearly see from the illustrations that follow, the Word o f God (cf. Rom. 10:17). Faith is the confident expectation that we shall receive certain things that we hope for simply because God says that we shall. It is the conviction that certain things are so because God says they are so. There is no conflict between faith as there defined, and reason. Faith is the most reasonable thing in (he world for. it - acts upon the
W ord ,o f Him who cannot lie. Not to believe what God says is supremely unrea sonable : to believe what God says is the most reasonable thing in the world. Faith is not belief without “evidence. T o believe without evidence is credulity. Faith is belief on the very best o f evidence, the sure W ord o f God. The, W ord o f God is far more sure than our reasonings : our reason ings often go astray, God’s W ord states things exactly as they are. Faith looks at just one thing, the Word o f God., It sees what God has promised and rests assured that it will all come to pa'ss just as He says. It puts all to the test by acting as if it were so. Faith asks no questions beyond what God says. It does ask what God says, but when it finds that out it asks no further questions. Faith believes that exactly what God says will come to pass, will come to pass ; and faith does exactly what God commands. To believe God is to rely upon or have unhesitating
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