August, 1935
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
304
“His mouth is still tied,” you say. Yes, you are right. He is still like the fruit jar—having a mouth, but unable to speak. Often after Christians have been loosed in other ways, they allow the fear of others to bind their mouths and keep them from telling of Christ. We will take this cloth off, too, for every Christian, to be pleasing to Christ, must tell others of His power to save.
who does not know Christ cannot be as kind and sympathetic toward others as God wants him to be. We will remove this rope. This little chair has legs, but, like George, it cannot walk. Unsaved people cannot walk as God wants them to. Now that the rope has been taken from George’s legs, there is just one more thing needed. What is it?
man “leaped and walked.” Of course, many people crowded around when they saw this miracle. A great number of the people thought that Paul himself was a god. Paul felt very sorry that they didn’t understand that he was just God’s mes senger, and he hurried to tell the people that he was a man like themselves. Among the people who were gathered around Paul at this time, was probably a young man named Timothy. Lesson Story: We know that Timothy lived in this part of the country, and that Paul knew Timothy when he was very young. For many years they were good friends and worked together. Paul often called Timothy “my son.” When Paul was old and in prison and knew that he would soon die, he longed to see Timothy. Paul wrote Timothy a letter and asked him to come quickly to see him. It is from this letter, which is one of the very beautiful books of the Bible, that we learn some thing about Timothy’s life. We learn that his mother and his grandmother were de vout women; that is, they loved God and worshiped Him. This meant that Timothy was carefully taught in his home. He learned to read the Scriptures, and to at tend the place of worship. Then when Paul came to Lystra and preached the gospel message, Timothy was ready to re ceive it. Your parents send you to Sunday-school to hear God’s Word. Many of you learn about Him, too, in your homes. Have you prayed to God that He will open your heart to understand and receive His Word? Objects: A small chair, an alarm clock, an ear of corn, a potato, a fruit jar, two pieces of rope, and three pieces of cloth. Lesson: George, I want you to come up to help me this morning. Sit down on this chair while I tie you and show these boys and girls something very important. (Tie the hands and feet with the ropes. Tie one each of the cloths over the eyes, ears, and mouth, respectively.) Would you believe it? George is like these different things piled on the table. Not only is he like them, but he is in many ways like a person who does not know Christ as Saviour. As we see him now, George is like an unsaved person in that he has eyes, but cannot see. This potato, too, has eyes, but it cannot see. The first thing an un saved person needs is to have his eyes opened, and to see the truths contained in the Bible. We will remove this cloth from George’s eyes. George is like this corn. Corn has ears, but it cannot hear. (If corn is not avail able, a small sack of salt which also has “ears” may be substituted.) Unsaved people need to have their ears opened in order that they may hear the wonderful words of the gospel of Christ. George reminds me of this clock—it has hands, but cannot feel. The person Object Lesson A B ound B oy
SEPTEMBER 22, 1935 JAMES (A Great Christian Leader) A cts 15 :1-21 ; J ames 1:1-17
II. T he E xhortation from J ames (2 1 1 ). ‘‘Count it” joy when temptations come (v. 2). “Count” means to reckon by faith, to cast oneself as well as one’s trial upon the Lord. The thought is not that the trials in themselves are a joy, but that the joy is found in what they bring, that is, patience (v. 3). The word “divers” means “manifold” or “many-colored” (cf. Matt. 4 :24; 2 Tim. 3 :6; Tit. 3 :3; Heb. 2:4; 13:9). God has grace sufficient for trials of every hue. A n y th in g is a blessing if it drives one into the presence of the Lord and produces the grace of patience. The “temptations” mentioned by James are “trials’’, (v. 2, R. V. margin)—a means of purging (John 15) and chastening (Heb. 12) by which God helps His chil dren to grow. The trials are permitted, either to prevent or to remedy something evil. ♦James exhorts the believer to let faith reign where “sight” fails (v. 3), “know ing,” not only intellectually but experi mentally, that the trial of one’s faith worketh patience. James insists as strongly upon faith as does Paul (v. 3; cf. Rom. 5:3). What comes to us from the hand of the Lord may look like a stone or a scorpion, but faith refuses to consider out ward appearances (cf. Lk. 11:11). Patience is that confidence which waits for God to act, assured that He will act according to His will. Negatively, patience is not inertia, nor lack of ambition, nor self-com placency. It is the practice of cheerfulness and quiet trust. Experience yields either patience or bitterness. James says : “Let patience have her per fect work” (v. 4). “Let” mean “be letting” —a constant practice. In other words, give patience the opportunity to work, and keep on giving it this opportunity. The “perfect work” has in view absolute perfection, as in Christ; “that ye may be perfect” has in view the journey toward that goal, aiming at Christ’s perfection (cf. Phil. 3:15; 1 Cor. 2:6). “Entire” means complete in all parts, and “lacking in nothing” (R. V.) is the end in view. The power for such living is to be found in God (vs. 5-8). “Wisdom”?'|v. 5) is much more than mere knowledge. It is the right use1of opportunity for holy liv ing, and it begins with the fear of the Lord (Psa. Ill :10). To “ask in faith” (v. 6) involves the expectation that we will re ceive. The Lord will not disappoint the one who counts on Him. The asking must be with the wisdom given by God; and when thus offered, the petition will be in accord with His will. The one who does not expect to get what is asked will never be disappointed (v. 7). He will receive just what he looks for—that is, nothing. “Double-minded” (v. 8) means “unable
Lesson Text: Jas. 1 :1-17. Golden Text: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (Jas. 1:12). Outline and Exposition I. T he P osition of J ames (1). J ames was probably the half-brother of Jesus (Gal. 1:19). But in his writing, James does not mention the fact of blood relationship, perhaps because of a delicacy of feeling concerning the matter (cf. Matt. 12:48-50), or because, as a Christian, he would “know . . . no man after the flesh” (cf. 2 Cor. 5:16). As the writer of the Epistle, he wag content to be known simply as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”—giving to Christ a place of equal authority with the Father and thus proclaiming the essential deity of Christ. The life of James had become vastly different from that which he had lived in the days when he, with the other brethren in Jesus’ home, did not believe on Him. The early life of James was doubtless colored by the perfection of his elder brother Jesus, which perfection would arouse his enmity because of the conviction it would bring of his own imperfections. That enmity would be increased as reports would come to the home that this elder brother was accounted a “gluttonous man, and a winebibber” (Lk. 7:34), and that He (Jesus) was “beside himself” (Mk. 3:21). Such reports would cause the family to desire to get this strange brother into seclusion (Mk. 3 :31). It is certain that none of the members of the family believed in Jesus (cf. Matt. 13:58; John 4: 44; 7:2-6). And at the cross, all four brothers were so out of sympathy with Jesus that Mary, their mother, had to be entrusted to the care of one outside the immediate family group. With all this background, we can see how difficult it would be for James to be converted. But converted he was, and he became the leader among the Christians (cf. Acts 15). BLACKBOARD LESSON W E M U S T NOT O N L Y B E H | | E R S o f t he WORD — b u t DOERS a s W E L L W IT H ^ 5 - A N D ---- A N D * 3 S — A N D — IF W E W O U L D W I N T H E 0 F LI FE W H IC H T H E LORD H A T H P R O M I S E D . 9-22-JS ____________ _________ TI>.
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