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TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
January, 1940
man rule. They evidently were politi cally minded Jews who had abandoned the hope of Messiah’s deliverance from heaven, as promised by the prophets, and had turned to earthly political schemes to better the lot of their na tion. The Pharisees hated them, for whatever the shortcomings of the Phari sees, they at least looked for a genuine Messianic deliverance. However, in the trap by which they proposed to snare the Lord, they needed the help of the Herodians. And thus the enmity was forgotten for the moment. But the only real unity between the two parties was that both happened to hate the same Person, and they were willing to join hands in the plot to destroy Him. This Is the only unity _n the devil’s kingdom —its citizenr are against the same God. 2. “ Saying, Master, we know that thou art true” (v. 16). All the fine things said to Christ here were true, yet the motive was to snare Him with flattery. The Lord “perceived their Wickedness,” we are told (v. 18). But we are not generally so discerning. Even the devil may sometimes praise us for our virtues, but he does it for no good purpose. He may tell us the truth in order that he may later deceive us with a lie. 3. “They brought unto him a penny” (v. 19), What they brought Him was a “denarius,” a Roman coin valued at about twenty cents, the ordinary wage of a day laborer or a soldier. Evidently the particular “tribute” referred to was a tax which had to be paid in this kind of money. 4. “Whose is this image and super scription?" (v. 20). The fact that a coin of this kind was found easily in the group proved that they used it, and the fact that they used Caesar’s money proved the whole contention was point less. By accepting and using the money of Caesar, they had already accepted the authority of Caesar. They had re ceived the money from Caesar. If that was lawful, what could be wrong with giving some of it back to Caesar? Golden Text Illustration 'M atthew 22:39 T. DeWitt Talmage said: “When I was but a small boy, I heard words from the lips of a saintly old man in a prayer meeting which have kept by me ever since, and have been of no little help to my Christian experience. He was the kind of Christian who praised God in his daily life as well as in the prayer meeting. At the close of a wonderful testimony, he told us, in four simple words, the secret of his life's happiness. They were these: ‘I just love everybody.’ How that man went up in my opinion! At that mo ment there was bom within me the hope that I might one day say those same words with the same fervor and spirit”—Sunday School Times,
Good Citizens and Good Neighbors M atthew 22:15 to 23:39 MEMORY VERSE: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 22:39). APPROACH: There were a great many people in the crowds about the Lord Jesus who wanted to kill Him be cause they were not willing to believe that He was the Son of God. So they followed Him, listening to all that He said and hoping that they could ask s ome q u e s t i o n which Jesus could not a n s w e r , and then they c o u l d say, “He isn’t the Son of God because He doesn’t know everything.” LESSON STORY : One day these men came to Jesus with a question which they were sure He couldn’t answer. They asfced Him whether they should pay taxes to Caesar, the ruler to whom their nation belonged. They hoped that Jesus would say, “No, give your alle giance only to God.” If He said this, then they would tell the authorities that He was teaching them not to be good' citizens. But the Lord was a g o 'd citizen and He wished others to be also. He told them to give to Caesar thé things which were his (and the money was his) and to give to God the things which were God’s. That meant giving God their lives. Again they came to Jesus to puzzle Him with a question: “Which is the great commandment?” they said. They were thinking of the Ten Command ments which God had given to Moses. Now these ten commandments tell our duties to God and our duties to our neighbors. They are equally important, and Jesus gave them ¿ i s answer, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” and “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” And this is the way God wants us to live, too. Object Lesson T hree - i - n -O nb OBJECTS: A small bag of cement, some sand on a saucer, a glass of wa ter, a small block of cement, and a card board carton such as cottage cheese is sold in. (Several hours before the les son, mix some sand, cement and water, and pour into the carton. The carton taken to thé class should have a red cross on one side.) LESSON: This cement, sand, and wa ter are like people before they become Christians. They are very different, but they can all be made into one solid piece of cement. A few days ago I took some cement, sand, and water, and mixed them to gether in a cardboard carton, such as this one. I let the mixture harden and it made this solid block of cement.
Book Missionaries Wanted .to Sell Mrs. Charles E. .Oowinan’s great trio of devotional books: Streams in the Desert Consolation Springs in the Valley $1.50 each postpaid Liberal Commission ORIENTAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY, PUBLISHERS 800 N. Hobart Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.
Willard Hotel at left of Bible Institute W IL L A R D . (FRANCES E.') H O T E L F. B. HARRISON, Manager 636-40 South Hope Street Los Angeles, California In Bible Institute Block, and next,to I/oa Angeles Public Library HOTEL (Frances E.) WILLARD Is operated as a high-class temperance hotel. Adjoining beautiful Public Library Park on one side and the Church of the Open Door on the other, this residential center is surrounded by a Christian atmosphere and environ ment that assures a safe, comfortable and exclusive place to stop. Some of its features are: Twenty-four hour desk and telephone service; separ ate floors for men and women; exten sive roof garden; water softener install ed throughout the building; detached baths, showers and circulating ice water on every floor. RATES
Rooms with detached baths $17.00 to $25.00 per month Rooms with Bath $30.00 to $45.00 per month Daily and Weekly Rates in proportion
The Willard is a Class A hotel, has 320 rooms furnished for your comfort and convenience, and obliging attendants are always at your call. Write for in formation. LOCATED within a few minutes’ walk of the shopping district and easily ac cessible to all transportation depots, Hotel Willard offers an ideal home to those seeking refinement in living. IS Stories of Fireproof Construction
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