March, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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question for thousands of years and has been answering it in various ways. Some have said that education would cleanse. Others have said that the right kind of associates would change the heart. But David answered the question correctly when he said: “ By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” The Bible tells of Christ and His power to save from sin. As I pour this pure water into the glass, the black corks have to leave. When the Word of God, telling of Christ’s death on the cross, is received into the heart, sin goes.
of it, and gave some to Adam, her hus band. We will put this big cork in the glass to remind us of this sin. When one sin enters the heart, many others soon follow. No one but God knows how many other sins Adam and Eve com mitted. You name some sins which are common today, as I finish filling this glass with black corks. This pitcher of pure water reminds me of the Bible. David said: “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?” (Psa. 119:9). The world has been asking this.
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APRIL 18, 1937 THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES G enesis 13:13; 19:23-25; D euteronomt 32:31-33; P roverbs 23:29-32
theless possessed a righteous soul (cf. 2 Pet. 2:6-9). On account of this fact, Lot must have been constantly in distress; be cause his “ righteous soul” continually would have been reminding him that he was 'in the wrong place. But Lot per sisted in seeking temporal things. Alas! He thought he could please God and at the same time please his own natural self. This is an error into which many of God’s people fa ll; they attempt to amass the wealth of this world, and at the same time keep themselves, as Christians, unspotted by the world’s defilement. Lot was intemperate to the highest de gree, though not a word is spoken in the Bible concerning his use or nonuse of alco holic beverages. The outcome of Lot’s re bellious ways is seen in the fact that while he himself was saved—that is, his right eous soul was saved—yet all else of his was swept away in Sodom’s destruction. At length, bitter disappointment befell the people of Sodom who continued in their godless ways. The vine that promised to produce the wine which should make glad the heart of man, gave only grapes that turned to bitter gall (cf. Deut. 32:31-33). Lot knew this experience, and likewise has many a Christian known it who has been misled into thinking there is a possibility of having the advantages of this life and also of the life to come. “What shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?” (Matt. 16:26, R. V.) was the Lord’s query, a question with just one possible true answer, namely, he is profited nothing. Intemperance, in whatever form it may appear, leads to sor row and bitter loss. II. T he C urse of I ntemperance (P rov . 23:29-32) Any one who has worked among those who have been overcome by the curse of strong drink knows that the description contained in these verses and applied to the one who drinks is absolutely according to fact. Added to the physical distress, there are contentions and there are mere “bab blings” instead of proper speech. The drunkard wakes to find himself bearing wounds the origin of which he knows not, and redness of eyes which may be more painful than the wounds he bears (vs. 29, 30). How forcefully these pictures portray the folly of intemperance! And the root of that folly is sin.
Golden Text: “At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder” (Prov. 23:32). Outline and Exposition I. T he C ourse of S odom (G en . 13:13; 19:23-25; D eut . 32:31-33) T hese three passages describe Sodom, a city which was destroyed by God because of its wickedness. The pas sages do not appear to be related in any way to the subject chosen for this lesson, for they have nothing to say regarding al coholic beverages. Even in the last pas sage listed, the reference to the vine and the wine is clearly figurative. However, the history of Sodom is cer tainly a story in which intemperance in a general sense—whether one considers its application to individuals or to the people collectively — is outstandingly prominent, for “the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly” (Gen. 13:13). The word translated “before” in this verse properly means “ against,” and it suggests the determined and conscious (and therefore culpable) wickedness which characterized the men of this city. The underlying principle of their wicked ness was selfishness. They lived wholly for self, with no thought of God of His rights. The pleasure of eating and drink ing and of enjoying material gain was up permost in their minds. Selfishness invari ably hardens one’s heart against God and His claims. God’s judgment upon such a course of action as that which was followed in Sodom is described in Genesis 19:23-25. Within the borders of Sodom, Lot was living at about the time of the city’s de struction. This man, though evidencing to some extent the selfishness for which the people of Sodom were condemned, never- BLACKBOARD LESSON
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