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right at any price. Can we ask God to bless those who1are cursing us? Yes, we can if we love them. Stephen did under the most difficult circumstances. (Acts 7:60.) “And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice» Lord lay not this sin to their charge.” and so Peter commands (1 Pet. ? :9 ). “Not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing; but contrariwise blessing; knowing that thereunto ye are called that ye should inherit a blessing.” (See y. 36.) 4. “ Pray for them which despite- fully use you” (v. 28). They need our prayers and we are commanded to “ pray for all men.” Who are these that despitefully use us? Why do they do it? What have we done to merit it? We cannot ask God to bless their wrong doing, but we can ask Him to bring them to the place of confes sion. Our Lord has set us the example (Luke 23:34). . “Father forgive .them for they know not what they do.” If we have done anything to justify their attitude, we must confess and for sake it. 5. “ Unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other” (v. 29). This is a hard saying, especially for the flesh, to bear, but possible for a Christian though circumstances should govern (Acts 23:1-5). Christ submit ted (Matt. 26:67) but did not ask for a repetition (John 18^:22, 23). “And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answer-- est thou the high priest so? i Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou met” The principle is the thing that is great; not the letter (v. 33). 6. “ Give to every man that asketh of thee” (v. 30). Not everything he asks for. He might ask for a dollar and want to use it for drink. Instead you would be justified in taking him to a restaurant and getting a twenty cent meal for him. We need and must have the unselfish spirit and a heart of com-
That the. righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” These commands are the code of the children of the kingdom. They reveal what God is and what God, of necessity, requires of those who are to live with Him. No one ever kept perfectly these commands except our Lord Jesus who was without sin. So we confront two things—-the law of a perfect life arid the Lord who Iive*d the perfect: life. No one can live this life who does not have the life which comes by the reception of Christ as Saviour, and the teacher should seek to use the lesson to give emphasis to the necessity of taking Him and yielding to Him who says, “ (Without me, ye can do nothing” ; and to faith in .Paul’s word, “ I can do a.11 things through Christ who strengthened, me.” (1) LOVE’S REQUIREMENTS, vs. 27-31. Here are seven admonitions: 1. “Love your enemies” (v. 27). Do you?' Can you? Yes. How? By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and hy no other power. But that does not mean you are to condone their sins. We do not give our enemies the place our friends have in our hearts. Neither did Christ? But we must- hold no grudge against any. Christ loved us when we were enemies, but He hated our sins, and sin in the life of the Christian is hateful to Him. 2. “Do good to them which hate you” (v. 27). Who is it hates you? Why? You belong to God. Are you living the godly life? Then return good for evil. Paul says: “ As we have there fore opportunity let us do good unto all” (Gal. 6:10). Show that you -are a Christian by your life. (This verse is illuminated by our Lord’s own words in vs. 32, 33.) 3. “Bless them) that curse you” (v. 28). This is ascending the scale of the new life. Have we merited the curse of others? If so, make the wrong
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