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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
May, 1840
INT ERNAT I ONA L L E S S ON Commentary Outline and Exposition Blackboard Lesson Childrens Division Object Lesson Golden Text Illustration By B. B. S utcliffe By G retchen S ibley By G race W . K ellogg By E lmer L. W ilder By A lan S. P earce Points and Problems B y A lva J. M c C lain , President of Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind.
conduct, as Christians, condemns us. Whatever may be amiss does not come from any lack on the Lord’s part; it must rise from unfaithfulness in us. m . T he T est of F ruit (M att . 7:16-20) These are favorite verses used fey some individuals to prove that certain cults must be of God. The devotees of these cults, point to their works and say, "Look at these things done by us. They prove we are of God, because ‘ye shall know them by their fruits.’ ” But it must be observed that in this passage our Lord points out how we may know the false ones, not the true; the false are to be known by their fruits. Unquestionably, the good tree will produce fruit according to its na ture, and the fruit will be good. IV. T he C onclusions (1 C or . 10:6, 7) Now “these things,” the things re ferred to in the previous passages of our lesson, “were written for our ex amples.” (v. 6) Israel rejected the pur pose for which they were chosen by God. They refused to act as the pre serving element in this world, rejected their place as the light of the world, and sank into the useless condition of salt without savor, a light hid under a bushel, and the ashes of a burned vine. Judgment was their portion, as judgment will be the portion of all whose conduct belies their profession. Writer of Children’s Lessons Beginning this month, the Chil dren’s Division for each Sunday is provided by Grace W. Kellogg, an experienced worker among boys and girls—in the Children’s Evan gelistic Union and other gather ings. A t the request of T. C. Hor ton, she gave an address on “Bible Answers to the Questions of Chil dren” to a large and appreciative group of ministers at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. The Lord has greatly blessed this message and method. Children and chil dren’s teachers are Invited to send in questions that may puzzle them, which Miss Kellogg will be glad to answer. She is also the author of “The Bible Today,” a booklet of interesting recent discoveries, helpful to the university student (Biola Book Room, price 25 cents each).
JUNE 2, 1940 TESTING CONDUCT BY ITS USEFULNESS E zekiel 15:1-6; M atthew 5:13-16; 7:16-20; 1 C orinthians 10:6, 7 E zekiel 15:1 And the w ord o f the Lord came unto me, saying, 16
Let you r ligh t so shine before men, that they m ay see you r good w ork», and g lo rify you r F ather w hich is in heaven. Matthew 7(16 Y e shall know them by their fruits. D o men gather grapes o f thorns, or fig s o f thistles? 17 E ven so every good tree, bringeth forth good fru it; but a corru pt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 E very tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 W herefore by their fruits ye shall k n ow them. 1 Corinthians 10;6 N ow these things w ere our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be y e Idolaters, as w ere some o f them ; as It is w ritten, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. GOLDEN T E X T : “ Y e shall know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7;16). DEVOTIONAL READ ING ; Mk. 11112-14. stroyed. This outcome would result be cause the people of the Lord rejected the purpose for which God had chosen and blessed them. This truth may be applied also to individual life today. II. T he T est of A ction (M att . 5:13-16) In this New Testament passage, the Lord’s people are compared to salt and light. They are, first, the salt of the earth—-the preservative element in the midst of the world’s corruption. For this usage they are left upon earth. But if the salt loses its strength, it be comes worthless. The test, then, is whether or not the Lord’s people are fulfilling God’s purpose: to act as a sweetening and preserving element on earth. Again, the Lord’s people are the light of the world. The world is in darkness; its eyes are blind, its ears are deaf, and it sits in ignorance of God, His Word, and His salvation. The world needs Christians to shed light in its darkness—to reveal Christ and His sal vation as shown in the blessed Word of God. But - many followers of the Lord Jesus Christ have no illuminating power, and the continued darkness that prevails in their presence indicates clearly that something is wrong with their “light.” Tested by usefulness, our
2 Son o f man. W hat is the vine tree m ore than any tree, or than a branch w hich is am ong the trees o f the forest? 3 Shall w ood be taken th ereof to do any w ork ? or w ill men take a pin o f it to hang: any vessel thereon? 4 B ehold, it is cast into the fire fo r fu e l; the fire devoureth both the ends o f It, and the m idst o f it is burned. Is it meet fo r any w ork ? 5 B ehold, when it w as whole, it w as meet fo r no w o rk : how much less shall it be meet yet fo r any w ork, w hen the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned? % T herefore thus saith the L ord God; A s the vine tree among: the trees o f the forest, w hich I have given to the fire fo r fuel, so w ill I give the inhabitants o f Jerusalem . M atthew 5:13 Ye are the salt o f the earth; but if the salt have lost his savor, w herew ith shall it be salted? it is thence forth good fo r nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under fo o t o f men, 14 Y e are the light o f the w orld. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candle stick ; and it giveth light unto a ll that are in the house. Outline and Exposition I. T he T est of P urpose (E zek . 15:1-6) K HE VINE, mentioned here, was tree might be cut down, its wood formed into lumber, and the lumber fashioned into many useful things. But the vine when cut down was without strength or value, and its ashes when burned were w o r s e than useless. Jerusalem was compared with the ashes of a burned vine. Jerusalem, which had been chosen and equipped for the purpose of re vealing the glory Of the Lord, had re fused that high calling. Eventually, therefore, it would become as useless as the ashes- of the vine; Jerusalem would be given to the fire, and its vaunted beauty would be utterly de- \These lessons are developed from outlines prepared by the Committee on Improved Uniform Lessons of the In ternational Council. The outlines are copyrighted by the International Coun cil of Religious Education and used by permission. Scripture portions quoted are from the King James Version un less' otherwise stated.']
useful only for its intended pur pose, and t h a t was not the same as the purpose of a tree. The
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