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to be slow in hearing and answering prayer, we sometimes are tempted to ask, as did the disciples in the storm: “ Carest thou not that we perish?” The parable answers this question. If an unrighteous judge finally will . accede to a request, certainly the righteous God will respond, and that “ speedily” (vs. 7, 8). We need to remember that the answer will come “ speedily” — as God views the matter, although He does not always move with the rapidity that we like. Our Lord waited two full days after hear ing of the illness o f Lazarus before He went to the relief of the two sisters (cf. John 11). But He always arrives at the correct time; God is never late. We can and we must trust Him, while we patiently await His time. W e “ought always to pray, and not to faint." III. Two K inds of P raying (9-14). '■'.1. Ineffectual praying is seen in the Pharisee (vs. 9-12). The parable was spoken to those who “trusted in themselves” - 9 but the very essence of prayer lies in the fact that trust must be in God. The Pharisee was a good man; he was doubtless upright in business dealings, not an extortioner; honorable in his dealings with others, not unjust; clean in personal life, not an adulterer; highly religious, fasting twice in the week; and he was generous, giving tithes of all he possessed. But his prayer was “with him self” and not to God. He would make God his debtor because of his good life. His words and attitude implied that he had no need o f a Saviour, for Christ had said: “I am not come to call the righteous, but sihners to repentance” (Matt. 9:13). In spite o f all he was and.all he had done, he was still a sinner (Rom. 3:23). Noth ing he could do could forgive the sin, and for forgiveness he felt no need. 2. Effectual praying is seen in the pub lican (vs. 13, 14). The publican’s prayer was sincere ; he was honest with God. He offered no ex cuse for his sin, he made no comparisons between himself and others, and he uttered no word o f censure of others. He was, as it were, alone with God, and he was pray ing to Him. The publican’s prayer, there fore, was most suitable, asking, as it did, for mercy alone, and not for justice (cf. Psa. 25:11). And his prayer was success ful, as all such praying is bound to be (cf. Rom. 10:13; Jer. 29:13). The publican saw himself as guilty, helpless to blot out the past, hopeless because of his help lessness, lost, and in dire need of a Saviour. But he saw in Jehovah the God o f mercy and forgiveness, and he left all in His hands. Thus the publican found pardon and justification, while the Phari see went down to his house condemned. The key to the meaning of our Lord’s parable in Luke 18:1-8 is to be found in the material which immediately precedes it in the latter part of chapter 17. Christ had been teaching the disciples about His second coming, at which time they were to be delivered from the present evil world and its tribulations. He follows this teaching with a parable on the subject o f prayer. And the prayer He has in mind is not prayer in general, but a specific kind o f prayer—prayer for the deliverance which is to be ours at His second coming. That this interpretation is correct is ap- Points and Problems 1.
Lesson Story: When the ten lepers saw Jesus, they called to Him for help. They cried, “Master, have mercy on us.” I wonder whether they knew that Jesus was the Son o f God, the very One who could help them. Jesus wanted to find out if these men really did have faith- to be lieve in His power. He told them to go show themselves to the priests. Priests were thè only ones who could say whether these men with leprosy were cured and might return to their homes, The lepers showed Jesus that they did have faith, for they turned at once, sick as they still were, to go. And as they walked along, they became well. How wonderful it must have seemed! Nine of them hurried on to tell the priests, but one had a better idea than that. Before he went to the priests, he first turned back to where the Lord Jesus stood and fell down before Him to give Him thanks. Sin is like a dreadful disease. No doctor can cure it, but God can. Jesus came to save us from our sins. If He has cleansed us from sin, do we remember to thank Him for it? Object Lesson S usie and S ally Objects: A new bar of hand soap, and a rubber sponge soap dish. Lesson: How many of you boys and girls have chums? You like your chum just a little better than you do any other friend. It is good to have chums if they are the right kind. I brought two chums with me this morn ing. You will be surprised when you see them. Perhaps you have never thought of their being chums; but they must be, for they are usually seen together. Here they are! They are Susie Soap and Sally Sponge. You have often seen them together on the washstand. Lesson T ext: Lk. 18:1-14. Golden T ext: “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Lk. 18:13-). Outline and Exposition I. T he N eed for P rayer (1). E mphasis on certain words in this pas sage will bring the truth into clear light. Our Lord says: “Men ought always to pray.” Prayer is a moral obli gation, an acknowledgment o f God’s authority over all the life ; it is a confession of dependence upon God for all things; and it-is a necessity because of the nature and the environment of the disciple. “Men ought always to pray.” Whether waiting (1 Thess. 5:17), or working (Col. 4:2), or warring (Eph. 6 :18), the follower of the Lord should make prayer his habitual practice (cf. Dan. 6:10; Psa. 55:17; 88:9; and 86:3). “ Men ought always to pray." That is, there should be the confession of belief in a personal God with whom the suppliant communes. The power of prayer springs from the petitioner’s faith in God—the confidence that He is present, and that He is able and ready to do what is asked o f Him, when the petition is in line with His holy will. The direction for prayer is in the Word
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Not only are they like chums, but they are like Christians as well. I don’t wonder that you are surprised to know that they are like Christians, but wait and you shall see. When Christ was here on earth, He taught His followers to forgive one an other. Again this truth is taught in Ephesians 4 :32: “ Be ye kind one to an other, tender-hearted, forgiving one an other, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” How can Susie and Sally teach us any thing about forgiveness? You will notice that when these friends get hurt, they act differently. I will scratch Susie with my finger nail. It leaves a deep cut. I try to smooth it over, and I ask her to forgive me for being so unkind, but the cut still remains. She will not forgive and forget.- Sally Sponge is entirely different. I scratch her, and you cannot see that what I did has made any impression. She for gives and forgets immediately. No matter how badly she is treated, she never shows any signs o f being treated unkindly.^'!) I think Sally is the kind of a Christian that Christ wants us to be, for He said: “ If thy brother . . . trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent thou shalt forgive him.” “ Sponge” Christians are much more pleasing to Christ than “ Soap” Christians. of God. Faith and the W ord must be linked together for effective prayer. The exercise of spiritual power without di rection is as dangerous as a speeding auto mobile would be without some one to guide it. And direction without power would be as futile as the efforts of a driver in an automobile which had no gas. II. T he M ethod o f P rayer (2-8). Three words may be used to describe the method: importunity, perseverance, and “ sticktoitiveness.” I f such a judge as the one cited (vs. 2-6) may be moved to action, how much more readily may God be expected to act ? Because God seems BLACKBOARD LESSON THE PROUD PHARISEE PENITENT PUBLICAN ■ B HP
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