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January 1931 V. 42. Thou thyself beholdest not the beam. That is, though you are in far greater need of correction, you pass judg ment harshly upon your brother. Thou h y p o c r ite The Master frequently had oc casion to brand the Scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites (cf. Matt. 23 :13, IS, 23, 25, 27, 29). Cast out first the beam. Put yourselves right first and then you will be able to help your brother. * * * L esson Q uestions V. 27. Is a Christian likely to have en emies? What should be his attitude of heart toward them? Should love be merely a fine sentiment, or should it be proved by good deeds? V. 28. What is meant by “bless” ? For whom are we asked to pray?. May we cease praying if our enemies persist in abusing or injuring us? V. 29. What should be the Christian’s attitude if violently attacked? What should be his feeling toward the thief who would take away his goods ? V. 30. In what spirit should a Chris tian give? Are these injunctions to be taken literally? Is it always wise to give the exact thing that is asked? V. 31. How does this injunction sum up “the law and the prophets” (cf. Matt. 7 :12) ? Are we to do to others what they may want us to do but what we know would be harmful to them? Do we need wisdom as well as love? V. 32. Should our love be limited to those who love us? Does selfish love give us any favor with God? V. 33. Do kind acts to our friends alone merit God’s favor? Should a Christian’s standard be higher than that of “sinners” ? V. 34. Should we “lend” only where we think we will have gain? Should our prospect of gain be in this life alone, or should we consider the age to come (cf. Lk. 12:33, 34)? V. 35. Why did the Lord Jesus repeat the injunction: “Love your enemies, and do them good” ? Is it easy for us at times to give way to “despair” ? If we persist in our love, how will we be rewarded? How do we show ourselves “sons of the Most High” ? To how many is God “kind” ? V. 36. How far should we extend mer cy? To how many is God merciful? V. 37. Why must we not “judge” ? Does this mean that we may not form a judg ment of men’s characters? Why should we not “condemn” ? Why should we “re lease” .debts to us ? V. 38. What should be the measure of our giving? What is the reward promised for such giving? V. 39. Who were the blind guides that Jesus had in mind (cf. Matt. 23: 16, 17, 19, 24, 26) ? What was the result of their leadership ? V. 40. Could the Pharisees lead their disciples higher than themselves? Is Christ the only safe teacher and guide (cf. John 8:12; 9:5)? Vs. 41, 42. In what figures did Jesus picture the hypocrisy of the Pharisees? Were they themselves more guilty than those whom they criticized ? What did Jesus command them to do? * * * P ractical P oints 1. Love is not merely an emotion; it is often exercised by an act of the will against natural feelings and inclinations. 2. Christian love must be without lim itation. If it is selfish, it is not true love.
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the One who, in the next generation, made it the Golden Rule of the world, rather than the maxim of a sage. * * * Jesus th e Great Teacher Luke 6:27-38 Memory Verse. —“As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them like wise” (Lk. 6:31). Approach. —Last week we told how Je sus healed the people who were sick. Today we find Him teaching them how easy, even if you are well and strong, to think ugly thoughts about people and to do mean things to them. Jesus said, “Love everybody , even the ones who don’t love you. Pray for the ones who are mean to you.” “It is easy enough,” He said, “to love the people who love you, or to be good to peo ple who are good to you, or to give to peo ple who you know will give something back to you. But you must do more than that.” Then Jesus told them what they must do. Ever since Jesus said those words, people have thought about them. They seemed such a good rule for them to fol low that they called them the Golden Rule. These are the words: “As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” If we could always remember to treat everyone like that, and if everyone was remembering to treat us like that, how happy everyone would b e! It is worth trying to do, don’t you think so? Then Jesus said something more to the people. He said, “If you live like this, then you show that you are children of the Highest.” What Jesus said to the people on that day long ago, He is saying to us today. He wants us, too, to live by His Golden Rule. 1—o— February 15, 1931 Jesus th e Friend of Sinners Lesson: Luke 7. (Lesson Text: Luke 7 :36-50.) Golden Text: “Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). * Jjf * L esson in O utline I. The Two Sinners (36-39). 1. Contrast in character. a. Pharisee—self-righteous. b. Woman—a confessing sinner. 2. Contrast of position. a. Pharisee—the host. b. Woman—an unwelcome guest. 3. Contrast of deeds. a. Pharisee’s gift—h o sp ita lity , expressing respect. b. Woman’s gift—ointment and tears, expressing love. II. The Two Judgments (39-50). 1. Pharisee’s judgment of the wo man and of Jesus(39). , * £ 5 * 0 * they can live in or der to make their lives kind and beau tiful. Lesson.- —It is so
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3. “Sinners” and Christians differ radi cally. The former live for self; the lat ter, for others. 4. Love is always put to the test. Gen uine love is proved by words, deeds, pray ers, long-suffering, and liberality. 5. Those who are “lovers of their own selves” obtain no worth while satisfaction and face terrible judgment at the end. Sacrificial love and service for Christ and for souls give joy to the heart and are sure to be recompensed at the judgment seat of Christ. 6. Censorious judgment and harsh con demnation are boomerangs. They hurt the author more than the victims. 7. The world’s maxim is, “Save and get rich” ; God’s rule is, “Give and it shall be given unto you” (cf. 12:33). 8. It is not sufficient to cease to hate enemies. God demands our active love toward them. 9. The hypocrite is always inconsistent. He sees his own fault in others, magnified by his prejudice. 10. All of Christ’s rules about Christian love must be interpreted in the light of Christian wisdom. It is not always wise to give those who ask favors the very thing that they ask; but it is always right to have the generous spirit which loves to give. 11. The greatest possible reward one could desire in this life is to be known as one who is God-like in love. 12. None could accuse Jesus of incon sistency. He loved His enemies as none other ever has (Rom. 5:8-10). * * * G olden T ext I llustration A heathen came to Rabbi- Shammai and begged to be taguht the whole Law while he stood on one foot. Shammai, indignant at the thought that the Law could be taught so simply and so shortly, drove him forth with the staff which he held in his hand. The Gentile went to Hillel, who accepted him and said: “What thou wouldest not thyself, do not to thy neigh bor. This is the whole Law, and its appli cation is, ‘Go and do this.’” Hillel was not the first to utter this familiar rule. Already it had been heard from the lips of Isocrates in Greece and of Confucius in China; yet it was original with each. In the truest sense, it was original with
A Choice Place I like T he K ing ’ s B usiness better than any paper of the kind that I have seen. To me it is next after my Bible. —From Brooklyn, N. Y .
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