October, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
398
III. J udging b y A ppearances
partial bias was one of Satan’s methods of breaking fellowship and hindering the power of the gospel, James the apostle said: “My brethren, . . . if there come into your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in your selves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? . . . If ye have respect to per sons, ye commit sin” (Jas. 2:1-4, 9). Per haps if James were present in some mod ern church assemblies, he would even more emphatically condemn unfair discrimina tion among Christians. Our guiding truth concerning prejudice is this: “ God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). The Lord Jesus Christ who revealed Him demonstrated the all-inclu sive, impartial love of His Heavenly Father. He alone could say: “My judg ment is true” (John 8:16). T o Him, the mighty teacher Nicodemus, and the Samar itan woman of ill repute were equal. He saw beyond the purple robe and tattered tunic to the never-dying souls which He died on the cross to save, and He yearned for fellowship with them. Have we the compassion and the vision of our Saviour? Two men who had been friends and companions in their youth met in the police court—one on the magistrate’s bench, the other in the prisoner’s dock. The case was tried and the prisoner found guilty. Would the judge, in consideration of their friend ship years before, forbear to pass judg ment? No, he must fulfill his duty; justice must be done, and the law of the land obeyed. He gave out the sentence—four teen days’ hard labor or a fine of fifty dollars. The condemned man had nothing with which to pay, so the prison cell was before him. But as soon as he had pronounced the sentence, the judge rose from the bench, threw aside his magistrate’s robes, and, stepping down to the dock, stood beside the prisoner, paid his fine for him, and then said, “ Now, John, you are coming home with me to supper.” It is just so with the sinner. God can not overlook sin. Justice must be done, and sentence pronounced, but Christ him self pays the debt and the sinner is free. —Sunday School Times. II. S tubbornness of P rejudice Concrete facts did not avail against pre conceived notions and prejudices. When Galileo was summoned before the Inquisi tion to be tried for the “heresy” of affirm ing the revolution of the earth, he said to the judges: “ I can convince you. Here is my telescope; look through it, and you shall see the moons of Jupiter.” They refused to look. They were convinced that the earth did not revolve around the sun, and no evidence could convince them otherwise! — The Teacher. Helps for the Leader I. W h en th e J udge C ondem ned
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Some time ago, a young man, in look ing around among the people of a public gathering, set his eyes on a tall, heavy-set, well-built man, and made up his mind that this was the new minister. He went up to a friend, and said, “ He is a very strong, good-looking man, isn’t he? I am well sat isfied that he will be a very good minister.” “That man?” replied his friend. “Why, he is the new theater manager!” —Sunday School Times. NOVEMBER 21, 1937 “ PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW” Our modern doxology is but a re-echoing of the praise which fills those inspiring songs of the Bible, the Psalms. Thanskgiv- ing, praise, and gratitude áre interwoven through all those hymns to which we in stinctively turn for spiritual tonic, so up lifting is their powerful spirit of praise. The joy of David is contagious and over flowing as he declares that he will praise God with his “whole heart” (Psa. 9:1), and “bless the Lord at all times” (Psa. 34:1). Even in times of sorrow and dejection, he purposed to thank God for the trials which enabled him to trust more fully the One who was working for him. Psalm 147 consists of the Psalmist’s re joicings in the Person and the work of his Redeemer. For His might and His mercy, eternal gratitude is due our God and Father: “ Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (v. 5). For His work in nature He is to be praised. He prepares rain, He makes grass to grow, and He feeds the animals and the young ravens. He gives snow, frost, and “ice like morsels” (What a poetic description of hail!). When He is ready for spring, He sends forth His word and causes His wind to blow, and snow and ice melt before Him. Great God of nature, holy and won derful art Thou I Although powerful and infinitely right eous, holy, and just, the Lord God whom we praise is also loving and merciful. Were it not for these attributes, we, His unworthy and sinful creatures, could never obtain forgiveness for our sins and be brought into fellowship with One so con summately perfect. The Lord’s redemptive work is extolled in the words, “The Lord lifteth up the meek. . . the Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy” (vs. 6, 11). When God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, volun tarily took our place upon the cross, He revealed to us the true nature of the God head. Because of His sinlessness, His holi ness, God of necessity demanded an ade quate sacrifice for the transgression which separated us from Him. No one but the Lord Jesus Christ was sufficiently holy to be the Mediator, and none but He was loving enough to bear the agony which such a substitution involved. Do we praise G °d enough for His al mighty power and unlimited love? “Ob P salm 103:1, 2 ; 147:5-20 Meditation on the Lesson
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