Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-09-12
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON XII, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. is.

by Rev. ID. Nj. Stearns.
Copyright, 1905, by American Press Association
We are now in the last week before
the crucifxion, the week so fully re
corded by each Of the evangelists. Aft
er He had cleansed the temple He wa:
questioned by the chief priests an6
scribes as to the authority by which He
had done this. He in reply asked then
whether the baptism of John was from
heaven or of men. This, for reasons
given, they refused to answer. saying
1--WE cannot tell" He then said, mel
Their do tell you by what authority
do these things" Mark xi, 1888. He
then spale the parallels of the father
and two sons, the vineyard let out to
husbandmen. the marriage supper and
wedding garment Matt. xxi, %. to
xxi, Id, in which He set before them
their treatment of the kingdom and OF
Himself, their King, and the punish.
ment that would come upon the dis
obedient. Then certain Pharisees and
Herodians are sent to Him to catch
Him in His words Verse 49, or entan-
gle Him in His talk Matt. xxi, 49,.
With many fattering words they ask
Him if it is lawful to give tribute to
Caesar or not. In Ps. xviii. SO. it is
said Of their ancestors. 'They did fiat
ter Him with their mouth, and they
lied unto Him with their tongues, for
their heart was not right with Him."
"They tempted and provoked the most
high Cod (verse 56). These people
were true children of their fathers, ap-
pearing outwardly righteous unto men,
but within full Of hypocrisy and In
iquity Matt. xiii, 2S). He said also
of them, "This people draweth nigh
unto Me with their mouth and honor.
eth Me with their lips, but their heart
is far from Me" Matt. XIV, 49,. Com
pare lisa. xxx, 10; Eek. xxxiii, 81.
Jesus knew their hypocrisy, perceived
their wickedness and craftiness verse
Is and the parallel accounts), and said:
"Why tempt We Me, We hypocrites1
Bring Me a penny, that / may see it."
Then. drawing from them the fact that
the money bore Caesars image and SUI
prescription, His simple and unanswer'
able reply was. Render to Caesar the
things that are Caesars and to God the
things that are Gods" Thus He con-
founded the worldly minded Herodians
from their own text, ga penny" Let
the wording enjoy the world and wor-
ship the world-in other words. the
devil-for the whole world lieth in the
wicked one. and he is the prince or
god of this world q John V, 10; John
xiv, 30: II Cor. iv. ~. and then CON-
plain not if in the life beyond this he
finds himself i'm the devils territory,
the everlasting fire prepared for the
devil and his angels Matt. XIV, AZ.
Let those who have been born again
and who have begun to bear the image
Of Christ. and are being day by day by
all things conformed to that image
(Rom. viii, %. 20; xii, 1. p, render to
God in Christ the whole hearted de-
votiOn which is due to Him. looking
forward to the time when we shall be
like Him and share with Him His
kingdom and glory q John Iii, 1, p.
Our Lord is next tempted by the
Sadducees, who deny that there is any
resurrection of the body or angel or
spirit (Acts xiii. 81, asking Him about
a point in the law Oeut. XIV. 8. O
and citing the case Of a woman who
had successfully become the wife OF
seven brethren. and derisively they
ask, "In the resurrection whose wife
shall she be of the seven" Our Lords
reply is most comprehensive. sugges-
tive and final. The Scriptures are a
full and perfect authority. You do not
know them nor the power Of God. and
therefore you err in your question and
your thoughts. There are angels even
If YOU do not believe it. but they do
not marry. for marriage is for this
world only. In the resurrection the
will be in that respect like
angels. If we know not the Scriptures
we shall surely err concerning the
things of God for God has fully reveal
ed His will and purpose In His word.
There is a resurrection Of the dead,
which shall include both the just and
unjust and be completed Mt the time of
the great white throne. but there is a
resurrection from the dead, Of which
our Lord here speaks, n resurrection
Of the Just, first resurrection duke
xiv, ID; Rev. Xxx. 81. These are called
the children of the resurrection duke
Xxx. 38) and are equal to the angels In
the matter of not marrying any more,
but are higher than angels in the mat
Ter of their relation to Christ for they
with Him shall judge angels, shall sit
with Him in His throne and reign over
the earth q Cor. vi, 2. 3; Rev. Ill. 21;
Y, o, 10; Xxx. 5. O.. In bodies. like the
body of Christ. they shall
never be sick nor old nor die phil. Iii,
20, 81; Rev. xxi, 3, 4; lisa. xxxiii, pa.
The Sadducees professed to believe
lie Eve books of Moses, so our Lord
.alls their attention to Ex. iii, 90, and
he words of God to Moses out of the
burning bush. really His own words,
'or it was He who spoke to Moses at
hat time. He whose goings forth have
been from of old, from the days of
eternity (Micah V, 2, margin). Our
Lord says that the words He spoke at
hat time, II am the God Of Abraham
md the God of Isaac and the God of
Jacob" prove that the dead rise. The
multitude were astonished at His doc
.rine, and the scribes said. Master,
Thou hast well said" and after that
hey burst not ask Him any question
Matt. xii, SO; Luke Xxx, 80, 4O). The
words spoken at the bush and our Lords
comment here, "He Is not the God Of
The dead. but the God of the living"
certainly prove clearly that Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob were alive in the time
of Moses, although their bodies were
lead.
Do what you consider right, what