Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-02-16
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson vlIl.-first Quarter, For
Feb. 20, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text OF the Lesson, Matt vii, i-1z
Memory Verses. 2, s-Golden Text
Matt vii, 12-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. .. NJ Stesrns


When any truth Is brought home t.
US by the Spirit how prone we are &c
ask: Does any one do it! What abou,
such Il one who makes "a great pro.
fession of having no anxious care Dc
you know If they really practice it at
homer Do you think that the preach
er himself lives that way? So IL goes.
and instead OF seeing Jesus only we
are prone to see everybody but Jesus
Hence the admonition of our lesson.
Judge not that We be not judged" or Il
as IL is elsewhere, Let us not there
fore judge one another any more
Qtom. xiv, 49,. Because, as In the con
text, all believers shall stand before
the judgment seat of Christ and every
one OF us shall give account OF him
self TO God. We are so peculiar that
II is generally easier to see the mote
in anothers eye than the beam that
is in our own eye, whereas If we our.
selves We're right with God we would
have only love for all others, and, be
ing very conscious of our own infirm
tiles, we would have only prayerful
compassion for those Of others Christ
for us In our stead on the cross OBJ
tanned for us eternal redemption:
Christ for us in heaven at the right
hand OF the Father makes victory over
sin our privilege, but because we do
not know as we should the power of
Christ in us by His Spirit we are more
often stumbling blocks than samples of
what the life of Christ really is Yet
the one thing we are here for is so
to live that the world may know and
believe that Jesus lives.
In our last years studies in the Acts
Of the Apostles some Of Us were much
impressed by the words Jesus showed
Himself alive" In connection with
those other resurrection words. Jesus
showed Himself (Acts 1, 8; John xxi
1, IA. His own testimony was that
He came not to condemn, but to save.
To one sinner He said, Neither do
condemn thee; go and sin no more"
To another, Thy sins are forgiven
Gohn Ill, II; viii, II; Luke vii, 49,. He
did condemn the self righteous, fault
finding, hypocritical pharisees. but He
never had even seemingly harsh
word for the penitent sinners or for
any truly DESTROYS to be His disciples
Such love as His is heavenly; all else
is from the pit. In us it is either
Christ or self.
The Spirit through Peter speaks of
those who knew the way of righteous
ness, but did not walk therein, though
processing to do so, as dogs and swine
I'll Pet. iii, 81, 90. See also Prov
xvi, IL, -. II one cannot speak even
/ 70 L1
deep things Of God (see / Cor. iii. /, 2;
Heb. V, -. 49,, how much less should
we think of talking spiritual things to
natural people to whom they are only
foolishness. Such are spoken OF finally
as being without" having no right to
the tree Of life (Rev. xii. il. 15). but
If those who are "in Christ" would
walk honestly toward them that are
without, without Christ and without
God q Thess. iv, ~; Eph. II, 12). who
can tell how many who are now with
out" might become within" by His
grace.
This life which will commend Christ
to Others can only be by the Spirit of
God, by a wisdom which Is not of this
world, but in verse IL, along with
!
willing to give us His Spirit, the full
ness of His Spirit, than parents are tn
give good things to their children. In
Jas. /, 5, 6, we learn that this wisdom
Is to be had for the asking but 1t must
be an asking in faith and according
to Jas. iv, 3. with nothing Of self seek
ing, but wholly for the glory of God
that the life of Jesus may be made
manifest. The asking. seeking. knock
ing, with that end In view will surely
find an abundant response We must
remember that asking so as to receive
means that we are abiding, keeping
His commandments and doing the
things that are pleasing in His sigh
John XIV, Z; John Ill, 22). The seek
ing that finds is explained In Jer. xxx
13. Eye shall seek Me and find M
when We search for Me with all you
heart" AS to knocking. consider Rev
III. 20. and Luke xii. 80. and tremble a
? the possibility of our keeping Hin
! knocking at UT door when He so long
to take full possession Of us and lavish
; upon us the wealth of His love To-
, many are Ike the elder brother up
+ happy and blaming the father for IL
when all the time the father is saying
, "Ail that have is thine" IAN thing
are yours
In reference to the last verse az
which Is also the golden text, note tina
1t Is. like all the rest, message TO
believers or those who profess TO b
such that they may prove the reaiit
Of their faith For unSaypd DeOUle 4