The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-03-03
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson IX.-FirSt Quarter, For
Feb. Il, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, Matt. vii, 1929
Memory Verses, 13, 14-GoIden Text,
Matt. vii, 21-commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. M. Stearns.

| by REV. -. w. StearnS.
| Life eternal is the gift of God in
! Christ Jesus and can be obtained only
as a free gift wholly apart from any
works or merit of ours. But He came
to give US not merely life, but life
abundantly Rom. vi, %; John x, 1O).
All who have eternal life shall enter
! the kingdom. but there may be an
abundant entrance into the kingdom
| John iii, 3. ,; III Pet l. 10, III. There
/ may be a saved soul and a lost life, a
saved soul and no service to be reward
ed, no crowns to cast at His feet, but
/ such is not His desire for His redeem
! ed q Cor iii. His; IL John 8; Rev.
iv, 10). Concerning life as the gift of
God. Jesus Christ Himself is the way,
and the only way. for there is none
other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved John
xiv. &; Acts iv, ~ While any one
who will may enter through this strait
gate upon this narrow way. compare
lively few fnd it because few are will
ing to acknowledge themselves lost and
deserving of hell and, pleading guilty,
put all their trust in the precious blood
of Christ.
The gate is entirely too strait for
any who insist upon bringing with
them a single shred of their own
righteousness and the way is too mar
row to permit any but the Lord Him
self and those who are wholly His to
walk with US in it, Let US. however,
praise God for the words Him that
cometh' and "whosoever will" In
Luke xiii. -, % we read that a time
will come when many will seek to
enter in and shall not be able. but that
time is not yet, for the door is still
open and the Lord waits to be gracious
He has not Yet risen up TO shut the
door. The false prophets are abound
ing more than ever in these days, CON
corning whom the Lord said long ago,
Il have not sent these prophets, yet
they ran: have not spoken to them.
yet they prophesed;' They are proph-
cts Of the deceit If their own heart
der. xiii 21 26l. Those who deny the
supernatural birth of Christ or His
deity or His suffering III the sinners
stead or His literal resurrection from
the dead are not bearing messages from
God, but from the great adversary.
Yet multitudeS are willingly deceived
by the god Of this world, who is in
so many ways binding the minds Of
them who believe not.
Many of those who deceive and are
being deceived seem to bear a form
of good fruit, but that cannot he good
fruit IN the sight Of God which does
not proceed from the True Vine The
Lord Jesus said that false Chrsts and
false prophets should arise who would
show great signs and wonders and, if
possible, deceive the very elect Matt.
xiv, 24 The Spirit through Paul
said that Satan himself is transformed
into an angel of light I'll Cor. ri. IA.
While it is true that God gives eter-
nal life as free gift to all who truly
believe, apart from any works of ours,
as the Spirit teaches everywhere, yet
il is equally true that no mere word
of mouth which is not born of the
heart amounts to anything, and where
there is a living faith, a faith that
saves. there will be life correspond
ing. Not every one that saith. but
he that doeth." The light must shine.
the works must be manifest according
to Eph, ii. 10; Tit iii. ). But these
works must be works wrought by God
through us: otherwise. however good
they may seem to men. they will not
stand. According to verse -. there
may be teaching and casting out de-
mons and many wonderful works, but
all diSowned Of God. Note carefully
this teacher who says. Many will say
to me In that day: then will |
profess to them: | never knew you;
depart from me, We that work iniquity.'
He is the same King who will say to
some, Depart from me, We cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels" (NXv. Al. He is the
appointed Judge of all mankind, to
whom every one shall give account,
either at His judgment seat for be-
levers or at the great white throne
a thousand years later. Jesus is God.
the only Saviour of sinners, the Great
Head of the church, the Messiah of
Israel, the King of kings and Lord
of lords. the only one with whom we
have to do, and with US it is a Ques-
ton of life or death
Shall we hear His word and believe !
it and receive Him and live. or shall
we turn our backs upon Him and His
word and make lies our refuge and
perish? His word is truth; He is the
truth and the only foundation. All else
is a lie and from the adversary, but
His wrath shall sweep away the ref
uge of lies lisa. xviii, 16. Ia. We are
either in the ark and safe from the
coming storm or outside and under
the wrath of God. We do not Won
der that the people recognized an un-
usual power in His words. for in Him
was fulfilled the prophecy, Il will put
My words in His mouth. and He shall
speak them unto them all that | shall
command Him" Deut. xviii. 1Sl. If
we are His faithful messengers and
will speak only His message we can
count upon His honoring His own