Orange County observer., 1910-01-20
The
Sunday=SchO'O1
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR JANUARY %.
Subject: True Blessedness, Matt. 5:
1-16-Commit to Memory
Verses 20.

GOLDEN TEXT Blessed are the !
pure in heart, for they shall see Cod"
Matt. 81
TIME Midsummer A. D. %.
PIACE.-Horns of Hattin.
EXPOSTTTON.-I. How to Be |
Happy, 1-12. In this lesson Jesus |!
answers the great question that man
is ever asking, How to be happy. !
Jesus points out eight classes whom |
God pronounces happy. They are not |
those whom the world esteems happy. !
Indeed they are in part those whom |
the world esteems most unfortunate. |
But time has justified, and eternity |
will more abundantly justify the
declarations of Christ. Cd The first |
class are 'the poor in spirit, /" i. e., the |
lowly in heart, those who recognize
their need and are contrite and hum
BILE in spirit comp. Ps 34:18; 81:
II; Prov. 1929; Isa. 57:15; 66:2;
Phil. 3:3) Theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. The good of this present |
evil age belongs to- thersself elf-assertive
and self -esteemi the good of the
coming age belongs to the selfsre-s
nouncing and self-abhorring The
door of the kingdom is only open to
those who realize their utter moral
poverty and humble themselves in
the dust GAS. 40, 10; / Pet. Sc;
Luke 1874; 1:53).- The spirit OF
the twentieth century is utterly op-
posed to the poverty in spirit here de-
scribed. (2) The second beatitude
sounds equally strange. The worlds
estimate is blessed are those who
are not called to mourn; those who
have no bereavements and no sOr-
rows mot so,' says Jesus, s'deep
sorrow is one of the greatest blessings
of the life that now is.'' All who
have learned to know the deeper joys
that are in Christ, have been led into
them through great heart-aches. The
reason why those who mourn are
happy is because stthey shall be COM
forted." It is "the God of all COM
fort' Himself who comforts them
G. Cor. 1:3, ~. (3) The third class
who are happy are the "meek," i. e.,
the humble, gentle and mild as dis
tinguished from the self-assertive
and contentious and harsh Il Cor.
4:21; 6:1; Eph. AZ; 2 Tim. 2:23;
Tit. 3:2). The worlds thought is
that there is no chance for the meek
man in selfish, hustling age like
this; and that his gentle voice can
never be heard amid the universal
clamor. Jesus says, s'they shall in
Isa 57:13). Certainly they are the
most fit, and it will be a happy day
for the earth when they do Even
! now the words of the meek travel
farthest and are remem bered longest.
Many man who has had message
has failed to get the world to listen
| to it, because Of his self-assertive and
censorious manner in declaring it..
How we cry to God for something
more, something higher, deeper.
more perfect! How we long. to be
perfectly like Him, between whom
! and ourselves we see so wide diff
| ference! Jesus says, you shall be
| filed But if one is satisfied with
/ present attainment, there is nothing
more for him (Luke 1:53). (5)
"The merciful." Mercy is that genu-
| inc loving kindness toward the needy
that. leads to helpful action in their
| behalf. The man who helps others in
their distress will be helped Of God
| in his own distress (Luke 1868; Ps.
/ AID. On the other hand, he who
! has deaf ear to the cry of the
needy will find that God has deaf
ear when he cries to Him (Prov. 21:
13; Matt. 1S:2335). 60 The next
happy ones, "the pure in heart. y
Theirs in the supreme blessedness
'they shall see God" God is infinite
beauty and infinite glory in personal
manifestation. The JOY Of beholdins
the greatest masterpiece of art, the
most wondrous landscape, the face o1
most matchless beauty, is nothing tt
the JOY of gazing into the face o1
God. The pure in heart and they
alone have this ineffab1e JOY (Heb
11:14). A sinful heart makes {
blind eye. The pure in heart al
ready see God (Jno. 14:19, 21, 23)
but "in glass darkly,'' but in the
coming day s'face to face" (1 Cor
| 13:12). CD "Peace Makers" theil
blessedness is because t'they shall b,
called sons of God' (R. W. TIL,
God of the Bible is "the God o
| peace" Gro. 1873; 1920; Phil. 4
8; Heb. 1920. Surely then tn
peace makers are justly called Hi
sons. On the other hand one VIII,
stirs up strife must be son of tn
devil. All discord and strife has en-
tered the world through the devil
The wisdom that leads to bitter envy
ing and strife lis earthly, sensual
uCN1l1Sn 1AOS0 WHO 1I0 pOTSeCuI0t
for righteousness sake, upon them
two-fold happiness is pronounced.
III. The Disciples of Jesus the Sal
of the Earth and the Light of tn
World, 1916. Believers in Chris
are the salt of the earth, it is the,
who keep human society from spoil
ing and who give proper SAVIOR t,
it. Salt loses its SAVIOR by becomin,
, mixed with earth The Christian
loses his savor by compromising witt
the world. They are then good TO
| nothing but to be cast out and trod
den under foot of man.. Believers ar
} not only salt that preserves but ligh
that illumines. Jesus is the Light o
the world" (John 8:12), and we b
: receiving Him become lights to tn
5 world also. It is our business to lie
: our light shine before men, We d.
| not need to make it shine, God doe
that. but we should let it shine.
SEPARATE THE FLOCKS.
; Not more than twenty-five bird
, should he kept in one flock. If d