The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-02-04
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson vI.-First Quarter, For
Feb. 8, 1910.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text OF the Lesson, Matt. vi. lis.
Memory Verse, 6--GcIden Text. Matt.
vi, I, r. v.--cOmmentary Prepared by
Rev. .. NJ. stearns.
The kingdom that will surely come
In Gods own time and way will be
kingdom of righteousness and peace
The Lord Jesus Christ and His saints
shall be the heavenly rulers Czech. xiv,
5, 9; Rev. v. 9, 10,. and Israel, right
eous nation, the earthly center. bring
ing blessing to all the earth lisa. TX,
Fl; xii. /, 2, 6. n. In order to enter
the kingdom one must have the right
eousness described In the last lesson
not our own by any deeds of the law,
but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of
God by faith (Phil. iii. 81. If this
righteousness Is truly ours It will be
manifest in our lives to the glory of
God, and the whole life will be simply
and only and always desire for Gods
approval. Thus the light will shine
before men and God will be gIorifed.
according TO the scribes and Pharfsees,
righteousness consisted of giving and
prayer and fasting but it was all to
obtain honor from men Matt. xiii. 81:
1t was not from the heart unto the
Lord. In the lesson today our Lord
takes these three things and teaches
that those who seek the praise of men
may get honor from men. but that is
all they ever will get. The truly right
eous will do their Righteousness (verse
|, margin and r. w unto the Lord, with
the one desire OF pleasing Him, and
concerning such Jesus said three times,
THY Father who seeth in secret shall
reward thee openly" oversees 4, 6. 49,.
The worlds favor is to many a great
snare, but the motto of the truly right
eous Is. Not as pleasing men but God
who trieth our hearts" mot with eve
service as men pleasers. but as the
servants of Christ, doing the will of
God from the heart Il Thess. ii, 4:
Eph. vi. 81. The words Of our Lord in
John vi, 81, seem to me to cover all this
teaching, "As the living Father hath
sent me, and I live by the Father, so
he that eateth me. even he shall live
by me-" Those who have taken the
trouble to note how often In the book
Of Leviticus. the book of worship, the
expressions unto the Lord and ''be-
fore the Lord" are used and will lay
this to heart will surely be delivered
from the snare Of the devil against
which the Lord here warns us.
In reference to giving we have the
between the rich who cast
into the treasury of their abundance
and the poor widow who. perhaps with
some secrecy. cast In her two mites,
but of which our Lord made such hon
orable mention. The being rewarded |
openly is referred to on another occa- i
sion by our Lord when He urged that /
we should do good to those who can /
not recompense uS here. reminding us !
Of recompenSe at the resurrection OF |
the just duke xiv. Al A contrast in |
prayer is seen in the Pharisee and pub |
ican of Luke xviii The contrast be-
tween fasting before men and before
God is set forth fully in Isa Twill. Is.
Let the world 60 it's way and please
is god. but If we have become children
of the only living and true God let us
n all things honor our Father who is |
N heaven and learn to pray from the
heart the prayer thar is here taught
- by our Lord, the only model of
prayer which Christ has given us. and
Is one has said. the epitome of all
prayer, for there, il nothing that we
AN ask for that is not included In this.
This Is truly the believers prayer. for
'nly such can say from the heart Our
>ather." All others had better take
.eed quickly to our Lords estimate of
lem ID John viii. "a. Between Our
'Fh"r" "''a ''''.. - i.in@dom"