The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-05-30
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDNSCIlOOL
LESSON
By v. o. SELLERS Director Of EVEN
Ing Department, The Moody bible In
stitute OF ChicsRoD
LESSON FOR JUNE z
HYPOCRISY AND SING sRIry.


GOLDEN TExT-"Take heed that you
DO not your Righteousness before men. TO
be seen Of them: else ye have M reward
with your Father which 10 In Heaven
Matt. .sL
Someone has called attention to the
butts" OF God as recorded In the
Scriptures. showing that they always
lead 10 something good and contrasts
them with those Of men that are always
the introduction 10 some derogaiory re-
mark. In something resembling this
the words Of Jesus. Take heed" are
tremendous with import.
Doing was the greatest thing IN the
Jewish religion that Jesus came 10 set
aside when he established his new
kingdom. II Is easy for a man to try
to DC Tor hiHself In order 10 merit
Gods favor IL is hard TO let God do
for US and we TO accept his finished
work
siye word and three illustrations. This
word is the word righteousness" sub
stituted in the Revised Version for
the word aims" In verse one. The
three lines OF application or iiiustra-
lions used are. first. that we shall
make our righteousness secure by 30
doing our aims as not to be seen or
men, second, that In the saying or
our prayers We shall not. like the
hyprocrites. desire TO be seen OF men.
and third. that In the keeping OF our
fasts and our vlgils We do them. not.
as DO hyprocrites. that the multitudes
may observe and comment thereon.
10 another lesson upon this mani
festo OF Jesus We studied the subject
OF the ia" and In IL he summarized II
all BY telling us that except our righte-
business SHAH exceed the righteousness
OF these Scribes and Pharisees. whom
John the baptist designated as a gen
Grafton OF vipers-hypocrites. We shall
IN no wise enter into this new Kingdom
which Jesus came to establish.
Righteousness He Demands.
In the lesson Jesus shows us the
difference between their righteous
ness and the righteousness which he
Is demanding OF the subject OF his
kingdom. tie demands that our rfghte-
BUSINESS shall seek Its approval not
from nor among men but OF God. The
motive which must govern is the
glory. not OF man but OF God. not
mans approval but the approval or
God. In verse two the word aims
is retained and hence the hrst Illus
tration has TO do with our doing or
aims l. .. our relations TO men about
MS our rlghtness. The doing OF aims
has no fundamental connection with
any question OF honesty between man
and man The doing OF aims accord
ing 10 the strict Interpretation OF civil
law Is no part OF duty. There Is no
reason why the business man should
give away his earnings provided he Is
lust In his dealings and does not de-
raud In his transactions. Yet We do
see men making great gifts and bene-
factions to the cause OF philanthropy.
why! Jesus lays bare the secret
when he says, that they may have
The glory OF men"
Next Jesus takes up the subject OF
prayer. Again our attention is drawn
10 the fact that the exercise OF prayer
mas but little to do with our relations
10 men. True II Is these relations
must be right before we can come TO
God aceeptably but prayer is to be d.
'ected to God and not 10 man. Apart
from our belief In God. why should We
pray! Commercial or other inter-rela-
tionships do not require prayer, why
tssn pray! The keen blade Of Jesus
logic again reveals the innermost se-
cret' that they may be seen OF men,
and such an idea of righteousness is
repugnant In the kingdom Of Jesus.
we no" come 10 the third iliustra-
49, n AesP'ne VI iasS' Fasting
the natural m,n Na,'np 70
puenant and dIs,as,e,rI ana %, -
see men making a show OF fasting and
imposing q like burden upon others
why' THAT they may be seen OF
men" ls there. then. no place for,
nor ministry in fasting? Certainly
there is. True fasting. however, con.
sists In foregoing and abstaining for
the glory OF God"