Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1912-07-17
INTERNATIONAL,
SUNlMSQIOOL
LESSON
LESSON FOR JULY Il
THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM.
(By e. o. SELLERS. Director of Eve
ming Department. The Moody Bible
Institute OF Chcago)

THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM.
LESSON TExT-Mark 1862. Matt. Ii:
GOLDEN TExT-"Thy kingdom come.
thy Will be done, as In heaven so on
earth Matt. 6:10
Last week We observed the fact
that the genesis OF this new kingdom
Jesus came to establish was to be
the life, his life. when was as seed.
The reception OF the seed in various
sorts of soil, however, made a vast diff
ference as to the ultimate outcome
Today we may observe from these
words Of the Master what are to be
the processes Of the establishing Of
the kingdom, for we do not read into
this parable a record Of the final con-
Summation. but rather that these para
bles reveal different aspects OF tho
same general process.
While it is true that this first para
BILE is only recorded by St Mark it is
in reality complement of these pare
bles about the kingdom found IN the
thirteenth of Matthew and elsewhere.
We have already noted that the seed
IS the word, Luke Sill, and that the
soil is the hearts Of men, but here
Jesus tells us that in the spiritual
as in the material universe nan
"knoweth not how the life primo q
propogates itself. 1t is helpful
thought to every Christian worker
that he is not to be held accountable
for that part of the process; his part
is to be that of the man who 81. IL
cast the seed into the ground. Not
upon. but into" ". 26). Having
thus planted the seed let him sleep
and rise again e. g., let him trust a
: wise God TO see to it that the seed
terminate and bring forth All OF
your worrying and mine cannot hasten
! the process nor change the result once
the seed is sOwn, so let US be care
full to SOW them right and as far as
/ possible be sure we plant it in proper
/ ly prepared soil.
Process Is Gradual.
Again let us beware of presumptu-
BUSINESS he knoweth not how" Can
you, my reader, define life? Can you
explain the transmission, the develop
ment, the propagation of life? We &C
cept the results OF these things in ma
ture without questioning, why stagger
at similar things in the spiritual
realm? Why question the reality OF
the Christian life when we see all
about us its results? In verses 90 and
% Of this same chapter we are ad-
monished that If we have ears let
him hear" "a positive Injunction and
almost the very next word tells us
to take heed what We hear" Going
on down 10 verse % OF the lesson
We see clearly the reason for these
words, for our lives will grow and will
reproduce each after its own kind. IL
We SOW wheat We reap wheat. If We
allow tares to be sown in our lives
We shall reap tares.
The process is a gradual one. but a
sure one. First the blade, then the
ear, and then the full corn in the
ear" The harvest will not take place
until the process be completed It is
not till the fruit is ripe that the hus-
bandman puts forth his sickle. We
are not TO bother ourselves so much
with the process as We are to guard
the source. Sow good seed and God
, will see TO it that it shall bring forth.
= Let US not eXI Il the full corn" OF
, ripe experience from the tender
, blade" OF early Christian life Let US
b. have patience till these young Chris
l. tians have time to reach the full ma
/ turity of their powers. Jesus the har-
I vester of this parable knew when 10
q put in the sickle. viz. when the fruit
: Is ripe" w. 20, r. W
+ The Main Truth.
l. Looking back over history his was
e indeed less than all the seeds in the
II earth" yet he set into motion those
u principles and powers that have
e caused his kingdom to become great
S in the earth lisa. SD Under the
& branches of this kingdom have lodged
the weary and the stricken ones The
birds OF the air symbolic the gather
ing together of the nations Of the
earth that they may take refuge I'M
& der the shelter and shadow of the
D." kingdom of God, see Eek. II, Daniel
8 T. etc. We must beware of fanciful
r interpretations or applications. The
main truth is that almost without ex-
ception the beg - In 5 of all great
movements in the kingdom of God
have been like mustard seed, small
but exceeding great in their growth.
Witness such moral developments as
: the slavery question. Compare the
present day temperance agitation with
what it amounted to one hundred, yes,
= twenty-five years ago. The same can
be said of countless other move
ments."
For the third narable that of the