The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-04-27
Of Christ's Followers to the World
and That of the World To-
ward Them.
UNBELIEF THE ROAD TO HE'LL
Positively Wicked Conduct Not as
Bad as Lack of Faith Which
Sustains Life.

Sunday school lesson--May 5-by
Pastor c. W. Foley.
Subject-"Poverty and Riches -
Luke 6:20-26: 1619-3O.
Golden TeXt-Luke 1915.
l. The Teaching Of Luke 500
26. 1t is we'll that this follows i'm
mediately our lesson on the Beati-
tudes as recorded in Matthew, for we
will all the more be impressed with
the difference of text, in which we
must recognize the finger prints of
the Holy Spirit. We have noted the
kingly aspect in Matthew's account,
and now we are Impressed with the
human aspect in Luke's account.
What we have before us now is not
the manifesto of the King, but first
the relation Of His individual follow
ers to the world, and second the at
titude of the world toward them.
What is their relationship? 1t is
that Of separation, stran gership.
They are pilgrims, sojourners, and
not citizens, for their citizenship is
in heaven Their investment is all
heavenly and therefore they can not
look for returns from the world. So
we see the meaning of ''ye poor" The
world has absolutely nothing for
them than can in any way enrich
them.
What is the attitude of the world
toward them 1t is that of hatred
and reproach, the world will even
cast away their name as evil. Now,
we can understand why they shall
weep and suffer hunger. Are they
poor? Yes, but they are the rich
poor, for the treasury of heaven is
open to them, though earth's treas
ury be tight closed. Heavens atti-
tude then is to fill them with joy ev-
en- while they weep because of the
attitude of earth.
Nothing that God has is too good
for them; all that God has is not too
much for them "The sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory to be re-
vealed."
Here, indeed, is grace abounding.
But not only so, for we as truly see
grace overnowing in the denuncia-
tion and woe which follows for their
prosecutors and haters. How true
He is to them also. The end is fixed
and unalterable, and even grace
abounding can change nothing at the
end If we are to profit through
grace it must be here and now. This
is we'll brought out in what follows
as we are taken in our lesson to Luke
16:19-30.
2. The Teaching of Luke 16: 49,
80. The heart lesson can be had on
ly by considering this in the light OF
what has preceded. Jesus had been
discoursing on the sin of the money
lover, and the Pharisees being lovers
of money scoffed at Him, and justi-
fed themselves in the sight of men.
What an insult to the Son of God.
The Pharisees fattered themselves
that the mark of Gods favor was up
on them because of their riches.
The lesson now seems plain
worldly possessions do not bring one
into the favor of God; are not neces-
sarily a mark of His pleasure. Upon
the other hand, the tendency of rich
es is to cause one to forget God, and
consequently separate from God. The
sin of the money-lover is not his
money, but his love of money. 1t has
come to represent life; life consists
in it.
The marginal reading of Luke 12:
Is is enlightening (R. V.)-'For ev-
en- in a mans abundance his life is
not from the things which he pos
sesseth." A man may make friends
of the mammon of unrighteousness
Guke 16:9) but it is when he makes
his money sub-serve the interests OF
righteousness. The rich man is just
as dependent upon God as is the poor
man, and the deceitfulness of riches
(Matt. 1929 is just that which
keeps him from realizing it, and
makes him feel independent of God
The really poor are: described in Jer-
q
- The life of this rich man was one
CONTINUED on last page.)