The Brinkley argus., 1912-06-07
INTERNATIONAL SUND6YSC|lOOL
 LESSON
LESSON FOR JU.":E 9
NEARING AND DOING.
By F. O. SELLERS. Director of Even ing Department, The Moody biois HI stitute of Chicago)

NEARING AND DOING. LESSON TEXT-I.ute s:se-4s. GOLDEN TExT-"Re ye doers or ,ne ! Word. and not hearers only. oeiuoins ,our own selve..''-James 1:22.
 last week we had from the lips or | Jesus three illustrations of that raise
 'shteouepe. which he will not coun- i -enapce in his new kingdom. Today lesson is the last of the present series l which has to do with the fundamental teachings expressed by Jesus In ms
 manifesto and it js emphasized by the | Golden Text taken from James epis- tie.
 Jesus begins with a short parable which. though not recorded by Mat thew as being used In this same con nection ia here used to introduce and | to explain what was said about the mote and the beam. Parenthetically Jesus informs us that we are not above our Master. We must teach principally in the same manner he taught. e. E., by our lives. He mas been setting forth the manner of life io be followed by his disciples. He is the incarnate truth, and In that fact lay his power and success as teacher. so as we fncarnate his life. live his life before the world, we shall most successfully teach. His sight was unimpaired. hence his ability and power. Jesus. however. guards against any self-assumed righteous ness upon the part of his followers by telling us that everyone, that is every disciple, "when he ie perfected shall he as his master" (v 40.) No leader or teacher has ever made any great and laeting contribution or i'm pression upon history except as he has in measure emulated the life or Jesus or followed the principles he taught the world.
 Beam and Mote.
 It is as we are being perfected. fol low on after perfectness in Christ Jesus, that we are effectually able to see for ourselves and to lead others. Jesus by means of this teaching about the beam and the mote shows us how impossible it is for a man who is him self disobedient to the truth to be able to do anything that will help others who are in like state Of dis obedience He plainly implies that 1t is not only impossible but actually a sin for one who has a beam, a "splinter" in his eye to attempt to re- move the mote-a light speck of dust from the eye of another. The sin of attempting to teach that which we ourselves do not obey is greater than the sin of him who Is not obedient but makes no attempt to teach the truth and called forth the emphatic thou hypocrite' of Jesus. How many fathers desire their sons to walk in the path of truth and yet they make no effort to remove the beam from their own eyes-hypocrites--is it to be wondered at that they both fall into the ditch?
 Jesus emphasizes all of this by use Of the figure of fruit-bearing. The preposterousnes of our looking for figs upon thorn bushes. or to look for grapes upon a bramble bush is pat ent to all. We know that corruption is not so much a matter of infection as 1t has to do with inward purity. r the tree of life Is pure it will yield perfect fruit, for life always rerro- duces it's own type, in the same man. ner the influence a man exerts is the influence of what he is in his own life.
 9In verse 46 Jesus adds further light upon this matter of hypocrisy. He has already told us we are to build upon his words. which were the truth. Now he shows us that to call him Lord. Lord" with lips only. and not because of heart conviction. even though 1t be known and heard of all men, will not avail. This sort of cry ing aloud shall be tested by him who knows the thoughts and the intents Of the heart and it, too. shall receive the just reward of all hypocrisy. To cry Lord. Lord to judge others by different standards from those by which we judge ourselves, js but an other evidence of the sin of selfish ness.
 Obedience the Only procf.
 If we will real pauIe epic uron love q. Cor. 15) daily it will clarify our vision and correct the motive o' our lives so that its fruit will be ac- ceptable to God. Obedience is the only one and only acceptable proof that we are friends of Jesus (John 15:fD. To further add light and significance to this whole matter Jesus tells us of the two kinds of foundations upon which men build. That upon the solid rock may he se- verely tried, as shall all the works of mans hands, but being rightly found cd the storm breaks and not the house.
 Is your house founded upon the liv- ing word or upon the speculations 0, science? Face this question we must.
 Lesson outline:
 | False and True Teachers, '. se-45.