The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1912-09-06
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson X. Third Quarter, For
Sept. 8, 1912.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of the Lssson, Matt. TX, 35, to x, is.
Memory Verses, z, s-GoIdsn Text,
Matt. x, 40--commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. NJ. Stearns.
II we consider the full portion as
signed by the committee for the les
son today we begin with tx. 35. Jesus
went about all the cities and villages
teaching in their synagogues and
preaching the gospel Of the kingdom
and healing every sickness and every
disease among the people almost
Identical with iv, 23), and end with.
commanding His twelve disciples He
departed thence to teach apd to preach
In their cities" Thus is summarized
the daily life of Jesus and His follow
erS, telling of the kingdom and show
ing how our mortal bodies will then be
affected. 1t seems to me that there is
great difference between teaching peo-
pie how to reach heaven when they.
have to leave these mortal bodies and
telling them of a kingdom of peace
and righteousness on this earth over
which we shall reign with the Lord
Jesus Christ in bodies like His glori-
fed body and never again be weak or
weary or sick or die.
The work Of the devil has been so
long manifest in the result of sin ana
the curse that it is generally accepted
as the normal condition, and no other
is looked for. Jesus had ever before
Him the Joy and glory of this kingdom
of which He loved to tell and give
samples of 1t, and, looking upon the
earth bound multitudes who knew not
of it, He was filed with compassion
upon them as He saw them groveling
and no one to tell them of the glory
and how to get it. A plenteous hars
vest to be reaped, but few laborers.
,, Therefore ask the Lord to send forth
the laborers. 1t sounds little strange
| to ask the Lord OF the harvest to see to
His own affairs, 1t is His harvest
and He cares, and yet we are to asls
Him to send forth the laborers. In
lisa. vi, 8, He asks, Whom shall send,
and who viii go for us?" And it iS
for the willing ones to say: Here am
I. Send me-" The question there
seems to be that OF / Chron. xxx, 8,
"Who, then, is willing to consecrate
his service this day unto the Lord?'
This Of our lesson seems to refer the
matter back to the Lord, but there is
at least this in it: We cannot honestly
ask Him to send forth laborers unless
we are willing to say, Here am /: send
me- This seems to be implied also in
I what He then did, for He called the
twelve unto Him. gave them power
over unclean spirits and all manner of
sickness and disease and sent them
forth to do as He had been doing
/ preach the kingdom OF heaven as at
hand, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers,
raise the dead, cast out devils and, as
they had freely received the power, so
freely bestow the benefits oversees 1,
z, 81. Miracles had been wrought
through Moses and Elijah and Elisha.
some Of Judgment and some of mercy,
but never before had commission
just like this been given to men. ana
1t seems to have been given equally to
all, even to Judas Iscariot. They were
his, all but Judas, who betrayed Him.
and the power was His, all was OF
Him, and they were His messengers.
AS the Father spoke through Him
and wrought through Him, so He
would speak and work through them.
They were for Him; He was for and
! with them and would see to the re-
suits. So it is or should be till-God
working in us to will and to do of His
good pleasure phil Ii, 49,.
The great question in any good work
ia generally that Of funds to carry it
on, but He told them not to be anxious
about that, as He would see to it
Matt. vi, 80, stands always, or, as some
one has put 1t, Make thou His service
thy delight; He'll make thy wants His
care. As In Deut. Xxx, 1912. they were
to carry peace everywhere, leaving 1t
to the people to accept or reject it,
There was one seemingly strange thing
about their commission. They were not
to go to either gentiles or Samaritans,
but only to Israel. and He said to the
woman of Tyre and Sidon. II am not
sent but unto the lost sheep Of the
house Of Israeli (Matt. XIV, 24l. It was
4 not until Israel had rejected Him and
crucifed Him and He was risen from
the dead that He gave commission to
so into all the world.
4 There are truths In this chapter
which apply to the whole Of this aga
while some have special reference to
the sending forth Of the twelve. He
10 always the same, and the world will
, be the same as long as 1t has its pres
ent ruler. whom He will send to the
pit when He sets up His kingdom.
Those who are truly His and filed
with His spirit must expect to find
themselves as sheep in the midst of
wolves, hated for His sake. prosecuted.
treated as He was, for the disciple is
not above his Master. In emergencies,
when under arrest. we can trust the
Holy Spirit to speak through us (verse
20l, and we should be SO filled that
He can speak through us at all times.
He Is always ready to make true to
His messengers Ex. iv, IL; Jer. /. TO.
Those whom He sends must be with.
out fear Of any kind. even Of death.
See the three fear nots" OF verses 28,
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