Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-03-19

into the Kingdom of heaveni but he that
doeth the will OF my father who Is La
heaven. Matt. 7:ai,
The paragraph selected for our
study is wisely entitled Lessons BY
the Way" and easily falls into three
sections. There are two parallels
about the kingdom. reply as to
who shall be saved. and an answer
20 the advice given Jesus about Herod
seeking after his life
The first section Is properly a por-
ton OF the preceding paragraph which
relates to the incident of the woman
healed on Sabbath.
|. What the Kingdom Of God is
like, w. 1921. The word, there
fore" ". IS, r. W, links this
section with the lesson Of
last week wherein we observed
the effect upon his adversaries when
Jesus worked his miracle Of healing
upon the woman ". 13), and they
were put to shame" v. II. With this
fact In mind 1t is easy to reconcile
the principles advanced by the two
different parallels, viz, the fact OF
intense opposition on the part of his
enemies, and that Of rejoicing on the
part Of his frienda.
Symbols Of EVIL.
The faithful servants or an absent
but expected Lord are to watch for
him that they may give him suitable
welcome when he comes. This king.
dom is to be outwardly prosperous
and grow to that extent that 1t shall
be a shelter to the birds, which rep
resent the nations, Ezek. 1923 But
ut the same time there Is to be an In
ward growth as well, one OF leaven
(yeast), putrefaction. See |. Cor. 5:67,
also Gal. SIS, 9. A mustard seed thus
growing large is abnormal; the birds
are symbolic of evil; SO Jesus teaches
us here as elsewhere Matt. 1924
800, that the kingdom Is to be of a
mixed character. an intermixture or
good and evil, opposition and victory.
History has abundantly fulfilled these
predictions, though at the time Jesus
uttered these words nothing seemed
more improbable than such a suggest
ed development, either Of outward
prosperity and power, or OF such
possibility OF finding evil within.
Common Question.
II. Who shall be saved, w. 22-3o.
What is more natural In view Of these
thoughts than to ask this question, a
question that is most common one
still. Notice, he did not answer In q
way to satisfy idle curiosity, but d.
rected each to his own duty, to see ~
they themselves had entered the king
how many are to be saved. The sec
ret then is still secret. He told
them to ''strive" contend earnestly
to enter In. Soon the door will BIO
shut, now they are able to enter, then
not at all. He is the door" John
1919. There is one form Of work
which is essential to the salvation of
the believer, see John 500. Works"
altruisric service, Is an essential part
of Christianity. being an evidence OF
faith, James 2;17, Is, but altruism is
not the whole OF religion as some
seem to imply We do not drift into
the kingdom, Acts 14:22; l. Cor. 1924
81; Heb. Ali; 2 Pet 1:10 All one
needs to do to be lost is to do moth
ing. To be saved calls for an hon.
est, earnest effort JESUS again sug.
gests his return as he reveals the
kind of seeking which fails to find an
entrance. In another passage Matt.
7:13, 14) Jesus states this same
thought. The way Of unrighteousness
is broad, easy to follow and many
walk therein. Whereas the way OF
life Is narrow, straight, and few
choose to follow 1t. To be even SO
familiar as to have eaten and to have
drunk in his presence, or to have lived
on the same street. will not suffice,
and will not merit an entrance. In
another connection Matt 25) Jesus
taught that even IL admission If
claimed on the basis of actual service
rendered there rgas still lacking .one
thing, viz, the Lords knowledge OF
them. To be casually, specifically
familiar with him is not enough-they
did not know him. Many Of our
Ii Ob PCOPtN. WILL thCi 10 Ae.otS
when that door Is closed. and they
find themselves without. blessed is
he that cometh in the name of the
Lord"
Word and Work-the two WIS.
You'll soon get spiritually gorged il
1t ID all word and no work, and you
will soon be without power If it is
all work and no word. If you want
to BIO healthy Christians, there must
be both word and work. I'D. L.
Moody
III Warning about Herod, w. 81.
IS. Why the Pharisees gave Jesus
this warning is hard to tell. They
were not interested in his. safety par
ticularly and perhaps only wanted to
brighten him and thereby limit his in
duence and activity, see Neh. 6:9-1l;
Amos 7;12, 13. There is no doubt
however. OF the truth OF their words
and we know that Jesus never need
lessly incurred danger. He had his
work to do and could not be killed