Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-04-22
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson IV.-Second Quarter, For
April 26, 1914.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text of the Lesson, Luke XIV, Ito.
Memory Verses, 3-1o-Golden Text,
Luke XIV, 1o-commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. M. Stearns.
There was something in His teaching
which reached the hearts of these pub
licans and sinners who were so de-
spised by the self righteous Pharisees.
He was full of grace and truth: hey
knew the truth that they We're sin RS
and they needed the grace that wa: in
Him. He taught as one having aut. r.
ity and not as the scrihes; never man
spake like this man Matt. vii, %;
John viii. 90. That which the Phari-
sees sneeringly said of Elm. This man
receiveth sinners and eateth with
them" was, and still is, gloriously
true. He is still saying, IF any man
hear my voice and open the door l will
come in to him and will sup with him
and he with Me- Q.ey. iii, 30).
The word here translated "receiv-
eth" is generally translated waiting
or looking for" Weymouth's render
ing is, HE gives a welcome to noto-
rious sinners" Not only does He re-
ceive sinners when they come to Him
John vi. 30 but He is on the lookout
for them. He came to seek and to
save that which was lost luke xix,
10. If We are truly His disciples, as
in the last lesson, We. too, will seek in
all the world the lost ones whom He
came to save, the "whosoevers' who
will make up His body, the church.
Their murmuring led Him to speak
the threefold parable of the lost sheep
the lost coin and the lost son, in which
we see the love of the Son as the
shepherd, the love of the Spirit and the
love of the Father. The love of God is
the greatest topic in all the Bible and
was specially manifest in His giving
His only Son for us that we might
not perish, as it is written. In this
was manifested the love of God toward
US, because that God sent His only be-
gotten Son into the world that we
might live through Him" Hereby
perceive we the love of God because
He laid down His life for u.s. q John
Iii, 16; iv, 81. The story of the shep-
herd and the lost sheep is found also
in Matt. xviii, lila, and the record of
the Good Shepherd is found most fully
in John X, where He not only cares
for the sheep, but gives His life for
them. In our lesson He is seen seek
ing till He finds; laying it on His shout
ders, rejoicing, bringing it safely home
and calling others to rejoice with Him.
In Heb. xiii, 20, 81, He is the Great
Shepherd who, having found and saw
ed, works in US that which is well
pleasing in His sight. In l Pet V, IA,
He is the chief shepherd rewarding
His own for faithful service Thus
we have again the threefold aspect of
our relation to Him as in last lesson
saved, serving, waiting for Him. |
have often been glad that when He
finds His sheep He brings it home: He
does not drop it by the way. And
what place it is to be on His Shout
ders, US and our burdens. too Deut.
xxxiii, II; lisa. tx, 6, y. There must
be more significance than we have ever
seen in these words, THE Lord is my
shepherd and if we fully believed we
could not but rejoice q Pet. i, 81.
Woman is type of the church. both
true and false. but here she represents
the true church in the power of the
Holy Spirit seeking diligently that
which is lost. The sheep set before US
one phase of the condition of the lost,
as when we read, Il have gone astray
like lost sheep" "All we like sheep
have gone astray" Ps. cxix, 176: Isa
lii, O.. The piece of silver may sug-
gest the Indifference of the lost, as
when we read Of being dead in tres
passes and sins (Eph. ii, u. In both
cases the Lord is the seeker, as He
has always been ever since He sought
Adam in the garden of Eden. after he
had stnned, saying, Where art thou?"
Gen. iii, 81 He does not merely call
US to come, but knowing that we are
as helpless as Mephibosbeth, who was
lame in both feet, He sends and
fetches us into His presence and by
His great love causes US to fall on ouI
faces in true penitence, then gives us
all Oh Sam. tx. 3. 3, 6, I, 49,.
Like the good Samaritan. He finds
US helpless and wounded and tenderly
cares for US and puts us in His place
and brings US to place of rest and
continues to care for us duke X. 1885,
Like Paul in the,cas of Onesimus, He
says to His Father concerning the sin
ner, Receive him as Myself; if he hath
wronged thee or oweth thee aught, put
that on mine account Phi. xvii, 49,
God commendeth His love toward us
in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for US" Rom. V, 81.
In the story of both the sheep and
the piece of money, note the conclu-
sion, Joy in heaven. joy in the
presence of the angels of God over one
sinner that repenteth" oversees Z. 1O).
Does it not seem that if we really be-
lieved that, we who are saved would