Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-04-23

| you, there Is JOY in the presence Of the
angels OF God over one sinner that re-
penteth." Luke 1910
/. Introduction, w. 1-3.--We now
come to that chapter in the Bible
which contains three of the more
celebrated parallels of our Lord. In
last weeks lesson we had set before
us the severe terms of discipleship
laid down by Jesus to the multitude
which followed him as he left the
house of the Pharisee. The writer,
Luke, makes a close connection be-
tween the final admonition about
verse / of this lesson. Jesus had
sifted the crowd though he had left
/ the door open to himself, for he was
| seeking those who were prepared to
share with him in his enterprises of
building and of conflict, if they could
/ bear his teaching. This is responded
to by those outcast ones, the publicans
and the sinners. They had no
righteousness of their own, no spirit
ual hope centered in themselves and
they turned eagerly to one who was
unqualifiedly honest with them though
at the same time he set up heart
searching conditions. What a con-
trast! The grumbling theologians,
criticizing and pickering, grieved that
he should demean himself by such
associates. y In reply, Jesus shows
them the truth of the fundamental
purpose Of Gods attitude toward these
| who eagerly sought to hear" by CIV
A ing them these parallels. In the first
two, the sheep and the coin, we see
divine love seeking the sinner; in the
third, the prodfgal, we see the sinner
seeking the father. Christ's idea Of
goodness consists In saving the bad
The Pharisee holds aloof. Christ goes
out from among the Pharisees and
among the outcasts.
True and False Shepherds.
II. The Lost Sheep, w. 4-7.--The
| shepherd is God the son John 1911,
| IL; Luke 1910. He Is the True
Shepherd" the Pharisees were false
| ones. This adds point to the parable;
see the Old Testament rehul-es for the
same, Ez 34:7-10; Zech. Illicit; Jer
50:6. The lost sheep belongs to the
fold, but was out Of place. These
outcast ones were still Israelites and
the backsliding Christian still belongs
to the fold. A sinner is a lost sheep
He is away from the care, the protec-
ton, the guidance of the shepherd and
| is torn, bleeding, and ready to die"
One such lost one will call forth the
| Oh, nh x,t, n 49,
| far beyond the care lavished upon
the ninety-and-nine already safe in the
fold. This means labor, toll, and pri-
walton, and he keeps up the search
until he finds it," This does not
mean that all will be saved, see John
| 17:2, II R. ", but every sheep" that
is astray he will find. Once found 1t
rests upon his shoulders, is kept by
his power, Pet. 1:5. Over it he and
| the father rejoice, Wv. 20, "a, 80.
There is here the evidence of the in
| terest In the flock which is incom-
| plete and the interest of the owner
as well. The safety of the lost one
depended upon the shepherds interest.
Work of Holy Spirit.
| IT'S liz 1Not SOttfy W. 0-tVs--1 uCSS
| three parallels are unit in the fact
that they reveal the attitude of God
| toward men who are in their deepest
need. Each is the story of something
being lost and the fact that it is
found. The first is revelation of the
son, the last Of the father, while this
central one sets forth the work of
the holy spirit through the church.
| Rev. 22:17; Eph. 525. One of ten
coins in this womans marriage neck
lace is lost, hence the incompleteness.
| The spirit will not rest until it is
found, nor should the church. The
woman takes her lamp-the word OF
God, Ps. 119:105; Phil. 2:15, 16--and
| sweeps the house. 1t has been sug-
| gested that sweeping usually stirs up
| a dust and that some are likely to
object. So the world will object when
the church of the living God begins to
stir up dust and they are annoyed
at any eager search for the lost ones,
Acts 1876. The woman is sugges-
ton to US in that she sought dill
gently" until the lost coin was found
Then she, too, calls in her neighbors
1
that they may rejoice with her. Does
| the church keep up like search
And do we know anything about the
10y" Of the holy spirit? Gal 5:22.
I Thess. 1:6. Over the wellbeing Of
the home tie woman watches and
again the search is in the interest of
the owner, and in the interest of the
household.
w. summary.-The chief value OF
these two pictures is in their revela-
ton of the work and interest Of the
son of the spirit. The crowding null
titude Of publicans and sinners, held
in contempt by the Pharisees, Jesus
viewed as lost ones. Appalling as
this suggestion is, yet the sheep be.
longed to the shepherd and the coin
was the property of the woman. This
II =