Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-07-22
SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR JULY rs
ACCORDING TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
SECURED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE
BANNER FOR IT'S MANY
READERS
Commentary Prepared In An Inter-
esting Way by Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns

/ The introduction To this parable OF
the pounds verses /. ~ seems to me
most Enthusiastically clear concerning
4 tina postponement of the kingdom.
They thought that it would immed-
htely appear. ana they had reason to
I think So for John the Baptist and the
4 Lord Jesus and the twelve and the
seventy had all proclaimed it rs at
hand Matt. iii. .; iv, IL X, Z; Luke
Y, %.
! The mi"hty works wrought by the
Lord and the twelve and the seventy
! Indicated the coming Of the kingdom.
But when the rulers rejected the Mes
siah the King. and determined TO kill
4 Him, that led 10 the unfolding of the
present ace of il rejected Christ. Il
/ scattered Israel and Il postponed king
dom until the king shall return. He
has gone to the far country to receive
the kingdom and to return and has in
trusted His servants with pounds and
talents to use in His absence and give
an account Of mt His return. and their
position in His kingdom will depend
upon their faithfulnesS in His absence.
That the kingdom will come at His
return is also plainly stated in Acts
Iii, 81, where we read that the heavens
have received Kim until the times OF
the restoration Of all things of which
the prophets have spoken.
In the story of the talents i'm Matt.
XIV. which should be studied with
this lesson. there is also an account OF
the far country, the goods intrusted To
the servants and the reckoning ut the
Masters return. While in each rec
ord we read of pounds and talents
given to His servants TO use. we read
that some were wicked and slothful
and finally found their place among
the lost, so we must conclude that He
gives opportunity To all who profess
To be His servants To prove whether
they really are SO or not. No real serv.
ant of His can ever he lost. though
some may be saved as by fire and have
no reward (John y. rs; | Cor. iii. 11-1Jl.
In the lesson on the pounds He gave
the same to each. hut in that on the
/
ity. unto one five. To another two. To
another one The pound given 10 each
may represent the Spirit given To- every
one to profit withal IL Cor. xii. y. Tn,
Spirit spoke wOndrouSly through ia
laam, and we have 40 reason To dOub
that Judas Iscariot did not do wonder
like the others. yet neither We're tru
toIn IA, 4,
special gifts Of the Spirit. given vari
ously and in different measure. as III,
may see hit II Cor. xii. S-1b.
The first step is TO receive the Lord
Jesus ms IaccheuS did and thus obtain
salvation ms the free gift Of God Luke
XIX lilo; Rom. vi. %: John /. II: iii.
1G; Rev. xxi. ~. then. having become
child Of God, live to serve the living
and true God while we wait for His
Son from heaven Il ThesS. l. o. 10;
Tit. H. lib; Rom. V. /, -.
am continually glad that He has
appointed all our service. prepared all
our good works beforehand. and that
He only expects us TO minister as of
the ability which He giveth. holding
ourselves ready for any manner of
service and wholly at His command
Chron. xviii. 21i.
| am also glad that il is God who
worketh i'm us both To will and To do
of His good pleasure. working all
things after the counsel of His own
will phil. ii. 13: Eph. /, III. Notice
in the story of the talents the servants
say II have gained five talents more"
or II have gained two other talents"
while in the story OF the pounds they
say Lord, thy pound hath gained ten
pounds" or lord, thy pound hath
gained five pounds" recognizing that
while we work it is really God who
works, and vet He gives us the credit.
1t must be the vine bearing the fruit.
else IL counts for nothing John XIV. -.
Whether the gain be five talents or two
talents. ten pounds or five pounds. the
words Of approval are Thou good serv-
ant or Thou good and faithful serv-
ant" Then notice in the recompense.
authority over ten cities or five cities
ruler over many things. or as we said
at the beginning Of the lesson. position
In the kingdom according 10 faithful
ness, reward according TO work duke
xiv. a. Rev. xxi. 10: IL John s.
In reference to taking from the un-
faithful servant chat he hath" il is
explained I'm Luke viii. Is, by the
words, that which he seemeth to
have" or as in the margin. "thinketh
that he hath He only seemed to be
servant. thought that he was one,
but was not really one.
oh. how necessary 1t Is TO he sure
that we are indeed in Christ. not think
ing that il is all right because we are
a bit religious or enjoy the service or
like TO do good or are church members,
but certain that we can under the Scru-