Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-11-11
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson VIl.-Fourth Quarter, For
Nov. Is, 1914.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, Mark xiv, So, 81, g.
72--Memory Verses, n, 72-Golden
Text, I Cor. X, f2--commentary Pre-
pared by Rev. D. NJ. Stearns.


pared by Rev. o. NJ. Stearns.
A few weeks ago we saw in the
story Of Jesus Christ and Judas Iscari-
OF God and the devil face to face; now
we have the same Lord Jesus in the
conduct. or, rather, misconduct, of one
of His most favored disciples. All who
are not saved are lost. but He came
to seek and to save the lost. When
any lost one is convinced of sin and
truly receives the Lord Jesus Christ
they become saved ones, and all such
are equally saved; no one is more saved
than another, for all have the same
Saviour and the same salvation. But
the experience of such as are saved Is
very varied. and the rewards will be
according TO service.
Some follow fully as did Caleb and
Joshua, while some follow afar off like
Peter In this lesson. Some utterly re-
nounce the world, the flesh and the
devil, while some are more or less con-
formed to this present evil age
Some have no confidence In self and
lean wholly upon the Lord, but others
are too often self confident as Peter
was when he said. Il will lay down my
life for Thy sake" (John Kill. 80.
When the band of soldiers took Jesus
and led Him away Peter followed Him
afar off, even unto the palace of the
high priest, and sat with the servants
and warmed himself at the fire oversees
50, 80. The record In John xviii, 10,
16, Is that Peter and John both follow
ed Jesus, but John being known to the
high priest went into the palace, but
Peter stood at the door without until
John spoke unto her that kept the door
and brought in Peter.
There is growth In grace and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. blessed experience, of
which Peter speaks in the last verse
of his second epistle I'll Pet III, 49,.
There is also a possibility of growing
departure from the Lord. even La the
case of saved person, and that the
saved one enter the kingdom saved as
by fire q Cor Ill, 10: v. 81, but accord
ing to the words of the Lord Jesus Him
self 1t is impossible that a saved one
should ever perish John x. 2S).
Peters downward steps as a disciple
seem to have been his self confidence
and consequent laundering, his follow
ing afar instead of fully. his sitting in
the company of the servants and warm
ing himself at their fire, followed by
his profanity and base denial Earlier
in the record we hear Peter advising
the Lord not to speak of suffering. but
sion he was told that 1t was Satan
speaking through him and that he sa-
vored of men rather than OF God (Matt
xvi, %, 23). On this occasion he was
again In the hands of Satan to be sift-
ed, but our Lord had prayed for him
duke xxi. 31-34). Peter learned by
bitter experience something Of the wiles
Of the devil and therefore could write
all the more forcefully BE sober. be
vigilant, because your adversary, the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about
seeking whom he may devour. whom
resist steadfast In the faith" q Pet ".
s, 81.
The true Christian life Is the mot L.
but Christ" Not 1. but the grace Of
God" attitude. No confidence in the
flesh, but rejoicing In Christ Jesus (GaL
Ii, 20; Cor XIV, 10; Phil. Iii, 81. The
company of the ungodly is no place for
q child of God, and 1t is not for US to
walk or stand or sit with them. We
do not need the warmth of their fire,
but by meditation on the word of God
may have such a fire in us as the dis
ciples had with whom the Lord walked
to Emmaus Cps. /, 1. 2; xxx, 8; Luke
XIV, 32). Unbelievers have a great
many warming up places, such as the
theater, the dance, the card table, and
too often those who profess to be
Christians, and perhaps are. may be
found in such company and yet do not
hesitate to sing, Thou, o Christ. art
all / want. more than all In Thee
find"
We should be careful to sing the truth
as well as speak the truth, for only as
we do this is it real worship.
That Peter should be ashamed or
afraid to confess Christ before these
servants seems pitiful indeed. l judge
from his cursing and swearing that he
was probably given to profanity before
he began to follow Jesus. and this was
a sudden outbreak of the old nature
which remains in us as long as we stay
in these mortal bodies and concerning
which we are said to be always deliv-
cred unto death Oh Cor. Nv, 10. IL;
Rom. vi, III. What a look of love and
pity and sorrow 1t must have been that
Jesus gave to Peter aud which sent him
out to weep bitterly, for he was evil
IDENTIFY where Jesus could see him luke
xii. 81, 62).
1t would be we'll for US If we would
always remember that those same eyes
are ever upon US, searching US through