The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-03-07
INTERNATIONAL,
SUNDGS0nOOL,
LESSON
10y r. o. SELLERS Acting Director of
sunday School Course, Moody Bible
Institute.)
Copyright. 1916. Western Newspaper Unionp
LESSON FOR MARCH,12
HEROES AND MARTYRS OF FAiTL
LESSON TEXT-Heb. Ill: 1874


country. Congress confers a medal
of honor" for distinguished services
and extraordinary heroism in war
The Carnegie hero fund in peace"
bestows medals and pecuniary recog-
milton for heroic deeds performed in
preserving and rescuing human life,
and the first medal thus issued was
given to a boy for rescuing another
boy from drowning.
!. Faith Defined, v. I. This is per
haps the most quoted and succinCt
definition we have OF faith What fol
lows is but the illustration and APP
plication of the fact Faith is an "as-
surance" Or. W. The ground of this
assurance and conviction is the word
of God (See Rom. 10:1O. The only
sure ground for a dynamic and intel
ligent faith is Gods word: put to the
acid test of experience it never fails.
Faith is not fatalism. TO believe God
is to rely upon him unhesitatingly with
an unfaltering assurance as to the full,
tillment of his promises, q John $40;
John SEA; Act! 27:22; Rom. 4:19-21.
II. Faith Declared, w. q, 5. Faith
had been declared and manifested by
many illustrations before the death of
Stephen:
ta) Abel, at the risk OF his brothers
anger, obeyed the unseen God and
earned his approval; his heroic, mar
tyred spirit still speaks to men ". a..
u
God, in world OF lawlessness lived
life wall-pleasing TO him through a
faith that made his presence real (vv.
5, g..
(c) Noah (v.O, q lonely man of faith
Gen. 6:5), chose the unseen God and
preached righteousness rather than
avoid the ridicule of his neighbors.
Noah reckoning the invisible as tan
gible, continued to build his ark and
became blessing to the race.
I'D Abraham and Sarah (8-12(. Not
knowing whittier they went, by faith
these lonely pilgrims unerringly fol-
lowed an invisible God to en- unseen
country; but a faith greater still led
them to dwell in the land" and not
possess 1t ". 100. Their faith re-
deemed them from the mere emigrant
character. They looked for a city.
which had foundations, whose builder
and maker is Cod"
(e) Moses (23-2S) showed his faith
by right choice. He weighed values
and had respect unto the recompense
OF reward" His faith endured, as
seeing him who is invisible" Moses
saw by faith the "reproach of Christ"
that which Christ suffered for the re-
demption of the world. as being Of
greater riches than the treasures of
Egypt"
These, and others not mentioned,
are summarized by their having ac
complished ten different things 1872
400. They performed great deeds OF
heroism (32-3D; they endured great
suffering and persecution (35,36). All
of this suffering was to issue in a
greater reward with the glory that
was to come (Rom. 8:18, II Cor. 4:17,
49,. All these men of faith obtained
a good report" These saints had wit
ness borne to them through their faith.
Truly witnessing, their names and
deeds are recorded for our good, yet
even they did not receive the promise.
t. e., all that had been promised by
God had not been fulfilled in them
Such promises were only fulfilled
when Christ the Messiah came. Some
thing better than they had received
came when he came, and without his
coming they were not made perfect.
They did not receive, but the promise
Of God had not failed. They will yet
receive his fulfillment when the roll
we, together with them, shall be
made perfect" (vv. 80, 400.
III. Faith Demanded, IL: 1, z. The
Holy Spirit has given us this long list
Of heroes as an exhortation to stir up
those living to the performance OF
their duty. The roll call Of triumphant
heroes is not yet completed All these
mentioned are witnesses, not onlook-
ers. These are they who have testl-
fed to God and to the truth or MS
word In the light of this testimony
and on the same ground OF their ter
tfmony, we are to do several things:
l. To "lay aside every weight. No
runner carries any weight beyond that
which is needful. Some things are.
burdens that are not necessarily sins.
Every such thing hinder5 our running
AID should be laid aside.
. s.rTbe sin that doth so easily besef
us" Literally, that wrap themselves
about us as an ill-ftting garment, and
which trip or impede the runners
nrogress. These sins (not SIM are
those little devil habits and practices
which must, for that reason, be laid
aside.
8. Run with patience the race set
before u.s.. There must be steadfast-
ness and endurance. If church mem
bers were as faithful in following up
as the average business house is, we
would have less OF lapsed church mem
bers and fewer boys and girls VINO,
drift away from the Sunday school
4. Looking unto Jesus" This is the
keynote to this entire epistle and TO
this category of heroes. lie is our
"fle-leader'' and the perfector OF our
faith. Once we get our eyes Off him
we will stumble and fall in the race
For the joy Qiterally equal fe'oW-
l. s1l1 b1 an.