Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-28
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

nize the folly Of substituting the desire
for gain for God and of wasting their
efforts in any of the schemes adopted
by man to bring satisfaction to the HUI
man soul in place of accepting Gods
grace. Sensuality, priyations and
amusements fail to secure peace for the
soul The overmastering desire to ac-
complish something worth while in the
world can only be satisfied by accept
ing the free gift of God in Christ Je-
sus. Only through the revelation that
the Lord has given to men can the
thirst of the human soul to know God
be satisfied. In the Master. who full
filed the prophecy of the ffty-third
chapter of Isaiah in His life in the
flesh. there was given the leader who
would overcome the world by the pow
er Of His gospel Nothing less than
Gods love, revealed in the cross of
Christ. can meet the deep craving of
the human SOUL by providing a saliva
ton from sin and an opportunity for
heroic service in aiding the Lord Jesus
to bring the people of all nations under
the dominion of the Holy One of Is
rael"
The peace terms that Isaiah offered
and that the preacher of the gospel
still presents to men are the most ad :
vantageous ever offered by a conqueror
to his foes. They assure men who are
sinners and. as such, enemies of God
that they can have pardon for their
sins and peace with God provided they
meet the conditions. He has outlined.
The first condition calls for the seek
ing of the Lord while He may be found
and calling upon Him while He Is near
Men must recognize their need of being
reconciled with God so that they viii
seek Him. The Lord is nigh unto
| all them that call upon Him, to all that
call upon Him in truth,' but the time
for seeking Him Will not be unlimited
As men seek they are to call upon the
Lord. asking. as did the publican who
went up in the temple to seek the Lord
| God be merciful TO me a sinner" God :
| promise that "Whosoever shall call on
/ the name of the Lord shall be saved
| assures them that all who call upon Him
! shall be saved
| The man, who seeks peace and pardon
by calling upon God must repent of his
/ sins and have faith In Christ as his per
sonsl Savior. Repentance is not fear
| OF punishment. IL is not feeling Of
| sorrow because his sin has found him
out 1t is more than Il conviction that
| he has been doing wrong. Repentance
calls for man TO turn away from his
| sins. The wicked msn who has sinned
more openly in his ways" must give ur
| his sinful habits. No man of himsei.
can entirely forshke wickedness. for /,
| clinRs as a part of ones very being. but
the man who turns TO the Lord must be
| willing to part with his old sinful life
| There is no joy In trying TO live q
| double life. Christianity is opposed tt
| hypocrisy. Inc unrlSnteous man. whose
Thoughts" are crooked and perverse
must forsake the evil thinking that ha,
made him sinner. Wrong thinking
| has more to do with keeping men ou
/, of the kingdom than wicked ways, for {
! mans thinking determines his actions
| Every man ought to try to bring hi'
| whole life into harmony with the divine
| revelations that God has given to men.
| There is no doubt concerning the re-
| ception sinners will receive. for God
promises TO be merciful to them and
20 pardon them abundantly. Although
the sinner ~ still! liable to righteous
p, punishment for his sins. God assures
1 him that the sentence which every sin
ner merits will be freely anl frankly
sta yed for all those who put their trust
in Christ as their Savior He assures
the sinner that He will pardon the
| penitent petitioner abundantly. The
mercy OF God is beyond the compre-
hension OF humanity. but His promises
Iare certain OF fulfllment. His word ex-
pressed in nature Is infallibls. Hii