The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1919-09-04

IOflC-Ine growth
Of the kingdom.
SENIOR AND ADULT ToPIC-The
extent of the kingdom.
!. The Parable Of the Mustard Seed
". 81, 32).
Three things mainly occupy our at
tention in this parable:
1. Its unimportant beginning. It
begins IS the least of all seeds and
grows to be the greatest among herbs.
The king was of ordinary %parentage
and humble circumstances. He select
ed unlettered fishermen as his royal
advisers. The prophet had said con-
corning him. that he would be "de-
spised," rejected" "forsaken," "cut
off" and as "having nothing"
2. Its vigorous growth. From these
small beginnings Christ's influence has
gone forth so that there is no power
or influence equal in greatness to that
Of Christendom.
3. It's lodging capacity.
The birds which find Judgment in
the tree do not represent the children
Of men who find safety and salvation
in the church. The birds constitute
no part of the tree, while the believer
becomes a part Of the tree, adding to
Its strength and fruitfulness. The birds
are something foreign to the tree, and
are burdensome and injurious to it.
They come to find shelter and wait to
pluck Off the tender buds, or to prey
upon the ripened fruit. The effect of
their lodging in the tree is evil and
blighting. In Chrlst's Interpretation
". 19) he said that the fowls repre-.
sent the wicked ones He who would
make the dodgers here anything else
makes Christ's Interpretation a farce.
The same Greek word is used in both
cases. and the circumstances are the
same.
II. The Parable Of the Leavened
Meal ". 33).
Three things mainly occupy our ut.
tention here: the meal, the woman
and the leaven.
1. The meal. Meal has a whole.
some and nutritious effect. It was
used in one Of the sweet-savour Offer
ings Which was typical of Christ (Lev.
2:1-3 r. w; it was food for the
priests! (Lev. 6:15-17 r. w; Abraham
had Sarah to aknead a cake out of
three measures of meal for the angelic
messengers of the Lord (Gen. 10 :8) ;
Solomon's royal table was provided
with meal Il Kings 4:2) Elijah was
fed. upon a cake made of meal III
Kings 4:41) Elishu used meal as an
antidote for the poison of death from
the pot III Kings 4:3S-41).
2. The woman In scripture we
find false doctrine being taught by
woman (Rev. 2:2O). Dealing with
doctrine is forbidden to women Il
Tim. 2:12). In I Tim. 4:13; II Tim.
2:17, IS; II Peter 2:1-3, we find that
the apostasy will be brought in
through false teaching within the
ranks Of Gods people. The meaning,
then, of the parable is that the true
doctrine, the meal given for the nour.
ishment Of the children of the king.
dom III Peter 2:2, I Tim. 4:6), will be
officially corrupted by false doctrine.
Woman is q type Of the church in
some sense. The church is hiding
away false doctrine, and it's corrupt.
ing effects are seen on every hand.
3. The leaven. In scripture leaven
is invariably a type Of evil. (1) All
through the Old Testament leaven is
a continual and unvarying type Of
evil Tex. 1915; Lev. o:11). It is in.
conceivable that Jesus should arbi.
trarily change, without due notice
and explanation, a word from an
evil to a good sense, which the Spirit
Of God had so unchangingly used for
two thousand years. (2) Jesus him.
self makes leaven to denote sin Matt
1876, -; Mark 8:15). (3) Paul use.
leaven in it's usual biblical sense u
Cor. sos; Gal. 5:8, 81. Further, this
is the only Interpretation that will
harmonize with Christ's i%nterpreta.
ton of the first two parallels. Fact.
patent to all prove that the professed
church today is feeding upon the
leaven of Journalism and legalism in.
stead OF the u%nleavened bread of sin.
cerity and truth-the Word of God,
III. The Parable Of the Hid Treas.
ure ". Az.
w. The Parable Of the Merchant.
man Seeking Pearls ". As. 46).
v. The Parable Of the Drao Net
". 1850.
(For a detailed study Of the Inst
throo nQrohloC COO tho Dov,o,, %.o. O..