Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1920-12-10
LESSON FOR DECEMBER IL
WHAT rNE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Is LIKE.

0OLDEN ne kinBuOH OF he@'
N II not H,en snd drink bat righteous
ness. and Deasr, and JOY % the Holy
Ghost-RoM< HaE
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL = Mark
E:2s-32. luke l2s1Sa.
PRIMARY TOPic Sowing In Good
JUNIOR ~roprc-short stories That se-
INTERmn1SfATE AND SENIOR TOPIC
-Christ's .gey Of Finding The Lost.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
The Supreme Importance of Christ's
sAcSfhcs for the Lost
/. 1rte rArable Of the Hid Treasure
". AL
The mon interpretation or TINS
parabls that Chris Is the hid treasure
| tor winch the sinner must give up
everything In order to buy salvation
is falss cor the following reasons:
/. Christ is ut hidden In a field.
but has been lifted up and made a
spectacle to the world.
2. Nobody hss ever been obliged to
buy the woru 10 order to get Christ.
8. Salvation cannot be purchased,
for It is Gods free and gracious gift.
A. M warrant is ever held out to a
man 10 conceal bis religion after he
has obtained II.
In order to find ground that is safe
and that we may appreciate it's beauty
and symmetry let us break up the par
able into its component parts:
l. The field. This is the world ".
SOL.
2. The treasure. In Psalm 1875 a we
are told that Israel, the chosen people,
Is His treasure. The same truth Is
set forth In different places and ways
meut. Z 1913; 14;2; 26:18; 80: s. 81.
| The kingdom Of heaven as to its true
relation and bearing is now hidden
! Christ was primarily seat to the Jews;
1t was for their sake. the hid treasure.
| that He bought the field.
8. The purchaser-the Son of God
(John 3:16).
a. The purchase price. This was
the precious blood Of Jesus Christ.
Gods beloved Son, which is worth in
| hniteiy more than silver and gold and
| the treasures of earth Il Pet. I :13. 10;
lisa. 53).
~. The Parable Of the Merchantmen
Seeking Pearls wv. As, 46).
The view that this merchantmen
represents the sinner seeking salvation
Is contrary to the whole teaching Of
Scripture. This would make the sin
ner to be seeking for Christ, while
Christ is as Indifferent as a lfeless
pearl. The whole burden of revelation
Is that a since the fall of Adam
In the garden Of Eden, has been hid
away from God, and that the Father.
Son and Holy Spirit are all actively
engaged in seeking for lost men.
1. The merchantmen. He Is without
question Christ. He Is actively en-
gagged in the search for pearls. In
this search he discovers one pearl Of
great price.
2. The purchase price. The mer-
chairman sold all-impoverished him
self in order to buy the pearl. Christ
impoverished Himself (Phil. 1868 TO
purchase the one pearl of great price
by His own precious blood Il Pet.
lis. 10; Eph. 5:25). Salvation is
without money and without price.
3. The pearl of great price. This
is the church. Christ, the merchant
man, will find other pearls Of great
value. but the peerless gem set above
all others will be the chruch which He
has purchased with His own blood.
This truth is in harmony with the gen.
eral teaching of Scripture, which sets
forth the different bodies of the re-
deemed.
M. The Parable Of the Draenet
(vv. 47-50).
This parable gives us a picture of
the consummatlon of the kingdom.
Note the parts of the parable:
1. The sea. This word when used
In & figurative sense denotes peoples
or multitudes tDan. 7:3; Rev. II $3.50.
This means, then. that out of this
world shall be gathered a multitude Of
people. good and bad.
2. The dragnet. The word met" Is
properly translated dragnet. The drag
net cast into the see, then. means the
preaching Of the Gospel in This age.
8. The dragnet drawn to the shor,
when full. This means that wher
Gods purpose Is made full Regarding
the preaching of the Gospel In this aye
account will be taken of the results.
4. Assortment made by the angels
In the day Of this accounting the an
gels will be the agents which shal
, separate the saved from the unsaved
s.. The destiny Of the bad fish. TIL
/. angels which are sent forth shah sew
er the wicked from among the just
} and shall cast them into the furnac'
of Are, where there shall be wailin.
and snashing Of teeth.