Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-10-21
SABBATH
SCHOOL LESSON
Golden Text: We therefore shall be
perfect as your heavenly Father is
perfect Mafh 5.48.
For October "a, 192o-Matt. S
DR.. MARION NTH. HULL

perfect. Math. 5:40.
Perhaps no we'll known passage of
the Bible is more misunderstood
than the sermon on the Mount"
In the first place, it wasn't a. SER
mon; in the second place, it wasn't
| spoken to Christians; in the third
place, it was spoken to Jews about
| things that pertain to Jews pri-
marily, but which some day will be
realized by everybody. If we right
ly divide the WORD of truth we shall
| probably have to unlearn good
many things we have been taught
| heretofore. For example, did Christ
teach that we should live by the Gold
en- Rule? Think that out during
these next two or three studies.
No this was not a sermon. The
words are all those of Jesus, but the
arrangement of it is Matthew's. He
was writing to the Jews to prove
that Jesus of NaZarith was the Mes
| siah of prophecy, and he had been
was most natural therefore that he
should gather up some of the say
| ings of Jesus which set forth the
! principles that should govern the
subjects of the King-or. in other
words, the Constitution of the King
/ w Al
literary device, adopting style of
so-called Wisdom literature, which
| consists of a terSe statement which
is further amplified. For example,
| the first beatitude is expanded sew
enfold
undoubtedly Jesus spoke some of
these words on a mountainside; some
| of them were also spoken on a plain
| (see Luke 81; but Matthew has ar
ranged them in a way to catch the
,.nl, int cd nyIf
above, He shows the Kings idea
| and ideal of happiness; His plan as
| to the relationship the subjects OF
the kingdom should bear to outs1d-
ers their relation to the Law; their
relationship to worship and to His
rangement of itself would appeal to
to study the first three of these
sections.
Character Not Condition.
How different the Kings idea OF
let US study them carefully. The
two words. Poverty is not happi-
ness; but to be poor IN spirit Is to to
the light of Gods everythingness;;
Absolute dependence upon God, and
realizing it-this is the greatest
| blessing that can come TO anyone.
| for them the Kingdom of heaven is
his All that God has is his when In
| recognition of his utter dependence
11non Him, a man cast himself Who'll
| ly on Go. ,
fold expansion of this first one. The
man who is poor in spirit mourns-
not over personal sin, not over the
loss of loved ones, but over the ruin
! that sin has wrought in the world:
| Christ was aman of sorrows and
| acquainted with grief, and He says,
1.-The reproaches Of them that re-
| preached thee are fallen upon me-
1t is loves judgment over the rum
that sin has wrought tnat ne oleSS
es here; he who recognizing his own
nothingness shares with Christ the
sorrow over ruined world shall be
comforted, for he is assured OF
time of rest, Gods rest.
Such an one is meek. Meek means
| zone who listens Blessed is the
man who recognizing his utter de-
| Christ His sorrow over ruined
world, listens to what God has to
say; for such an one shall inherit
| the earth.
His own sense of need in view of
the will of God revealed to him Gre
ates in him hunger and thirst aIIer
Righteousness. Everything else pales
| into insignificance; he Graves only
the highest, and he shall be COM
pletely filled.
Mercy is righteousness. To be
merciful is to erighteous. In chap
ter 6:1-2 we find this, as Jesus Him
self is speaking. Take heed that
you do not your Righteousness before
men, ETC." Almgiving and righteous,
ness are used as synonyms. Blessed
therefore are the merciful, the right
eous, for they shall obtain right
eousness. There is no thought mere
OF buying mercy by being kind heart
ed and generous. righteousness does
not come in that way; but by recog-
| nizing your utter dependence upon
God. casting yourself entirely on His
mercy, listening to what He has TO
say, and hungering after the highest
that He has to give.
To such an one righteousness
comes, and with it purity of heart
and life which will eventual in see
| ing God The "eyes' are in the
| heart (Epb. 1873. Those to whom
Christ came did not see Him as their
| King because their hearts We're not
right. Those who are poor in spirit
who mourn, who hungfier and thirst
| full, become pure in heart and have
| eyes for God and can see him IN
every circumstance of life and shall
see Him as He is some day.
Such persons become peacemakers,
not Just settlers of difficulties, but
make peace between rebellious man
! and an offended but patient and gra-
cious God. This was the life work
of Jesus the Christ, and identified
| with Him in this work, they shall
be called the sons of God.
But sue ha life condemns the
wording and persecution follows
but even persecution for righteous
ness sake, and for the Kings sake
becomes a blessing, an source of JOY,
and an assurance of reward in heav-
So the Kings idea Of happiness
depends upon charaeter, not . upon
from what the worlds idea is. Did
YOU notice, though, that this is
| picture of the King Himself He was
| poor inspiirt, He emptied Himself
(Phil. 2:6), He mourned, He hun nun
| voice, He was merciful, He was pure
in heart, He broke down the mid
| die wall of partition and made
peace. He was prosecuted. He want
ed His people to be like Him, but
| Relation to the Outside World
Then He set forth before them
His plan for them as for as they
were related to the world about Him.
''Ye are the salt of the earth" Eye
light-salt to create an appetite, and
| light to show the way. In the new
| kingdom which He came to estab-
lish, and would have done so then if
they had not rejected Him. His peo-
| pie will be salt and light.
But salt about Palestine some
times lost it's sadness and then was
good for nothing except to be thrown
out and pack the roadways hard His
people lost their sadness and have
been cast out temporarily. They hid
has failed to get the glory that
should have been His.
Relation to the Law
Then the King set out their rela-
ton to the law. He did not abrogate