Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1921-01-27
l. tn. Preparation Wv. 1-el.

|. This Preparation wv. 1-6).
1. The sending Of the disciples for
the ass wv. 1-3). He told them Just
where to go to find 1t and told them
how to answer the inquiry of the one
who owned It, This shows how per-
fectly our Lord knows eur ways. God
uses unlikely and apparently insignif-
cant things in the accomplishment OF
his purposes.
2. The fulfillment Of prophecy wv.
4, 81. Some five hundred years before
this Zechariah had made this predic-
ton. If the predictions of His first
coming were thus literally fulfilled
there is no alternative but to believe
that those Of His second coming will
be literally fulfilled The prediction
of zechariah 1871 will be just as
literal as that of Zechariah 90.
3. The obedience Of the disciples
". 81. The request may have seemed
strange and unreasonable, but they
fully obeyed. True disciples will rem
der full and glad obedience no matter
how strange the command may seem.
II. The Entrance Of the King wv
7-1D.
1. The disciples put their garments
upon the ass and set the Lord upon
them ". y. This act showed that they
recognized Him as their King (II Kings
9:13).
2. The multitude Some spread their
Crs1vr fe, In @hn ~, h. NO
no garments to spare cut down
branches and did the same with them,
which was just as acceptable to Him.
To give what we have and to do what
we can Is all that He demands Of us.
3. The city shaken wv. 10, 11). This
was a stirring time. but one more
stirring is coming. That will be when
the Lord comes in power and glory.
III. Tho King Rejected wv. 12-1D.
The immediate occasion of this re-
lection was the cleansing Of the tenn
pie. A like cleansing had been made
some two years before John 2:13-1D,
but the worldlings had gone back to
their old trade.
". Tho Nation Rejected by the
King wv. 1S46).
Having in this official presentation
shown their unwillingness to receive
Christ, He turns from them and by
parallels makes known their awful con-
ditfon.
1. The barren fig tree cursed wv.
1929. 1t was on the morrow after
His official presentation as Jesus was
returning from Jerusalem that He OBJ
served the unfruitful fig tree. Be
cause Of hunger He sought for figs,
and finding none He caused to fall
upon 1t a whitening curse. This fig
tree full Of leaves but barren Of fruit
it gave a show of life, but being desti-
tute of fruit it had ne right to en-
cumber the ground
q The parable Of the two sons wv.
28-32). Both sons were told by the
father TO work in the vineyard The
one, like the profigate publican, re-
fused outright to obey. but afterward
repented and went. The other pre-
tended willingness to obey, but in real
ity did not. The first one represents
the publieans and harlots; the second,
the self-hghteous. proud pharisees.
priests and elders. The Lord declared
that the publicans ana harlots would
go into the kingdom before them.
3. The parable Of the houssholdev
wv. $40.
(1) The householder. This was God
himself. (2) The vineyard. This
means Israel (see Isa. . 1T; Jer. 2:2l
Ps. e0:S). The Lord went to partieu-
lar pains to gather out this nation
and make 1t separate, bsstowing Pc
culiar favors upon 1t. This vineyard
50 well kept and provided for did not
bear fruit. (3) The husbandmen.
These were the spiritual guides, the
rulers and teachers of Israel, the men,
bers Of the sanhedrin. az The serv-
ants sent for the fruits Of the vine
yard. These were the various proph-
cts whom God sent to the nation. The
maltreatment and rejection of the
prophets Is fully set forth in the
Scriptures. They were beaten and
killed. (5) The Son. He is the Lord
Jesus Christ. Gods only and beloved
Son. He came into their midst.