Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

GOLDEN TEXT-The life is more than
meat. and the body 10 more than raiment
Luke 1928.
PRIMARY ToPIC-Ths Story of a
Foolish Rich Man.
JUNIOR TOPIC-A Foolish Rich Man.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC
Rich Toward God
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
True Riches.
Since on October we had a lesson
on the birth and childhood of Jesus,
many will doubtless prefer to have
this new lesson instead of the Christ
mas lesson.
!. A Warning Against covetousness
wv. 1921.
1. The Occasion (vv. I3-15). One of
the company requested Jesus to be
umpire in a. disputed estate. Two
brothers were in trouble over an in
heritance. Christ refused to enter the
sphere of the civil law and warned
against the spirit of avarice. Christ's
mission was preeminently spiritual.
z. Enforcement of the Warning (vv.
16-2D. The parable of the rich man
shows clearly that to be concerned
with earthly riches while neglecting
GOD is the height of folly. The Lords
warning is of great IL .portance today;
FOR many are seeking gold and forget
ting God. Note U his increase In
goods ". 1G). His riches were rightly
obtained for the ground brought forth
plentifully. This shows that man
may be rich because of the Lords
tlessing upon him. (2) His perplexity
". 10. His land was producing more
than his barns would hold. He did not
want it to so to waste. If he had pos
sessed the right views of life and
sense of stewardship before God, ha
would have seen that his barns at least
had enough for his personal needs and
that he could have distributed his sur
plus to the needy and for benevolent
purposes. (3) The fatal choice (vv.
Il, 19). He cho1e to enlarge his
barns and give up his life to ease and
luxury. 1t ought to be a delightful
task for men whom God has made
rich to devote their time and energy
to the distribution Of their possessions
to benevolent purposes. (4) The aw-
flu, Indictment wv. 20, 21). God calls
him fool. This is no arbitrary judg-
ment. Riches furnish neither content
ment in.life nc guarantee continuance
Of life. 1t Is not only foolish, but mad
ness to forget God while engaged in
heaping up riches. Soon the man must
die, and his riches may get into the
h,n NJ b,,
the lives of the children who inherit
them.
u. The Certain Cure for Anxiety
(vv. 32-34).
Having shown the folly of the rich
man who gained gold but lost God, He
now urged the disciples to trust God
and dismiss all anxious care. He as
sured them that they need not be anx-
ious even for the necessities of life.
Note:
l. The Argument (vv. %, 23). This
is summed up in one brief sentence:
"The life is more than food, and the
body is more than raiment" The God
who gave the life and made the body
should be trusted to provide food and
clothing
2 The Illustrations (vv. 24-2S). O)
Gods. care for the fowls (vv. 2a26).
The ravens do not sow nor reaD--they
have not storehouse or barn, yet they
live, for God feeds them. If God does
not forget the fowls, certainly He
would do more for His children. (2)
Gods care for the flowers of the field
wv. 81 2S). If God is so careful Of
those flowers which appear but for a
day, how much more will He ciothe
His children!
3. The Exhc,tatlons (vv. 29-34). ()
Make not the getting of food and
clothes your chief concern. Trust God
to provide them. (2) Seek the king
dom of God ". 3D. Those who make
Gods kingdom first shall have all their
needs supplied Phil. 4:1O. (3) Be
not afraid ". 32). Gods good pleas
ure is upon His own, and all good
things will He give them. (4) Prac-
tice self-denial In order to be able to
give gifts to those in need (vv. 33, 34).
The doing of such deeds will tend to
lift the thoughts upward to God-to
trust Him.
III. Be Ready for, the Coming Of tho
Lord (vv. 35-40),
Having warned the disciples against
the acquisition Of worldly goods while
forgetting God, and shown them the
needlessness of anxiety for food and
clothes, He shows them the blessed
ness of being in state Of readiness
when the Lord shall come. Convic-
tion as to the certainty of the Lords
coming Is the sure cure for worldliness
and anxious care. This attitude of
heart He made clear by two parallels
that of the returning of the Lord and
that of the thief. The Lord will be so
pleased with those who are waiting
for Him that He will take delight In
sitting at the banquet with them, and
even serve them. The parable of the
thief shows that the time of the Lords
coming Is not known.