The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-01-03
Lesson for January 6
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER

LESSON TBXT-Matthew 6:24-s4.
GOLDEN TEXT-Lika as father
pitieth his children. so the Lord pitieth
them that fear Him
PRIMARY TOPIC-our Heavenly Fa-
Their.
JUNIOR ToPIC-our Heavenly Fa-
Their.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOP
1C-What the Heavenly Father Means
to Me.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOP
IC-The Fatherhood Of God.
Halt of the lessons for the year 1929
are of a topical character. The aim of
the committee seems to have been to
place before the Sunday-school pupils
some of the great doctrine; of Gods
Word, as we'll as teachings on prac-
teal life.
|. Who Is Cur Heavenly Father?
Genesis 1 i, 27).
He is the Almighty God who Gre
ated the universe. God was before
all things. Before the mountains
were brought forth, or ever thou hadst
formed the earth and the world, even
from everlasting to everlasting, thou
art God" TIE universe came into be-
ing by the will and act of the personal
being called God. Man himself is a
creation of God. He was created in
the likeness and image of God. God is
the infinite and perfect spirit in whom
we live and move and have cur being.
He is omnipotent, omniscient and ON
hAf
all things, but the cause Of all things.
II. What the Father Does.
/. He loves US Il John 40, 10Y.
This love was expressed by sending
His only begotten Son into the world
that we might live through Him. He
not only loves the redeemed, but He
loves the world John 3:16). In the
very essence Of His being God is love
Il John 4:S).
2. He redeemed us Il John 4 :9).
He gave His only begotten Son that
we might live through Him.
3. God preserves us Cps. 1903 LID.
The preserving mercy Of God en-
braces the following gracious bene-
fetal acts:
~ He forgives all our iniquities
". 81. This He is able to do because
of the righteous provision He made
for sin in the atonement wrought out
by Jesus Christ.
t2) He. healeth all our diseases w.
This healing refers to the body
va soul
u (3) He redeemeth the life from de-
struction ". ~. Redemption implies
the payment of all demands against
the debtor.
(4) He satisfeth thy mouth ". 81.
This means that God satisfies all
legitimate desires so that youth is re-
newed like the eagles.
10 He executes righteousness and
judgment wv. 6-12). The wrongs of
life are righted and man is thus re-
lieved of their burdens.
(6) He pities His children wv.
IS, 14). The pity of an earthly IA
Their for his children is but faint
suggestion of the sympathetic heart
of the loving God, our Father.
III. Our Responsibility to the Heav-
emily Father (Matthew 6:24-30.
Christ came to reveal the Father.
The subjects of the heavenly kingdom
will love Him as the child loves its
father.
1. He will give unto him undivided
attention ". 24).
The child of God makes the I'M
equivocal choice between the heaven
ly Father and the world. The word
"mammon" is a kind of personifca-
ton of worldliness.
2. Will not be anxious about food
and clothing wv. 25-32).
The child Of God who knows Him
as Father will not be Supremacy con-
cerned about what 1t shall eat or
what it shall put on because anxiety is
~ Useless ". 2O.
Regardless of what thought or con-
Germ one exercises concerning food
and clothing, it will be provided only
according to His will. In Him do we
live, move and have our being. God
supplies all our needs (Phil. 4:19).
wv. 2S-3O). In the measure that one
is anxious about these needs he shows
lack of faith in the love of God.
(3) 1t is heathenish ". 32). That
those who are ignorant of God should
manifest anxiety is not to be won
dered at, but for His children, those
who know God as the Father, to do so
is to play the heather. He knows that
we have need of temporal blessings.
3. Will diligently seek the Kingdom
of God and His righteousness. wv.
SO, 34).
THIS means that he will subordinate
temporal things to the things of the
Spirit. 1t does not mean that a child
Of God will fail to exercise proper
forethought in providing for himself
n d family.