The Coolidge examiner., 1937-11-04
O~OONO~C~eOW
mProped 0 SUNDAY
Uniform o~r~~r
-:-LESSON = =
BY REV. HAROLD L. LUNDQUIST.
Dean of the Moody Bible Institute
of Chicago.
g Western Newspaper Union.
Lesson for November 7
CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AND
PEACE


PEACE
LESSON TEXT-Colossian Sill.
GOLDEN TEXT-And let the peace OF
God rule in your hearts. to the which
also ye are called in one body.-Colos-
slams 3:15.
PRIMARY TOPIC-In His Name.
JUNIOR TOPIC-In His Name.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOP
IC-How May I Have Peace?
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOP.
lC-The Christian Cure for Strife.
Armistice day is but few days
away, fact which was probably in
mind when the title of our lesson
was chosen, for while it speaks of
Christian character" it also refers
to peace" But the peace spoken
of here is the peace of God which is
the result of peace with God and
which issues in holy living. The
only hope of this world for a real
and lasting peace is in the winning
Of men and women to glad ale
glance to the Prince of Peace, our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Altogether proper is the close con-
nection in Scripture between the
most profound spiritual truth and
practical holy living. Whether it be
done in a land Of enlightenment or
in the midst of heather darkness the
teaching of the deep things of God
brings forth in the receptive heart
an appreciation of Gods provision
for our redemption, consciousness
and hatred of sin and an appropria-
ton of victory in Christ. All three
of these factors emerge in the study
of our lesson.
I. "Seek Those Things Which Are
Above" (vv. la.
Faith in Christ makes US one with
him in his death and in his resur-
rection. We are therefore to live
in resurrection power. Our Lord
has entered into heaven, and is
there seated at Gods right hand.
If we are in him, if we have died
and arisen with him, we are dead
to the things of this world and our
one desire is to seek those things
which are above"
The mystic union of the believer
with Christ brings us so close to
God our Father that we may say
with the poet;
Near. so very near to God.
Nearer l could not be,
For in the person OF His Son
/ am as near as He"
We are hid with Christ in God"
He is our very life. Note however
that this union with Christ ex-
presses itself in a most practical
manner for we as Christians are
admoniShed to
III. "Mortify Your Members
upon the Earth" (vv. 5-9.
The most spiritual Christian is the
one who is most sensitive to sin
and most earnest in his purpose
that it should be mortifed-which
means put to death" We may
not temporize-we must not COM
promise with sin. Put it to death.
The list of things which are to be
put away include number of sins
which we recognize at once as ut
terly inconsistent with a Christian
profession. But note also that there
are a number of them which are all
too common among Christian peo-
pie - covetousness, anger, wrath.
malice, and so forth. Lying and
shameful talk are condoned by some
(and practiced by many. We have
a rather long list Of what DR.. Van
Dyke called by the anomalous name
of Respectable Sins of Nice Peo-
ple" But a realization of what it
means to be a Christian at once
rules out as sinful indeed those
things which may be received with
a false cloak of respectability
among some who profess to follow
Christ.
Ill. "Put On the New Man" (vv.
Hid.
Christianity is positive. We put
off sin-we put on Righteousness.
Knowing no lines of racial or creed
al distinction we recognize Christ
as "an and in ALL" Then as Gods
elect, holy and beloved" we are
clothed with the Spirit of Christ.
Tenderhearted, kind. lowly, meek,
of forgiving spirit, g-suffering;
all these Christlike ways Of living
should appear in those who are hid
with him in God. AS the encircling
band which holds together these
beautiful and precious virtues, we
have love, "the bond of perfectness"
". 1D.
These outward manifestations Of
our oneness with Christ have an in
ward controlling power-for in our
hearts 1.-The peace of Christ" is to
rule" The word means to serve
as umpire" as referee in times
of difficulty. There in the Christian
mans inmost being we also find the
word of Christ dwelling, really
abiding, and not in scarcity but
richly" Small wonder that there
is in such a heart never-ending
song which glorifes Gods grace
and which helps and admonishes