The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1940-02-08

Fearlessly facing crucifxion with
in few days, Jesus stood in the
temple, there facing His bitter enc
mics and replying to their attacks
in words such as no man ever
spake. He brought them face to
face with the very essence of sin,
which is the rejection of Christ.
Their own words condemned them,
but when they should have repented,
they became embittered and hard
ened in their sin. Let no one who
reads these lines follow their eX-
ample, but if the Holy Spirit brings
conviction, turn to Him in repent
ance and faith.
Every Sunday School lesson is of
great importance, but possibly no
lesson we shall ever have to teach
will be as important as this one,
for it deals very plainly with the
awful peril of rejecting Christ. Eter-
nal destiny depends upon the choices
made in response to this lesson.
Let every one of us study it and
teach it with solemn earnestness.
1. Actions Speak Louder Than
Words wv. 28-32).
All church members, who have
come into that relationship by
smoothly spoken words of accept
ance and devotion to Christ which
then have not been lived out in the
daily walk, may see themselves pic
tured in the son who courteously
and glibly assured his father that
he could depend on him, and then
promptly went his own way. They
will see that they need to repent
and substitute real heart-moving
and life-changing action for their
words, lest the harlots and publicans
pass them and go into heaven be-
fore them. Processing church mem
Der without any evidence of Gods
power in your life, turn to Him
now!
Note the word of encouragement
to repentant sinners. Perhaps some
one who reads this paragraph has at
some time rejected Christ and has
since thought that he could not turn
back, that it was too late for him
to do the thing which his heart
tells him to do even though his lips
have spoken unkind words of rejec-
ton. Friend, consider the one who
said, II will not" but who did his
fathers will. Come to the Saviour
now; you will find Him ready to
receive you.
III. Selfish Unbelief Results in
Classification WV. 33-4D.
This parable clearly relates to the
Israelites who had rejected the
prophets sent to them by God and
who were now about to kill His
Son. The heartbreaking story of Is
rael's unbelief and rejection of
Christ and the judgment which has
been upon them all the years since
then, is not something over which
we should gloat, but rather some
thing which should move us to tears
and prayer for our Jewish friends.
After all, are we any better than
they? Are not the appalling ma
jority of Gentiles walking in that
same road of selfish unbelief which
leads inevitably to the rejection of
Christ?
No man or woman can 60 on self
ishly taking the benefits of God, US
ing them for self advantage or COM
fort, turning a deaf ear to the cries
of Gods messengers, and hope to
have any ultimate result other than
Christ-rejection. 1t is high time that
thoughtless people who perhaps have
no deliberate intention to be wicked
or to turn Christ away should aWak-
en- to the fact that they are doing
just that by their manner of living.
III. Rejection of Christ Does Not
Defeat God Wv. 40, 43).
At first glance one wonders why
Christ at this point turned so abrupt
ly from the figure of the vineyard to
that of the cornerstone. "The rea-
son why He leaves for a moment the
image of the vineyard, is because
of its inadequacy to set forth one
important part OF the truth which
was needful to make the moral COM
plete, namely this, that the malice
of the Pharisees should not defeat
the purpose of God-that the Son
should yet be the heir-that rot
merely vengeance should be taken,
but that He should take it. Now
this is distinctly set forth by the re-
jected stone becoming the head of
the corner, on which the builders
stumbled and fell, and were broken
on which they were now already
stumbling and falling, and which, if
they set themselves against it to the
end, would fall upon them and crush
and destroy them utterly" (Trench).
God was not defeated by the cruel
fiXion of Christ. Christ will not be
defeated simply because men reject
Him in the world. We who are on
His side, we who are the followers
of the Lord are on the victorious
side. Those who oppose Him and
speak i'll of His name may appear
to be victors for the moment, but
the judgment of God, is yet to come
upon them.
---,..---4.