The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1960-05-21
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
MAY 20, 1860
BY Rev. George A. Harper
511 Avenue g.,
Greenwood, Miss.

511 Avenue G.,
Greenwood, Miss.
SINCERITY IN RELIGIOUS
PRACTICES:
Matthew 6:1-18; Luke 1914
Print = Matthew Glib.
MEMORY SELECTION -
The Lord seeth not as man
seeth; for man Iooketh on the
outward appearance, but the
Lord looketh on the heart
q Samuel 16:D, 1t is human
TO look on the external appear
ance of things. Since God is
divine, He beholdS the heart,
understands its motives and
desires. Often people excuse
their external sins and blum
ders by stating that God
knows my heart" 1t is pos
sible to have a wicked and
rebellious heart, and have a
good appearance in the exter-
nal. Men may deceive men,
but not God. Man does not
have the insight to behold the
hearts of men nor the ability
to analyze their motives.
SHOW OF AIMS FORBID
DEN:
Take heed that We do not
your aims before men, to be
seen of them: otherwise We
have no reward of your Father
which is in heaven"-The aims
are a gift usually intended for
the relief of the poor. The
system of aims giving dates
back to very ancient times.
Jesus said that in making this
kind of presentation one gets
his reward in the form of self
qualification received by the
praises of men, and since there
is little or no spiritual ele-
ment or motive involved in
such aims giving there is no
rawerd to be expected from
God. Therefore when thou
doest thine aims, do not sound
a trumpet before thee, as the
hypocrites do in the synago-
CUES and in the streets, that
they may have glory of men.
Verify l say unto you, They
have their reward - This is
the kind of thing Jesus said
was happening in the higher
religious circles; it was taking
place in the very Synagogues
of Israel, the place where the
spirit of the law and religious
truths were supposed to be
taught.
But when thou doest aims,
let not thy left hand know
what thy right hand doeth"
Jesus advocated for his
followers a system of extreme
secrecy in giving, a secrecy
that would keep the giving of
aims a hidden thing even to
oneself if such were possible,
for such is the meaning of not
letting the left hand know
what the right hand does.
"That thine aims may be in
secret: and thy Father which
seeth in secret himself shall
reward thee openly Good
deeds done in secret are not
confined or hidden from the
view of the Master, for God
sees in secret and often works
in secret, and he rewards the
goodness done in secret.
INSTRUCTION FOR GENU-
me PRAYER:
"And when thou prayest,
thou shalt not be as the hypo-
critics are; for they love to
pray standing in the syna-
gogues and in the corners of
the streets, that they may be
seen of men. Verify | say unto
you. They have their reward"
These hypocrites of whom
Jesus spoke were not a par
ticular class of people who
had been set aside from the
rest of the people and label
ed "HYPOCRITES." Far from
1t, they were people who were
acting in the capacity of re-
ligious leaders and had set
themselves up as religious ex-
amples to be followed. "But
thou, when thou prayest, en-
ter into thy closet, and when
thou hast shut thy door, pray
to thy Father which is in Sec
ret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward
thee openly The secrecy
and sincerity that Jesus adj
viSed for the giving of aims