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July 29, 1914.
A FAMILY PAPER.
1
Inthe Sabbath School
Lesson VII. August 16, 1914.
THE WICKED HUSBANDMAN.
By the Rev. Owen F. Thompson.
Golden Text.—The stone which the builders
rejected, the same was made the head of the
corner. 'Matthew 21:42
Lesson Text—Matthew 21:33-46.
Time—April A. D. 30. 'Place.—Jerusalem.
Suitable Psalms.—118:16-20, 2, 21, 45.
Exposition.—The golden text is quoted in somewhat
different language in several places in the
Bible. It is one of the best to teach us the kingship
ot Christ and it is a good verse with which
to bear witness. It is a verse that our church
ought to love for it tells so plainly and so beautifully
of the headship of Christ and the honor
that is his.
Christ's mediatorial headship is universal and
complete. In a special sense he is head over the
church.
Jesus Christ has a good title to the throne. It
belongs to him because of the perfection of his
qualifications. These constitute his own inherent
right to rule. He naturally takes his place at
the head just as one in a crowd naturally assumes
leadership because best qualified.
The kingship belongs to Christ because he has
been prepared for the position. You might say
that God prepared him a king in Jesus Christ. He
was bom a Jew, but he is not a Jew today. He is
as much an American as a Jew and as much an
African as an American. He is the man without
a country in this world and the brother of every
man. He is the man whose country is over
yonder where there are neither Jews nor Greeks.
There are neither rich nor poor. All are in one
class and nationality. The class is "Redeemed
Slaves." The nationality is "Chistians of the
Kingdom of Heaven."
Then more than that he was prepared for the
position of king by the life that he lived among
men while in the world. He was to rule over
men so he lived as a man till he knew men as
no other has known them.
The kingship belongs to Christ because of his
inherent right as Creator. You say of a garden
that you have planted and tended that it is yours.
•you can give others right to go and gather there
or you can refuse. You can dig up or you can
water and cultivate. It is yours. It is that way
with the world and the universe that Christ has
made. It is his.
The kingship is his by right of actual purchase.
"Ought not Christ to have suffered these things
and to have entered into his 'glory"
His title to the throne is made sure by the will
of GoA the Father. "God also hath highly exalted
him and given him a name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every- knee
should bow and every tongue confess."
To make things definite, let us say that this
nation—the United States of America—has refused
to recognize the kingship of Christ. It is as
though this nation were saying, "I am monarch
of all I survey. My right there is none to dlb
pute." But the Spirit of God says, "He that sitteth
in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have
them in derision." "Ask or me and I will give
thee the nations for thine inheritance."
This nation has refused the headship of Christ
by framing its constitution on the authority of
the aggregate body of citizens instead of on the
authority of Christ, the rightful king.
This nation has refused to recognize the headship
of Christ by refusing to recognize his laws
and in making laws contrary to his law.
The Sabbath laws, the liquor laws, the divorce
laws, the unscriptural oath, the "no religious test
act" and many others show plainly what the spirit
of the nation is and how they are going contrary
to God's way.
But in spite of all this, Christ is king even
though they do not recognize him. He is ruling
' builds us fault that bore King. world what well of He enanter and great tion. sible The bringing So has is men the of and movements Men story plainly a bringing our gone ought his wanted bitter turned wall how are hearts. the that of against away to how fruit coming of nation them away have sin that gave protection into making Christ carefully of He came to a from sin. to men the him digs hand be. see the into of going far Ho as the every and It God that about King the feet we country men's plants was right the waters on vineyard 'can it prepared chance of and his through great lives road see the every not and the it. people. Great to in word work tells
and
pos- He no the Cov­
na-
time oi gathering fruit has come. The servants
have come to the vineyard and how much fruit
have they gathered How hard have they worked
at the harvesting How much have they suffered
and sacrificed in the gathering No one will ever
know but God till the last day. They were beaten
and starved and burned. They died for Him whom
they loved and who sent them out to gather.
How is it with you Which side are you on
Are you among those who are trying with all
their might to gather fruit for God Are you risking
everything or even anything for God Is it
costing you anything to be a Christian Is it
bringing persecution to you in any form because
you are trying to please Christ instead of the
world Christ came to claim us as the fruit of
his planting—what are you doing to gather in the
fruit of the vine which is Christ Jesus
Do you think that it was a great risk that God
ran when he sent his son into the world to save
men Do you think that Christ was running a
great risk when he came to save his people He
ran no risk. He came to certain death. From our
standpoint it looked like a risk but to Christ it
was not. We did not know how it was gong to
turn out, hut he did.
Are you willing to do for Christ what he has
done for you Are you willing to drink of the
cup that he has drunk of Do not answer hastily
for it is a bitter cup but he asks us to drink it.
The world is not to remain in the hands of
the wicked always. The time is coming when
Satan will no longer rule in the world as he seems
to do now. Christ is abiding his time, but his
time is coming just as surely as the sun rises
and when it comes there is to be a great casting
out and the woild will no longer be in the hands
of Satan and wicked men but in the hands of
Christ and his people.
What are you doing to bring that time about
Are you bringing it about in your neighborhood
today If you are and all other Christians are,
then the time is not far distant.
Those who will not help in with the kingdom
of Christ are the losers. It does not pay to resist
Jesus Christ. You may get ahead in some things,
hut in the end you will find yourself far behind
even though you are left unmolested for many
years to work out the fruits of sin.
The man or the nation that runs up against
Christ finds that he has come up to a stone wall
and that there is no breaking through. You can
go to one side or the other for a long ways sometimes
but when you start ahead where Christ has
set himself to block the way then you need beware.
When the Stone falls on a man or a nation that
is the end. How many nations nave been ground
to powder and scattered to the winds and are
forgotten today—even the great nations of the
world.
tower for, Helen "For the watchman." Now the
vineyard is all ready—beautiful, safe and ready
for some one to work and enjoy. This clothespin
is the owner. He sends for some husbandmen—
men who know how to care for vineyards. These
sticks are they. The vineyard is such a wonderfully
flne one everyone would want to rent it,
but the owner 'chooses certain ones. He says
they may rent the vineyard but must pay him so
much fruit when the grapes are ripe. Then the
owner goes away into a distant country.
At this other end of the sand teble these boxes
are the homes in the country to which the owner
of the vineyard goes. These sticks are his servants,
and this white one is his son." it is the
fall of th© year, probably September. "The grapes
are ripe by this time surely;" the owner says to
his servants, "so I want you men to go to the
husbandmen and collect the fruit." Here come
the servants to the vineyard. Will the husbandmen
treat them kindly, George "I'd think so."
iSee what they do. They take this firstservant
and beat him, then send him away without
any fruit. Another servant they kill, and at the
other they cast stones, wounding him badly.
What would you expect the owner to do, Ellsworth
"Go down and kill the husbandmen."
But he still has patience, and sends more servants.
The husbandmen treat them the same
way—beating some, killing some, and stoning
the rest. Does the owner care, Bud "He must."
Yes, the owner cares a great deal more than you
or I can know. "What shall I do I will send
my beloved son. They will reverence my son.'
This son is so good and noble, the father thinks
the husbandmen will surely be kind to him. Here
comes the son toward the vineyard. As the
husbandmen see him in the distance they say
among themselves, "This is the heir; come, let
us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance."
And they cast him out of the vineyard and itill
him. Now what will the father do, Alvin "He
will surely kill them now." Yes, he will utterly
destroy these wicked husbandmen and turn the
vineyard over to others who will be faithful.
This world is God's vineyard. Who are the
husbandmen, Mary "We are." And who is
the son he sends "Jesus." The Jewish Nation
refused to accept Jesus and crucified him, so
the Nation was destroyed. Anyone who refuses
to accept Jesus as their Saviour is one of these
twicked husbandmen. To' reject Christ is to crucify
him. Do you want to be classed with the
wicked husbandmen or with the friends of Jesus
A story is told about when Solomon was building
that beautiful Tem-ple in Jerusalem. The men
were fittingthe stones together. We will make
a tiny building with these stones on the table.
There was one stone which was oddly shaped. It
would not fitin any place. The builders tried
it this way and that, but it was not the right
Lesson How VIL many men who have been August counted 16, 1914. the shape. Finally they threw it to one side and
great men LESSON of the world FOR THE and who CHILDREN have ruled with left It there. The Temple was a long time in
an iron hand By as Anna tyrants Pritchard have heard George. the summons, building and this stone became covered with
"Come!" THE and there WICKED was no HUSBANDMEN.
resisting. They went moss. We can place moss on this stone. Now
to meet their God. Matthew It is 21:33-46. a terrible thing to fall the time has come for placing the corner stone
nto Did the you hands ever of refuse God when a gift he and has then set himself afterward for What is that, Ellis "The chief stone in the
find your destruction. that it was what Are you like really the wanted Pharisees most who of building." lYes, and all the people come to see
all perceive Today's that Christ lesson is speaking about people against who you refuse Do the corner stone laid, but the workmen cannot
to you accept see that the you greatest are resisting gift God Christ's has to rule offer. in your find it, search as they may. Finally some one
life'' 'First If we you will do have see that one then of Jesus' it is time stories. give A says, "Perhaps that stone covered with moss
man up and plants make a vineyard. an unconditional What grows surrender in a to vineyard
Remember, Mittie unconditional "Grapes" surrender You may is each far stand better They try it, and it just fits. The stone the build­
the which the builders rejected, is the corner stone."
one ban of complete these leafy defeat. twigs in the sand on the table, ers rejected is the head of the corner. They could
for grape vines. Place them in nice even rows. not finishwithout it. Can we get along without
Then he encloses it with a dense hedge. Of what Jesus, Elmer No, some people think they can,
use is the hedge, James "To keep out-cattle."
Yes and wild beasts too. So we will plant these
prickly twigs all around the vineyard. In the
center he huilds a press for the grapes. In this
corner he builds a tower, about forty feet high.
but the time comes when they need him badly.
To be truly happy we must have Jesus. To reach
heaven, we must have Jesus. Would you want
to die without Jesus' hand holding yours, Grace
It would be terrible. Jesus is the corner stone in
We will make it of these stones. What is the this world and in heaven too. What is our Golden
Text, John "The stone which the builders
rejected, the same was made the head of the
corner." Do not let us reject Jesus, but hold fast
to Montclair, him all the N. way. J.