The Reformed Presbyterian Standard and also 0\ir ... - Rparchives.org
The Reformed Presbyterian Standard and also 0\ir ... - Rparchives.org
The Reformed Presbyterian Standard and also 0\ir ... - Rparchives.org
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August li 1914-<br />
A FAMILY PAf*m<br />
Inthe Sabbath<br />
School<br />
Lesson IX. August 30, 1914.<br />
A DAY OF QUESTIONS.<br />
By the Rev. Owen F. Thompson.<br />
Golden Text.—Render therefore unto Caesar<br />
the things that are Caesar's; <strong>and</strong> unto God the<br />
things that are God's.<br />
Lesson Text.—Matthew 22:15-33.<br />
Time.—April, A. D. 30. Place.—Jerusalem in the<br />
temple.<br />
Suitable Psalms.—65, 51, 14, 2.<br />
Exposition.-It is a common thing today to hear<br />
men trying to entangle Christ in his Word. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
try to make the word of God seem contradictory<br />
<strong>and</strong> ridiculous. It would be a sad thing if they<br />
could, but it is impossible. <strong>The</strong>re are some,<br />
however, whom they can deceive besides themselves<br />
<strong>and</strong> for them it is very sad, for they are<br />
led away from the Christ.<br />
But we can bring it nearer home than that for<br />
not very many infidels or agnostics will be reading<br />
this paper. Did you ever think that every<br />
time you go against your conscience or want to<br />
go against your conscience, <strong>and</strong> argue with<br />
yourself that it should be right to do it,<br />
that you are trying to catch Christ in his speech <br />
Your conscience is Christ talking to you. It is<br />
otten not pleasant to obey him <strong>and</strong> so you argue<br />
with him as he puts his thoughts into your heart<br />
<strong>and</strong> you try to prove to him within you that he<br />
was wrong.<br />
In a true Christian it is natural for Christ to<br />
get the best of an argument but there are so many<br />
of us who have not let Christ grow strong in our<br />
hearts <strong>and</strong> his power is so weak within us that<br />
he is not able to get the best of an argument <strong>and</strong><br />
so we go ahead as though we had really proven<br />
him to be in the wrong.<br />
You cannot flatterChrist. <strong>The</strong>se men came to<br />
him with many good words <strong>and</strong> acting as though<br />
they were friends but he knew them. It does<br />
not flatterChrist today for you to go to his worship<br />
as a hypocrite. He knows you. It does not<br />
flatter Christ for you to quote scripture <strong>and</strong><br />
make long prayers if you are not sincere. He<br />
knows you. It does not flatterChrist for you to<br />
say that you are a Christian when you are wit'n<br />
Christians just to please them if you act differently<br />
when you are with others. He knows you.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is no use trying to get anything out of<br />
-Christ in that way. You will never find peace of<br />
conscience. You will never find Christian joy.<br />
You will never find strength when you come into<br />
temptation. You will never find coftifort when you<br />
are in sorrow. You will find that Christ is something<br />
entirely different from what you had supposed.<br />
Instead of cheating him <strong>and</strong> getting something<br />
through false pretense, you will find that<br />
you are put to shame both.in this world <strong>and</strong> before<br />
the angels of heaven.<br />
This firstquestion is the old one of our relationship<br />
to the government. It is especially close<br />
to us as members of the Covenanter Church. We<br />
bave had political dissent as one of our distinctive<br />
principles for several generations.<br />
Christ gave the simplest answer that could be<br />
given <strong>and</strong> one that could be applied very broadly.<br />
No one can find fault with his answer.<br />
He said Render therefore unto Caesar the<br />
things that are Caesar's; <strong>and</strong> unto God the things<br />
tbat are God's. <strong>The</strong> only thing left for us to<br />
decide then is what belongs to Caesar <strong>and</strong> what<br />
belongs to God. That is not always a simple<br />
thing after all. God leaves it for us to decide because<br />
our characters are developed by doing <strong>and</strong><br />
thinking for ourselves. He starts us out on the<br />
nght road <strong>and</strong> promises to help us <strong>and</strong> then he<br />
wants us to do as much of the walking ourselves<br />
as we can.<br />
<strong>The</strong> things that belong to Caesar are not all<br />
the things that Caesar claims. By Caesar we<br />
mean the government as it is at present. <strong>The</strong><br />
things that belong to Caesar do not mean all<br />
things that belong to government. It does not<br />
mean aU things that would belong to Caesar if he<br />
were living in right relationship to God. It<br />
means things that are his under present conditions.<br />
It means that we are to pay for what we<br />
get rightfully from the government. We are to<br />
pay for protection. We pay for opportunities of<br />
market <strong>and</strong> trade. We are to pay for all the conveniences<br />
that could not be had without government.<br />
Taxes pay for these things.<br />
During the Civil War, it was decided by our<br />
church that it was right to go into the army. So<br />
there are times when circumstances make it right<br />
to give our lives to Caesar when Caesar is going<br />
to use them for the glory of God.<br />
A great many other illustrations inight be<br />
found of things that we might rightfully render<br />
unto Caesar but this is enough to show the principle.<br />
It is right to give to the government what<br />
the government has the right to ask according to<br />
God's law.<br />
But you notice that there was another comm<strong>and</strong><br />
that Christ was careful to put in. He said Render<br />
unto God the things that are God's.<br />
Those who are the most careful about the<br />
rights <strong>and</strong> the support of the government are often<br />
the ones who are the most neglectful of the<br />
rights <strong>and</strong> the support of God's cause in the<br />
world. Sometimes patriotism has selfishness behind<br />
it just as the religion of the Pharisees had<br />
selfishness behind it. <strong>The</strong> men who sell the<br />
government the supplies for the battleships <strong>and</strong><br />
the army <strong>and</strong> -who get their license for sin from<br />
the government are very patriotic. <strong>The</strong>y are<br />
rendering to Caesar what does not belong to him<br />
<strong>and</strong> they are keeping back from God what is his.<br />
But God says that we are to render to him what<br />
is his due. That means that as we would be<br />
liable to the penalty of the law if we were to<br />
refuse to pay taxes so we are liable to the penalties<br />
of God's laws when we refuse to him the requirements<br />
of the Great Governor oi; the Universe.<br />
<strong>The</strong> things that are God's are such as these—<br />
love, worship, subjection, service, money, a life<br />
of loyalty.<br />
If a man die shall he live again <strong>The</strong>re are<br />
several things of interest that come into our<br />
minds as we read the account of the Sadducees<br />
how they attempted to catch Christ after the<br />
Pharisees had been worsed.<br />
One thing is the family relationship in the<br />
next life. It does not say that we will not remember<br />
the things of this life <strong>and</strong> that there will<br />
not be a nearness between those who have been<br />
closely related here. It says there will not be the<br />
same family relationship. <strong>The</strong> relationship between<br />
members of a home change after the home<br />
is broken up <strong>and</strong> they go out to homes of their<br />
own. <strong>The</strong>y still love each other but they do not<br />
have the same feelings as they did in the old<br />
home.<br />
Perhaps it helps to solve the difficulty that<br />
many raise when they think of the loved ones who<br />
are lost. <strong>The</strong>y feel that they could never be perfectly<br />
happy <strong>and</strong> feel that certain ones they loved<br />
Lesson<br />
are lost.<br />
IX.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new relationship<br />
August<br />
in the<br />
30,<br />
Father's<br />
1914.<br />
house becomes LESSON so FOR strong THE <strong>and</strong> CHILDREN. fillsour lives sc<br />
completely By that Anna it makes Pritchard things Ge<strong>org</strong>e possible with us<br />
that would not A DAY be possible OP QUESTIONS. in the old.<br />
He teaches immortality Matt. 22:15-22. so plainly that no one<br />
could Helen, possibly when believe the boys in Christ <strong>and</strong> girls <strong>and</strong> were not believe going<br />
home in the from eternal your life party of the last soul. week, <strong>The</strong> Bible did you teaches give<br />
John's that we boots live after to Mary, death. <strong>and</strong> <strong>The</strong> Ruth's Bible coat teaches to Ellsworth,<br />
there are <strong>and</strong> different Mittie's gloves states after to Buster, death. <strong>and</strong> <strong>The</strong> Alvin's Bible<br />
that<br />
umbrella teaches that to Elmer there are "No, ways I gave of reaching one either their<br />
own state things." or condition. Today's <strong>The</strong> lesson Bible is teaches about giving that God to<br />
God leaves <strong>and</strong> us others, free to each take their either own road. things. Which road<br />
are you on<br />
One day while Jesus was talking in the<br />
Temple, men were sent to him from the Pharisees<br />
with this question, "Is it lawful to give tribute<br />
unto Caesar, or not" Who is head c-ver<br />
the United States, Ellis "President Uilson."<br />
<strong>The</strong> head man over Rome was always called<br />
Caesar. <strong>The</strong> Jews have been conquered hy the<br />
Romans, so must pay tribute to them, <strong>and</strong> this<br />
they think wrong, if Jesus says it is right to<br />
pay tribute money, then all the Jews will turn<br />
against him; if he says it is wrong, the Pharisees<br />
will turn him over to the Romans who will<br />
punish him as a rebel. Jesus says, "Show me<br />
the tribute money.," Look at this cent in my<br />
h<strong>and</strong>. Whose likeness is stamped on it, John<br />
"Lincoln's." So we call it a Lincoln cent. When<br />
any emperor or Caesar had tribute money made,<br />
he always had his own likeness stamped upon it,<br />
with his name <strong>and</strong> titles. So when the men<br />
bring the tribute money to Jesus, he asks,<br />
"Whose is this image <strong>and</strong> superscription"<br />
"Caesar's," they tell him. Jesus replies, "Render,<br />
therefore, unto Caesar the things that are<br />
Caesar's; <strong>and</strong> unto God the things that are<br />
God's." <strong>The</strong> tribute money has Caesar's image<br />
<strong>and</strong> name stamped on it, so it belongs to Caesar.<br />
And if we have Jesus in our hearts <strong>and</strong> belong<br />
to him we will have him stamped all over us—in<br />
our actions <strong>and</strong> our lives. <strong>The</strong> Jews use the<br />
Roman money <strong>and</strong> are cared for by the Romans,<br />
so they should pay the tribute for these benefits.<br />
But Jesus <strong>also</strong> says pay to God whatever<br />
belongs to him.<br />
Here are two boxes on the table. This one at<br />
Jeanne's end of the table will be for the things<br />
that belong to men <strong>and</strong> the world—it st<strong>and</strong>s for<br />
Caesar. <strong>The</strong> box at Herbert's end of the table<br />
will be for those things which belong to God.<br />
Gladys, here is a little heart. To whom does<br />
your own heart belong "To God." Place this<br />
heart in God's box to show that we should give<br />
our hearts to him.<br />
We will give to each of you a slip of paper on<br />
which is written your own name. Your name<br />
st<strong>and</strong>s for you. Whenever you hear some names<br />
you think, "He is a good Christian, i can trust<br />
him." Other names make you thmg, "That person<br />
is so selflsh. Doesn't care for anyone else."<br />
How many would like folks to say when they<br />
hear your name, "That child is Jesus' friend."<br />
<strong>The</strong>n you must give your name to God to keep.<br />
Do not ever let it be used for anything bad. You<br />
may each come to the table <strong>and</strong> drop your name<br />
in one of these boxes. If you wish your name<br />
to st<strong>and</strong> for God, then drop it in his box. If for<br />
self, then drop it in the other box. It is<br />
good to see you all st<strong>and</strong>ing up for God.<br />
Here are ten pennies. God gives them all<br />
to us, <strong>and</strong> he asks only one-tenth to be used for<br />
him. How many will we put in God's box,<br />
Eleanor "One cent." How many in the box<br />
for men "Nine." For every ten, one belongs<br />
to God.<br />
Here are seven cards. On each one we will<br />
write a day of the week. Of course all our<br />
time belongs to God, but he gives us some'to<br />
use for ourselves. In which box does Monday<br />
go "For men." Tuesday "For men." Wednesday<br />
"For men." And Thursday, Friday <strong>and</strong><br />
Saturday All these six days are for us to use<br />
for our work <strong>and</strong> pleasure. Now here is the Sabbath<br />
Day. What is the fourth comm<strong>and</strong>ment,<br />
Marion So to whom does Sabbath belong "To<br />
God." Drop the "Sabbath" card in God's box.<br />
So, boys <strong>and</strong> girls, everything that comes up<br />
in life, first ask yourself, "Does this belong to<br />
God or to man" And if you give yourself to<br />
God right now, it will not be hard to find out<br />
what else belongs to him, then give him his own<br />
every time, for it is right.<br />
Montclair, N. J.