Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

t-Lesson Helps for the Week of February 21,1971Sabbath SchoolLessonfor February 21,1971KNOWING AND DOING GOD'S WILL:Matt. 7:21-27; 21:28-32.Comments by John K. GaultThere is always a very closerelationship between knowing and doing inthe accomplishment of any of life's objectives.One demonstration of this isfound in the kitchen of every home. Inpreparing the food a woman has theknowledge of the food combination for acertain delectable dish but it is necessarythat she mix the various food elementsand cook it on the stove or in the ovenbefore it can be placed on the table forpeople to eat. A builder of any sort of aconstruction job may have the knowledgeof dimensions and materials of the workbut before it is ready for man's use hemust, with his hands and equipment, putthe various elements together. These aretwo common examples of the relationshipbetween knowing and doing. Concerningspiritual objectives Jesus also emphasizeda close relationship between knowing anddoing. He asked the disciples upon acertain occasion, "But whom say ye that Iam?" and in the lesson before us He saidto them, "Wherefore by their fruits yeshall know them."1: Knowledge, Alone, Will Not SecureOne's Salvation.This, Jesus taught, in verses 21-23 ofthis lesson. Jesus said, "Not every onethat saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enterinto the kingdom of heaven; but he thatdoeth the will of my Father which is inheaven. Many will say to me in that day,Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thyname? and in thy name have cast outdevils? and in thy name done manywonderful works? And then will I professunto them, I never knew you; depart fromme, ye that work iniquity." The merepossessing and declaring knowledge is aphysical exercise, and no one is savedfrom sin through his physical sensesalone. People must love God if they wish tobe saved, for Jesus said to the lawyer."Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with allthy heart, and with all thy soul, and withall thy mind. This is the first and greatcommandment. And the second is likeunto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor asthyself." If one is to be saved Jesus musthold the supreme place in his affections.Paul said in Romans 10:9, "That if thoushalt confess with thy mouth the LordJesus, and shalt believe in thine heart thatGod hath raised him from the dead, thoushalt be saved. For with the heart manbelieveth unto righteousness; and with themouth confession is made unto salvation."There have been people who have had aknowledge of the Bible; who have engagedin formal religious work; but who havelacked the heart belief; consequently, inthe time of testing they have departedfrom the fold.2: The Wisdom of Hearing Jesus'Sayings and Doing Them."Hearing" and "doing" are complementaryactivities. They must beworked together if one is to achieve thedesired result. The student in school mayhear the teacher explain how to dosomething, but if he will not do it, then howcan he pass the examination? Jesus said,"Therefore whosoever heareth thesesayings of mine, and doeth them, I willliken him unto a wise man, which built hishouse upon a rock: and the rainsdescended, and the floods came, and thewinds blew, and beat upon that house; andit fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."Jesus' blueprint of character called for thesolid rock foundation of doing what He hadsaid to His hearers. In every building it isalways wise to build upon the solid rockfor in doing so the structure can withstandthe force of the elements. Doing the will ofGod is the solid foundation for the buildingof life's character.3: The Folly of Not Doing as JesusHas Said After Having Heard Him.He said, "And every one that heareththese sayings of mine and doeth them not,shall be likened unto a foolish man, thatbuilt his house upon the sand; and the raindescended, and the floods came, and thewinds blew, and beat upon that house; andit fell: and great was the fall of it." In theworld the winds of adversity and the floodsof opposition and all the forces of disintegrationare brought to bear upon one'sstructure of character. Not building accordingto the blueprint of Jesus which Hehas made available to people, will result inthe demolition of one's house. A house isthe structure mentioned in our lesson. It isdifferent from a tent which is but temporary.A house is one's place of dwellingand is supposed to last many years. Inpresuming to erect such a structure itwould be height of folly to build it upon theshifting sand. A foundation of money islike the foundation of sand. Any worldlyobjective is like the foundation of sand if itdoes not conform to the sayings of Jesus.Jesus talked to people about spiritualvalues, and not to do as He has said, whenone has heard Him, is as foolish asbuilding a house upon a foundation ofshifting sand.4: Doing God's Will Is Based UponRepentance.Jesus, in this lesson, compared Hisapproach to people with that of a certainman who had two sons. One of these sonsrepresented sinners who knew that theywere sinners. The other son representedthe scribes and Pharisees who were proudand had no sense of sin. The father said toone of the sons, "Go work today in myvineyard." That son answered his fatherby saying, "I will not: but afterward herepented and went." He regretted theimpudent way in which he had answeredhis loving father and he thought of the highprivilege it was for him to work in hisfather's vineyard. So, he repented.The father next "came to the secondand said likewise. And he answered andsaid, I go sir, and went not. Whether of thetwain did the will of his father 9 They sayunto him, The first." "Jesus said untothem, Verily I say unto you, that thepublicans and the harlots go into thekingdom of God before you. For Johncame unto you in the way ofrighteousness, and ye believed him not:but the publicans and the harlots believedhim; and ye. when ye had seen it, repentednot afterward, that ye might believe him"i Matt. 21:28-32). Many of the publicansand the harlots realized that they wereJANUARY 27, 1971 11