Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

world."reconciliation,"SABBATH SCHOOLSeptember 26, 1954by Rev. Joseph A. Hill(Lessons based on International Sunday SchoolLessons ; the International Bible Lessons forChristian Teaching, copyrighted by the InternationalCouncil of Religious Education.)LIVING WITNESSESLesson Material: Matthew 5:13-16; Acts4:13-16; 8:4-8, 26-40; 2 Corinthians5:11-20; 1 Peter 3:13-16.Printed Text: Matthew 5:13-16; Acts 8:4-8; 2 Corinthians 5:14-20.Memory verse: Matthew 5:16light so shine before men that they may"Let yoursee your good works, and glorify yourFather which is in heaven."The need for true witnessing is astonishing when we realize that there are moreunsaved people in the United States today than the entire population of theRoman Empire when Christ came (statedin Peloubet's Select Notes, p. 333).When we consider the urgent duty ofChristian witnessing, we tend to think interms of missions in some distant landacross the sea, in Africa or Japan. Weforget that there are countless thousandsright here in America whose hearts areas savage as the heart of the black manin New Guinea who has never heardabout the Saviour. There are people livingwithin an earshot of the church whoare as idolatrous as the Japanese whoworship Buddha, because these heathenin America worship the world and thethings that are in the world. There arethousands who are devoted to the falsereligion of "liberal Christianity" and aretherefore as far away from the truth asthe Samaritans of the Bible who weredevoted to a hybrid religion, a mixture oftruth and error. The Church's task, inwhich all Christians have a share, includes witnessing through foreign missions. The Christian's personal task ismainly on the "home field," in ordinaryfields of work where we come into contact with people who can come to knowChrist through gur witness concerningHim.Matthew 5:13-16. In these verses ourLord uses two figures of speech to illustrate the meaning of witnessing.Thefirst figure is that of ordinary salt, which,as everyone knows, is used for makingfood savoury, and for preserving certain foods from spoiling. Christians arelike salt in the world because they giveto society the "flavor" of truth and righteousness, keeping the world from being anunsavoury (unpleasant) place to live, andpreserving the truth of God in the midstof a wicked corrupt society, so thatGod's purposes of redeeming grace mightbe fulfilled.Christians are also said to be lights.world."They are "the light of the Elsewhere Jesus says of Himself, "I am thelight of theSeptember 8, 1954source of light or knowledge of the truthand Christians are luminaries, or lightbearers(John 1:6-9). Just as the moon,which has no light in itself but is onlya lightbearer, reflects the light of thesun; so the Christian, created in theimage of God, reflects the light of theglory of God. The knowledge of truth inthe Christian is reflected light. He knowsand understands reflectively he thinksGod's thoughts after Him, and then heshines for God by speaking God'sthoughts after Him, and then he shinesfor God by speaking God's thoughts toothers and living God's ways before others. Thus Christians are the light of theworld.What a dark place the worldwould be without the light of the gloryof God which shines from Jesus Christand is reflected in the lives of those whoare new creatures in Christ!2 Corinthians 5:14-20. In this passagethe Apostle Paul setsforth the motives from which he preached the truthand witnessed for Christ. His apostleshipwas assailed; it was regarded as not genuine by those who opposed the Gospel,and this was hindering Paul's witness.Paul defended his apostolic calling inthis second epistle to the Corinthians. Farfrom being selfish, his motives were toglorify God. If Paul were witnessing outof a desire for self glorification, or forpersonal gain, he would not have enduredsufferings in order to testify of the unsearchable riches of Christ (see 2 Cor.4:5-11).In our passage, Paul sets forth hismotives :1. Christ's love for Paul drove him tohis task of witnessing for Christ. "Thelove of Christ constrainethme,"he says.It was not his love for Christ, butChrist's love for him. (This is clear because Paul goes on to describe in whatChrist's love consists.)"Constraineth"means that Christ's love keeps Paul inits grasp, and places him under an irresistible constraint to seek for otherswhat Christ had done for him. It constrains us, Paul says, "because we havecome to this mind about it: One died forall; so then all (James Denny,died."quoted in Peloubet's Select Notes).Verse 15 explains why the love of Christforces Paul to serve Christ: If we livebecause of Christ's death, then we shouldlive for Him.2. The second motive for witnessingthat Paul mentions is that he no longerthinks of people merely as people, as heonce did. He remembers that Christ"died for all"; and so every person withwhom Paul came in contact might havebeen one for whom Christ died. It wastherefore Paul's duty to make known tothis person the truth about Christ, thathe might be the means in God's hand ofChrist is the original saving that person. "Henceforth weknow no man after the flesh." As Christians we are to think of people, not merely as friends, or as citizens, or as business associates, but we are to think ofthem in respect of their relation toChrist, whether they are in Christ or outof Christ. We are to regard all men (compare Paul's words, "noman,"verse 16)as being created in the image of God, and,if unsaved, as potentially a "new creature in Christ" (verse 17).3. The third motive for Paul's witnessing was that he had been given this taskby God. Paul did not ask for the job.God gave it to him "and hath given tous the ministry ofverse18. Paul was sent by God as an ambassador is sent by his king, to deliver amessage in the name of the king. Hismessage was a message of peace ("wordreconciliation,"ofverse 19) to a hostile,rebellious nation. Because Paul was |anofficial ambassador, those to whom themessage was delivered were to receive itas though the King Himself had broughtthe message in person. They were to obeyHis command to repent and believe onthe Lord Jesus Christ. For Christ Himselfwas speaking to them through Paul, Hisambassador, sent to reconcile hostile enemies of God to Himself. These are themotives and the task of the true witnessof Christ.PRAYER MEETING TOPICSeptember 22, 1954GREAT PROMISES IN ISAIAH:God's Presence With His RedeemedIsaiah 43:1-3Comments by James D. CarsonPsalms:106:7-10,30:1-2, page 6934: 3-6, page 79page 26140:1-4, page 102References: Isaiah 29:23; 44:24; 41:10;44:22, 23; 44:6; 42:6; Psalm 130:8;Jeremiah 30:11; Psalm 66:12; Deuteronomy 31:6; Daniel 3:22-25; Psalm106:21; Proverbs 21:18.The names of Jacob and Israel are usedtogether throughout the prophets as parallel names in a poetic sense. The namesrefer to the chosen nation of IsraelGod's own chosen people; both in thesense of the nation as a unit, and also inthe sense of the nation as individuals;for while God dealt with them as a nation, he dealt with them also as individuals.The words of this chapter come something as a surprise after the words of the42nd chapter, where the prophet bringsout so clearly the terrible sinfulness ofthe nation, and the fact that none followed or obeyed the ways of the Lord."BUT," a most beautiful word in thisconnection, brings to our minds the everlasting mercy of God; for while the na-153