Kansas City Bible College - Armour Bearer Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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TI-IE COMIVIENTATOR PAGE FIVE Bad Eggs By Mrs. D. E. Wisner Child Evangelism Instructor PREPARATION This story might well be told by the Hash card method instead of the flannel- board for a change. 'I'he Hash cards should be egg shaped, and covered with construc- tion paper of various pastel shades. The first one should be egg shell color bear- ing the title of the story. Others should have pictures of: Charles walking down the street, a bicycle in a store window, a woman standing on a porch holding an open letter, a dog, a hen and little chicks, a red barn, a nest of eggs seen behind stacks of feed, Charles sitting on a stool with pockets bulging, Charles kneeling before a stool, and Charles standing beside a bicycle. Pictures taken from magazines or color books may be used, or sketches may be made directly on the cards. PRESENTATION Boys and girls, I want to tell you a story about some bad eggs. CShow title card.J Well, you say, that's a queer title for a story! Yes, but the little boy in my story was a bad egg, and he got mixed up with some bad eggs, and, ac- cording to Dr. Harris Gregg, who has now gone to be with the Lord, we are all bad eggs, so perhaps the story will be more interesting than it sounds. WV? J. . ,. an mga l il itil- N--ff? L A W- x f-gif? fl il 4 +0 .Q Dr. Gregg was scheduled to speak to a group of high school students. When he arrived at the school, he noticed that someone had erased the g and r from his name on the bulletin board, making an egg of him. When he was introduced he said, I see that one of the fellows has made an egg of me by removing part of my name from the posterg but that's quite all right, for I a.m an egg and a bad one at that, and so is each of you. Then he proceeded to show them from God's Word how bad they really were. Since Adam and Eve sinned in the Gar- den of Eden and became sinners, all have been borh sinners. When we receive Christ as Saviour, we become saved sin- ners. Even then we have no goodness of our own to boast of, but God imputes to us, or gives to us, the goodness of Christ, so that whatever goodness we have is His goodness. Charles was walking down Main Street with his lips puckered up trying to whistle. CShow Charles walking down the street.D But he could only make a funny noise be- cause there was a lump in his throat that felt as big as a football. He had just passed Mr. Pratt's window, and for the twenty-third time that week he had look- ed in at the streamlined bicycle that stood window.J there. CShow bicycle in store No, I can never have it, so there's no use to want it, he said aloud as he walked slowly toward home, looking back every few steps. As he turned down his own street, he saw his mother on the porch with a letter in her hand. CShow woman on porch with letter.J Here is a letter from Aunt May, she said as he ran up the porch steps. She says she would like to have a boy visit her this summer to help Uncle Fred with the chores and take care of the chickens. Do you know of one who would like to go-?n The football vanished from Charles' throat. Oh! She means me! She means me! Doesn't she, Mother? he shouted, jinnping up and down with joy. Charles was very busy the next few days. He asked Daddy hundreds of ques- tions about the farm. He even asked what kind of cows gave buttermilk, and if eggs grew on eggplant! He surely needs to go to the farm and iind out some things for himself, said Daddy to Mother one night after Charles had gone to bed. When Charles arrived at the farm, Pal the dog came bounding out the front gate barking joyously, and they were fast friends from the first. CShow dogj With Pal at his heels he had soon explored every nook and corner of the farm. Every day he fed the chickens, Cshow hen and chickensl, gathered the eggs, helped his uncle with the chores, and hoed in the garden. One rainy morning when Charles could- n't hoe, he went to the barn to play. CShow the barn.J I'll pretend I'm a sea- captain, he said to Pal. This barn will be a robbers' cave, and you can be the first mate of my ship. Now I must find where the robbers have hidden their treasures, he Whis- pered to Pal as he prowled among the grain sacks, poking behind them with an old broom handle. With a loud squawk a hen Hew out, and Charles peeped in be- hind the sack and saw a nest with twelve lovely eggs. CShow nest behind sacks.J Oh! he exclaimed. Pearls! I've found the robbers' treasure, and I'll take it to Aunt May. He began to gather the eggs as he spoke. Then he remembered the bicycle in Mr. Pratt's store window and stopped. Pal, he said at last, I do want a bi- cycle so. If I would save these eggs and then take a few out of the nests every day and sell them, by the end of the surn- mer I'd have enough money to buy a bi- cycle. I could hide them in the hay and Aunt May would never know. Charles filled his pockets with eggs. He was just ready to climb the ladder to the hayloft when he heard a voice calling his name. He didn't have time to take the eggs out of his pockets but ran to the house just as he was, his overalls bulging out in funny lumps. Charles, said Aunt May, will you please sit right down and shell these peas for dinner? CShow Charles on stool.J ':Surely, Aunt May, he replied, trying to make his voice sound as if nothing were the matter, and he took the pan and climb- ed on the high kitchen stool. Just as he sat down, he heard a cracking sound and soon a stream of yellow and white be- gan soaking through the pockets of his overalls. Immediately a horrible smell began to fill the kitchen, for some of the eggs were rotten! ' Why, Charles! exclaimed Aunt May, hearing the noise and seeing the look of dismay on his face. What is it? And slowly, with burning cheeks and down- cast eyes, he told her. I don't think you will ever do such a thing again, will you, Charles? she said when he had finished. lu I 2 j l L 2-'Sv ,R I i' l!lZ1lx 4 ' C QD Oh no! he cried eagerly, Not even to get the best bicycle in the world! Now, then, we must get you cleaned up before Uncle comes home from town, she said, hurrying upstairs to get his clean. clothes and praying for Charles as she Went. When Uncle Fred came in, Charles told him all about it. 'Tm sorry, Uncle Fred, he said, and I won't do anything like that again, ever. I believe you mean what you are say- ing, Charles, but you are going to need Someone to help you keep that promise. It is a sin for anyone to want things so much that he would cheat and steal to get them. This is not the only sin you'Ve ever done either. You have sinned many times and so have I, and God says sin must be punished with death. But the Lord Jesus came and died on the cross in order to pay for all our sins, and He wants you to receive Him as your Sav- iour. Then He will live in your heart, and when you are tempted to do wrong, you can ask Him to keep you from doing it.' Oh, Uncle, may I ask Him to come in now, and save me right here in the kitch- en. Certainly, Charles. Then Aunt May and Uncle Fred bowed their heads while Chafles prayed. CShow Charles kneel- mg. Dear Lord, I'm so ashamed of what I've done. Please come into my heart right now and take away my sins. Thank you for dying for me. Amen. Charles, said Uncle Fred a few weeks later, 'KI brought home a piece of ma- chinery this afternoon. It's in the truck. Will you get it out and put it away? I think you can manage it. Yes sir! I'll do it now, he answered, running out to the truck. CCo'nti'n.'u.ed on Page 73

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PAGE FOUR TI-IE COMMENTATOR Musings in isaiah 53 By William G. Coltman, D.D. Pastor, Highland Park Baptist Church, Detroit, Michigan Someone once picked up an old book and discovered a fragrance coming from its leaves. Upon investigation it was found that sometime earlier a flower had been placed between its pages, and the perfume had permeated the whole book. So it is with the Bible. The Whole volume is fragrant with the odor of the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Vallies, the glorious and gracious person of the Lord Jesus Christ. His death, which was the glory of His earthly life, receiveslarge recognition not only in history and doctrine but in Old Testament prophecy. The cross, which is central in the purpose of God for man- kind, existed in His heart before the ages began. It is not, therefore, surprising that from the very dawn of history we should have intimations of this mighty and stu- pendous event. As early as Genesis 3 we find the first reference to a suffering Re- deemer when God told the serpent that the seed of the woman would have his heel bruised in the process of bruising the head of the serpent. This was fol- lowed down through the pre-Christian centuries by blood-stained altars and di- vinely prescribed sacrifices which pointed ahead to the coming of the Lamb of God. The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah is one of the clearest and fullest prophecies of the vicarious suffering of our Saviour. It, therefore, preaches the evangel of re- deeming grace as no other chapter in the Old Testament scriptures. For wealth of detail and comprehensive coverage of the suffering of Jehovah's servant, the Lord Jesus Christ, it stands alone. Several hundred years after this won- derful chapter was written, a Man ap- peared on earth who fully lived out the minutest descriptions of this prophecy. Ever since, devout and believing hearts have had little doubt as to whom the pro- phet referred. Returning from Jerusalem to his home in Ethiopia the eunuch mention- ed in Acts 8 was reading this chapter when Philip the Evangelist appeared be- side his chariot. The question in the Ethiopian's mind was: Of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth and b-egan at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus tActs 8: 34, 353. What a delightful starting point at which to begin to expound the gospel! As we look at this remarkable chapter, three thoughts stand out: THE FACT or C1-1R1sr's SUFFERING Suffering is the pre-eminent reality in this chapter. It is the major note that dominates the celestial music. How varied and significant is the terminology: He was despised . . . rejected of men . . . man of sorrows . . . acquainted with grief . . . he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows . . . wounded for our transgres- sions . . . bruised for our iniquities . . . the chastisement of our peace was upon hirn...thein.iquityofusall...hewas oppressed . . . by oppression and judgment he was taken away . . . he was cut off out of the land of the living . . . for the trans- gression of my people to whom the stroke was due . . . his soul an offering for sin . . . the travail of his soul . . . he shall bear their iniquities . . . he poured out his soul unto death . . . was numbered with the transgressors . . . he bare the sin of many . . . made intercession for the trans- gressorsf' No wonder that the great exegete Delitzch said, Stronger expres- sions for the violent and painful death the language did not affordf' Let us take a closer look at some of these words. Wounded comes from a word which means to bore through, to pierce, to perforatef' The central fact here is the painful piercing of our Saviour's body. Bruised means to be broken to pieces, to be crushed. It is doubtless a figure of speech setting forth the inner sufferings of Christ. Chastise- ment is a word used to denote correction or punishment by parents. In other words, He was punished to procure my peace. Lastly, there is the word stripes which refers to marks or blows upon the skin. These terms give us a graphic picture of the beating and scourging of our Lord as recorded by the gospel writers and written in the prophetic Word centuries before. THE NATURE or CHRISTJS SUFFERINGS The special emphasis of the prophet in this chapter is upon the vicariousness of Christ's sufferings, by which we mean that they were endured or undergone for oth- ers. He did not suffer on His own accountg the wounds, stripes, and travail were en- dured for our benefit. The failure of God's ancient people to see this fact is graphically stated in verse 4: We did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But the prophet goes on to say, He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon himg and with his stripes we are healed. Even today the descendants of Israel fail to grasp the reality of this great prophecy spoken by one of their own to their nation. Its very existence some seven hundred years before its fulfillment is evidence to any unprejudiced mind of its heavenly origin. The opening verse of the chapter registers the existence of prevail- ing and popular unbelief. The attitude of the nation toward their suffering Messiah is indeed a matter of wonderment. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. How thankful we are for the following verse in John 1: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons that believe on his leaves no doubt in real nature of these substitutionary and There have been will be some who mental reality of of God, even to them name. The prophet our minds as to the sufferings. They were redemptive. and probably always object to this funda- our Saviour's death. They clai.m it is not just or reasonable for one person to suffer for another: that such sufferings are unethical and ineffectual. But far from this central fact of our Chris- tian faith being isolated and singular, it is one of the common facts in the life of our race. Motherhood is vicarious. Many a mother has given up her life in bringing her child into the world. There are mul- titudes of people in the world at this hour who are suffering because of the negligence, the sins, and the wrong-doings of others. Hospitals are filled with people whose bodies are broken and maimed be- cause of drunk drivers. Whether we like it or not, it is a common fact in the life of our world. Likewise Christ died to save us from eternal death, and His sacrifice was not in vain. Even this chapter contemplates His triumph and ultimate victory: He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. THE Rssurrrs or Cn1usr's Surrrnnvcs After identifying the Sulferer, we natur- ally ask, Did this vicarious Sufferer ac- complish His purpose? Did these suffer- ings avail? Did they have value, and if so, what values were realized? , The prophet states, with his stripes we are healed. There is complete re- covery for sin-sick souls. They were not merely improved or relieved, but made whole-healed. Because of our sins we were sick unto death, and earth had no balm for our healing, no physician that could arrest the disease or cope with it. Praise God, with His stripes we are heal- ed! ' The punishment which He took made possible our peace with God. As the Apostle Paul wrote centuries later, He made peace through the blood of his cross CCol. 12207, and, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ CRorn. 5:11. Those vicarious sufferings brought to an end the battle between our hearts and God. They accomplished the cessa- tion of conflict within. Through His cross the warring elements in our nature were overcome, and we became friends with the Eternal God. How wonderful! It is stated in verse 6: The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Be- cause He took our sins He was condemn- ed, but this condemnation made possible our justification. Taking our sins He had to die our death and face the wrath of God for our transgressions. He drank the full cup of our condemnation: therefore it can be written of every believing heart, There CCo'n.tinued on Page 73

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PAGE SIX -- THE COMMENTATOR . if Q ev! E sys .2 fm Mgr sa wha 'ii gfiafwe sr df? iw A ezerersggarar-'-:Gi'vs-' 'Q-2354: ,. -.. , 4:,1, .,,- at ,... :salaries 2259 5135-Q rt'NPwi'v: '-sf: . -' . '- .Si 1' -:C 'L. :sv-Ay.-Q- - .1 -rAa2F'9e4.f, . 3' -' ,::,, . 'ire ,sl i. 1 , v some because they Sunday School Lesson Notes By Dr. Walter L. Wilson President, Kansas City Bible College DECEMBER 2- A Doubting and Diso- bedient People? Numbers 14:1-11. Golden Text: I John 129, People weep for many reasons. Some weep because of their sins and others because they were caught in their sinsg have sinned against God and others b them as they well deserved. In our lesson the people were weeping ecause God punished because they seemed to be up against an impossible situation. They had forgotten that God had given the command to go across Jordan and invade the land of Canaan in order to possess it, and that He had promised to fight their battles for them. They saw only the walled cities, the giants, and the chariots of iron. God did have two men, however, who saw differently. While the people saw the dif- ficulties and hindrances, Caleb and Joshua saw the living God. Ten of the scouts were unbelievers while two of them were believers. It is usually sog most of God's dear people, even though redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, never get to know God very well nor to trust Him with very much of their lives. Yet God always has His witnesses whose faith He honors. We read that the people murmured against their lead-er. Although Moses was a man of faith and presented God's plans to the people, they were ready to desert his leadership and to turn back to the iron furnace of Egypt. It is often so in the present day when a godly minister insists that his people live separated lives and that the church be a holy sanctuary for the presence of God. Instead of responding to the faith and courage of Joshua and Caleb, the con- gregation would have none of their counsel and leadership and were about to stone them. They had forgotten the bitterness of Goshen and remembered only the fish, onions, garlic, melons, leeks, and cucum- bers. Perhaps there is a significance in the fact that all of these leave a disagree- able odor behind them. DECEMBER 9- Moses' Charge to the People. Deuteronomy 30:15-31:33 33: 27-29a. Golden Text: Deuteronomy 33:27. Any servant who is a God-sent man will bring before the people the Word of God, by which the very mind of God is reveal- ed to His people. Moses is here an ex- ample to every Christian leader in that he proclaimed God's message to the people. There are always two paths open to every man, woman, and child- the path that leads to life and the broad way that leads to destruction. One is the path of goodness and righteousness, God's path, and the other is the way of sin and wick- edness, Satan's road. Every person must choose for himself which way he will go. There must come a time in the life of each person when he decides which path he will take. The Lord goes before on the narrow path to straighten out the crooked places and make the rough places smooth. On the broad road Satan goes before to prepare enticing traps with which to catch and wreck the heart and destroy the soul. He makes his road appear to be smooth and lovely, but that which looks beauti- ful proves to be a delusion. On the narrow path there are pleasures forevermor- a quiet heart, a peaceful mind, and heavenly joy. On ,the broad road there are the pleasures of sin which last but for a season and those seemingly happy moments which leave dissatisfac- tion, misery, and finally a broken heart. On the narrow road is an eternal God who never destroys, never fails. He pro- tects and preserves those who belong to Him and is their refuge in the time of storm. He is able to minister richly to the heart as well as to the body and feeds the soul on the heavenly manna. The ungodly are not so- they have no helper when the storm comes, no comforter when the heart is broken, and no relief when the pressure crushes. Therefore choose life CDeut. 30:19J. DECEMBER 16- Into a New Land with God. Joshua 1:1-73 6: 1-5, 20. Golden Text: Joshua 1:5. Those who become born again enter into a new life, a new relationship, a new experience with God. They are no longer of the world or its affairs. They become a people separated to God and to His serv- ice. God does not leave His people without proper guidance. Israel was not to quit because Moses was dead. They were to enter into the new land under a new lead- er. Although this land was filled with giants and with well armed soldiers, al- though the cities were walled about and the enemy had Chariots of iron, the Israel- ites had God with them. Joshua was a leader who trusted God and walked with Himg and because of his life, the men un- der his guidance became men of strong faith. Joshua had an inexhaustible promise from God, I will not fail thee, nor for- sake thee CJosh. 1:55. With this assur- ance he could boldly enter the enemy's land and expect a glorious victory. If God was with him, it mattered little who was with the enemy. Because of the integ- rity of the God who gave the promise, he could attack any hostile force with con- Hdence. God warned him, however, that these blessings would be conditioned by the faithfulness of his walk and by his love for the Word of God. I-Ie was to read the Scriptures and meditate upon them con- stantly in order that he might know what God said in His Word and that with earn- estness and zeal he might press forward for God. Jericho was to be the first object of attack after the miraculous crossing of the Jordan. Joshua had arrived before this great city and made camp when sud- denly he saw a strange man. This man was the Holy Spirit, who told Joshua that He had come to take charge of the ight. Under His direction the victory was easy. We, too, should let the Holy Spirit take charge of our lives if we would be vic- torious Christians. DECEMBER 23- The Promise Fulfilled in Christ. Luke 1:46-553 2:1-7. Gold- en Text: Isaiah 9:6, 7. All through the Old Testament days the women of Israel were hoping for and ex- pecting the Messiah. Each one hoped that she might be the mother of that won- derful person who would come to Israel. A barren woman was a reproach because she knew she never could have this prom- ised child born in her family. The years rolled by and disappointed mothers throughout Israel died without realizing the fulfillment of their hopes and desires. Finally the day came when an exem- plary young maiden named Mary heard from an angel a message which caused her heart to leap for joy. Though the little one had not yet come, she believed the angelic message and rejoiced in the prom- ise. She gave God a new place in her life when she said, . . God my Saviour. Not only was her soul to be saved by the coming of this wonderful baby, but her life was to be saved from reproach. She herself was to be the fulfillment of the prophecy for Israel, that of being the channel through whom the Messiah was to come. She realized that this unborn babe was to be the sovereign Deliverer of Israel, who was to save His people from their sins, to overcome the proud, to con- quer the enemy, and to show mercy. Her heart could hardly contain the wonderful truths revealed to her. When the time came for the birth of this priceless baby, Mary must have been without assistance, for we read that she wrapped Him in the baby clothes and laid Him in the manger. The animals that were there had used that manger as a source of their food, and We are reminded that the Lord Jesus came to be the source of food for the souls of His people. As in the time of His birth, there are still those who shut Him out because they do not want Him to be their Lord. We may properly expect that some day He will shut them out of His presence for- ever. DECEMBER 30- Taking a Stand for God. Joshua 24:1-8, 14-18. Golden Text: Joshua 24:15. It is well for each of us to present our- selves before God for His examination and then present ourselves before the world for its examination. If we pass the first, there is no reason why we should not pass the second. Joshua had all the tribes of Israel present themselves before God while he rehearsed in their ears the victories of former years. Let us note the repetition of God's L He says, I took, I gave, I sent, I plagued, I did, I brought, I have done. The emphasis is on the doings of God rather than men. Paul, also, when he returned from h' journey, told the disciples what God ha wrought through him. It is always a mar of true humility and g-enuine faith to de- clare among the people His doings. The result of meditating upon the work of God is to lead us to love Him more an trust Him more fully. Joshua knew Is rael would have a difficult time of it ' Canaan, and he therefore prepared the for it by relating the victories of the past