Review Questions.—(a) Through what is the power of God manifest to save men? (b) What is its effect upon those who receive it? (c) For how long is it to be offered to the world?
THE FEAR OF GOD.
1. What duty does the message first enjoin?
“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him.” Rev. 14:7.
2. What is meant by fear?
Ans.—The word “fear” in its primary sense expresses terror, apprehension, dread. When enjoined as a duty or Christian grace, it refers to reverence; it is awe and love combined. If we know God, we will have some sense of his wondrous, dreadful, and ineffable glory, and of our own utter insignificance. In the light of his glory will we see our shame; in the light of his holiness, our sin; in the light of his purity, our corruption; and when we see that all these perfections are given in love through Christ to save us, it creates love within our hearts, and fear and love combine in reverence. These views of self and God will lead us to choose God’s will and way in preference to our own. It is this wisdom which leads to the keeping of the commandments of God. He who chooses his own way, or the way of men, in preference to that of God, has not the fear of God before his face.
3. Of what is this reverence the beginning?
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Ps. 111:10.
“To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.” Prov. 1:6.
4. To what will it inevitably lead?
“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” Job 28:28.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments; his praise endureth forever.” Ps. 111:10.
GIVING GLORY TO GOD.
5. What is God’s glory?
Ans.—God’s glory is his goodness, his character. When Moses asked God, “Show me thy glory,” the Lord answered, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee.” Ex. 33:18, 19. This the Lord did, as recorded in Ex. 34:5–7.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
8. What is our duty to him?
“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him.” Rev. 14:7.
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Matt. 22:37.
9. How does the wise man express this same truth?
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.” Eccl. 12:13.
10. How does Jesus say we are to glorify God? and what kind of fruit do we bear?
“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” John 15:8.
“Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Phil. 1:11.
11. In view of what are we exhorted to give glory to God?
“For the hour of his judgment is come.” Rev. 14:7.
“For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl. 12:14. See also 1 Chron. 16:29, 30, 33.
12. What is the rule of the judgment?
“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.” Rom. 2:12.
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10–12.
13. What are we to conclude from these scriptures?
Ans.—(a) That, as God’s glory is his character, that character is manifest in his holy law, the rule of his government. (b) That to render this glory to him is to obey that law, or to submit to let that law work out in us God’s character. In other words, fearing God and giving glory to him is equivalent to fearing God and keeping his commandments. This is emphasized by the fact that the law of God is the great rule of judgment.
14. How only may we do these things?
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28, 29.
THE WORSHIP OF GOD.
15. What further duty is enjoined in the Gospel?
“And worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Rev. 14:7.
16. Whom are we to worship?
17. What is this great Creator said to be?
“But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting King.” Jer. 10:10. Compare with verse 12 and .
18. What is the Creator’s memorial?
“He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.” Ps. 111:4.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Ex. 20:8–11.
19. Of what is this memorial also a sign?
“Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” Eze. 20:12.
20. How should we worship God?
“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” 1 Chron. 16:29.
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” John 4:23, 24.
21. What is the evidence of true worship?
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Luke 4:8. See .
22. Could we worship God in truth, and truly be his servants, and yet disregard his commandments?
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Luke 6:46.
14. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
22. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
(Memorize verses 18, 19.)
Golden Text: “His word was with power.” Luke 4:32.
NOTE.—Immediately after the baptism of Jesus, he was led of the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was subject to the temptations of the devil for forty days. The combined Gospels introduce his ministry in Galilee, accompanied, during the earlier part of his work, by five followers, John, Andrew, Simon, Philip, and Nathanael. After his first passover at Jerusalem, Jesus made his way northward again, passing through Samaria, where occurred his talk with the woman at the well. Entering the province of Galilee, he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. The whole chapter of Luke 4 should be read, also Matthew 4; Mark 1; John 1:35-51; 2-4; Isa. 61:1-3.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) To what place did Jesus return? Verse 14. (2) What was said of his word? Same verse and verse 15. (3) To what city did he come? Verse 16. (4) What was his custom, and in what way did he follow it? Same verse. Note 1. (5) What was handed him? Verse 17. (6) To what place did he turn? Verses 18, 19. Note 2. (7) What did Jesus next do? Verse 20. Note 3. (8) Did the people give attention? Same verse. (9) What did he say concerning the words he had read? Verse 21. (10) What effect did these remarks have upon the assembly? Verse 22. Note 4.
NOTES.
1. Stood up for to read.—It was the custom of those who read from the Scriptures to stand, out of respect for the word. The comment, or discourse, was usually given sitting. See verse 20. This was a Sabbath day when these events took place.
2. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.—The work of the Anointed of the Lord was to apply the Gospel to the meek, the poor, the broken-hearted, to captives, to those that are bruised, to the mourners, representing the world at large, for the mission of Christ was to the lost world. To all classes who realize the burdens imposed upon them by sin, the Gospel is indeed good tidings, and when accepted as such, it becomes the power of God unto salvation. To the poor it becomes a comfort, inasmuch as it places in their possession riches that can never pass away. Earthly riches at the best are uncertain, and they that put their trust in them shall perish with them. To the broken-hearted it holds out consolation in the hope of a reunion with loved ones torn from them by the hand of death. To captives, to the blind, and to the bruised of earth it brings hope and comfort, if not for release in this present life, of freedom when evil shall be abolished, while to the captives of sin and the spiritually blind it brings freedom and light that is not affected by temporal or physical environments. It dealt a blow to traditions and to the narrowness of the Jews, and forever established liberty in matters of conscience. All these things and much more the Gospel meant to the world. Jesus closed the book in the midst of the quotation. The prophecy included the work of salvation in its entirety, and that which follows could not have its full application in the time of our Saviour. Christ’s work on earth ended with the proclamation of “the acceptable year of the Lord;” “the day of vengeance of our God” is the closing message of his people on earth, preparatory to the final scenes of the world’s history. His first coming was not the “day of the Lord,” in which his wrath is to be revealed. See Zeph. 1:14, 15; 2:1-3; Rev. 14:7; 6:17.
3. The minister.—The word means attendant, or14servant, one whose duty it was to care for the books, or rolls.
4. All bare him witness.—They spoke of his words to one another, and comprehended their meaning. All were looking with more or less interest for the Messiah, and Jesus’ work was not unknown to them, as the words that follow show. At first, when it was declared by Jesus that the Scripture was fulfilled in him, they wondered, and doubtless were filled with joy because of the gracious news. But the enemy was at work, and suggested, “Is not this Joseph’s son,” the carpenter who worked for us? They could not accept one of their own number, although the manner of Christ’s coming was plainly foretold. In wrath they thrust him out and attempted to cast him from the brow of a hill, but he passed from their midst. The lesson should be that God’s truth is truth nevertheless, no matter how humble the instrument.
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