The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-03-12
The Sunday Schools.
LESSON FOR NEXT SUNDAY.
March 18th, 1888.
FIRST SUARTBEo-
LESSON XI. PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA.


ACTS 26. lis.
Commit to memory verses 1918.
Then Agrip a said unto Paul. Thou art permitte
speak for thv self. Then Paul stretched forth th
hand. and answered for himself:
9 1 think myself happy. king Agrippa, because
shall answer for this day before thee touchin
all the things whereof J am accused of the Jews:
Especiay be-ause know thee to he expert in a
customs and questions which among the jews
wherefore b. seech thee to hear patiently.
4 My amer of life from my youth, which was
the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, kno'
all the Jews:
5 Which knew from the beginning. If the
would testify that after the most straiest sect of
religion lived Pharisee.
6 And now stand and judged for the hope
the promise made of God INTO fathers:
! 7 Unto which promise our twelve tribes. instantl
serving God day and night hope to come. For whic
hopes sake, king Agrippa, am accused of the jews
| 8 Why should it be thought thing incredible witt
| you. that God should raise the dead?
| 8 | verify thought with self, that ought to d.
many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Naza
| reth
| 10 Which thing also did in Jerusalem: and man.
of the saints did shut up in prison having received
authority from the chief priests: and when they
| put to death, gave my voice against them.
IL And punished them oft in every synagogue. ant
| compelled them to blasph-me; and. being exceeding
| l mad against them, perss cuted them even unt'
| strange cities.
| IL hereupon as I went to Damascus with authori
|
13 At midday, q king saw I'm the way light f. on
| heaven. above the brightness of the sun. shining
round about me and them which journeyed with me
IA And when all fallen to the earth, heard
a voice speaking unto me- and saying in the Hebrew
tongue. Saul, Saul why r-ecutest thou me? 1t Is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Is And said. Who aurt thou, Lord? And he said
am jesus. whom thou persecutest
16 Bnt rse and stand upon thy feet: forI have ap-
peared uuto thee for this purpose. to make thee n
|
tho" hast seen, and of those things in the which
W i'll appear unto
II Delivering thee from the people and from the
Genti-s unto whom now send thee.
Is To open their eyes. and them from dark
to light, and from the of Satan unit" God
that they may receive forgiveness of SINS and inher
itance among them which sanctifed by faith that
is in me.
GOLDEN TExr-"And said, Who art thou,
Lord? And he said, am Jesus, whom thou
persecu sI.''-Acts 26. 15.
Time-A. d. 60. probably in the summer, few
weeks after the rule of FesIus began.
PIace-Cesarea. See Descriptive Index.
Rulers-Festus, Procurator of Palestine; Agrppa
H., King of Bashan: Corbulo. Prefect of Syria Ish
mael, Jewish high-priest; Nero, Emperor of Rome.
In the last lesson we left Paul in prison
at Cesarea. Two years have now passed,
and he is again brought forth to be heard
in his own defense. The Jews still thirst
ed for his blood with that frenzy which
prejudice and fanaticism give, and laid
another scheme for having Paul brought
to trial at Jerusalem, which trial was to
| be the occasion of mis- murder. Yet the
power which had protected him this far,
did not fOrsake him now, and by the Ut
terance of a single sentence he defeated
their plan once more. 81 appeal to C8s-
III" said the Apostle, and his case was
transferred to Rome instead of Jerusa-
lem. Atirippa was d royal visitor to Fes-
tus, at Cesarea, and that he might hear
Paul, and learn of his views, hearing of
the prisoner, as preliminary to the hear
ing at Rome, was provided for, to assist
Festus in making his report to the EN-
peror.
Agrippa was a man of immoral life, but
was considered just in his rule.
The presence of Agrippa doubtles add
ed inspiration to Paul's address, because
he knew the former to be familiar with
all the Jewish usages. Paul went on to
repeat the story of his own early life, his
slnfulness, his prosecutions of the Chris
tians, and assuring Agrippa that his life
was well known of the Jews. They had,
us he claims in the words quoted, known
him as a Pharisee, "after the most strait
est sect" The rules of living laid down
by the Pharisees were considered so strict
that it was considered next to impossible
to observe them faithfully in any save Il
Jewish community. Thus the Apostle
shows that his life was not displeasing to
the Jews.
He now stands to be judged for the
hope of the promise to his fathers, the
promise of the coming of the Messiah or
Deliverer For many centuries the prom
Use of a Redeemer had been growing in
Jewish minds. vet it was not believed by
any in this company save Paul, that this
hope had been realized by the coming of
Christ In this Paul was far in advance
of his hearers, for he had realized that for
which they were still hoping. He asked
the question why it should be incredible
to them that God could raise the dead
Christ had risen from the dead, yet the
Jewish doctrine could not comprehend
the idea of a resurrection. He calls to
mind the fact that he had in his ear
lier years prosecuted Christians, even TO
the death. just as his hearers were now
asked, by the Jews, to do. He had striv-
en- to make them "blaspheme their faith"
"a sin he had nobly conquered in his own
case. The remaining portion of the les
Son is but the repetition of former lessons
the trip of Saul to Damascus to perse-
cnte Christians, how he saw the light,
was blinded, and the scales fell from his
eyes. He felt an entire consciousness
that those who now sought his life were
blinded, even as he had been. Jesus of
Nazareth, who spoke to Saul ON his way
TO Damascus, assured him that he was to
be made "a minister and witness" We
have seen how nobly Paul observed the
obligation thus put upon him. He stood
firm i'll his faith amid all kinds of dam
gers-nothing could swerve him from
what he considered the line of his duty,
and his first aim was ever to glorify God,
and teach the Gospel of Christ.
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