The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-01-31
SABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOK
FEBRUARY
Lesson Text: ''The Power of Jesus,'s
Luke W, 1T-26-GOlden Text:
Luke W., :s4-Com
mcntary.

lee and Judea aud Jerusalem. aud the power
OF the Lord was present to heal them" The
title OF this lesson Is "The Power of Jesus"
and 1t is seen in this chapter in the draft Of
bshes, the healing OF the leper and OF the
paralytic, but specially in the forgiveness OF
sins. AS He was teaching on this particular
occasion the house was full OF leading and
influential religious people, but He, tho
humble carpenter of Nazareth in their esti<
nation. thought not OF their opinion and so,
as always. pleasing the Father. He preached
the word unto them (Mark H., 2). Although
the power OF the Lord was present to heal.
they hal come not to be healed, nor to be
blessed end they got neither. I,
lS. And, behold, men brought in n bed a
man which was taken with n palsy. and they
sought means to bring him i'm and to lay him
before Him.. The PhariSees and doctors
needed no help, in their own estimation. but
he.e is Il poor, afflicted, helpless man sadly
needing help and very conscious of it.
There is saying that "God helps those who
help themselves" but the whole story and
teaching Of Scripture are to the effect that
GOD helps those who cannot help them
selvcs"-the utterly helpless and hopeless,
humanity speaking, rs tho lepers, the blind,
the dumb, the deaf and the parayzed. and
such rs could give Him no recompense but
themselves in gratitude for His loving kind
ness. :
10. "They went upon the house top and
let him down through the tiling, with his
couch, into the midst before Jesus" Their
sympathy was practical, they were very per-
sevcrng. they manifested their faith by their
works. 1t may be that each OF the four had
himself been healed Of some infrmity and
therefore they could truly sympathize with
their friend, and having each for himself
seen and known the power Of. Jesus they
knew that could they only get him to Jesus
tho thing would be done.
% And when He saw their faith He said
unto them, Man. thy sins are forgiven thee"
We read in Math. viii. S-13, of the faith that
said. Speak the word only and my servant /
shall be healed" and without even seeing
the sick one Jesus healed him. The faith OF
these men seems hardly SO great as that of
the centurion, but it was real faith in Jesus,
thonSh different in degree, and it pleased
| the Lord. without faith it is impossible to
please Him (Hcb. XII, 6). The man was
brought to be healed OF his palsy, but Jesus,
like skillful physician. sees the true source
OF his troubles and begins the cure ut the
! fountain head. Not all sickness is the direct
result OF individual sin, but sometimes it is
SO, IA in John ". ID. !
II. WHO can forgive sins but God alone?"
Thus reasoned the scribes and Pharisees
they heard the words OF Jesus to the sick
man. We may imagine their CONSERVATION
and possibly scowls and anger rs they saw
the roof broken up over their heads. Con-
trast the perfect calm of Jesus, unm"ved by
having his discourse inter ru pied. or by tho :
disturbance overhead, or by the hatred in
their hearts. the very essence of peace and
quietneSs, He who said to winds and waves,
"Peace. be still" was Himself always peace
ful aud still, for He lived in the presence OF
God, the God of peace.
%. But when Jesus perceived their
thoughts He, answering, said unto them,
ten Of Him, II know the things that como
into your mind every one OF them" GEEK /
Xi., 81. He understandcth even the imag-
| ination OF the thoughts OF the heart q Chron.
xviii. ,G. He understands our thought
afar off (Ps cXXxiX., -. 1t is great COM
fort to sincere heart that trusts in Him
that He can read the heart and that He
| thoroughly understands us. 1t is, OH the
contrary, anguish to the unSaved when they
! allow themselves to think of it that their
every thought is known to the searcher OF
hearts. Sec Jer. xvii, 10. :
90. whether it is easeir to say. Thy sins =
be forgiven thee. or to say, Rise up and ;
cure for the body; but only God can heal
the soul. One has said that the work Of
creation was completed in six days, but the
work OF redemption kept the Son of God on
earth for over thrty-three years. Concern
ing the first. He spake and it was done, but
to accomplish the second God became man
and suffered indcscribable agony Of body
| and soul for our sins. To forgive sins il
surely the greatest work, for it cost God the
most.
"a. ''The Son OF Man hath power on earth
| TO forgive sins" Therefore the Son Of Man
is none other than the Son of God. even God
Himself. Instead Of saying, as their unbeief
faith would have said. ''He forgiveth sins,
therefore He must be our God" according
TO lisa. xiii. 25 What joy that He still
forgives sins! 1 have been glad for twenty
two years that He has forgiven my sins. and
first saw it in John H., H. have had no !.
dream or vision about it, but believe God.
7 rest in the finished work Of the Lord Jesus,
Christ and just take Him at His word. be-.
lieys als9 that as truly as BE sedeemS the
J soul He Will in due time redeem this Body:
md Inn nsnAfofafy M rnca hot
them and took up that whereon he lay and
departed to his own house, glorifyinG God"
We read ut least seven times in this gospel;
"of glorifying God" The shepherds glori-
fled God when they had seen the babe in tho
| manger, the people glorifed God when they
| had seen the widows son raised TO life, tho
woman who was bowed down eighteen years.
Slorined God when she was made straight, !!
one Of tho ten lcpers gloritled God, the blind
man glorifled God and the Roman centurion
g!oried God Gi., 20; ", 25, 26; viii, &c;
xiii, 13; xvii. l5 xviii, 43; xiii. 47). WS
Slorify God when we believe in Jesus Christ.
when we make it manifest to others that wo
have confidence in Him. and do actually
trust Him, when we, by patience and meek
ness, by love and JOY and long suffering and
Kindness, make ii very plain to Others that
Christ Himself is living in us and that we
belong to Hin.
2G. "And they were all amazed, and they
eloriiled God and were filed with fear,
saying, We have seen strange things to-
day" They had seen an impossibiity, hu-
manly speaking. They had seen the super
"aturai. They saw Il sin sick soul made
clean and whole. Il sick body made we'll, and
they saw n preacher undisturDed ny an in
tcrrup:c1 discourse. or by the anger of tho
Influential people in His audience. All
these things were supernatural and Giori-
fed God, and they glorified God when they
acknowledged His hand in tho healing o.
ihe Iai-icd m"n. lesson Helper.