The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-01-29
SABBATH SCHOOL,
LESSON FOR
FEBRUARY 2.
Lesson Text: tsThe Power Of Jesus"
Luke ", 17-28-Colden Text:
Luke w., 24-Com-
mentary.

Luke ", 17-26-Golden Text:
Luke w.. 24-Com
mentary.
II. "And it came to pass on a certain
day as He was teaching that there were
Pharisees and doctors Of the law sitting by,
which were come out Of every town OF Cali
lee and Judea and Jerusalem, and 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
fishes, the healing Of the leper and Of the
paralytic, but specially in the forgiveness OF
orcasicn the house was full of leading and
influential religious people, but He, the
humble carpenter Of Nazareth In their estf-
nation, thought not of their opinion andso,
as ALWAYS, pleasing the Father, He preached
the word unto them (Mark H., q. Although
the power of the Lord was present to heal,
thew had come not to be healed, nor to be
blessed. and they got neither.
18. tAnd, behold, men brought in bed
man which was taken with palsy. and they
sought means to bring him In and to lay him
before Him." The Pharisees and doctors
needed no help, in their own estimation, but
here Is a poor, afflicted. helpless man sadly
needing help and very conscious OF 1t.
There IS n 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
selves"-the utterly helpless and hopeless,
humanity speaking. as the lepers, the blind
the dumb, the deaf and the paralyzed. and
such as could give Him no recompense but
themselves in gratitude for His loving kind
ness.
10. s'They went upon the house top and
let him down through the tilin4, with his
couch, into the midst before Jesus" Their
sympathy was practical, they were very per-
severing. they manifested their faith by their
works, 1t may be that each OF the four had
himself been healed of some inflrmity 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
the thing would be done. >,
20. "And when He saw their faith, He said
unto them, Man. thy sins are forgiven thee. y
We read in Math. viii. 8-13, 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 seams hardly 30 great as tnat OF
the centurion, but II was real faith in Jesus,
though different in degree, and 1t pleased
the Lord. "Without faith 1t Is impossible to
please Him (Heb. xi., 81. The man was
brought to be healed Of bis palsy, but Jesus,
like skillful physician, sees the true source
of his troubles and begins the cure at the
fountain head. Not all sickness Is the direct
result OF individual sin, but sometimes it Is
so, as in John ". IA. -,
81. 'sWho can forgive sins but God alone2'
Thus reasoned the scribes and Pharisees as
they heard the words OF Jesus to the SICK
mnn. We may imagine their CONSERVATION
and possibly scowls and anger as they saw
the roof broken up over their heads. Con
trast the perfect calm OF Jesus, unm"yed py
having his discourse inter rupted. or by the
disturbance overhead, or by the hatred in
their hearts, the very essence Of peace and
uuietness, He who said to winds and waves,
"Peace, be STILL" was Himself always peace
full and still, for He lived in the presence OF
God, the God Of peace. a.
20. "But when Jesus perceived their
thoughts He, answering, said unto them,
What reason ye in your hearts?" It is writ
ten of Him, 4 know the things that come
into YOUR mind every one Of them (Ezek
xi., 81. He understandeth even the imag-
ination of tho thoughts Of the heart q Chron:
xviii. 81. He understands our thought
afar of (Ps. c1xxix., q. It isa great com
fort to sincere heart that trusts IN Hin
that He can read the heart and that BE
thoroughly understands US. It is. on the
contrary. anguish to the unsaved when they
allow themselves to think OF 1t that their
every thought is known to the searcher oil
hearts. See Jer. xviii, 10.
2S. "Whether it is easeir to say. Thy sins
be forgiven thee, or to- say, Rise up and
valk?" An ordinary physician may effect q
cure for the body; but only God can hea!
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 thirty-three years. Concern
ing the first. He spake and it was done. but
to accomplish the second God became man
and suffered indescribable agony OF oody
and soul for our sins. To forgive sins IS
surely the greatest work, for 1t cost God tho
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 unbeliet
said. "Who can forgive sins but God alone?'
faith would have said. 'He forgiVeth sins,
therefore He must be our God," according
to Isa. xiii, 25. What JOY that He, Still
forgives sins have been glad for twenty.
two years that He has forgiven my sins. and
I first saw it in John H., -. I have had no
dream or vision about it, but I believe God.
I rest In the finished work of the Lord Jesus
Christ and Just take Him at His word. be-
lieye also that as truly as He redeems the
soul He will in due time redeem the body.
Is. "And Immediately he rose up before
them and ook up that whereon he lay and
departed to his own house, glorfying God. .
We read ar least seven times In this gospel
..of elorifying God" The shepherds glori-
fed God when they had seen the babe In the
manger, the people glorif1ed GOD when they
had seen the widows son raised TO lie, the
woman who was bowed down eighteen years
glorifled God when she was made straight.
one OF the ten lepers glorifed God, the DIM
man glorifed God and the Roman centurion
slorifed God Qi:, 2O;y., rs, 26; VII, 10;
xiii. 13; xvii, IS; xviii, 43; xiii, 47. We
clorifv God when we believe in Jesus Christ,
when we make it manifest to others that we
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 it very plain to others rhat
Christ Himself Is Lying in Ills and that we
belong to Him
f6. '.And they were all amazed, and they
olorifled God and we're filled with lear,
saying, We have seen strange things TO-
day." They had seen an impossibllity, hu-
manly speaking. They mad seen the super
natural. They saw sin sick soul maze
clean and whole, a sick body made well, ana
they saw preacher undisturbed ny an IN
terruptei discourse, or by the anger OF the th,e,
influential people in His audience: All
these things were supernatural and glori'
fled God. and they glorifled God when they
acknowledged His hand In the healing OF
the pAlsied man.-Lesson Helper.
Tho Cr;nnIe Crack Gold District.