Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-11-03
Ynternatiunal gessolts.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VII, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, NOV. IL.

LESSON VII, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES. NOV. II.
! Text of the Lesson, Acts xviii, 17-31-Mem-
ory Verses, 80. 81 Golden Text, Rom.
l. 10 Commentary by the Rev. D. NJ.
Stearns.
II. AFTER three days Paul called the
chief Of the Jews together" The express
sion "three days" is 40 suggestive Of resur-
rection that one cannot fail to think Of 1t
who has anything Of the spirit Of Paul,
who had as one Of bis heart utteranoes
"That may know Him and the power Of
His resurrection" phil. Ill, 10Y. At his
conversion he was three days without
sight, and then Ananias came to him, sent
Of God Probably he gave himself to prayer
these three days In Rome that he might be
fully In the Lord g hands as His messenger
30 accomplish His pleasure, and now the
principal Jews of the city have come to-
gether tc near what be has to say.
1S. "There WAS no cause Of death IN
me-" Yet here he is In Rome prisoner
by the will of God. So there was no cause
In Christ why He should be hated John
Nv, e5> or crucifed, yet by the will Of God
he suffered the just for the unjust To be
willing to endure hardship for the good OF
others is Christlike, for He loved US and
| gave Himself for us, leaving His home In
glory for over 88 years and suffering all
the humiliation consequent upon His being
the sinners substitute, that we who accept
Him might not only be saved, but share
His glory.
10. "Not that had aught to accuse my
| nation Of" Although 1t was through his
own people that he was now prisoner,
yet he would not accuse them, but rather
see the hand Of God In 1t all and continue
TO love and pray for his poor, blinded peo-
pie. See his heart for them In Rom. *,
s, and Z, /, ~ could wish that myself
were accursed from Christ for my breth-
ren." Brethren, my hearts desire and
prayer to God for Israel Is that they might
be saved." And 1t was his custom always
as here In Rome to seek the Jews first.
30. "For the hope Of Israel am bound
with this chain" By comparing chapters
xiii, 8; xiv, 10; XVI, 8, z, 1t Is evident
that the hope which Paul meant was asso-
oiated with resurrection, the resurrection
Of Christ and then Of His people. The
resurrection spoken of In Dan. xii, 1-8, and
In Hos. vi, 3, and elsewhere fully In
Ezek. 1xxvii, where 1t Is said that they
shall be one nation in their own land under
one king, never to be divided or scattered
any more.
81, 80. "As concerning this sect we
know that everywhere 1t Is spoken
against" They had heard nothing evil OF
Paul, but they had heard the followers OF
this Jesus Christ spoken against. Simeon
said to His mother that He would be for
sign spoken against (Luke II, 34), and 1t is
written, "AI that will live godly In Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution" III Tim.
Iii, 1e). The carnal mind Is enmity against
God, and the wisdom of this world knows
| not God.
90. "He e1pounded and testified the
kingdom Of God, persuading them con-
corning Jesus, both out of the law OF Moses
and out of the prophets from morning till
evening"" Having appointed him day,
they came to him to his lodging, and thus
be talked to them. The beginning, mid
Gle and end Of his talk was Jesus and His
resurrection, looking to the kingdom yet
to be established with Israel as righteous
nation at the center, Jesus. the Son Ut
David, as their King. and all nations
blessed through them, their King aoknowl-
edged by all as King Of kings and Lord
| Of lords.
"a. "And some believed the things
which were spoken and some believed
not" So 1t has been and will always be
In this age. Paul never expected that all
would believe him, but he labored that be
might by all means save some (Rom. Il,
ID; Cor. *, 22). Our Lord taught us
that some seed will fall by the wayside,
some on stony soil, some among thorns
and some on good ground; that the tares
will grow with the wheat until the harvest
and that the kingdom will come at harvest
| time.
a5-eT. "And when they agreed not
among themselves they departed after that
Paul had spoken one word" That one
word was quotation from lisa. vi, 8, TO-,
and Ia also found in Math. Kill, IA, 10;
John xii, 40; Rom. Il, 8. Isaiah having
seen His glory and having heard the ques!
ton, "Whom shall send and who will 90
|
Then he was told that the people to whom
he was sent would not all receive bis mes
sage. jeremiah and Ezekiel were also told
the same thing (the record is IN Jer. J.,
and In Ezek. II and iii). 1t Is the one
business Of the Lord g messenger to deliver
the Lords message faithfully, diminishing;
not q word, and trust the Lord to see 90
the results. See Hag 1, 1S; Jer. kill. 20;
XVI, 3. We are not to think out the n,es'
sage any more than the prophets did or
our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Both He
and they spake only the words commanded
| them by God (John xii, 40; Jer. i,.6, 2;
Ell. ", 12), and we must not think to do
| otherwise.
%, 30. To the Jew first was bis way al
ways; then, when rejected by them, turn
| to the gentiles, sure that somehow the
Lord shall see Of the travail of His soul
and shall be satisfied Since he shall not
fail nor be discouraged Elsa. Kill, 4), there
Is no room for any servant OF His ever to
be discouraged. We must remember His
word to Moses and to Joshua to put of
| their shoes, which, II understand 1t, sig
pif1ed that the work was the Lords and
| not theirs.
80. And Paul dwelt two whole years In
his own hired house and received all that
came In unto him." During that time he
probably wrote the epistles to the Ephe.
slams, the Philippians, the Colossians and
some others. When people came to him,
be would be ever ready to welcome them
and talk with them Of Him Of whom bis
heart was 80 full.
81. preaching the kingdom of God and
teaching those things which concern the
Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no
man forbidding him." Thus this book Of
the Acts begins and ends with the king
dom, for we read in chapter 1, 8, that dur
ing the 40 days between the resurrection
and ascension our Lord, when He appeared