Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-01-01
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON |, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. 8.

L.
Theophilus of all that Jesus began both to
do and teach. This assoc rs the writer
with the author of the tn gospel duke
1, 1-4). In that treatise he speaks of the
doings and teachings of Jesus as things
most surely believed, of which people
knew the certainty. This is record of
the continuation of the dongs and teach
ings of Jesus through His followers DR.
Erdman calls 1t mirror of the experience
of all true and faithful witnesses till He
come, its two themes being the Great
Redemption and the Coming King
dom. " Observe that the order is first doing
and then teaching and compare Mark vi
30 En- vii, 10.
2. Until the day in which He was tax
en- up" The gospel by Luke reaches to
the ascension, with which also he begins
this treatise Ga word used only in verse /,
but the Greek word logos is used over
300 times, generally translated word"
and in John i, /; l John i, /, and Rev xix
10, applied to Christ Himself. As by the
Holy Spirit He was born, baptized led
cast out demons, offered Himself sacrifice
rose from the dead, by the same spirit He
gave His parting commands to His apos-
ties
3. "To whom also He showed Himself
alive after His passion" (or sufferings)
His ten or more different appearances to
the disciples during the 40 days between His
resurrection and ascension were sufficient
to prove to them that the risen Christ was
the very same Jesus whom they had known
and loved and had seen die on Calvary
They saw the marks of the nails in His
hands and of the spear in His side and
yet there was a change for His body was
no longer flesh and blood, but flesh and
bones in which He could eat and walk
and talk and have fellowship. 1t was an
immortal body incorruptible, ard ours
shall he the same (Phil. iii, 2D
4. Commanded them that they should
not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for
the promise of the Yather.'' Compare
Luke xiv, 40, with John xiv 16, 26; XIV,
2G; xvi, :, 10. Although they had the very
best of teachers and CT teaching for two or
three consecutive years, yet they were not
qualified for service until they had received
in n special sense the gift of the Spirit. 1t
is not the mere knowledge of the truth
that will suffice, but the truth set on fire
by the Holy Spirit The word is likened
to water but water must boil to make
steam. May the fire cause the water to
boil to make His name known lisa Xiv, p.
3. "Ye shall be baptized with the Holy
Ghost, not many days hence, " John had
said of Him. He shall baptze you with
the Holy Ghost and with fire" luke Iii,
49, In our next lesson we shall see some
what of the fire, but l expect that we will
see more of the fire in connection with the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Israel
at His second coming. See Zech xii 10;
xiii, g. Since He who loved us enough to
die for us is He who baptizeth with the
Holy Ghost what binders us to be baptized?
Ask Him.
8. Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore
again the kingdom to Israeli" In all His
teaching the prominent topic was The
Kingdom" as it was also during the 10
days before His ascension Verse 81. The
only kingdom mentioned in the Old Tesla
ment as kingdom to be joyfully expected
was the kingdom promised To David, with
a King upon His throne The angel Ga
briel, John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus,
the twelve and the seventy, all preached it;
but by the Jews treatment of Christ it
was postponed till He shall come again
duke xix, IL, 12) The disciples had not
understood it So and hence their question
because of their unbelief
Z. 1t is not for you to know the times
or the seasons which the Father hath put
in His own power" He did not say that
their thoughts of the kingdom were wrong
or carnal, or that it was 10 be spiritual
kingdom in the heart and not kingdom
for Israel, as many say today, for He
knew, and We ought TO know, that the one
thing in all Scripture which He had said
that He would do with His whole heart
was TO place Israel in their own land to do
them good Ger xxi, 40 He did say
that it was not for them to know the time
g. But ye shall receive the power OF
the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and We
shall be witnesses unto Me" (see margin)
According to Luke xiv, 49, He had previ-
ously said ''Tarry We in the city of Jeru-
salem until ye be endued with power from
on high. The great truth to which they
were to bear witness was that He had risen
from the dead. See verse %, with chap
tiers ii, 80; iii, 10; iv, 49, etc. BY the res
direction from the dead He was with pow
er declared to be the Son of God
9. He was taken up, and a cloud re-
ceived Him out of their sight Doubt
less He had many times assembled to His
Father during those 40 days since His first
ascension on the resurrection morning
when on His way to the Father He met
Mary Magdalene (John Xxx, ~, but now
He was not TO appear again till He shall
come for His church He must take His
seat at the Fathers right hand that the
Holy Spirit may come to bear witness in
the redeemed that Christ is alive forever
more, having all power in heaven and
earth
10, Behold two men stood by them in |
white apparel. ," In Luke TX, 30, two
men, which were Moses and Elijah, were
seen on the mount Of TRANSPORTATION with
Him. For aught l know these may have |
been the same two, and they mayAlso DO |
the two witnesses, yet to come, of Rev. xi, |
8-l2 But the chief thing concerning
Them whoever they were is that they were |
His witnesses, and they spake of Him
IL. This same Jesus, which is taken |
up from you into heaven, shall so come in |
like manner AS ye have seen Him go into !
heaven" This was their testimony, and |
it stands recorded by the Spirit of God and |
Is sure of fuldllment. This explains how |
the disciples could return to Jerusalem
with great JOY (Luke xiv, 52 }, and why |
In all their preaching they made so much |
of a Christ who was alive in heaven and |