Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-09-08
9nternatiunal grs5on9.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON XII, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 19.

|
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 19.
Text of the Lesson, Acts xx, 22-35-Mem-
ory Verses, 22-24-Golden Text, Acts II,
sb Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
20. "And now, behold, 60 bound In
the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing
the things that shall bcfall mo there. !"
After the uproar ut Ephcsus Paul went to
Macedonia and Greece, then returned
through Macedonia to Asia, and, aiming,
II pcssible, to be at Jerusalem by Pcnte-
cost. nc tarried little at Miletus and sent
to Ephcsus for the elders of the church to
come and see him. Our lesson is part Of
his address to these elders Ho reminded
them that, serving the Lord with all hu-
mility and In many trials, he had both
publicly and privately taught both Jews
and Greeks repentance toward God and
faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
| 2S "Save that the Holy Ghost witness
9th in every city, saying that bonds and
Affections abide me-" The Lord had said
to Ananias, ~ will shew him how great
things he must suffer for My names sake"
(Acts *, 16), and He said to tho apostles,
"In the world ye shall have tribulation"
(John xvi, 33).
"a. "But none of these things move
me-" He thought of nothing but OF
magnifying Christ phil. i, 20), ready to
be bound and imprisoned and to die for
the name of the Lord Jesus If thus God
would be moro glorifled (Acts xxi, 13).
He was intrustcd with the gospel of the
grace of God and he fcarlessly lived 1t
and spoke it day by day under all circum-
stances, not as pleasing men, but God who
trieth our hearts Il Thcss. II, Al.
25 "And now, behold, know that yo
all, among whom / have gone preaching
the kingdom Of God, shall see my face
no more" The last we hear Of Paul In
this book he is in Rome prisoner, but
he is preaching the kingdom Of God, and
teaching those things which concern the
| Lord Jesus Christ (Acts xviii, 31). Thus
| ho was one with Him who had chosen him,
for in Acts i, 3, we find that our Lord
Jesus during the 40 days between His res
| direction and ascension spoke Of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
&C. "Whercfore take you to record this
day that am pure from the blood Of all
men," He said in II Cor. vii, 2, "We
have wrongcd no man, we have corrupted
| no man, We have defraudcd no man." He
| had sought to live as an ambassador for
| Christ, in Christ's stead, bcsecching men
to be reconciled to God (II Cor. v, 20),
and he had boon, by the grace Of God,
o.; ~ f,,1 hot hn nf
none to whom he ever testified could be
required at his hand (Ezck. xxxiii, 7-9).
81. "For I have not Stunned to declare
unto you all the counsel of God" All
that Paul has on hand to pass on to Others
is of God. He breaches the gospel of the
grace of God, and the kingdom of God,
and the counsel of God, to gather out and
| to build up the church of God, and in 1t
| all he aims only to phase God. He spoke
the word faithfully and diminished not a
word (Jer. xiii, %; XVI, p.
20. Feed tho church Of God which He
hath purchased with His own blood" "
| There is no redemption but by the blood
of Christ, by which alone We receive the
forgiveness of sins (Eph. /, 6, z; Rev. /,
| s; Y, 8; Heb. tx, 22), and each one who
| truly receives the Lord Jesus, trusting
| only in His finished work, becomes part
of the church Of God, whether he ever be-
comes part Of any church on earth or not.
Now, being saved, 1t is the privilege of
every saved one to unite with some com.
pany of Gods people called church, but
they ought to be sure that 1t Is church
| where their souls will be fed with the
word of God, for nothing else will truly
nourish the soul Il Pet. ii, Q; v, 3; Job
xiii, 12; Jer. XIV, l6).
90, 80. For know this, that after my
departing shall gricvous wolves enter IN
among you, not sparing the flock" Since
tho serpent slandcred God in Eden there
have always been those who follow him,
seeking the destruction Of souls; some
times they seem bent simply upon the ruin
| Of people, and sometimes 1t IL to get fol-
| lowers for person or doctrine or sect.
81. Therefore watch and remember,
that by the space of three years I ceased
not to warn every one night and day with
| tears" Paul had no fear for the loss OF
any soul that had truly received the Lord
Jesus; his words concerning them arc al
most as strong as our Lords own words
| (Phil. !, 6; / Cor. z, 8; John x, 27-29),
but he did fear lest they might only have
knowlodg' of Him without truly receiv'
ing Him leb. vi, 4.8; x, 26), and also
lest, having truly received Him, they might
lose their works and wages Il Cor. iii, IA,
is; TX, 27); hence his earnest admonition
to "take heed" and "watch.
| 80. "AnG now, brethren, ! commend
you to God and to the word Of His grace,
which Is able to build you up" When our
Lord was about to leave His disciples, He
prayed the Father las He said to Mary,
"My Father and your Father, My God and
your God" John Xxx, ~, that He would
keep from the evil those whom He had
given Him, and that He would sanctify
them through the truth, His word John
xvii, II, 15, ~. And when He said, IL
have given them Thy word, the words
which Thou gavcst Me (John xvii, 8, 14),
he must have believed that these words
we're the very best thing that He could give
them. In another place He said, "The
words that speak unto you they are spirit,
and they arc life" John vi, 63).
88. II have coveted no mans silver or
gold or apparel" The people testified Of
Samuel, "Thou hast not defrauded US nor
oppressed us; neither hast thou taken
aught of any mans hand" Il Sum. xii, 81.
To the Thessalonians Paul wrote, remind
ing them Of his labor night and day that
he might not be burden to any one Il
Thess. II, 6, 81.
81. "Yea, yc yourselves know that these
hands have ministcred unto my necessities
and to them that wcro with me-" He was
very grateful for all gifts from the Lord g
people and speaks of such as IAN odor Of
o sweet smell, sacrifice acceptable, we'll
pleasing to God"
85. Remember the words Of the Lord
Jesus. how He said. 1t is more blessed to