Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-05-11
9nternatiunal gessolt,
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON WI, SECOND QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, MAY 19.

Golden Text, Luke xiv, Gloom
mentary by the Rev. D. NJ. Stearns.
copyright, 1901, by American Press Association.l
We will take the verses in Acts as our
lesson and look at the verses in Luke in
connection with them.
1. "All that Jesus began both to do
and teach" These Luke had set forth
in his gospel as things most surely be-
lieved, that his friend Theophilus might
know the certainty Of them Luke i, IA,
and now he would tell him the things
that Jesus continued to do and teach by
His Spiri: through His disciples. We
must remember that, whether the words
and works were through the Lord Jesus
or through His followers, they were al
ways the words and works Of God the
Father John xii, 40; xiv, 10; Math. X.
20; Phil. ii. 49,. Note also that in Mark
vi, 30, the same order is preserved; the
doing comes before the teaching.
2. Until the day in which He was
taken up" Before His death and after
His resurrection. until His ascension, the
Father. by the Spirit, was continually
doing and teaching through Him. and by
the same Spirit He gave special parting
words to His chosen ones, some Of which
we had in last weeks lesson and in the
verses in Luke in today's lesson. If we
are redeemed by His blood, His words to
His disciples are for us also, and He is
pleased if we meekly receive them and
grieved II we reject them.
8. Speaking of the things pertaining
to the kingdom Of God" On at least 10
or IL different occasions He appeared to
His redeemed ones in His resurrection
body (some of these appearances we have
been considering in the last five lessonsl
and talked and ate with them and invited
them to handle Him and see that He was
no spirit, but real flesh and bones, with
the marks of the nails and the spear In
His hands and feet and side. That
which He ever talked about, both in His
mortal and immortal body, the kingdom
Of God should be to every believer a
matter of the utmost Importance. But
how little we hear about it in ordinary
sermons, some people thinking the king
dom to be in them, and others thinking it
to be the church. and others heaven!
Z, y.
should not depart from Jerusalem, but
wait for the promise of the Father,
which. saith He. ye have heard Of Me-"
Compare Luke xiv, 40. They had been
for two or three years constantly with
Him, the Holy Spirit was dwelling in
them. but they were not fully qualified
to 20 forth in His name as His witnesses
until specially filled with the Holy Spirit.
Is it not just the great difficulty with be-
lievers now that they are content to be
saved by Him and to know Him in some
measure, but not willing to be filled with
His Spirit, or at least not eager to be
filed. although every believer is com.
manded to be filed? (Eph. v, 49, To be
filled with the Spirit may mean for us
the blessing that rested upon the preach.
ing Of Simon Peter and Philip, or it may
mean martyrdom. as in the case Of Ste
phen or James or John the Baptist. II
we are willing to let Him have His way
with us. He will quickly fill us with His
Spirit. His work can be accomplished
only by His Spirit
6, Z. Lord, wilt Thou at this time re.
store again the kingdom to Israel| The
Old Testament foretells and describes
the kingdom: the gospels tell Of its being
at hand. but rejected, and therefore post.
poned: the Revelation tells Of it's being
set up and established at His secon'l
coming in glory. while the Acts and epis'
ties tell of the present age Of the gather
ing of the church from oil nations. while
the kingdom is postponed. When the
kingdom comes. Israel, righteous nation
in their own land, shall be the center OF
it on the earth lisa. X; Jer. iii. I'D. Our
Lord did not rebuke these disciples be.
cause Of their question. nor did He tell
them they were carnal. but simply said
that the time Of the kingdom was not for
them to know and that there was special
work to occupy them till the kingdom
should come.
8. "Ye shall receive the power Of thu
Holy Ghost coming upon you. and ye
shall BIZ witnesses unto Me-" This is the
commission for every believer until lie
shall come again. In the power Of the
Spirit he a faithful witness to Christ at
home and abroad, to the ends Of the
earth. believing that His word. faithfully
preached. will accomplish His pleasure
and prosper in that whereto He sends il
lisa. ", III. According to Luke xiv,
Al, 4S, the witnesses are to proclaim re-
pentance and remission of sins among
all nations and that all things in the law.
the prophets and the psalms must be full
filled concerning Christ. Let every be-
lever lay up in his heart Gods word to
Israel in Isa. xiii. |. 10. IL, 81, and make
personal use Of it.
oil "'rhis same Iesus which is taken
up from you unto heaven shall so come
in like manner as ye have seen Him go
into heaven" Luke xiv. so, 81, says
that He led them out as far as to Beth.
any and while blessing them with up.
lifted hands He was parted from them
and carried up into heaven. We may
perhaps imagine with what amazement
they saw Him ascend from their midst
until the cloud (perhaps a cloud Of wit.
nesses) received Him out Of their sight;
then with what interest they listened to
His coming again. The next verse i'll
this chapter and the last two verses in
Luke's gospel tell how they returned to
Jerusalem with joy and continued ia
praise and bless God. Although He hal
left them again, they were not any more
disconsoate, for now they believed in q
risen and returning Christ and were fill
ed with joy. There is one place where il
is written Comfort one another with
these words" and the words are those
concerning the resurrection Of the bodies
Of the saints and the translation of all
the living believers to meet Him in the