The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-22
Exposition of the
Sabbath School Lesson
FOR MARCH 30, 1902
By John r. Whitney Copyright, 1902.

Review. .--,
! Golden Text-Therefore, let all the house OF
Israel know assuredly that God hath maze
that same Jesus whom ye have cruclheo' DoIn
Lord and Christ.-Acts H., 90.
During the last three months, our attention
has been turned to the opening of the third
grand epoch in the worlds history, the ols-
God manifested his love for men, and ms
, grace toward them, in special and olneren'
manner According to these manlfes Sd ~.
know n MN h as H TT1 persons
| but one God.
The book of Genesis, and, in fact, the whole
Of the Old Testament, makes known ms fo,,r
| gospels tell us that God the Son was lnau s
| flesh and dwelt among us for season. a any
! the Acts of the Apostles reveals the great 1act
heaven to abide with us forever. hi,
/ God the Father walked with man as 1 ms
creator and glorious king ana man "a 6is rel
! deemer, and man rejected him. Now goo tne
Holy Ghost has come, and man can resist n ~
But with his coming the grace re oh led against
God the father did not Withdraw ~, ms l lot e
| from him, but he promised to send the sou "
redeem him And when man reJsct to the tne ia
! Their. that the Holy Ghost should come u
guide men into all truth. .r+;,o+o
Thus each manifestation OF God is lntlmaLe-
|
! father promised it. The son accomplished
! it. The Holy Ghost applies 1t. But mere rs
| no promise of any to come after the foly
Ghost. When his work is done; tnen If co oach
one is settled forever Yet what marVeious
! and Astounding grace is revealed IN tnese
manifestations of God to man: Mot ila iesh
than infinite wisdom could have devised such
grace, and nothing less than INFINITE love
could have offered it to sinners.
| Our studies, therefore, during these thres
tn1 a
certain the progress of Christianity in the
| beginning as a matter Of history, any more
| than the study of 1.-The Gospels should evel
be entered upon as matter OF Diog q past
| they tell US of the incarnations of God. the
son. in til person of Jesus OF Nazareth: bu
the great feature of The Acts OF tine
| Apostles is that it tells OF the lncarnatlol
of Cod the Holy Ghost.
Although he cannot be seen with the bodily
eve any more than Jesus could always oe
seen after his resurrection yet as real pei
son--as real as was Jesus OF Nazareth,@-He
can be earnestly longed for Gu il:l5)-o'
sadly grieved, CEph. 4:30)-or entirely re
pulsed, q. Thess. $40 But as God, the son
said--''No man cometh unto the father bu
by me- John 6:14) so it is true or COO, tns
Holy Ghost,--no mal4 cometh to the son bu
by him. And as che that honoreth not the
! son, honoreth not the father which hath sen
! him John 5:23l, so it may be truly said
he that nonoreth not the Holy Ghost. hon
=, oreth not the father which hath sent MN
This manifestation of the Holy Ghost, there
fore is far more blessed one than any pre-
vious manifestation of God to man. For the
father walked with him. The son lived ant
! died for him But the Holy Ghost comes t.
dwell in his as his daily companion ant
| The history of the early church, and, il
fact of the later church in all time, is not
therefore, the history OF an eartny organ ina
but it is the history of Gods work In thf
lhearts and lives of men, through the ndweli
ing CT the Holy Ghost me plan an, OF zoo
plished without this work. For men coult
never have understood the work OF God thu
Son. as their redeemer, without the WORK -, O.
J.. God the Holy Ghost their teacher. So tn
parting promise and assurance OF our Lo orc
to his disciples was: 1T is exped1ent TO-
you that go away; for II 90 not away IN
comforter will not come unto you; Dut IL
depart, l will send him unto you
Thus the coming of the Holy Ghost was al
\ absolute necessity for these CHOSEN aisclPle s
who had been the almost constant companion
of our Lord for fully three years. For, not
, withstanding all of his teaching, they nat
/ no true knowledge either of himself or
his work So he said to them: larry y
in the city of Jerusalem until We be enduet
with power from on high" Iuke xxiv:l 4s).
Obedient to this command OF their L9rd
probably had no just idea OF what the glf
of the Holy Ghost would be. still. every da
they prayed for his coming. Thus, after III
ten days passf Pen a~ay was full,
come Gi., ~ It was the second great feas
of the year-a feast Of thanksgiving for tn
first in gathering of the spring harvest. The
their prayer was answered, and they wer
) ali filled with the Holy Ghost iii, ~ The
everything became new to them. and they t1
themselves, became new men filled with tn
; NEW wine" of Gods grace
, And not only were they new men tnemselVe
Having new characteristics and new hopes
and moved by altogether new impulses1 blu
) their whole idea of the kingdom which Jesu
, | came to establish was changed. They saw
, once that his work was not to "restore agai
the kingdom of Israel" but to restore me
) to God. as their Redeemer. So they wer
5 filled with a new and deep sense of response
bility for ot hers-they became servants to al
that they might win some.
) And with this sense of responsibility the
5 had a new and larger idea of the scriptures
they understood them as never before. The
saw that they all testified concerning lJesu
; Christ as the Son Of God and the Savior 9
) men. So the whole plan of redemption. a
based on his life, and death, and resurrection
and ascension. became at once as clear
, them az it was a generation later to eithe
u i