The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-01-03
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
international Sunday School Lesson
for January 5, 1902.
BY REV. FRANKLIN B. DWIGHT.
Acts III to Ia.
The Promise Of Power.


The Promise Of Power.
With this lesson we begin the book
of Acts. Its author Is Luke, the be.
loved physician, and author of the
Gospel which bears his name. he
was not one of the twelve, but was
in close touch with the men who
were with Jesus. AS the gospels re-
cord the work Of the Master, SO this
book gives us the work OF the
Apostles, or, to put 1t in another way,
the gospels tell what Jesus began to
do and teach, when He was on earth,
and the book of Acts tells what He
confined to do after He had gone back
into glory. This great work He is
still carrying on by His Spirit, which
is the Spirit of God, and for this rea-
son the book of Acts might be called
the book Of the Holy Spirit. :"
Our lesson contains two great facts,
two great promises, and two great
commandments. The first fact is one
which is no where else mentioned in
the same words, the forty days"
appearing Of Jesus after His resurrec-
tion. We have various appearances
recorded in the gospels, but this state
ment tells us just how long it was
from that first Easter morning when
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene
until the day mentioned by three
evanglists, MARK, xvi %, Luke xiv
50-52, John Xxx III, and again in this
lesson, when He was taken up tinto
Heaven Jesus was not continually
with His disciples during this period
His risen body though not as yet
glorified, seems to have been free from
limitations of time and place, and He
evidently appeared often and then dis
appeared, giving ''infallible proof"
of His resurrection and giving many
directions, some by oral teaching, and
some by the influence of His spirit,
as stated in our lesson (verse y.
The next great fact is that of the
Ascension. It is wonderful scene.
We can see the Saviour leading out
His disciples to Bethany (Luke xiv :
SOY.
We can hear their questions about
the kingdom and the Masters answer
which must have checked their idle
curiosity. sit is not for you to know
the tiIues and the seasons which the
Father hath put in His own power.
And then comes the great promise
which He gave them and which must
have turned away their thoughts
from the desire for temporal king
dom to the thought of one which
should be righteousness and peace
and Joy in the Holy Ghost. = The
disciples were blessed by Jesus, and
then, even as they were looking at
Him He was taken up and cloud
received Him out Of their sight"
But before Jesus left His disciples
he gave them the promise Of power
which is the title Of this lesson. This
was the great all embracing promise
Of the Holy Spirit. It had been made
by prophets (see Isaiah xl iv q and
Joel III: 28-29) and repeated by Jesus
before His cruciHxion and now was
again given that the disciples might
not be discouraged in the great work
which was before them. Their
Master was to leave them but He was
not to leave them like orphans with
out father, like pupils without q
teacher like travellers without q
guide. He was to come to them
through His Spirit and to be with
them forever. This promise was soon
fulfilled on the Day Of Penteoost, and
the coming of Christ by His Spirit to
His Church at that time was a prom
Use for the fulfillment of which the
disciples might we'll wait and to
which we may well look back with
confidence, knowing that the Spirit
who came then is still in the Christian
Church.
The closing verses of the lesson give
an entirely different promise. 1t is
contained in the words spoken by the
1.-TWO men in white APPAREL" the
angels who came to cheer and comfort
the disciples as they looked stead
lastly into heaven" after the figure
of their departing Lord. It declares
that Jesus shall so come in like man
ner as We have seen Him 90 into Heal
ven. Nothing is here said as to the
time of Christ's second advent whe-,
Their it is to be before or after mil
lenial reign of righteousness upon
the earth. We are only told that He
shall come. The expression shall SO
come refers as Meyer explains, rely
ing simply on verbal usage, to the
cloud He shall come as he went in a
cloud, and this seems borne out by
our Saviour's words. (Matt. xiv: 30)
where he speaks of the Son of Man
coming in the clouds of Heaven with
power and great glory" Whatever
other passages may teach, these pas
sages taken together would seem to
indicate final coming for the last
Judgment; but as Christian writer's
differ widely as to The teachings of
Scripture on this subject, it will not
be discussed here.
And now we must observe the two
commands of our lesson. The facts
give instruction. The promises offer
encouragement and the commands
should compel obedience. The first
is in the words wait for the prom
Use of the Father " A.. The Father
had given the premise, the children
must wait for its fultillment. Luke
tells us in his gospel that Jesus said,
larry ye in the city of Jerusalem.
The disciples obeyed this command
literally. Their faith was tested DUR
ing those ten days of waiting and by
their obedience they proved that it
was sincere. And to us at all times
of suspense and anxiety comes the
command of Christ in the single word
WAIT. We cannot see the end from
the beginning. We can not explain
the dealings of Gods providence or