The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1909-11-11
The
Sunday school
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR NOVEMBER IL.
Subject: Paul n Prisoner-In Rome.
n Acts 23: 1-31 - Golden Text:
Rom. 1:18-Commit Verses 30,
31-Commentary on the Lesson.


TIME.-A. D. 61-G3.
PLACE.-Rome.
EXPOSITION.-I. From Malta to
Rome, Ills. No man ever cravod
human fellowship and sympathy
more than Paul and no man aDpre-
ciated it more when he had it ". -:
cf. Acts 17:15; 1875: Cor. 7:c:
Thess. 81, 2: 2 Tim. 4:2D. Paul
was an intensely human man.
III. Paul in Council With the Lead
ing Jews in Rome, 1922. Paul is at
Rome at last. and is there to preach
the Gospel as he had lorged To do
(RoGl. 1:14-1G). Heloved his people
no matter how bitterly they hated
him. He got them together rs soon
as he could thathe might preach Jesus
to them. He sought to conciliate
them. He has no charge TO bring
against them. 1t is not pleasant to
be bound with a chain. but IL is n
great privilege and honor to be bound
with a chain in good cause. It
was through Jewish malice that
Paul was now in chains. but
strangely enough It was because
OF loyalty to the great hope Of
the Jewish nation that he had in
CURED Jewish enmitv. THE hone OF
Israel was two fold: the hope Of n
resurrection tActs CSC: 24:15: %:
6-S) and the hone of a Messiah in
whom they and all the nations Of the
earlh should he blessed (Acts 3:22-
"a: Luke 1:G9. 20. 70: Rom. 1873:
Gal. 3:14. 1G-IS). In PaUl's preach
Ing the two hores were blended. Ee-
cause the Messiah he preached was ~
Messiah risen from the dead. the first
fruits and guarantee Of the resurrec-
tion (ACtS 1872 33 So. In Pauttu
day Christianity was everywhere srO-
ken against. yet ir was to conquer the
world and save it fro:n moral ruin.
Mans judgments are not Gods. anI
the sect that is "evprywhr"e snoEon
against" may DO the sect God has
chosen (cf. Jno. 15:1S-21. cH.
IL. Paul Preaching thc Ein.t....n
of God and Pcrs uati;u@ Men ConcCru-
inG Jesus. 2:i-:i1. How all the schemes
of the enemies OF Paul and Christ had
turned out to the furtheran"e of the
Gospel (cf. Phil. l:12). They had
brought Paul to Rome ct the eXpei.a,.
of the state, they had given Paul 4
great audience Of leading Jews, buL
fsrther than this they had given Paul
an audience of Roman soldiers. These
soldiers would never have come 10 4
service conducted by a Jew. hut as
they had to guard Paul they had to
hear what he mad 10 say. Many We're
thus converted (Phil. 1:13. r. W,
and as the Roman soldier went every
where they became most eGicicnt mis-
sionaries in Gaul, Germany AMI Eri-
tain and elsewhere. Paul opencd ~
the Jews the Old Testament scrip
tures concerning the death and res
direction and reign of the Christ
tcomp. ch. 1872, 5: 2G:22, 28, show
i,,,- i,n., . Ia. T,.t
lie gave witness to the kingdom of
God-that is, to the reign of God on
earth in the coming Messianic king
dom. All his exposition and teuii-
mony centred in Jesus. 1t was no alb
stract reign of God in an improved
state of society, but definite reign
Ill definite person, Jesus. Paul
proved his points both from the law
OF Moses and from the prophets. from
morning till evening" II Paul had
been like so many modern so-called
bible teachers" he would have spent
the day discussing whether or no the
law really was Mosaic, and whether
the portions of Isaiah eXpounded were
by Isaiah himself or the 6eutero-
Isaiah or some other Isaiah. The
method Paul employed, going
through the Scripture ard showing
y
followed Huke 24:27). Even apos-
tolic preaching will not convert every
body. But under true preaching of
the word OF God il the power of the
Holy Spirit some" will believe. The
preaching of the Gospel always causes
division: those who are ordained to
eternal life believe comp. ch. 13:
4S), and the rest reject Comp. ch.
13:48-50; 14:4: 17:4, 5; 1865;
1879. Those who believe are saved;
those who believe not are lost mark
1915, 16). But the unbelief of
Bome does not make the faithfulness
of God of non-effect (Rom s 3. r.
W Paul was not at all shaken in
his own faith. because so many, in
Guiding scholarly Cnes. had not be-
lieved. No, rather he was confirmed
In his faith; for was not this fulfill
ment of prophecy? But note how
plainly Paul spoke to those rejecters
OF the truth of God, ana we ought TO
use equal plainness of speech. Paul
told them that what lay at the root Of
their unhelief was: gross hearts, dull
ears, closed eyes. Their eyes were
closed because they themselves had
closed them Comp. Thess. IL, 81.
Though they refused the salvation.
1t was none the less "of God" If
they would not have Il. others would
". 2S). The rejection of the Gosrel
by the Jew meant salvation for us
(Rom. 11:1D. Paul had two years
OF uninterrupted service in Rome and
here the story closes.