The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-19
THE SUNDAY School,
Lesson WIN. - Fourth Quarter,
For Nov. Fl, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.


| xii, 1o-Memory Verses, "a, 25--GoId-
en- Tesct, u Cor. xii, s--commentary
Prepared by Rev. .. W. Stearns.
The topic OF this lesson is "Paul's
Story Of His Life, and yet that seems
to be more fully told In his testimony
before Agrippa in chapter XVI, or even
In his address from the castle stairs
in chapter xxi. or more concisely in
Phil. iii. or more fully by putting these
three records together. The verses as
signed us for today's study are rather
resume of his sufferings, with spe-
cial reference to bis being stoned to
death at Lystra and his marvellous ex-
1 pertence at that time. With such a
record as that in chapter xi, 1928, who
Ia there today who has anything that
can begin to compare with it In the
matter of suffering for Christ's sake ?
AT the time of his conversion the Lord
said to Ananias, IL viii shew, him how
| great things he must suffer for my
sake (Acts TX. 49,. and this seems in
our eyes as If He had filed the bIll
| quite fully. Let us understand a lit
tie more fully the service OF suffering
as set forth in Rom. v, 8; Phil. 1, 20;
Col. l, "a; Rev. ii. 10. and elsewhere.
It is made Enthusiastically plain that by
the suffering Of Christ In our stead.
as our sin bearer. all who receive Him
are made meet to be partakers Of the
inheritance, having in Him redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness Of
sins Col !, 12-14).
There is, however, another phase Of
the suffering question I'm Heb. IL, 10.
where 1t speaks of bringing MS to His
glory and Of Him as the captain of
our salvation being made perfect
through sufferings. He is our high
priest. who can be touched with the
feeling OF our infirmities. for He was
I'm all points tempted like as we are
(Heb. Nv. 15). Now, since by His
atonement He has made us kings and
priests unto God, having washed us
from our sins In His own blood, and
we are to reign with Him on the
earth (Rev. 1, 5, 6; v, 10), we must re-
member that to be fitted to reign with
Tim. H. 12), by His atonement made
flt for his presence. but by our suffer
ing with Him here as His redeemed
ones made At to fill the place In His
kingdom which He is preparing for us
while He prepares us for 1t; hence we
have little light on the great mystery
of the believers sufferings as seen
everywhere in greater or less degree.
If by His grace we are patient under
all our trials we are winning for our
selves a special crown-the crown of
life JAS. /. II; Rev. ii, 20), which we
shall have TO cast at His feet In that
day. And not only So but the power
of Christ is seen upon us to His glory.
the patience under trial as it could not
otherwise be seen. Paul therefore
says, Most gladly will i glory In my
infirmities that the power OF Christ
may rest upon me" xii, 81. This is
something like Phil. 20, where he says.
'Christ shall be magnifed in my body.
whether it be by life or by death"
While Paul had unusual fellowship
In suffering, he had also some unusual
revelations. Not only was his con-
version unique. but the various mani
festations of the Lord to him after
ward were very remarkable, as was
also the revelation Of ''the mystery" Of
which he so often speaks. He tells us
that. lest the abundance Of the reve-
lations should unduly exalt him. there
was given him a thorn in the flesh, the
messenger Of Satan. to buffet him. He
tells us that he asked the Lord three
times to deliver him from it, but the
answer was, my grace is sufficient
for thee. for my strength is made per-
feet in weakness verse 81. do not
know how we can be quite sure as to
what this thorn in the flesh was till
Paul himself shall some day tell us
If it is best for us to know. Some one
has said that we are not told what
1t was In order that if any one has
thorn In the flesh he may find bit
OF comfort in supposing that that was
just what Paul had. This certainly is
true-that if any believer has phys
ical infirmity and cannot get 1t remov-
ed by prayer or by the physicians skill
then the answer to Paul must be ac-
cepted and the Lord trusted for grace
to bear it, meekly for His glory, for.
while these words were said to Paul,
they were written for us.
AS to the special vision and reveal.
ton of our lesson, it seems to have
been about the time that Paul was
stoned to death at Lystra, and 1T is
quite probable that while Pauls dead
body was being dragged out of Lystra
(Acts xiv, 19) he was I'm the third
heaven, or paradise, which he here de-
scribes. and saw and heard things that
he could not put into earthly language.
We have no record OF anything that
Lazarus OF Bethany said when he
came back from the dead, probably
because words could not utter it. The
best thing ! have ever read on these
heavenly realities is The Trance of
Rev. William Tennent." once a minis
ter at Freehold, N. j.. who was dead
for three days and afterward preach
ed the gospel for many years. 1t Is
little tract published by Miss M u.
Munson. II Bible House, New York.
The foundation of all that is beautiful
in this lesson Is to be able to say. II
know man in Christ" xii. q, for un-
less we are In Christ we are certainly
lost. but being In Him all is well for
time and eternity. Then to be able to
say truly Christ liveth In me- (Gal.
II, 2O). as Is the privilege of every true
believer. insures the manifestation OF