The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-01-01

/ OUR LORD
Sunday School L..s.s fos Ian. q. 1909 .
Specially Arranged for 1sls Paper /,

Ee a.
LESSON TExT.-Acts it'll. Memory
GOLDEN TExT-"And. st. came to
pass, while he blessed them. he. was part
ed from them. and carried into heaven"
Luke A:5l. r..
Ascension, May 49, The ten days walt
ing, May 1928.
PLACE.-The Ascension was from OIL
vet hear Bethany. The meeting place
OF the disciples was in the upper room in
JerusaIem. tt
PLACE IN HIsToRY.3The close Of the
earthly life Of JESUS Christ. Thu birth
Of the Christian religion.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The life of Jesus on earth, including
~ What he was; (2) What he did;
(3) What he taught; was an essential
condition Of all his power during the
| centuries of Christianity.
1t made him a real being to us,
while. unseen on earth.
1t illustrates his teachings for all
ages.
1t was a perpetual ideal, by which
to test all we are and do and teach.
1t is in itself a supreme power to
influence character.
Illustrations know of no discor-
dant note among educators in the tes-
timony that 1.-THE greatest thing a
teacher rel brings to a child is not
the subject matter, but the uplift
which comes from heart contact with
a great personality"
President Charles F. Thwing recordi
the results of "a very interesting
study of so representative men to
questions involving the best thing col
lege does for a man" The entire drift
of the testimony was that the most
these men got from college was inspi-
ration from life contact with great
leaders.
mo nobler feeling" says Carlyle,
than admiration for one higher than
himself dwells in the breast OF man.
1t is to this hour, and at all hours, the
vivifying influence in mans life"
The promise of the Father was the
special, overlooking gift of the Holy
Spirit, as we learn from verses 5
and 8, and the fulfllment of the
promise in the next Chapter. The Fa-
Their had promised this gift through
OOVl NS'SOS sOJ as ShONh III E1Slo q.
II, IS; through Isaiah (32:15; 44:3);
Haggai (2:5); Zechariah (4:6; 1910.
12:10).
The promise is called The Promise,
for it really includes all the promises
of the coming of the kingdom Of God.
The disciples were the instrument.
tally used by the Great Leader. God
works not only directly on the hearts
of men, but through his people on
other men. God in men is the power
through which the kingdom of God has
so far come, and is to come in its
%fullness. 'fThe agencies he employs
must, by their very nature, be the
Divine Spirit and the human disciple
-kirtley. The achievements of the
apostles in the story of the Acts were
the account Of what Jesus continued
to do after. his ascension. The author
of 1.-THE Fifth Gospel" Il. e., Saint
Paul's gospel as recorded in his epis
ties, many of them written before the
first of u four gospels,) shows that
the apostles not only preached the facts
of Jesus life, but the significance oil
the life which Jesus continued tc
teach them through their own ex
perience guided and inspired by the
Holy Spirit.
/. They had their ideal in the prom
Use of the Father.
2. They were imbued with power by
the Holy Spirit.
g.. They were changed, transformed
by the Holy Spirit. into new mer
fitted to carry on the work of Christ
4. They knew the facts about Christ
and they experienced his presence ant
his teachings, so that they could b.
witnesses to the whole world.
, 1t was at this time, doubtless, tina
the great change came over his bod.
, described in / Cor. 15:51-53. For sucl
a change is signified by his appear
ance as John saw him (Rev. 1:12-16)
The Importance of the Ascension
1. 1t is the M fitting ending to thu
earthly life of Jesus. Coming from
the Father: ne returns to the Father.
2. The last view of Jesus is not Oh
! the cross. but going home in glory.
8. 1t kept before the disciples tn
fact thath he is their ever living Saviour
We do not worship and serve an
! trust a dead Savious. but one who /
alive forevermore. fi
! 4. He can rule and guide his peopl
infinitely better there than on, an
earthly place, where but few coul
, come into his lei presence.
s. 1t places Jesus before all men a
their ideal.
: 6. 1T enables us to yealize his d
vinity, without losing his humanity"
Z. 1t gives us the true idea Of hi
kingdom as a spiritual kingdom {
{ righteousness.
8. The doctrine of the ascension
with its hope of future glory, with II
1 TRANSPORTED son OF man mot son I
r Jew Oh Greek, but of MANI ON tn
throne. adds new dignity to life" &c
r.