The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-05-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson W.-Seccnd Quarter, For
May 9, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text OF the LESSON ACkS AsHs $500
Memory Verses, Ss4s sS0--GoIden Text,
Acts xiii, 4e--comnnsntary Prepared
by Rev. b. M. stearns.
lCopyright, 1902 BY American Press AHsOciaaaon-J
Crossing from Cyprus to the main
land. they landed at Perge, where they
do not seem to have preached the gos-
bel at this time, but they did on their
return journey (xiv, 20 For some
reason John Mark left them here and
returned to Jerusalem, and Paul felt
It SO much that when they were about
to start on their second tour 1t caused
a separation between Paul and Barna-
bas. But the time came when Paul
wrote to Timothy, '"Take Mark and
bring him with thee, for he Is profta-
BILE to me for the ministry" (xv, 81-4O;
II Tim. iv, III. Time alters the ap.
pearance of many things. and IL we
were more slow to condemn and more
full of the love that beareth all things,
thinketh no evil and is not provoked,
how much better it would be! Paul
and Barnabas are found next at An
tioch, in Pisidia, and, as was evidently
their custom, they went to the syna-
gogue on the Sabbath day and sat
quietly among the people during the
reading of the law and the prophets,
but no doubt very prayerfully Being
then invited to speak, Paul gladly gave
the address.
In I'VE sentences (verses 17-2D Paul
summarizes the books OF Exodus,
Numbers, Joshua, Judges and Samuel,
reaching to David, the second king
over all Israel, Of whom God said, Il
have found David a man after mine
own heart, which shall fulfil all my
wfl1'' ((verse az. Then he passed
right on to Jesus, the son OF David,
as Israel's Saviour, according to II
sam. vii, IL, 13; Chron. xvii, lila;
Ps. cxxxii. II; lisa. TX, s, Z; Jer.
xiii, 5, 8; Luke /. 30, 33. With q
word concerning John the Baptist as
the herald Of Christ Qsa. xl, 3; Nal.
iii, u, he declared that Jesus risen
from the dead was fulhllment of
Ps. ii, z; lisa. lv, 8; Ps. xvi, 10, and
that through Him were now pro
claimed to all then and there Assem-.
bled the forgiveness of sins and
justification from all things which the
law of Moses could never give tverses
8S, 39). With another quotation from
lisa. xxx, 13, Il, and Hab. |, 8, he
urges them to beware OF despising
such glad tidings.
How wondrous is this grace which
ls so fully stated in III Cor. viii, 8, as
10 the reason and manifestation of 1t
and so simply In Rom. iii, 24; v, /, as
to the benefits we receive, Being
justified freely by His grace through
the redemption that is I'm Christ
Jesus" Being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ Or, again, in a
passage which love specially to pom
der, s.To the praise of the glory of His
grace, wherein He hath made us ac-
cepted in the Beloved, in whom we
have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to
the riches of His grace" Eph. 4,
8, y. The gospel which puts any do
ings of ours between us and the re-
demption which is in Christ Jesus is
not the gospel OF the grace of God.
On the next Sabbath day at Antioch
nearly the whole city came to hear
the word of God. The Jews were
filed with envy when they saw the
multitudes and began to contradict
and blaspheme and speak against the
things which Paul taught, whereupon
the Lords messengers said boldly that
since they (the Jews) had judged
themselves unworthy of everlasting
life they would turn to the gentiles, ac-
cording to the prophecy in lisa. xix, 6.
a word which primarily refers to the
Messiah, but which all true repre-
sentatives of the Lord can appreciate
as His witnesses. The gentiles re-
joiced to hear the message. The word
of the Lord was published throughout
all that region, and many believed and
were filled with joy and with the
Holy Ghost notwithstanding the per-
secution by the Jews Qncluding some
devout and honorable women and the
chief men of the city,, which expelled
Paul and Barnabas from the city.
Let no one stumble over the saying
''as many as were ordained to eternal
life'' (verse 49, There are to my
mind two great truths which we must
ever hold fast as foundation truths
"God is love, "The Lord is not willing
that any should perish, but that all
should come To reDpntancno N Jnhn
lv, 816; III Pet. Iii, 81 With the first
put such tests as John i'll, is; Rom. v,
s, and with the last such as Tim. Ii,
2, 4: Tit. ii, IL, margin Now. being
sure on these two points and consid-
ering that God has an eternal purpose
which Hc has purposed In Christ
Jesus and which He is working out to
q glorious coEsul1raation, Is it difficult
TO believe that He who declareth the
end from the beginning foresaw from
all eternity who would form the body
of Christ, the church, at the same
time making the offer honestly to all
with the assurance, Him that cometh
to me will In nowise cast out?" (John
vi, 374 When the Holy Spirit sent
these men on this tour He knew lust
what they Wero to meet at each place
and who would believe the glad It'd
ings and who would reject the mes
sage. Success as men count success
Is not everything But to know and
do and live la the will of God and
glorify Him-that is everything. To
fls as we'll 1S r. these txuo II 4. = ....s..