Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1909-03-10
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson xI.-First Quarter, Fol
March ID, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, Acts tx, 31-43
Memory Verses 90, 41-Golsen Text,
Acts tx, a4-commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. M. Stearns.


The lesson committee seems 10 have
been led to continue the studies con
corning Peter for some weeks yet, re
serving the conversion of Saul unit
we take up the story of the gospe
more fully given to the gentiles. W.
last saw Peter and John In Samaria
working with Philip, and then or
their way back to Jerusalem, preach
ing the gospel in many villages Of th(
Samaritans viii, 20. Peter went
about q good deal, in Jesus name win
ming souls and building up the saints
and now we find him with the saints
at LYDIA. 1t may help some to be
reminded that God calls all true be-
levers saints. See Rom. l, z; / Cor
i, 2 (omit the italics); Eph. |, l; Phil
|, l; Col 1, ., and note that the, worst
of sinners when they truly receive the
Lord Jesus are by His blood equally
washed and sanctified and justified
q Cor. vi, OIL; Heb. X, 1919. The
standing before God in Christ of all
the redeemed is the same. for all are
members of His body, part of Him.
self. Down here In our daily life our
walk should correspond with our
standing, but the experience Of Chris
tians is not always true Christian ex-
perience, so there Is room for sanctifi-
cation and growth in grace every day
John xvii, II; II Pet. Iii, 49,.
Among the saints at LYDIA was one
who had been eight years in bed, sick
of palsy, but the power Of Christ
through Peter, gave him perfect
health In @ moment, and one result
was that the whole town and neigh
borhood turned to the Lord. We trust
that 1t was with them as with the
Thessalonians, who turned to God
from idols to serve the living and true
God and to wait for His Son from
heaven" q Thess. 1, 8, 1O This Incl
dent and other miracles Of healing by
the apostles give rise to such Ques-
lions as, Is the health Of the body i'll
Guided In the atonement and, If so, why
are not more believers healed In an.
swer to prayer? 1t is made very plain
that the. great atonement Of the Lord
Jesus includes the body as well as the
soul of every true believer, and, more
than that, the planet called earth on
which we live, and in due time the
whole earth, shall be filed with the
glory of God and there will be no
more curse nor sorrow nor crying nor
death on the whole earth Qsa. XII, G.;
Rev. xxi, 4; Xxx, 81. But the creatio.'
shall not have the benefit Of the atone
ment till the coming of Christ with his
saints, and the saints must wait for
their redeemed bodies till the resur
rection Of the righteous at His COMING
to the air for His saints. These tive
events will bring to the saints and t.
the earth the full benefit Of the indie
scribable Sufferings Of the Lord Jesus
from. viii 1923; Phil iii, 90, 2D.
But what about health now? The
great thing now is to live in the love OF
God and the will Of God. ceasing all
strife about methods Of healing OF
modes Of baptism and whole heartedlJ |
seeking to hasten His kingdom by Civ |
Ing the gospel to every creature, that
Bis church may be completed and that |
He may come again. Thus wholly oc.
,upied with Him and His affairs we
ean rely upon Him to include in "all
.hese things all the health necessary
IN His service to glOrify Him Matt
vi, 33). The remainder Of our lesson
refers to q disciple named Tabitha or
Dorcas, who lived at JOppa, which was
high to LYDIA (verse 3S). She mani
tested her faith by her works and b.
ler self denying labOrs for others
While we are saved wholly through the
finished work Of the Lord Jesus b.
'aith alone without any works Of ours
( it is living. saving faith there will
certainly be manifest in our lives the
rood works prepared beforehand fo
IS to walk In (Rom. ", 5; xii, l, 2; Eph
l, $40; Tit. Ill, 8. 8.
This disciple, full Of works Of faith
ind labors Of love. became sick and
lied. She departed to be with Christ,
which is very far better She was alb.
ent from the body and present with
he Lord. She had really gained phil.
p, %; II Cor. V, 81. 1t would b?
lnscriptural to say that she had gone
o her reward, for rewards are MOI
,iven to the righteous at death, but a.
he coming Of Christ, at the judgment
eat Of Christ which Is for the re
Ieemed only (Rev. xxi, u; Luke xiv
A.. She was In good health and rest
ng from her labors In the presence OF
lin whom she so loved. Now, con
ider the conduct Of these other dis
iples. Peter is sent for, and the weep
ng widows take pains to show him the
oats and garments which Dorcas had
made. Peter put them all out. and in
nswer to his prayer Dorcas comes
Jack from the spirit world and re
nters the mortal body and is given
ack to her weeping friends. We'll.
hat certainly proved, as did the heal.
ng of Aeneas, that Jesus was still
live, and tie very same Jesus as when
q His sojourn on earth He healed the
lex and raised the dead The incident
7as also the means of leading many tC
elieve in the Lord.
But consider whether these weep
ng disciples were thinking more OF
)orcas welfare or their own wheL
hey so desired to have her back or
arth. and is not all mourning for those
rho are with Christ simply an indica
lon Of sorrow for ourselves? If to the
clever ito die Is gain" what was Il ,