Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1909-01-20
The SUNDAY SCHOOL,,
Lesson Iv.-First Quarter, FoF
Jan. "a, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of tho Leesoa, Acts III, 1.2o.
Memory Verses ., to--coldsn Text,
Acts III, 1s--cemmentary Prepared
BY Rev. D. IA. stearns.
lcoppirAt 100. BY American Pres A,Osiation-l
In this chapter we have another
testimony from Peter to the power OF
the risen, living Christ in the presence
of a large congregation In the temple
who were gathered to see the man
who had been lame from his birth
now perfectly healed. In this discourse
Peter looks back not only to the death
and resurrection Of Christ, but away
farther back to the prophecies concern
ing Him and to the covenant made
with Abraham and then onward to
the time Of His coming again to re-
store all things Of which the prophets
have spoken. Thus we have another
example of the contents Of the Scrip
lures and how to use them-the hu-
initiation and suffering Of Christ, the
center Of all, and the kingdom the
circumference. See In / Pet l. IL;
", 10; v, 1, his repealed references to
the sufYerings of Christ and the glory
that shall follow. 1t is written In lisa.
XIV, 9, among other samples OF King
dom life. that 'the lame shall leap as
an hart" and In this man OF our les
son walking aud lesping and praisins
God we have q fulailment Of that
prophecy, for. 80 1 understand 1t. the
Kingdom was not irrevocaeiy post
vsued til BY the martyrdOm Of Ste
pnen they rejected the Holy Spirit, as
tAey had the Father and the non.
As the apostles preached the COED
news there were not Thousands saved
every day or every week. but daily
some saved ones were added to the
church III, 40. There Ii quite CON
trsst between helping poor blind
beggar and winning thousands Of souls
and vet the former may as truly gio-
rify God as the latter. Not many lives
are filed with startling events, ou'
every redeemed life may be flled with
80 called commonplace to the glory OF
God. find much help and comfort In
meditating upon the life that was lived
In the humble home and the carpenter
shop of Nazareth. with which the Fa-
ther testified that He was we'll pleased.
In the opening verses Of our lesson
the temple is very prominent. but mel
Their tabernacle nor temple was any
thing apart from Him who said, Let
them make Me a sanctuary. that
may dwell among them" (Ex. XIV, ~
one greater than the temple, who
when he cleansed 1t said, Make not
Ny Fathers house an house OF mer'
chandise" Qdatt. XII. 9; John ii. l0).
While, as a rule. there was at this time
no real worship Of God in the temple,
we must remember such as zachartas
and Simeon and Anna and that our
Lord Jesus Himself often taught tbs
people there. The gate Beautiful Is at
least suggestive of Him who is alto,
gether lovely" Is. Of Sol. v, 16) and
points onward to the time Of the king
dom when the walls Of the city shall
be called Salvation and her gates
Praise Elsa. lxvt 49,. The inhabitant
shall not say, am sick, and there
shall be no more death nor sorrow nor
CRYING nor pain on the Whole earth
Qsa. xxxiii. "a; Rev. xxi. y. The
needy, the poor and him that hath no
helper shall find true helper In the
King who shall then reign In righteous
ness CPS. lxxii; lisa. xxi I, 10. II any
would inquire why this man was born
lame. see John IL, 3, and lay to heart
verse 4 and let God work His works
IN us. This poor man asked. expect
ing to receive" (verse B., which Is
more Than can be said Of many who
profess to pray to God. May Ps. xii.
6, become truly our own experience
We see IN the days In which we live
an unprecedented grasping for silver
and gold because Of that which people
think It will do for them, because they
know not the Scriptures, that neither
silver nor gold shall deliver them In
the day Of the Lords wrath and that
NO rich man can by any means redeem
. soul nor give to God ransom (zeph,
4 10: Ps. Xix, 9, y. In Jesus Christ,
the Creator Of all things, who alone
can truly say, 'The silver Is mine and
the gold is mine" (Hag. II, 81. are du'
rabie riches and righteousness and
health for body and soul. To know
Him as Peter and John did is better
than all earth's riches or wisdom or
might der. *, %. "a. Peter washed,
sanctiaed, justified and Spirit filed Is
b such conscious fellowship with the
risen Christ that he can be such a
channel of health from Christ to this
lame man that all the people can see
Il. ALL believers should be In such
Fellowship with Christ that something
OF His life and power might be seen
In each Of us, to the glory Of God (Phil'
l. 20; II Cor. ", H..
Talking to Israelites. Peter magni'
aed the God Of Abraham. Isaac and
Jacob, whose son Jesus, the holy One
the Just, the Prince Of Life, had beer
killed by them, but BY God had beer
vaised from the dead, and insists that
IA His name alone had this lame man
been healed. He therefore urges then
| to change their minds about Jesus ana
receive Him as their Saviour and Mes
slab and thus obtain the forgiveness
Of sins. The gospel that does not pro
claim the forgiveness Of sins through
Jesus Christ Is not che gospel Of God
but some other which does not pro
coed from God, but from the devil
| lsoaes and all the prophets forotoid .