Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-01-14
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON CON,
MENTS FOR JANUARY IL.
| Subject: The Beginnings Of the Chris.
tian Church, Acts 2:22-45-
Golden Text, Acts 2:42-Conlmit
Verses 80, 33-Exposition.
TIME.-Sunday, May 20, A. D..3O.
PLACE.-Jerusalem.
EXPOSITION.-I. God Hath Made
Jesus Both Lord and Christ, 32-30.
Jesus could not be held fast by death.
No more can we It we are in Him.
David hundreds of years before had
caught a glimpse Of the Greater David
who would go down into hades, but
who would not stay there; who would
not even see corruption, but would
be raised before corruption had over
taken His body. Peter, though an
eyewitness to the resurrection, goes
to the Scripture for proof before ap-
pealing to his W experience. Some
to-day think that their wonderful ex-
perience does away with the necessity
Of appeal to the sure Word Of God.
Let all such learn wisdom from Peter.
But Peters testimony had its place
and our testimony has It's place.
though 1t is not the first place-that
belongs to the Word Of God. Peter
and the rest were witnesses of the full
fllment of this prophecy. Their tes-
.t1mony Is <unimpeachable. There was
still another witness to the certainty
OF the resurrection of Jesus-that
was the outpoured Spirit ". 33).
Il. What Shall we Do? 37-4O.
Peter told his hearers that Jesus had
been exalted by God to be both Lord
and Christ. This fact carried home
by the Holy Spirit produced the deep
est n sharpest conviction of sin.
NO other truth is calculated to pro-
duce such profound conviction of sin
as the truth concerning the glory of
Jesus and u consequent enormous
guilt In the rejection and crucihxion
OF sgch an one. The Spirit cane to
them and through them convinced
the world (Jno. 1888. These con-
victed Jews cried out to know what
they were to do. Peters answer was
very plain, and perhaps nothing in
the Bible makes the way of salvation
and blessing palmer. "a Repent"
!. e., change their minds about Jesus.
they were to change from that atti-
tude Of mind that ~crucifed Jesus to
that attitude of mind that accented
Him as that which God had exalted
Him to be, Lord and Christ This. of
course, Involves repentance of sin. /.
e.. r%enouncing all sin. And it in
wolves h absolute surrender of our
Wills to Jesus as our Lord. (2) "Be
baptized" There was to be outward
water baptism. But there must be
more than the mere outward symbol
there was to be the great inward
fact for which the outward symbol
stood, the remuneration of sin, faith
IN Christ and the putting on Of Jesus
Christ (cf. Gal. 1926, ct; Ro. 6:3
-. Being baptized in the name OF
Jesus Christ" means more than hay-
ing some water sprinkled upon you
Tor being Immersed in some water)
while a certain haptismal formula IL
repeated. 1t means confession and
remuneration Of sin. faith in Christ's
death and resurrection in our behalf.
Identification with Christ in His death
INT in His resurrection. When there
is real repentance and real baptism
there will be remission of sin and
there will be reception of 1.-The gift of
the Holy Ghost" ". 38). The gift of
the Holy Ghost is the blood-bought
blrthr1ght of every believer in Jesus
Christ. It one does not have the gift |
OF the Holy Spirit exDerimentally it
IS either because he does not claim |
MS b1rthright by simple prayer and
faith ~(Acts 4:31; 8:15, 16), or else |
because he has not really made Jesus !
Lord and Christ by the absolute sur
render Of the will to Him and by |
Identification. with Him in His death !
and resurrection by a real baptism of |
which his water baptism was a SYM !
Q The PROMISE" i. e., as the lam
guage used and the context unmistak-
ably demonstrates (cf. oh. Ia. s; 2:
S8); the promise of the baptism
with or gift of the Holy Spirit-was |
Tor them as we'll as for the apostles.
III. A Model Church, Al, AZ. Pet
rs sermon had a tremendous effect. |
5000 We're saved by It. No such eff
1ect had followed Jesus own preach |
ing, and His promise that they should
greater works after His ascension /
He Himself had wrought during
HIS humiliation emo. 14:12) was thus
And we to-day are united t
with this same exalted Christ In the
OF power at Gods right hand.
and may speak in the power of this
mighty Spirit. The inward re-
ception Of the word was outwardlv
expressed in baptism. These 5000
baptisms in a day were the oWtcoma
OF the ten days of waiting upon God
prayer (cf. chilly. Surely those-
ten days had not been wasted. The
work proved to be lasting, they CON
tinued steadfastly." The four things
in which they continued s~teadfagtly
are worthy of note. ID 'sThe aDos-
ties teaching" There was no run-
ming away after every new religious
that came up. ca 1.-THE apos-
ties, fellowship" Fellowship is one
OF the necessities of healthy Christian
growth (Eph. 4:13, 49,. The one
seeks to grow in seclusfon, separ-
ated from the brethren, is doomed
not cnly to disappointment, but worse
Still, to sad distortion OF character.
~ In the breaking of bread" They
I'D not neglect regular obedience tn