Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1909-07-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson IlI.--Third Quarter, Fol
July IS, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.


|. Text Of the Lesson, Acts xviii, LIS
, Memory Verse, 11-GoIdsn Text, Ps
: exlx, 11--commentary Prepared b,
Rev. D. M. stearns.
, copyright. 1909, By American Press Association
Passing through the two places men.
TONED, they sojourn for a time at
Thessalonica, where Sabbath after
Sabbath they proved from the Scrip
lures that Jesus of Nazareth is the
Christ, the promised Messiah of Isre-
ell, and that, according to the Scriptures,
1t was necessary for Him to suffer and
to rise again from the dead. The Lord
Jesus Himself after He rose from the
dead pursued this very plan and from
Moses and all the prophets expounded
in all the Scriptures the things concern
ing Himself showing that all the
things which are written therein con-
corning Him must needs be fulfilled
duke xiv. 81, 44-46). The good
news concerning Jesus Christ took
hold of them In the power Of the Spirit,
for they received the message as 1t Is
indeed. the word of God and not OF
man, and from them 1t sounded out
through all Macedonia and Achaia and
elsewhere Il Thess. 1. 8. s; II, 49,. How
simple and yet how full the statement
concerning them, aye turned to God
from idols to serve the living and true
God and to wait for His Son from
heaven, whom He raised from the
dead, even Jesus, who delivered US
from the wrath to come" q Thess. 1. 8,
1Q). Here we have the threefold sal
walton most clearly stated, saved by
His sacrifice when we come to God by
Him. then In all the daily life living
unto Him, serving Him. and all the
time waiting for and expecting the re-
turn of Christ from heaven Il Thess.
", 1913.
There were many who believed and
continued to give heed to the teaching
Of Paul and Silas, but there were
Jews who believed not and, being |
filled with envy and instigated by the |
great adversary, set all the city in an
uproar, accusing these men Of turning |
the world upside down by proclaiming
az king one Jesus. The world Is In
deed upside down and all wrong. and
Notwithstanding the boosted progress
of the day the whole world still iisth
In the wicked one Il John v. 10. r. w..
and God has said, II will ovsrturn,
overturn, overturn, until He come
whose right 1t Is, and will give It
Him" (Ezek. XXI, ~. There L. only
one who Is capable Of making all wrong
things right on this long sin cursed
earth, and He Is the King who shall
reign in righteousness and shall bring
peace and Quietness on the whole
earth, for He shall be King Of kings
and Lord Of lords, and all kings and
all nations shall serve Him lisa. xxi,
!, IT; Rev. xix, 10; Ps. lxxii, 1D. Ac.
cording to our Lords command.
when they prosecute you In this city,
Zee ye to another" (Matt. Z. 2s), Paul
and Silas passed on to Berea and there
pursued the same course, opening to
them the same Scriptures concerning
the same Jesus. Here also many. men
and women believed and received the
word readily and thus brought Joy to
themselves, the Joy and peace Which
come by believing (Rom. Nv. 19), but
they also were . comfort to the Lord
Himself. for when on earth In His
humiliation BE said to His Father In
Heaven, II have given unto them the
words which Thou gavest me. and
they have received them" John XVII,
g.. Let us remember that whenever ,
we receive His word msekly and as
the very word Of God we please Him.
There was at least one point in
which the Bereans excelled, and that
was in their searching the Scriptures
daily, that they might see for them. ,
selves the things which Paul taught
and believe them, not because Paul
taught them, but because God Him. @
self had told them In His word. The .
only way to be established Is to be-
lieve God. believe what he says to us
In His word. accepting It as II He had
sp. ken II to us directly by voice h
from heaven. Then when we can say, n
as did the people Of Samaria, I'VE s
have heard Him ourselves" we shall a.,
not be tossed about by every, wind Of :,
doctrine John ", ~; II Chron. IL, 20; ,,
lisa. vii, o.. The majority Of church :,
yoers are too prone to believe what ;,
the preacher says instead Of doing as ;,
the Bereans did, and therefore so few .,
seem to be established. They also ask, :. :.
How do we know what to believe -
when different teachers teach so diff
erentlyT The answer is in lisa. will, - =,
70. r. ", ITO the law and to the testi- =. y,
nony. If they speak not according to :,
his work it is because there Is no :, g.
morning for them" ="
The Scriptures are the only infallible
yuide, and our Lord said that whe p
people err it is because they know not
he Scriptures nor the power Of God ri
The professed messengers Of God will, "
they are true messengers. carry only e.
he Lords message; otherwise they el
ire prophets Of the deceit Of their own d
learts. and the Lord never sent them IL
Jer. kill 21-29). The devil does GER W
ainly hate the word Of God. and so be al
TIRED his followers at Thessalonica to W
20 to Berea and oppose the servants 81
4 the Lord there This resulted in u
Paul going on to Athens. while Silas n
md Timothy abode for time at Be.
ga until Paul sent for them to come
o him with all speed. The DEVILS
hatred Of God and His word Is very ~
manifest from Gen. IL, 2. 4, onward, y,
nd have no hesitation in saying thai al
II opposition to and destructive crit ~
ism Of the word Of God today ar Ill
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