The Dermott news., 1916-03-02
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDMS0lO0L
LESSON
By f. o. SELLERS. Acting Director OF
Sunday School Course. Moody Bible
Institute
Copyright 1916. Western Newspaper UnionD
LESSON FOR MARCH 5
THE DEATH OF STEPHEN.
SSON TFXT-Acts Ti-8.3

This lesson closely follows that OF
last Sunday. There are some battles
OF life that are not fought with fists
or weapons. The boy who holds his
temper is more manly than the one
who goes into fight simply to WIN
Paul tells us how and what to fight
tEph Gil. 12) We must show the
scholars clearly the Two great bat
ties stephen fought and the victory
he won as described in today $ les
son The charges made against
stephen were made by false wit
nesses. This does not mean men
who invented false words. but men
who took isolated statements. distort-
ed them and by innuendo used them
for their own ends stephen was
charged with three things: taD Bias
phemy against God t6.1l-l3). tb)
That he had said Jesus would return
and destroy the temple g IA. tC)
That he claimed that Jesus would de-
stroy or abrogate the law t6.14. This
great passage of Scripture is so pro
found and so closely conaectod that
we hesitate in trying TO separate ii
into divisions or sections. We much
prefer To note the logical argument
and presentation stephen the Spirit
anointed deacon made to the Sanhe-
drin
|. Stephens Defense. stephen was
Grecianized Jew, whose name
means "a crown He answered the
charges of these foreign accusers
made before the Sanhedrin. seriatim.
His point OF contact was to respect
fully remind the council that he
was an orthodox Jewish believer and
worshiper ". q. He called the c9un-
Gil Men. brethren and fathers" They
were common believers and all We're
standing before the God-appoiEted
leaders of Israel. stephen in his re
ply showed that he reverenced God
and Gods prophet Moses. thereby an
swering the first charge y. III. and
while he reyerenced the temple he
showed that II was not essential to
worship t7:47 49) This last was in
answer to their second charge Go.
In answer to their third charge Ste
phen then turned upon his enemies
and by direct and indirect charges he
convicted them OF certain facts. III
sh history. and a review Of the
prophets he discloses the vaCillauon
and sufulness of Gods chosen people
(23. 29). Directly he accuses these
leaders OF having been subservient tO
certain customs as being superior to
the law they professed to obey. ste
phen aCcusers were, as We nave
seen. from without Jerusalem Is ..
100. and his first battle WAS concern
ing the truth about Jesus His second
great battle. and one OF his ultimate
victory. was with these avowed enc
mics OF Jesus (6:1l-S.3l-
II. stephens Death. The real con
test OF this occasion was Satan ".
the Holy Spirit. stephen put to rout
these men from the foreign synagogue
hence the Jewish authorities deter
mined 70 take hold OF the problem
themselves ana put step to thls
Christian teaching. Stephons sud
den application OF the Scripture TO his
judges caused intense anger He
preached the word OF God in the dem
orstration or the Holy Spirit and such
preaching always either produces con
Siction OF sin. or elsc ar-uscs anger
at the preacher These men could aot
DENY the truth OF his accusation. they
therefore turned upon him in anger
Being full OF the Holy Spirit Is an
abiding condition and inevitably in
wolves conflict with Satan It led
stephen to look up ana not about
him. and in his hour ct testing he sa"
a wonderful vision OF heaven The
glory or God ana q Jesus standing
Let us accept the testimony or this
dying man as a literal fact This
sight strengthened him for his sui
fering and for his witnessing Death
had no more terror for Step' en- and
he was faithful and steadfast to the
end.
III. Stephens Burial These mer
ovarreaChed themselves, for persecu
ton simply scattered those who gave
the Christian testimony wider anC
a more eHeCtlNe HtaEiHk vi 10 - -
This force or circumstances thrust the
early church forth from Jerusalem
Now. after a period OF perhaps i've
or seven years. We see the beginning
OF the literal mlhllment OF the Pente
eostal program Acts Isl. purinl
this storm OF persecution the apostles
remained at their posts in Jerusa
lem
Sauls rage knew no bounds. an'
not content with disputations in tn
synagogues, he prosecuted the church
sparing neither sex nor age tS Isl
stephens success was in his per
sonal life and his answering test
mony,
stephens victory has been A frs
fruit OF the triumph OF the churcl
throughout its history. In heaven h
wears the victor's crown among 'th
overcomers.
over the grave OF the two Wesleys
in Westminster Abbey, is a table