Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1916-02-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR FEB. IS
SECURED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE
BANNER FOR ITS MANY
READERS
ACCORDING TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Text of the Lesson, Acts Nv, S-21.
Memory Verses, II, 13-Golden
Text, l Cor. XVI, documentary
Prepared by Rev. ID. Nj. Stearns.

The topic OF this lesson is "Humilia
ton and Exaltation," and the central
person Is, as In all the Bible. the Lord
Jesus Christ, Creator, Redeemer, High
Priest and coming King. From the
day that Saul saw Him and heard Him
on the way to Damascus he had no
eyes nor ears nor heart for any one
else, as is plainly seen in some Of his
words In this epistle: ITO me TO live Is
Christ" Christ shall be magnified In
my body. whether by life or by death"
IL count all things loss for the excel
lency OF the knowledge OF Christ Jesus
my Lord. ." that | may know Him
and the power OF His resurrection"
(chapter /. 20, 2l; iii, 8, l0D. He never
ceases 10 speak of the gospel or the
good news concerning Jesus Christ Il, 8,
Z. 10. Il. -: II. %: iv. 3. 80. and he
encourages all who believe the gospel
by such assurances as that He who
begins the work in them will not fail
to finish 1t: that their names are in the
Book OF Life; that all their need here
shall be supplied; that in the resurrec-
ton the mortal body shall be changed
to an immortal body, like the resur-
rection body OF the Lord Jesus. and
that we should ever be looking for His
return from heaven Phil i. 6; iv. 3, 10;
Iii, 20. 2ll. As TO the present daily life
we must count suffering a privilege
and not be discouraged even by sick
ness In His service, content under all
circumstances and free from all anx-
iety, fully yielded to Him, that He
may work in as both to will and 10 do
of His good pleasure (chapter l. 20; ii
25-30; iy, 6, 7, IL; ii, 49,.
In our lesson verses we are led to
consider the comfort that there is for
us in Christ by fellowship with Him
In the power of the Spirit. In the pres
ent conflict with the world, the flesh
and the devil the only way is TO run
with patience, looking unto Jesus. and
consider Him who endured such con
tradiction of sinners against Himself
for us, lest we be wearied Heb xii.
1-3). IL we are in Christ His God and
Father is our God and Father. and He
is the Father of mercies and the God
of all comfort, and though we may
have tribulation we need not be trou-
bled I'll Cor. 1. 3, 4; John xiv, 81; xvi.
80; Xxx, 10. AS we consider the meek
and lowly One, who said Take my
yoke upon you and learn Of me-" we
shall be ashamed of all strife or vain.
glory, for the servant of the Lord must
not strive Matt. XII, %; III Tim. II. "a:
James iii. 1910. How unseemly was
the strife for greatness among the
apostles on the last Passover night
Even Baruch, the scribe of jeremiah,
was told that he must not seek great
things for himself duke xii. "a; Jer
XIV, 81.
Few seem TO have attained TO that
fulness OF grace. which enables them
TO rejoice In the welfare OF another
church or denomination as well as
their own, because they have not seen
that TO gather from all the world the
Church, the body of Christ. is far more
important than the welfare OF any
particular denomination or church or
society. If believers had more fully
the mind OF Christ they would never
consider their own reputation or name.
but would live only TO magnify Him
who so emptied Himself for us. He
who had such glory with the Father
before the world was as we cannot be
gin TO imagine humbled Himself 10
Bethlehem. and Nazareth, and Geth-
semane. and Golgotha. with all that
each name suggests. that all who will
acknowledge their guilt and receive
Him as their Saviour may become chill
dren OF God and joint heirs with Him
self and In due time share His king
dom and glory. To this end God hath
raised Him from the dead and set Him
at His own right hand, far above all
power and might and dominion and
every name that is named, not only
In this world. but also in that which
is to come. and hath put all things un-
der His feet and gave Him to be head
over all things to the Church which
is His body (verses OIL; Eph. 1, 20
23).
1t is this body and bride, that other
Eve for the last Adam, that is now be-
ing gathered from all the world In this
age to reign with Him In the next age,
when every knee shall bow to Him
and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ Is Lord to the glory OF God the
Father. This will be at the time of
chapter iii. 81; Acts iii, 81; Rev. III, 81,
and the fitness for our taking part I'm
II all Is seen I'm Gen. Ill. 81. He must
reign till He hath put all enemies I'M
der His feet Il Cor. XIV, 25), but He will
not begin to reign till He has His Eve,
His bride. His body. the Church. &c
reign with Him. We see not yet all
things put under Him, but we see Je-
sus crowned with glory and honor.
waiting for those other sons whom
He Is bringing to glory and fitting
them for II by their present sufferings
(Heb. II. SID. Only as we by faith
see and thus realize something of our
heavenly calling and the glory that
awaits US shall we be gladly willing