Newport daily independent., 1918-08-24
IMPROVED UNIFORM lNTEREa.I0NaL SUNNSGlOOL
 LESSON By Rev. P. B. FITZWATER, D. D., Teacher of English Bible i'll the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago) Copyright. 1918, by Western Newspaper Union:l
LESSON TOR AUGUST 25.
COMPRISING CHRIST.

tlOnS.)
 LESSON TExTs-Luke 12:s-12; Acts H. H.
 GOLDEN TExT-Whosover shall con- fess me before men, him shall the son of man also confess before the angels of God.-Luke 1928.
 IS.
 ADDITIONAL MATERIAL-Psalms 145: 1-21; Mark 5:19-2O: John 1:4O-46; Acts 4:1S- 20; Peter 3:15.
 I. Importance of confessing Christ (Luke 12:8-12).
 To confess Christ is not easy; it has never been easy. To do so means ex- posture to ridicule, contempt and per l secution. Regardless of it's issue, the true disciple will confess his Lord. 1. Christ will confess before the an- gels of God those who confess him before men (v. S). The true disciple will not be ashamed to let all men know that he knows, loves, and serves l Christi
 2. Christ will deny before the an- gels of God those who deny him be- fore men (v. 9. To deny Christ before men may get one a little of human ap- l plause, but will surely bring one to 1 loss of heaven and to the sufferings of hell forever.
 3. A pernicious testimony is unpar- donable (v. 1O) This testimony IS the expression of heart utterly per verse. attributing the mighty works or l the Holy Spirit as wrought by Christ to the devil (Matt. 12-32; Mark :29). ,I~Jo oe,sy, rxyf1I Ivy a mitted by one whose heart is incuraDiy bad, one whose moral nature is so vile 1 that he fails to discern between God and the, devil-a reprobate.
 4. Divine aid given in testimony (vv. II, 12). In the most trying hour the Holy Spirit will teach the disciples what to say and how to say it.
 II.-QuaIifications for confessing Christ (Acts lib.
 Christ remained with the disciples l forty days after his resurrection to prepare them for the important busl- ness of witnessing for him. He had five-fold object:
 1. To convince the disciples of the absolute certainty of his resurrection (vv. 2, 8. Before the disciples could l undertake the great work for which they had been preparing, the question | of Christ's resurrection must be set l tied beyond doubt. No one can preach l the gospel who does not have certainty 1 of conviction touching the resurrec- tion.
 2. To instruct the disciples In l things pertaining to the kingdom of 1 God (vv. 3, 6, D. Their unwillingness to hear Christs instruction (John It: 12, 13) before his passion shut out much valuable information, so the Lord tarries to supply this need. They had a wrong idea as to the kingdom being restored, not as to fact, but as to time. Christ had again and again predicted a coming kingdom in harmony with the united testimony of the prophets of Israel. They understood him alright as to the fact of the kingdom, but the time of it's manifestation they failed to | grasp. The disciples should be de- tended against the reproach for having a materiaIistic conception. The king dom is still to come; the time of it's coming is known only to God.
 3. To show the disciples that their business was to witness for Christ to the uttermost parts of the earth (yv. 4, ,, S.) This witnessing was to be done in the power of the spirit, the result or which would be the formation of new body, the church, called out from the world in the time of the postpone ment of the kingdom.
 4. TO show the disciples the scope of their missionary activity (v. .8). This is shown to be as wide as the world it. self. They were to begin at home ana carry the good news concerning Christ to the uttermost parts of the earth. Mission work begins at home and ends with the bounds of the earth.
 5. To show the disciples that Christ will henceforth operate from heaven. They were to work on the earth, but the source of their power was in heav- en. Though he is separated from the disciples it will not be forever, for he will come again. He will come again as the Goldman, our mediator. The words of the men in white apparei have a double significance. (1) To show that Jesus will come again.
 CD To show that in the meantime they should set to work in the dis charge of their commission, and not be
 gazing up into heaven. The Lords in-
 struction to the disciples was "Occupy till come" Luke 19:13). Those who have an intelligent hope touching the
 coming of Christ are not sky-gazers'
 but are deadly in earnest witnessing for Christ.
 Divine Descent