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The Sunday School

The Sunday School image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
January
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

32. "Thia Jesús hath God raised np, whereof we all are witucsses. " The man who had with oaths and curses so eowardly denicd Him is the one who is chosen by the Spirit to be His mouthpiece to this multitude. Being filled with the Spirit takes away all thought of self and all fear of man. He first quotes from Joel ii, 28-3S, and says here Is a fulfillment of the words of that prophet. He then speaks of Jesus of Nazareth and the wonderg wrought by God through Him, and openly charges them with His death. He then quotes from the words of David in Ps. xvï conoorning His resurrection and continúes in the words of this first verso of our lesson 33. Before He died He said that He was going back to the Father who had sent Him, and that He would send down from heaven the Holy Spirit, whom they uow sawand heard in these disciples (Johnxvi, 5-8). Here, then, was the evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was really the one Ha professed to be, and not an impostor or blasphemer. Here was the evidence that He whom they cruciiicd was uow alive from the dead and actually in heaven. 34. 35. David did not rise from tho dead. He did not speak of his own resurrectton in Ps. xvi, Init of Him of whom he said in Ps. ex, 1, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on My right hand untii I make thy foes thy footstool. " David, as to his spirit, is certainiy in glory, hut his body still sleeps in the dust of the earth. 3(5. Peter, therefore, by the Spirit, insiste that tho VL'ry same Jesus whom they crucified God has raised from the de;vd andl - taken to His own right hand, thus making Him Lord and Christ and declaring Him to be the long promised Kon of David to sit on David's throne, and the Kon of Abraham in wliom all the promises tü the fathers are to be fulfilled. i 37. The Spirit, by His words through Peter, took hold of thcir hearts, convinced them of their sin and led thcm to cry ont, "Men and brethren, what shall we dof" There was nu urging on the part nf Peter that they should come forward to the penitent bench, orraise their hands for prayer, or glgn a card declaring their intention tx lead a new life, however helpful theso inethods may sometimes be. 38. Whcn Jesus was on one occasion asked, "What shall we dof" His answer was. "Believo on Him whom God hath sent" (John vi, 88, 29). Peter says, by the same Spirit, "Repent and be baptized," which is anotlier way of saying, "Believe." To believo that Jesus was their Messiah would be a complete change of mind or repentance on their part, and fco be baptized in His name would be the outward confession that they liad received Him. To receive Him rrould secure tha forgiveness of all their sins (John i, 12; I John ii, 12). 39. The promise is to all who will coma that they shull in no wise be cast out ( Johnt vi, 37). There were somo illustrations of households being saved, as in Gen. vii, 1; xviii, 19; xix, 12; Joshua ii, 18. He calis all who hear and bids them come without money and without price. The God who sought out and restored Adam and Eve, who sent angels to reseñe Lot and his family, who pleaded so earnestly with backsliding Israel ( Jer. iii, 13, 14), is our God and the same unchangeable Jehovah. 40. Perhaps somo of the "many other words" He used might be found in Il i 18; xliii, 25; lv, 3, 4; Ezek. xxxvi, 26, for thoseare theSpirit'sown wordsto sinners. Peter did not think to save the generation or race of .Tews, but He did expeet, Kko Panl, to save some of them (I Cor. ix, 22). 41. Receiving Hls word, they received Him and thus beoamo childron of God (John i, 12; vi, 63; zvii, 8; Jas. i, 21) Being baptized, they confessed Him ná had the assu ranee that He would confess them before the Pather (Math. x, 33) Bufc think of 3,000 doing so! Would not some evangelists be tempted to make a demonstration over that? Whoever heard of such a result from ono sermón? Thi3 was the Lords doing and must have been marvelOU8 in their eyes. 42. "Theycontinuedsteadfastly,"- thafe is, they believed firmly, forthere 'is no other %vay to be established. Compare II Chron. xx, 20, with Isa. vii, 9. This verse seems to say that they were instructed. They talkcd with each other of these things, espeoially of Him. Thoy coramemorated His death. They were much in prayer. How sorry they would be that they had not receivod Him sooner! How they would long for His return, and with whafr zeal they would testify uf Him! 43. The wondere and signs wrought by the apostlea would doubtlesa be on the lino of Siurk xvi, 17-20, and being suo.li as He Hi niself wrought wlien He was on earth would luid to fchoir testimony that He was still alive, though Invisible, and had all power it heavoii and on Bar tb. It was the Lord worklng with tliem and confirmingthe word witü signs following (Mark xvi, 44. One great famfly bound togethpr by His love to them, and their love to Himt and to each other, having a great desire to please Him and that others might ihjccïv Him too. They doubtless believed that all He had was thcirs and thus werc drawn to share all they liad with each other. TheSpirit controlled all, and it was a foretaste of tieaven upon the earth. ij Earthly possessions lost their attraction; they were no use except as they oould use them for Him by speuding them ii[juu rus wno were m need. The Spiritof Him who though He was rich, yet for sakes became poor, had taken hold of them, and they eouuted nothing go precióos as His love, and the privilege of showingsoine love to Him The flrst gave their owu selves to the Lord (II Cor. viii, 5), and then to each other by tlie will of God.' The sanie spirit today wonld flll the treasuries of tho misaion boards and put many workors in the field. 46. With ono accord, with gladness and singleness of heart. This described their daily.life of service unto Him vrhom Uiey had received as Saviourand coming King. It is the thirü time we have mettlie phrasa "With ono accord. " See i, 14; ii, 1. 47. Praising God is v good vvav to dra-w people unto Him, and thus tliey willbe added to the church. ín chaptere Y, 14; ii, 24, we read of people iieing added tf the Lord, and that is theonly real additioit that will stand. Tlms they are trnly added to tlie church which is the body of Clirist, People may be added to the membership of a church without being added to the Lord, but if they beoome a jiart ofJ Christ by faith in Him tliey are then a parb of the church, and it matters little what denomination they beloDg to. The Lorti üll us with His Spirit to serve Hiui with gladness and singleuess of heart.

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat