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STUDIES IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

—INTERNATIONAL S.S. LESSONS—

SUGGESTIVE THOUGHTS DESIGNED TO ASSIST THOSE OF OUR READERS WHO ATTEND BIBLE CLASSES WHERE THESE LESSONS ARE USED; THAT THEY MAY BE ENABLED TO LEAD OTHERS INTO THE FULNESS OF THE GOSPEL. PUBLISHED IN ADVANCE, AT THE REQUEST OF FOREIGN READERS.

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PAUL’S FIRST MISSIONARY SERMON

IV. QUAR., LESSON VIII., NOV. 20, ACTS 13:26-43

Golden Text—”To you is the word of this salvation sent.”—Acts 13:26

VERSES 14-26. When Barnabas and Saul came to Antioch in Pisidia they spent the first Sabbath day in a synagogue of the Jews. They went in and sat down, trusting that the Lord would open some door for them to speak to the people. They did not force themselves forward or in any way seek to violate the customs of the synagogue, but, looking to the Lord for direction, they simply placed themselves, as best they knew how, in the way of opportunity to serve the Truth. In this alone there is an important lesson for us all. By their very attitude Barnabas and Saul were each saying, “Lord, here am I, use me!” And very soon the Lord did make use of his ready instruments, and used them effectively to his praise. If these brethren had gone about some other business, or listlessly wandered about or waited at home and said they would like to do something for the Master, but would wait for him to hunt them up and to disentangle them from other engagements, they might have waited a long time, and no doubt other instruments would have been used instead. And so may we wait long and unsuccessfully unless we place ourselves in the way of probable opportunity, and thus declare our actual readiness and our waiting attitude.

VERSE 15. “And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, ‘Men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.'”

One cannot but admire the spirit of liberality which prevailed among the Jews, and wish that the Truth had a similarly free course today. In how few congregations of God’s professed Christian children is there any opportunity offered at any meeting for any one to speak a word to the people or to call attention to the Lord—except the pastor, and he is gagged by an elaborate and very restrictive “Confession of Faith” before he is allowed to say a word, and is liable to be deposed if he violates that Confession. How evident it is that the great Adversary has gotten the various Creeds so expressed that they suit his purposes, and has hedged the way so that they cannot be displaced even fragmentarily by truths.

VERSES 16,26. Then Saul, who was called Paul, stood up to bear his testimony for the Lord. With what eagerness he embraced the opportunity is manifest from the stirring discourse which followed, in which, with characteristic skill, he drew the attention of the people to prominent points in their national history, leading up to the reign of David as king; and then, referring to the promise of blessing to Israel through a son of David, he declared (verse 23) that of this man’s seed God had, according to his promise, raised unto Israel a Savior, even Jesus, whom they had ignorantly crucified; and that this same Jesus was he of whom John the Baptist had said, “There cometh one after me whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.”

VERSE 26. Then we almost catch the tones of his voice floating down the centuries, as with kindling eloquence he declares—”Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.” Yes, it was sent to Israel first—to the people whom God had chosen and to whom belonged the promises—to all such as were “Israelites indeed,” worthy sons of faithful Abraham who trusted in the promises and were anxiously waiting for their fulfilment; and not only to these, but also to all the worthy Gentiles among them who feared (or reverenced) God. Or, in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, it was now sent to all the meek. (Isa. 61:1.) This gospel is not for the proud and high-minded. The proud Pharisee and the dignified Rabbi could not receive it; and those who looked only for Israel’s national predominance over the nations of the world, and who figured only this out of the numerous prophecies of Messiah’s glorious reign, could not receive it. Nor could the proud or wicked Gentile who had dismissed God from all his thoughts, and given himself over to a life of present ease or pleasure or self-gratification, receive it. It is “good tidings” only to the

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meek, who reverence God and who have respect unto his promises. But God assures us that not only the Day of Vengeance, but also the entire Millennial age which will follow it, will have the effect of breaking many stony and proud hearts and bringing all mankind to

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so humble a condition that they will be able and willing to appreciate the grace of God which offers salvation (Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10)—whether they, after the humbling chastisement and greater knowledge of the Lord, submit themselves fully to his gracious arrangements and gain the reward of Life, or whether, when permitted, pride and self-will will again be their choice, and they thus be accounted unfit for Life—deserving the Second Death.

VERSES 27-31. Then, in reminding them of their national sin in crucifying Jehovah’s Anointed, he shows that it was because their rulers did not honor him or recognize him as the one of whom spake Moses and all the prophets; and yet he tells them that even in this sinful act of crucifying the Lord they were unwittingly fulfilling what the prophets had foretold; for Isaiah had declared that he should be brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he would not open his mouth to defend himself, for he knew that his hour was come and that his life was to be given a ransom for many. Probably here the Apostle enlarged on the prophetic proofs of Jesus as the Messiah; for we must regard this account by Luke as a mere synopsis of his discourse, showing its general drift. Then he drew attention to the fact of his resurrection, and declared himself one of a number of witnesses of that fact; for “he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.”

VERSES 32-37. Having thus introduced Jesus, the promised Messiah and Savior, the hope of Israel and the world, he then added, “And we declare unto you glad tidings“—glad tidings of the fulfilment of prophecy in the resurrection of Jesus, which was in itself, according to the divine plan, an evidence that his sacrifice had been acceptable as our sin-offering and a pledge of the resurrection of all who believe in him as their Lord and Redeemer. Then the Apostle referred to the statement in the Second Psalm—”Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee”—as applicable to his new resurrection life, which should never again return to corruption—death—and showed that the promise in Isa. 55:3,4, of “the sure mercies of [or holy things promised to] David”*—the dominion and power and glory of the kingdom of God on earth, etc.—belonged not to David literally, but to the Messiah, Jesus, whom David in some instances typified; “for,” said he, “David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers and saw corruption.” Consequently he argues that the prophecy has not reference to David, but to Christ, whom David here typified.

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*See Lesson vi., First Quarter, in our issue of February 1st.

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VERSES 38,39. Having thus securely planted the claims of Jesus of Nazareth upon the testimony of the prophets and of the eye-witnesses of his life and death and resurrection, and having called their attention to the glorious promises for the blessing of Israel and all the world through the expected Messiah, he made to that attentive congregation the startling announcement: “Be it known unto therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you [even you, who in your ignorance and folly despised and slew him] the forgiveness of sins. And by him all that BELIEVE are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

VERSES 40,41 are words of solemn warning in view of the responsibility which the hearing of this truth brings with it. When the truth is presented to us by any of God’s messengers, however humble, it is to the end that we may either receive or reject it as we choose. The meek, those who reverence God and desire to know and to do his will, will receive it and be blessed by it; but all the proud and worldly-minded and all those who are wise in their own conceits will reject it. And to such says the Prophet, as quoted by the Apostle, “Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.”

A great work was going on in those days; for God was there beginning, by the preaching of the truth, to select from among men and to train and prepare “a people for his name”—to be joint-heirs with Christ of his Millennial Kingdom. The despisers indeed wondered at the progress and power of the truth, but they were left in their lost, perishing, unjustified condition, because they would not believe and repent.

The same is true to-day also, the only difference being that we are living in the harvest or end of the age, when the work of selecting the bride or body of Christ, which was there begun, is now being finished. And here as there the truth is manifesting the meek and worthy ones as well as the despisers. Let all heed the Apostle’s warning and beware lest that come upon them which is spoken of in the prophets. What is that?—A hardness of heart which despises instruction and which will not walk in the right ways of the Lord, but which walks according to its own wilfulness in the way which leads to destruction; for out of Christ there is no salvation. “Behold, ye despisers, and

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wonder, and perish.” Beloved, let us mark well the responsibility which the testimony of God’s truth brings, and be not like those who, denying the possibility of any perishing, proceed further and reject the great salvation proffered only on condition of faith in Christ as our Redeemer, and consequent repentance of sin and reformation of life in harmony with the will of God.

VERSES 42,43 show that many, of both Jews and Gentiles, received the truth with gladness and desired to hear more of these things.

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— November 1, 1892 —