September, 1936
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
348
ii. U nderstanding the W ord (Acts 17:10-12).
Suddenly there was an earthquake and the doors of the prison burst open. How easy it would have been for Paul and Silas and the other prisoners to have escaped! The jailer wakened from his sleep. He saw the open doors. Had his prisoners run away? He was about to draw his sword and kill himself if this were so, for a Roman jailer would be punished severely if a prisoner escaped. But Paul called to him quickly: “Do thyself no harm; for we are all here.” The man called for a light and came in trembling. And when he saw the prisoners, he fell at their feet. He knew now that these were no ordinary men. They had prayed and sung when others would have wept. They had sat still when others would have escaped through the open door. What was it that had made them different? He wanted to know. He brought Paul and Silas out and asked: “What must I do to be saved?” Objects: A glass heart, a small diction ary, a piece of sandpaper, and a tube of bulletin red paint color. (Use a square piece of paper the same size. Cut a heart out of the center of the paper and paste the border on the glass. This forms a glass heart. Put several daubs of black water color, various in size, on the reverse side of the heart.) Lesson: This is a very sad-looking heart, for it has many black spots on it. I wonder how we can get these ugly black spots off. W e will try this dictionary, and see whether we can scrape them off. (Scrape the side o f the glass opposite the paint.) Education is a good thing, but it will never take sin out of the heart. W e will next try this piece o f sandpaper. I cannot even get rid o f one o f the little spots with it. Some people try to get rid o f their sin by using their own efforts, but Object Lesson G etting a H appy H eart Lesson T ext: Acts 17:1, 5-11; 1 Thess. 2:7-12. Golden T ext: “ The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12). Outline and Exposition I. O pposing the W ord (Acts 17 :l-9). W herever Paul journeyed he sought to preach the gospel in the syna gogues o f the Jews because, as he said, the gospel is to the Jew first (cf. Rom. 1:16). The burden of his own people weighed heavily on his heart. Hence, when he came to Thessalonica he went at once to the synagogue and there preached to the Jews, receiving, as he did elsewhere, opposition to his preaching. That which caused the trouble at Thessalonica was the teaching, that Jesus of Nazareth, who had been slain, was the Messiah of the Jews, and that He had been raised from the dead by the power of God. •Not a few believed the Word preached (v. 4), but the Jews as a whole bitterly opposed it, so stirring the crowd that the house o f Jason, where Paul had been stay ing (v. 5), was besieged by a mob. Being unable to locate Paul and Silas, and being determined to silence their preaching, they dragged Jason from the house and
The Lord led Paul sometimes to endure sufferings, and other times to flee from suffering. This was one of the times the Lord desired Paul to escape. Under cover of the night, therefore, Paul and Silas made their way out of that city and went to Berea (v. 10). Having arrived there, they went into the synagogue and began to pro claim the Word of God as they had done at Thessalonica. Undeterred by the treat ment which they had received at Thessa lonica, they felt that they were at Berea for one purpose—to preach the gospel to the unsaved. The people at Berea “were more noble than those in Thessalonica” (v. 11), in that their attitude toward the Word of God was kindly. They received the Word with open minds, believing and accepting the gospel readily. So eager were they to know the truth that they searched the Scriptures to see whether the things which were preach ed were really true. It would be well, today, if people would test the utterances of church leaders'by the Scriptures, rather than test the Scriptures by the utterances of the leaders. The manner of the Bere- ans’ approach to the Word was candid; they had their prej udices, but they were willing to have those dissolved if they were proved erroneous. Their search was a friendly one; it was no mere intellectual exercise but a heart exercise—they were in search for truth. Their study was with a view to action, for 'they were making a decision as to whether they would receive or reject the Christ whom Paul preached. The result of this manner of reading the Scriptures was what might be expected— “many of them believed.” “Faith cometh .by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). In thus believing, they came into fellowship with others who believed, and a church was founded imme diately. A church is always the fruit or offspring of the Word. Being believers, these brethren received of the Spirit forti tude and grace fitting them to endure the persecutions which attend believers. Not a long time elapsed until the Jews who had caused the trouble at Thessalonica arrived at Berea and so aroused the people that once more the devoted servants of the Lord were forced to forsake that field for another (vs. 13-15). III. I mparting the W ord (1 Thess. 2:7-12). In this passage, Paul has spoken of him self as an evangelist who had brought the gospel to the unsaved, and who, for the babes in Christ, had sought to feed and nourish them spiritually with the concern, gentleness, and tenderness of a nurse (v. 7). The word used here for “nurse” means one who is also the mother of the ones for whom she cares. There could hardly be a more tender or more gracious figure used for the pastor o f new-born babes in Christ. The believers at Thessalonica bore the spiritual relationship to Paul that children bear physically to their mother. He could honestly say that “being affectionately de sirous” of them, he was willing to go to any length for their benefit (v. 8). The love he gave them was of the Lord—the love that is able to cover all of the short comings and weaknesses seen in others. Those young converts were aware o f this love for them because of his actions while in their midst (v. 9). He had been among them as one not seeking theirs but them, and his labors were born of an interested unselfishness which sought only their good.
all of their efforts are fruitless. They may try to discipline themselves, only to find that sin remains. As I look at this: sinful heart, .1 am reminded of the Philippian j ailer. When the jail was being shaken by the earth quake he realized that he was a sinful man. Perhaps he had often tried to get rid of his sin, but without success. He very wisely asked Paul and Silas what he should do. He said: “ Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” God’s messengers were quick to give him the right answer. They said: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” This is the only correct answer for such a question as the jailer asked. Christ is the One who can cleanse from sin. I hold ill my hand a small tube of red color. I am going to cover each black spot with it. Now when you look at the heart, you do not see black spots. The red is all that you can see. When God looks at the heart o f a per son who has accepted Christ as Saviour, He sees the blood of Christ, instead of sin. This is what happened to the jailer. It caused him, and all the people of vhis household, to rejoice. When you realize that you have sinned, you should accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and ask God to cover your sins with the blood of Christ. You will then have the same joy and rejoicing as did the Philippian jailer. brought him before the authorities of the city (v. 6). The complaint registered be fore the magistrates was that “these that have turned the world upside down are come hither also,” teaching that “there is another king, one Jesus” (v. 7). Evident ly Paul had been speaking of the second coming o f Christ whom the Scriptures set forth as the coming King of Kings. Be ing fearful that their present king, Caesar, would punish them for allowing such preaching, the rulers of the city were troubled. Because Paul and Silas were absent, the magistrates could do no more than to receive security o f Jason and his companions and then to let them go (vs. 8, 9). BLACKBOARD LESSON cfHT ¿ po / s e u % d W r it te n W ord JglNDURETH ■ma.lt.aiijs \'^V E R .V PURE P s .n s il4-0 [EFFECTUALLY WORKETH I TRess.z:js [S ight ps .3 j \*
OCTOBER 18, 1936 THE SPOKEN AND WRITTEN WORD A cts 17:1-15; 1 T hess . 2 :1-12
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