March, 1941 97 INTERNATIONAL LESSON Commentary Outline and Exposition Blackboard Lesson Children s Division Object Lesson Golden Text Illustration By B. B. S utcliffe By G rëtchen S ibley By M ildred M. C ook By E lmer L. W ilder By A lan S. P earce Points and Problems B y A lva J. M c C lain , President oi Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind. TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
APRIL 6, 1941 CHRIST PROMISES POWER L uke 24:48, 49; A cts 1
Spirit to be given. He has been given; it is our responsibility now to receive Him. The rejection of Christ by the nation did not and could not make void the promise about the kingdom (vs. 6, 7). The coming in of the church, that is, the Body of Christ, could not annul that promise any more than the coming in of the law could annul the promise to Abraham (cf. Gal. 3:17). Hence our Lord had no rebuke for the disciples’ question, nor did He correct their views, as He surely would have done had,those views been erroneous concerning the kingdom (cf. Isa. 2:1-4). Concerning their occupation (v. 8), they were to be witnesses, or “martyrs” as the word means. Their field of serv ice would be according to the choice of their Lord and entered upon with His guidance. Their power for witness ing would be supernatural, not acquired by their own efforts or learning. It would be the same power which enabled Moses, Gideon, Samson, David, and others to labor valiantly in the Lord’s name. Hence their work would be wit nessing, their subject would be Christ Himself, their place of service the world, and their power the Holy Spirit-. HI. T he A scension of the L ord (9-11) The MAN Christ Jesus is now in the glory (cf. Psa. 68:18). For believers, the assurance growing out of their Lord’s ascension will be found in such passages as Hebrews 7:24, 25; 9:24; Romans 8:32; and 1 John 2:1, 2. We must ever remember that the Lord’s ascension was as truly a literal fact as was either His birth or His resurrection. While the disciples were gazing after the ascended Lord, two men, doubtless angels, brought the word that this same Jesus would come again in like maimer as He had gone from them. This clear statement of Scripture is enough to prove that any theory of our Lord’s BLACKBOARD LESSON
Luke (cf. Lk. 1:3). Luke addresses Theophilus and implies that he is about to write of what Jesus, the Son of man, continued "to do and teach” through His disciples. The expression, “he through the Holy Ghost” (v. 2), indicates clearly that Jesus is the worker, the Holy Spirit imparts the power, and the disciples are the instruments through which the power operates. Jesus Himself, in His voluntary assumption of human nature, is the great example of dependence upon the Holy Spirit; He was baptized by the Spirit (Matt. 3), led by the Spirit (Matt. 4:1), He preached in the power of the Spirit (Lk. 4:14, 15), and finally He offered Himself as a sacrifice “through the eternal Spirit” (Heb. 9:14). If Jesus was thus dependent upon the Holy Spirit, how much more are His disciples! Luke states that “many infallible proofs” were given—-that Jesus gave His disciples full evidence of the literal character of His resurrection from among the dead. These disciples had no real expectation of seeing Him again alive, hence they were npt the victims of delusion when they proclaimed His resurrection. They had known Him too well, after three years of close com panionship, to have been deceived in Him; and there were forty days (forty being the number of testing) in which He was associated with them before His ascension. From the first, the dis ciples’ preaching, therefore, was based upon the great fact of Christ’s resur rection—the best attested fact in all history, secular or sacred. H. T he I nstruction from the L ord (4-8) To these early believers in the risen Lord, He gave a command with a promise (vs. 4, 5). They were to “wait for the promise of the Father” and “be baptized with the Holy Ghost.” That promise has now been fulfilled. The Holy Spirit has come to indwell believ ers, and there is no such thing as the necessity for present-day waiting for the Holy Spirit. Pentecost was an ex perience not to be repeated; we might as well pray for Christ to return to die upon the cross as to pray for the Holy
Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophihis, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: 3 To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen , of them forty days, and speak ing of the thing« pertaining to the kingdom of God: 4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, salth he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with w ater;. but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come to* gether, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israeli 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and In all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up Into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. LESSON TEXT: Acts 1:1-12. GOLDEN TEXT: “ But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost. Is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both In Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). DEVOTIONAL BEADING: Isa. 12:1*6. Outline and Exposition I. T he C onnection with the G ospels (1-3) B Y THE "former t r e a t i s e ” is [These lessons are developed from outlines prepared by the Committee on Improved Uniform Lessons of the Inter national Council. The outlines are copy righted by the International Council of Religious Education and used by per mission. Scripture portions quoted are from the King James Version unless otherwise stated .] 1
meant the Gospel by Luke. Theophilus was evidently a.man of some standing and also a friend of
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