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THE KING’S BUSINESS
and if they continue to put it from them it will be taken from them and given to others. By thrusting the Word of God from them, they had condemned them selves to be unworthy of eternal life. Individuals and nations determine their destiny by what they do with the Word of God (cL John 5:40). The Lord had “commanded” Paul to go to the Gentiles. He had given this commandment- to Paul before he left Jerusalem (ch. 22:17-21). This commandment was also implied by Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah which foretold that He was to be for the Gentiles (cf. Isa. 49:6). h r the Old Testament as well as the new the world-wide purpose of salvation was clearly set forth. The finger of God always pointed “unto the ends of the earth” (cf. The Gentiles were glad of the opportunity of hearing the Word of God which the Jews despised, and in heathen nations today many, are hungry for the Word of God while in nominal Christian nations the crowds are rejecting it. The Gentiles also glorified the Word of God .which the Jews despised. But not all, even among the Gentiles, received the Word of God, only those who were “ordained to eternal life:” The practical evidence that one is ordained to eternal life is that he believes (John 6:37). The others, who did not believe,' could have believed if they would (John 7:17; Rev. 22:17; John 5:40), and if they had believed, by that sign they would have proven that they were “ordained to eternal life.” The Jews, by putting the Word of God from them, had proven themselves “unworthy of eternal life” (v. .45), but the Gentiles by believing the Word of God had judged themselves “ordained to eternal life” : so it is clear that what one does with the Word of God decides his eternity. The “Word of the Lord” made great progress in spite of bitter opposition. Far and wide in every village and hamlet the Word was published (cf. ch.. 6:7; 19:19, 20, 26). ch. 1:8; Matt. 28:19). Tuesday, January 16 . Acts 13 : 48 , 49 .
rejected it. The Jews,, if they had been Israelites indeed, would have been delighted that such great crowds came to hear the Word of God, but instead of being de lighted they were filled with jealousy (cf. ch. 17:5). Human nature is pretty much the same in all lands and all ages. Let any new preacher come to any town today and draw great crowds of eager hearers where crowds have hitherto been small and interest feeble, and somebody’s jealousy is pretty sure to be aroused, and very often, as in this case, it is the jealousy of the religious people. It is hard for some sup posedly good people to forgive others for getting greater crowds than they do them selves. The jealousy of the Jews led them to great extremes, they not only contra dicted the truth spoken by Paul, they even went so far as to blaspheme. The extent to which some religious people will go in resisting the truth that they themselves have not preached, is appalling. Monday, January 15 .. Acts 13 : 46 , 47 . Paul and Barnabas were not frightened by the opposition, even though the opposi tion was most bitter and relentless; indeed, the opposition only made them the more bold. If Paul and Barnabas had been like us, when they met with such bitter opposi tion they would have thought it better to be silent and cease their testimony for the truth, but they knew “it was necessary” that the Word of God should^ be spoken, and they knew furthermore that it must first of all be spoken to the Jews, for that was God’s order (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; 3:26; 13:26; 18:5, 6 ; Rom.. 1:16). But though the Word of God was first to be spoken to the Jews, it was not to be con fined to them. When they rejected it, then it must be spoken to others.. As the Jews would not have it, the Gentiles must receive it (cf. Rom. 11:11, 12). It had been fore told by Moses centuries ago that Israel would reject the truth and that God would provoke them to jealousy by the Gentiles. Amercia and England have the “Word of God,” but they are putting it from them,
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