The Sabbath School

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Dec 2, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 47.

The Sabbath School

International Series.

LESSON XII.—SABBATH, DECEMBER 18, 1897.

THE GOSPEL REJECTED BY THE JEWS.

Lesson Scripture, Acts 13:34-52, R. V.

34 "And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he hath spoken on this wise, I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David. 35 Because he saith also in another psalm, Thou wilt not give thy 36 Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell on sleep, and 37 was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption; but he whom 38 God raised up saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you 39 remission of sins; and by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the 40 law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken in the prophets: 41 "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; For I work a work in your days, A work which ye shall in nowise believe, if one declare it unto you. 42 "And as they went out, they besought that these words 43 might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now when the synagog broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 "And the next Sabbath almost the whole city was gathered 45 together to hear the Word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and blasphemed. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said, It was necessary that the Word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to 47 the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee for a light of the Gentiles, That thou shouldest be for salvation unto the uttermost part of the earth. 48 And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the Word of God; and as many as were ordained to 49 eternal life believed. And the Word of the Lord was spread abroad 50 throughout all the region. But the Jews urged on the devout women of honorable estate, and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and cast 51 them out of their borders. But they shook off the dust of their feet against 52 them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost."

QUESTIONS.

Trace on the map the journey of Paul from Antioch in Syria to Antioch in Pisidia.
Tell how Paul began his work in the latter place.
Give an outline of his discourse as far as we have studied it.
What did he say was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead?
What quotation did he make from the second psalm? For what purpose?
How complete was Christ's deliverance from the grave?
What did Paul say was fulfilled by the fact that Christ was raised to live forevermore?
Where is this scripture found?
What other scripture did it also fulfil? In what psalm does this occur?
How can it be known that it does not refer to David himself?
What contrast is noted between David and Jesus?
What did Paul exhort his hearers to be assured of?
Who did he say could be justified?
From what can believers be justified?
Of what did Paul warn his hearers to beware?
What did he quote from the prophets? From what place?
When the Jews left the house, who came to Paul? What did they request?
What took place when the congregation finally broke up? What did Paul and Barnabas say to them?
What took place the next Sabbath?
How did this affect the Jews? What did they do?
How did their rage affect Paul and Barnabas? What did they say had been necessary? How had the Jews treated the Word? In so doing what had they decreed for themselves? What did Paul say he would therefore do?
What was he thus fulfilling? What prophecy did he quote? From whom? Of whom were these words spoken?
How did these words affect the Gentiles? How did they treat the Word? How many believed?
How extensively was the Word of the Lord published?
What did the Jews do? Whom did they succeed in stirring up against Paul and Barnabas? What did they do to them?
What did the apostles do? Who had told them to do this? Where do you find it? To what place did they go?
What was the condition of the disciples in the midst of all this tumult?

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

How can man glorify the Word of the Lord?
What class of people were stirred up against Paul and Barnabas? What connection can you see between this and 1 Cor. 4:13?

Go MAKE thy garden fair as thou canst, Thou workest never alone; Perchance he whose plot is next to thine Will see it and mend his own. —Robert Collyer.