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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S
IN T E R N A T IO N A L L E S SO N Commentary Outline and Exposition Blackboard Lesson Childrens Division . Object Lesson Golden Text Illustration By B. B. S utcliffe By G retchen S ibley By R uth M ortensen By E lmer L. W ilder By A lan S. P earce Points and Problems By H omer A . K ent , Professor at Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind.
APRIL 4, 1943 PETER AND JOHN BECOME DISCIPLES OF JESUS J ohn 1:29-42; M ark 1:16-20 Outline and Exposition I.
JL T he A cceptance of J esus (John 1:37-42)
The progress of the disciples is in teresting and easily followed: they heard, followed, inquired, came, saw, and abode, with Jesus. Is it possible that they got a glimpse of the fel lowship in which He “ abode” in the bosom of the Father (cf. John 1:18)?" This was, and is, His “ abode” even when upon the earth. What a night for the two disciples! They went forth at once to call others to the One whom they now knew to be the Messiah (vs. 41, 42). How simple was the testimony: “We have found . . . the Christ,” and how natural to bring others to Him! When Simon was thus brought, Jesus said to him, “Thou art”—understanding how fearful and impulsive he was— and “thou shalt be” like the immov able bed-rock. This is the Lord’s wbrd to all who accept Him as Saviour and Lord. This is His method of dealing with each one.. III. T he S ervicb for J esus # (Mk . 1:16-20) The call to service, as that to sal vation, is simple. It is, “Come ye af ter me,” requiring a voluntary re sponse to the “come.” Jesus wants no forced service, but a joyous obedience. The call is personal, indicated by the word “ye.” Each one who accepts the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God is called also to make Him Master of his life. Again, the call requires action and progress: “Come . . . after me.” And the promise is the same today as it was then: “I will make you to become fishers of men.” The disciple “ becomes” w h a t God has promised, as he listens to and obeys the instruction of t h e Lo r d . The growth in ability, efficiency, and ef fectiveness is sure to all who answer the call and “follow” Jesus the Mas ter. The response from the disciples was immediate a n d full. “Straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.” Others likewise, J o h n and James, forsook their business and even their father, and followed the Lord. The after history reveals how fully the Lord’s promise to them was kept (Acts 2; etc.). The service of disciples always will be successful in
John 1:29 T h e next d a y John seeth Je su s com ing unto him, and saith, Behold the L a m b of God, w h ich taketh aw a y the sin of the w orld I 30 T h is is he of whom. I said, A fter me Cometh a m an w h ich is preferred before me: for he w a s before me. 31 A n d I knew him not: but that he should be m ade m anifest to Israel, there» fore am I come baptizing w ith water. 32 A n d John bare record, saying, I saw the S p irit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 A n d I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize w ith water, the sam e said unto me, U pon w hom thou sh it see the S p irit descending, and rem aining on him, the sam e is he w h ich baptizeth w ith the H o ly Ghost. 34 . A n d I saw , and bare record that this Is the Son of God. 35 A g a jn the next d a y after, John stood, and tw o of h is disciples; *36 A n d looking upon Jesus as he w alked, he saith, Behold the L a m b of God! 37 A n d the tw o disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 4 38 T hen Je su s turned, and sa w them follow ing, and salth unto them, W h a t seek y e ? T h e y said unto him, Rabbi, (w hich is to say, being Interpreted, M aster,) where dw eilest th o u ? 39 He saith unto them, Cdhie and see, T h e y cam e and sa w w here he dwelt, and abode w ith him that day; for It w a s about the tenth hour. 40 One of the tw o w hich heard John speak, and followed him, w a s A ndrew , Sim on P e te r's brother. 41 He first findeth his ow n brother Sim on, and salth unto him, W e have found the M e ssias, w hich is, being Interpreted, the Christ. 42 A n d he brought him to Jesus. A n d w hen Je su s beheld him, he said, T hou art Sim on the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas, w hich is by interpretation, A stone. M a rk 1:16 N o w as he w alked by the sea of Galilee, he sa w Sim on and A n d re w his brother casting a net into the sea: fo r they w ere fishers. 17 A n d Je su s said unto them , Com e ye after me, and I w ill m ake you to become fish ers o f men. 18 A n d stra igh tw a y they forsook their nets, and followed him. 19 A n d w hen he had gone a little fu rth er thence, he sa w Jam es the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, w ho also w ere in the ship m ending their nets. 20 A n d stra igh tw a y he called them : and they left their fath er Zebedee in the ship w ith the hired servants, and w ent after him. G O L D E N T E X T : " A nif Je su s said unto them , Com e ye after me, and 1 w ill m ake you to become fish ers of m e n " (M k. 1:17). D E V O T IO N A L R E A D IN G : Rom . 10:6-15. [Lesson material is based on outlines of International Sunday School Lessons copyrighted by the International Coun cil of Religious Education and is used by its permission. Scripture portions quoted are from the King James Ver sion unless otherwise stated .]
. T he W itness to J esus (John 1:29-36)
T T T HEN JOHN the B a pt 1s t \ f \ J started to preach, there were Y V many who heard him who were dissatisfied with the religion they had; it seemed a thing of mere form with no life in it. Thus they turned to John and his preaching in the hope that they would hear a re liable voice from ,God. In this they were not disappointed, because John witnessed to both the work and the Person of the1Lord Jesus Christ. The work of Jesus Christ, John said, was to take away the sin of the world. He was the Lamb ordained from# the beginning, and was now appearing to fulfill H is mission. Th e ' disciples would be familiar with references to the Lamb; for centuries t h e y and their fathers had been offering lambs upoftvtheir altars, but always know ing that each lamb offered was not the final one. They must often have wondered how long the seemingly in effectual offering o f t h e i r lambs would continue. Now at last the Lamb of God ap peared, the perfect, the all-sufficient and final offering, the antitype of the innumerable lambs slain in the peo ple’s unceasing sacrifices. This Lamb was the .One who “taketh away the sin of the world,” which really means to take it upon oneself “so as to re move sin from others.” This Lamb of God was the One for whom John himself had waited (vs. 30-34). This Lamb of God would come as a man, but .a man who would come after John in time, would be preferred before John, and would have existence before John. “I knew him not,” twice repeated; indicates that John’s witness was uttered by faith. He had been told how he would know the Lamb, and he said, “ I saw, and bare, record that this is the Son of God.” This was testimony to the Lamb Himself; the work of the Lamb must first be known before His Person is recognized; acceptance of the work leads to recognition of the Person.
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