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T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
SUNDAY LESSO NS
SCHOOL
Outline and Exposition B. B. S utcliffe Points and Problems H omer A . K ent For the Children A llison A rrowood
Lesson material is based upon outlines of International Sunday School Lessons, copyrighted by the International Council of Re ligious education; used by per mission.
The Feast of Pentecost (vs. 15, 16), meaning "fiftieth,” came fifty days after the Feast of the First Fruits. The latter t y p i f i e d the resurrection of Christ, while Pentecost foreshadowed the coming and power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4). In this cere mony, there was a “new” meal offer ing of two loaves, bound together into just one offering unto the Lord, em blematic of the one Body (the visible Church) in which leaven will be found until the Lord comes. The Feast of Trumpets (v. 24) is representative of the regathering of Israel into her own land, but does not refer to the trumpet of the New Testament (1 Thess. 4; 1 Cor. 15). The long interval between Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets covers Israel’s dispersion from which she is to be brought back to the Holy Land (Isa. 18:3, 7; 27:12, 13; 58:1-14; Joel 2:15-32; Acts 15:16, 17; Rom. 11:26-36). The Day of Atonement (v. 28) is predictive of Israel’s repentance after her restoration to the Promised Land. As the scapegoat carrying the sins of the people was driven into the wilder ness, so in that day will the Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, come forth to “send away” their sins forever (Heb. 10:16, 17). The Feast of Tabernacles (vs. 34, 39- 44) was the crowning feast for Israel, foretelling Millennial glory and king dom rest (Ezra 3:4; Zech. 14:16-19). Two Sabbaths, or rest days, the first and eighth, are involved in this feast. In that day, both Jews and Gentiles will find their spiritual Sabbath rest, and enter into Millennial joy. Points and Problems 1. "Sanctify yourselves therefore . . . I am the Lord which sanctify you" (Lev. 20:7, 8). In the first instance, the sanctifying is to be done by the people themselves; in the sec ond, the L o r d is the sanctifier. These utterances do not contradict each o t h e r . Sanctification means separation from sin unto God. There is a sense in w h i c h this work
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY 3 The Worth of Religious Anniversaries L E S S O N M A T E R IA L : Lev. 20:7, 8; 23:4-6, 15, 16, 24, 28, 34, 39-44. G O L D E N T E X T : “ The Lord hath done great thin gs for us; whereof we are glad" (Psa. 126:3). Outline and Exposition I. T he P roper B asis (Lev. 20:7, 8) True separation is to God who alone is holy (v. 70, and from all other deities. That this holy God is the only true God and others but false objects of worship is thereby acknowl edged. Obedience to the holy God is required (v. 8). Only self-deception causes one to claim separation unto the true God while disobeying His commands. Alas, many delude them selves even as they celebrate religious anniversaries. The word “sanctify,” as it is used in relation to God, suggests that the three persons of the Trinity unite in sanctifying those who sanctify them selves by separation and obedience (Ex. 20:12; 31:13; 37:28; Lev. 21:8). II T he P rescribed F easts . (Lev. 23:4-6, 15,16, 24, 28,34, 39-44) The foundation, and first, of all the feasts was the Passover (vs. 4, 5). it signified redemption by blood, whether for Israel or for the Church of Christ (Ex. 12; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19). God’s dealings with His people in any age are all by virtue of the blood of Christ and His own estimation of its value. Closely connected with the Passover, was the feast of Unleavened Bread (v. 6), This recalled to Israel her ex perience in the wilderness when she was wholly dependent upon God for all her needs, and found Him ever faithful. Today the leaven of legalism hinders the Church from experiencing the fullness of her perfect redemption by and in Christ (Gal. 5:7-9).
is accomplished o n c e and for all by God the moment a •person be lieves in Christ. But following this ex perience, the believer has a part to play in the progressive phase of his sanctification. Because he is one set apart, sanctified by God’s grace, and on the way to Heaven, he ought to separate himself from everything that defiles—the world, the flesh, and the devil. 2. "These are the feasts of the Lord" (Lev. 23:4). These solemn feasts of Israel’s were not instituted by men. They were the provision of God for His people. Their purpose was two fold: reflective and prospective. In their observance, Israel was called upon to remember how God had blessed them in the past (Ex. 12:14); and to look forward to what He should do for them in the future through the first and second advents of the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 2:16, 17). The feasts were typical of spiritual realities and prophetical of things which should come to pass in God’s plan for man. 3. "Which ye shall proclaim in their seasons" (Lev. 23:4). Since these feasts were a “shadow of things to come,” their significant arrangement is not surprising. The first four feasts pre figure events related to the first com ing of Christ, namely, the Passover, the C r u c i f i x i o n (1 Cor. 5:7); Un leavened Bread, the Christian walk following salvation (1 Cor. 5:7, 8); First Fruits, the Resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:23); and the Feast of Pente cost, the Birth of the Church (1 Cor. 12:13).'The interval of four months between the first four and the last three feasts typifies the present dis pensation. Following are the three feasts picturing occurrences connected with Christ’s second advent, namely, the Feast of Trumpets, typifying the two phases of His coming, the Rapture and the Revelation (1 Thess. 4:16; Matt. 24:31); the Day of Atonement, foreshadowing-Israel’s national cleans ing (Zech. 12:9-13:1); and, finally, the Feast of Tabernacles, setting forth the Millennial Rest. (See Matt. 17:4.)
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