13»
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
April, 1935
INTERNATIONAL LESSON Commentary Outline and Exposition Blackboard Lesson Children’s Division Golden Text Illustration Object Lesson. B y B. B. S utcliffe B y B essie B. B urch B y H elen G ailey B y A lan S. P earce 15 y H lm er B. W ilder Points and Problems B y A lva J. M c C lain , Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio
neck, and kissed him.” :) There was no painful aloofness, no word of rebuke. In the reception of the son, grace is shown in the father’s dealings (vs. 21-23). There was no obligation resting upon the father to do anything for this boy, but there was a love in the father’s heart which must be satisfied, and out of that love came the gracious dealing. The reception was full and complete (v. 24). The father explained the cause o f his thanksgiving: “This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” This was all that mattered 1 Neighbers and friends were invited to join in the happy reunion, “and they began to be merry.” This lesson makes plain the fact that while it may be true in nature that “the bird with a broken pinion never soars so high again,” it is not true in grace . , Points and Problems The subject of this lesson is “ Sin, Re pentance, and Faith.” Since “repentance” and “ faith” are two elements in that change which is called “conversion,” it may be profitable to discuss the three briefly. 1. Faith is not mere intellectual assent to some proposition, although it certainly includes intellectual assent. Nor is faith a kind o f meritorious work, as Romanism would have us believe. Neither is it a kind o f mystical grace which God im parts to the soul. Faith is simply a way of receiving salvation and blessing from God through Jesus Christ (John 3 :36 ; Eph. 2:8 ). Faith, as the Bechuana tribesman put it, is the hand o f the heart. God says, I give. Faith answers, I take. . 2. Repentance means literally a “change of mind”—not merely a change of opinion, but a change in the mind itself. This change of mind is away from sin (Rev. 9:21), and toward God (Acts 20:21). 3. Conversion means literally to “turn about.” It also has both a negative and a positive aspect : away from sin (Acts 3 : 26), and toward God (Acts 9:35). 4. Faith, repentance, and conversion are not three steps which the sinner must take in order to he saved. They are rather three aspects j of one supreme act of the soul in receiving salvation from the hand of God. Notice the condition o f the sin ner: He is without life; his mind is set against God ; and he is walking away from God. Notice what he does to be saved; when he hears the gospel message: He changes his mind about himself, his sin, God, and Christ (repentance) ; he turns! about, away from sin and toward God (conversion),; he takes the gift o f eternal life in Christ (faith). All this, o f course, is accomplished only by the power of the Holy Spirit. 5. Because in Christianity these three are inseparable, aspects o f one act, and be cause faith is the more comprehensive, often in the New Testament, faith is made the sole condition of salvation. No one can truly believe on Christ without changing the mind and turning about. [Continued on page 142]
MAY 5, 1935 SIN, REPENTANCE, AND FAITH G enesis 3:1-24; I saiah 1 :10-20; M ark 2:1-12; L uke 15:11-24; A cts 2:32-39; R omans 1:18-32; 3:10-18; 5:1-11
Lesson T ext: Lk. 15:11-24. Golden T ext: “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us_ our sins, and to cleanse us from all unright eousness” (1 John 1 :9). Outline and Exposition I. T he R ejection of the F ather (11-13). T h e request o f the son (vs. 11, 12) was prompted by the desire for inde pendence. His speech was a mani festation o f self-will which wishes to be without restraint. This desire for uncon trolled liberty, which is found in every hu man heart, springs from the original sin of Adam. It was revealed at the tower of Babel and at the cross of Calvary; and, in the final analysis, it is the source of all the evil in the world. But there is no such thing as independence; we are ruled either by the Lord or by Satan. Our desire for so-called freedom must be controlled by God, through a hearty surrender o f the individual to the Lord; or else that long ing will lead to wickedness inspired of Satan. The departure o f the son from the fa ther’s house (v. 13) followed shortly after the inheritance was divided. The youth was eager to be free from the restraints imposed upon him under his father’s roof. In our meditation upon this scripture, we will be reminded of that sorrow which came to the father’s heart as he saw his boy depart and knew, no doubt, the vicious path that lay ahead. But o f the parent’s grief, the boy did not think; to him, the fulfillment o f his selfish desires was his chief concern. Let the incident re call to our minds the depth of God’s sorrow over the sinner and his rebellious ways. Thinking only o f pursuing pleasure, the son “wasted his substance with riotous living.” Ignoring all the lessons taught in his home, he plunged into the sinful life of the far country; and as long as his money lasted, he had friends. Doubtless he thought these companions would be his friends also when his money was gone. He had not learned that both the pleasures of the world and the friends in the world continue only for a season. When they are gone, bitter remorse follows. It is difficult for any one to learn this lesson, except in the hard school o f experience. II. T he R eturn to the F ather (14-20). 1. There was a recognition o f his state (vs. 14-17). The son “began to be in want.” “Want” is the common characteristic of the world —even the world at its best. History and experience, as well as Scripture, declare that “ under the sun . . . all is vanity” (cf. Eccl. 1 :14; 2:11, 17). And the “want” leads to slavery. No one can live in sin without being ensnared. But no one is obliged to be a slave of sin if he will accept the means o f liberation. Each person must
choose whether he will be the servant of God, or of Satan. Satan brings his victims to want, distress, and despair; the Lord gives to His followers the supply for every need, joy in living, and the experience of contentment and peace (cf. John 8:34-36). There are some individuals who say that God is unjust in allowing any one to come to the sad state in which this boy found himself. But these complainants forget, or else they do not know, that in the case of this son there is an illustration o f the truth that “the goodness of God leadeth . . . to repentance” (cf. Rom. 2 :4 ; Psa. 107:8-14; Jonah 1:3, 17; 2:1-9). 2. There was a resolve in his mind (vs. 18, 19). When at last the son looked facts in the face, he recognized that the distress of his condition was the result of his own doing. He felt he was not worthy to be called his father’s son, although what he felt did not change in the slightest degree the re lationship. between himself and his father. The boy’s•repentance was deep and poig nant. He realized that he had sinned against his earthly father and against heaven. He resolved to return to his father, to make confession of his wrong doing, and to be content to be counted merely as one of his father’s hired serv ants. 3. There Was the action of his will (v. 20). All sorrow for sin, however deep, and all self-accusations, however true, can never take the place of action. This repent ant boy “arose, and came to his father.” Satan would have us believe that thinking of our evil ways and sorrowing over them is sufficient for their cleansing. But the desired restoration to fellowship with the Father is never realized until the thoughts of the mind are translated into action. True repentance is revealed in a positive forsaking of the world, and a quick return to the Father, with confession welling up from the heart "and overflowing from the lips.; III. T he R eception by the F ather (20-24). The father’s welcome of his returning son shows the tenderness of the father’s heart o f love. “His father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his BLACKBOARD LESSON
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker