Lord, He has become the Head or Prince of the New Creation composed of those who formerly were Greeks, Jews, cir cumcised, uncircumcised, Barbarians, Scythians, bondmen and freemen. Now they belong to Christ and these other distinctions ought to be eclipsed by con formity to His image. Helps for the Children All People May Be Friends John 4:4-14 Memory Verse: “Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4-11). The Jewish people hated the Samari tan people and refused to even walk through their land when they were trav eling from one part of Palestine to the other part. If a Jew wanted to insult another Jew he called him a Samaritan! One day the Lord Jesus, God’s Son, was traveling from one part of the Holy Land to another. He deliberately chose to go through the hated region of Sa maria. In one of the cities called Sychar, the Saviour became weary and sat upon the edge of a well, Jacob’s well. A Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well. The Lord Jesus said unto her, “ Give me to drink.” The woman was surprised at the Lord’s request and reminded Him that the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. The Sa viour told the woman of the living water that He could give to those who believe upon Him. He also told her some sins in her life that a stranger could not have known. She realized that this was no ordinary Man to whom she was talking. When the disciples returned from the city where they had gone to buy meat, they were amazed that their Lord was talking with this Samaritan woman. The woman left her water pot and went into the city to tell others of the wonderful Stranger to whom she had been talking. Many of the people believed upon the Lord Jesus because of the testimony of the Samaritan woman. Have you ever refused to speak to or sit next to a person because his or her skin was another color than yours, or because they did not have as much money as you, or because their clothing was different from that which you wore? Have you ever felt that God loved you better than those who spoke a different language than you, or those who did things differently from the way that you are accustomed to doing them? God’s love for all is exactly the same; He hates sin but loves each sinner. John said, “ Beloved if God so loved us we ought also to love one another” . His love can be your love when you know His Son!
Pointers on the Lesson H omer A. K ent , T h .D.
Helps fo r the Children A llison A rrowood
Lesson material is based upon out lines of the International Sunday School Lessons copyrighted by the International Council of Religious Education; used by permission.
September 2, 1951 ONE WORLD OF MANY PEOPLES John 4:4-14; Acts 10:25-28; Col. 3:11
How different were His actions from those of other Jews! Having aroused the woman’s interest, Jesus immediately proceeded to speak to her about spiritual things (v. 10). “ If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” Wonderful words are these! Jesus is the gift of God to sinful men and women. Have you received Him as such? The woman’s curiosity was by this time thor oughly stirred and she began to speak to Him about the depth of the well from which she drew water (w . 11,12). Prom this point Jesus directed the woman’s at tention from this literal well with its depth and water which brings only tem poral satisfaction, to the deep well of God’s infinite grace which supplies the cleansing of the new birth and continued satisfaction (w . 13, 14). Christ Offers Himself to Gentiles Acts 10: 25-28 Through the vision of the sheet let down from Heaven (w . 9-16), it had been made clear to Peter that the gospel was not to be limited only to the Jews. It was for men like Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and all other Gentiles for “ God is no respecter of persons” (v. 34). Before the vision the vanity of Peter might have been aroused when a great man like Cornelius bowed at his feet, “ and worshipped him” (v. 25). But now Peter realizes he is no better than Cor nelius. Both are weak men and need the same Saviour (v. 26). Peter realizes now that the message of the gospel is for all races of men. God makes no difference (v. 28). Christ Offers Himself to All Classes Col. 3:11 Through the saving ministries of our
Pointers on the Lesson Yes, it is true that the world in which we live is one world as far as spiritual need is concerned. Paul, on Mars’ hill, told his hearers that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). They were all made with spiritual na tures making it possible for them to fel lowship with God. But they all sinned and forfeited their spiritual rights. Thus every one in the world has need of the same Saviour. Without Him there is no salvation, no Heaven. With Him there is everything that the soul of man needs. This week’s lesson presents three types of people and shows that Christ is the answer to the need in each case. Christ Offers Himself to a Samaritan John 4: 4-14 Divine compulsion made it imperative that our Lord go through Samaria on His way to Galilee from Judea. “He must needs go through Samaria” (v. 4). The ordinary Jew refused to go through Samaria in making such a journey. Hatred for the Samaritans made him willing to take the less direct route through Perea on the eastern side of the Jordan. However, Jesus felt the ne cessity of passing through this rejected territory in order that He might deal with a woman who needed the water of life. Jacob’s well was the place where the Lord knew He would meet the ob ject of His concern (v. 6). Soon upon arrival there, a woman from nearby Sychar came at midday to draw water (v. 7). Jesus arrested her attention by making request for a drink of water. The woman was amazed that this Visitor should make such a request of her. She recognized, doubtless by His dress and accent, that He was a Jew and it was not customary for Jews to have dealings with Samaritans (v. 9). A U G U S T , 1 9 5 1
September 9, 1951 FELLOWSHIP IN THE CHURCH Phil. 1:27-2:11 Pointers on the Lesson
The Church is a fellowship of believ ers in Christ. It is the mystical body of Page Twenty-five
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