February, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 65 INTERNAT IONAL LESSON Commentary Outline and Exposition Blackboard Lesson Children’s Division Golden Text Illustration Object Lesson B y B. B. S utcliffe B y G retchen S ibley B y H ilih G ailey ^ B y A lan S. P earce B y E lmer L. W ilder Points and Problems B y A lva J. M c C lain , Dean, Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio
MARCH 7, 1937 LIFE HERE AND HEREAFTER THROUGH CHRIST J ohn 14:1 to 15:27
During all the period of His earthly min istry, the words which He spoke and the works He performed were the words and works of the Father. It is wicked unbelief and rebellion that denies to Jesus Christ the reverence that is due Him as very God of very God. III. T he L ord ’ s P rovision for H is O wn (12-15) 1 .H e provides for power in their serv ice (v. 12). The Lord Jesus Christ declared: “ He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” The meaning might be stated thus: “The works that I am doing, shall ye do also” ; that is, in the present dispensation, instead of Christ’s working directly, as He did in the days of His ministry on earth, He will accomplish His will through the instru mentality of those who believe on Him. Probably outstanding in the disciples’ mem ories were such mighty acts as Christ’s feeding of the multitudes, His healing of the afflicted, His ruling of the powers of nature, each resulting in physical benefit. The Lord asserted that because of His going to the Father, and the consequent sending forth of the Holy Spirit, greater works than these would be done—greater in that spiritual works are superior to either physi cal or psychical benefits. 2. He provides for answers to their prayers (vs. 13, 14). The twice-repeated expression, “ in my name,” carries the secret of all answered prayer. It must be bounded by a right motive (cf. Jas. 4:3), by the knowledge of God’s will (cf. 1 John 5:14, 15), and by the desire for the obtainment of nothing less than the glory of God. Within the scope of these requirements there is unlimited choice of petition—“Whatsoever ye shall ask” ; there is unlimited authority—“ in my name,” and there is unlimited power— “that will I do.” The purpose of prayer will be “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” ■ 3 . H e provides for a life pleasing to Him (v. 15). “ If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Here is pictured the obedience that springs from love. Love that transcends all per sonal demands, even in matters of spiritual growth, love that rejoices only in the pleas ure of its object—this is the love of God in the believer’s heart. "Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1). The reader should compare this tender command with the statement in John 13:21, "Jesus . . . was troubled in spirjt.” Our Lord was troubled in spirit, not because of any fear of physical suffer ing, but as He began to sense the awful Points and Problems 1.
Lesson Text: John 14:1-15. Golden Text: “ 1 am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Outline and Exposition I. T he L ord ’ s C omfort for H is O wn (1-3) C onsidered in the light of what our Lord knew would occur, His words, “ Let not your heart be troubled,” constitute a most surprising exhortation. One of the disciples would openly deny Him, one would cravenly betray Him, and all would forsake Him in His hour of need. The Lord Jesus knew that for them to possess untroubled hearts would require the exercise of great faith; there fore He added the command: “ Ye believe in God, believe also in me.” T o recognize that Christ is God, the Second Person of the Trinity, the One “ who knew no sin” but was “made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21, R.V.), re sults in the believer’s receiving both strength for every burden and “ the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” The Lord Jesus Christ comforted His followers by speaking of the place of their future abode: “my Father’s house” (v. 2). And in that “ house” He Himself would be the Architect, Furnisher, and Decorator. Moreover, He sought to cheer His people with the thought of His coming again (v. 3). His return is as certain as was His departure— “I f I go . . . I will come again.” (A helpful exercise is to trace the “ ifs” in this lesson: “I f I go . . . I will come again” ; “ I f ye had known me, ye should have known my Father” ; “I f ye shall ask . . . I will do” ; “I f ye love me, keep my commandments.” ) The disciples’ hope was to be centered upon Christ’s re turn—His personal reappearance. That hope was not that they would gain heaven at last, but that they would be reunited with this Person whom they loved; heaven could never be enjoyed apart from Him. And this was to be their daily hope, be cause He set no time for His return. II. T he L ord ’ s I nstruction for H is O wn (4-11) Perhaps desiring to draw from His fol- [These lessons are developed from out lines prepared by the Committee on Im proved Uniform Lessons of the International Council. The outlines are copyrighted, 1934, by the International Council of Religious Education and used by permission .— E ditor .]
lowers an expression concerning who He was, the Lord Jesus Christ made the dec laration: “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” (v. 4). At once Thomas said: “We know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” Thomas sets a good example for all disciples in that he was unafraid to express his igno rance in the presence of the Lord. Thomas did know the fact which Jesus had stated, but he did not understand. In answer to Thomas’ question, “ How can we know the way?” our Lord uttered one of the most profound truths of Scripture: “ I am the way, the truth, and the life” (v. 6). He is, first of all, “the way.” To be separated from Him as the Way is to be in the path to eternal ruin. He is also the Truth. No one knows truth apart from Him. And He is Life, because He is one with God in whom all life abides. No one can live apart from or without Him. Hence, in the very nature of the case, no one can go to the Father but by Him. In this saying our Lord condemns every man, as He implies that every man is away from the Father; He corrects a universal error that man can find his own way to the Father by obeying the dictates of his conscience or by keeping the law; and He consoles man by present ing Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Christ is the manifestation of the Father (vs. 7-11). He clearly announced, “ If ye had known me,” that is, if they had rec ognized Him for what He really was, “ye should have known my Father.” It is only in the measure in which we recognize Christ as God that we shall ever know the Father. The Father is revealed—as far as His Person is concerned—not in nature, or history, or science, but in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in Him alone. In Christ is the Father manifested. T o Philip’s plea, the Lord Jesus answered: “ He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” A oneness of essence, authority, and being exists between Jesus and the Father. All the attributes of deity belong to our Lord Jesus Christ. His divine nature was not set aside or abrogated when, to effect the redemption of a sinful race, He assumed humanity. BLACKBOARD LESSON
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