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January, I93S
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
shape o f a cross in front, and an opening jn the back to allow the light to shine through. This jar is filled with red gaso line. The lampblack and bulletin red can be secured in tubes at a paint store.) Lesson: These jars are very much like people. While the hearts are clear, they do not long remain so. (Drop two or three drops o f black gasoline into the jar o f gasoline, and several drops o f ink into the jar o f water.) One is a little darker than the other, but they both remind us o f hearts in which there is sin. “AH have sinned, and come short o f the glory of God.” But all do not have the same attitude toward _ God’s plan for cleansing from sin. Neither do these two jars have the same attitude toward this jar with the red cross. This jar reminds us o f Christ,, o f the cross of Calvary, and o f the blood w;hich He shed in order that the heart might be cleansed. I pour the red fluid into this ja r; the heart is stirred, but is not cleansed. (The water forces the gasoline to the top, above the outline o f the heart.) Many people are like this jar. When they hear about Christ and His death for them, they are stirred, but they do not accept Him and allow His blood to cleanse from sin, _ This other jar is different It receives the red fluid. As you now look at the heart you do not see the black. It is this way when God looks at our hearts after we have accepted Christ—He sees only the blood o f Christ It is only by the blood o f Christ that we are cleansed from sin. When we come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, we are made “whiter than snow.” After that experience, there is also daily cleansing and forgiveness provided in the same pre cious blood o f Christ It was by means o f this cleansing that Peter was restored to fellowship with God after he had sinned in denying Christ, and it is in this way that God restores all who will let Christ cleanse them from sin. been foretold by the prophets, who had declared that when Messiah was come, such evidences would be the_ signs by which He would prove His claims. Peter declared that Jesus had so completely ful filled these prophecies that, beyond perad- venture, He was the promised Messiah. Furthermore, Jesus had been approved according to the Scriptures (vs. 23-28). The death o f Jesus was no surprise to God; it was by His determinate counsel and foreknowledge that the Son was de livered up to die. God foreknew, and had foretold in the Scriptures, just what would occur when Messiah should come to earth. W e must be sure that we see where the responsibility rested; the nation was accused o f the death of the Messiah. The fact that God foreknew and foretold what would happen did not relieve from responsibility those men who fulfilled the BLACKBOARD LESSON
beside “a fire o f coals” (18:18), and now his complete restoration takes place beside another “fire o f coals'' (2 1 :9) ? I have an idea that all the while they were eating that morning meal the “fire o f coals” was shout ing at Peter, “ Coward and denier 1” 5. Notice the name used by the Lord three times in addressing him— "Simon . . . Simon . . . Simon." Not once does He say, “ Peter.” It is doubtless to remind him that he has not lived up to the new name, Peter, which means “rock.” 6. Certainly in “ Lovest thou me more than these?” we should see a very search ing reminder o f the boastful superiority Peter had recently claimed over his fellow disciples (Mk. 14:29). Golden Text Illustration When Frank Higgins, the lumberjack “ sky pilot,” was taken sick and plans were made to take him to the city hospital, the big fellows he had led to Christ held a consultation and decided to send one of their number along with him to be o f any service possible, for they loved the man who had taught them to love the Lord. The man chosen was a big, oversized fel low, decidedly out o f place in the hospital as he stood around in the corridors wait ing to be o f some use to Frank. When the time for the operation arrived, he asked the privilege o f speaking with the man he loved before the operation was performed, and this is what he said: “ Frank, you know we love you and want to help you; now while the doctors are operating, I will be at your door f and, Frank, if the doctors find that they need a quart o f blood or a piece of bone or skin, they can have every drop o f blood or every bone in this body; now don’t forget, I will be at the door.” Have we said as much as that to Him who saved us from hell by the death on the cross?— Friends o f Russia. When Jesus Helped Peter Try Again J ohn 21 :l-23 Memory Verse: “ Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee” (John 21:17). Approach: You remember how sorry and ashamed Peter was in our last story. He had believed himself to be so strong
things over until they were more mixed up than ever. At last Peter said: “ I go a fishing.” All night they fished, but they caught nothing. When morning came, Jesus stood on the shore. Still nothing happened until they obeyed His command to let down the net. Then, as soon as they did as He told them, their net was full. As Jesus talked with the disciples, He turned to Peter and said: “ Peter, . . . lovest thou me?” Peter hadn’t shown that he loved Jesus. But Peter was sorry, and besides, he knew that Jesus knows our deepest thoughts, and in his heart Peter truly loved Jesus. Three times Jesus asked Peter, and three times Peter answered: “Yea, L ord; thou knowest that I love thee.” Then Jesus knew He could trust Peter to work for Him, and so He said: “ Feed my sheep.”
Object Lesson R estoring F ellowship
Objects: Three half-pint jars, black ink, a small amount o f gasoline strongly colored with lampblack ground in oil, and a half pint of gasoline strongly colored with bulletin red ground in oil. (Paint the outline o f a heart on two of the jars. Fill one of them two-thirds full of gaso line, and the other with the same amount o f water. Paint the third jar solid gray, with the exception o f an opening the Lesson T ext: Acts 2:22-28, 36-41. Golden T ext: “Then Peter said unto them* Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Outline and Exposition I. T he A rgument of P eter ’ s S ermon (22-28). I t should be noted that in this sermon, as in all the early chapters of the book o f the Acts, the preaching was to the Jews as a nation. While the nation, as such, refused to accept the message, there were certain individuals who did receive it. These individuals composed the church, and the full revelation of the character and mission o f the church was to be given when the message to the nation had ceased to be given. Unless we recognize the na tional character of the message,_ as well as its rejection by the nation and its recep tion by individuals in the nation, we shall become confused in thinking our way through these chapters o f the Acts. Peter reminded his hearers that “Jesus of Nazareth” had been “approved o f God” among them (v. 22). The approval of God was seen in the “miracles and won ders and signs, which God did by him.” These manifestations of divine power had
FEBRUARY 10, 1935 PETER PREACHES A T PENTECOST A cts 2
and brave and faith ful. But how weak and cowardly and faithless he proved to be when he should have shown himself to be Jesus’ friend! Y o u m i g h t think from this that Jesus would never trust Peter to work- for Him again. But the Lord Jesus is ever
ready to forgive and let us try once more, if we are truly sorry, as our story today tells us. Lesson Story: After Jesus arose from the dead, He showed Himself several times to His' disciples. They needed to know that He had indeed risen as He had said He would. He must prepare them, too, to do His work after He should go back to heaven. How strange all that had happened seemed to the disciples 1 It was hard for them to understand. Was Jesus really dead? And yet was He really alive again? Was Jesus about to leave them again? Were they no longer to follow Him over the countryside as He preached to the people? The disciples talked all of these
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