King's Business - 1954-03

— BROW»— ” Training Youth to hive Since 1919” John Brown University Siloam Springs, Arkansas Education for "Head, Heart and Hand" Also, Academy Division: 1Oth, 11th, 12th grades Brown Military Academy San Diego 9, California Junior High — Senior High — Junior College Junior School — 1st thru 6th grades Southern California Military Academy Long Beach 6, California Pre-Kindergarten thru 9th grade Brown School For Girls Glendora, California 1st Grade thru High School WRITE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON HELPS Homer A. Kent, Th.D. • Allison Arrowood (children) Lesson material is based upon outlines of the International Sunday School lessons copyrighted by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. April 4, 1954 Intercessory Prayer John 17:9-23 Pointers on the Lesson that His headship may be recognized in the entire body. And, secondly, He prays that one day the church may “be with me where I am” (v. 24). The expression I will in the latter verse is a very strong assertion and means 1 determine, 1 pur­ pose. (cp. John 10:27-29.) When Christ wills that His followers shall be with Him one day to behold His full glory, it is as good as accomplished already. The Chris­ tian has a glorious prospect awaiting him!

John 17 has been called the H oly of Holies of the Gospels. In it we hear our Lord in audible prayer with His Father. This truly deserves to he called the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer which is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6 ), should more correctly be called the Disciples’ Prayer for Jesus gave it to His followers to qse. The prayer that we study today is really the only full prayer of Jesus we have, and thus it is the finest ex­ ample of prayer, and deserves our most careful study. It naturally divides into three parts: (1) Jesus praying for H im ­ self (1 -8 ); (2) Jesus praying for His disciples (9-19 ); and (3) Jesus praying for His future church (20-26). Our les­ son is taken from the latter two divisions of the prayer. Jesus Praying for His Disciples vv. 9-19 Jesus in this section expresses tremen­ dous concern for His own. The key word in the section is keep. His disciples are in a hostile world. They have great need to be kept from sin and to he fully dedi­ cated to His service. See the petition of v. 11— “Holy Father, keep . . . those whom thou hast given me.” In w . 12-15 He tells the Father that while He had been among them on earth He had kept them but now He was going again to heaven- and He prays that “thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” To this end He prays also that they may be sancti­ fied by the Word of God (v. 17) so that they will demonstrate before the world their pilgrim character. The high respon­ sibility that belongs to the followers of Christ is set forth in w . 18 and 19. As Christ was sent into the world on a mission of salvation so H is disciples have also been sent by Christ to bear witness to the salvation He has provided. For their welfare, and in order that they might have a gospel to proclaim, Christ sanctified [separated] Himself even unto the atoning work of the cross. Jesus Praying for Future Believers vv. 20-23 As He prayed our Lord was able to look down the vista of the centuries and see all those whp would believe on Him through the Word of the Gospel. What was His burden for them? Including verse 24, there is a twofold desire He has for them: first, He prays “that they all may be one, as we are” (v. 2 1). (Also in w . 22 and 23.) He was not thinking of denominational unity but of the unity resulting from the reign of the Holy Spir­ it in the heart of God’s children drawing them together as one great family. It was a unity based upon the cardinal doc­ trines of the Christian faith. The true church is one body and our Lord desires

Helps for the Children Jesus Prayed for His Friends John 17 Memory Verse: "Pray one for another" (James 5:16b). The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, often talked with His Father in heaven while He was upon the earth. Some of our Lord’s prayers are written in God’s Word to teach us how we should pray. One of the most precious prayers that we find was the one that the Lord Jesus prayed just before His death upon the cross for our sins. This was His last prayer for His disciples. Even though this prayer came from our Lord’s lips more than one thousand years ago, it includes each one who belongs to H im today! The Lord Jesus prayed for those who were His disciples then and for all of those who would receive Him as their Saviour in later years. The Saviour said that even as God had sent Him- into the world, He was send­ ing His children into the world to tell others of His love for them. He prayed that His children might love others as much as He loves each of them. Although the Lord Jesus knew the suffering that was soon to be His, He prayed for oth­ ers, not for Himself. The prayers of many who know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour are selfish prayers today. They pray for their needs and their desires and for their own fam­ ily or their own church or their own nation. If God’s Son needed to pray oft­ en, we who know H im as Saviour need to pray often. If our prayers are to be well-pleasing to God, they should be the same kind of prayers which the Lord Jesus prayed. Since His prayers were for others, God is pleased when we pray for others as well as for ourselves. His Word commands us to “pray one for another.” April 11, 1954 Jesus Gives His Life John 19:17-30 Pointers on the Lesson The death of the Lord Jesus Christ was a unique death. There has never been any death like it. It was no mere man who died upon the cross. It was incarnate deity that gave Himself in supreme sac­ rifice. He who knew no sin was made sin for us there (2 Cor. 5 :2 1 ). Realizing the holy purpose which was being ful-

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THE KING'S BUSINESS

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