439
December, 1934
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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 B y E lmer L. W ilder Points and Problems By A lva J. M c C lain , Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio
fectly representing man to God; and the anointed King to rule for God upon the earth. But Andrew did hot stop with mere ly a declaration concerning Messiah. As every well-instructed worker would do, “he brought him [Peter] to Jesus”_ (v. 42). This action was the third step in Peter’s conversion. When a soul has been brought to Jesus, it can safely be left with Him. Then Jesus spoke a wonderful word of promise to Peter, and He is ready to give the same truth to each one who comes to Him. “Thou art,” He began—including all that Peter was by nature. Jesus knew Peter was a sinner, lost, ignorant, weak, vacillating, and altogether helpless in him self. But Jesus also said, “Thou shalt be” —including all that Peter would become— a saint, saved, instructed, strong, estab lished, and altogether powerful in Him who saved him. This is true conversion, a real transformation of the whole man. The change was not to be wholly mani fested at once, but life was immediately imparted, and that life continued to grow and increase, becoming more and more the power to transform Peter into the image of God’s own Son. Peter had been found by the Lord; and, in the Lord, Peter had found a Sin-Bearer for all his guilt, a Substitute for all that he was by nature, and a Saviour from all sin and distress to all holiness and delight. From that day, Peter became a disciple of Jesus. It is true he stumbled and failed; he was slow to learn and impetuous; but always he was making progress and draw ing closer and closer to the ideal God had for him. II. T he C all of P eter (M k . 1 :14-18). We must distinguish between the call to salvation and the call to service. In these verses from Mark, we find Peter’s call to service. The Lord graciously saves sin ners, making them saints; and then, just as graciously, He calls saints, making, them servants. John the Baptist had been imprisoned by Herod, who knew John was speaking for God, and Herod would attempt to si lence God by silencing His messenger. But man’s attempts to silence God are always futile. While John’s voice was hushed, Another took his place in Galilee, just where John had been preaching. And the new voice took up John’s message and pro claimed : “The kingdom of God is at hand” (vs. 14, 15). To John, the kingdom was at hand in the person of Another; but to Jesus, it was at hand in His own Person. This was the kingdom promised by the prophets. It was a literal kingdom where in distress and sorrow, danger and war, re bellion and unrighteousness, would find no place. This was gospel, or good news, to a world in turmoil and despair, and this good news was the “gospel of the king dom.” We know that the kingdom was rejected in the rejection of Jesus, the King, and that it is now held in abeyance until that King returns from heaven. In the meantime, “the gospel of the grace of
JANUARY 6, 1935 PETER’S CONVERSION AND CALL J ohn 1 :29-42; M ark 1 :14-39
Lesson Text: John 1:35-42; Mk. 1:14- 18. Golden Text: “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men” (Mk. 1 :17). Outline and Exposition I. T he C onversion of P eter (J ohn 1:35-42). T he present quarter’s lessons concern Peter and his Epistles. It is strongly recommended that each teacher se cure if possible a copy of the book, The Apostle Peter, by the late Dr. W. H. Grif fith Thomas, published by Revell Co. (Price $1.50). It is one of the best helps for this quarter’s lessons and will prove of great value to all who teach. Our lesson today presents several steps which led to Peter’s conversion. First, there was the testimony of John the Bap tist (vs. 35-37). The exclamation in verse 36 was John’s witness to the person of our Lord; in verse 29 he had borne wit ness to the Lord’s work. Jesus was the Lamb of God foretold by the prophets. They declared that He should come as the perfect Lamb without spot or blemish, as the sufficient Lamb with an acceptable sac rifice for the sins of the world, and as the only Lamb who could and would satisfy all the demands of God’s eternal justice. The testimony of John the Baptist con cerning the Lord’s person ,was given to Andrew and John. We are told that they heard it; then, that they followed Jesus, that they inquired of Jesus, and finally that they found Jesus to be the Messiah long waited for. This .series of events constituted the first step toward Peter’s conversion, although at the time he was wholly unaware of what was taking place. As these two men followed Jesus, the Lord turned and said to them, “What seek ye?” [This was Christ’s first word to His disciples, as “Follow thou me” was His last (John 21:22). His first question in His humiliation was, “What seek ye?” His first question in His resurrection was, “Whom seekest thou?” (John 20:15).] Their reply to His question revealed that they were dissatisfied with their religion, because it had become a set of forms only; they were dissatisfied with their leader, because John the Baptist had led them as far as he could go ; and they were dissatis fied with their conscience, because it gave no rest. They needed Jesus, and now that they had found Him, they would know of His teaching. Obeying His word, they “came and saw.” What recollections of that memorable night these two must have had ever afterwards! Andrew, one of these two, had a brother named Simon Peter (v. 40), and the real ity of Andrew’s conversion' is seen in his desire that his brother should receive what he himself had found. This desire became
the second step toward Peter’s conversion. Andrew’s testimony was brief and to the point: “We have found the Messias.” This was the One for whom all the Jews were looking. “Messiah” means “Christ,” or, as the Revised Version margin gives it, “Anointed.” There were three great anointings in the Old Testament, the pro phet, priest, and king. In the person of Jesus Christ, these three appear. He was God’s anointed Prophet, speaking the word of God to man; the anointed Priest, per- Powerless By I da K ays (An incident told by Rev. Addison Raws of Keswick Grove, New Jersey.) Once I bought my boy an engine That could circle round and round, For I knew he’d be so happy When his “ ’lectric train” he found. Like a boy myself, I set it Going, ’neath the Christmas tree— All my dignity forgotten As I watched in childish glee. Then it stopped. I tried to mend it, Turned it here and punched it there, But my knowledge of mechanics Found no trouble anywhere. I was disappointed sorely— As I knew the boy would be. Then I spied a glittering something • That had fallen from the tree. Surely that wee bit of tinsel On the rail, no harm had done, But I brushed it off—and presto— How that train began to run I But my smile of joy soon faded As I slowly turned the key. Through that incident of playtime, What a lesson came to me! Oh how many lives are useless— Standing still, or sliding back! Something foreign cuts the current— Maybe tinsel on the track. Just a bit of something shiny, Something harmless, in its place, But it makes all effort fruitless, There’s no power for the race. Track is smooth and train is ready, The machinery has no lack; You alone can find the trouble— Get the tinsel off the track. Then again your train goes speeding On the round the Master Hand Laid before you, on the mission That His love and wisdom planned.
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