greatest service to the race, which also required the greatest degree of humilia tion was His provision o f a ransom for man’s guilt. The word ransom as used in New Testament days referred to the price paid for a slave who was after wards set free by the one who bought him. It cost Jesus the experience of Calvary to liberate the slaves o f sin. In this passage, the substitutionary d e a t h of Jesus Christ is illustrated clearly. C hrist C ame to be a S ympathetic H igh P riest (H eb . 4:15, 16) Because th e r e is su ch an One in Heaven as Christ, who understands all about our needs, and who is able to help us in every difficult circumstance, we ought to come boldly into His presence to find the help we need so much in our daily experience. The exhortation in verse 16 is to the effect that we ought to “ keep on coming to” our High Priest as needs arise. He is never weary of our coming. Helps for the Children How J esus C hanged P eople ’ s L ives (L uke 19:1-10) M emory verse : “ The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Zacchaeus was the chief among the publicans; he was wealthy, but he had few friends and many enemies. Outward ly, he had much to make him happy; inwardly, his heart was filled with sin and unhappiness. One day the Lord Jesus v i s i t e d Jericho, the town where Zacchaeus lived. Because Zacchaeus was short of stature, he was unable to see the Lord as He walked down the crowded street. Quickly the publican climbed up into a sycamore tree, little thinking that the Saviour would know that he was there. As Jesus came to the tree, He stopped and said, “ Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.” The crowds were surprised that Jesus would visit a man who was so hated for his deeds. But Zacchaeus needed the Saviour, and Jesus had come to seek and to save those who were lost in sin. Zacchaeus received Him as his qwn Saviour, and that very day his life was changed. Immediately he gave half of his goods to the poor, and returned to the people four times as much money as he had collected from them dishon estly. What a change comes into the lives of those who meet the Lord Jesus! Sin and hatred are removed from their hearts, and God’s righteousness and love take their place. Have you ever met the Lord Jesus? What was the result? Did you go on your way without inviting Him into your home, and into your heart? Or did you receive Him as your Saviour, and let Him change your heart and your life? T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
FEBRUARY 1, 1948 THE PURPOSE OF JESUS' LIFE ISA. 53:4-6; M a t t . 1 :21 ; 5 :17 ; 20:26-28; H eb . 4:15 ,16 Pointers on the Lesson
C hrist C ame to F ulfill the L aw (M att . 5 :17) Christ destroys nothing that is good, and we know that the law is holy, just and good (Rom. 7:12). Christ came to fill full the law, that is, He came to manifest its deepest meaning by the life He lived and through His sacrifice at Calvary to show the end toward which
No one ever had such a purpose in life as did Jesus. It is true that among ordinary men some very high and noble purposes control them in their daily lives. There are doctors who have as their supreme purpose the alleviation of the physical ills of men, which is _a worthy motive. There are lawyers whose highest aim is that justice may be ex ecuted upon those who become entangled in the meshes of the law.. Doubtless in every earthly calling there are those who labor with noble intentions. But when compared with the purpose which moti vated the Son of God, all of these incen tives pale into insignificance. His reason for coming into the world was unique, alone, with the glory of heaven all about it. His was a redemptive purpose. The five passages of Scripture selected for this week’s lesson set forth this redemp tive purpose, which resembles a diamond with many sparkling facets. C hrist C ame to B ear M an ’ s I niquity (I sa . 53:4-6) . The importance o f this passage is evi dent from the fact that every writer in the New Testament, except James and Jude, makes reference to these verses, linking them to Christ. The word borne in verse 4 literally means to carry as an infant in arms. It expresses the thought of lifting, taking up, and conveying away, as in carrying a burden. The word griefs in this same verse iiterally means sicknesses. How did Christ bear man’s sicknesses? Matthew 8:17 shows that one way in which He did it was by healing the diseased. Then, too, He did it by dealing with the sin problem at Cal vary, which is the indirect cause of all sickness. The same love and compassion which led Christ into the ministry of healing disease also led Him to His sacrificial work at Calvary. This latter ministry, o f course, is the basis for His dealing in grace with men at all times. Man’s sin was laid on Christ (v. 6 ), hence God can now deal in mercy and loving-kindness with the sinner. C hrist C ame to be a S aviour (M att . 1:21) There were so-called saviours in Old Testament times. Joshua was such a saviour, for that is what his name means. In fact, it is the Hebrew from which the word Jesus comes. Through the power o f God, Joshua was enabled to save Israel from their wanderings in the wilderness and from their enemies in the land of Canaan. Then, in the days of the judges, the Lord raised up other saviours who delivered Israel out of the hands of their enemies (Judg. 2:16). But in the unique sense of being a Saviour from sin, only the Son of God qualifies for the title; no human being could ever fulfill a purpose like this; Page Twenty-two
Pointers on the Lesson H omer A. K ent , Th.M. Helps for the Children A llison A rrowood
Lesson material is based upon outlines of the International Sunday School Les sons, copyrighted by the International Council o f Religious Education; used by permission.
the ceremonial law pointed. Christ kept the law for man who could not keep it. Thus those who are “ in Christ” re ceive the blessing of His fulfillment. God sees them as though they had kept it also. C hrist C ame to M inister to M an ’ s D eepest N eed (M att . 20:26-28) The word minister implies service. The word deacon comes from the same root. There was no service too humble for Jesus in His work for man. His
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker