ADULT
Bible Class
March, April, May 2015
SPRING QUARTER
Vol. CI
No. 2
Adult
Bible Class
SPRING QUARTER
March, April, May 2015
The Spirit Comes
UNIT I: The Pledge of God’s Presence
Mar. 1—The Lamb of God—John 1:29-34......................................................................... 2
Mar. 8—The Promise of a Comforter—John 14:15-26..................................................... 7
Mar. 15—The Spirit of Truth—John 16:4-15........................................................................ 12
Mar. 22—Receive the Holy Spirit—John 20:19-23 ............................................................. 17
Mar. 29—Coming in the Name of the Lord—Mark 11:1-11 ............................................... 22
UNIT II: The Community of Beloved Disciples
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
May
5—Resurrection Guaranteed (Easter)—I Cor. 15:1-11, 20-22.................................
12—Love One Another—I John 3:11-24 .....................................................................
19—Believe God’s Love—I John 4:13—5:5.................................................................
26—Watch Out for Deceivers!—II John 1:1-13 ..........................................................
3—Coworkers with the Truth—III John 1:1-14.........................................................
May
May
May
May
10—Gifts of the Spirit—I Cor. 12:1-11.........................................................................
17—Members of One Body—I Cor. 12:14-31 .............................................................
24—Gift of Languages—Acts 2:1-7, 12; I Cor. 14:13-19 ............................................
31—The Greatest Gift Is Love—I Cor. 13:1-13 ...........................................................
Paragraphs on Places and People......................................................................
Daily Bible Readings.............................................................................................
27
31
35
39
43
UNIT III: Woven Together in Love
Editor in Chief: Grace M. Todd
47
51
55
59
63
64
Edited and published quarterly by
THE INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF THE
GOSPEL WORKER SOCIETY
UNION GOSPEL PRESS DIVISION
Rev. W. B. Musselman, Founder
Price: $2.45 per quarter*
$9.60 per year*
*shipping and handling extra
ISBN 978-1-59843-342-5
Lessons based on International Sunday School Lessons; the International Bible Lessons
for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2011 by the Committee on the Uniform Series and used
with permission. Edited and published quarterly by The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel
Worker Society, Union Gospel Press Division, 2000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio
44109-5812. Mailing address: P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio 44101-1059. www.union
gospelpress.com
LESSON 1
MARCH 1, 2015
Scripture Lesson Text
JOHN 1:29 The next day John
seeth Je⬘sus coming unto him, and
saith, Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the
world.
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
31 And I knew him not: but that he
should be made manifest to Is⬘ra-el,
therefore am I come baptizing with
water.
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spir⬘it descending
from heaven like a dove, and it
abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that
sent me to baptize with water, the
same said unto me, Upon whom
thou shalt see the Spir⬘it descending, and remaining on him, the same
is he which baptizeth with the Ho⬘ly
Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record
that this is the Son of God.
NOTES
2
The Lamb of God
Lesson: John 1:29-34
Read: John 1:29-37
TIME: A.D. 26
PLACE: east of Jordan
GOLDEN TEXT—“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Lesson Exposition
JOHN’S PROCLAMATION
CONCERNING JESUS—John 1:29-31
The Lamb of God (John 1:29).
John the Baptist’s ministry had attracted such widespread attention
that the Jewish religious authorities
sent a delegation from Jerusalem to
ask him who he was. He told them he
was a voice crying in the wilderness,
calling people to prepare the way for
the Lord (vss. 20-23). He baptized only
to prepare them for One greater than
himself.
The day after this inquiry, Jesus Himself arrived at the place east of the Jordan where John was baptizing (John
1:28). Seeing Him coming, John announced, “Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world”
(vs. 29). Our passage makes it clear
that this was not the first time John had
seen Jesus. He had already been baptized (cf. vss. 32-33), so this may have
occurred just after Jesus was tempted
by Satan.
John’s identification of Jesus as the
sin-bearing Lamb of God shows his intimate understanding of Old Testament
history, law, and prophecy. The
Passover lamb set the pattern, substituting for the firstborn sons of Israel
Adult Bible Class
when those of Egypt were struck dead
(Exod. 12:3-13). Lambs were offered
as guilt and sin offerings in the cleansing ritual for leprosy (Lev. 14:10-12,
19). And Isaiah foretold the Suffering
Servant as a lamb led to the slaughter
as He died for sin (Isa. 53:1-8).
Unlike Old Testament sacrifices,
which only postponed judgment for
sin, Jesus died to take them away.
Levitical priests offered sacrifices daily, year after year, because they could
not remove sin. But Jesus’ sacrifice of
Himself was singular and final because He bore it away (cf. Heb. 10:1012).
Although Jesus died to remove individual sins, John used the singular
term to emphasize the collective
weight of guilt that rests on mankind.
Only the divine Lamb could lift this burden from human shoulders. Furthermore, He has done this for the whole
world, not just for Israel, as the previous sin offerings were.
The One greater than John (John
1:30-31). In introducing Jesus, John
also said that although He appeared
on the scene after him, He was “preferred before [him]: for he was before
[him].” Jesus’ appearance was the an3