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
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