Elementary Sunday School Lesson                                                                                    Thomas Griffin, Pastor

                                                                                                                                       Jordan Baptist Church

                                                                                                                                                              Copied

=BOOKS OF THE BIBLE=

Lesson 48

Galatians

Objects to have:

The sign for this new Bible book:  GALATIANS

   Trust Jesus

Chalk and chalkboard

Writing paper and pen

A cross

A piece of fabric, like a heavy drape

Your Bible.

Introducing the lesson:

(Teacher, pretend that you are Paul; tell the children who you are.  Tell them that you have just heard some sad news from other churches.  Show them by drawing a simple line map on the chalkboard where Galatia is located.  Tell the children there were many churches in Galatia.  Paul had been there, had told the people how to have faith in Christ, and they had trusted Jesus.

(Pick up paper and pen, telling the children that you want to write to the people in Galatia.  Write DEAR GALATIANS in large letters at the top of the paper.  Explain to the children that Paul was writing this letter himself.  Paul could not see very well, and when he wrote, he had to write in large letters so that he could see what he was writing.  Paul wanted so much to write to the Galatians that he could not wait for someone to come to write the letter for him.

(Pretend to be writing the letter while saying the following:)  I, Paul, am writing this letter to you myself.  It is important that I write this letter to you.  You need to be reminded of some things.  I need to tell you again about a very important day.  You seem to have forgotten what happened on that day.  Please read this letter carefully.

(Lay down the letter and pen.)  In the letter to the Galatians, Paul told them to remember a true story.  Listen to the story that Paul told them to remember:

Telling the story:

What a large crowd of people there was!  The people were in a huge building where the governor’s office was.  The governor was there in a very large room with a great crowd of people.  One Man was standing in the front of the room with the governor.  It was Jesus Who was standing there.  Pilate the governor was saying to the people, “What do you want me to do with Jesus?”

The crowd of people shouted, “Command that He be killed!”

“Why, what has He done?” asked Pilate, the governor.  The people could not really say anything wrong against Jesus.  A lot of the people just did not like Him because He told them about their sins.  The priests in the temple did not like Jesus; they wanted to get rid of Jesus.  Pilate tried to argue with the people, but no one listened to him.  Finally Pilate just gave up and said, “All right.  You may take Jesus.  You may crucify Him.”  Pilate ordered the soldiers to take Jesus away.

The soldiers took Jesus to another big room in the building.  They got a big whip and whipped Jesus.  They made fun of Jesus.  They put someone else’s clothes on Him. 

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From a bush outside they got some long thorns.  They took the long thorns and made a crown of them.  They pushed the crown of thorns down over Jesus’ head until it was torn and bleeding.  They spit on Jesus.  They called out bad things to Jesus.  Then they led Jesus away.

(Hold up your cross.)  Someone had chopped down a tree.  They had split and chopped the tall trunk of the tree and put it together to make a cross.  The cross was heavy.  The wood was rough.  You would get splinters in your hand if you ran it along the wood of that cross.

The soldiers forced Jesus to carry this very, very heavy cross.  (Show the children by motions how He must have dragged the cross that was leaning against His shoulder.)  By this time, Jesus was hurting all over His body.  His back was full of open, bleeding sores.  His head was bleeding.  His face hurt because He had been slapped so much.  He was weak and He was tired.  Jesus suddenly fell because of the heavy weight of the cross.  Another man was made to carry the cross for Jesus.  Jesus got up and continued walking.

Jesus had to walk down the streets of the city of Jerusalem until He and the crowd of people got to the north wall that was around Jerusalem.  Jesus was led outside this wall to a hill.  He had to climb the hill.  The name of that hill was Calvary.  On Calvary Jesus was laid down on the cross.  Someone took a big hammer and some huge nails, or spikes.  These spikes were pounded into Jesus’ hands and His feet.  (Act this out.)  Then the cross was stood upright in a deep hole in the ground.  Jesus was hanging on the cross.

Some of the people shouted at Jesus, “If You are Who You say You are, come off that cross and save Yourself.”  Jesus could have saved Himself; Jesus could have come off that cross all by Himself.  Jesus did not have to let the people do things like they did to Him; Jesus wanted to let the people do it.  Wanted to?  Yes, He wanted to.  Somebody had to die for sin, and Jesus was the only Person Who could do that.  It had to be someone who had never sinned.  Jesus, the Son of God, is the only Person Who could die for our sins.  Jesus is the only Person Who lived on earth and never did sin.  Jesus never did anything wrong.  He never said anything wrong.  Jesus died on the cross on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem.

Paul was writing his letter.  He said in his letter, “Galatians, something else happened when Jesus died on the cross.  It happened in the temple.  In the temple was a great big, beautiful, thick curtain.  The curtain was red and purple and gold and white.  It was beautiful!  The curtain was made of such heavy material that nobody could tear it.  The curtain hanging in the temple was very, very thick and very, very big.  It hung all the way from the ceiling to the floor and clear across one end of the temple.  The curtain was like a wall, dividing the temple into two rooms.”

(Hold up the heavy fabric which you have brought.)  Let’s pretend that this could be that huge, beautiful curtain.  The curtain was called a veil.  Behind the curtain or veil was a room.  Nobody could go into that room except the High Priest.  That room was called the Holy of Holies.  When the High Priest would go into the room, the Holy of Holies, he would pray to God and tell Him about the sins of His people.  The High Priest was carrying a pan that had blood in it into the Holy of Holies.  The blood was from a lamb, a lamb that was not sick or hurt—that had nothing wrong with him, a perfect lamb.  Only the High Priest could come and tell God about the sins of His people.  Only the High Priest could bring the blood for the sins of the people.  Then God would forgive His people of their sins.

I said that something happened in the temple when Jesus died on the cross.  There was a loud ripping noise.  The veil—this big curtain—was ripping.  Who was ripping it?  No one could see anybody ripping it.  It was being ripped from the top to the bottom. 

No man could reach the top of that curtain without climbing a big ladder.  There were no ladders and there were no people when the veil was ripping.  God was ripping the curtain.  The veil in the temple was torn in two when Jesus died on the cross.  That showed the people that they did not have to go to a priest anymore and have the priest pray for them.  Nobody ever again would have to tell a priest about his sins and have the priest pray for him.  From the time that Jesus died on the cross, everybody could talk to God and say,  “Dear Lord, I have sinned. 

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Please forgive me.  I believe that You can wash away my sin.  I know that Jesus has shed His blood on the cross so that my sins could be washed away.”

Paul was writing in this letter, “Dear Galatians, remember that Jesus died on the cross for you.  Remember that the veil in the temple was torn from the top to the bottom; God tore it.  He wanted you to know that you trust Jesus as your Saviour, and that you can talk to Him.”

Some people say, “If you tell a priest about your sins, you will go to Heaven.”  That is not right!  You trust Jesus and tell Him about your sins; He will forgive you, and that is the only way you can go to Heaven.  Some people say, “If you remember to do good, you will go to Heaven.”  Paul wrote, “Only by trusting Jesus can you go to Heaven.”  Paul also wrote, “After you are in His family, then He wants you to do right.  Jesus helps you to do right.”

What happened to Jesus after He died on the cross?  His body was placed in a tomb.  But Jesus did not stay dead!  Jesus did not stay there in that tomb.  He rose from the grave!  What a wonderful story of which Paul reminded the Galatians.

We can talk to Jesus by ourselves.  We can talk to Him if we trust Him; Jesus does not listen to anybody who has not trusted Him.  The first prayer that He hears from anybody is the prayer that a person says, “I know that I am a sinner, dear Jesus.  I want You to be my Saviour.  Save me.”  What a wonderful gift God has given to those who trust Jesus.  We can talk to Him.  What a wonderful gift it is to be able to talk to Jesus!  How wonderful it is to be able to ask Him to help us every moment of every day.  That’s what the book of Galatians in the New Testament tells us.

(Review the letters that we have studied so far.  Review the names of the books of the New Testament.)

LEARN OUR BIBLE VERSE:  Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” 

Sunday School Lesson                                                                                                 Thomas Griffin, Pastor           

                                                                                                                                     Jordan Baptist Church

                                                                                                                                                             Copied

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Lesson 48

Galatians

THEME:  “The Danger of Lapsing Back into Legalism”

INTRODUCTION:  The church at Galatia was composed of born-again people, people who had received Christ as personal Saviour, people who knew what it was to be regenerated, but they had become infatuated with the Old Testament legalism and had tried to add legalism to grace.  In other words, they were saved, but they did not want to give up the old legalism; they wanted to lapse back into the observing of days, seasons, times, ritual, etc.

The Galatian church has been called “the church of the repaired veil.”  Remember, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom by a miraculous unseen Hand when Jesus was crucified.  This means that now all of us can have access to God without the legalism, without the temple worship, without the sacrifices, without the holy days, without the holy seasons, without the sacred occasions, etc.  The Galatian people, however, wanted to repair the veil.  They were saved, but they wanted to go back to the old worship.  (Note to teacher:  Bring to class a handkerchief or, better still, a piece of purple-colored fabric.  Let it represent the fact that He is heavenly; He is God.  Purple is a combination of blue and red, which means that Jesus was not only God and man, but He was also the God-man.  Now, teacher, take this piece of material and tear it from top to bottom to show how the veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom when Jesus was crucified.  Then get some thread and sew it back up.  This is what the Galatian people were trying to do.)

Let us notice some of the sins of the Galatians.

  I.        THEY HAD FALLEN FROM GRACE.  Galatians 5:4, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”  Many people misunderstand the words, “fallen from grace.”  They think that a person loses his salvation.  Bear in mind, this book was not written to individuals; it was written to a church that had “fallen from grace.”  What it means is this:  The church had been preaching the doctrine of grace.  They had fallen from that message to the doctrine of legalism.  They were now preaching legalism.  They had fallen from preaching grace.  (Note to teacher:  Use the example here of a person climbing some stairs.  He goes up some stairs and then he falls down to the bottom.  That is exactly what this church had done.  They had started at the bottom where legalism was and they had gone up step-by-step until they had gotten to the top and were preaching grace.  They fell to the bottom and were no longer preaching grace.)

 II.        THEY OBSERVED SPECIAL DAYS AND SEASONS.  Galatians 4:10, 11, “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.”  Their special days were done away with when the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom when Jesus was crucified.  In Colossians 2:14-17, we are told that all of this was nailed to the cross and was taken out of the way.  (Note to teacher:  You might build a little cross about the size of a person’s hand or bigger.  You might take a piece of paper and write each one of these things on it:  holy days, holy seasons, new moons, sabbath days, observance of meat, customs, etc.  Then you might take a pin or a tack and “nail” those to the cross.  All of those were nailed to the cross, according to Colossians 2:14-17, and no longer were they to be observed.  However, the Galatian people had gone back to observing these special days.)

III.       THEY HAD GONE BACK TO GIVING SPECIAL TITLES AND CALLING PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE SPIRITUAL LEADERS, BY THE NAMES, “MASTER,” “RABBI,” “FATHER,” ETC.  Notice in Matthew 23:7-10 that our Lord condemns such practices.  There was a day when the High Priest was above the people and the priests were above the common people.  When Jesus died on the cross, He became our High Priest, and each Christian is now a priest.  Each Christian can come to God for himself.  There was a day when the High Priest alone could enter into the Holy of Holies.  However, since the veil in the temple was rent in twain, we can all come boldly to the throne of grace.  See Hebrews 4:16.  No more do we call people by special titles, such as “Rabbi,” “Father,” “Master,” etc.  (Teacher, ask the class to tell you instances where a human is called “Rabbi,” “Father,” “Worshipful Master,” etc.  All of these titles are unscriptural since Calvary.)

 IV.      THEY ABSTAINED FROM MEATS.  The Galatian people had gotten to the place where they would not eat certain meats.  Notice I Timothy 4:1-3.  In our generation there is no need for this.  All of this was also nailed to the cross.

  V.      THEY RETURNED TO THE PRIESTHOOD.  They looked up to the priests.  They wanted the priests to wear royal garments again and to perform their early functions again.  This also was unnecessary.  Notice Hebrews 10:11.

CONCLUSION:  No longer are we under the bondage of legalism!  We have been freed from that, and now we have the joy of being bondservants.  The word “bondservant” is a wonderful word.  It is one who had served as a slave, whose servitude had ended, and now has volunteered to be a slave because of a love for the master.  This is the kind of servant that God wants us to be!  We are not under the old legalism; we are not slaves; we have been set free by the penalty Jesus paid on the cross.  On the other hand, we do have the right to turn around and say, “Lord, I’ll serve You; I’ll be Your slave!”

Once there was a Negro girl on a slave block in the South.  She was bitter because she did not want to serve as a slave.  An old man kept bidding higher and higher for her services, and she became more bitter the higher he bid because she did not want to be a slave.  Finally, he won the bidding and bought her.  She came to him, cursed, swore and said, “I hate to be your slave.”  He looked at her and said, “Young lady, you don’t understand.  I did not purchase you to make you my slave.  I saw something in your face that made me want to set you free.  You may go free.  I bought you in order that you might be free.”  The young lady began to weep.  She looked up at the man and said, “Oh, sir, then I will be your slave forever!”  This is what Christianity is all about! Let us not fall from grace or lapse into legality.  Let us enjoy the grace of God and be His slave!

Elementary Sunday School Lesson                                                                              Thomas Griffin, Pastor

                                                                                                                                     Jordan Baptist Church

                                                                                                                                                             Copied

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Lesson 47

II Corinthians

Objects to have:

The new Bible book sign:  II CORINTHIANS

                                                    Listen to God

A letter in an envelope

Blank paper and a blank envelope and a pen

Chalk and chalkboard

Cut-out a picture of a rocking chair and mount it on stiff paper

Four signs with strings to hang from the posts of the rocking chair:

            BELIEVE ME

            LIVE RIGHT

            HELP OTHERS

            JESUS IS COMING

The picture of your mailman with the letter of II Corinthians in the bag

Your Bible.

Introducing the lesson:

(Hold up the letter in the envelope.)  Maybe one time you got a letter in the mail.  I don’t mean that someone made an A or a B or a C and sent it to you; I mean that someone wrote some words and those words told you some things.  I got a letter.  See, it has my name on it.  It has my address on it; it came to my house.  The letter is for me to read.  I can open this letter and read it.  (“Read” the letter.  Let it be brief, a friendly-type letter from someone who has done some interesting things.)

(While saying the following, pick up the blank piece of paper and the blank envelope and the pen.)  I want to write a letter back to my friend.  I want to tell my friend that I got his/her letter.  I want to tell my friend what I’ve been doing lately.  I want to let my friend know that everything is all right.  (Pretend to write the letter.)  Now that I have my letter written, I have to put the name of my friend on the envelope.  (Do this.)  The people in the post office and the mailman will not know where my friend lives.  I have to put on this envelope the house number and the street name and the name of the city and the name of the state where my friend lives, along with the zip code.  Now, it is ready to mail.  (Lay down the letter.)

Paul wrote another letter to some people.  In Sunday school we have heard about two letters Paul wrote.  He wrote to people in Rome; those people are called Romans.  The letter he wrote is called the letter or the epistle to the Romans.  Then he wrote another letter; he wrote to people who lived in the city of Corinth.  These people were called Corinthians.  Even though these letters are addressed to the Romans and to the Corinthians, we can read them.  They are here in the New Testament of the Bible.  (Show the children the location of the book of Romans and I Corinthians.)

Paul had been sad when he wrote the letter called First Corinthians.  We remember why Paul was sad when he wrote that book; he was sad because he had heard some bad news about the Corinthian Christians.  The bad news was that the Corinthian Christians were not living right.  They were still like baby Christians.  They were fussing with each other.  They were living wicked lives.  They did not want to please Jesus.  So Paul had to write a letter to them.  The Holy Spirit told him to write the letter, and the words that should go into the letter.  Paul had to remind them that they were in God’s family and that they should live the way Jesus wanted them to live.

When he had finished writing the letter, he gave it to a man who took it to Corinth.  That man gave the letter to a Christian in Corinth.  That Corinthian Christian took the letter to church, and he stood up and read the letter to the people.

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Telling the story:

(Draw on the chalkboard the Mediterranean coastline of Israel.  Then, along the north side of the sea, draw a line straight west, then make the “upside down U” that would represent the coastline around the Aegean Sea.  Put the dot for the location of Philippi on the map.  Point to the dot.)  After Paul wrote First Corinthians, he was in this city that is called Philippi.  (To the south and a little to the west put another dot.)  Paul was thinking about the Christians who lived here—the Corinthian Christians.

Paul was so tired.  He was weak, also.  In some of the places where he had been, the rulers of the cities had treated him badly.  In fact, when he was here at this place before this time (point to the first dot), Paul had been put in prison.  Paul had not done anything wrong.  He had been telling people about Jesus.  Rulers of the city did not like that, so they put Paul into prison.  God got him out of prison.  Later on some soldiers found Paul, and they beat Paul with a whip.

But Paul would not stop telling about Jesus.  Paul traveled to other cities.  Then he came back to this place.  He was tired and not feeling well.  He was worried, also, about the Christians in Corinth.  He was wondering whether the Corinthians who lived around here (point to the second dot) had decided to do what he told them to do.  Paul was wondering if they were growing to be better Christians.  Paul even started to cry because they had not been doing well.

Then something happened to wipe Paul’s tears away.  Something happened to make Paul feel happy instead of sad; Paul got company!  A man named Titus came to see Paul.  “How good to see you, Titus.  Come on in.”

“Paul, I have some news for you.  I have been to Corinth.”

Paul said, “Oh, tell me about the Corinthians.  Tell me about the Christian people in Corinth.  How are they doing?”  He listened eagerly as Titus told him that the Corinthians had read Paul’s letter.  Titus told Paul that when the Corinthians had read his letter, they felt sorry for their sins.  They asked God for forgiveness.  They were doing better!  Oh, they were not perfect people.  There were still some things in their lives that were not just right, but they were behaving better.  They had started to be better Christians.

Paul was so glad!  He said, “I’d like to write another letter to them.  Timothy, would you please come in here?  I’ll tell you what should be written down in a letter that I want to write to the Corinthians, and you write it down.  I cannot see very well, so I need you to write the letter for me.  Will you do that, Timothy?”  Timothy, of course, was glad to do what Paul asked him to do.

Paul said to write, “Think about some things.”  Now, people have favorite places to sit when they want just to think.  Some children like to go sit on the front steps of the house where they live when they want to think.  Some go sit under a tree in the yard and just sit and think a while.  Some sit on the couch in their living room.  Some children sit in a rocking chair and rock when they want to think.

Let’s pretend that this rocking chair is our “thinking place.”  (Hold up the picture of the chair.)  Paul said in his second letter to the Corinthians, “Believe me.”   (Hang the sign BELIEVE ME on a post of the rocking chair.)  “Believe me that I know what I am talking about.  I have heard Jesus’ voice.  I know that He is my Saviour.  I know that He tells me what to tell you.  Believe me when I say that I Paul am a preacher for Jesus.  I am an apostle for Jesus.”

Paul said in his letter called Second Corinthians, “Think about this:  Live right.”  (Hang the sign LIVE RIGHT on the second post of the chair.)  “You belong to Jesus now.  You want others to belong to Him, too.  If you do not live right, they will not want to hear you talk about Jesus.  If you do not live right, Jesus will be unhappy.  Corinthians, live right,” Paul wrote in Second Corinthians.

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Paul said, “Timothy, write down also, ‘Corinthians, help others.’”  (Hang the sign HELP OTHERS on the first post of the chair.  “Sometimes a person gets sick and he cannot work.  Then he has no money for food and clothing and a place to live.  Whenever you see any fellow Christians who need help, help them.  Think about other people, Corinthians.  Help others.”

Paul said, “I want something else to be written in that letter.  Tell the Corinthians that Jesus is coming again.”  (Hang the sign JESUS IS COMING on the second post of the rocking chair.)  Oh, how wonderful it will be when Jesus comes in the clouds and He calls Christians to come and join Him.  When Jesus comes in the clouds, you don’t want it to be at a place where you might be saying or doing something wrong.  When Jesus comes, you will want to be living right.  You will want to be helping others.  Think about this, Corinthians,” Paul said, “Jesus is coming.”

Timothy wrote down all that Paul told him to write.  Paul said, “Thank you, Timothy, for writing down all the words in my second letter to the Corinthians.” 

Paul spoke the words for this letter that God told him should be written in the letter.  Then the second letter to the Corinthians was delivered to the city of Corinth.  The Corinthians got the letter that Paul wrote to them, and they were so glad to read it.  That’s the way Second Corinthians got to be in the Bible. 

This is the book of Second Corinthians.  (Show the children where the book of II Corinthians is.)  This letter is for us, too.  (Pull the “letter” of II Corinthians from the rabbit’s mailbag.)

(Say the books of the New Testament through II Corinthians.)

LEARN OUR BIBLE VERSE:  II Corinthians 2:14, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ….” 

Sunday School Lesson                                                                                                 Thomas Griffin, Pastor           

                                                                                                                                     Jordan Baptist Church

                                                                                                                                                             Copied

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Lesson 47

II Corinthians

INTRODUCTIONS:  Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthian people, was very blunt, outspoken and plain in his teaching.  The church had some serious problems with “baby Christians.”  (Teacher, review briefly the points of last week’s lesson concerning the condition of the church at Corinth.)  After writing the letter of I Corinthians, Paul traveled to Macedonia.  There he met Titus, who had been to Corinth.  Titus gave him a report concerning how his first letter to the Corinthians had been received.  It was very comforting to Paul to know that the letter had been received in the proper spirit and that the church had been open to his preaching and his frank exhortations.  They had heeded his admonitions, and Paul was very pleased.

He was encouraged, of course, because of this acceptance of his first letter.  In response, he wrote the second epistle.  He used the same frankness that he used before, but with much more assurance.

There was, however, one problem still remaining in the church, and the problem was brought on by the dangerous group of people in Corinth who said, “…and I of Christ,” I Corinthians 1:12.  Not only did they reject Paul and his letter, but they rejected him as an authorized minister whose word and message was from the Lord.  Hence, in much of the book of II Corinthians Paul is defending his apostolic authority.

Perhaps none of Paul’s epistles reveal his physical weaknesses as much as his second letter to the Corinthians.  He was tired, he was in pain, and he made mention of it.  However, he made such mention only to emphasize the fact that his spiritual pain was worse than his physical pain, and that his weariness because of the condition of the church was greater than his weariness because of the condition of his body.

Therefore, the book of II Corinthians is written to clear up the authenticity of Paul’s ministry and to carry the Corinthian church deeper into the Word of God.

THEME:  “Paul Vindicates His Apostleship.”  Mentally, Paul was the greatest of the apostles.  He was a scholar, understanding both Greek and Aramaic.  He was probably trained in the universities of Athens and Tarsus.  He had a renowned knowledge of the Greek culture and philosophy.  He was a pupil of Gamaliel.  He was trained in the Old Testament and was an exact student of Judaism.  The Apostle Paul became the greatest preacher, theologian, missionary and writer of mission history.  Let us notice the outline of this master Christian, preacher and missionary as he writes to the Corinthians for the second time.

  I.        PAUL’S APPROVAL OF THE CORINTHIAN RESPONSE TO HIS FIRST LETTER.  Notice               II Corinthians 2:5-11.  The church had disciplined a guilty member, and that had led him to repentance.  Paul now admonishes them to forgive and receive this member so that his sorrow will not become despair.  Here is an unusual truth:  The man of God is to preach against unrighteousness.  The people of God ought to hate sin.  However, when one turns from his sin, forgiveness and restoration are supposed to follow.  (Teacher, spend a little while here discussing with the class the hating of sin but the loving of the sinner.  Jesus never manifested hatred toward sinners, but He did manifest hatred toward sin.  One of the big problems of Christians is keeping the proper balance here.  People who hate sin let the hatred get out of bounds and exert it toward the sinner.  On the other hand, people who love the sinners sometimes become compromising in their attitude toward sin.  The Christian is to hate sin with a passion and fight it with all his heart, body and soul, but he is to love the sinner with the same fervor that he hates the sin.)

 II.        THE APOSTLE GIVES HIS CREDENTIALS AS A TRUE APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST.  These are found in II Corinthians 3-7.  These are the qualifications for apostleship:

1.     An apostle should have seen the Lord and was to have been a witness of that to which he testified.

2.     To be an apostle required that one be called to that office personally by Jesus Christ.

3.     The apostle must be divinely inspired.

4.     An apostle must be able to perform the miracles that Christ performed. 

            In II Corinthians 3-7, the Apostle Paul displays to the people his ministry and vindicates his right to be called an apostle.  Of course, this right was built upon the premise that he had actually seen Christ upon the Damascus Road.  This is why he calls himself “an apostle out of due season.”  He labors to convince the people that he had seen Christ and that he had been commissioned by Christ personally, for he saw Jesus in His glorified body on the Damascus Road.

1.     He points the people to the Christian life of his churches.  In other words, he says, “If you do not believe on me for any other reason, look at Christians I have turned out; look at my products; look at the type of lives my people lead.”

2.     He reminds them that in his work he pushes Christ and does not magnify himself.  He had died daily for Christ that he might seek God’s commendation.  We read about this in II Corinthians 3:1 – 5:10.

3.     He advocates that he is an ambassador for Christ.  Notice II Corinthians 5:11-21.  These and other arguments are presented by the Apostle Paul as proof that his ministry is of God.  (Teacher, discuss the importance of sincerity.  Discuss the importance of not being hypocritical.  The word “hypocrite” in the Bible is the same word which means “actor.”  Just as one plays a part in a play, the hypocrite is one who plays the part of a Christian, but is not truly such.  The importance of sincerity could not be stressed enough.  Nothing can take its place!)

III.       PAUL ADMONISHES THE CHURCH TO GIVE.  Read II Corinthians 8, 9.  (Teacher, discuss with the pupils the doctrine of tithing.  Discuss with them the fact that one-tenth of our entire increase belongs to God.  Discuss the importance of every Christian on the first day of the week laying by in store according as God hath prospered him.)

 IV.      PAUL DISCUSSES HIS “THORN IN THE FLESH.”  Here is a most interesting phase of the Apostle’s life.  In II Corinthians 12, Paul mentions that he was caught up into the third Heaven and there he saw things that were so wonderful he could not speak of them.  Then he mentions “a thorn in the flesh.”  He states that three times he came to the Lord and asked the Lord to remove the thorn.  The Lord did not remove the thorn, but He did say that His grace would be sufficient.

            There have been various conjectures as to the nature of Paul’s “thorn” or “stake” in the flesh.  Some have thought that he had epileptic seizures.  Others have thought that the “thorn” was actually a person who bothered him while he preached.  Others have thought that he had fevers.  It is generally believed, however, that it was a chronic ophthalmia.  This was an eye problem that caused near or total blindness, physical weakness, and a bad appearance.  See I Corinthians 2:3, 4; II Corinthians 10:10; and     Galatians 4:15.  Whatever it was, it was something Paul had to overcome.

            Paul explains that this “thorn” was to better him and to keep him from being unduly exalted because of the abundance of the revelation made to him.  In other words, it was to keep him humble.

            Perhaps this “thorn” in the flesh could best be described as follows:  A thorn in the flesh is that thing placed in front of us that can become a stumbling block or a stepping stone.  It can be used as an excuse, or it can be overcome and become the strongest point of the Christian life.  Such things would be bad health, small stature, a weak voice, a chronic illness.  It is that hurdle that can trip us or launch us to greater things for God.  (Teacher, discuss here the overcoming of obstacles.  Talk of great men who overcame obstacles.  Tell of Dr. John Rice, who lost his mother at the age of six; Dr. Harold Sightler, whose nine-year-old daughter was killed when hit by a drunken driver; Dr. Bill Rice, whose baby became deaf and has been deaf all her life; Dr. Lee Roberson, who buried a little baby early in his marriage; Dr. George Truitt, who accidentally killed his best friend; and Charles Spurgeon, who at the opening of his big tabernacle had a tragic fire which killed several of his best people.  God uses tragedy and weakness to make us depend on Him, to humble us and to keep us ever in His presence.)

Elementary Sunday School Lesson                                                                              Thomas Griffin, Pastor

                                                                                                                                     Jordan Baptist Church

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Lesson 46

I Corinthians

Objects to have:

The sign for this new Bible book:  I CORINTHIANS

    Do Right

Your mailman, with the letter to the Romans in it

A letter addressed to the Corinthians

Pictures of:  A baby, a little child, an older child, a teenager, an adult, men and women in a group, a big tent, a synagogue, a house

Your Bible.

Introducing the lesson:

Last Sunday in Sunday school we heard about Paul.  Paul was a Jew.  Paul’s name was not always Paul; at first it was Saul.  Paul had not loved Jesus; in fact, he had permission from the Jewish leaders to go to the houses of Christians and to take the Christians to prison just because they were Christians.  Paul had hated the thought of anyone’s trusting Jesus.

Then Paul got saved.  Jesus called from Heaven to Paul when Paul was on the road to Damascus.  Paul was on the way to the city of Damascus so that he could get more Christians.  Paul listened to Jesus, and his name after that was not Saul any longer; it was Paul.

Paul wrote a letter.  (Take from the mailbox the letter to the Romans.)  Paul began to travel all around, telling people about Jesus.  He wrote the people who lived in Rome; he wrote a letter to the Romans.  Today we’ll hear about another letter that he wrote (put into the mailbox the letter to the Corinthians.)

Paul wanted everybody to love Jesus as he loved Him.  Paul had gotten saved.  When a person gets saved, we say that he gets born again.  When people get born for the first time, how do they look?  (Hold up your picture of the baby.)  They are babies.  They don’t stay babies, however; they grow.  They grow to be little children (show the picture of the little child), then they get to be bigger children (show the picture of the older child), then they get to be teenagers (show the picture of a teenager), then they get to be adults—a man or a lady (show the picture of the adult).

When people get born again, they don’t know much about Jesus, and they don’t know much about how to live as good Christians.  When people first ask Jesus to be their Saviour, it’s as if they are babies—baby Christians.  They are supposed to learn more and more about the Bible, more and more about Jesus, and more and more about how to live to please Jesus.  Just as little babies (show the picture of the baby) are expected to grow and grow until they get to be ladies and men (show the picture of the adult), so Christians are supposed to get to be better Christians, knowing more of the Bible, knowing more about Jesus and asking Jesus to help them to be better Christians than they were the day before.

In today’s Bible book, called First Corinthians, we learn about some new Christians who did not learn very fast about the Bible; they did not learn very fast about how they should act—they stayed baby Christians.  (Show the picture of the group of men and women.)

Telling the story:

Paul decided that the people who lived in the city of Corinth needed to hear about Jesus.  He made plans to go there.  He was in a city that was not near Corinth, and it would take a long time to get to Corinth.  He may have taken a boat  from the city where  he was to the city of Corinth,  and it would have  taken maybe a day or so to get

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there.  However, he may have gone all the way by land; then it would have taken many days to get there.  There were no cars or trains or buses or airplanes then; people either rode in boats, or walked, or rode animals.

Somehow Paul got to Corinth.  It was a great big city.  Corinth was noisy and busy.  There were many, many people on the streets.  There were little stores without doors on them.  Some of the people were selling things.  Other people were buying things.

Corinth was a wicked city.  The people used bad, bad language; they used God’s name in a bad way.  The people drank liquor, and they could not think straight.  They were loud and they were mean.  They were dishonest; they wanted to take things for themselves without paying for them.  The people in Corinth needed to hear about Jesus!

Paul went into the city and looked around.  The first thing he would have to do was to get a job.  He needed to work and earn some money so that he would have money to pay for a place to live, and so that he could buy food and clothing for himself.  Paul knew what kind of work he could do; Paul could make tents.  (Hold up your picture of a tent.)  Paul knew how to make tents from great big pieces of canvas:  he knew just how to cut up the canvas, and he knew how to sew the cut-up canvas so that he could make tents.  Paul was looking for a tent-making business where he could get a job.

Paul went to the man and the lady who owned the business of making tents.  Paul said, “Hello, I know how to make tents.  I need a job.  Do you need anybody to help you make tents?”

Priscilla and Aquila, the lady and the man who had the tent-making business, were glad to see this man named Paul.  They said, “Oh, yes, will you work for us?”  How happy Paul was that he had a job!

Then Paul was pleased to learn that Priscilla and Aquila were Jewish people, just like he was.  Paul asked, “How did you happen to get to Corinth?  Jewish people did not used to live here.  When I heard that Jewish people now live here, I knew that I had to come.”

Priscilla and Aquila said, “When the king commanded all the Jewish people to leave Rome, we decided to move here to Corinth.  We thought that we could have a good business here in this big, busy city.”  Paul was excited because he wanted other Jews to know about Jesus, and he could teach about Jesus in the home of Priscilla and Aquila.

Now, Paul would work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday—making tents.  On Saturdays he did not make tents; on Saturdays he went to the synagogue.  (Hold up your picture of the synagogue.)  The synagogue is where the Jewish people went for church.  Paul loved to go to the synagogue; it was his chance to tell many Jewish people that the Son of God had really come to earth.  Paul loved to preach in the synagogue about how Jesus grew up on the earth, how He lived as a man, and that because of Jesus’ great love for everybody, Jesus paid the price for their sin.  Paul loved to tell that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and that Jesus is in Heaven.  Paul loved to tell how Jesus talked to him while he was on the road to Damascus and how Jesus had changed his life.

While they were listening to Paul, Priscilla and Aquila were saved—they trusted Jesus; other Jewish people were saved also.  Then they wanted to know more and more about Jesus.  They wanted also to know more and more about the Bible.

There were some Jewish people, however, who hated Paul.  They hated him because they did not want to trust Jesus.  When the man who was the ruler of the synagogue got saved, that really caused an uproar!  The Jewish people who hated Paul hated him even more.  They captured Paul, and they forced him to go to court!

Court was held outside; the lawyers and the judge and the witnesses and the person being accused were all on a high platform or stage.  The mayor of Corinth was there, too.  Most of the Jewish people of Corinth wanted Paul to be put in jail.  The mayor of Corinth, however, said, “Stop this trial.  Paul has done nothing to break the laws of Corinth.  Let him go.”

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Oh, Paul was glad that he did not have to go to prison.  Paul was so sad, however, that so many of the Jewish people would not accept Jesus as their Saviour.

Paul, after that day, said, “I cannot preach to the Jews anymore.  I will preach from now on to the Gentiles.”  So, Paul stopped preaching to the Jewish people, and from then on preached to all people.

Well, he had to have a place to preach.  He would not go to the synagogue anymore where the Jewish people were.  A man named Justus came to Paul, and he said, “Paul, my house is the house that is next door to the synagogue.  I have heard you preach; I have asked Jesus to be my Saviour.  Please let my house be the place where we can have church services.”  (Hold up your picture of the house.)

Paul said to this man, “Why, thank you, Justus.  That is kind of you to let me come there and to preach to the people who will come.”  So it was that in the city of Corinth a man’s house became a church building.  Paul preached in Justus’ house for many, many Sundays.  More and more Gentiles got saved.

Then one day Paul said, “I am sorry that I cannot stay in Corinth any longer.  I have been here for a year and a half.  It is time for me to travel to other places to tell other people that Jesus can be their Saviour, too.”  I am sure that the people who knew and loved Paul were sad at that news.  They hated to see Paul go.

Priscilla and Aquila said, “We won’t have you leave us, Paul.  We want to travel with you.  Please, may we?”  Paul was very happy to have Priscilla and Aquila go with him from Corinth, working with him in other  places to get crowds of people to hear him preach.

A while after Paul had been away from Corinth, Paul got some news about the Christians in Corinth.  It was news that he did not like to hear.  Paul heard that those Christians were not living right.  They had started acting bad like their old, sinful ways.  So, Paul decided that one day he would have to go back there.  He could not go right away, so he wrote a letter.  In the letter, he told the Corinthian Christians that he had not heard good things about them.  In his letter Paul scolded those Corinthian Christians; he said that they were like babies.  Paul told the Corinthian Christians that they needed to grow up.  They needed to remember that in their bodies God the Holy Spirit was living.

Then Paul went back to see them one day.

The letter that Paul wrote to them (pull the letter from the mailbox) is right here in the New Testament.  (Show the children the book of I Corinthians in the Bible.)  This book is called First Corinthians.  Say that with me.  It is the letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, telling them that he was disappointed that they were not living right.  And, he said, if he was disappointed, how must Jesus feel about the way they were behaving?

I wonder: Is our Preacher pleased with the way that we act?  Most of all, is Jesus pleased?

(Say the books of the New Testament through I Corinthians.)

LEARN OUR BIBLE VERSE:  I Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God….”

Sunday School Lesson                                                                                                 Thomas Griffin, Pastor           

                                                                                                                                     Jordan Baptist Church

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Lesson 46

I Corinthians

AUTHOR:  The Apostle Paul.  Leaving Antioch on his third missionary journey, Paul passed through Phrygia and Galatia and came to Ephesus, where he remained more than two years.  This was a much longer time than he had spent in any city on these journeys.  It was during this time that reports reached Paul concerning the moral and spiritual state of things in the Corinthian Church.  This was the occasion of the writing of this letter.

There were many things at work to hinder the power and progress of the Gospel in Corinth.  As indicated before, this letter was written from Ephesus.  Paul had come to Corinth from Athens and had remained there 18 months.  He began by preaching in the synagogue, but he was driven out of it and was compelled to give his instructions in the home of a man called Justus.  During this stay he founded the church of Corinth and wrote the epistles to the Thessalonians which were his first epistles.

THEME:  “Christians Ought to Mature and Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ”

INTRODUCTION:  While in Ephesus he received news of a distressing nature relative to the state of things in the church at Corinth.  It was divided by a spirit of contention, by a party spirit—one faction adhering to Paul; another, to Apollos; another, to Cephas; and another that gave itself to the name of Christ.

  I.        THE CHURCH WAS DIVIDED.  As has been stated, there were several parties in the church—the Paulites, the Cephasites (followers of Peter), the Apollosites, and the Jesus-ites.  What a tragedy that the church was divided!  They were following man, not God.  This is a great danger.

 II.        THEY WERE CALLED “BABY CHRISTIANS.”  Read the first few verses of I Corinthians 3.  Because of these divisions, they were called “babies.”  They could not take meat.  The Apostle Paul said he had to feed them with milk, not with meat.  He also said he had determined to preach nothing among them save Christ crucified.  Nowadays a lot of people have the idea that this means that that is all a preacher is supposed to preach.  This is not true.  Preaching Christ crucified is milk.  It is necessary for the early stages of the Christian life, but God wants people to have more than that.  He wants them to have the doctrines of the Bible and teachings of the Bible.  Paul could not preach them here because they were baby Christians.  (NOTE TO TEACHER:  Discuss with the class members the characteristics of infancy and babyhood, and apply them to baby Christians.  For example, a baby wants to have his own way, wants to play all the time, cries all the time, complains, does not share, etc.)

III.       THE CHURCH WAS IMMORAL.  There was a terrible sin of licentiousness and immorality in the church.  Corinth was called the “eye of Greece.”  Nearly 150 years before Christ, Corinth was destroyed by the Romans.  It was rebuilt by Julius Cæsar and became a metropolis.  Therefore, it was an important commercial center.  In such centers the Apostle Paul planted the seeds of the Gospel so it could spread as the travelers went from Corinth to other areas.  The sinfulness of this city was notorious.  It was here that the social forces of the age met.  All of the sin that had been the shame of other religious sects was found here.  Impurity was indulged as a religious service.  One thousand consecrated prostitutes were found in the name of religion.  It was much like the situation found in America today.

 IV.      IMMATURE CHRISTIAN LEADERS.  After Paul left Corinth, Apollos, a Jewish convert of Alexandria, desired to continue the work of Paul.  He was in need of the fuller Christian instruction of Aquila and Priscilla.  We can easily believe that the problem in the church was caused by immature leadership.  Apollos was an eloquent man and possessed the sort of gifts that Greeks would admire.  There were those who magnified his gifts and formed a party called by his name.

CONCLUSION:  There were many other sins in the church at Corinth—the sin of the misuse of tongues, the sin of immorality, the sin of not having enough love, etc.  However, the lesson for this week should be characterized by the desire for Christians to grow to the fullest of stature.  God wants us to grow in grace.  (NOTE TO TEACHER:  Talk with the pupils about retarded children and the tragedy of children being retarded.  Talk about the heartache of their parents and the consequent heartache God must feel when we as Christians do not develop as we should.  Talk with the pupils about the things that will help them mature—the Word of God, prayer, Bible study, faithfulness to church, proper fellowship with other Christians, running with the right crowd, etc.)

Elementary Sunday School Lesson                                                                              Thomas Griffin, Pastor

                                                                                                                                     Jordan Baptist Church

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Lesson 45

Romans

Objects to have:

The sign for this new Bible book:  ROMANS

   How To Be Saved

A mailman mounted on construction paper, with a slit in his mailbag

An addressed envelope with a letter inside

A “letter” addressed to the Romans, placed in the mailbag

Your Bible.

Introducing the lesson:

(There are 22 epistles in the New Testament.  Each Sunday that these epistles are studied, place a different “letter” in the mailbag.  Start teaching by telling the children that this is our New Testament mailbag.)  We all love to get mail.  (Hold up an addressed envelope.)  When I go to my mailbox, I am so happy whenever I see a letter there from my sister or my brothers (or whomever).  They live far away, and whenever they want to tell me some things that are happening, they sometimes write a letter instead of calling on the phone.

In the New Testament part of the Bible are many letters.  Men of God wrote some letters to some people.  Let’s get today’s letter from the mailbag.  (Do this.)  Today’s letter is addressed to the Romans—people who lived in the city of Rome; this was after Jesus went back to Heaven.

Now ordinarily, we are never supposed to open a letter that belongs to someone else.  You and I are not Romans, nor do we live in the city of Rome.  This letter, however, is different from other letters.  This letter is meant to be read by everyone who sees it.  The letter to the Romans is found in the Bible.  Everybody is supposed to read this letter.

(Pull the letter from the envelope.)  This letter starts out by saying who sent it.  The letter to the Romans was from Paul; Paul sent it.

This is what Paul had done:  The man Paul said to a friend of his, “Friend, I want to write a letter to the Romans.  Will you please get some paper and a pen and write down what I want to say in this letter?”  The friend of Paul got some paper and a pen, and he wrote down the words which Paul told him to write.  Now, of course, you and I know that the words which Paul spoke were the very words that God wanted him to speak because this letter to the Romans is a book in the Bible.

Paul started out by saying, “I am a servant of Jesus Christ.”  We learned in our lesson a few Sundays ago about a book in the Bible that tells us that Jesus is our Servant and we ought to be His servant.  The book of Mark in the New Testament tells us about that.  Paul said in his letter to the Romans that he was a servant of Jesus Christ.  Let me tell you about Paul.  (Put down the letter.  The entire story of Paul’s conversion could be told with imagination and be dramatized rather than told with visual aids.)

Telling the story:

Paul’s name had not always been Paul.  Before his name was Paul, it was Saul.  The man Saul was very, very unhappy.  Something which he did not like was happening.  It was in the city of Jerusalem that people were doing something which Saul did not like.  They were saying to other people, “Have you heard about Jesus?  You need to know about Jesus.  Jesus is the Son of God.  Jesus can save you.” Saul did not like to hear these people talking this way. It was because at that time he did not believe that Jesus is the Son of God.  He did not think                that others ought to believe it either.   Saul would not have been so unhappy if the Christians had kept still, but the

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Christians would not stop talking about Jesus.  Saul did not like that.  He did not want anybody hearing that Jesus is the Son of God.

Saul thought, “I must stop these people, these people who are called Christians, from teaching about Jesus.  The only way to keep these Christians from talking is to kill them.”

Saul went to the high priest at the temple church.  He said, “High Priest, these people must not talk about Jesus.  Please, may I have permission to arrest these people and to put them into prison and to see to it that they are sentenced to death.”

The high priest was happy to think that someone wanted to kill the Christians.  The high priest did not trust Jesus as his Saviour either, and he did not want anyone else to trust Him.  The high priest said to Saul, “You have my permission.  You have permission to round up as many Christians as you can and to put them into prison.”

Saul, thinking that he was really serving God, started watching the people of Jerusalem.  I think that he would listen to people talk as they shopped in the stores.  I think he would listen to them as they talked with each other while walking.  I think that he asked neighbors to tell him who the Christians were.  He was learning who the Christians were.  Then he went to the homes of Christians.  He said, “You are Christians.  You must not be permitted to live here anymore or to go to other people and to talk about Jesus.  You have to come with me.”  Saul was able to force Christians to leave their homes.  He was able to force them to go to prison.  How sad!  The saddest part of it all was that Saul did not know Jesus as his Saviour.  Even though the Christians were going through hard times, they could be happy, for they were going to Heaven when they died.

After Saul had worked real hard in Jerusalem to get a lot of Christians put into prison, he decided that he ought to go to another city and round up the people there who were called Christians.

In order to go to this other city, Saul had to have permission from the high priest.  So, he went to the high priest and said, “Sir, please may I have permission to go to Damascus?  I hear that there are Christians there, also.  I want to get those Christians and see to it that they are put into prison.”

The high priest gave Saul permission to go to Damascus to get other Christians, and to put them into prison.  Saul traveled down the road which is called the Damascus Road.  He did not travel alone; there were some other men with him.  As they traveled along the road, Saul could see that he was getting very close to the city of Damascus.

Suddenly, without any warning, a real bright light shined down from Heaven onto Saul.  It was so bright that Saul staggered and fell!  A Voice spoke loudly from Heaven, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Saul knew whose voice it had to be; it had to be the Voice of God.  He had to be sure that it was God talking to him.  Saul asked, “Who art Thou, Lord?”

From Heaven the Lord said, “I am Jesus.  You are persecuting Me, Saul.”  Saul thought about the fact that he had been putting people who were called Christians into prison and then having them killed.  But how could he have been hurting Jesus?  Saul was learning that whenever anything bad happens to a Christian, it hurts Jesus, too.

Saul, while he was lying there on the road to Damascus with the bright light shining on him, decided that he wanted to be a Christian.  He understood then Who Jesus really is.  Saul understood that Jesus is the Son of God.  Saul decided that he wanted to serve Jesus.  Saul asked, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”

Jesus told Saul to go into Damascus.  In the city a man would come to see him.  That man would take him to other Christians.  Saul decided to obey Jesus and to do what He told him to do.  Saul started to get up, but he was blind; Saul could not see.  The men who were with him were frightened and shaking.  They did not fully understand what had happened.  They had heard the Voice, but had not understood what the voice was saying.  Then they saw that Saul was blind.  Saul told them to lead him into the city and to the place where he was supposed to stay.

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Saul was blind for three days and three nights.  Jesus from Heaven told a man to go see Saul.  The man went to see Saul, and he talked with him.  He said, “Brother Saul, Jesus has sent me to you.  You will receive your sight again right now.”  Immediately something fell from the eyes of Saul, like scaly skin, and immediately Saul could see again!

Saul stayed in Damascus for a few days.  There he talked with Christians.  At first, those Christians were afraid of Saul.  They knew who he was.  They knew he had been putting Christians into prison and getting them killed.  Saul had to convince them that now he was saved, and that now he wanted to serve Jesus, too.

After that, Saul was not called Saul any longer; his name was changed to Paul.  Paul from that day on, everywhere he went, told about Jesus.  Paul went many places to preach about Jesus.  Rome was one of the places where Paul went.

Before Paul went to Rome, he wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome (hold up your Bible which is opened to the book of Romans) to tell them that he was coming to see them.  In this letter he told the Romans what they needed to know about Jesus and how people needed to be saved.  Paul also told them what they must do to be good Christians.  This is the book of Romans.  It comes after the book of Acts.  Let’s say together the first six books in the New Testament.  (Say these with the children.)

Romans is a wonderful book of the Bible; it tells so many wonderful things that we need to know.  You will never get tired of hearing preaching and teaching about any of the Bible!

LEARN OUR BIBLE VERSE:  Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

Elementary Sunday School Lesson                                                                              Thomas Griffin, Pastor

                                                                                                                                     Jordan Baptist Church

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Lesson 44

Acts

Objects to have:

The sign for this new Bible book:  ACTS

   The First Church

A drawing of a man, cut so that there are two other men joined together like paper dolls

A drawing of a few houses next to each other with sidewalks and streets

Straight pins or thumb tacks

Your Bible.

Introducing the lesson:

I would like you to meet Mr. Witness.  (Hold up the paper dolls so that just the front one shows, and so that the children are not aware that there are other “men” attached.)  Mr. Witness lives in this house.  (Point in your drawing at a house that could be his.)  Mr. Witness has something exciting to tell.  Listen, I will tell you what he would like to tell.  (Attach Mr. Witness to the board in front of his home.)

Telling the story:

One day Jesus’ disciples were climbing a hill.  They were hurrying to a meeting.  You know how people are hurrying into our church building when it is time for Sunday school to begin!  You see them coming from all directions down the street until they reach the doors of the building.  Some people have stairs to climb when they come to our church building for Sunday school.  Some are turning to the left and some are turning to the right into their rooms.  The disciples were all hurrying up the hill to the meeting.

As they hurried up the hill to their meeting, perhaps they talked to each other about all the amazing things that had been happening.  Maybe they talked about the most terrible day they had ever had.  That day was the day when Jesus died.  Jesus was nailed to a cross.  He hung on that cross.  The nails could not hold Jesus onto that cross, however.  Jesus could have gotten off the cross if He had wanted.  In fact, Jesus wanted to die on that cross.  Jesus wanted to pay the price for our sins, and dying on the cross was the price that was needed to pay for our sins so that we would not have to pay the price ourselves.

The disciples remembered that that was the saddest day they had ever spent in their lives.  It was as if the whole world was coming to an end for them, as if they could never smile again.  Jesus, their best Friend, the One Who loved them more than anybody else, the One Whom they loved more than anybody else, was dying on the cross.  The disciples talked about their crying and their sadness.  The disciples talked about the few hours after Jesus died on the cross:  how His still body was taken from the cross and put in a grave called a tomb.  His body stayed in that grave-tomb for three days and three nights.  Then the disciples remembered that a most wonderful thing happened.  Jesus’ body came back to life again.  Jesus rose from the dead!

The disciples were remembering how they saw Jesus after He had risen from the dead.  They remembered that when they saw Jesus, they knew it was Jesus.  They remembered touching Him, that He had skin and bones.  They remembered looking at Him.  There were wounds in His hands and wounds on His feet where the nails had gone through when He had hung on the cross.  In many ways Jesus proved to His disciples that it was He, and that He had truly risen from the dead.  Jesus was still on earth after rising from the dead.

As the disciples talked and remembered, they were climbing the hill.  They reached the top of the hill; the hill is named the Mount of Olives.  You know that an olive is something that you eat.  Well, there were olive trees all around the Mount of Olives.  When the disciples got there, there on the top of the Mount of Olives was Jesus.  He was waiting to meet with them.  Jesus began to talk with them there.

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I do not know whether the disciples sat down and Jesus stood to talk with them, or whether they all stood around Him as He talked.  I’m sure of this, however, that as Jesus talked, every disciple listened to every word that Jesus had to say.

Jesus said to them, “Tell people about Me.  Tell the people who live in your own house.  Then tell the people who live next door to you.  Then go to every house on your street.  Then go onto the next street and to every street and house on every street in your city.  Then go to other cities.  From other cities go to other countries.  Friends,” Jesus told His disciples, “I want you to start at home and then go to other places telling everybody about Me.”

The disciples listened very carefully to Jesus’ instruction to them.  Whatever Jesus told them to do, they made up their minds they would do.  Maybe the disciples were wondering how they could get people to believe what they were saying.  Jesus answered that question.  Jesus said, “You will receive power to make people believe what you  are saying about Me.  God the Holy Spirit will give you that power.  You will have that power as you tell people about Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and all the way around the world.”  How wonderful!  Not only was Jesus telling His disciples to do His work, He was also telling them that they would have God’s help to do the work; God the Holy Spirit would help them make people believe what the disciples were saying.

While the disciples were listening to Jesus and deciding to obey Him, suddenly something happened to Jesus.  His feet left the ground.  I mean, both feet left the ground.  Jesus was rising.  He was not jumping.  He was not jumping and then coming back down to the earth, then jumping again and back down to the earth; He was just rising from the earth.  His feet were a few inches off the ground (gesture to show the children distances), then a foot, then many feet.  He was going up, up, up, higher and higher.  He got as high as the tallest tree.  Then He was higher than the tallest buildings.  He still kept going up.  He got as high as the clouds, and pretty soon a cloud came between Him and the disciples.  That cloud received Him out of their sight.  Jesus had gone into space without the use of a space ship!

Can you imagine how surprised the disciples were?  They just stood there on the Mount of Olives looking up where they had last seen Jesus.  They all saw it happen.  There was no mistake.

Suddenly next to the disciples were two men who were dressed completely in white.  These men said to the disciples, “You men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring into Heaven?  Jesus has not disappeared; He has simply gone into Heaven.  Just as you have seen Him go to Heaven, someday He will come back from Heaven.”  Oh, how glad the disciples were to hear that good news from the angels.  They were so glad that someday Jesus will come back from Heaven.

Then the disciples decided that they should go to work!  They had a job to do; Jesus had given them a job to do.  Jesus had told them to be witnesses.  Jesus had told them to tell people all the things that they had heard and seen about Him.  The disciples decided that they would start their work right away.  They would be witnesses.

Let’s look at Mr. Witness again.  He is called Mr. Witness because with his mouth he is going to tell people what he has seen and what he has heard and what he has known. 

I could tell people about Jesus because I know Him and because I know about Him.  I have never seen Him with my eyes nor have I ever heard Him with my ears.  Jesus, however, has spoken to my heart through the Bible, and I know Jesus in my heart.  I have asked Him to be my Saviour, and I love Him.  I am, therefore, supposed to be a witness for Him just as the disciples were told by Jesus to be witnesses for Him.

We said that Mr. Witness lives in this house.  Maybe somebody in his house does not know that Jesus loves him.  Mr. Witness tells somebody in his house that Jesus loves him.  Then Mr. Witness thinks about a neighbor who lives next door.  (Move Mr. Witness to the house next door.)  The person in that house says, “I want Jesus to be my Saviour.  I know that I am a sinner.  I want to go to Heaven when I die.  Yes, dear Jesus, I want You to be my Saviour.”  What should that person do now?  That person should be a witness, too.  (While saying this, take      Mr. Witness  from  the  board  and  expand  the paper out so that the children can see the additional two witnesses. 

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Then fasten them all to the board with straight pins or thumb tacks.)  Then he tells someone else, maybe next door to him or in his house.  They accept Jesus as their Saviour and begin to be witnesses, too.  Don’t you see what can happen?  If we tell just one person about Jesus, how many people could hear about Jesus just because of one person that we tell!  What if we decide to tell two people about Jesus, or three people about Jesus?  Think of how many people can get to know about Jesus if we will keep on witnessing for Him.

LEARN OUR BIBLE VERSE:  Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power…and ye shall be witnesses….” 

Do you know where I read the story about Jesus’ going back to Heaven?  I read it in the first chapter of the book of Acts—right here.  (Show the children in Acts 1 the telling of the ascension.)  This is the fifth book of the New Testament.  We have already studied four books in the New Testament; that is, we have studied just a very little bit about each book.  There is still a lot to know.

The story that we have heard today is from the book of Acts.  Let’s say all five of the books of the New Testament which we have studied thus far.

Sunday School Lesson                                                                                                 Thomas Griffin, Pastor           

                                                                                                                                     Jordan Baptist Church

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Lesson 45

Romans

AUTHOR:  The Apostle Paul.  It was written from the city of Corinth while Paul was visiting that city.

THEME:  “The Gospel of God is for the Gentile as Well as for the Jew”

INTRODUCTION:  Paul was soon to visit the city of Rome.  He wrote to the Christians in Rome announcing his coming and listing the truths that he will preach while he is with them.  In other words, the epistle is simply a letter written in advance telling them of his coming and of the doctrines he will preach.

  I.        THE DIVISIONS OF ROMANS.  There are two main divisions:  The first is Romans 1-11, which is strictly doctrinal.  In these chapters Paul lists the great doctrines of the faith.  The second division includes chapters 12-16.  This division is completely different from the first, as it deals with the practical aspects of the Christian life.  In other words, the Apostle spent the first 11 chapters stating the wonders of salvation and the last five chapters stating what we ought to do as Christians because of that wonderful salvation.

 II.        THE PIVOTAL VERSES—ROMANS 12:1, 2.

1.     In Romans 12:1 the word “beseech” means “beg.”

2.     The word “therefore” connects it with the first 11 chapters.  In other words, Paul is begging because of the wonderful doctrines found in the previous chapters.

3.     The words, “by the mercies of God,” mean, “because of the wonderful mercies listed in the first 11 chapters.”

4.     The word “present” means “yield.”  In other words, because of the wonders of the early chapters, we should yield our bodies to God.

5.     The word “sacrifice” goes back to the sacrifice of the Old Testament.  The Jew would offer an animal as a dead sacrifice to God.  God wants a living sacrifice from us.  His Son has already offered the dead sacrifice as a penalty for sin.  Now He wants the living sacrifice from us, that is, in service for Christ.

6.     The words, “holy, acceptable,” also go back to the Old Testament.  The lamb that was offered had to be acceptable to God and without blemish.  God wants our living sacrifices “holy, acceptable unto God.”

7.     In Romans 12:2 the word “conformed” means “fashioned.”  Because of the wonders of the first 11 chapters, we are not to fashion ourselves after the world.

8.     The word “world” means “world setup,” “world system,” “the pattern of things in the world,” etc.

9.     The word “transformed” is the same word that is used in Matthew concerning the transfiguration of Christ when He received His glorified body.  We are to be as different from this world as Jesus was in His glorified body.

10.     Notice in Romans 12:2b that this is the way we can find the perfect will of God for our lives.

Following these verses (Romans 12:1, 2), the Apostle Paul lists the way we can live this kind of a life.  Statement after statement is given as to the way the Christian should live.  For example, read        Romans 12:9-21.  You will find the outworking of the kind of sacrifice that the Lord is asking for in Romans 12:1, 2.

Looking backward from Romans 12:1, 2 we have all the doctrines of grace.  Because of these doctrines, we are to build the kind of life that Paul in Romans 12-16 is asking us to live.  For example, there is the doctrine of the depravity of man in chapters 1-3, the doctrine of justification in chapters 4 and 5, the doctrine of sanctification in chapters 6 and 7, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in chapter 8, and the doctrine of the sovereignty of God in chapters 9-11.  There are many other doctrines, such as propitiation, etc.  All of these great doctrines of the faith are doctrines of grace.  Because of what God has done for us in His great mercy, we are to do something for Him.  In other words, chapters 1-11 tell us what God has done for us in salvation.  Chapters 12-16 tell us what we are to do for Him because of what He has done for us.

III.       SOME KEY WORDS IN ROMANS.  Romans is written basically to Gentile Christians.  The Lord is saying that there is no respecting of persons with God.  He is not only the God of the Jews, but also the God of the Gentiles.  Consequently, the word “all” is a key word.  The word “whosoever” is a key word.  The word “none” is a key word.  Notice the all-inclusiveness of these words.  We are all bunched together.  We are all sinners; none is righteous.  There is no respect of persons with God.  Paul is trying to let the Gentile nations know that salvation is not just a Jewish thing; it is also for the Gentiles.

 IV.      PAUL’S READINESS.  There are three “I am’s” in Romans 1 that tell us of the readiness of Paul to go to Rome.

1.     “I am debtor…,” Romans 1:14.  Paul owed a debt to the Greeks and barbarians as well as to the Jews.  He was coming to pay that debt.

2.     “…I am ready…,” Romans 1:15.  In other words, because he was a debtor in verse 14, he is ready to pay that debt in verse 15.

3.     “…I am not ashamed…,” Romans 1:16.  Because he is a debtor in verse 14, he is ready to pay his debt in verse 15, and he is not ashamed to do so in verse 16.  Let every Christian say, “I am debtor,” “I am ready” and “I am not ashamed.”

  V.      PAUL’S MESSAGE.  See Romans 1:16-18.

1.     His message included the power of God in verse 16.

2.     His message included the righteousness of God in verse 17.

3.     His message included the wrath of God in verse 18.

Notice the all-inclusiveness of his message.  He came in the power of God to preach the righteousness of God and to warn of the wrath of God to those who refuse His righteousness.

CONCLUSION:  There are many Scriptures that teach the all-inclusiveness of the book of Romans.  For example, Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  Notice the words, “also to the Greek.”  Romans 2:11, “For there is no respect of persons with God.”  Notice “there is no respect of persons.”  God is including everybody.  Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”  Notice the words, “all the world.”  Again, He is including the Jew and the Gentile.  Romans 3:29, “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles?  Yes, of the Gentiles also.”  Notice especially the words, “Yes, of the Gentiles also.”  Then there are other verses also, such as Romans 3:10; 3:23; 5:12; etc.  There is Romans 10:13 which mentions “whosoever.”  Salvation is for all.  All have sinned.  All have come short of the glory of God.  All must stand before God.  All may be saved.  All who are not saved will suffer the wrath of God.

Sunday School Lesson                                                                                                 Thomas Griffin, Pastor           

                                                                                                                                     Jordan Baptist Church

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Lesson 44

Acts

INTRODUCTION:  The book of Acts is called “The Acts of the Apostles.”  It could also be called “The Acts of the Holy Spirit,” for the book of Acts is the work the Holy Spirit did through God’s people in the early church.

AUTHOR:  Luke.  This is the same Luke who wrote the Gospel of Luke.  In the book of Acts, he continues his account of Christianity begun in the book of Luke.  Notice in Acts 1:1 the words, “former treatise.”  In the “former treatise,” or the Gospel of Luke, he tells what Jesus BEGAN both to do and teach.  In the book of Acts he tells what Jesus CONTINUED to do and teach through His people.  Though our Lord went back to Heaven, He left His work in the hands of godly men who were to continue what He began.

THEME:  The theme of the book of Acts can be summarized, “The Continuation of Jesus’ Ministry by His People.”

  I.        THE KEY VERSE OF THE BOOK OF ACTS IS ACTS 1:8.  In fact, this verse outlines the entire book of Acts.  Since the job of the church is to carry the Gospel, Acts 1:8 tells the church where she is to carry the Gospel.

1.     “…in Jerusalem.”  This covers chapters 1-7.  In these chapters the church stayed in Jerusalem.  They did not take the Gospel outside Jerusalem until they had filled the city (Acts 5:28) with the Gospel of Christ and until they had gone to every house (Acts 5:42) with the Gospel.

2.     “…in Judæa and in Samaria.”  In Acts 8-12, we have the carrying of the Gospel throughout Judæa and Samaria.  Up through chapter 12 no missionaries were sent out; no one was sent overseas; no one was sent to another country.  Before they went to Judæa and Samaria, they filled Jerusalem.  Before they went around the world, they were to fill Judæa and Samaria.

3.     “…unto the uttermost part of the earth.”  This covers chapters 13-28.  Now that the Gospel has filled Jerusalem, Judæa and Samaria, it can go to the uttermost part of the earth. This is real foreign missions.  The church that sends missionaries around the world but not around the block, across the ocean but not across the street, is not a real missionary church.  The real mission program is to fill the city, then fill the state, then fill the country, then fill the uttermost parts of the earth.

        Hence, Acts 1:8 is an outline of the entire book of Acts.  (Teacher, talk to the pupils about what he is doing to fill his own area with the Gospel.  God is simply telling us here that we are to begin where we live.  Our Jerusalem is our own area, our own town, our own family.  God is saying we should win the ones closest to us first, then those in nearby areas, then those farther away, until we get the Gospel around the world.  That means that the pupil in school is to spread the Gospel first to the people in school.  The member of the family should win his own family first.  We are to start where we are and carry the Gospel of Christ.)

 II.        WE ARE TO CONTINUE DOING WHAT JESUS DID.  The Bible is full of Scriptures that tell us that we are to continue being and doing what Jesus was and did when He was on earth.  He has gone back to Heaven, so He needs us to carry out His commission.  This is basically what the Great Commission means.  In Mark 16:15 He tells us, “Go…preach the gospel to every creature.”  In Matthew 28:19, 20 we are told, “Go…and teach all nations.”  Then He says, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”  Notice we are to teach them what He commanded us.  He just commanded us to go, teach, and get people baptized.  Hence, before He goes back to Heaven, He tells us that He wants us to do what He did.  When we finish getting someone saved and baptized, we are to tell him to continue doing what Jesus did.  In other words, I am to get someone saved and baptized and then teach him how to get someone saved and baptized, that he may teach him how to get someone saved and baptized, that he may teach him how to get someone saved and baptized.  The book of Acts is simply a continuation.

There are many Scriptures that teach us that we are to do what Jesus did.

1.     We are to have the same mind that Jesus had.  Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

2.     We are to be what Jesus was on earth.  I John 4:17, “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”

3.     We are here in Christ’s stead.  II Corinthians 5:20, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

4.     We are to do the work that Jesus did while He was here.  John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

5.     We are to love as He loved.  John 15:12, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

6.     We are to go as He went.  John 20:21, “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

7.     We are to do what He did, be humble as He was, love as He loved, serve as He served.  John 13:15, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”

            In other words, we are representatives of Jesus.  Each of us is to be a “little Jesus” on earth, doing what He would do if He were here, teaching what He would teach, preaching what He would preach, etc.

III.       WE ARE TO CONTINUE RUNNING THE RACE.  (Teacher, liken the book of Acts to the second leg in a relay race.  A man runs the first leg of a relay race.  He then gives the baton to another.  In the mile relay, a person runs one lap around the track; he then gives the baton to the second fellow; he runs the same lap, does exactly what the first person did, stays in the same lane, and comes back to the same place; he gives the baton to another who runs the same race, etc.  Jesus had ministered on earth for 3½ years.  He said to His people, “Now I am going back to Heaven.  I want the work that I have done to continue.  I want the teachings that I have taught continued.”  He gives to us the continuation of what He began to do and teach.)

 IV.      TWO GREAT PERSONS IN ACTS.  Acts is basically centered around two great men—Peter and Paul.  Peter was given the ministry to the circumcision.  Paul ministered to the uncircumcision.  The word “circumcision” was a word for the Jews.  The word “uncircumcision” was another word for the Gentiles.  In other words, Peter was given to the Jews, and Paul was given to the Gentiles.  The book of Acts is basically built around the ministries of these two great men and their carrying out of the Gospel of Christ according to the will of God.