Vol. IX No. 1 Bible Expositor and Illuminator Large-Print Edition WINTER QUARTER December 2017, January, February 2018 Looking Ahead... 2 Editorials... 3 Faith in Action UNIT I: Faith in Christ Dec. 3 Faith in Jesus Acts 3:11-21... 4 Dec. 10 Faith to Discern Acts 13:1-12... 18 Dec. 17 Faith to Persevere Acts 14:8-11, 19-23... 32 Dec. 24 Faithful Seekers of the King (Christmas) Matt. 2:1-12... 46 Dec. 31 Faith to Unite Eph. 4:1-16... 60 UNIT II: A Living Faith in God Jan. 7 A Sincere Faith Dan. 1:8-21... 74 Jan. 14 A Bold Faith Dan. 3:19-28... 88 Jan. 21 A Prayer for an Obedient Faith Dan. 9:4-8, 15-19... 102 Jan. 28 A Strong Faith Dan. 10:10-19... 116 UNIT III: Godly Faith Feb. 4 Faith Without Works Is Dead Jas. 2:14-26... 130 Feb. 11 A Disciplined Faith Jas. 3:1-12... 144 Feb. 18 Faithful Disciples Acts 9:36-43... 158 Feb. 25 The Good Fight of Faith I Tim. 6:11-21... 172 Topics for Next Quarter... 188 Paragraphs on Places and People... 189 Daily Bible Readings... 190 Review... 191 Editor in Chief: Todd Williams Edited and published quarterly by THE INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF THE GOSPEL WORKER SOCIETY UNION GOSPEL PRESS DIVISION Rev. W. B. Musselman, Founder Price: $5.50 per quarter* $22.00 per year* *shipping and handling extra ISBN 978-1-59843-555-9 Lessons based on International Sunday School Lessons; the International Bible Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright 2014 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.uniongospelpress.com
LOOKING AHEAD From the moment we hear of the need of salvation, we hear of the necessity of faith. We are taught from the beginning that we do not work for salvation but rather that salvation is by the grace of God through our faith. Faith should not stop there, however, and that is the subject of this quarter s lessons. Faith should be active in daily living as we encounter the situations of life. The first unit is about having faith in Christ, with lesson 1 emphasizing the need for faith in Jesus and His work on the cross. Lesson 2 examines the importance of discerning faith as demonstrated by Paul when he encountered Elymas the sorcerer. Lesson 3 is about persevering faith. Paul faced severe opposition and stoning in Lystra, but he refused to let this deter him from going on with his ministry. The Christmas passage, lesson 4, takes another look at the faithful wise men who came seeking the King of the Jews. The unit concludes with Paul s instructions to the Ephesians to be faithful in walking together as God s children. The second unit becomes more directly applicable to our exercise of living faith with four lessons from the book of Daniel. Lesson 6 reminds us that even as a young man, Daniel (along with his three friends) determined to be pure in sincerely obeying God s instructions, even about the food they ate. Lesson 7 reveals the bold faith of Daniel s friends as they fearlessly faced the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar. In lesson 8, we listen in on Daniel s heartfelt prayer of confession and request to God to help His people have an obedient faith. Our final glimpse of Daniel shows him in the presence of a heavenly messenger. Daniel initially collapsed in his presence out of weakness but was soon strengthened and enabled to receive God s message. The third unit describes a deep and godly faith. The two lessons from James remind us that faith without the accompanying evidence of works is useless (lesson 10) and that the control of the untamable tongue requires a disciplined faith (lesson 11). This godly faith is shown in action in lesson 12, where we learn about Peter s call to Joppa following the death of Tabitha. Because of Peter s faithfulness, he was used to raise this woman from the dead. Lesson 13 presents Paul s reminder to Timothy to never give up in the good fight of faith. Keith E. Eggert. PLEASE NOTE: Fundamental, sound doctrine is the objective of the Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society, Union Gospel Press Division. The writers are prayerfully selected for their Bible knowledge and yieldedness to the Spirit of Truth, each writing in his own style as enlightened by the Holy Spirit. At best we know in part only. They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11). 2
EDITORIALS Examples of Faith JAMES JORDAN In athletics, there is a hall of fame for almost every sport. The hall of fame recognizes those who had a great impact on the sport, as well as those who achieved great things over a career. These people hopefully serve as inspirations to people who want to play at a high level of the sport. Many of them simply provide inspiration to pursue one s dreams. If we can look to a sports hall of fame for inspiration, how much more should we look to the Scriptures to see what great men and women of God have done over the centuries! These people racked up many accomplishments and great feats; but what they all had in common is faith, or belief. An athlete must believe that what he seeks is possible, and we too must believe that we can reach God through faith. The epistle to the Hebrews contains a hall of fame of sorts in what is called the faith chapter. Chapter 11 lists many examples of great men and women of faith through history. We are exhorted to consider these people as examples of faith as we live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:1-2). Old Testament saints lived by faith, and their stories are told in Scripture to give us examples of that faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The peo- ple of the Old Testament believed in God and lived by that belief. They were hoping for a better place and did not call this world their home. They were looking forward to Jesus coming and purpose, and now we look at those things as the basis of our faith. Hebrews 11:39 reminds us that the saints of old did not receive the promise during their lifetimes; they were looking ahead to the work of Christ. We have seen His work, and we continue to see its results today in our lives. Like the Old Testament saints, we too look forward to a better day and a better land to call our own the kingdom of God. Hebrews 11 lists many examples of great faith, and there are many others in the New Testament. The thing they all have in common is a strong belief in God; they looked to things not seen, things hoped for. One of the people listed in Hebrews is Abraham, who is considered by some to be the founder of monotheistic religion. It was through Abraham that God began a relationship with a specific group of people. Abraham s descendants would eventually become the nation of Israel, God s chosen people. Genesis 12:1 tells us, Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father s house, unto a land that I will shew thee. God did not even tell Abraham his destination; he was simply to leave the whole life he had built in his homeland and follow God s leading. Even more amazing, Abraham and his wife were old and past normal childbearing years; yet (Editorials continued on page 186) Bible Expositor and Illuminator 3
LESSON 1 DECEMBER 3, 2017 Scripture Lesson Text ACTS 3:11 And as the lame man which was healed held Pe ter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Sol o-mon s, greatly wondering. 12 And when Pe ter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Is ra-el, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 13 The God of A bra-ham, and of I saac, and of Ja cob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Je sus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pi late, when he was determined to let him go. 14 But ye denied the Ho ly One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Je sus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. NOT ES 4
TIME: A.D. 30 Faith in Jesus Lesson: Acts 3:11-21 Read: Acts 3:1-26 PLACE: Jerusalem GOLDEN TEXT Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). Introduction Preachers love to preach! Pastors delight in weekly preparation because they know they will be able to stand before their congregations and expound on scriptural passages. Occasionally, however, preachers are presented with completely unexpected open doors for preaching, for which there might be little or no time for preparation. It is in those times that the preacher reveals his ability to speak meaningfully because of his intimate knowledge of God and His Word. Such an open door is also an opportunity for the preacher to lean on the Holy Spirit for guidance. When he does, the message can be just as powerful as when there has been a lengthy time of preparation. Peter might be known for blurting out things that got him into trouble, but as he grew spiritually, he was also able to speak meaningfully in any situation that arose. During the days following Jesus ascension, he became the leading spokesman for the apostles and regularly spoke at a moment s notice as the opportunity arose, challenging unbelievers to trust Christ and teaching new believers the truth regarding new situations. LESSON OUTLINE I. PREACHING JESUS Acts 3:11-16 II. PREACHING REPENTANCE Acts 3:17-21 Exposition: Verse by Verse PREACHING JESUS ACTS 3:11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon s, greatly wondering. 12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? Bible Expositor and Illuminator 5 December 3, 2017