Christian - Pentecostal Publishing House

The
Heart and
Hope
of a
Christian
JUBILEE SERIES
ADULT TEACHER’S MANUAL
SUMMER 2015
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Adult Teacher’s Manual
© 2014 Pentecostal Publishing House
8855 Dunn Road • Hazelwood, MO 63042-2299
All rights reserved.
Manufactured in USA, June 2014, 194511.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor in Chief: Robin Johnston
Curriculum Senior Editor: Lee Ann Alexander
Word Aflame Adult Editor: Karen Myers
Editor: Richard M. Davis
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CONTENTS
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
UNIT 1: BASICS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
June 7
First of All, Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
June 14
Fundamental Forgiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
June 21
Clothed with Humility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
June 28
Compassion—Love in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
July 5
The Principle of Generous Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
UNIT 2: THE CHURCH—A PLACE TO GROW IN CHRIST
July 12
Prayer—the Christian’s Lifeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
July 19
Reverence for the Word of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
July 26
Growing in the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
August 2
United in Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
August 9
Living Testimonies to Our World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
UNIT 3: THE CHRISTIAN’S FUTURE HOPE
August 16
The Rapture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
August 23
The Millennium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
August 30
Heaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
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EDITORIAL
FUNDAMENTALS
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
by Richard M. Davis
church as we meet together for worship and
fellowship with other believers, and out of that
growing relationship will develop a strong
sense of unity with our brothers and sisters
in Christ. As these characteristics develop
and grow within us as believers, our lives become strong and living testimonies for Jesus
Christ—living examples of His grace at work
in the lives of imperfect humans.
We will conclude the quarter by examining
once again three of the most fundamental future hopes shared by all Christian believers.
First, we will consider the Rapture, which is
the catching away of the living believers at the
beginning of Christ’s return to earth. Christ
does not actually return to the earth at that
time, for the living believers will be caught up
together, along with the resurrected dead in
Christ, to meet Jesus in the air. We will share a
time of communion with Christ prior to returning with Him to bring a conclusion to the battle
of Armageddon when He actually returns to
the earth. Second, we will study the Millennium—the one-thousand-year period that will
follow the ending of Armageddon. Finally, we
will conclude our study with a fresh look at
Heaven, the eternal home of every believer,
for which we look with great anticipation and
expectancy.
Nothing is greater than our relationship with
Jesus Christ! These lessons will remind us of
the greatness of that growing relationship and
its ultimate victory and destiny in Heaven!
This quarter we are privileged to revisit some of the most fundamental aspects of
the Christian life—The Heart and Hope of a
Christian.
Our study will be divided into three units:
(1) Basics of the Christian Life, (2) The
Church—a Place to Grow in Christ, and (3) The
Christian’s Future Hope.
First, we will consider some of the most basic aspects of the Christian life. We will take a
fresh look at the subjects of love, forgiveness,
humility, compassion, and giving, which are
all fundamental issues in our relationship with
Jesus Christ. How can we have an authentic
Christian life without the love of Jesus active in
our heart? How can a Christian live victoriously without forgiveness—both receiving and
extending forgiveness? It is impossible. Further, living a Christian life leads us to exercise
compassion, which is love in action; humility,
knowing the degenerate state in which Christ
found us and from which He saved us; and
generous giving, which is one of our greatest
privileges.
Second, we will study five lessons that will
examine the normal spiritual growth we should
experience as Christians within a fellowship of
other believers—within the church, the body
of Jesus Christ. As we become anchored within the body of Christ, we will naturally grow
to appreciate the power of prayer. We will
develop a special reverence for God’s Word.
We will continue to grow spiritually within the
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FIRST OF ALL, LOVE
FOCUS VERSE
John 13:35
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye
have love one to another.
LESSON TEXT
WEEK 1
06.07.15
FOCUS
THOUGHT
Love is the most
essential quality in
a Christian’s life. It
is the foundation of
our relationship to
God and to others.
By His love God
redeemed us and
in His love we are
made perfect.
I John 4:7–21
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God;
and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth
God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he
loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our
sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love
one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one
another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he
in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that
dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
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.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He
that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
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CULTURE
CONNECTION
“F
by Gary D. Erickson
Ultimately, Love
13:35). Love is the greatest commandment
(Matthew 22:36–40; Luke 10:25–28; Galatians
5:14) and the greatest empowerment given by
the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). The other
fruit of the Spirit emanate from love. In The
Moody Year Book (1900), D. L. Moody wrote,
“The fruit of the Spirit begins with love. . . . Joy
is love exulting; peace is love in repose; longsuffering is love on trial; gentleness is love in
society; goodness is love in action; faith is love
on the battlefield; meekness is love at school;
and temperance is love in training.”
God loves us because it is His choice and
nature. We love God because He first loved us
and gave His life to prove it. We love one another because it is a commandment and it’s
the glue that holds civilization together.
or God is love” (I John 4:8). Love is
the highest characteristic of God.
He loves the good and the bad and
proved His love by giving His life for all (Romans 5:8). “In this was manifested the love of
God toward us, because that God sent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through him. Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to
be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:9–10).
God’s greatest expectation of us is a reciprocation of His love. (See Matthew 22:37.)
Not only are we recipients of God’s love,
but being created in God’s image transfers the
preeminence of love to humankind. Love is
the cornerstone of all virtues. It is the ultimate
test identifying authentic Christian faith (John
OUTLINE
believers. A Christian’s dress and physical appearance definitely distinguish him from the
world. Further, it is absolutely necessary to
know and love truth.
When giving the quality that would identify
His disciples, however, Jesus mentioned none
of these things. Instead, He said, “By this shall
all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye
have love one to another” (John 13:35). Love
is a fundamental characteristic of the Christian
life, and it is the one distinguishing trait specifically mentioned by Jesus.
Obviously, if a person has and exhibits the
love of God, all else will follow. Jesus probably gave love as the proof of discipleship
because it is impossible to fake true love. The
Pharisees were certainly faithful in attendance
at the synagogues, and their outward appearance conformed to Jewish laws, but they did
not have love. It is just as possible today for
one to attend church regularly, dress modestly, and adhere to the true doctrines, and yet
lack the vital ingredient of love.
What is scriptural love? In his book Fruits
of the Spirit, Charles Hembree wrote that
love is not “that sticky and selfish affection
I. GOD’S LOVE MANIFESTED
A. Love in Redemption
B. Love Revealed in Daily Provisions
C. Love Provides an Eternal Inheritance
II. OUR LOVE DEMONSTRATED
A. Our Love to God and His Word
B. Love to Fellow Christians
C. Love toward Sinners
III. OUR LOVE PERFECTED
A. Love Perfected by God’s Spirit
B. L
ove Perfected by Serving Others
CONTEMPLATING THE TOPIC
If God had left it to us to draw up the specifications by which the world could recognize
His people, what would we have included
in the description? Would we have included
such items as faithfulness in attendance to
church, style of dress, physical appearance,
or doctrinal purity?
There is no question but that each of these
items is important. Christians should always
exercise faithfulness in gathering with fellow
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only begotten Son into the world, that we
might live through him” (I John 4:9).
one experiences in adolescence.” Neither is
it “that silly and flabby Santa Claus love demanding no discipline or withholding.” Nor is
love “an unbending discipline allowing for no
mistakes, much less human feeling.”
Hollywood and Madison Avenue have
teamed up to warp the definition of love in our
generation. Commercials flaunt paid actors
testifying of their “love” for the products offered by their sponsors. Weekly tabloids blare
headlines about the latest “love” of various
movie stars or celebrities.
This is as far from scriptural love as day is
from night. Genuine love, according to I Corinthians 13, is patient, kind, generous, humble,
courteous, unselfish, good tempered, guileless, and sincere.
It was well put by the person who said, “We
like someone because; we love someone
although.”
Jesus described the love that proves discipleship when He said, “A new commandment
I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I
have loved you, that ye also love one another”
(John 13:34).
The qualifying words “as I have loved you”
go far beyond the perception of “love” on Madison Avenue or in Hollywood. This exceeds the
carnal affection one may have for another because of a pleasing appearance or personality.
This is love as projected on the Cross—Calvary’s exhibited love. It caused Jesus to love us
although we were sinners and unlovely.
A. Love in Redemption
Much that passes for love in our era is
tainted with selfishness. Too many marriages,
rather than being based on scriptural love, are
founded on the shifting sand of mutual benefit. Those involved in such “marriages” tend
to see the union as a “fifty-fifty” proposition.
Just how unstable this is, however, is reflected
in the high divorce rate. As long as “love” is
colored by mutual benefits, it is not true love
and will not weather the storms that blow up
when one of the partners is unable to continue
providing a benefit.
This writer reviewed a marriage
certificate dated June 6, 1880.
A comparison of this document with
today’s marriage “contracts” reveals
something of how far love has drifted
in the last one hundred years from its
ancient moorings. The certificate is
adorned with Scriptures: “Man is the
Head of the Woman,” “Woman is the
Glory of the Man,” “Whoso findeth a
Wife findeth a good thing,” and “The
wife is a Crown to her Husband.” Included is the statement “. . . upon
satisfactory evidence to me by both
and each of them jointly and separately given, showing that they had freely
and deliberately chosen each other as
bosom companions for life, and were
sacredly pledged to each other for a
faithful performance of all duties arising out of the marriage relation. . . .”
Such phrases as “companions for
life” and talk of “duties” is increasingly considered by many individuals to
be outmoded, but these things are the
outgrowth of genuine love.
SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES
I. GOD’S LOVE MANIFESTED
God has many characteristics. Strength,
power, wisdom, knowledge, judgment—all
serve to describe some aspect of God’s being. Scripture speaks even of the wrath of
God, but never do we read, “God is wrath.”
Instead, we discover “God is love” (I John
4:8). All that God is, and all that He does, is
founded solidly in this fact: God is love. Love
shapes and forms all else that He is and does.
Even His wrath is tempered by His love. This
love of God is not something of which He
speaks only; it prompts Him to action. His love
is manifested:
God set the example for us in unselfish love
when He gave His only begotten Son (John
3:16). Christ’s love was totally giving in nature;
there was nothing we had to offer in return.
“Christ died for the ungodly.
scarcely for a righteous man will
die: yet peradventure for a good
some would even dare to die. But
“In this was manifested the love of God
toward us, because that God sent his
For
one
man
God
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Father which is in heaven: for he maketh
his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the
unjust. For if ye love them which love you,
what reward have ye? . . . Be ye therefore
perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:44–48).
commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us” (Romans 5:6–8).
Though extremely rare, it might be possible
to find someone willing to die in the place of
a good person. But we were not good. We
were ungodly and sinful, yet God loved us
enough to give His Son, His express image,
in our place.
Love cannot be perceived apart from
actions; words mean little. And it is by this supreme action of our Lord, the death of Christ
on the cross, that we perceive the love of God.
The love of God motivates Him to supply
the basic needs of humans, including those
who do not love Him. All about us—in the
sparkling streams, the roaring waterfalls, the
sprigs of green poking up through the soil, the
fresh breeze, and the warm glow of the sun—
we see God manifesting His love for the whole
of mankind.
“Hereby perceive we the love of God,
because he laid down his life for us: and
we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren” (I John 3:16).
C. Love Provides
an Eternal Inheritance
Though we deeply appreciate the daily
provisions God has made for us through His
love, the greatest of His provisions for us is
that of an eternal inheritance. This is an inheritance “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you”
(I Peter 1:4).
This surpasses our imagination. How could
a righteous and holy God condescend to this
earth to live among sinful men and to provide
for them an eternal inheritance—while they
were yet in their sinful state? There could be
only one motive: love. Jesus loved His disciples “unto the end” (John 13:1). This kind of
undying, unfading love provided an incorruptible, undefiled inheritance, which will never
fade away.
Romans 8:17–23 speaks of this inheritance
and declares that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with
the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
An earthly father, out of his human love for
his family, may provide them with an inheritance. But, however great it may be, it is a
fading, corruptible inheritance. The love of
God is manifested as He lifts frail individuals
out of time into eternity, out of corruption into
incorruption, out of death into life.
In the Cross, God gave us a high and lofty
example. As He laid down His life for us, so
should we lay down our lives for others.
B. Love Revealed in Daily Provisions
The demonstration of God’s love did not end
with Calvary. From there, God has continued
to display His love for humankind by providing
for every need mankind will ever know.
In the Old Testament, God was known by
various compound names, each of which
described a certain attribute or characteristic
of God. For example, Jehovah-jireh (Genesis 22:14) means “the Lord will provide.”
Jehovah-rapha (Exodus 15:26) is interpreted
“the Lord that healeth thee.” Jehovah-shalom
(Judges 6:24) speaks of “the Lord our peace.”
Jehovah-tsidkenu (Jeremiah 23:6) means “the
Lord our righteousness.”
These and many other names of God in the
Old Testament reveal Him to be concerned
with every conceivable need of the human
race. All of these names are summed up in
Jesus Christ. Paul said, “But my God shall
supply all your need according to his riches in
glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
God demonstrated His love to the Israelites
with manna from Heaven and water from the
rock. God still supplies the needs of people
today, and the motive is His love.
II. OUR LOVE DEMONSTRATED
If we walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ,
we will demonstrate to others the love He has
shown to us. This is not an option; it is a requirement and proves genuine Christianity.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies
. . . that ye may be the children of your
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“If a man say, I love God, and hateth
his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth
not his brother whom he hath seen, how
can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from
him, That he who loveth God love his
brother also” (I John 4:20–21).
A love for God’s Word equates with a love
for His truth. It is deadly not to love the truth.
“Because they received not the love of
the truth, that they might be saved. And for
this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that
they all might be damned who believed not
the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thessalonians 2:10–12).
Why must we love one another? Because
God loved us (I John 4:11). In other words, we
show we have received His love as we give it
to others.
Some individuals may misinterpret one’s
love for truth as “dogmatism” or “stubbornness.” But to those who love God and His
truth, there is no room for compromise or
flexibility about truth. While we must speak the
truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), we must, nevertheless, speak the truth. Indeed, we cannot
speak falsehood in love.
“And we have known and believed the
love that God hath to us. God is love; and
he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,
and God in him” (I John 4:16).
A. Our Love to God and His Word
It would be impossible for us to love God
apart from His love for us. We have absolutely
nothing as a basis upon which we can commend ourselves to God. Our salvation and our
relationship with Him rests solely on the foundation of His compassion for us.
B. Love to Fellow Christians
A love for God will manifest itself in a love
for His children. This is not just saying we love
others, but demonstrating our love by our
deeds (I John 3:18).
“If a brother or sister be naked, and
destitute of daily food, and one of you
say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye
warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye
give them not those things which are
needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
(James 2:15–16).
“We love him, because he first loved
us” (I John 4:19).
“For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: not of works, lest any man
should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Because God has loved us, we can love
Him. We demonstrate our love for Him through
our actions toward Him. We will want to spend
time with Him in prayer and in His Word. We
will hunger to work with Him and to do those
things close to His heart. Jesus showed the
relationship between our love for God and our
actions: “If ye love me, keep my commandments. . . . He that hath my commandments,
and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and
he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father,
and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him” (John 14:15, 21).
In other words, our obedience to God
proves our love for Him. We can say we love
Him, and we should, but we prove it when we
obey Him.
Our love for God will be followed by an intense love for His Word: “O how Iove I thy law!
it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97).
A characteristic of a true Christian is that he
will be found “distributing to the necessity of
saints; given to hospitality” (Romans 12:13).
These are the sacrifices that please God (Hebrews 13:16). Indeed, regardless of how loud
and long one may testify of his love for God,
the proof is found in the manner in which he
responds to the needs of others.
“But whoso hath this world’s good,
and seeth his brother have need, and
shutteth up his bowels of compassion
from him, how dwelleth the love of God
in him?” (I John 3:17).
The Word of God commands that we personally minister to the needs of others. It will
not do to excuse our lack of involvement by
an appeal to present welfare systems and
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