SEARCH Lesson 069

Key Verse

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
— 1 Peter 3:15

John the Baptist

John 1:15-30

 

The time—God’s time—had arrived! The Messiah, Jesus, was about to be revealed to the world. People everywhere were groaning for deliverance from sin and God had now sent His “only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” But all the smallest details foretold in God’s plan were to be accomplished. Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 had spoken of a specific person who was first to come on the scene as the forerunner of Christ. He was John the Baptist.

QUESTIONS

  1. Six months before Mary was told she was to give birth to the Son of God, who announced to Zacharias the birth of John the Baptist, and what was John’s mission in life to be? See Luke 1:13-19.
  2. Within this lesson’s text, what was the theme of John the Baptist’s remarks? Relate this theme to Isaiah 53:4-7, and tell in your own words what taking away the sin of the world might mean.
  3. John the Baptist’s chief mission on earth was _______________________ . In other words, he was to be a ___________________ of the coming Christ. John even witnessed unselfishly to ____________________ and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” See John 1:29 and 36.
  4. What are the five questions the priests and Levites from Jerusalem asked John, and what answer did he give to each?
  5. What did Jesus say about John the Baptist? See Luke 7:28.
  6. The word “witness” occurs at least seventeen times in the Gospel of John. Using a dictionary, define the word witness. How did this apply to John the Baptist? See John 1:34.
  7. How does witnessing apply to Christians today? See Acts 1:8; 2:32.
  8. What lesson could we learn concerning our witnessing for Christ from the fact that John said he was just a “voice”?
  9. Think of several people you know who need a Christian witness. Then pray and purpose to seek the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit in witnessing to them and leading them to the Lord.

Thought Provoker: If you were to be paid $10,000 for each soul you helped to win for Christ, how much harder would you be working at witnessing for Him?

THEME THOUGHTS
What makes a hero? Everyone, no matter what his age, seems to have a hero—someone he looks up to and admires. A great deal of a person’s behavior can be traced to the figure he or she has chosen as a role model. Are you in a period of transition? Are you facing the challenge of growing as a Christian. These lessons have been structured with the thought of helping you face this challenge head-on by giving you examples of people in the Bible who exemplified characteristics that would be good to pattern after.We will be studying about heroes found in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, including our greatest Hero—Jesus.These lessons will cover some of the women in the Bible as well as the men. Elisabeth’s faith, Deborah’s confidence, the self-denial of the widow of Zarephath, and the perseverance of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment are wonderful examples of feminine heroes we will be learning about.The other lessons will cover Zacharias’ faith, the obedience of Joseph (Jesus’ earthly father), John the Baptist’s fearless witnessing, Gideon’s example of courage, Caleb’s determination to wholly follow the Lord, the persecution of Stephen, Ananias’ determination to serve God, and Elisha’s willing service.Our aim is that with the concluding lesson, which summarizes this quarter on choosing the right kind of heroes, you will have learned which character qualities make someone a real hero. We pray that you yourself will want to become a good example for someone else to follow.

• Proverbs 11:30

• Daniel 12:3

• James 5:20

Resources

Books 1 - 36 Supplementary Materials

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