The Coolidge examiner., 1937-03-11

Imbroped H SUNDAY
Uniform c~,1Oor
-:-LESSON = =
BY REV. HAROLD L. LUNDQUIST,
Dean of the Moody Bible Institute
of Chicago.
G Western Newspaper Union.
Lesson for March ID
JESUS PRAYING FOR HIS DIS
CIPLES

LESSON TEXT - John 1851; 17:14.
| 26.
| GOLDEN TEXT That they may
be one, even as we are one. John 1922.
PRIMARY TOPIC When Jesus
Prayed for His Friends.
JUNIOR TOPIC - Did Jesus Pray
for Me?
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOP
&c - Jesus Praying for Us.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOP
&c - Unity with God and One Another.
The assurance that someone is
praying for us is an anchor in
time of storm. Many a man or
woman has been on the point of Civ
ing up in despair, of yielding to
temptation, and has been carried
through to victory by the interces-
sion of a godly mother or father.
Just to know that someone prays
for us is to find strength for the
klees that have weakened and for
the heart that has all but failed.
Infinitely more precious is tn e
truth of our lesson, that the Lord
Jesus himself prayed for each one
of his followers. John 1920 makes
clear that while he prayed for those
who were with him at the time, he
also included in his petition all who
since that day have come to be-
lieve on him because of their testi-
mony.
Before entering upon his mex
pressibly precious and beautiful
prayer, the Lord gave to his fol-
lowers a,promise which was of vital
importance.
I. A Promise Q6:5-O.
Persecution is coming, and jesus
will not be with them to meet tie
trying hour. He is about to enter
upon that final scene in his earthly
life, which will bring it to its end
in "a place called the place of a
skull"
How then can he say to them that
it is eXpedient for them that he go
away? Because he will send the
Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Students
of the Scriptures recognize in the
Holy Trinity an inscrutable mys-
terry, but receive the teaching of the
Bible concerning the ministries of
the three persons in the one God
head with glad and thankful hearts.
1t is a subject which cannot be en-
tered into here, but which richly
rewards careful study. Suffice it
to say that while the Holy Spirit
has always been active in the earth,
he did enter upon ministry of a
special nature when Jesus had gone
to be with the Father.
The essence of the work of the
Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ C6:
1N, and in so doing he convicts the
unbeliever of sin and guides the
believer into all truth The mark of
a Spirit-filled Christian is that he
permits the Spirit to glorify Christ
in him and in his service for God
ii. A Prayer Q7: 1929.
When one enters the sacred
precincts of John II he feels that
he has come into the holy of holies,
and that he would not only loose
the shoes from his feet, but also
stand silent in worship and in
praise. He prayed for me-for me!
Each student of this lesson will
wish to enter fully upon the mean
ing of these words as he re-reads
them, in the illumination of the
Holy Spirit. May 1 suggest three
things which Jesus sought for His
children?
l. Conservation (vv. 14-16). No
one is Christ's child without regen-
Grafton, but, sad to say, there are
many children in his blessed house
hold who are not obedient, not spir-
itually we'll and strong. They are in
the world, they must be here, but
alas too many of them want to
be as much like the world as pos
sible. He prayed that we might be
kept from evil, separate from the
world, kept by God even in world
that hates him and his truth.
2. Sanctifcation wv. 17-2D. This
means to be set apart and cleansed
for Gods service. How is it ac-
complished? Through the truth. His
Word is the instrument of sanctifi-
cation. Little wonder th-t there is
so little holiness of living when
the Word has so little opportunity
to touch and cleanse the life.
This separated life brings God S
people into that unity of love-all
in Christ, and he in the Father-all
bound up in that "one great bundle
of love-"
3. Glorifcation wv 22-26). When
Jesus came into the world in the
flesh he voluntarily laid aside the
glory which was his, and which still
is his, and which he prays that we
may behold. But we all, with open