NBC Sunday School Manual For July 17, 2021 :Topic -BRINGING THE LIGHT
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NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Sunday, July 17, 2022
TOPIC: BRINGING THE LIGHT
Background Scripture: John 12:27-50
Lesson Scripture: John 12:44-50
GOLDEN TEXT: I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. John 12:46
Objectives: By the end of the lesson, class members should be able to:
I. Explain Jesus’ mission of coming to the world;
II. Discuss how Jesus wants us to live in light and not in darkness;
III. Express the willingness to live in light as Jesus has commanded.
INTRODUCTION
The fact remains that Nigeria is still under a democratic reign. From time to time, elections are conducted and candidates are voted into different positions, which they have vied for. Before the elections are conducted, there are usually political campaigns. The different candidates with their political party members move from one place to another sharing their political ideologies purposely to convince the electorates of what they will do when they are voted for and why they are the ideal candidates for the position. They put in effort to make sure they are trusted including the political party they represent. They wish we entrust our future to their leadership and believe that they will maintain our confidence in them for the duration of their term in office. It is no longer new that some of their political campaigns are filled with empty promises they cannot fulfil before the expiration of their tenure. Some of them go to the extent of giving out money and other materials in order to persuade the people.
However, unlike the empty promises made by politicians, it cannot be compared with the promises of God that can always be trusted. Scripture says, “The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised, as some think….” (2Peter 3:9a). God has given us a special gift we cannot find anywhere else without which we will remain in darkness forever. Out of His merciful love for us, He revealed Himself as Light in the person of His Son Jesus Christ so that we do not remain in darkness permanently. Therefore, we have no reason to remain captive in the darkness of sin any longer. Jesus came as Light and He has invited us to embrace the Light.
The focus of today’s lesson is John’s emphasis on the key theme of light and darkness and its implication on judgment and eternal life. In other words, our faith in Jesus is an absolute necessity if we want to enjoy eternal life. His compilation highlight shows we can establish an intimate relationship with the Father through His Son Jesus Christ to have eternal life.
THE LESSON EXPLAINED
A. Jesus the Light. John 12:44-46
Chapter 12 of the gospel of John describes how Jesus was anointed in Bethany, His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the prediction about His death and how the people’s heart were hardened and refused to believe in Him. (John 12:1-41). From verse 44, Jesus’ rejection despite the overwhelming evidence of His miraculous dealings with the people caused Him to express His emotions. He cried out and said, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.” He added in verse 45 that He (Jesus) is a true reflection of God who sent Him. Thereafter, He declared His mission of coming into the world as Light, so that those who believe in Him may no longer live in darkness.
Jesus’ public ministry was already coming to an end. So, the need to emphasise light and darkness and His relation to God, the Father became necessary. He came as our Saviour. He was born to bring God’s light into the dark world and to give His life so that everyone who receives Him would be forgiven and be freed from the power of sin. John called Him “the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” So, Jesus’ purpose of coming into the world is clearly stated in verse 46. He came as Light therefore, those who believe in Him will no longer dwell in the darkness of this world because He has dispelled the darkness. Furthermore, Jesus wants those who have received Him to live as light of the world and not remain in darkness. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also stressed the importance of Christians as light. He further admonished them to let their light shine before men so that they will see their good works and glorify their Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16).
DISCUSSION TIME
1. What does darkness in the passage signify?
2. Discuss how believers can shine as light to the world.
B. God, the Ultimate Judge John 12:47-50
Jesus was emphatic in verse 47 about His method of judgment. He stressed that He will not judge those who hear His words but fail to keep them because it is not part of His mission of coming to the world. Rather, He declared that, “For I did not come to judge the world but to save it.” However, he acknowledged the fact that there is a judge who will judge those who have rejected Him and His message. Those who rejects His words will be judged according to every word He has spoken on the last day (v. 48), because God has sent Him. After all, everything He has spoken and does is in obedience to the command of His Father. He declared in verse 50 saying, “I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
According to the passage, the declaration that Jesus was sent by the Father to speak specific words does not undermine the doctrine of the Trinity but confirms it. The doctrine teaches that God is One Being in three persons that have separate duties. Moreover, the fact that Jesus is the God’s Son of the Trinity does not make Him less than the Father but defines His relationship with Him. The statement that He came to save and not to judge is a declaration from the aftermath of His meeting with Nicodemus at the beginning of His ministry (John 3:17). Interestingly, while many of the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus, some believed in Him including Nicodemus. We should
understand that God sent Jesus to the world therefore; everything He said and did were in obedience to His Father’s command according to His confession in verse 50. The implication is that those who have heard the message and failed to obey will be judged by the words of Jesus on the last day by the ultimate judge who is God Himself. The interesting thing is that no one will escape this great judgment because our daily lives are visible to Him, who sees both in the secret and in the open. The only remedy is to believe in Jesus and His message of salvation from God His Father.
DISCUSSION TIME
1. Discuss reasons some people reject the gospel message and possible ways to effectively respond to those reasons.
2. How does the words of Jesus bring eternal life according to verse 50?
Commitment: Based on today’s lesson, make a commitment towards your relationship with others to shine as light to them.
Fellowship and Ministry Building Activities:
Divide the class into two groups. Let group A describe in short sentences the lifestyle of those who are living in the light of Christ and group B to describe the lifestyle of those who have rejected Him and are living in darkness. They should pray for those who have not accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord in their families, communities and the church.
Prayer Points:
▪︎ Pray meditatively on how you can shine the light of the gospel in this dark world
▪︎ Ask the Lord to give you courage to preach His Word to a dying world
▪︎ Pray that the Will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven
Take Home: Write down three lessons you are taking home from today’s lesson