SS Lesson 4 of July 26, 2008 The Son of God Among Us

It must be so awesome to know that the Son of God was among us. But sadly enough the Son of God came to this world and was treated cruelly. Like the parable of the Tenants said of what happened: "Listen to another parable:

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

"The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: " 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but anyone on whom it falls will be crushed."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them.They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. Matthew 21:33-46

But we know that he was more than a prophet. Let us see exactly who He is according to our memory verse this week. Memory Text: “The One who existed from the beginning is the one we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him our own hands. He is Jesus Christ, The Word of Life” 1 John 1:1

Sunday & Monday Part 1 & 2 Who Was Jesus ? Sunday & Monday Part 1 & 2 Who Was Jesus ? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” John 1:1-14

Jesus had selfless power. He healed diseases, restored broken lives, and left pious hypocrites speechless. He once said to His disciples, " 'You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all' " Mark 10:42-44 Not exactly a formula for those aggressively seeking political power, is it? His friends were sinners and publicans

Tuesday Jesus Among Sinners and Publicans “Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" Mark 2:15-16

Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.” Matthew 21:28-32

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." He could discern the intentions, whether they were good or whether they were bad. 1 Samuel 16:7

Wednesday Exposing the Hypocrites Wednesday Exposing the Hypocrites Among the different versions of the bible, the titles of Matthew 23 vary. Let us explore some of them. Seven Woes - New International Version Pharisaism Exposed - New American Standard Bible Religious Fashion Shows - The Message Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders - New Living Translation Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees - English Standard Version Jesus Condemns the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law of Moses - Contemporary English Version Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees - New King James Version Jesus Accuses Some Leaders - New Century Version Religious Hypocrites Denounced - Holman Christian Standard Bible Jesus Judges the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law - New International Reader's Version A Warning Against Hypocrisy - Today's New International Version

The best title that fits Matthew 23 is the “Seven Woes for the Scribes and Pharisees” Matthew "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. 2. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. 3. "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 4."Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. 5. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 6. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 7. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

Whatever we might have to say about the Pharisees, one point we shouldn't forget. They were members of God's remnant church, the elite of the only faith in the world that had present truth. What's the message, and warning, for us in that fact?

Despite the accusations, Jesus ended with a positive note. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Jesus shows his love for us here.

Thursday Love for the Hypocrites Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Conclusion The story of Jesus is the most important story in history. His life and teachings show us not only the way to live and how to treat one another but also the way to eternal life-by believing in the salvation He brought to us through His death on the Cross. Nobody else in history has had such a huge impact on the world or such a divided opinion as much as Jesus

The future of each of our lives comes down to one crucial question Jesus Himself asked: " 'Who do you say I am?' " Matt. 16:15

Next week we will be talking about Jesus, the world's greatest teacher, giving His disciples instructions before sending them out to witness. Lesson 5 - Matthew 10: Jesus and His Disciples for August 2, 2008 Next week we will be talking about Jesus, the world's greatest teacher, giving His disciples instructions before sending them out to witness. Lesson 5 - Matthew 10: Jesus and His Disciples for August 2, 2008 And the memory verse mentions that just like our Creator takes care of nature, he will take care of all his disciples “So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” Matthew 10:31 And the memory verse mentions that just like our Creator takes care of nature, he will take care of all his disciples “So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” Matthew 10:31