KB 305
September,. 1944
we shall eat, and drink, and how we shall be clothed, there need be no anxious thought of these things. God “knoweth that ye have need of all these things,” and knowing, He will supply them, just as He supplies the needs in nature. The problem of anxiety concerning these necessities is solved by having a higher objective than things. “Seek ye first the kingdom.. •and all these things shall be added.” To have things as the supreme objective leads to anxiety, because of the uncertainty of these objects. But when the king dom of God and His righteousness hold first place in the believer’s thought, the endeavor is raised out of the realm of uncertainty and is en tirely devoid of anxiety. Therefore be not anxious about to morrow. What God was yesterday, He is today, and will be tomorrow. His providence arranges the path, allows the presence of the difficulties, and bestows sufficient strength for each day’s requirements (cf. Matt. 6:34; Deut. 33:25). in. ■ T h e P r o b l e m o f t h e W o rld ’ s I l l s (L k . 4:16-21) Jesus was known at Nazareth for His habit of attending services at the synagogue. Even though these services could have had little of value to Him, He would attend. On this occasion, He stood up to read, and the’ scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. He found the place for the regular reading on that day, and read Isaiah 61:1. In stead of finishing the sentence, He stopped at a comma, and “closed the book.” At that comma the book re mains closed—so far as fulfillment of that portion is concerned—unto this day. The intervening period of time is the period in which we now find i ourselves, a period undated and un- revealed in the Old Testament, and represented by the comma at which Jesus stopped reading. But He had read enough to reveal the solution to all the world’s ills. The only cure is to hearken to God’s Word, believe what He says, and ac cept His provision. He will give the gospel to the poor, heal the broken hearted, deliver the captives, and so on, because He came in the acceptable year of the Lord. The future holds the “ day of vengeance” of our God. That day, the portion that the Lord Jesus read, was fulfilled in the ears of those who heard Him. But alas, be ing blind to their own deep need, and seeking their own methods of curing the ills of themselves and of others, they rejected God’s remedy. Modem men and women are too much like them. Christ is the solution to every human problem, and Christ alone.
LESSON: Do you boys and girls know why headlights are used on automobiles? “So that people can see tottravel in the dark.” Yes, that is a good answer. People could not travel as fast and with as much safety, were it not for powerful headlights. Do you boys think you could use this big flashlight as a headlight on your bicycle? I think it would work very well. It gives a strong, steady light. Did you know that Jesus spoke of Himself as being a Light? He said: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in dark ness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). The light f r o m this flashlight makes a bright path for the dolls’ feet. As long as they are close to the flashlight they are not in dark ness. Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up o f ' the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and fo r t y n ig h ts , he was a fte r w a r d ahungered. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou, be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. i 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth' that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought fdr the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, Where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were In the syna gogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day Is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears. LESSON TEXT : Matt. 4:1-4; 6:31-34; Lk. 4:16-21. GOLDEN TEXT : “ But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that pro ceedeth out of the mouth of God“ (M att.4:4). DEVOTIONAL READING: Heb. 2:10-18.
This is a dark world in which we are living, and the only safe way for us to walk is to follow Christ closely. Many people have tried to drive their cars when the headlights were not working, only to meet with dis aster. f Many people have tried to travel in the darkness of the world without Christ, the Light of the world. The results of their wreckage are found along life’s highway. To be safe, we must have Christ, the Light of the world, guiding us -each step of the way.
OCTOBER 8,1944 JESUS’ PROGRAM FOR MEETING LIFE’S PROBLEMS M a t t h e w , 4:1-11; 6:24-34; L u k e 4:16-30
Outline and Exposition I. T h e P r o b l e m o f T e m p t a t io n ( M a t t . 4:1-4) W HEN Jesus was anointed as Messiah, Satan immediately challenged His right to oc cupy the office, and God accepted the challenge. Thus Jesus was led (“driveth” is the word used in Mark’s Gospel) to the wilderness to meet Satan’s challenge. There was in the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ not the slightest inward solicitation to sin; in this He differed from all men.¡God permitted, however, the outward solicitation to evil, in order to demon strate or prove certain realities. God tempts,' or. tries, each of His own in order to strengthen their faith; Satan tempts in order to overthrow faith (cf. Gen. 3:1-5; 22:1; Jas. 1:3, 13, 14). Knowing what the Word says, obey ing what it commands, and resting in what it promises, will constitute the solution to every problem of tempta tion. II. T h e P r o b l e m o f A n x ie t y ( M a t t . 6:31-34) “Be not t h e r e f o r e a n x i o u s ” (v. 31, R. V.). “Therefore”—because if God cares for the birds, and even the grass, will He not care for His children, “O ye of little faith?” While there should be due regard to what
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