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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
January, 1936
in danger o f losing his head, for rebuking a puppet king for his immorality (Lk. 3 :18-20). It is no wonder that John’s faith began to weaken. 3. Notice now how our Lord replies to John’s wistful question. He does not waste time with any mere verbal claim. It is easy to make claims. He does not say, “Go back and tell John not to worry. I an the Coming One.” But He does some thing infinitely better. See the record in verse 21: “In that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits ; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.” After He had done these wonders, He said, “ Go . . . and tell John what things ye have seen." These very things, John would know, were the divinely predicted credentials o f the MeS- sianic King (cf. Isa. 35:4-6). Such a reply from our Lord settles forever how we should interpret Old Testament proph ecies o f the kingdom. The kingdom, when it finally comes, will be a literal kingdom; just as literal as were the blind men who were healed. Golden Text Illustration A little lassie bounding in from school claimed that she had learned to punctuate. “Indeed!” exclaimed the mother. “And how do you do it?” “Well, mamma,” cried the excited little grammarian, “it’s just as easy as can be! I f you say that a thing is so, you just put a hatpin after it ; but if you are only asking whether it is so or not, you put a button hook !” There’s a world o f sound philosophy about the little lassie’s explanation. All life resolves itself, sooner or later, into a matter o f hatpins and buttonhooks;—our affirmations and our interrogations. We declare confidently: We know whom we have believed! “ Believe your beliefs,” says an old writer, “and doubt your doubts.’^; Never doubt your beliefs, and never be lieve your doubts. It is a quaint way of saying that the hatpin and the buttonhook must be kept each in its proper place.— F. W. B o r e h a m , in 5,000 Best Modern Il lustrations, by Hallock.
John sent two o f his disciples and asked Jesus, “Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” Lesson Story: Jesus didn’t blame John for asking this question. Jesus knew that people had' expected the Saviour to come as a great and mighty conqueror who would deliver them from their enemies. Jesus had to make even John understand that His way was different. Jesus had come as the Saviour, not to conquer the people’s enemies for them, but to tell them to love their enemies. He had come not to kill, but to heal and to raise from the dead. No man could do the things which the Lord could do. This should make John be sure that Jesus was the Son of God, the Saviour. So Jesus told John’s disciples to go back and to tell John the things that they had seen Jesus do. He knew that this: would answer John’s question, and that, John would understand. We, too, know the things which Jesus did, and we can understand and believe in Him, too.
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Object Lesson A C ure for D oubts Objects: A compass, a small iron rod, and a small piece of iron chain. Lesson: What is this that I hold in my hand? ‘ii } ‘A compass.” This compass reminds me o f John the Baptist. There was a time when he pointed to Jesus, and said: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin o f the w orld!” He pointed to Christ so effectively that his own disciples left him and fol lowed Christ. This compass, like John, is pointing steadily in one direction. Compasses, like people, do not always continue to point in the right direction. As I place this iron rod near the compass, the needle is changed from its original position. The iron chain has the same effect on the compass as the iron bar had. John, like the compass, allowed prison bars something like this iron bar, and prison chains like this chain, to cause him to doubt that Christ was the true Messiah. Until John the Baptist was. placed in jail, he had been perfectly sure that Christ was the Messiah. But when he could not see Christ at work, manifesting His power and love for the people, John doubted. Many Christians are like John. As long as things are going smoothly with them, they haye no doubts; but if any kind of trouble comes their way and they cannot see God’s purpose in it, their hearts are filled with doubts. When they are sick, they begin to doubt. If they have a finan cial loss, they wonder why God has per mitted it. Because they cannot understand God’s dealings with them, these people are troubled and uncertain. There is a way to fix this compass so that it is not so easily changed. This little slide on the side sets the needle in one certain position. Now the rod and chain have no effect on it. It is possible for a What is its purpose? f: “To tell directions.”
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Jesus Answers John’s Question L uke 7:18-29
Memory Verse: “The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached” (Lk. 7:22). Approach: I wonder whether you re member that the Lord Jesus had a cousin named John the Baptist. John was about six months older than Jesus; and from the
time that John was a young man, he had gone about telling the p e o p le ev ery where to repent and prepare their hearts •for the coming of the p rom ise d Sa viour. W h en Jesus g rew up and was ready to begin teach ing the p eople, He first went to John to
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to be baptized. It was while Jesus was at the riverside that a voice from heaven pro claimed to the people that Jesus was God’s beloved Son in whom God was well pleased. John felt sure then that Jesus was indeed the Saviour for whom the people were waiting. But time went on, and John didn’t hear a great deal about Jesus. One day, ^ V i s i o *
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