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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S
For Those Who Hcrve Topics I. JESUS, THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. How said it is that in the Church which hears His name so often the Lord Jesus Christ is pushed into the background by a human leader. It has been related that, in a certain church, some persons placed upon the pulpit in full view of the preacher the following statement: “Sir, we would see Jesus.” It wa~ a constant remind er to that minister standing behind the sacred desk, that the Lord Jesus Christ should be in the foreground in his preaching ministry. In Colossians 1:18 we read, “And he [Christ] is the head of the body, the church . . . . that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Cer tainly, in all phases of spiritual lead ership throughout the Church, includ ing our Christian Endeavor Societies, He should “increase,” and we, the workers, should “decrease.” II. JESUS, THE APOSTLE AND HIGH PRIEST OF OUR PROFESSION. "Wherefore, holy brethren, partak ers. of the heavenly calling, consider, the Apostle and Hijjh Priest of our profession, •Christ Jesus; Who was faithful fo him- that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house” - (Heb. 3:1,2).- That which makes the Lord Jesus- outstanding as a spiritual leader is His faithfulness to God, the Father. First; He was faithful to God in all His life.- He challenged His enemies with this question, “Which of you con vinced me of sin?” (John 8:46). Not one charge of evil could be brought against Him. He was guileless and without sin (Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:21,22). And, being faithful in all His conduct and conversation, He stands as the one perfect example to all Christian leaders. Secondly, He was faithful to God in all of His ministry. As the Apostle of our profession, He faithfully and fully accomplished the will and work of His Father who sent Him (John 17:4). Today, as the High Priest of our profession, He is still faithfully ministering on our behalf (Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:14-16; Rom. 8:33; Heb. 7:25). Therefore, we conclude, that, as a spiritual leader, Jesus is paramount. No founder of any religion can com pare with Him. DECEMBER 23, 1945 JESUS, THE SON OF GOD M att . 1:18-25; 16:13-17 Our series on the theme, “We Would See Jesus,” is climaxed by a consid eration of Jesus as the Son of God. The behavior, or expressional life of an individual, may be explained, sometimes, upon the basis of heredity and environment. If we regard Jesus merely as a natural man, then we are unable to explain the supernatural-
ness of His birth, life, death, resur rection, and ascension (Luke 4:22; John 6:42; Matt. 13:54,55), and are t h u s obliged to discard the entire Biblical record. If, on the other hand, we are able to determine whose son He is, we shall solve the element of mystery which enshrouds His Person and His power, and the purpose for His appearance here on earth means something to us personally. J e s u s Himself gives us the clue to the prob lem of His Sonship. See Matthew 22:41-45.
to both Mary and Joseph that He was the Father of that unborn Child (Luke 1:35; cf. Matt. 1:20-23). Being God’s only begotten Son, Jesus bore a re semblance to His Heavenly Parent (John 1:14; Heb. 1:1-3). II. JESUS, THE SON OF GOD—BORN OF A WOMAN. Jesus, as the Son of God, was iden tified with the human race ia that He was “born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4);, “made in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:3; Phil. 2:7); became “a pari taker of flesh and blood” and took upon Him “the seed of Abraham’ (Heb. 2:14-17). Jesus thus humiliated Himself for the express purpose of re deeming the race . (Gal. 4:4,5;. 1-4; Heb. 2:17,18). DECEMBER 30, 1945. W E FINISH TO BEGIN J osh . 1:1, 2, 6-9; 1 P et . 3:17,18 Although the Christian life has only one beginning, there are many re-j newals of purpose and steadfastness along its heavenward course. For Those Who Have Topics I. A BACKWARD GLIMPSE. The Scriptural setting from the Book of Joshua may be thus described: Is-' rael had just concluded a forty-year trek through the wilderness, thirty, nine years of which were spent in aimless wandering. How sadly thq nation looked back upon that wasted time—years which might have beeri blessed and profitable had the people been willing to adventure with God and to trust Him to lead them forth in triumph over their enemies. Do we, at the close of this yearj entertain any regrets over the wasted opportunities that have come our, way? If so, let us resolve to do better.’ We may look to Christ for victory over S a t a n who, through unbelief, would render us impotent in our en terprises for God (2 Cor. 2:14). ■ ' II. A FORWARD LOOK Ahead of us still lies much uncon-, quered territory. In our individual lives, many of us find “pockets of Satanic resistance.” From these the enemy must be routed if we are toj make any advance and carry forward the banner of the Lord. About us ard those who are held captive by Satan at his will, and the liberation of these tormented souls is a challenge to us as servants of Christ. To be sure, the! conquest of these citadels of evil do-i minion requires that we “be strong and very courageous,” but we may fortify ourselves for the strife by the Word of God and prayer. III. AN UPWARD GLANCE. - “Looking for that blessed hope, and' the glorious appearing of the _great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13). The Christian should al ways be l o o k i n g upward, “from whence also we look for the Saviour,
IT’S AN IDEA By Carlton C. Buck
Idea 1 , .Have a “ Y o u t h N i g h t ” each week at the church. Begin the evening with a “pot-luck” supper, fol lowed by a sing-time and devotions. Sponsors may give guidance in games and school studies. This regular coming together will strengthen the group, and give courage to Christian conviction and tes timony. Idea 2. Promote the slogan, “Every M e m b e r with His Bible”; on Universal Bible Sunday, December 9. Make the meeting on this day a real “Bible Meeting.” Ask members to bring Bibles print ed in languages other than English. Idea 3. During the Christ mas season, have a returned serviceman or woman tell of Christmas in other lands, or speak on “My Christmas Last Year.” There may be one in your group who had the opportunity of visiting the Holy Land while in the armed services and should be able to describe its people and customs. Idea 4. As we approach the New Year, plan a group meet ing at which several young people may give talks on, “What I Expect of Mv Church This Coming Year.” Then the pastor mav give a message entitled: “What I Expect of My Young People This Com ing Year.”
For Those Who Have Topics I. JESUS, THE SON OF GOD—BEGOT TEN OF THE FATHER. Jesus bore a relationship to God that no other individual has ever sus tained. He is spoken of as God’s “only begotten Son” (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9; and John 1:14). Of that relationship, God the F a t h e r was not ashamed (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). In fact, at the birth of Jesus, He made it very clear
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