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Joseph did .what the. angel said, and in Egypt his family: was safe until all the trouble was over. But what .was Joseph to do then? Again the heavenly Father helped hijn, and told him in a dream that It was all right for him to go back to his home. Joseph obeyed, and. in the home city of Nazareth they were a happy family. Perhaps they talked together about how God always helps fathers and mothers who trust in Him, and shows them exactly the right things "to do for their children. 6BJECTS: An English walnut, a piece of white silk, two hammers, and an empty tin can. (Separate the two halves of the walnut with j a knife, and remove the kernel. Stuff the shell with white silk, and glue the shell back together. Cover the side of one hammer facing the audience with black paper and the other with white paper.'i Paihf may be used i f con venient. On a piece of paper print the words “GOD’S CARE” and paste on the side of the tin can, with the opening at the bottom.5 LESSON: Do you think it would be easy for me to break this walnut with’ this, black hammar? It will not appear so easy* when I place this can, marked “GOD’S CARE,” over the walnut. We will let this black hammer re mind us of Herod, the wicked king who wanted to kill Christ. W i t h the can oyer» the walnut* t will try to break it. with H e r o d ’ s hammer. Object Lesson H in d e r in g H erod Matthew 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan urtto John, to be baptized of him. . . . . 14 But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, ^nd comest thou' to me? •, 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suf fered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway-out of the water: and» lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit Into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he *had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward ahun- gered. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said. If thou be the Son of God, com mand that th.ese 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. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pin nacle of the temple.
from a Hebrew root meaning a small twig, sprout, or sucker. This word is used in Isaiah 11:1 where Christ is prophesied as a Branch. It is a humble name, as Nazareth was a despised plafe. Golden Text Illustration G enesis 28d5_ A recent writer, telling the story of a visit to Mammoth Cave, Ken tucky, recounts how, in what is known as “ The Cathedral,” the guide mounted a rock called “The Pulpit, and said he would preach a sermon. It was a short one: “Keep close to your guide.” It, was practical, for the party sooh found out that if one did not keep close to his guide, he would certainly be lost in the midst of the many pits and precipices. It is harder for us to find our way through this world without the lamp of God’s Word than it is to find .one’s way through Mammoth Cave without a guide. A good motto would be, “Keep your eye on the lamp.”—Five Thousand Best Modern Illustrations. When Jesus Was a Little Boy M a t t h e w 2:13-15; 19-23 MEMORY VERSE:; “He careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). ~ AIM: To show the parents’ place in the Christian family. APPROACH: The heavenly Father loves boys and girls so m.ueh that He care for his family. LESSON STORY: The father’s name was Joseph, and he and Mary his wife loved the Baby Jesus dearly. They loved Him just as ariy father and mother would love a baby, aijd they felt honored, too, to have Him belong to their very own home while He was here on earth away from His Father in heaven. Joseph knew it was important to do just the right things in caring for a little child. He did not have the Bible, as we do, to show him what to do. But the heavenly Father knew how Joseph felt in his heart, and He did a wonderful thing for him. When there were bad men who wanted to kill the Lord Jesus, the heavenly Father sent an angel to Joseph one night in a dream, and told him .to take “the y o u n g child and his mother” (v. 13) and go into a coun try called Egypt. h a s planned for everything t h e y ne ed. ^He g i v e s them fathers and m o t h e r s to care for them and to keep t h e m from harm. The B i b'l e tells a beautiful story of how He helped one father
[Strike the bottom of the can which is turned up.] Herod tried to kill Jesus, but could not, for our Saviour was protected by His Father’s care. A part of God’s care included the in structions given to Joseph, “Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, arid take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him” (Matt. 2:13). When Herod tried to kill Jesus, our Lord had escaped, having been pro tected by God’s care. Here is another hammer. Instead of being black like Herod’s, it is white, suggesting that it is God’s -hammer. In Isaiah 53:4 we read, “Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” As the white hammer strikes and breaks the wal nut, we are reminded of the cross where Jesus was smitten by God for our sins. The walnut is filled with white which reminds us of the right eousness of Christ Because it was necessary for Christ to die for us on the cross, Herod could not kill Him when He was a young child.
JANUARY 14, 1945 JESUS FACES H IS L IF E W Ó R K M atthew 3 and 4
6 And saith unto him. If thou be the Jon of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge joncerning thee: .and in their hands they thall bear thee ufc, lest at any time thou lash thy foot' against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written »gain, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy 3od. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into in exceeding high mountain, and shewetn flm ail the kingdoms of the world, and tne jlory of them;
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