February, 1945
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never had met before. Exactly what happened is written down for us in the Word of God (Lesson Text). LESSON STORY: Here is our Moth er. She is excited and happy. She gets us washed and dressed in our brightest and prettiest clothes. “My precious children,” she says softly as she gives each of us a little pat, “ this is going to be a wonderful day for you!” We go with Mother for a long walk. We are not in America, but in a coun try called Judea, and the beautiful Jordan River is not far away (v. 1). We see great crowds of people (v. 2). There is one special Person to whom every one is listening. It seems He has been speaking a long time (vs. 3-12). This Person has about a dozen helpers with Him. Here are the helpers. They see us coming with our Mother. They see other mothers with their children. The helpers hear what the mothers ask for: that is, to have the special Per son, the Lord Jesus, lay His hands on their children and pray for them. But the helpers are not glad about that. They eveif scold a little. Here is the Lord Jesus. He calls out to us above all the crowd: “Let the little children come to me” (v. 14). As He speaks those beautiful words, His voice is sweeter than any other voice. He is coming close to us. He is putting His arms around us. We can feel that He loves us more than any other person in the whole world can love us. We know He wants to be our Saviour, arid for give our sins, and take care of us for ever. We are so happy that we can scarcely speak. “Lord Jesus,” we whisper to Him, "we love Thee so much! Please keep us always very, very close to Thee.” Object Lesson I lls and P ills OBJECTS: A fever thermometer and a bottle of pills. LESSON: These are two things which most boys and girls dislike—a thermometer and a bottle of pills. Both are intended to be used when one is sick. The thermometer tells that you are sick, and the right kind of a pill is intended to help you get well. In looking at them, I am reminded of the words of Christ, “They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to re pentance” (Mk. 2:17). Not everyone is sick physically, but every person is sick spiritually and needs Christ. Pills are not to look at; they must be taken. A pill might be very pret ty, and a sick person might spend much time looking at it, but unless he
obtaining eternal life and its enjoy ment. III. T he P romise for the D isciples (29) In the measure in which earthly things are given second place in the life, ‘ heavenly things will predomi nate. The Lord did not mean that the literal forsaking of family or posses sions would give eternal life, but that the enjoyment of eternal life is de pendent upon what is first in the heart and life. Points and Problems 1. "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" (Matt. 19:16). This question reveals how much ignorance an un instructed soul can display in re markably few words. Much about this young man is attractive. We read that “Jesus beholding him loved him” (Mk. 10:21). However, the youthful ruler made two blunders in the opening question of his conversa tion with Jesus. First, he addressed Christ as a mere man. “Good Master” could have been applied to any rabbi of, Christ’s day. The young man failed to recognize Christ as God. Second, he plainly in dicated that he thought of salvation as something to be worked for instead of something to be received by grace. There are multitudes like him in the world today! With them it is, What must I do instead of what He has done. 2. "There is none good but one, that is, God" (v. 17). Jesus here accom modated Himself to the language and thought of the young ruler. He had called Jesus “good.” Hence Jesus re minded him that in the absolute sense there is only one that is good, even God. But the ruler had not meant tjiis in his use of the word. He had not seen in the face of Christ the eter nally good God. Many fall short at this very point. 3. "But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (v. 17). Is this the way of salvation today? We know that it is not, because the bur den of the gospel invitation is to be lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ for sal vation. The mam of this story was living in the dispensation of law. By the law men were tested. By it they saw their need of •cleansing. God provided cleansing in the blood. This is why Christ came to Calvary. “The commandments” were the mirror to show the rich young ruler, the true need of his heart. Realizing his need, he failed to follow Christ, the Lamb of God. 4. "AH these things have 1 kept from my youth up" (v, 20). The ig norance of this young man is further lemonstrated in these bold words. He
was doubtless very sincere, but very wrong. Jesus makes it evident that he had not kept chat part of the law which pertained to his neighbor else he would have been willing to sell his goods and “give to the poor.” Sin cerity will not take the place of truth in spiritual matters. The fact is, no one ever fully kept the command ments except our Lord. He was only a mite of a boy, dirty and ragged, but he had stopped for a little while in one of the city’s free playgrounds to watch a game of ball. Tatters and grime were in evidence on every side, but this little fellow attracted the attention of a group of visitors. One of them gave him a luscious pear. The, boy’s eyes spar kled. But his eyes were the only thanks as he looked back to see from whence the gift had come, and then turned his face away again, too shy or too much astonished to speak.- From that time on, his attention was divided between the game and his new treasure. He patted the pear; he looked at it; and at last, as if to assure himself that it was as delicious as it appeared, he lifted it to his lips and cautiously bit a tiny piece near the stem. Then, with a long sigh of satisfaction and assurance, he tucked the prize safely inside his dirty little blouse. “Why don’t you eat it, Tony?” de manded a watchful acquaintance. “Eat it? All meself? Ain’t I savin’ it for me mother?” replied Tony. The tone, with its mingling of re sentment and loyalty, made further speech unnecessary. Whatever else Tony lacked—and it seemed to be nearly everything—he had learned one of humanity’s loftiest lessons, he had another dearer than himself, and he knew the joy of sacrifice. —Baptist Young People. Golden Text Illustration M atthew 16:24
Jesus and the Children M atthew 19:13-15
MEMORY VERSE: "Suffer little children . . . to come unto me” (Matt. 19:14). AIM: To present Christ as the lov ing Saviour. APPROACH: This morning we will suppose that we lived many, fhany
years ago—not in this year 1945, but. a long time before that. We w ill im agine how the boys and girls felt in that long-ago time when their moth ers took them on an important trip to see people they
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