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THE K I N G ’ S BU S I NE S S
Points and Problems 1. "He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an Offering in righteousness" (Mai. 3:3). This passage, together with verse 4 and the 43rd chapter of Ezekiel, indicates clearly that in the day of the millennial kingdom there will be Sacrifices and offerings in Jerusalem and Judah. Doubtless they will be re instituted only in commemoration of thè completed and perfect sacrifice of Calvary. There will be no looking for ward to that divine event, for it will bè à thing of the past, not to be for gotten. Thus the sacrifices of the mil lennial day will serve much the same commemorative purpose to the saints of Mwrt day as the Communion service now serves among Christians. 2. “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another" (Mai. 3:16). The context shows a people careless in their devotion and service to God, but at such time there were some who feared the Lord. These sought each other’s fellowship to the end that the flame of their devotion and zeal for God might not burn low. There is a pertinent lesson in this fot God’s people of every age. The darker the times the more they need the fellowship of the saints. Coals separated from the fire soon grow 1 gray and cold. In Hebrews 10:25 be lievers are warned against "forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.” This will be- increasingly urgent as the day of the Lord's coming draws nearer. The statement in verse 16 indicates that God takes particular pleasure in those who in dark times faithfully parsèvere in their fellowship with His people. A book of remembrance of these is kept, which no doubt will be opened at the judgment seat of Christ. 3. “To give knowledge of salvation unto his people" (Lk. 1:77). This was the ministry of John the Baptist, to declare men’s need of a Saviour and to point them to that Saviour. He was not the light itself ,but was called to bear witness of the true Light (John 1:7, 8). In a very real sense John the Baptist’s ministry becomes the minis try of the followers of Christ today. They are called to show men their need of a Saviour and to tell them about that Saviour. 4. “But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son" (Gal. 4:4). When was that time? It was (1) when all the prophecies of the Old Testament could converge and be fulfilled; it.was (2) when God’s providences with respect to three great nations—the Hebrew, the Greek, and the Roman-had been fully worked out; and it was (3) when men’s hearts had become sick because of the miser able failure of all human philosophy. Then God sent forth His Son.
Golden Text Illustration J ohn 14:6
The children had turned the table into an engine, and the chairs into carriages. They were playing at trains. The brother had called out station after station—London, Liver pool, York, E d i n b u r g h—but no re sponse. All the towns he could re member had been passed, then he suddenly cried aloud, “Heavenl" "Oh, let me out here!” replied his little sister at once. That was her desired haven. Childish? Yes. . But when the reality dawns, will you be there? Get on “the way” now. (John 14:6). —1000 Tales Worth Telling. MEMORY VERSE: “Unto you is born this day . . . a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:11). AIM: To present Christ as Saviour. APPROACH:Let us suppose that your baby brother is sound asleep, and you have tiptoed into the room. Looking down at him, maybe you wonder: When he grows up, what will he do? (name several vocations). Nobody can answer that question yet. But once there was a Baby more wonderful than any other, and from the day He was born, and even be fore that, it was known what His work would be when He grew up. He was the only One who could do that work: saving people from their sins. The Lord Jesus. Christ was born, a tiny Baby in Bethlehem, to be our Saviour. Softly, let us come close to His manger bed today. LESSON STORY: Here we are, in a dark, cool stable where cattle are kept. This is a strange place for a baby to be, but here He is, snuggled in a bed of straw. To be our Saviour, the Lord Jesus was willing to come to the very poorest place. Look, the Baby is waking! His lovely mother, Mary, reaches down to pat Him gently. Why, He looks like Mary, doesn’t He? He could not have been our Saviour if He had been an angel or even a king; He had to be born as a little child, with a, body like outs. But see, the Baby looks like His Father, too—strong and hbly and good—for Jesus is the Son of God. Listen! We hear the sound of many footsteps and of donkeys’ hoofs along the busy street. (Explain the reason for the crowds.) To all the people in the world, the Lord Jesus wants to be the Saviour, but He can help only the ones who will love Him. Have we in vited Him into our hearts? For the Children W hen J esus C ame L uke 2:1-7
Object Lesson A n E mpty H eart
OBJECT; Make a sleeve of stiff gray paper 12 inches long arid 3 inches wide. (Press it flat.) Two and one- half inches from the top, cut out a cross, 214 inches long, through both thicknesses of the sleeve. Two and one-half inches from the bottom of the cross, cut a heart 2 inches long, through both thicknesses. Cut a piece of cardboard a little narrower and longer than the sleeve, and insert in the sleeve. Cut the cross and heart out of the cardboard to match the sleeve. Above the cross on the card board, color the area red. Between the cross and the heart, on the card board, color yellow and place a silver star. Begin the lesson with the card board inserted in the sleeve in such a position that both the cross and the heart will be empty. Hold the sleeve in the left hand, covering the cross with the fingers.) LESSON: Whât is the matter with this heart? "It is empty.” You are right. It reminds us of the heart of a person before Christ comes in. Without Christ the heart is empty. The heart is empty because, as you now see, the cross above it is empty. People of this earth can never havè a satisfied heart, unless they by faith see Christ as the One who died on the cross for their sins. In Galatians 4:4, 5 we read, “But when the ful ness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Here we have the reason for Christ’s coming into the world. Watch this empty cross. (Hold the fingers of the right hand over the heart and pull down on the card board.) The red is coming down, re minding us of the Son of God who came from above and shed His blood upon the cross. Now that the cross is no longer empty, let us look at the heart. It, too, has been changed. It now has a bright star in it, reminding us of Christ, the bright and morning Star. If your héart is empty, look to the cross of Calvary; accept Christ as Saviour, and your heart will be filled.
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