for it, and to refuse to place ourselves under any legal system (see w . 2-5). The Christian will “ stand fast” in his liberty if he places himself under no law but the law of love (v. 6). Every claim of the law has been met for us by Christ Himself. The believer is therefore liberated from the curse of the law and from its claims and set free to serve Christ in the freedom of love not coercion. Nov. 23, 1952 HOW JESUS EXPRESSED THANKSGIVING Matt. 11:25-27; 26:26-28; John 19:25-27 This is the special season of Thanks giving designated by our government. It is a time for every American to ex press his gratitude to God for His boundless goodness to us as a nation. No nation has been so favored as ours. In light of this fact no nation ought to be quite so thankful as the American people. The lack of gratitude is a common sin and it touches the heart of God deeply. We know that this is so from the account given in Luke 17:11-19. Read this paragraph and have the group comment on its meaning. A good spiritual exercise for us today would be to study the expressions of thanks giving uttered by our blessed Lord. Jesus Was Thankful for the Father’s Revelation In Matthew 11:25-27 we have the re corded prayer of thanksgiving of the Saviour regarding God’s revelation of Himself. The setting of this Scripture (read Matt. 11:16-24) indicates that the people of Jesus’ day did not recognize Him. Their eyes were blinded by sin to His Person and work. Thus the prayer of Jesus in w . 25-27. Note those to whom the Father re veals His secrets —“ unto babes” (v. 25). Who are the “babes” referred to in this verse? They are those people who mani fest the childlike quality of immediate and unquestioned response to the truth. A dishonest man cannot know the truth of God. A proud and conceited person cannot know the truth, even as our Lord teaches by His words regarding “ the wise and prudent,” that is, those who are wise in their own conceits. Observe here that spiritual under standing is a gift of God. God hides His truth from some and reveals it to others. We have already noted the type of man to whom God reveals His truth. The thought here is that all true knowl edge comes from the Father Himself. Because man is finite he cannot discover infinite truths by himself. Hence the tremendous need for the Bible. In the Bible God reveals things that man would otherwise never know. With what grati tude and love and obedience, then, ought we to receive the Word of God? Again, we learn from our Lord's words that God’s revelation of Himself
comes through His Son (v. 27). No man will ever know the Father except through the Son. Part of our Lord’s task in coming to the world was to reveal the Father (John 1:18; 14:7-10). According to our blessed Lord’s own words there is no way to the Father but by Christ Himself (John 14:6). Jesus Was Thankful for His Redeeming Work In Matthew 26:26-28 we have the rec ord of the institution of the Lord’s Sup per, one of the important symbols of the Christian faith. We know that our Lord’s prayer as He “ took bread and blessed it” was not a mere asking of God’s blessing upon the food set before them. We know this because the inci dent took place “ as they were eating” (v. 26), and at the close of the din ner (v. 30). What then was the nature of this prayer? It was a prayer of thanksgiv ing for the reality of which the bread and the wine were symbols, namely, the sacrificial death of Christ for the sins of the world. Why was our Lord glad for His death? For one thing, because that death was the fulfilling of God’s ancient promise in the Garden to smite the serpent with a death wound (Gen. 3:15). The time had at last arrived when God, through His Son, was going to defeat His relentless foe, the devil (1 John 3:8). The Saviour was thankful for His death, in the second place, because that death meant the atoning of the sins of His people (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). The broken body and shed blood of Christ, represented by the bread and the wine of the Supper, speak of the sacrifice of the Innocent One who bore our sins that we might be free from their guilt and penalty. Jesus Was Thankful for Human Relationships John tells us that one of the Saviour’s last acts was provision for His mother (John 19:25-27). This incident is pow erful with truth for all who love Him and seek to follow Him. By His action our Lord teaches the sacredness of the home. In this day of broken vows, broken homes and broken hearts it is well for us to contemplate the vast importance of the home. In this connection study the following texts: Gen. 1:26-31; 2:18-25; Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 5:21-6:3; Second Corinthians 6:14-18; First Peter 3:1-7. By His action the Saviour instructs us in the duty of children to their par ents. One of the Ten Commandments has to do with obedience to parents. This is the first commandment with promise, and the promise has to do with long life. The connection is clear. Lawlessness starting in the home will permeate society and will bring mur der, strife and war. Study again in this connection Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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