Lesson 149 - Junior

Memory Verse

"Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27).

Notes

The Multitude's Dream

The multitudes that followed Jesus believed He was going to become a great king on earth. Had He not fed the 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two small fishes? Many sick had been healed and homes made happy. Would it not be wonderful to have a king who could give them everything they wanted so that they could enjoy ease and honour, and never have to work again? And with Christ's miraculous power, which could even still the storm, the Roman government would be helpless to hold them in bondage any longer.

Even the disciples shared this dream, and wanted to call down fire from Heaven to destroy someone who had snubbed Jesus. They had not yet learned the truth, which the Apostle Paul later proclaimed: "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17).

Jesus knew the thoughts of the multitude and tried to explain that He wanted to plant His kingdom in their hearts. They would have to continue to pay taxes to Caesar, and they must obey their present rulers; but at the same time they could, with their sins forgiven, enjoy His liberty in their hearts and have the hope of eternal life in the world to come.

A Hard Saying

Jesus explained many times that to follow Him would not make one's life easy here on earth. "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Luke 9:58). Would people still want to follow Him under those conditions?

An Easy Yoke

Jesus also said, "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). How could such sacrifices be easy? The true follower of Jesus is born again and understands the things of the Spirit. His pleasure is in doing the will of God. He realizes that to be yoked with Jesus means that Jesus will bear the heavy end.

The life of a Christian requires service and consecration. Jesus puts His yoke upon His converts, and they give themselves to serve Him. No yoke is put upon an ox when he is sent to the pasture. The yoke is put upon him when he is to pull a load. But the service of Jesus is not drudgery. There is a thrill in yielding fully to the Lord, and His service brings joy.

A Place for Everyone

Our life as a Christian does not amount to anything if we live only for ourselves. Jesus has blessed us to be a blessing to someone else. To be of service, we must give up our own ideas. Jesus wants someone He can use anytime, anywhere He chooses.

Jesus has a place for each of His people to fill. Perhaps it is a humble place; but if we stay where He has placed us, we shall be there when He calls us for greater service.

David's Post of Duty

We remember that David was watching his father's sheep when Samuel called for him to be anointed king of Israel. What if David had decided that his job was not very important and the sheep could take care of them-selves while he went to visit a friend? He would not have been found when Samuel called, and might have missed the honour of being king.

David still had many years of training ahead of him before he could take the throne of Israel; and during those trying days he was always willing to obey God rather than to please himself. In time he became Israel's greatest king because he was faithful in the little things in order to please God always.

Jesus' Pleasure

Jesus told His disciples: "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38). He came to suffer and die for sinners. He had never committed any sins Himself, and did not deserve to die; but it was His pleasure to do the will of God and shed His Blood to redeem the lost. The jeers from the mocking crowds, the suffering from cold and hunger, He endured joyfully because He knew He was doing what the Father wanted Him to do. And for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, despising the shame.

Provision for One's Family

When Jesus said: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple," He did not mean that as soon as a person becomes a Christian he will leave his family to take care of themselves. In Paul's letter to Timothy he said: "If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel" (I Timothy 5:8). But if any of our family would turn our hearts away from serving God, we must consider the will of God first. Eternal life is going to be much more important than a few days of family peace here on earth.

Our business is to try to win the unsaved members of our families to God. We do not want them to suffer eternal punishment. With God's love in our heart we will love them so much that we will pray earnestly that they, too, might be saved. We will do good to them to show them that we love them; and we will live before them in such a manner that they will know that we are Christians.

But we will not compromise with their sins. We never win anyone to the Saviour if we let down the standard of Christian living ourselves. We are the ambassadors of God. We represent the heavenly Kingdom in this world; and the world must see Jesus in us. "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined" (Psalm 50:2). Spiritual Zion is the Church of the First born today, and through each individual member the beauty of holiness will shine. God will be recognised in His people.

Separation from Sin

We learned that if anyone came to us with a false teaching we were to disregard him ([2JN:10-11). We would love to see him saved; but rather than risk losing our own soul through listening to his wrong teaching, we will shun him.

We must separate ourselves from sin. If we delight to do the will of God we will often be misunderstood by sinners, and may even be persecuted as having no natural affection. Jesus said one time: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword . . . . And a man's foes shall be they of his own household" (Matthew 10:34-36). If there are people in our homes who do not love God, they will perhaps think we are wasting our time, which we spend in Christian service. They may make fun of the sincerity of our worship. But do we want to please God or man? When we stand in judgment before the King of kings, our families or friends will not be able to help us. Our very thoughts will be open before God, and He will see if we have served Him with all our heart.

Do we place the will of God ahead of everything else we do? Perhaps a person has felt conviction for his sins, and was willing to give everything to the Lord, in order to have his sins forgiven and have peace in his heart. For a time he served God with enthusiasm, grateful for the divine love which had been shown him. But as time went on he became busy taking care of his family, or his work, and he did not have time to spare for God as he once had. When he had felt his need of God he wanted to give as much as possible to the Lord; but now he is getting along quite well and thinks that surely Jesus does not expect him to spend so much time in his religion. That man is like the builder Jesus spoke of who laid the foundation of his house, but had not thought how much it would cost him to construct a home. Before his house was anywhere near finished his money was all gone; and there stood the framework for the people to see and mock: "This man began to build, and was not able to finish" (Luke 14:30).

Sufficient Grace

Jesus never requires more than we can pay. We do not need to be afraid, when we start to serve God and give Him our lives, that He will ask the impossible of us. He has promised that His grace is sufficient. He wants our wills to be submitted to Him. He wants us to be usable in any place He sees fit, or to be quiet and satisfied if He does not use us at all for a time.

Sometimes a person will feel that he has a call for a great work for the Lord, and he will rush out to do it be-fore he is properly prepared. God wants His workers to be thoroughly grounded in His Word, experienced in the Gospel, so they will know what trials to expect and have wisdom to deal with situations that will arise. If one, in his zeal, rushes out before he is prepared for the work, he will make shipwreck of the faith and be a disgrace to the cause of Christ.

Someone else may feel he has a call, and wait to be sent, but will chafe at the delay. When a person is truly called of God and is prepared, there will be an opening. God wants people He can trust to be led by the Spirit rather than by their own wisdom, people who will serve Him in humility, and not become proud of the work they do for the Lord. If a person trusts God wholly his faith will cause him to stay where the Lord has put him.

Some day soon God will call: "Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice" (Psalm 50:5). How happy we shall be that we gave all to follow Jesus! Though the sacrifice may seem great now, it will fade from our memory when we enter into the glory the Lord has prepared for those who truly love Him.

Questions

1. What did the multitude expect Jesus to do in regard to a kingdom?

2. Why would they like to have Him for a king?

3. Where did Jesus want to plant His Kingdom?

4. How much does Jesus expect us to give up in order to serve Him?

5. What did Jesus say about His yoke?

6. Name some things we can do to encourage others to be saved.

7. Where was David, when he was called to be anointed king?

8. Whom did David try to please?

9. Whom did Jesus try to please?

10. How should we live?