Lesson 261 - Junior
Memory Verse
"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity" (Psalm 37:1).
Notes
Evildoers Soon Cut Off
David wrote: "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." They shall soon be cut down!
Some may wonder at the prosperity of the evildoers. Why do they gain so much in spite of their iniquity? One of the prophets once wrote: "I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.... until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction" [PS:73:3], [PS:73:17-18]).
The Bible tells us, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" [GAL:6:7]); so, although we may see wicked men becoming rich and gaining every advantage in life, while a faithful Christian may have to struggle along with very little, we must remember that there is a time coming when scores will be settled. Every evildoer will be punished -" if not in this life, in the world to come.
David said, too: "I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree." He may show every sign of prosperity, and be good to look upon, "yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not."
Many wicked men become very powerful, and sometimes they even defy God. God, in His mercy, may not cut them off suddenly, but the time is coming when the transgressors shall be destroyed together.
Heirs of God
What is the end of the Christian? He is an heir of God, and will live forever with God. The Apostle Paul suffered many hardships after he gave his heart to Jesus, but he never became discouraged. He always looked beyond to the prize that he knew he would receive from the Lord. He rejoiced in the thought that the Christians are the children of God, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" [ROM:8:17]).
The Lord promised, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." When our ways please the Lord, He enjoys rewarding us. Our prayers are a delight unto Him. "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" [PS:84:11]).
Martyrs
These are wonderful promises that God has given; yet there are times when it seems that God does not answer the prayers of the Christian and give them the desires of their heart. What about the millions of people who have given their lives for their faith, suffering every cruelty that evil men could think of? They delighted in the Lord, and yet they saw everything they had taken from them, including their life. Did they want that suffering and heartache?
At first glance one might think that God had forsaken them. But watch them as they go to the stake. What is that light in their eyes? Do they see Jesus? The Apostle Paul wrote of Moses, that he endured "as seeing him who is invisible" [HEB:11:27]). Listen to the songs the martyrs are singing as they are thrown to the lions to be eaten. They are happy that they have been accounted worthy to suffer for their Saviour.
The Crown of Life
Their desire was to be crowned with their Redeemer, and that desire has been fulfilled. Today they are singing songs of victory around the throne of God. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" [JAM:1:12]). The crown of life is their reward. The anticipation of that crown helped them endure the hours of agony that they were called upon to bear.
When the Apostles were beaten for preaching about Jesus, "they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name" [ACT:5:41]).
Strength from Heaven
Satan is mustering his forces of evil against the Christians. We do not know when we will be called upon to suffer for Christ. But we who love Him with all our heart will have that strength from Heaven that will help us to endure anything for His sake. If we should have some hard persecution in this world, we know it will soon be over. And when our last breath is gone, we shall be in Glory with Jesus. In one moment we shall step from this life into eternal life, where our joys shall never end.
The Meek
In Christ's Sermon on the Mount, He said, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" [MAT:5:5]). The Lord showed that fact to David way back in his day. He wrote, "The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." David said, too, "The meek shall eat and be satisfied" [PS:22:26]).
"Be satisfied." How important those words are! We see many people in the world who have more than they need, but they are not satisfied. They always want more. No one is satisfied without Jesus in his heart. But when he has the love of God, he is satisfied, whether he has anything else or not. "Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith" [PRO:15:16]). Paul said, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" [PHL:4:11]).
Paul had learned to be content. We learn contentment when we consider the love of God for us. The Christian is God's own precious treasure. Jesus has bought us with His own Blood, and He has assured us that the "very hairs" of our head are numbered. "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" [HEB:13:5]).
Success in this world is often obtained by aggressiveness, by trying to get ahead of someone else, and by making oneself more efficient than his competitor. But the Lord's rule is just the opposite. The more we humble ourselves before Him, and yield our will to Him, the more success we shall have in our Christian walk. We may have to get along with less of this world's goods than our worldly-ambitious friends have, but the day will come when we shall inherit the earth and rule with Christ. In fact, the Lord told John on the Isle of Patmos that the overcomer "shall inherit all things."
The Apostle Paul was so thrilled with the inheritance he knew he had in the life hereafter that he wrote: "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" [ROM:8:18]).
Strength of the Meek
The fact that the wicked men prosper in the world does not mean that they are stronger than the power that rules for good. Jesus had the power of all Heaven back of Him, and yet He permitted Himself to be crucified by the hands of cruel men. He said He could call twelve legions of angels, who would have destroyed every Roman and Jew banded together against Him " but He did not. It was not yet the time of Judgement. And because they were not stopped in their effort to destroy Jesus, the priests and soldiers thought they were strong and no one could hinder them in their greed for power.
The Lord is going to laugh when the destruction of the wicked comes. Way back in Enoch's time he prophesied of the day when the Lord will come with His saints to execute judgement in the earth, "and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed," and even for their "hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him" (Jude 15). God said that because the sinners refused to listen to Him, He would laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear came upon them [PRO:1:26]). Now is the time to seek the Lord and have our sins forgiven. It will be too late when judgement breaks.
"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace." Our very brief life will soon be over. What God will see in us at the end of our life is what will count. That end will really be just the beginning for the true child of God. He is preparing now for the life that is to come, where all will be joy and peace; and where he will reign with Christ as a king and priest unto God. He will see the end of the wicked; and he will glorify the Saviour who saved his soul from the ways of the wicked and made him an overcomer to be with Jesus for all eternity.
Questions
1. What is going to happen to the wicked?
2. What is the reward of the Christian?
3. Describe the martyrs' walk to their death.
4. Who will inherit the earth?
5. What brings satisfaction in a person's life?
6. How can we become content?
7. What is the end of the "perfect man"?