Lesson 432 - Junior

Memory Verse

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy  Ghost" (Matthew 28:19).

Notes

The Sacrifices Fulfilled

The Book of Hebrews was written by the Apostle Paul to the Hebrew Christians, those who had believed on Jesus. They had been brought up to obey the Law of Moses, and they knew all about the sacrifices that should be made. But those sacrifices had been given as pictures to show the people in Old Testament times that Jesus would some day come to shed His Blood to redeem mankind from sin. When Jesus came, He did just as the sacrifices had pictured: He was crucified on Calvary, shedding His Blood. After that there was no need to sacrifice any more animals.

In the opening chapter of Hebrews Paul explains the glory of God and of Jesus. Most of the Jews who lived when Jesus was on earth did not believe that He was the Son of God. Paul did not believe it either when he first heard about Jesus; but when he was convinced and converted, he spent his whole life to try to prove to others that Jesus was divine.

Old Testament Prophets

In the early days of the history of mankind, God spoke through the prophets. Moses was a prophet, and there were many others: Samuel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel. Some prophets spoke hundreds of years before the others did, yet all agreed in what they said because the Holy Ghost told them what to say. The Apostle Peter once said: "The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," [2PE:1:21]). He was talking about those prophets whom Paul had mentioned.

All the prophets had been talking about the coming of Jesus. Sometimes they spoke about the time He would come as the Babe in Bethlehem; other times they talked about when He will come again to rapture His saints; and then come back to rule on earth during the Millennium.

Heir of All Things

Finally Jesus came, and then He told us what the Father wanted us to know. Jesus was greater than all the prophets -- in fact, He was so great that He even helped to create the world and everything that is in the world. God the Father appointed Jesus to be heir of "all things," which means that sometime Jesus is going to rule the world, and everyone will have to do what He tells them to do. He will own everything, and He will let His children (all the true followers of Jesus) help Him rule the world. David talked about that time when he wrote for God: "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" [PS:2:8-9]). God will give all that power to Jesus.

Paul states here that Jesus had part in the creation: "by whom also he made the worlds." The Apostle John also spoke of it when he said that Jesus was the Word, and was made flesh and dwelt among us. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made", [JHN:1:1-3]). Jesus always was with God. In the words of God which Paul quoted: "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee," [PS:2:7]) God was referring to the time when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, when He came to earth in the form of a man. Jesus Himself let His disciples know that He had existed before He came to earth. In His prayer just before He was crucified, He asked of God: "O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" [JHN:17:5]).

The Glory of Jesus

We cannot imagine how great is the glory and power of God, but no matter how great it is, Jesus has as much glory and power. Not only did He work with God in the creation, but He has kept the world and all the stars and planets moving in their courses by His power. But as far as we are concerned, the greatest thing Jesus did was to die for our sins, so we will not have to be punished in hell for what we did wrong. Because Jesus died for our sins, we can ask Him to forgive us; and He forgives, washes our sins away, and makes us righteous in the eyes of God as though we had never sinned. After He had completed that great work, He went back to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

Three Persons in the Godhead

Some people preach that there is only one Person in the Godhead: Jesus only. We have already noted that God had spoken in old times through the prophets, but in the New Testament times He spoke through Jesus. Also, Jesus prayed to the Father (He did not pray to Himself) and asked Him to show the disciples the glory He had had in Heaven with the Father. If there is a Father and a Son, there must be two Persons. After Jesus finished His work on earth He sat down at the right hand of God -- beside another Person.

There is also a Third Person in the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. Christians use the term Trinity to mean God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The song writer expressed it: "God in Three Persons blessed Trinity!" The Holy Ghost also had part in the creation, for the Scripture states: "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" [GEN:1:2]). When man was created, God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" [GEN:1:26]). When we use the words "us" and "our" we mean more than one person.

Unchanging God

Paul quoted the beautiful words of the creation written in the 102nd Psalm when he said: "Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the-same, and thy years shall not fail" [HEB:1:10-12]). Everything that is in the world grows old and goes back to dust.

Archaeologists, when digging in dry countries, unearth the ruins of one city built on top of another, until sometimes they have found seven or eight cities, each one of a different period in history. All the people who lived at those different times have been forgotten. And some day the whole world will be destroyed. "The elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shad be burned up" [2PE:3:10]). But God will endure forever. He always was, and He always will be. When Jesus has finished His mission on earth, He will return all authority to the Father. "And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all" [1CO:15:28]).

If the things of this world can be so completely destroyed, and the things of God endure forever, we can easily see that the important thing in our lives is to be a friend of God, confess and forsake our sins, be born again, be sanctified wholly, and do the things that please Him; then He will take us to live with Him in Heaven forever. It is true that men die and their bodies go back to dust, but the spirit will live forever, either in Heaven or hell. We have the glorious privilege of serving God in this life. If we should die before Jesus comes, and our bodies go to dust, at His coming our bodies will be resurrected, and in glorified bodies we will live and reign with Jesus forever.

The Enemies of Jesus

When Jesus returned to Heaven after He had lived on earth, had been crucified and had risen again, God told Him: "Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Now Jesus has many enemies in this world. Everyone who refuses to serve Jesus is His enemy. But when God sends judgment, all the enemies of Jesus will be conquered and punished.

The angels are holy beings in Heaven who always do the bidding of God. But they are not as great as Jesus is. God never promised any angel the power and blessing that He promised to Jesus, His only begotten Son. Jesus has all power in Heaven and earth now, but He is giving man a chance to rule as he wishes; and so we have trouble all the time -- wars and rumours of wars, murder and stealing and everything that is evil. But when Jesus takes the reigns of government during the Millennium, peace will cover the earth. We will have a reign of righteousness, and there will be no more trouble, no unemployment, no droughts and famines, where people obey His commandments.

The Mission of Angels

The angels have been used through the ages as messengers from God. Angels announced to Abraham that he would have a son; they told Lot of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; an angel announced to Zacharias that he would have a son who should be named John, and he announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. When Jesus prayed in the Garden and was in deep agony, angels came to help Him. He said He could call more than twelve legions of angels to protect Him if necessary, but He did not want protection; it was time for Him to be crucified. An angel had also closed the mouth of the lions when Daniel was in the lions' den; and an angel opened prison doors to release Peter and other Apostles.

Today God sends angels to take care of those who serve Him. Jesus told about a poor beggar who had lain at the rich man's gate, and when he died he was carried by the angels to paradise. We cannot see the angels, but we know that many times they have protected us from danger, pulled us back when we almost stepped in front of a moving car, saved us from drowning, or warned us of many other hazards. Missionaries in heathen lands have even seen angels over their homes when they were in extreme danger. "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them", [PS:34:7]). We thank God for our guardian angels, but Jesus is greater than they. He is our Saviour. Through Him we can have eternal life. 

Questions

1. What did the Old Testament prophets prophesy about?

2. Who told the prophets what to say?

3. Who created the world?

4. How many Persons are in the Godhead?

5. What did God the Father call Jesus?

6. How long will Jesus endure?

7. Who will reign with Jesus on earth?

8. Name some of the duties of angels.