Lesson 369 - Junior
Memory Verse
"Ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence" (Isaiah 62:6).
Notes
A Blessing
Everyone who becomes a Christian is saved for a purpose. Of course, he wants to escape the wrath of God, and he is happy that he is preparing for Heaven. He also rejoices in the peace that is in his heart since Jesus rolled away his burden of sin. He has honoured the Word of God in accepting the pardon Jesus offered. He tries to believe all the promises of God. All these things are a result of his being born again.
But there is more to a Christian life than merely enjoying the things God has given. A hymn states that we are blessed to be a blessing.
"I am blessed to be a blessing,
Saved to serve my Lord and King;
Given light that I might use it
Other souls to Him to bring."
The closer we walk with Jesus, the greater will be our burden to tell others that Jesus loves everybody and wants to see the sinner saved. Jesus is our best Friend, and it hurts us when others reject Him.
Isaiah's Commission
Isaiah loved God with all his heart. One day when he was in the Temple praying, God gave him a commission to go to preach to all Israel and tell the people of the judgment that would come upon them if they did not repent. Isaiah did not waste any time. He did not make excuses and tell God he had other things to do first. The service of God was of greatest importance to Isaiah, just as it should be to all true followers of God.
For many years Isaiah faithfully told the people what they must do to please God. Many times the people would not listen. They kept right on sinning. They dishonoured the God whom Isaiah loved. It grieved the heart of Isaiah. He could not rest while Israel was committing sin and bringing judgment upon their own heads. His burden was to preach in such power the convincing truths of God's Word that all the people would repent, so that Israel would become a great nation and would glorify God in the eyes of the heathen.
Shining for Jesus
God expects His people to be a blessing to the world. He wants to shine through His people, to give light to the world. "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined" [PS:50:2]). Spiritual "Zion" is all God's holy people, and he expects them to be "the perfection of beauty." If you are not living a wholly sanctified life, you are not "beautiful" in the sight of God. Does the world see Jesus in you? Are you letting your light shine so that others know that you are a Christian? Many times our actions speak more loudly than our words. Do your actions glorify God? Prevail with God in prayer for sinners. Make intercession for those who are out of the Ark of Safety.
The Prophet Isaiah said, "Ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence."
Watchmen on the Wall
In ancient times, cities were built with high walls around them to keep out the invading armies. There were big gates that could be closed when danger approached. High on the walls would stand the watchman, who could see a great distance. The faithful watchman would warn the people of the city whenever he saw someone strange approaching, so that there would be plenty of time to close the gates. Sometimes a watchman went to sleep and did not see the enemy. Or if he did see someone coming, he might think it was not very serious and that there was no need to alarm the city's inhabitants. We would think people were very foolish to leave the gates open when they knew that by closing them they could shut out the enemy.
But let us consider how careless people are today concerning the greatest enemy of all, the devil. He is very clever, and tries in every way to make people go to hell. Sometimes he makes sin look beautiful, so that young people think there cannot be anything wrong with disobeying their parents and going out to do what sinful children do. It seems very difficult for some children to stand up for right principles. They want to do what everyone else is doing, regardless of whether it is right or wrong. That is why they need watchmen to tell them the danger of going against the teachings of the Bible.
The watchmen are their parents, their Sunday School teachers, the ministers they hear preach in church. The Bible says that if the watchmen are faithful in their duty to warn others of the results of sin, they will be rewarded. If those who hear will not heed, they will have to suffer punishment.
If your parents are faithful in teaching you the commandments of God, and teach you by example how a Christian should live, but you refuse to obey, you will suffer the greater condemnation. "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes" [LUK:12:47]).
Some children think that if their parents are faithful, it will in time mean the salvation of their children, too. God does honour such parents, and has said: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" [PRO:22:6]). But the parents or God Himself cannot save anyone against his will. Each one must repent of his own sins, and ask Jesus to forgive. When we stand before God in judgment, each will have to answer for himself, and he will have no excuse to offer if he is not saved.
Living Without Sin
The watchmen who are Sunday School teachers and ministers must be faithful to teach the truth of God's Word. The Bible states, "Whosoever is born of God sinneth not" (I [JHN:5:18]), and the faithful teacher holds to the standard that the true Christian does not commit sin. The Bible says, "Ye must be born again" [JHN:3:7]). No faithful teacher will tell you that you can go to Heaven by merely joining a church and living a good life. The Bible says that when we are saved we are new creatures. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" [2CO:5:17]). The faithful teacher will tell you that you must have a change of heart. If there was no change in your heart when you thought you became a Christian, you are not a true follower of Jesus.
Think of the responsibility of all these watchmen -" the parents, the teachers, the ministers, or anyone else who might have influence over you. You should honour and respect those who are doing all they can to help you to get to Heaven. "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you" [HEB:13:17]).
Unfaithful Watchmen
But what if the watchman is not faithful? God says: "When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou doest not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand" [EZE:33:8])). The sinner will not escape punishment because of the fact that the watchman did not warn him, but those who failed to tell him will be condemned before God, also.
Christ's Followers
Jesus preached for three and one-half years on earth, and then returned to Heaven. He left His followers to tell the world the message of salvation. The early Church was scattered everywhere, and they went preaching the Word of God.
For more than two thousand years, the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached, yet more than half the population of the world has never even heard the name of Jesus. A great percentage of the missionaries may not have been saved themselves, so how can they tell others of the new birth? They are not faithful watchmen, in spite of their zeal. There are still more than 2,000 tribes with no missionary, and well over 2,000 languages into which not one word of Scripture has been translated.
Every saved person is supposed to be a watchmen for God. What if one of your neighbours or friends should stand in the judgment and say, "Nobody told me about Jesus"? More than one hundred thousand people who die each day without having heard the name of Jesus are someone's neighbours, too. Jesus died to save them.
"A hundred thousand souls a day,
Are passing one by one away,
In Christless guilt and gloom.
Oh Church of Christ, what wilt thou say
When in the awful judgment day,
They charge thee with their doom?"
Satan's Emissaries
Evil men are very busy, working day and night to delude souls. Some years ago, in eleven years, Communism spread at the rate of 44 square miles a minute, and that time, enslaved 950,000,000 people.
Why does evil spread so much faster than good? It has been said that Communism enslaves people and forces obedience through fear; whereas Christianity sets men free through voluntary obedience to Christ, and provides a life of peace on earth, plus eternal life. The Communists work in secret, and their lives are at stake if they fail. All advantages are with the Christian; God is on his side. He offers only good to the faithful ones; all Heaven is back of each promise. May we be faithful watchmen for God, spreading the greatest news in the world, so that many now sitting in darkness may see the Light and enjoy eternal life!
Questions
1. For what purpose are we saved?
2. What did God tell Isaiah to do? How did Isaiah answer?
3. Why did watchmen stand on the walls of ancient cities?
4. Name some ways in which Satan deceives young people.
5. Who are watchmen for children?
6. Name some things watchmen should teach.
7. What will God do to unfaithful watchmen?
8. What did Jesus tell His followers they should do after He went away?
9. How many people have never heard the name of Jesus?
10. Who is going to tell them?