Lesson 400 - Junior
Memory Verse
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:8).
Notes
Born of the Spirit
A person who is born into the family of God knows when it happens. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" [ROM:8:16]). "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" [ROM:8:1]). That is a tremendous change!
One is condemned for his sins before he is saved, but after he is saved he does not commit sin, so he is not condemned. Many people have testified to the fact that when Jesus forgave their sins they felt the load lift, as much as if a heavy pack on their back had suddenly been taken off. A poet wrote: "All the earth took on new beauty when mine eyes beheld the king." Life is new when we are born again. We have been called "out of darkness into his marvellous light" [1PE:2:9]).
The Apostle Paul commanded the Galatians, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" [GAL:5:16]). If we "walk in the Spirit" we will not do sinful deeds. There is a big difference between a Christian and a sinner. The desires of their hearts are different. If a person says he is a Christian, yet in his heart he longs for worldly amusements, or he becomes angry when he cannot have his own way, or if he hates people who do not agree with him, he is deceiving himself. A person who does such things is not a Christian.
Works of the Flesh
Paul gave a list of sins, which he called "works of the flesh." These are things that a person who is not born again might do. Some of them are very bad sins that many respectable people would not think of doing. But others are sins which many people who claim to be Christians are guilty of -- for instance, hatred and envy. Anyone can easily become guilty of envy if he is not born of God. Some children want the toys their playmates have. Some will become angry because a friend has received a higher honour than he. Some feel sorry for themselves because others have more money to spend than they. It is natural for the sinner to do such things; but the children of God must be ever on the alert to guard against such feelings. Satan will tempt you, perhaps saying you deserve better things than what you are getting. If you listen to him, he may persuade you that he is right -" and then you will lose the salvation that God gave you. Remember, Satan is a liar. God tells us: "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity" [PS:37:1]). "Charity suffereth long and it's kind; charity envieth not" [1CO:13:4]). If we have the love of God in our heart we will be "kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another" [ROM:12:10]).
Some people think that if they have once been saved it does not matter how many of the "works of the flesh" they do; they will still go to Heaven. But the Apostle Paul said: "They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" [GAL:5:21]).
The Fruit of the Spirit
Paul tells us what the fruit of the Spirit is which the Christian has who has been born again. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" [GAL:5:22-23]).
Love
Let us consider this fruit. First, there is "love." We learned in our previous lesson that "love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" [ROM:13:10]). This is the pure love of God. The Apostle John was known as the Apostle of Love, and he said: "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. . . . Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" ([1JN:4:8], [1JN:4:10-11]). He also said: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear" ([1JN:4:18]). God wants us to love to serve Him so much that we will do everything in our power to help sinners to find the Saviour.
Joy
Christians are happy people. God is their Father, and they know He loves them. Their sins have been washed away, condemnation is gone, they are heirs of Heaven. They have that joy deep in their hearts that sings even when they are going through hard trials, when they are persecuted, when they are disappointed or in deep sorrow. "The joy of the LORD is your strength" [NEH:8:10]).
Peace
Peace was what the angels sang about when they announced the birth of Jesus. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" [LUK:2:14]). There can be no peace in the world when Jesus is ignored, for Jesus is "The Prince of Peace" [ISA:9:6]).
When Jesus was about to leave this world, He talked to His disciples about what He could give them. He had no earthly possessions, no money, no land, no cattle. It looked as if he had nothing to will to those whom He was leaving. But Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" [JHN:14:27]). What a heritage! Many millionaires would have given their fortunes, to have enjoyed that peace -" but they could not buy it with money. The one who follows the Lord with all his heart is the one who enjoys that peace.
Long-Suffering
Long-suffering is another word for patience. How few people have patience! But the Lord wants His people to be willing to wait His time to see His will worked out. He wants us to be patient with one another, too, and not get cross when things do not go our way at once.
Gentleness
The Psalmist wrote of the Lord, "Thy gentleness hath made me great" [PS:18:35]). Jesus wants His children to have His characteristics. Jesus was gentle, and He wants His children to be gentle. He suffered shameful treatment before He was crucified, but when He was reviled He "reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" [1PE:2:23]). He did not try to get even, but left it to God to punish those who mistreated Him.
Goodness
Some young people do not want to be good. They are afraid their friends will think they are "soft." But it takes no strength of character to go along with the throng. "Any dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to go against the current." It has well been said: "Be sure you are right and then stand. At first you will be denounced, then you will be deified. At first you will be rejected, then you will be accepted. First, men will swear at you, then if you wear well, they will swear by you. First the sneer and then the cheer. First the lash, then the laurel. First the curse, then the caress. First the trial, then the triumph. First the cross, then the crown. For every scar upon thy brow thou shalt have a diadem. Stand somewhere and let humanity know where you stand. Stand for something and let humanity know what you stand for. Be sure you are right and then stand!"
"Physical courage, which despises all danger, will make a man brave in one way; and moral courage, which despises all opinion, will make a man brave in another. To constitute a great man, both are necessary!"
Faith
"Without faith it is impossible to please him" [HEB:11:6]). Anything we get from God we get by faith. "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." The more we consecrate ourselves to the Lord, the more faith He will give us.
Meekness
The Word tells us, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" [MAT:5:5]). People work hard to lay up treasures on earth, to own houses and lands. Political rulers covet more and more territory. It is said of Alexander the Great, that when he had conquered the then known world, he wept because there were not more worlds to conquer. He named 16 cities after himself, but he died before he was 33 years old, and all he had acquired was lost. If we are faithful Christians while we live on earth, the Lord has promised we shall rule the world with Him. "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him" [2TM:2:12]).
Temperance
To be temperate means to be moderate in all things. Some harmless amusements can be carried to such an extreme that they become a sin to us. Overeating continually can do much damage to our bodies, and that is wrong, too. If we love Jesus and want to please Him in all we do, we will guard against these things.
Judging
The Lord has taught us how we should live, but he does not want us to judge others. God knows the heart and he will judge. We do not overlook sin, nor compromise with it; and we must be careful that we are not guilty of the things we do not like to see others do.
When we live to please God, we can expect a great reward, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." The little deeds of kindness, the words of love and encouragement we give to others, are going on our records in Heaven. The deeds that are not good are also being recorded unless we have asked Jesus to wash them away with His Blood. If we do good, the Lord will reward us; if we do evil, He will condemn and punish us.
The Apostle Paul concluded with, "Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." God has a glorious reward for all the faithful. Sometimes people may feel that their good deeds are not noticed here, and they are not appreciated. But God is keeping books, and if we endure to the end, we shall reap the Crown of Life. Paul died with that glorious hope: "There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" [2TM:4:8]).
Questions
1. How do we know when we are saved?
2. Give some differences between a sinner and a child of God.
3. Name the fruit of the Spirit.
4. What did Jesus give to His disciples just before He died?
5. What does long-suffering mean?
6. Explain what the Bible means by being temperate.
7. How are we to treat someone who has done wrong?
8. What are people going to reap at the end of their life?
9.What did Paul say was laid up for him when he left this world?