Young People’s Blog

“God…hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

“According as He [God the Father] hath chosen us in Him [the Lord Jesus Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).

God has purposed to do two things, and both of them were decided before the world was made. First of all, God has in His purposes to make His Son, the Lord Jesus, heir of all things. The Lord Jesus is going to receive an inheritance, and that inheritance will include all created things. But before He can take that inheritance, it has to be cleansed of all the effects of sin. That is part of the reason that the Lord Jesus suffered on Calvary’s cross—to make His inheritance fit for Him.

But more than this, God wants you and me, as Christians, to share that inheritance with His Son. You may remember that we had this second verse back in April, reminding us that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. Before that inheritance existed, God chose us to share it with His Son. It is beyond our understanding, but it is true.

There is no need for us to spend time and energy trying to get more possessions in this world, for we are going to own it all with Christ when He takes His inheritance.

“I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8).

The expressions “good work” or “good works” are used six times in the book of Titus. Why was that? It was because those in Crete who had believed on the Lord Jesus and were saved were tending to live the same way as they had lived before they were saved. Unhappily the people who lived in Crete were often lazy. They also told lies and were generally very sinful people. But now that some of them were saved, they needed to let their new life in Christ display itself in their lives.

As we saw yesterday, this is very important for us too. Many years ago, my father spoke to a brother in Christ who was not behaving very well as a Christian. The brother replied, “But that’s the way I’m made!” My father wisely remarked, “Yes, and God loves you even if you are made that way, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way!” God has given us everything to enable us to change our ways and become more like Christ.

“Bondmen to be subject to their own masters…not robbing their masters, but shewing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the teaching which is of our Savior God in all things” (Titus 2:9-10 JND).

The word “adorn” means to improve the appearance of something, especially with beautiful objects. The word “adorn” used in our verse is also used in the Bible to describe the things that women commonly use to make themselves look pretty—nice clothes, jewelry, etc. It is also used in Revelation 21:2, where the church appears “as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Doctrine is a set of principles or beliefs that form the basis of something, and in scriptural terms, doctrine is what forms the basis of Christianity. But sometimes people do not want to talk about doctrine. However, when they see your life and mine, they ought to see what those good principles do for us. They ought to see the results of Christianity, and realize that they need Christ too. In simple terms, they ought to see Christ in us.

This was particularly true when men and women were slaves, and perhaps were not always treated well. Then they were to continue to act in a Christ-like way, and “adorn” the doctrine which was the basis of their faith. We are not slaves today, but we can do the same thing in our interactions with others.

“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2).

Yesterday we spoke about how the Lord Jesus will come for us, His church, as the morning star. The world will not see Him then, for it will happen very quickly. But then, after the seven years of the tribulation period, He will come again, and this time we read that “every eye shall see Him” (Revelation 1:7). He will come then to judge the world, and all who have not submitted to Him previously will fall under that judgment.

But also, He will appear as the “Sun of righteousness,” for then the day will really dawn for this world. Very few get up early enough to see the morning star, but everyone sees the sun when it rises. Then our Lord will definitely judge this world, but after that He will set up His glorious millennial kingdom. After the judgment is complete, there will indeed be healing for this world. It will be a magnificent time of blessing for this world, but you and I who know the Lord Jesus as Savior will be at home with Him long before that happens.

“But what ye have hold fast till I shall come…and I will give to him the morning star” (Revelation 2:25,28 JND).

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till He come” (1 Corinthians 1l:26).

Today is the Lord’s day, and the day when those in the early church came together to break bread. We have spoken before about the wonderful privilege of remembering our Lord Jesus in His death, but we see in these verses that this privilege is connected with the Lord’s coming for us.

He will come for us as the morning star, which appears in the eastern sky just before dawn, but when it is still night. You must get up early to see it! But it is a very bright star (actually a planet), and on a clear night it always appears just before the day begins to dawn.

When the Lord comes for us, we will not need a loaf of bread and a cup of wine in order to remember Him. No, for the wounds in His hands and feet will forever remind us that He suffered and died for us. The privilege of remembering Him in His absence is something we can do only in this world, but our Lord appreciates it very much.

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12).

“The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7).

The expression “at hand” means “ready to happen.” Paul could warn those in Rome that “the night is far spent,” meaning that the day was about to dawn. For you and me as Christians, God regards us as being in the night now, while Christ is absent, but soon He will come for us, and then the day will dawn.

Likewise, Peter warns his listeners (mostly Jewish Christians) that things in this world are coming to an end. After we are called home to be with Christ, God will begin to judge this world, and then He will set up the millennial kingdom.

In view of all this, we are to be sober, and to live for God’s glory in this world. The world is becoming increasingly wicked, and we are not to settle down and be part of it. We are to recognize that the world is under judgment, and we are to give the warning that the only way of escape is to come to Christ.

“So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

God’s Word is powerful, and it is the Lord Himself who tells us that it will not return unto Him void. The word void means empty, or a vacuum, and God will not allow His Word to come back to Him like that. When we use the Word of God in speaking to others, it has power because it is from God, and can be applied by His Spirit to souls. Every human being has a God-conscious part to his being, and can be influenced by the Spirit of God. Some may deny that there is a God, but deep down inside each of us there is something that tells us that He exists, and that we are responsible to Him.

Also, when we use God’s Word, He gets the glory for it. We may be able to persuade people of something by human methods, and sometimes this is helpful. But God’s Word gives God the glory, for it is His Word, and it is a living Word.

“Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5).

It is happy work to be an evangelist, but it is not always easy work. Many people resist the gospel, and it requires some boldness and perhaps courage to approach many different types of people, and speak to them about Christ. Timothy was evidently a somewhat timid man, and he probably found it difficult to approach people with the gospel. However, the Apostle Paul encouraged him to do that kind of work, even though he might not have that gift.

You and I should obey this command as well. Some people have a real gift in approaching others about Christ, and we can be very thankful for their gift. However, we should all be ready to speak a word for our Savior when the Lord gives us the chance to do it. The Lord has promised that He will use His word in blessing, and tomorrow we will see a verse that teaches us this.

“And when they were come into the house…they saw the young child…and fell down, and worshipped Him” (Matthew 2:11).

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him” (Matthew 28:16-17).

Worship is something that we should do only towards God, for only He is worthy to be worshiped. Worship means an attitude of reverence, awe, and adoration. In our first verse today, when the Lord Jesus was still only a young child, the three wise men fell down and worshiped Him. Later, when He had suffered on the cross, died, and risen again, we find the eleven disciples worshiping Him at a mountain in Galilee. Between these two accounts were all the wonderful miracles the Lord Jesus had done, including His resurrection from the dead. Yet still only a few really worshipped Him.

It is often that way today. Many respect the Lord Jesus, and some of those are truly saved as well. But how many really come together to worship Him, and to give Him His rightful place in their hearts? The Lord Jesus has done everything for us, and He is worthy of our praise and worship. It is a privilege to give Him the honor that is due to Him.

“And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest…but Peter followed Him afar off” (Matthew 26:57-58).

Peter was one of the Lord’s most prominent disciples, and was ready to follow the Lord Jesus right to the end, even if it meant giving up his life for his Lord. However, he did not realize his own weakness. When he should have been praying with the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was sleeping. Later, when they came to arrest Jesus, he began to fight with his sword. In our verse for today he is in the palace of the high priest, but he is following “afar off.” Sadly, he ended up denying his Lord and Master shortly afterward.

We are in danger of having this happen in our own lives. If we are not on our guard, we will be overconfident and think that we can follow the Lord in our own strength. Then our fear of the reproach of this world will cause us to follow the Lord “afar off.” But it is only by staying close to Him that we can be kept from dishonoring Him. Let us recognize our weakness and remember to stick close to Him!