Children—T. Roach
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Gentlemen, Toledo, November 1976.
Children's meeting Tom Rd.
What's your favorite him off the seat? And this is a favorite Sunday school Him #40.
Jesus loves me. This I know, for the Bible tells me so. Oh, isn't that nice to know with the authority of God's word, that Jesus loves us.
I'm going to have to ask someone to start this gym please.
We will walk away my sins.
Left now where?
Yeah.
But some of us may have given me, the Bible tells me from.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Survival tells me.
Well, I'm sure that all the young ones enjoy that hymn. And we were a bit older. We enjoy it too. And I'll tell you, if you go to an old people's home, they like to sing it there too, because it reminds them of what they learned when they were younger. So important for us, isn't it? To know these things while we're young and to know that Jesus loves us.
Ask you to put up your hand if you have a choice. All right #25.
Life, at best, is very brief.
Like the falling.
Like the?
Breathing falls from the dolphins and they come.
00:05:04
And a fatal line behind.
The last verse.
The heater warning voice makes the Lord your happy choice.
From darkness in the light.
For heaven do not always be inside.
Someone else now, Yes.
#46
oh, that's nice. That's always a favorite. The spelling song Glad TIDINGS.
That day we have to come to our family to believe me.
And he called and he called all GIRL. And he won't go to the alliance to.
2 girls have given out a hymn. Oh, there's a boy.
#23
Let's bring the first and last of this one also.
Mercy and left at all.
On the ground, on the floor.
For you.
Must make.
Jesus.
For users.
00:10:05
Now who's got another one?
OK.
35.
Now let's sing the first and last also so we have time for more hymns.
He died for me.
From condemnation he had made with free.
Message ever do.
That from the front.
Of the log in life.
And you'll have time for one more.
All up in the front. That's good. All right.
39.
What a friend we have in Jesus. We'll sing the whole hymn this time #39.
And they have in.
God, all right and.
Stranger Garden friends.
Or people often go.
Thank you God in prayer.
Anywhere.
Through the Lord and.
We find our friends.
Must know about every week now.
To the Lord in prayer.
With my friends despite. For.
00:15:00
The Lord and Bread.
I will find out.
You know, boys and girls, everyone that stands up to speak to you.
Really was once a little boy himself and so I know that children like to hear stories, especially from some far away place.
I'd like to illustrate some of the verses from the Bible with some stories.
First of all, I want to ask you to put up your hand if you have never seen the ocean. How many of you have never seen the ocean before?
Very many.
Well, I know that the Bible has a verse that tells us about the oceans.
And a lesson that we can learn from. It is very interesting to watch the ocean, especially in a storm. Why people drive down by the water? To watch the waves when it's a rough day, when the waves are pounding in on the beach.
And the Bible tells us about that, and it gives us an illustration from.
Those waves that are pounding on the beach. So let's turn if you have your Bible to Isaiah 57.
And we'll see what it says about those waves, what they're like.
You don't have a Bible, just have a New Testament. While you'll have to listen carefully.
So it's Isaiah 57 and verse 20. This is what it says.
But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest.
Whose waters passed up mire and dirt. There is no peace, just my God to the wicked.
Or the wicked are like the troubled thieves when it cannot rest. All those of you who have seen the sea, you know what that is.
Just the constant motion. A man was telling me a few weeks ago what it what it's like to be out on a boat in a storm and there's no rest, he said. You lie down in your bunk and you're just tossed. You fall right out of bed and you can't eat. It's just so rough. Oh, it's just no rest. Oh, that's what the wicked are like. That's what those are like who don't know the Lord Jesus.
They're troubled and they're constantly moving about, looking for something to give them.
Who they long to have a calm.
A man in Nova Scotia who is a Christian years ago used to go out on the Fishing Schooners sailboat.
And one day he was saying they were trying to get into port. They were trying to get to their home port and it was so rough and the wind was against them. They couldn't make any headway all day long. The boat was pounding up and down. Finally decided it was getting dark. They go into another port that was nearby and as soon as they went inside, the breakwater calm.
Just peace. Well, he said. It reminded him of what it will be like to get to heaven when the they will be calm and peace with all the trouble and strife of this life here. But for the wicked there's no peace. That's my God, no peace. The wicked are like the troubled sea.
Well, this man I was talking to, he's the he's the man in charge of a lifeboat. A lifeboat. I think you'd like to hear a story about a lifeboat because there's a hymn, you know, that tells us that Jesus is a lifeboat. He's the safe lifeboat. Before I tell you that, I want to tell once more one more thing about the the wicked being like the troubled sea because.
There. I don't suppose there's anyone here that's never heard the gospel before. You all heard?
That there is a savior. And you've all heard that we're sinners and you know that you're a Sinner and you need a savior.
Well, I'll tell you about a young man who heard the gospel, who heard the way of salvation. And he admitted that what he heard was the truth. Yes, he agreed that it was the truth.
Now I can't tell you for sure whether the man will save their loss. He said he was trusting in the Lord Jesus and God is the one who determines that. It says the Lord looketh on the heart, the Lord knoweth them that are his, but it tells us as far as other people are concerned.
00:20:19
By their fruits you shall know them now if you're trusting in the Lord Jesus.
Other people should know it. They should know it by the way you live, the things you say, it should be evident in your life. There should be some fruit. But this man showed very, very little fruit. I would say none at all. And you know how he ended his life? He had been breaking into places, and at last he was apprehended by the police in a store in the middle of the night, and he attempted to attack the policeman with a knife.
And he was shot dead all the way of transgressors is hard to tell this in another verse. The wicked are like the troubled sea, this poor fellow. Every night he was going out and getting into some more trouble, and at last his life was taken. And his poor mother, she said if he'd only died of some disease it wouldn't have been so bad. All the grief and the sorrow that comes about from neglecting or ignoring or.
Despising the message that God has, He has a word for you as little children, and he wants you to receive the Lord Jesus. And if you do receive them as a little child, all the things that you'll be spared in your life as you grow up, if you try to live to please the one who died for you.
So the wicked are like the troubled sea.
But now, before I tell you about the lifeboat, let's turn over to the 10th of John in the New Testament. That's an easier place to find. Isn't it, John, Chapter 10?
And this is telling us about the Lord Jesus.
When he was here as a man.
Verse 14 of John 10.
I am the Good Shepherd.
And know my sheep, and I'm known of mine as the Father knoweth me Even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep, and other sheep I have which are not of this fold them also I must spring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay down my life. I lay it down as myself. I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received from my Father. And so we find here that the Lord Jesus came into this world to lay down his life. That just means that he was going to give up his life. He was going to die. He meant that when he said lay down his life, just as we could lay down.
A book. He could lay down his life.
And you know that the way I was thinking of this, lots of times when we hear stories, they are reminding us of something in the Bible and.
I was telling you that I've been talking to a man who he's really the captain of this lifeboat and the lifeboat is a really remarkable thing, This particular boat. You think of a lifeboat maybe as in pictures, you see an open boat, but this is a 44 foot boat. It has two diesel engines in it and I think one of the most remarkable things about this lifeboat, they tell me that it's capable of in a very rough sea of turning right over.
And writing itself, it can capsize, turn right, upside down and it will write itself. And they have doors on that ship on that boat that they turn a crank and it just locks that door so that the sea won't break it open when the ship turns over. But I don't know if that would actually happen, but that's what they say it's supposed to be able to to do that. And on that boat they have radar and other electronic gear. They can tell how deep the water is under them.
And they have another machine that will tell them exactly where they are in the ocean and you know, with all that equipment.
This captain, he told me that it's possible that it would be so rough that he would decide it was too bad to the weather was too bad to go out. It's possible that there would be such conditions that he wouldn't take that lifeboat away from the dock, he said. You know, it's it's not worth risking the life of three men as a three man crew, He said it's not worth risking the lives of three men to rescue one.
00:25:22
You know what made me think of these verses that we just read?
The Lord Jesus didn't come into this world to risk his life. You know what that means, boys and girls? To risk your life means to take a chance you might lose it and you might not.
And so the lifeboat captain would say, if it's too rough, if I think that we are in danger ourselves, then I wouldn't take the boat out from the shore. But the Lord Jesus didn't risk his life. He came to give his life. Isn't that wonderful? He knew he was going to lose his life when he came into this world. He came on purpose to lay down his life, to give his life. And why did he do it?
I think you know. I think you know because he loved you and he loved me and he wanted to save her. Because the wages of sin is death. And you and I, because we're sinners, we deserve death. Do you realize that? That you and I as sinners, we deserve death. We deserve punishment in the lake of fire forever. That's what we deserve. And Jesus loves you and me so much.
That he came into this world not to risk his life, but to give his life. And he says, I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. Oh, what a savior we have. How can you resist that, you know, if that lifeboat goes out?
Someone in trouble. They trust the lifeboat. They've rescued many people already, although they just started the service less than a year ago. They've taken sick people off of passing ships. They've rescued people that were in danger and they all have trusted the lifeboat. Once you trust the Lord Jesus, won't you trust him? I heard tell of a similar boat that did turn over and it did sink.
But that won't happen if you trust the Lord Jesus.
He'll never fail you. He's able, we heard yesterday. He is able. Yes, he's able.
Now there's something very remarkable that this lifeboat captain told me, and it really is related to another verse over in Romans. So let's turn over to Romans chapter 2.
And we'll read verse 11, Romans chapter 2.
Verse 11.
What it says for there is no respect of persons with God. Now, I I suppose there are some of you that don't understand what that means. No respect of persons with God. That just means that as far as God is concerned, it doesn't make any difference whether you're poor or rich, whether you're a king or whether you're a slave, whether you're black or white.
Or whatever you might be in this world. There's no respect of persons with God. We heard last night, didn't we? There is no difference, no difference, for all have sinned.
No different.
Yeah, you know, a little bit Gives us a comfortable feeling to know that everybody's a Sinner, but God wants to single it out right down to you as an individual. As if you could point to yourself and say I'm a Sinner. You know, there's a man that tells us about him in Luke's Gospel and he, he beat on his chest and he said, God be merciful to me, a Sinner.
I know. It's just as if that man didn't know of any other Sinner, but he knew he was a Sinner and he wanted God to be merciful to him. Yes, he wanted God to be merciful to him. You know what that means?
It means he wanted God to give him something or to take away the judgment that he deserves. Because if he could have earned his way, that man wouldn't have to ask for mercy. He could have asked God to give him his wages. But the wages that we have earned is death. The gift of God is eternal life. And that man wanted the gift. And wouldn't you ask him this morning if you've never done it before?
00:30:20
To be merciful to you. Can you say that yourself, if you've never done it before? God be merciful to me, a Sinner.
One time in the tent in Nova Scotia, we asked the boys and girls to point to a Sinner.
You know what one little girl did? She went like this. She pointed to the person on each side of her.
But I'm thankful to say that most of the children were able to point to themselves. They pointed to themselves. Now you may not want to do that with your finger, but can you point to yourself and realize that you are the Sinner that Jesus died for? Jesus died for you Now The verse we read said there's no respect of persons with God. And this lifeboat captain, he told me that it would make a difference with him.
Who it was he was called on to rescue? He said he would be willing to take a greater risk for a person that he knew and he would for a total stranger. And he said, I know that's not right. But he said I'm human and I I can't help but feel that I would take a greater risk for a person that I knew and for a total stranger. And I suppose if we put ourselves in his place and had to make a decision whether or not to go out in a storm.
And if we knew, it was one of our best friends.
Why we might forget a little bit about our own danger and go out there to try and rescue that person.
But if it's a total stranger, well, that might be a little different, and I can sympathize with that man's feelings.
Now the Lord Jesus is not a respecter of persons, and to tell this in that verse that you all know so well, John 316.
God so loved the world. He loved the world. And we heard.
Last night I believe it was that Christ Jesus came into the world to save Sinner. He has to remember that verse.
Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Yes, not friends, but sinners. And so God is not a respecter of person. It doesn't matter to him what.
Your standard of life is whether your father or mother are believers, you're just as responsible to receive the Lord Jesus for yourself as anyone else, and also wonderful privilege. We're going to come to that in a little while.
It's a wonderful privilege to be brought up in a Christian home.
And in Christian surroundings.
But all God is no respecter of persons He can reach down, as we heard, to into the jail I have.
Received a letter from a man who told me he was saved in solitary confinement in a prison all by himself. Now it's nice to be surrounded by so many of our friends and people who really love us and care for us. And here is a man in prison all by himself.
And he found the Lord there. The Lord found him in solitary confinement. Oh, how wonderful that the grace of God could go down into a prison. Or it could come into this room here this morning. If there's only one in the straight company that's still without knowledge of Christ as your savior, why, the Spirit of God would strive with you this morning as though there were no one else in the room.
Is there a boy or a girl who's really anxious for your soul? You really want to be saved? The Lord Jesus stands ready. He wants to save you. He's willing. He's able.
And he will save you, kill Adam. You just received him into your heart.
Now there's one more verse.
Or several verses in the book of Genesis. I'd like to turn to now 18th of Genesis.
I will just read the one the 19th verse.
00:35:02
Genesis 1819.
And this was what God said to Abraham.
He said, For I know him, but he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.
And it speaks here of Abraham commanding his children and his household after him. Now I know that the the mothers and fathers are listening in too, but I wanted to speak to you children, you boys and girls.
That they, your parents, command you. They tell you to do things and they tell you not to do some other things because they love you and they want to see you go on in the right way.
And or it's a wonderful privilege to have been brought up in a Christian home. But like I said before, you know, this speaker as well as the others was once a boy himself. And you know, there were things that we wanted to do as children that we weren't permitted to do. And we sometimes made an excuse to the other boys rather than having an exercise for ourselves, we would say.
Well, my father wouldn't let me.
And we didn't like that very well. We'd rather have our own way. But I just say this to you, boys and girls. If your father and mother tell you not to go somewhere, you better listen to them, because they have a good reason you may not understand. And if they ask you to do something, like when they bring it to the meeting, I hope that you're here because you want to be here yourself. But Even so, if if you came against your will, be thankful that someone brought you here.
Thought it's a wonderful thing to be in a Christian environment and I wanted to tell you of a girl who I believe is the Lord.
Who was not brought up in a Christian home? And if you look into the door of the house, I've never been in that house, but I've looked into the door of this particular house and not only is the place dirty, but on the wall you can see the the beams in the wall and you can see the laughs and there's no plaster on the wall. And this girl who knows the Lord Jesus is her savior.
He didn't want a gift of a nice text.
To hang on the wall. Now, probably everyone of us here would like to have probably we have already a nice text with a verse of scripture and we hang it on our wall. We're glad to do that. And you know the reason that this girl didn't want the text, I believe is because that home was in such disorder. It wouldn't have been very nice on those walls that are just hanging down and no plaster.
Oh, it just makes you sick to think of a person living in such a home, if you can call it a home. And this girl knows the Lord Jesus and she'd like to please him. But all the difficulty it is to a person to be in that kind of a home where there's fighting. And probably if you did hang up a text, they would not like it and maybe they could take it down and destroy it. Particular boys and girls and I have had the privilege of being brought up in a Christian home.
Of having.
Meetings and hearing the word of God.
The privilege it is. And I want you to value it. Even though there may be times when you're told not to do something that you'd really like to do, and all your friends at school are doing things and and enjoying something that this world has to offer and you're just taking right out of it. And it's for your own good, For your own good. You should really be thankful for that. I speak this to those of you who know the Lord Jesus, because that's your responsibility.
You know, just tell you something else about this girl because it may make you value your privileges.
He wanted to come to the meeting, to the prayer meeting and Bible reading.
And.
We wanted to come with a dress on, and she didn't own one. He didn't even own a dress. She had to borrow one. And she knew that the way her family was, he wouldn't dare wear that dress in the house. He went to a friend's house to change her clothes so she could come to the meeting wearing a dress. Now, I'm sure that there's none of us here that have that kind of a circumstance to overcome.
00:40:17
But what do we do with the advantages that we have? Are we enjoying what the Lord Jesus has done for? Are we enjoying these privileges?
And you know, as we grow up and we look back on those things that we were prevented from doing, we see that they really weren't worth doing anyway.
And those things that we were made to do, we see that there was a real value.
As not to say that parents don't make mistakes, I've made plenty myself as a parent, and I'm sure that every parent here will admit that. But all there is that desire for your good, and that's why we as parents would tell you things. And perhaps we speak to other children that we see to try to encourage them to go on faithfully. Abraham says which command his children.
And just the word for the parents that has always exercised me in connection with this. When you read about Eli and the Book of Samuel, his sons were wicked and it tells us what Eli said to them. Oh, he scolded them. I can just picture him telling those boys they were doing something wrong. And God still judge Eli because he didn't restrain his children. It was evidently more necessary to do more than talk to them.
He was supposed to have done more than talk to them.
And he was judged and his sons all in the same day. They all died the same day. So two boys and their father and the wife of one of those boys. They died all in the same day. It was God's judgment upon them because Eli didn't restrain them. You let them have their own way. And I'll tell you too that as you grow up, you still have that in you that wants to go your own way. And if you've learned as a child.
To submit yourself.
Well, it's a help when you grow up to learn that you can't have your own way.
That God's way is the way for you to live as a believer. And then it's easier to submit to the word of God. To submit to what it tells you about the place of worship. Submit to what it tells you about other affairs of your life. And that's the happy life. That's the life that will give you joy, even though there may be tears in your eyes.
Now I wonder if we'd like to sing another hymn before we close with Claire. Yes.
44.
Will sing the 1St 2 verses of this one. All right first two verses of 44.
Boiling.
Nobody.
Ever.
To me.
My.