Rich Jesus Became Poor to Make Poor People Rich

2 Corinthians 8:9
Children—John Kemp
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Girls and older ones, if there's any more children that would like to come up on the front seats here, we welcome them.
Not too many here yet. Anyway, uh, we're going to start.
With some songs and on your hymn sheet there.
Uh, which I think everyone has.
If you don't, pick up one from a chair there and look at the back of the hem sheets.
Alright.
Let's see, now that's on the back.
Let's start with number 4646. Everyone go has it.
That's the spelling song Glad TIDINGSI wonder what that spelled. Hey, I wonder what that spells? Can you tell me this boy?
Yeah, that's right, we don't use that word too much today. Tidings. Umm, what does it mean?
Someone.
Yes, this boy.
Yeah, that's right. It it's an old word for news. That's right, good news. So let's say #46.
You are going to come to live in the past. Let me begin the beginning of the beginning of the beginning, beginning, beginning.
See this.
This cardboard here, what does that say?
Good. We're gonna talk later on about a man whose name means God saves.
Just what we sang about there.
We're going to speak about him in a few minutes. I've got his name right here and find out something about this man. In fact, I'm going to show you his name right now, but we'll speak about him later.
What does this say?
This boy here?
Elisha, everyone said Elisha. Now you've got to be careful here because there's another man.
Who, uh, has a name that is like this? But it's not the same. But we'll talk about that later. Who has another song for us now?
Uh, this boy.
41 OK.
00:05:39
Courier.
Well, you know, boys and girls, in that coming day, there's going to be children.
From all the nations of the world. Now when I go to India.
Doctor Frost, too. We speak to a Sunday school and it has about a 250 children in one room, standing room only, but they're not standing, they're sitting on the floor.
They have different colors of skin than you, but more they can sing the songs.
Wonderfully, but I can't understand one word.
But do they sing beautiful songs about the Lord?
Most of these children, 95% or more, don't hear anything about the Lord Jesus in their homes.
If you went into their homes, you'd see some ugly idols sitting there on the shelf.
But they come to the Sunday school and learn so many verses from God's Word in Tamil.
Uh, they can learn 12 verses or more, and I believe that many of those children were going to meet around the throne of God in heaven. They're going to be there not because they've been good boys and girls, no, because they've heard the gospel.
In the Sunday school and they have come to the Lord and believed in Him, and they turned from those ugly idols. They don't pray to them anymore. Now who has another song for us? Let's see now.
Oh, oh, behind me, this little girl, Yeah.
Number six, Number six. OK, let's turn to number six. Yeah, Oh, that's a nice one.
God in mercy.
Thank his son.
For the can I see the light?
Well, another song by someone here.
Who is going to volunteer this girl?
#30 what's #30 Let's see.
#30.
Yeah, alright. Weeping will not.
Be.
In the deer breaking. Well now save me.
00:10:12
Give us when I ***** ***** it is not a problem.
That dreams.
Last verse.
In the red sunlight.
Now many rounds, very thin, crunched, little sake.
Isn't that wonderful, boys and girls, that the Lord Jesus can save us?
From our many sins because my sins were like the hairs of my head. They were. There's so many of them you couldn't count them, nor could I. This week I had a call from a a boy. Well, he's not a boy anymore. He's a big man. His name was Roger. Now go looking back quite a few years, Roger came to Sunday school. But boy, he was a cut up. He was a bad boy.
We used to pick him up there at his home.
Year after year, others, uh, worked harder than I did, but Roger was in my Sunday school class. But I had a lot of problems keeping him quiet. And he talked back and he would act up and, uh, but I tried to have patience with him. Well, Roger called me just a few days ago. Hello, Roger, How are you? Fine, thank you. Where are you living now? Well, I know where he lives.
Glad to hear your voice. How are things going, Roger? Well, I'm working. You know, he's not very well educated. He does simple work at thrift stores and so on. But I say, Roger.
How about I can't remember exactly what I said, but how are things going on in your spiritual life? Yes, he says, now I'm serving the Lord, Now I'm he's witnessing for the Lord there where he works, he speaks up and I've known Roger for many years and I know that he truly loves the Lord and that it when the Lord comes, he's going to be taken up to meet him in the air.
I hesitate to say this, but he says I was saved through you, Mr. Kemp, at the Sunday School. Oh, I said I didn't, I didn't know that. Roger. Umm, I'm glad to hear it, but the instrument the Lord uses is not important. But Roger had come to the Lord through hearing the Word of God. And we hope that each one of you too will, uh.
Do what Roger did. Put your face.
In the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross for you.
So I'll have one more him or so before we pray this girl.
32 Oh, that's a nice him. Yeah. What can wash away my hands?
Oh, oh, oh, crying, dying, then I'm falling off the high flame.
Third verse.
00:15:03
Cannot come and I think I come by my opinion.
Now, boys and girls, we're just going to bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment.
Ask the Lord's help, Blessed God. Now here's a story about India.
There was a man, I don't know his name.
But he was very, he was, he came from a very rich family. Now in India there are millions of very poor people which, uh, Doctor Frost and I have often seen many beggars in India, many children who have no shoes on their feet and ragged clothes and lepers and so on. But this man was not in that class. He was from a very wealthy.
Family. In fact, some of the families in India are fabulously wealthy.
Anyway, he heard the gospel someone brought before that Hindu man.
The fact that he was a Sinner and that Jesus died for him.
And he listened. You never heard that in his home. Though he had lots of money. He had never heard the gospel that someone died for his sins. He knew he was a Sinner, and maybe he was washing in the rivers to try to get rid of his sins. But when he heard that Jesus died for him, he believed. But he had to go home. So he went home and opened the door. And his father, of course, was a very wealthy man. He had more money than he knew what to do with.
And when the sun came in, he told his father.
What he had done, that he had accepted Jesus as his Savior. You say the Father was happy. No, in no way he was angry. He was very angry with his son. You know, if you go to India Today, you'll find the same thing, right where Doctor Prost and I visit.
We visit, uh, some people there that have really suffered because they accepted Christ as their Savior. One young man, he accepted the Lord and, uh.
He was chased by his father with an axe, ready to take his life, and this poor young man had to get up into a tree because his father was pursuing him with an axe. Imagine that. That happened just a few years ago in India where we visit where the gospel is going out. Another young man, he accepted Christ and the same thing happened to him as is going. I'm going to tell you about this wealthy young man. See the door there?
The father said out the middle of the night, this poor young man had to leave in the cold night in North India it's cold and he had no place to go. He had to walk many miles to come to Mr. Jonathan Jazz House. Yes, in the middle of the night, It's me giving his name. Young man, I haven't got any place to sleep. Of course, Jonathan was happy to open the door and let him come in.
00:20:03
But you see, he suffered for Christ's sake, finishing the story about the young man.
In India.
Wealthy young men. Well, he told his father, his father said, I'm going to give you, I forget, 24 hours to think about this and you tell me what you are going to do. Are you going to give up this, this religion, this new religion?
Or not, I give you a certain time. Well, the day passed and the sun came down from his room. There was his father, wealthy Indian Prince Raja, and this man said, I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back. See the door out.
Though first of all, he took him downstairs and he showed him all his riches. Oh.
Riches, this is yours, my son. This is yours, if you will.
Don't give up your religion.
But this young man said, I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back. Out the door he went with nothing, nothing in his hand but the clothes on his back and.
He lived for the Lord many years.
Don't know if his father ever got saved or not, but he did live for the Lord many years. Let's sing that song I have decided to follow.
To get his heart. I'm burning by no turning back the world behind.
All right, what have I got in my hands here? Yes, right. Are they all the same size?
Or different sizes, right? Some big ones and some small ones and some medium. I'm going to ask a question. Listen, now I want to know. These are representing all the people we have here. You see, there's some, uh, big people here, a lot of big people, older people, some children, some young people. I want you to show me which candle is the big people, This little girl come stand up here.
Put your hand on it, yeah.
Thank you. OK, Now I want you to show me which is the little people in this illustration. Is this little boy OK? Will you stand up here and point to the candle that is the little people? Thank you. OK.
Now show me the medium of the, the young people will say the young people in the meeting room there who can, uh, show me that.
These are not old people, are not exactly children, this, but they're young people. Where would they be here? Can you show me?
Right here, right there. OK, Thank you. I'm sorry to tell you, boys and girls, you're all wrong.
You're all wrong.
Yeah, you say, Mr. Kemp? What do you mean?
Well, I'm going to try to explain it.
Everyone seems to think this this are the are the big people in the in the meeting this morning? Maybe the fathers and mothers or grandparents.
But you know that's not the case.
The older people like me and some others are like this.
Yeah, why?
Because our lives are going to soon be over. We don't have a a long time to shine for the Lord anymore. Well, we might have a few more years, but look you boys and girls, if the Lord doesn't come.
00:25:14
You have your whole life before you and you can shine for the Lord for many years if the Lord doesn't come. So really, these are the older people and these are the boys and girls who have their lives before them to shine for the Lord. I'm not gonna, I'm not going to light these candles. I don't think they want us to do that here in the hotel.
But I want to speak about.
A little story and then time is going here. In the land of Israel there were many lights burning. There were believers in the days of this man Elijah. I haven't shown you see his name. There were many that were shining for the Lord in the land of Israel. They were lights amidst darkness. But there was an awful woman.
Here she was a terrible woman and she said I'm going to put out all those lights.
Every while put out every light I can, Every servant of the Lord, I'll. I'll catch him and I'll.
Grab him.
And furthermore, I'll take his life. So Jezebel. She lived in a beautiful palace.
And she was, I suppose you'd say, a Pretty Woman. She was all painted up, but all her heart was wicked, and she was going to put out every light of Jehovah in the land, if you speak about Jehovah.
You're gonna be killed.
However, and she put a lot of people to death and she sat down and.
I've done the work, the work of Satan, All those there's not a not a servant of the Lord left in the land. She made a mistake. There was one that she never got her hand on. Where? Where was he now? Here. Here he is. Elijah. She never found him.
He was a servant of the Lord, kind of a rough, bold man. I don't think you might, you might be very, uh, happy to see him coming along. He was very strict, you know, very bold. But, uh, he was a real servant of the Lord. And Jezebel, she never got her hands on him. She sent spies out to catch him, but the Lord kept him and he.
Lived in caves and and in the wilderness and he would appear suddenly and then he disappear. And Jezebel tried her hardest to get a hold of him, but she never did.
Alright now.
Elijah was a prophet of the Lord, but there was another man.
Here, his name, we've already referred to him, Elisha, right? And he was a younger man and he was a farmer. I think we have farmers here. This morning he was plowing, he had 24 animals, oxen 24, and he was plowing and going through the fields there.
He was a pretty wealthy man too, because he had 24 animals and he had servants and he had a real nice home.
There's a man coming across the field. Look at who is it? Strange looking man.
Rough clothes, you know, rough clothes on that he he wasn't.
Very well dressed. He had a mantle, which was the sign of the prophet's office. But he was walking across the field and Elisha looked. Yeah. Oh, yeah, I know that many strange we they've been searching all over the land for this man.
I know him, he came along and if this boy will come up here.
That he, he came along and here was thank you. He here was Elijah working with the plow and he just took off his mantle and he put it over and on he walked. On he walked thank you.
00:30:10
Now Elijah knew what that meant. He knew that that mantle was the sign of the prophet's office. And he, well, he might have thought, Am I going to follow Elijah? But I've got a beautiful home.
And he ran after Elijah and he said, can I go back to my father and mother?
Elisha said you can go back if you want.
But he wasn't going to force him to follow the Lord. But you know, Elisha had made his decision already. He knew that mantle that meant he must follow the Lord now. And so he, he turned his back on his plowing. First of all, he made a big feast. You know, he took one of the animals and killed it and he made a feast for all his servants. Because the call of the Lord is a call of joy. It's not something that.
Is going to be awful hard and depressing but now he knew that he was following the light he was following Elijah here's the two men that we got it here and Jezebel was still seeking the life of Elijah as much as she could but now these two men oh they became wonderful friends they became the best friends in the world for seven years Elijah.
Uh.
Walked with Elijah, oh what wonderful times they had in communion speaking together. But of course it wasn't an easy path. Elisha no longer had a beautiful home to live in. He was living in the caves with Elijah and and going from place to place and he had to suffer quite a lot. But he had the company of Elijah.
You know, boys and girls, that reminds me of the Lord Jesus.
He left his home in the glory.
Where he was rich verse of scripture I am going to read to you in second.
Corinthians, you have your Bible. Open it up.
And we'll read this verse in Second Corinthians chapter.
9.
Chapter 8. Verse 9.
Who's going to read it for us there this boy, if you'll stand up, please, and read out aloud.
Verse 9 yes.
Thank you SO.
The Lord Jesus left his home where he was rich, and he came into a world where he was poor.
Here in my.
Here in my bag, I have something for you from Canada.
I live in Canada.
This is, uh, what we call in Canada, Aluni. It's $1.00.
But don't try to spend it because it's not going to work. It's a chocolate *****. And uh, so we're going to give that to you after, OK. But the Lord Jesus reverently speaking now, he didn't have a, a penny and he came from heaven's glory, gave up. He was the creator of the universe and he was rich. But down here, for your sakes, remember we read it for your sakes. He became poor, he came down.
For you boys and girls to die on the cross and to suffer, oh, how much he suffered, I can never tell you, Mr.
Tony was speaking last night about the sufferings of Christ. Did you listen about how much he endured in the hours of darkness on the cross of Calvary? We can never know how much he suffered. Well, finishing our story now. Elijah and Elijah went along together.
But the time was coming when Elijah and Elisha were going to be separate.
Something was going to happen.
They were going to be separated forever, and along they went, through the land, the dusty roads and down near the Jordan River. They walked together and talked over the miles.
00:35:13
The hours seven years they had been together. But now Elisha said I'm I'm going to believe you behind.
And Elijah says, I want to be with you until the last moment, the last few miles, the last steps, they came to the river. And Elijah GR Elijah, great prophet though he was, he took his mantle and he hit the river.
Jordan and the river Jordan separated and they walked over. The river Jordan is a picture of death. The river Jordan is a picture of death. And it tells us the Lord Jesus went into death, went into death for us, and he came up again. And now all of a sudden the heavens opened and what did they see but a chariot of fire coming down and horses of fire.
Elijah looked on.
He had said to Elijah, he said.
Elijah said what can I do for you before I go leave the world? And Elijah said give me a double portion of your spirit. Well, Elijah said you've got to keep your eyes on me. If you're going to get that wonderful heritage, you've got to keep your eyes on me.
He didn't have much to give. He didn't have much money. Elijah wasn't a wealthy man. He, he didn't have, uh, much to give in the way of, uh, earthly possessions, but he did give him a wonderful heritage. Well, let's see what happened. There's the Chariots of fire. Elijah was looking and Elisha looked and he saw his best friend.
Leave the world.
And go up into the glory. There he was transported.
Right before his eyes.
And Elisha said.
The chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more.
He saw him no more. You know, that's what Jesus did. He went up into the glory.
And we haven't seen him since he left, but he's coming back. So now Elisha was left behind, left behind.
To to take Elijah's place. Oh, there's the mantle. He didn't take the mantle with them into heaven because his work was finished, but it was right there on the shore of the Jordan River.
So Elijah went over and he picked it up, and he put it on. Now he was going to be a worker for the Lord in the place of Elijah, because Elijah was gone to heaven.
And this is the meaning of the Elijah's name. God saves, so Elijah's turned around.
And he went back, oh, there's the river Jordan. Let's see what's going to happen here. He took off the mantle. Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And he took the mantle, and he hit the river.
And it opened up just the way it did before. And Elijah went over and, uh, when your home, boys and girls, you read of all the wonderful things that a life Elijah did. Oh, I couldn't tell them all to you now. But, uh, he helped widows, he fed the multitudes. He did so many wonderful things and he showed that God saves. He was a different man than Elijah. He was a gentle.
Kind, loving man and his whole ministry was goodness and grace.
You know, Elijah was very stern and bold, but Elisha was a servant of the Lord who did so many things, so many wonderful blessings, just like the Lord Jesus did when he was here on the earth.
Now I had something for you here too.
In this.
Container here this box, so I'm going to give this to you at the end of the Sunday school.
00:40:05
What is it? Well, here it is.
What is that?
That's right. That's a key chain. This comes from the country of Brazil.
And.
My wife, Eleanor, she knows the man that makes these, his name is Chris Stovall. But you know, Cristobal cannot walk or run. He cannot even get up to eat his meals. He's he's always in a wheelchair because when he was a young man, someone shot him and the bullet went right into his back and it paralyzed Christoval. I think he's been in a wheelchair for about 30 years.
But he uses his time for the Lord making these things for boys and girls. And this has come all the way from Brazil for you. OK, so that's a little a little prize for you. OK, so.
Our time is going here. We don't have very much time left. I don't even know if we have time to tell this story, but uh.
If you will wait for a moment, I'll tell it very quickly. OK, the story that I like to tell, but I need to have someone hold this rope for me. This boy here on one side and who's going to hold the other end? This girl here. OK, now hold it up. Now I come from Canada and I'm going to ask a question. How many boys and girls have been have been to Canada?
Have you good the two, uh, volunteers have to hold it up in Canada, of course you all know there is a beautiful Niagara Falls and, uh, that Niagara Falls is, uh, not far from where Doctor Pross lives. He's seen it many times. So have I and, uh, in Niagara Falls there's a, it's a very, uh, high falls, about 300 feet high. And, uh, the water's underneath are swirling. Boy, they're.
They almost scare you to look at them, but you know, people have walked across the falls on a tightrope, Pull it up, pull it tight. Their children, they walked across. And maybe the most famous man that ever walked across Niagara was a man from France. His name was Blondin. Blondin. Oh, he was a remarkable man. There's been many stories told of Mr. Blunden.
He would walk across. Now we're going back over 100 years ago, 1860 area, but he would walk across. He would turn a somersault, he would push a wheelbarrow. He would sit down and eat his lunch there. He would do all sorts of things on the rope with the dark swirling waters beneath him and the crowds, oh, 100,000 people.
From Toronto and Buffalo, in every place they brought special trains to see Mr. Blunden perform these, these awful, these feats on the rope. He did everything he would just like a monkey going back and forth. One day he went right across, you know, to the American side and he said, now who will go with me back? I don't want to go back along there on the other side.
Uh, who will go with me over the re the river? Umm remember we said that Elijah and Elijah went across the river? Well here's Mr. Blonde and he says I want someone to go with me. There was the big crowd of thousands of people. He shouted out who will take my offer and come boy, everyone was was trembling. No one would come.
Even the Prince Edward, who was going to be, uh, King Edward the 8th, I think.
There he was looking at the performance and the blondin turned to him and said, Prince Edward, will you come? No, thank you. He he would not come. He knew that he could do it because he had seen him walking across there with his big long pole. Well finally, well, I don't want to go across alone.
Finally, his manager, Colcord, he said I will go.
00:45:04
Get on my back and they started across foot by foot, inch by inch call cord trembling in his boots, lifted up there so we can see it and they got over to near the center of the tight rope and below were the the angry waves waiting to catch them and but something happened the.
Rope began to sway back and forth like this.
And all blonde and thought something's wrong. Yeah, someone had loosened one of the ropes over here that held it.
And that rope was swaying back and forth. And Blondin, for the first time in his life, he was afraid. He knew that this was dangerous. Were they going to make it to the other side? I don't know, he says.
Get down, call court and hold me by the hips there and remember.
He said remember, you are no longer Colcord, you are blonde. Then if I sway, you sway. If you try to balance yourself, that's the end of both of us. So call. Cord got up and he held on to the shoulders of Blondin and he said hold on. He grit his teeth. This was the greatest test of his life. Would he make it or not? He said there's only one way.
I've got to run and he ran for all he was worth and he got over safe and sound to the Canadian side with that man Colcord on his back. That was the last time that Blondin ever went over.
The tightrope, he's gone now and all that great company of people have gone.
Into eternity. They've crossed over the river of death into the next World. Thank you, John. Whether they were saved I do not know. But no man has gone across that river of death alone. The Lord Jesus only can take you across, boys and girls. He wants to put you on his shoulders. He won't let you go. He holds the world on one shoulder. He'll put you on his shoulders. He'll take you across if you come to Him today.
Say Lord Jesus, I believe.
That you died for me on the cross. I accept thee as my Savior. Time is gone, let us pray.