Young People’s Blog

“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).

In our verse for today, we find two of the reasons why even saved people can be “dull of hearing.” They may have new life in Christ, but the cares of this world, and also the deceitfulness of riches, take up all their time, and there is little or no interest in eternal things.

It is true that life is complicated today, and there are many more things that occupy our time and perhaps cause us to worry. Also, at least here in North America, we generally have more money than people did when our grandparents were growing up, and there are a lot of interesting things to do. With both of these things, it is easy to let Satan use up all of our time. What is the answer?

We need to set aside time for the Lord’s things, for they are important. They are the only things that will last for all eternity, and the only things that will make us truly happy. If we put the Lord first, we will find that He will help us to fit all the necessary things around them.

“We have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5:11).

The inspired author of the book of Hebrews (probably the Apostle Paul) had many things that he would have liked to have told those Jewish Christians, for God had committed to Him the precious truth of the assembly. This included things that had not been revealed to anyone else; God gave them specially to Paul, so that he could pass them on to others. Sadly, he had to say to some of those saved Jews that they were not really interested in what he had to tell them. They had not progressed in the things of the Lord, and were like small children who did not know much.

It can be the same with us today. Perhaps there are older ones in our local assembly who know a great deal in spiritual things, and would love to tell them to us. But if we are not interested—if we are “dull of hearing,” like those Jews, then it is hard for them to tell us those things. If we have a new life in Christ, then we have a nature that wants to learn more of Christ. But sometimes our desires for the things of this world stand in the way.

“Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

When the Lord Jesus came into this world, He became a man, and thus took the position of a creature. He became the perfect dependent Man, and was fully obedient to God His Father. This had never happened before, so we could say, very reverently, that it was a totally new experience for Him.

But then, when He became a Man, He learned the cost of obedience. Sometimes we are ready to obey someone in authority over us, as long as what they ask does not go too far, in our estimation. But the Lord Jesus learned what it was to obey, and He became “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Obedience to His Father’s will took Him all the way to Calvary’s cross, to go into death for us.

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

Today is the Lord’s day, and it is fitting that we have the Lord Jesus as the good Shepherd—the One who gave His life for the sheep. In eastern countries, shepherds often encountered wild animals while they were looking after their sheep, and in order to protect the sheep, the shepherd often had to risk his life. Wild animals would see a flock of sheep, and think they could make an easy meal out of one of them. You will remember David, who looked after his father’s sheep, and how he had to kill both a lion and a bear at different times, in order to protect the sheep.

But the Lord Jesus not only risked His life to save us; He had to give His life for the sheep. He went to the cross, and there He gave His life for us, so that He could have His sheep. He loved us enough to die for us, so that He could save us from the power of Satan.

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever” (John 6:51).

When the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He fed the hungry people several times by multiplying the small number of loaves of bread that were available. As you may imagine, the people readily followed Him, hoping for another free meal. However, the Lord Jesus had to remind them that natural food would satisfy them only for a short time; then they would want another meal. But if they believed on the Lord Jesus, He would give them that living bread, which was Himself. What does this mean?

It means that the Lord Jesus would go to the cross and suffer for sin, so that all who came to Him and ate of Him, spiritually speaking, would have eternal life. When we eat something, it is taken into our stomachs and digested; then it becomes part of us. In the same way, if we believe on the Lord Jesus, we accept Him as our Savior, and we make Him our own. We do not simply believe in who He is, but we accept Him in our hearts. Then we have eternal life, as our verse today says.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Here is another situation where the Lord Jesus uses the words “I am” to describe who He is, and what He was doing in this world. Here He is telling the people that He is the light of the world, and that those who follow Him will have light.

The Lord Jesus is not speaking here of natural light, for we know that the sun rises every day, and gives light to all who are in the world. No, the Lord is here speaking about moral light—the kind of light that tells us God’s thoughts about everything, including our own thoughts, and our behavior too.

It is true that in the Old Testament, the Jews had that part of the Bible, and it told them what God required of them. In that way they had light from God. But when the Lord Jesus came, He not only told them what God required of them, but also revealed God as a God of love and grace. Sadly, men did not want that light, and eventually crucified the Lord Jesus. But as long as He was in the world, the Lord Jesus was the light of the world.

“Then said the Jews unto Him [the Lord Jesus], Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:57-58).

About 1500 years after the Lord spoke to Moses and sent him to deliver the children of Israel, the Lord Jesus came into this world. He was the Son of God, and was the same One who had said to Moses, Tell them that I AM has sent you. When the Jews challenged the Lord Jesus as to who He was, He gave them the same answer that Moses gave to the children of Israel—“Before Abraham was, I am.”

The Jews immediately recognized that He was claiming to be God, and they took up stones to throw at Him, thinking that He was speaking blasphemy. But notice how the Lord Jesus worded His answer. He did not say, Before Abraham was, I was. That would have been true, but it was also true of Abraham’s father, grandfather, etc. However, when the Lord Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” He clearly identified Himself as the One who had existed from all eternity, before time existed. Sadly, the Jews did not want to believe on Him, in spite of all the miracles He performed. Tomorrow, and for the next few days, we will consider a few other examples where the Lord Jesus uses the words “I am.”

“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel…and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:13-14).

The children of Israel had been in Egypt for many years, and now the Lord was going to deliver them from the slavery under Pharaoh, and bring them into the promised land. Moses was told to go and tell them that God was ready to deliver them, but then he asked God what name he should tell them, if they asked about God’s name.

The name “I AM” might seem like a strange name to us, but it shows us that God is the ever-existing one—the One who was from all eternity, and will live for all eternity. When Moses told all this to the people, and showed them some miraculous signs from God, they believed, and understood that the Lord was really going to deliver them.

We too need to understand that God existed from all eternity; He had no beginning. As human beings and as creatures we cannot really understand this, but we can believe it, because God has told us in His Word. I know that we had these verses last year, but I am using them again, as we want to speak about some other connections with them in the next few days.

“Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-8).

Many years ago, I remember memorizing this verse in Sunday school, and I remember how my Sunday school teacher impressed on us the importance of believing and paying attention to God’s Word. We need to listen to the Word of God if we are not saved, and of course we need to accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior. But it is possible to harden our hearts against God’s Word even as Christians. When we read something that touches our conscience, we can submit to it and accept God’s Word, or we can harden our hearts. If we harden our hearts, then we no longer enjoy the Lord’s presence with us in our Christian life, and we become unhappy. A happy Christian is one who is obedient to God’s Word!

“For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor [help] them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).

We do not use the word “succor” much in everyday speech anymore, but it simply means to help or support others, especially when they are in trouble. During His time in this world, the Lord Jesus went through every kind of suffering that a sinless man could go through, so that He could understand and sympathize with us in our difficulties.

Perhaps you have been in trouble, and had a well-meaning friend say to you, “I know how you feel.” Yet, unless he or she has been through the same kind of trouble as you are experiencing, they cannot really know how you feel. But the Lord Jesus always knows how we feel, for He has suffered from the effects of sin in this world, and knows the difficulties we face. We can always go to Him in our troubles, knowing that He will understand.