A Friend Is Coming

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 13, 1913

A Friend Is Coming

Lesson for the Children—No. 1

A Friend Is Coming

MEMORY TEXT: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” Rev. 1:7.

Behold means to look. Somebody is coming. Describe the joy felt when a friend long absent returns. Children run to meet him. Everybody is glad.

Our best Friend is coming. Who?—Jesus. He has been gone a long, long time. We have been looking for him, praying and wishing that he would come back. We pray daily, “Thy kingdom come.” We want to go home to heaven.

(Let the children read promises of his return, such as John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Heb. 9:28. Have those who will read ready as soon as called upon, so there will be no delay.)

But what should we do when friends visit us? “Get ready,” you say. Yes; we scrub, wash, and iron, and see that everything is in order. We dress in clean clothes. Would you care to meet a visitor with your face dirty, your clothes torn and untidy?—No; if you were not ready, you would want to hide so he could not see you.

Now is the time for us to clean up before Jesus comes. But it is not our houses nor our clothes we should make ready, but our hearts, our actions. Sin is like dirt. It soils. Jesus provides a dress “clean and white,” which all must wear. He has sent word that those counted worthy to go with him to heaven must not have “spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27); and in another place he tells what that means, by saying, “They are without fault before the throne of God.” Rev. 14:5.

Do we have faults now? Are we all ready if Jesus should be seen coming today? Some will be glad when he comes. Isa. 25:9. They are those who are ready and waiting.

(Show that we cannot wait for anything until we are ready. We are not waiting for the car till we are ready to step on it.)

Some will be sorry when they see Jesus coming. Matt. 24:30. Why mourn?—O, they are not ready! They have not been waiting. Jer. 8:20.

Speak briefly of this week of prayer as being a special time to get ready to see Jesus. We can get ready right now. It will not take even a week, but tonight as we lay our heads on our pillows we may know that all would be right between us and God if Jesus should come before morning.

Let us pray earnestly before our next meeting. We may go by ourselves alone, and ask Jesus to forgive all our sins, and to help us to do right, and then believe that he does, for he has promised he would.