The Happy Word

Revelation 1:3

I.  THE HAPPY READING OF THE REVELATION (Hosea 4:6;  Romans 10:17;  Revelation 22:18-19).

II.  THE HAPPY HEARING OF THE REVELATION (Luke 11:27-28;  Psalm 1:2; 119:9, 11, 16).

III.  THE HAPPY KEEPING OF THE REVELATION (James 1:22-25;  1 Peter 1:24-25).

IV.  REASONS FOR THE HAPPINESS OF THE REVELATION (Romans 13:11-14;  Titus 2:13.

Evening sermon points -

The Happy Dead

Revelation 14:13

I.  ALIVE IN CHRIST; A PASSION FOR GOD (Galations 2:20;  1 Corinthians 15:31).

II.  ALIVE IN CHRIST WE HAVE A PLACE WITH GOD (John 14:1-3;  Psalm 116:15;  Ezekiel 18:32).

III.  ALIVE IN CHRIST WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD (Philippians 4:7;  Hebrews 4:9-11).

IV.  ALIVE IN CHRIST WE HAVE THE PRAISE OF GOD (Matthew 25:21, 23, 34)

-Tim A. Blankenship

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Description (Courtesy of Amazon):

The Letter to the Hebrews is of particular significance for the most important explanation of the sacrificial death of Christ contained in the New Testament. In this book, Barnabas Lindars explains the circumstances in which Hebrews was written, and expounds the writer’s argument at length. At each stage of the survey, the writer’s ideas are related to the main topics of New Testament theology. Special attention is paid to the rhetorical style of Hebrews, which marks it out as having been written in response to an urgent practical situation. The concluding chapters show the place of Hebrews in the context of the development of early Christianity, and indicate the lasting value of Hebrews for theology today.

Review:

Overall, the Barnabas Lindars text from the New Testament Theology collection, The Theology Of The Letter To The Hebrews is a comprehensive theological handling of Hebrews. I found that Lindars utilized footnotes at the bottom of each page to give extra information and possible sources for further research. This was very helpful since it allowed me to go deeper in research. Lindars divides the book into four units which I will quickly comment on during this concise and critical summary: The historical setting of Hebrews, the theology of Hebrews, Hebrews and the New Testament, and the significance of Hebrews for today.

Lindars introduces the text of Hebrews by attempting to reconstruct the context into which it was written. There is a pleasant dialogue the author takes you on with divergent views on authorship, setting, location, and the situation of the readers. This gives you a solid foundation before Lindars takes you into the various theological categories in the next section which is the bulk of the book, the theology of Hebrews. Lindars uses these categories to discuss the theology of Hebrews: The foundation in the primitive Kerygma, the way to perfection, the priesthood of Jesus, the sacrifice of Jesus, and the response of faith. Following the format of the author of Hebrews, Lindars builds upon each theological truth by adding new and necessary elements. For instance the priesthood of Jesus still leaves a lingering question of whether the sacrifice of the new covenant can be regarded as a sacrifice for sins. Lindars then unpacks the Day of Atonement in connection to this new priesthood of Jesus.

Perhaps the low point of this book is the last two sections: Hebrews and the New Testament and the significance of Hebrews for today. I would have liked to have heard a more comprehensive handling of the differences in Hebrew’s theology from that of Johannean and Pauline. The last section is perhaps one of the most important sections to me since it deals with the preaching and teaching of Hebrews today. The author does make a good point about tribes in Africa who resort to the ancestral Animism to deal with needs they feel Christianity cannot cover, but I had hoped for more.

Lindars overall helped me really empathize with the situation of the hearers of this letter. They were moved by a legitimate need to be absolved of post-baptismal sins and were resorting to old practices not out of a desire to be apostate, but to have clean consciences from guilt. The author of Hebrews presents a strong and loving argument to exhort them that the person, priesthood, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ is enough for their sins past, present, and future – and this required a response of faith on their part.

Poll:

God is truly faithful, and he tells you all about it in his word. Open your Bible today, and see what he has to say to you.

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Do you love your enemies?  Do you have compassion for those that ridicule you, cheat you, and look for ways to wrong you?  How do you respond to their attacks and vitriol?

Do you respond with love and forgiveness as Christ Jesus tells us to respond, and as He modeled perfectly for us?  If you don’t then you are disappointing your Master.  I know that it can be particularly hard to forgive and love those who wrong you.  From my personal experience, I am all too familiar with just how hard this can be.  However, I also understand the futility of saying, “I know I should forgive them, but…”.  Beloved, qualified forgiveness is no forgiveness at all.  It’s much like someone who almost trusts you.  They either trust you, or they don’t.  In that same vein, we either offer complete and unconditional forgiveness, or we are not offering forgiveness at all.

Several months ago I was a target of vilification from a group of individuals that were doing everything they could to tear me down and break me.  They used deception, lies, insults, threats, and many different forms of under-handed attacks.  In past years when someone would play these games with me, I was very quick to counter by systemically taking my own swings back at them until they would completely give up.  Though I was very adept at doing so, I was not proud of my ability to “take someone down a peg”.  Nothing positive ever came from it.

Well, as this situation developed and got more vicious (it lasted over 6 months) I became angrier and angrier.  I began to plot exactly how I would make these people pay for their attacks.  Before I implemented my counterattacks, however, something happened.  The more I prayed and shared my burdens and my anger with the Lord, the more I began to feel ashamed for my lust for revenge.  That feeling led me to do something I had never done under such extreme persecution before;  I tried to look at those attacking me through the Lord’s eyes. 

When I did that, beloved, my heart broke for my persecutors.  I no longer saw people who were trying to hurt me.  Instead, I saw a bunch of lost “children” who had been tricked into doing the evil one’s will.  I also realized that if I struck back at them in the manner I had planned, then I would also be doing the evil one’s will.

The moment this realization washed over me, I prayed to the Lord and apologized for the anger that I had allowed to burn hotter and hotter inside of me and for the bad intentions I had planned to respond to these people with.  I also pled with the Lord to forgive the people that had been persecuting me.  I asked that He would open their eyes, ears, and hearts to see the error of their ways so that they might be reconciled unto Him and His will.  I forgave every single one of them that had wronged me, and I felt a strong love burning for them deep within me.  For some time thereafter I prayed for them each and every day, hoping that they would come to Christ and repent of their evil deeds.  I still pray for them on a frequent basis.

Since I began to feel compassion for my persecutors and began praying for them, I have no longer carried the burdens and anger that their persecution initially brought on.  I came to realize that I could only carry so much.  I could either carry those burdens and that incredible anger, or I could carry love and forgivenss.  You see, beloved, we cannot carry both.  We cannot serve the Lord God Almighty by doing the evil one’s work.  I let go of those destructive feelings, so that I could allow all of my being to be filled with the Lord’s love and grow in faith.  By responding to their attackes with forgiveness, and responding to their hate with love, I have lived my faith rather than just speaking it.

Through this experience, the Lord has refined me in faith much further.  While the latest actions of my persecutors show that they have not yet turned to the Lord, I will continue to pray that they will eventually see the error of their ways, repent, and be reconciled unto God.  Though having to separate myself from the situation meant that I no longer would get to work closely with people that I dearly cared about, I was able to do so knowing that on that great day of the Lord, I will be reunited with my friends of faith for all of eternity.  Thank you, Lord!!!

Beloved, don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “Well, I should forgive them, but…”!  There are no “exceptions/buts”.  Judgment does not belong to us.  The Lord handles judgment.  Vengeance belongs to the Lord, so it is not our place to dish it out.  Furthermore, carrying a grudge/resentment will only serve to put distance between you and the Lord.  Is whatever wrong someone committed against you worth turning away from God?  No!!!  Just as Jesus forgave all of us of our wrongs/sins, as faithful servants of the Lord we are to forgive all that offend/attack us as well.

Remember that Jesus made this point when He asked what we gained by only loving those that already love us.  Beloved, is striking back at someone in anger proof of Christ’s love?  No!!!  That’s not what He taught us.  Turning the other cheek is not just some abstract concept.  It is the very instruction that our Lord and Savior gave to us.  He did not qualify that instruction by telling us to follow it only part of the time.  We are to follow the Lord’s instructions all of the time.

Love your enemies, beloved.  They don’t deserve your love, but by responding with love and forgiveness you may just be able to plant a seed that eventually leads them to be reconciled unto the Lord.  You see, beloved, if you expect people to want to be filled with Christ, the portrait you paint in the manner that you live should be a portrait that shines brightly with the Lord’s light.  If people see someone that’s always angry, bitter, resentful, and lashing out, are they going to feel compelled to seek after that which fills them?  No!!!  However, when we respond with the incredible strength and power displayed only through unconditional love, complete forgiveness, and steadfast faith, then people are drawn to learn more about what fills you with such assurance, peace, and joy.  This will help to encourage them to repent of their sins and turn their life over to the Lord.  Remember, beloved, we were just as lost as they are now at an earlier point in our own lives, before we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Let’s not break our Father’s heart by making Him watch His children attack each other with hateful and hurtful intrigues.  Let’s make His day by showing Him our love, faith, and obedience by following the example that He set for us.

Precious one, if you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would sincerely like to, then please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

I you just prayed that prayer, honestly seeking the Lord, then you are now saved.  The robe of righteousness is now available unto you through your Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.  Though you will still face adversity in this world, you now have the Lord with you to face and overcome anything that comes your way.  Dedicate yourself to your new relationship with the Lord by talking to Him often through prayer, while also studying His word.  Ask the Lord to guide your every path, and follow the path that He sets before you.  I would further encourage you to seek out opportunities for fellowship with other believers.  Serve the Lord with all your heart, and always seek His will in all things.  Welcome to the family:-)  Know that the angels in heaven are rejoicing at your decision to give your life to the Lord today!!!

I want to thank you all for joining today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for Friday’s day of prayer so that we can unleash the power of the Lord through prayer over this week’s prayer requests.

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

The “Church Without Walls” Report recommended that “congregations study, reflect on and live by one Gospel for one year, in the first instance, and let Jesus shape the life and structure of the congregation.” This series of sermons focuses on Luke’s Gospel. I hope that other members of Presbytery will share some of their sermons.

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Luke 5:1-11

Jesus calls us to follow Him.

He says to each of us, “Follow Me.” His words come to us as a Word of challenge. Before the Word of challenge, there is the Word of love. “Follow Me” – These words come to us from the Saviour whose heart is full of love for us. He speaks to us with amazing grace. He speaks to us with boundless mercy. He speaks to us with the wonderful love. His love is the greatest love of all. When we hear the words, “Follow Me”, we must remember that it is our Saviour who speaks these words to us. His words speak to us of His love, His grace and His mercy. Once we hear the Word of Christ as a Word of love, grace and mercy, we see the real meaning of the challenge contained in the words, “Follow Me.” God is calling us to live in the power of His love. We are to let His love change us. This is what it means to follow Jesus. It means that we are to be changed by His love.
In the story of the calling of the first disciples, we see the importance of building our lives on the Word of God. The story begins with Jesus preaching the Word of God. In Luke 5:1, we see Jesus standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. The people are crowding round Him. They are listening to the Word of God. In Luke 5:3, Jesus sits down and teaches the people from the boat.
The preaching of the Gospel and the teaching of God’s Word – Here, we have the God-given foundation for our life of faith and obedience, our life of following our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Word of God is the Word that comes from God. It is the Word that tells us of God. The Word of God comes to us as a Word of love, a Word of grace and a Word of mercy. The Word, which God speaks to us, is also a Word of challenge. It is a Word which calls us to follow Christ. God has spoken His Word to us. It is His Word of love, grace and mercy.
Now, we must speak His Word for Him. We gather together to worship Him. When we go out from the place of worship, we are sent out to the place of witness. Our service of worship comes to an end. It is the beginning of our service of witness. Once we have heard God’s Word in God’s House, we must go out and make His Word known to others. We must invite them to join with us in worshipping the Lord.
We see Jesus preaching and teaching God’s Word. We see the people listening to God’s Word. They are learning from God’s Word. Like them, we must listen and learn. May God give us grace to be faithful – faithful in preaching and teaching, faithful in listening and learning.
What do we learn as we listen to the Word of the Lord? One thing we learn from Jesus is this – He didn’t only preach in the synagogue. He was also an open air preacher. By the lakeside, Jesus preached. From the boat, Jesus preached. His message is not to be kept locked up in our places of worship. We are to take His message to others. We are to pass on the message of His love to the people we meet.
Jesus challenged Simon Peter to “launch out into the deep.” This is what we must do if we are to become “fishers of men.” “Launching out into the deep” – This is the challenge of witness. It is also the challenge of worship. It is the challenge of reaching out to others. It is also the challenge of allowing the Lord to reach deeply into our hearts and change us. The Lord is looking at us and He is saying to us, “There needs to be more depth. Your love for Me is too superficial. It is too shallow. I want you to “launch out into the deep” with Me.”
In Psalm 42:7, we read the words, “Deep calls to deep.” The Bible speaks to us of “the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10). It speaks to us of “the deep truths of the faith” (1 Timothy 3:9). God is looking for a real depth of response from us. May God help us to listen to His Word. May God help us to learn from His Word. May God help us to really appreciate His wonderful love. May God help us to say with the Psalmist, “How precious is Your unfailing love!” (Psalm 36:7). As we rejoice in the love of the Lord, we will enjoy his the abundance of His blessing – “They feast in the abundance of Your House; You give them drink from Your river of delights” (Psalm 36:8).

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If you havyou may be interested in theses Holy Week sermons.

Revised Common Lectionary – Year B

Sixth Sunday in Lent (Palm / Passion): Entry into Jerusalem – Mark 11:1-11 (or John 12:12-16); Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Passion – Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 14:1-15:47 (or Mark 15:1-39, (40-47))

Prayer: Let us rejoice in God’s wonderful love.

In Mark 11, we learn of the authority of Christ. Calling the ‘colt’ into His service, He says, with authority, ‘The Lord has need of it’ (Mark 11:3). With authority, He speaks to the fig tree (Mark 11:14) – a ‘visual aid’ of His teaching: ‘Every branch of Mine that bears no fruit, He takes away’ (John 15:2). In the temple, He speaks with authority, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer…’ (Mark 11;17). He speaks of authority in prayer: ‘whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’ (Mark 11:24). The religious leaders did not understand Jesus (Mark 11:27-33). Why? – They didn’t love Him. We can experience His authority: His Word spoken to us ‘in power…’ (1 Thessalonians 1:5). We can exercise His authority: Through prayer, setting His Word free to do His mighty work (Ephesians 6: 18-20) – if we are learning to love Him!

‘Into Thy hand, I commit my spirit’ (Psalm 31:5). These words were spoken by Christ as, in death, He gave Himself for our sins (Luke 23:46). For Christ, there was suffering – ‘I am the scorn of all my adversaries’ (Psalm 31:11). His suffering was followed by rejoicing, the joy of the resurrection – ‘I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place’ (Psalm 31:7-8). God answered the prayer of His Son – He brought Him into the ‘spacious place’ of the resurrection, the ‘spacious place’ which is, for us, ‘eternal salvation’ (Hebrews 5:7-9). We look to the crucified Christ and we say, ‘Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me’ (Psalm 31:21). In the risen Christ, we are ‘strong and our hearts take courage’ (Psalm 31:24).

Praise: Let us give thanks for God’s faithful love.

‘The Lord is my Strength and my Song. He is my Saviour’ (Psalm 118:14). Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour gives us a song to sing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine… This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long’. Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, we sing His song with strength, committing ourselves to His service, earnestly seeking to win others for Him: ‘We’ve a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right … We’ve a song to be sung to the nations, that shall lift their hearts to the Lord…We’ve a message to give to the nations, that the Lord, who reigneth above, hath sent us His Son to save us… We’ve a Saviour to show to the nations…’ (Mission Praise, 59, 744). Don’t keep your Saviour to yourself. Share Him with others. Win others for Him.

Do you feel like you can`t go on? Do you feel like giving up? Here`s God`s Word of encouragement for you: ‘He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the Day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:1:6). God finishes what He starts – ‘He didn`t bring us this far to leave us. He didn`t teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn`t build His home in us to move away. He didn`t lift us up to let us down’. In all the changes of life, we must remember this: God is faithful. His love is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. We don`t keep going because we are strong. We are ‘kept by the power of God’ (1 Peter 1:5). In ‘humility’ let us live ‘to the glory and praise of God’ (Philippians 2:3; Philippians 1:11). ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ (Philippians 2:11) – He will give you the strength to keep going when you feel like giving up.

Preaching: Let us share the strength we receive from God’s never-ending love.

‘The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught’ (Isaiah 50:4). We are to listen to God. We are to speak for God. We cannot speak for God unless we are listening to Him. Before we can speak for God, we must speak to Him. We must pray, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:9-10). Listening to God comes before speaking for God. First, we wait on the Lord – ‘I waited patiently for the Lord’. Then, we witness for the Lord – ‘He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God’. Waiting on the Lord and witnessing for Him, we will win others for Him – ‘Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord’ (Psalm 40:1-3).

Let’s keep the love of Christ at the Centre of our Prayer, Praise and Preaching.

Jesus was surrounded by enemies, ‘seeking to kill Him’ (Mark 14:1). There was also a hypocrite, preparing ‘to betray Him’ (Mark 14:10-11). What a joy it was to find a woman with such heartfelt love for Him (Mark 14:3-9). Her love for Christ must never be forgotten (Mark 14:9). There is something else which must never be forgotten – His love for us. Our love for Him can never begin to compare with His love for us. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Mark 14:22-24; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26), we rejoice in His love. Think little of your love for Him. Think much of His love for you. ‘Who His love will not remember? Who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten throughout heaven’s eternal days’ (Songs of Fellowship,168). Remember Christ, and let your remembering be filled with worship (Mark 14:25; Ephesians 5:19-20; Colossians 3:16-17).

After ‘they had sung a hymn’ (Mark 14:26), Peter showed that there was a great deal of ‘self’ in him (Mark 14:29). All of us can be like this – ‘they all said the same’ (Mark 14:31). We attend Communion (Mark 14:22-24), we sing hymns (Mark 14:26) – yet still the wrong attitudes persist! We ‘enjoy’ praise, prayer, and preaching – Remember: God is concerned with the whole of life, not just the ‘spiritual’ activities! Christ looked ahead to the Cross – ‘the hour’, ‘this cup’ (Mark 14:35-36). He was far removed from an ‘enjoyable atmosphere’ within which prayer is ‘easy’. Sorely tempted, He prayed, ‘not what I will but what You will’ (Mark 14:36). This was no easy road – the ‘betrayer’ was waiting for Him (Mark 14:42). It was a lonely road – ‘they all forsook Him, and fled’ (Mark 14:50). ‘The gate is narrow, the way is hard’ (Matthew 7:14). May God help us to follow Jesus.

Jesus is ‘the Christ, the Son of the Blessed’. He is ‘seated at the right hand of Power’. He is ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’ (Mark 14:61-62). He is ‘the King of the Jews’: His Kingdom is greater than Herod imagined – it is ‘not of this world’ (Mark 15:2; John 18:36). Why, then, did He remain silent when false charges were brought against Him? He was bearing our sin – That is why ‘He did not open His mouth’ (Isaiah 53:4-7; 1 Peter 2:22-24; 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He knew that He was going to the Cross – for us (John 10:11, 15, 17-18). Jesus did not deny us: His silence was a godly silence – ‘He bore the sin of many’, making ‘Himself an offering for sin’(Isaiah 53:12,10). Will we deny Him? Our silence is a guilty silence (Mark 14:66-71). May Christ’s Word, and His look of love, cause us to weep – and repent (Mark 14:72; Luke 22:61-62; 2 Corinthians 7:10).

Jesus did not ‘save Himself’. ‘He saved others’ (Mark 15:31). He sacrificed Himself for our salvation. His was the sacrifice. Ours is the salvation. He ‘put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself’ (Hebrews 9:26). Barabbas was ‘released’. Jesus was ‘crucified’ (Mark 15:15). This is the Gospel – He took my place, He died for me. He was ‘forsaken’by God (Mark 15:34). We are reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19, 21). We rejoice that Christ ignored the mocking call from ‘the chief priests’and ‘scribes’: ‘come down now from the Cross’ (Mark 15:32). He paid the full price of our salvation. For us now, there is full salvation. His suffering was complete: ‘It is finished’(John 19:30) was not a whimper of defeat. It was the declaration of victory. All that was needed – He has done for us. Now, He invites us to receive salvation: ‘Come; for all is now ready’ (Luke 14:17).

Dead and buried (Mark 15:44-46) – ‘The End’? No! There is more. An ‘Appendix’? No! A whole new beginning – For Jesus, for us! He is ‘the first fruits’ (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). The full glory is still to come (1 Corinthians 15:24). He has risen (Mark 16:6). ‘At His coming, those who belong to Christ’ will be raised – with Him and by Him – to everlasting life (1 Corinthians 15:23). This is the glory of the resurrection. It is not simply a thing of the past. It is our glorious future – we ‘will be raised imperishable’ (1 Corinthians 15:52). There is a Gospel to be preached – the Gospel of salvation (Mark 16:15-16). May God help us to preach the Gospel ‘everywhere’ – This will involve all of us, not just a few of us! May He give us the joy of seeing Him at work, confirming the message by the signs that attend it (Mark 16:20).

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The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

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Monday in Holy Week: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 12:1-11

Jesus Christ is God’s beloved Son – the Saviour sent to us by the God of love.

‘Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations’ (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 12:15-21).

These words turn our thoughts towards the Lord Jesus Christ.

At His baptism, we hear the voice of the Father – ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’ At His baptism, we see ‘the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on Him’ (Matthew 3:16-17).

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Word of prophecy: ‘All mankind shall see the Saviour sent from God’ (Luke 3:6).

After His resurrection, we hear Jesus Himself speaking. He says, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…’ (Matthew 28:18-20).

Let us bring Christ to the nations. Let us serve the Lord in the power of the Spirit.

Never take God’s love for granted. Let us be deeply appreciative of His love.

Read about God’s ‘steadfast love’ and rejoice in Him: ‘Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens…How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! …O continue Your steadfast love to those who know You…’ (Psalm 36:5, 7, 10).

Rejoicing in the Lord’s ‘steadfast love’ is quite different from taking His love for granted.

We dare not say, “God loves me. I can do what I like.”

We must not become like the wicked – ‘there is no fear of God before his eyes’ (Psalm 36:1).

Where there is true rejoicing in God’s ‘steadfast love’, there will also be ‘the fear of the Lord’ which ‘is the beginning of wisdom’ (Psalm 111:10).

A real appreciation of God’s ‘steadfast love’ brings with it a real awareness of our own sinfulness.

Knowing how much God loves us leads us to pray, ‘Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away’ (Psalm 36:11).

Through Jesus Christ, the God of love gives to us His wonderful redemption.

God gave His promise – ‘I will make a new covenant’ (Hebrews 8:8-12; Jeremiah 31:31-34).

God has fulfilled His promise. There is now a ‘new covenant in Jesus’blood’ (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25).

The old covenant cannot even begin to compare with the new covenant. It is only a ‘shadow.’

The new covenant is the real thing. It is ‘much more excellent’. It is ‘a better covenant’ (Hebrews 8:5-6),

The old covenant is ‘outdated’ (Hebrews 8:13). It has seen its day. Now, it’s past its ‘sell by date’!

We look at the old covenant and we say, ‘There must be more than this’.

There is more – ‘much more’.

Through ‘the blood of Christ’, ‘our hearts and lives’have been ‘cleansed’. Now, we can begin ‘to serve the living God’ (Hebrews 9:14).

‘What a wonderful redemption!’- ‘eternal redemption’ (Mission Praise, 765; Hebrews 9:12)!

Through Jesus Christ, the God of love gives to us His victory over Satan.

The Pharisees are developing their wicked plan. God is fulfilling His saving purpose (John 11:49-53).

The voice of ‘common sense’is not always the voice of the Lord (John 12:4-6).

There is a higher wisdom than ‘common sense’. We are to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He leads us to put Jesus at the centre of our lives.

Jesus is not suggesting that the poor are unimportant. He is emphasising that we must not lose sight of Him.

If our concern for the poor is not truly grounded in devotion to Christ, it is not the obedience of faith (John 12:8).

The Pharisees are lying in wait for Jesus. They say, ‘The world has gone after Him’ (John 12:19). They are going after Him too – in a different way!

The crucifixion draws near. God is to be ‘glorified’in the defeat of Satan and the salvation of sinners (John 12:28, 31-32). Jesus had ‘come’ for this ‘hour’ (John 12:27).

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The Bible readings are based on the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

———————

Tuesday in Holy Week: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36

Knowing Christ and making Him known

‘I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob’ (Isaiah 49:26).

We are not to keep this to ourselves. God wants ‘all mankind’ to ‘know’.

 ‘Jesus, the Name to sinners dear, the Name to sinners given, it scatters all their guilty fear, it turns their hell to heaven’- This is not something to keep to ourselves.

We must make Christ known to others – ‘Oh, that the world might taste and see the riches of His grace! The arms of love that compass me, would all mankind embrace. His only righteousness I show, His saving truth proclaim: ‘tis all my business here below to cry: “Behold the Lamb!” Happy, if with my latest breath I may but gasp His Name: preach Him to all, and cry in death: “Behold, behold the Lamb!”’ (Mission Praise, 385).

‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News’ (Mark 16:15).

Keeping Christ at the centre in joyful worship and courageous witness

David is in great danger. His life is being threatened by his enemies (Psalm 70:2).

We might expect that he would be depressed. Far from it!

He is not preoccupied with his own problems. He calls on God’s people to worship the Lord with joy: ‘May all who seek You, rejoice and be glad in You! May those who love Your salvation continually say, “God is great!”’ (Psalm 70:4).

How was David able to rise above his own problems and call the Lord’s people to worship? – He knew that the Lord was his ‘Rock of refuge’, his ‘strong Fortress’ (Psalm 71:3).

Like David, we may face ‘many terrible troubles’. Let us learn, like David, to praise the Lord and look to Him to lead us in the way of victory: ‘You have done great things, O God… You will revive me again’ (Psalm 71:19-20).

With our faith centred on Christ crucified, let us give all the glory to God.

Paul preached the Gospel, ‘not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’ (1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:4).

He preached ‘Christ crucified’ with a determination ‘to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified’ (1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:2).

This is the message of our salvation – ‘Christ crucified… Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God’ (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).

All the glory belongs to God. We have no right to steal away any of the glory for ourselves: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

Our faith is ‘not based on human wisdom but on God’s power’ (1 Corinthians 2:5). ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace’(Mission Praise, 712). Christ is our full salvation. ‘Let us rejoice and be glad’ in Him’ (1 Corinthians 1:30; Psalm 118:24).

Keep Christ at the centre: concern for the poor grounded in devotion to Christ  

The Pharisees are developing their wicked plan. God is fulfilling His saving purpose (John 11:49-53).

The voice of ‘common sense’ is not always the voice of the Lord (John 12:4-6). There is a higher wisdom than ‘common sense’. We are to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He leads us to put Jesus at the centre of our lives.

Jesus is not suggesting that the poor are unimportant. He is emphasising that we must not lose sight of Him.

If our concern for the poor is not truly grounded in devotion to Christ, it is not the obedience of faith (John 12:8).

The Pharisees are lying in wait for Jesus. They say, ‘The world has gone after Him’ (John 12:19). They are going after Him too – in a different way!

The crucifixion draws near. God is to be ‘glorified’ in the defeat of Satan and the salvation of sinners (John 12:28, 31-32).

Jesus had ‘come’ for this ‘hour’ (John 12:27).

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The Bible Readings are based on the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

——————–

Wednesday in Holy Week: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 70; Hebrews 12:1-3; John 13:21-32

Waiting on the Lord, witnessing for Him and winning others for Him

‘The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught’ (Isaiah 50:4). We are to listen to God. We are to speak for God. We cannot speak for God unless we are listening to Him. Before we can speak for God, we must speak to Him. We must pray, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:9-10). Listening to God comes before speaking for God. First, we wait on the Lord – ‘I waited patiently for the Lord’. Then, we witness for the Lord – ‘He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God’. Waiting on the Lord and witnessing for Him, we will win others for Him – ‘Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord’ (Psalm 40:1-3).

Strengthened in worship, we are equipped for witness.

David is in great danger. His life is being threatened by his enemies (Psalm 70:2). We might expect that he would be depressed. Far from it! Rather than being preoccupied with his own problems, he is calling on God’s people to worship the Lord with joy: ‘May all who seek You, rejoice and be glad in You! May those who love Your salvation continually say, “God is great!”’ (Psalm 70:4). How was David able to rise above his own problems and call the Lord’s people to worship? – He knew that the Lord was his ‘Rock of refuge’, his ‘strong Fortress’ (Psalm 71:3). Like David, we may face ‘many terrible troubles’. Let us learn, like David, to praise the Lord and look to Him to lead us in the way of victory: ‘You have done great things, O God… You will revive me again’ (Psalm 71:19-20).

Learning from others, looking to Jesus

We read about many people who trusted the Lord. Their faith was real. It changed their lives. As you read of so many people who lived ‘by faith’, let God’s Word challenge you. Bring your own weak faith to Him and ask Him to give you a stronger faith: ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ (Mark 9:24). We learn from so many different people. We read about their faith. We are inspired by their faith. We do not, however, make too much of them. We must always be ‘looking to Jesus’ (Hebrews 12:2). We must learn the lesson of the transfiguration. We look at Moses. We look at Elijah. We learn from them. There comes a point where they – together with all God’s faithful people – must step aside, leaving us to look up and see ‘Jesus only’ (Mark 9:2-8).

Looking beyond our difficult times to Christ’s glorious future

Difficult times lay ahead for Jesus. He would be betrayed by Judas Iscariot (John 13:21-30). He would be denied by Peter (John 13:36-38). For Jesus, there was His departure (John 13:31-33). It would be a difficult time for His followers. He tells them to ‘love one another’: ‘By this all men shall know that they are His disciples’ (John 13:34-35). Jesus points them beyond the difficult times. He speaks of His glorious future. He assures them that the best is yet to be. He is preparing a place in His ‘Father’s House’ for us. He will come again to take us to Himself (John 14:1-3). He is the Way to this place, the true and living way (John 14:6). Now, He reveals the Father to us (John 14:9). Now, He is working in and through us (John 14:12-14). He is preparing us for His place: ‘Lord Jesus… fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there’(Church Hymnary, 195).

—–

The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year A.

The same readings are suggested for Year B and Year C.

——————–

Thursday in Holy Week: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17

Christ died for us. Let us live for Him.

Here, we focus attention on two verses which emphasize the importance of being saved by the Lord and going on to live for Him: ‘when I see the blood, I will pass over you… you must eat unleavened bread’ (Exodus 12:13, 20).

In verse 13, we are directed beyond the Passover to Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins (John 1:29; 1 John1:7).

In verse 20, we have the call to holy living.

In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Galatians 5:7-9, Paul uses ‘leaven’ as a symbol of ‘sin’, which holds us back from ‘running a good race’.

We are to live as a new creation, who feast on ‘the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth’. Forgiveness of sins and holy living belong together. We are not to rejoice in God’s forgiveness and then gloss over His call to holy living: ‘justified by faith’, we are to ‘walk in newness of life’ (Romans 5:1; 6:4).

God loves us. Let us love one another.

We celebrate the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We take note of what Paul says about the way we are to come to the Lord’s Table (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

What’s this all about? Is it about the whole thing looking good – impressive?

Paul gives us something to think about in verse 22 – ‘Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the Church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?’.

In Paul’s questions, we hear an echo of the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 1:12-20; Amos 5:21-24).

We rejoice in John 3:16 – ‘God so loved the world…’. Let’s not forget 1 John 3:16-18 – ‘let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in trust’.

Jesus says, ‘…first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift’(Matthew 5:23-24). Don’t just think about it. Act on it (James1:22-25; 2:14-17)!

Our love for God is to be a lifelong love.

‘I love the Lord… I will call on Him as long as I live’ (Psalm 116:1-2).

Our love for God is to be a lifelong life. It is to be the love of our life.

What are we to do when our love for God grows weak? We must remember His love for us – ‘Great is His love towards us. The faithfulness of the Lord endures forever’ (Psalm 117:2).

When we find it difficult to keep on loving God, we must remember how much He loves us.

When we feel like giving up on loving God, we must remember that He never gives up on loving us.

He loves us when our love for Him is strong. He loves us when our love for Him is weak.

In love, He reaches out to us. He brings us out of our weakness and into His strength. Let His strong love reach you in your weakness and give you His strength: ‘Loving Him who first loved me’ (Church Hymnary, 450).

Let the love of God change the way you live.

The Pharisees continue to exert their evil influence. ‘For fear of the Pharisees’, many remained silent, ‘loving the praise of men more than the praise of God’(John 12:42-43).

Whatever the opposition, Jesus calls us to believe in Him and confess Him (Romans 10:9). He calls us out of darkness into light (John 12:46).

If you are a believer, come out into the open. Make it known that you belong to Christ.

Do not only read God’s Word for yourself. Speak His Word to others (John 12:50).

The ‘hour’of Jesus’suffering draws near. Satan is busy. Jesus is in control (John 13:1-3). It is the ‘hour’of His love.

We are ‘washed’ in His precious blood (John 13:8; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 7:14).

What God has done for us comes before what we ought to do for others.

Jesus is our Saviour before He is our ‘Example’ (John 13:14-15). Knowing Him, let us do His will (John 13:17).

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The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

——————–

Good Friday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25 (or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9); John 18:1-19:42

Were we there when they crucified our Lord? – Yes. He died for our sins.

In this remarkable prophecy, we see Jesus Christ, crucified for us – ‘the Lord has laid all our sins on Him’ – and risen from the dead – ‘After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life’ (Isaiah 53:6, 11).

‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ (Mission Praise, 745). We might put this question to Isaiah. In one sense, he wasn’t there. He lived long before the time of Christ. In another sense, he was there. God opened his eyes. God gave him a glimpse of what was going to happen in the future.

‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ In one sense, we weren’t there. These things happened long before we were even born. In another sense, we were there. It was our sins which Christ took with Him to the Cross. It was our sins which He left behind Him when He rose from the dead (Romans 4:25).

Jesus Christ – forsaken by God and pierced for our transgressions

Read of the Psalmist’s sufferings. Think of the Saviour, suffering for you (Psalm 22:7-8, 18; Matthew 27:39 ,43, 35).

We highlight two statements: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’, ‘They have pierced my hands and my feet’ (Psalm 22:1, 16).

Jesus Christ was ‘crucified and killed by the hands of the lawless men’ (Acts 2:23). There is, however, more to His story than this: ‘The Lord has laid all our sins on Him’ (Isaiah 53:6).

When we read of Jesus Christ, ‘pierced for our transgressions’, we see Him ‘pierced’ by men and forsaken by God (Isaiah 53:5; Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34; Matthew 27:46).

Looking on to Jesus Christ, risen, exalted and returning, we see Him still bearing the marks of His suffering – ‘the mark of the nails’, ‘a Lamb standing as though it had been slain’, ‘pierced’ (John 20:25; Revelation 5:6; 1:7).

Jesus Christ has ‘tasted death for everyone’ (Hebrews 2:9). Now, through Him, salvation is proclaimed to ‘the congregation’, to ‘the ends of the earth’ to ‘future generations’ (Psalm 22:22, 27, 30). Jesus Christ, ‘the same yesterday, today and for ever’, proclaims salvation to the great ‘congregation’, drawn from ‘every tribe and language and people and nation’ (Hebrews 13:8; 2:12; Revelation 5:9).

Looking back to Christ’s crucifixion, looking forward to His return

We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19).  We are to live as those who are awaiting the Day of the Lord’s return (Hebrews 10:25).

We look back to what Christ has done for us. We look forward to what He will do for us.

Looking back and looking forward: These are both found in Hebrews 9:28 – ‘Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him’.

We remember our Saviour. We remember what He has done for us: ‘the Son of God loved us and gave Himself for us’(Galatians 2:20).

We eat bread and drink wine, giving thanks that our Saviour went to the Cross for us – His body broken for us and His blood shed for us.

We are not only looking back. We are also looking forward: ‘As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes’ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Remember – and pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus!’(Revelation 22:20).

As we remember our Lord Jesus Christ, we see how sinful we really are and we pray for ‘mercy’ and ‘grace’ (Hebrews 4:15-16). It is through His grace and mercy that we are able to look forward to ‘eternal salvation’ (Hebrews 5:9).

“It is finished”. The work of redemption is completed. Jesus is the risen Lord.

The story continues. Jesus is betrayed. Jesus is arrested (John 18:1-11). He stands before the Jewish authorities (John 18:12-14, 19-24).

Jesus is ‘drinking from the cup which the Father has given Him’- He drinks from the cup of our condemnation that we might drink from the cup of His salvation (John 18:11; Matthew 26:38-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Jesus’death was not only ‘expedient’. It was ‘necessary’- for our salvation (John 18:14; Luke 24:26).

Alongside the story of Jesus there is the story of Peter (John 18:15-18, 25-27). Jesus’death was not the end of His story – He rose from the dead (Luke 24:5-6; Acts 2:23-24). Peter denied the Lord three times. This was not the end of his story. For each denial, there was a new commitment (John 21:15-17). For each denial, there were, on the Day of Pentecost, 1,000 people brought to Christ (Acts 2:38, 41).

‘Barabbas was a robber’. He was released (John 18:39-40). There was ‘no crime’in Jesus. He was ‘crucified’ (John 18:38; 19:4, 6, 16).

Was Jesus no more than the innocent victim of a shameful and tragic miscarriage of justice? No! Jesus, the King of kings, chose to die.

Looking ahead to the Cross, He said, ‘For this I was born…’ (John 18:36-37). In love, He chose death on the Cross.

As truly as Barabbas, each of us can say, ‘He took my place and died for me’. In His death, Jesus did not only take the place of one sinner, Barabbas – ‘He took the place of many sinners’. He did not simply bear the punishment deserved by one sinner, Barabbas – ‘The Lord made the punishment fall on Him, the punishment all of us deserved’ (Isaiah 53:12, 6).

‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). These are not words of despair. They are words of triumph.

At an early stage in His public ministry, Jesus said, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me to finish His work’ (John 4:34). Even then, He was looking ahead to the Cross, to the completion of the work of redemption.

In one sense, ‘it is finished’- on the Cross. In another sense, there is more to be done – by the Father. The Cross is followed by the resurrection – ‘God raised Him from the dead’(Acts 2:24; Romans 10:9).

To come to the words, ‘It is finished’ is not to reach the end of the story.

Jesus was laid in the tomb (John 19:42). This was not the end of His story.

He was raised on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4)!

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The Bible Readings are taken from the |Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

——————–

Saturday in Holy Week: Job 14:1-14 (or Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24); Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16; 1 Peter 4:1-8; Matthew 27:57-66 (or John 19:38-42)

Out of darkness into light – “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

When you don’t really know what you’re talking about, it’s a case of the less said the better.

That’s how Job feels about his ‘friends’- ‘Oh that would you keep silent, and it would be your wisdom!’(Job 13:5).

They are no help to him. What does he do next? He takes his problem to the Lord. Nothing seems clear to Job. He seems to be bogged down in his own suffering.

There is, however, a glimmer of light. A question comes into his mind – ‘If a man die, shall he live again?’ (Job 14:14).

Later on, Job gives the answer of faith: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives…Even after my skin has been stripped off my body, I will see God in my own flesh’ (Job 19:25).

‘Christ has been raised from the dead…Death is swallowed up in victory…Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15:20, 54, 57).

Out of darkness into light – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.”

There are times when it seems nothing is going right for us: ‘I am the man who has seen affliction…’ (Lamentations 3:1-3).

In such times, we must remember this: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end’.

When we find ourselves in circumstances of great distress, we must learn to look beyond the things that are happening to us.

We must learn to look to the Lord and say, ‘Great is Your faithfulness’.

It will not be easy to see God at work in our lives when everything seems to be going wrong.

We must be patient as we wait for the blessing of the Lord to return to our lives.

We must put all our hope in the Lord, trusting in His precious promise: ‘The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord’ (Lamentations 3:22-26).

Out of darkness into light – the “spacious place” of God’s salvation

‘Into Thy hand, I commit my spirit’ (Psalm 31:5). These words were spoken by Christ as, in death, He gave Himself for our sins (Luke 23:46).

For Christ, there was suffering – ‘I am the scorn of all my adversaries’ (Psalm 31:11). His suffering was followed by rejoicing, the joy of the resurrection – ‘I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place’ (Psalm 31:7-8).

God answered the prayer of His Son – He brought Him into the ‘spacious place’ of the resurrection, the ‘spacious place’ which is, for us, ‘eternal salvation’ (Hebrews 5:7-9). We look to the crucified Christ and we say, ‘Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me’ (Psalm 31:21).

In the risen Christ, we are ‘strong and our hearts take courage’ (Psalm 31:24).

Out of darkness and into light – Create in me, a clean heart, O God. 

As we consider Christ who suffered for us, let us pray that we may have His ‘attitude.’ Let us commit ourslves to doing the will of God (1 Peter 4:1-2).

The Gospel was preached even to those who are now dead (1 Peter 4:6). As we read those words, let us commit ourselves to our God-given task of preaching the Gospel to those who are living. 

We believe the Gospel – ‘Christ died for our sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God’. Let’s share the Gospel – ‘Be always ready to give…a reason for the hope that is in you.’

How are we to share the Gospel? – ‘with gentleness and respect’ (1 Peter 3:18, 15). We must get the attitude right – ‘so that nothing will hinder our prayers’ (1 Peter 3:7). We need more than the ‘right’ prayers – words that sound good. We need the right attitude. The blessing will not come because our words sound good. It will only come when our attitude is right.

Our obedience to God’s will, in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is to be grounded our prayer. Our preaching and prayer are to be grounded in praise.

In all the service we offer to God, there is to be the offering of worship: ‘To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever’ (1 Peter 4:11; 5:11).

We will not learn to serve God unless we are learning to worship Him.

There is a ‘form of religion’ which ‘denies the power’ of God – ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me’ (2 Timothy 3:5; Matthew 15:8). They go through the motions – but their hearts are not in it!

We must pray that God will deliver us from this kind of thing: ‘O for a heart to praise my God! A heart from sin set free; A heart that always feels Thy blood, so freely shed for me’ (Church Hymnary, 85).

‘Religion’ is about respectability. Salvation is about renewal: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me’ (Psalm 51:10).

Out of darkness and into light – It was impossible for death to hold Christ.

The unbelieving world still denies Christ – ‘that imposter’ (Matthew 27:63) – and His resurrection – ‘fraud’ (Matthew 27:64). As believers, we must maintain our testimony: ‘He has risen from the dead’(64). The unbelievers expected a ‘fraud’. They did not expect a resurrection! For them, a resurrection was out of the question. God had a surprise in store for them! Unbelief says, ‘Resurrection? – Impossible!’. Faith says, ‘it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him’ (Acts 2:24). He has risen (Matthew 28:6) – Hallelujah!

Out of darkness into light – Love has the victory for ever.

Jesus was laid in the tomb (John  19:42).

Was this the end of His story?  - No! There was more to come – the resurrection. His story did not end there – ‘Jesus had to rise from the dead’ (John 20:9).

On the Cross, Jesus  had said, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). These are not words of despair. They are words of triumph.

At an early stage in His public ministry, Jesus said, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me to finish His work’ (John 4:34). Even then, He was looking ahead to the Cross, to the completion of the work of redemption.

In one sense, ‘it is finished’ – on the Cross. In another sense, there is more to be done – by the Father.

The Cross is followed by the resurrection – ‘God raised Him from the dead’ (Acts 2:24; Romans 10:9).

We read of Jesus’ death. We read of His burial – but His story does not end there!

This was a time of darkness: Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Saviour.   

It was also the time of waiting: Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord.

Soon, the time of triumph would come: Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o’er His foes.

The story of Jesus Christ does not end with the darkness of His burial. Beyond the darkness, there is the light of His resurrection: He arose a Victor from the dark domain, and He lives for ever with His saints to reign.

For our salvation, Jesus died ‘and was raised to life’(Romans 4:25). The light shines brightly. It is the light of God’s love.

We hear the great declaration of Christ’s resurrection: He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose! (Mission Praise, 453).

We hear of the triumph of God’s love: Love has the victory for ever!

Inspired by the great declaration of Christ’s resurrection and the triumph of God’s love, let us respond with the worship of our hearts: Who can see Your greatest gift and fail to worship You?  (Mission Praise, 86).

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The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

——————–

Easter Vigil: Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26; Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13; Psalm 46; Genesis 22:1-18; Psalm 16; Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21; Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18; Isaiah 55:1-11; Isaiah 12:2-6; Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6; Psalm 19; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Psalms 42 and 43; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 143; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Psalm 98; Romans 6:3-11; Psalm 114; Matthew 28:1-10

In the beginning, there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right – (a) The priority of God (Genesis 1:1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word (Genesis 1:3). God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord. (c) The priority of God’s Spirit (Genesis 1:2). All was ‘empty’, all was ‘darkness’, yet the ‘Spirit of God’ was at work, and transformation was set in motion. Here, we have God’s priorities, set out in the Bible’s first three verses – Putting God first and listening to His Word, we are to pray for the moving of God’s Spirit, ‘hovering over’ our lives to transform them. For those who make God’s priorities their own, there is a promise of great blessing (Psalm 1:1-2). It is the great blessing of knowing Jesus Christ, our Saviour, as ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23).

God speaks, and it is done (Genesis 1:3, 6-7, 11). God is pleased with what He has done (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12). This is the pattern of God’s original creation. It is to be the pattern of our life as a ‘new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God speaks to us and we say, ‘Your will be done’ (Matthew 6:10). We say, ‘let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38). God looks on such obedience, this ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16, 22-23), and He sees that it is ‘good’ (Micah 6:8). In these verses we read of the separation of the light and the darkness, the separation of the waters and the dry land, and the fruitfulness of God’s creation. There are lessons for us here. We are to ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7). We are to let the Spirit’s ‘living water’ flow in us (John 7:39-39). Walking in the light, letting the living water flow – this is the way of fruitfulness.

The Bible’s opening chapter is a great hymn of praise, emphasizing that all things have been created for the glory of God (Revelation 4:11). Nothing can be permitted to distract our attention from the Lord. He alone is worthy of worship. The creation of the ‘lights’ makes no reference to the sun and the moon. These were worshipped by neighbouring peoples. They are not gods. They are simply ‘lights’. Our worship is to be given to God alone. The waters teemed with living creatures. The land produced living creatures. Here, we have a picture of life. There is life where the living water of the Spirit is flowing freely among God’s people (Ezekiel 47:5-9). This water brings life to the land (Ezekiel 47:12). Moving with the flow of God’s Spirit, we are to pray that ‘the water of life’ will flow freely ‘for the healing of the nations’ (Revelation 22:2).

We now come to the creation of humanity, male and female. Our creation is described in a distinctive way – created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We are different from the rest of creation. We have been given dominion over ‘all the earth’ and ‘every living creature’ (Genesis 1:26, 28). We are different from God. He is the Creator. We are His creation. Created in God’s image, we have been created by Him and for Him. Though we have sinned (Genesis 3, Romans 3:23), now – in Jesus Christ – we have begun to live as a new creation (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10). The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1) and that ‘all things were created by Him and for Him’ (Colossians 1:16). This is the Saviour who is at work in us, enabling us to live as a new creation! Creation has been ‘completed’ (2:1). Salvation will be completed (Philippians 1:6)!

In the end, there will be love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘His love endures for ever’. This is the great message contained in every single verse of this Psalm. It’s a message worth repeating – over and over again! God’s love is an everlasting love – ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3). God’s love is an unfailing love – ‘My unfailing love for you will not be shaken’ (Isaiah 54:10). Let us ‘give thanks’ to God for His love (Psalm 1-3, 26). In His love, the Lord has provided for us ‘an everlasting salvation’. His ‘salvation will last for ever’ (Isaiah 45:17; 51:6). We must not be like those who refuse to love the Lord – ‘Pharaoh… great kings… mighty kings …’ (Psalm 136:15, 17-20). Those who reject God’s love will not receive ‘eternal life’. Their future will be very different – the ‘raging fire that will consume the enemies of God’ (John 3:16-18; Hebrews 10:26-27).

When you see a rainbow, remember there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

Here, we pick up on the words of Genesis 7:16 – ‘the Lord closed the door behind them’. What was going on outside of the ark is contrasted with the haven of salvation inside the ark. What was it that made the ark a place of salvation? – The Lord. What is it that makes Jesus Christ the Source of our salvation? – God has given Him the Name that is above every name, the Name of our salvation (Philippians 2:9-11; Acts 4:12). From the ark, we learn of (a) the one way of salvation – The ark had only one door. Jesus is ‘the Door’ which leads to salvation (John 10:9); (b) the eternal security of salvation – All were safe inside the ark. In Christ there is eternal security (John 10:28); (c) the absolute necessity of salvation – Outside of the ark, there was certain death. Refusal to come to Christ for salvation leads to judgment: ‘How shall we escape…?’(Hebrews 2:3).

Following the flood, we have this simple yet striking declaration: ‘the ground was dry’ (Genesis 8:13). Safe from judgment! This is the message which comes to us from the Cross: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). The judgment has fallen upon Christ. We are no longer swept away in the judgment. We can stand on solid ground: ‘On Christ the solid Rock I stand’ (Church Hymnary, 411). He is our Support in ‘the whelming flood’. God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ship’ (Genesis 8:15). We are in Christ. He is the Source of our salvation. God has brought us into Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). He does not bring us into Christ solely for our own benefit. We are sent out to be fruitful (Genesis 8:17; John 15:16). We are to ‘abide in Christ’. This is the way of fruitfulness (John 15:4-5). We are not sent out alone. Strengthened in ‘the ship’ (in Christ), we step out with Christ and for Him.

‘When you see a rainbow, remember God is love’. The rainbow reminds us of the gracious promise of God (Genesis 9:13-15). If the love of God is revealed in the rainbow, it is more fully revealed in the Cross: ‘We sing the praise of Him who died, of Him who died upon the Cross… upon the Cross we see in shining letters. ‘God is love’, He bears our sins upon the tree. He brings us mercy from above’. When we read the Old Testament stories, we must learn to see their place within the fuller Story, the Story of God’s salvation: ‘I will sing the wondrous Story of the Christ who died for me’. This is the greatest Story of all – ‘the Story of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love,… the Story of wonderful redemption, God’s remedy for sin’. ‘This is our Story. This is our Song, praising our Saviour all the day long’. This is ‘the Story to tell to the nations’ (Church Hymnary, 258, 381, 132; Mission Praise, 59, 744).

Be still and know that there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Be still, and know that I am God…Shout to God with loud songs of joy’ (Psalm 46:10; 47:2). In our worship, there is to be both quiet trust and loud praise. We read the great words: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1). God’s Word brings peace – ‘in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength’. We must not keep God’s blessing to ourselves. We must share it with joy – ‘Sing to the Lord…let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands’ (Isaiah 30:15; 42:10-12). The Lord is to be ‘exalted among the nations’. He is not only ‘our King’. He is ‘the King of all the earth’ (Psalm 46:10; 47:6-7). ‘Father (Jesus/Spirit), we love You. We worship and adore You. Glorify Your Name in all the earth’(Mission Praise, 142).

In Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

Here, we see Abraham in his relationship with the world (Genesis 21:22-34) and his relationship with the Lord (Genesis 22:1-14). Abraham deals honestly and wisely with the pagan king, Abimelech, who acknowledges Abraham’s closeness to God – ‘God is with you in all that you do’ (Genesis 21:22). We are to be honest and wise in our relationship with the world (Romans 12:17; Colossians 4:5; Ephesians 5:15; 1 Peter 2:12). Our relationship with the world is to be grounded in our relationship with God. In the testing of Abraham, we catch a glimpse of ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). Christ is the Lamb whom God will provide (Genesis 22:8). In Genesis 22:14, we read, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided’. On Calvary’s hill, Christ died to bring us to God, so that we might learn to live for Him in this world (1 Peter 3:18; 2:24).

After the renewal of God’s promise (Genesis 22:15-18), Abraham went to Beersheba (Genesis 22:19). He returned to the place where he had ‘called…on the Name of the Lord, the Everlasting God’ (21:33). This is a good ‘place’ to be, the ‘place’ of calling on the Name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. As we read of the death and burial of Sarah, we must remember this: the Lord is the Everlasting God. The death of Sarah took place in God’s time. Her death signified that her work had been done. She had mothered the child of promise. Beyond the death of Sarah, there was the continuing purpose of God. The cave at Machpelah (23:19-20) became the burial place for Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. We see the continuity of history, and we thank God for His continuing faithfulness down through the generations.

Our hope of eternal glory comes from love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore’ (Psalm 16:11). In this earthly life, there are many difficulties. For all of God’s people, there is something better still to come. We must look not only at the things which are happening now. We must look also to the glory which is yet to come. Our hope of eternal glory is based on Christ’s resurrection. David’s words (Psalm 16:8-11) are quoted by Peter in connection with ‘the resurrection of the Christ’ (Acts 2:24-33). ‘Christ has been raised from the dead…at His coming those who belong to Christ…will be raised imperishable’ (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 52). ‘The Lord is my chosen portion…Therefore my heart is glad’ (Psalm 16:5, 9). Is this your testimony? Choose Christ and be glad.

In the redemption of Israel, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

God had redeemed His people. He was with them, and He was about to reveal His saving power in a mighty way (Exodus 14:13-14). There is judgment as well as salvation (Exodus 14:30). Looking to neither the ‘right’ nor the ‘left’, we must look to the Lord (Exodus 14:21-22). Rejoicing in ‘the great work’ He has done, our faith ‘in the Lord’ grows strong (Exodus 14:31).

God has given us a song to sing. We have a song to sing. It is a song of redemption – God has redeemed His people; a song of thanksgiving – we give thanks for God’s redemption; and a song of hope – we look forward to the complete fulfilment of God’s redemption. This is not only a ‘song of God’s people’. It is also the song of Moses, a personal song. This is worship – not a mere formality, but worship which arises from the depths of Moses’ heart. Deeply moved by the grace and glory of God, Moses pours his heart out to God in worship: (i) He praises the God of grace – ‘my strength… my song… my salvation’ (Exodus 15:2). (ii) He praises the God of glory – God triumphs ‘gloriously’ (Exodus 15:1). His ‘glorious’ power is demonstrated in His ‘glorious’ deeds (Exodus 15:6, 11). (iii) Worshipping this God of grace – the redeeming God (Exodus 15:13) – and glory – the reigning God (Exodus 15:18) – , we say, ‘You are my God, and I will praise You’ (Psalm 118:28). Let us worship God – personally as well as publicly.

In the prophet’s words, we hear the Word of love, eternal love, the love of God.

The Word of God is spoken – ‘Seek the Lord while He may be found…’ (Isaiah 55:6-7). No one seems to be listening. What are we to do? We must remember God’s promise: ‘My Word will not return to Me empty’ (Isaiah 55:11). We do not see all that God is doing. He is doing much more than we realize – ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts…’ (Isaiah 55:8-9). We may be feeling very despondent – ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything’ (Luke 5:5). The Lord still comes to us with His Word of encouragement: ‘You shall go out with joy…’ (Isaiah 55:12). Before there is joy, there may be many tears. When there seems to be nothing but disappointments, we must remember the Lord’s promise: ‘Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy…’ (Psalm 126:5-6). We must not ‘judge before the time…’ (1 Corinthians 4:5).

‘I will praise You, O Lord… God is my Salvation… The Lord is my Strength and my Song…’ (Isaiah 12:1-2). May this be our personal faith – this is what the Lord means to me – and our public testimony – making Christ ‘known among the nations’, telling ‘all the world’ what the Lord has done for us (Isaiah 12: 4-5).

Be wise. Open your heart to love, eternal love, the love of God.

Hoping for ‘good luck’, some people expect good things to happen to them – all the time! God says, ‘Seek wisdom. Be ready for the hard times’. Wisdom comes from God. He speaks to us with words of wisdom (Proverbs 2:6; Proverbs 8:6-8). Wisdom is not only for ‘kings and rulers, princes and nobles’. It is for everyone who loves the Lord (Proverbs 8:15-17). Wisdom calls us to choose good rather than evil, life rather than death (Proverbs 8:13, 35-36; Hebrews 5:14; Deuteronomy 30:19). The way of wisdom is the way of happiness (Proverbs 8:32-34). Our path may not be paved with gold. Wisdom is better than ‘silver, gold and jewels’ (Proverbs 8:10-11). Christ is our Wisdom. Receiving Him, we receive wisdom. Growing in Him, we grow in wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:6). As you rejoice in Christ, remember: ‘He who wins souls is wise’ (Proverbs 11:30). Don’t keep Wisdom to yourself. Share Christ with others.

In Proverbs 9:5, there is a Gospel invitation: ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed’. We eat bread. We drink wine. We remember our Saviour (Matthew 26: 26-29). ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Proverbs 9:10). ‘This sounds so old-fashioned’- so the world tells us. ‘The fear of the Lord’- This is something we must not forget. If we do not fear the Lord, we will forget Him. If we forget Him, we are fools. What is foolishness? Is it a lack of education? No! – It is a lack of obedience. When we do not ‘honour’ God, we are ‘without sense’. ‘Claiming to be wise’, we show that we are ‘fools’. If we are wise, we will keep ‘going straight on the way’, looking always to Jesus Christ who is the true and living Way. He leads us from ‘the depths of hell’ to the heights of heaven (Proverbs 8:13-18; Romans 1:21-22; John 14:2, 6).

In creation and Scripture, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

God reveals Himself in creation and Scripture. He speaks through His created world. He speaks through His written Word. God is always speaking. He is never silent. Through His created world, God is speaking to us – every day, every night. He is showing us His glory (Psalm 19:1-2). He makes us aware of His presence. He whets our appetite for His written Word. The Scriptures lead us to Christ. Through faith in Him, we receive salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). Christ is the high-point of God’s revelation. He is the living Word (John 1:1, 14). The testimony of the Psalmist – ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul’ (7) – becomes real for us through faith in Christ – ‘I came to Jesus…My soul revived and now I live in Him’ (Church Hymnary, 212). Make it real. Come to Christ. Come alive in Him!

Through Christ, God looks upon us with love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘I will look on you with favour’ (Ezekiel 36:9). Through Christ our Saviour, God looks upon us with favour. Here are some words which will help you to rejoice in the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which is ‘greater than all my sin’, the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which ‘reaches me’. ‘Let me introduce you to a friend called Grace. Doesn’t care about your past or your many mistakes. He’ll cover your sins in a warm embrace. Let me introduce to a friend called Grace’. ‘His grace reaches lower than your worst mistake and His love will run further than you can run away’. ‘He believes in lost causes when common sense would just give up. He believes in lost causes and changes people with His love. There’s nobody too far gone, no one beyond His reach. He believes in lost causes ‘cause He believed in me’. Let Jesus be your Joy!

May your soul be lifted up by love, eternal love, the love of God.

Three times, the question is asked, ‘Why are you downcast, O my soul’. Three times, the answer is given, ‘Put your hope in God’. Three times, there is the response of faith: ‘I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God (Psalms 42:5, 11; 43:5). Often, we are filled with questions. We must bring our questions to God. We must learn to listen for His answers. The Lord is speaking to us. Are we listening? God speaks to us through His Word. Are we taking time to read His Word? He wants us to come to Him with the prayer, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:8-10). Listen to the Word of the Lord. Let His Word be your Guide: ‘Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me…’ (Psalm 43:5). ‘Deep calls to deep’ (Psalm 42:7) – Let ‘the Spirit’ show you ‘the deep things of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:10).

When the Spirit breathes upon us, we receive love, eternal love, the love of God.

It was ‘a valley of dry bones’ (Ezekiel 37:1-2). Then, the Lord changed everything – ‘I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live’ (Ezekiel 37:5). What a difference the Lord makes! ‘Breathe on me, Breath of God. Fill me with life anew’ (Church Hymnary, 103). What happens when the Spirit of the Lord breathes new life into the Church of God? – ‘The Church that seemed in slumber has now risen from its knees and dry bones are responding with the fruits of new birth’. ‘Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Let the breeze of Your presence flow that Your children here might truly know how to move in the Spirit’s flow… Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Please accomplish in us today some new work of loving grace, we pray. Unreservedly, have Your way. Holy Spirit, we welcome You’ (Mission Praise, 274, 241).

On the Lord’s pathway of victory, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

The Psalmist prays, ‘Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord’ (Psalm 143:9). He is not concerned only about his own welfare. He is concerned about the glory of God: ‘For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life’ (Psalm 143:11). How does God lead us in victory? How is He glorified in our lives? He brings to us the teaching of His Word - ‘Let the morning bring me Word of Your unfailing love’ (Psalm 143:8). He gives to us the strength of His Spirit – ‘May Your good Spirit lead me in good paths’ (Psalm 143:10). Through His Word and Spirit, God shows us His ‘unfailing love’. He enables us to say, ‘You are my God’, ‘I have put my trust in You’ and ‘I am Your servant’. He ‘shows us the way we should go’. He ‘teaches us to do His will’. He gives us victory over our ‘enemies’ (8, 10, 12).

In the story of God’s salvation, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

In Zephaniah 3, we have a story of sin – Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She has not obeyed His voice. She has not accepted correction. She has not trusted in the Lord. She has not drawn near to her God’ – and a story of salvation – ‘Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment. He has turned back your enemy… The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will renew you in His love. He will rejoice over you with singing’ (Zephaniah 3:1-2, 14-17). The story of our sin is full of sadness. The story of God’s salvation fills us with gladness – ‘Rejoice and be glad! The Redeemer has come’ (Mission Praise, 573).

Let us worship God: our response to love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Exalt the Lord our God… Make a joyful noise to the Lord’ (Psalms 99:5, 9; 98:4, 6; 100:1). We are to worship the Lord with joy. We are to glorify God. We are to enjoy Him. In our worship, we must never forget the holiness of God: ‘He is holy!… The Lord our God is holy!’ (Psalm 99:5, 9). In our worship, we rejoice in the love of God: ‘His steadfast love endures for ever… He has done marvellous things!’ (Psalms 100:5; 98:1). The God of ‘awesome purity’ loves us with the most perfect love of all: ‘No earthly father loves like Thee…’ Let us worship Him with holy fear and heartfelt love: ‘O how I fear Thee, living God, with deepest, tenderest fears… with trembling hope and penitential tears! Yet I may love Thee too, O Lord, Almighty as Thou art, for Thou hast stooped to ask of me the love of my poor heart’ (Church Hymnary, 356).

Living as a new creation: our response to love, eternal love, the love of God.

(a) ‘We know that our old self was crucified’ (Romans 6:6) – What a great thing God has done! He has made you ‘a new creation in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). (b) ‘Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 6:11) – Believe it. This is what the Lord has done: ‘you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit… the Spirit of God dwells in you… Christ is in you… the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you… His Spirit dwells in you’ (Romans 8:9-11). (c) ‘Yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life’ (Romans 6:13) – Act upon it’. ‘Walk in newness of life’ (Romans 6:4). Live as those whom God has made new. We are ‘not under law but under grace’ (Romans 6:14). Keep your eyes fixed on the Saviour and your obedience will be Gospel obedience and not merely legal obedience.

At the Cross of Christ, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘The Lord is high above all nations… Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high?… Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, who turns the hard rock into springs of water’ (Psalms 113:4-5; 114:7-8). The Lord is greater than we could ever imagine. There is no greatness like the greatness of the Lord. All human greatness cannot even begin to compare with the greatness of God. His greatness is not only the greatness of His power. It is also the greatness of His love. When we sing, ‘How great Thou art’, we sing not only of His power – ‘Thy power throughout the universe displayed’. We sing also of His love – ‘And when I think that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die – I scarce can take it in, that on the Cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin…’(Mission Praise, 506).

In the resurrection of Christ, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

The resurrection declares Christ’s victory over evil, the triumph of His love. There is no need for fear: ‘He has risen’- His ‘perfect love casts out fear’ (Matthew 28:5-6; 1 John 4:18). There has to be a new beginning in faith. First, there was a new beginning ‘in fact – Christ has been raised from the dead’ (1 Corinthians 15:20). Christ has won the victory over the grave. Christ has taken the sting out of death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Between the new beginning in faith – making disciples (Matthew 28:19) – and the new beginning in fact – Christ’s resurrection – , there is worship (Matthew 28:9). The fact is not dependent on our feelings. ‘He has risen’ (Matthew 28:6-7) – the fact stands, even when many doubt and few worship (Matthew 28:17). As we worship, we are strengthened in faith, strengthened for our task. We are to invite people to come to the place where ‘they will see’ Jesus (Matthew 28:10). We are to ‘make disciples’ (Matthew 28:19). Run and tell – with great joy (Matthew 28:8)!

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The Bible Readings are taken from Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings (with the exception of the Gospel Reading) are suggested for Year A and Year C.

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Easter Day: Acts 10:34-43 (or Isaiah 25:6-9); Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (or Acts 10:34-43); John 20:1-18 (or Mark 16:1-8)

God’s Love, God’s Son, God’s Command, God’s Purpose

‘When the Holy Spirit comes on you… you will be My witnesses… to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). This great advance of the Gospel – Salvation reaches ‘the Gentiles’ (Acts 10:45; Acts 11:1, 18) – is a movement of ‘the Spirit’ (Acts 11:12). The Spirit speaks through the Word (Acts 10:44; Acts 11:15). In God’s Word, we read of (a) God’s love for the whole world (John 3:16); (b) God’s Son who died for ‘the sins of the whole world’ (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2); (c) God’s command that ‘the Good News’should be preached to ‘everyone’ (Mark 16:15); (d) God’s purpose that there should be disciples of Christ in every nation (Matthew 28:19). ‘Every person in every nation, in each succeeding generation, has the right to hear the News that Christ can save… Here am I, send me’ (Youth Praise,128). ‘Go forth and tell!’ (Mission Praise, 178).

Worship: Receiving God’s Love, Exalting God’s Son

‘O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your Name… You have done marvellous things’ (Isaiah 25:1). We remember what God has done for us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who died for us. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who rose again for us. We look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We look forward to the Day when ‘He will swallow up death for ever’. On that Day, ‘the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces’. On that Day, we will look back and say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us’. On that Day, we will ‘rejoice and be glad in His salvation’ (Isaiah 25:8-9). Here and now, let us learn to ‘trust in the Lord’. We can trust in Him ‘for ever’. He is ‘the everlasting Rock’- ‘the Rock of our salvation’ (Isaiah 26:4; Psalm 95:1).

Witness: Obeying God’s Command, Fulfilling God’s Purpose

‘The Lord is my Strength and my Song. He is my Saviour’ (Psalm 118:14). Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour gives us a song to sing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine… This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long’. Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, we sing His song with strength, committing ourselves to His service, earnestly seeking to win others for Him: ‘We’ve a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right … We’ve a song to be sung to the nations, that shall lift their hearts to the Lord…We’ve a message to give to the nations, that the Lord, who reigneth above, hath sent us His Son to save us… We’ve a Saviour to show to the nations…’ (Mission Praise, 59, 744). Don’t keep your Saviour to yourself. Share Him with others. Win others for Him.

In Our Worship, Let’s Be Resurrection People Living In Resurrection Power.

Here, we learn of Christ’s resurrection: the fact – ‘Christ has been raised from the dead’ – and the meaning – ‘the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep’ (1 Corinthians 15:20). We look back to His resurrection. We ‘remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead’ (2 Timothy 2:8). We look forward to our own resurrection. We will be ‘raised’- ‘imperishable… in glory… in power… a spiritual body’ (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Looking back to His resurrection and looking forward to our own resurrection, we are to live, here and now, in ‘the power of His resurrection’ (Philippians 3:10). We believe the fact of the resurrection. We live in the power of the resurrection. We rejoice in the hope of the resurrection. With ‘resurrection’ faith in the ‘resurrection’ God, let us live the ‘resurrection’ life as a ‘resurrection’ people!

In Our Witness, Let’s Pray That God Will Be At Work In Resurrection Power.

Dead and buried (Mark 15:44-46) – ‘The End’? No! There is more. An ‘Appendix’? No! A whole new beginning – For Jesus, for us! He is ‘the first fruits’ (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). The full glory is still to come (1 Corinthians 15:24). He has risen (Mark 16:6). ‘At His coming, those who belong to Christ’ will be raised – with Him and by Him – to everlasting life (1 Corinthians 15:23). This is the glory of the resurrection. It is not simply a thing of the past. It is our glorious future – we ‘will be raised imperishable’ (1 Corinthians 15:52). There is a Gospel to be preached – the Gospel of salvation (Mark 16:15-16). May God help us to preach the Gospel ‘everywhere’ – This will involve all of us, not just a few of us! May He give us the joy of seeing Him at work, confirming the message by the signs that attend it (Mark 16:20).

In Our Worship and Witness, Let’s Proclaim The Triumph Of Christ’s Victory.

‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). These are not words of despair. They are words of triumph. At an early stage in His public ministry, Jesus said, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me to finish His work’ (John 4:34). Even then, He was looking ahead to the Cross, to the completion of the work of redemption. In one sense, ‘it is finished’ – on the Cross. In another sense, there is more to be done – by the Father. The Cross is followed by the resurrection – ‘God raised Him from the dead’ (Acts 2:24; Romans 10:9). To come to the words, ‘It is finished’ is not to reach the end of the story. Jesus was laid in the tomb (John 19:42). Still, this was not the end of the story. Something else had to happen – ‘Jesus had to rise from the dead’ (20:9). For our salvation, Jesus died ‘and was raised to life’ (Romans 4:25).

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The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

Sixth Sunday in Lent (Palm / Passion): Entry into Jerusalem – Mark 11:1-11 (or John 12:12-16); Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Passion – Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 14:1-15:47 (or Mark 15:1-39, (40-47))

Prayer: Let us rejoice in God’s wonderful love.

In Mark 11, we learn of the authority of Christ. Calling the ‘colt’ into His service, He says, with authority, ‘The Lord has need of it’ (Mark 11:3). With authority, He speaks to the fig tree (Mark 11:14) – a ‘visual aid’ of His teaching: ‘Every branch of Mine that bears no fruit, He takes away’ (John 15:2). In the temple, He speaks with authority, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer…’ (Mark 11;17). He speaks of authority in prayer: ‘whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’ (Mark 11:24). The religious leaders did not understand Jesus (Mark 11:27-33). Why? – They didn’t love Him. We can experience His authority: His Word spoken to us ‘in power…’ (1 Thessalonians 1:5). We can exercise His authority: Through prayer, setting His Word free to do His mighty work (Ephesians 6: 18-20) – if we are learning to love Him!

‘Into Thy hand, I commit my spirit’ (Psalm 31:5). These words were spoken by Christ as, in death, He gave Himself for our sins (Luke 23:46). For Christ, there was suffering – ‘I am the scorn of all my adversaries’ (Psalm 31:11). His suffering was followed by rejoicing, the joy of the resurrection – ‘I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place’ (Psalm 31:7-8). God answered the prayer of His Son – He brought Him into the ‘spacious place’ of the resurrection, the ‘spacious place’ which is, for us, ‘eternal salvation’ (Hebrews 5:7-9). We look to the crucified Christ and we say, ‘Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me’ (Psalm 31:21). In the risen Christ, we are ‘strong and our hearts take courage’ (Psalm 31:24).

Praise: Let us give thanks for God’s faithful love.

‘The Lord is my Strength and my Song. He is my Saviour’ (Psalm 118:14). Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour gives us a song to sing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine… This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long’. Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, we sing His song with strength, committing ourselves to His service, earnestly seeking to win others for Him: ‘We’ve a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right … We’ve a song to be sung to the nations, that shall lift their hearts to the Lord…We’ve a message to give to the nations, that the Lord, who reigneth above, hath sent us His Son to save us… We’ve a Saviour to show to the nations…’ (Mission Praise, 59, 744). Don’t keep your Saviour to yourself. Share Him with others. Win others for Him.

Do you feel like you can`t go on? Do you feel like giving up? Here`s God`s Word of encouragement for you: ‘He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the Day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:1:6). God finishes what He starts – ‘He didn`t bring us this far to leave us. He didn`t teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn`t build His home in us to move away. He didn`t lift us up to let us down’. In all the changes of life, we must remember this: God is faithful. His love is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. We don`t keep going because we are strong. We are ‘kept by the power of God’ (1 Peter 1:5). In ‘humility’ let us live ‘to the glory and praise of God’ (Philippians 2:3; Philippians 1:11). ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ (Philippians 2:11) – He will give you the strength to keep going when you feel like giving up.

Preaching: Let us share the strength we receive from God’s never-ending love.

‘The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught’ (Isaiah 50:4). We are to listen to God. We are to speak for God. We cannot speak for God unless we are listening to Him. Before we can speak for God, we must speak to Him. We must pray, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:9-10). Listening to God comes before speaking for God. First, we wait on the Lord – ‘I waited patiently for the Lord’. Then, we witness for the Lord – ‘He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God’. Waiting on the Lord and witnessing for Him, we will win others for Him – ‘Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord’ (Psalm 40:1-3).

Let’s keep the love of Christ at the Centre of our Prayer, Praise and Preaching.

Jesus was surrounded by enemies, ‘seeking to kill Him’ (Mark 14:1). There was also a hypocrite, preparing ‘to betray Him’ (Mark 14:10-11). What a joy it was to find a woman with such heartfelt love for Him (Mark 14:3-9). Her love for Christ must never be forgotten (Mark 14:9). There is something else which must never be forgotten – His love for us. Our love for Him can never begin to compare with His love for us. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Mark 14:22-24; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26), we rejoice in His love. Think little of your love for Him. Think much of His love for you. ‘Who His love will not remember? Who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten throughout heaven’s eternal days’ (Songs of Fellowship,168). Remember Christ, and let your remembering be filled with worship (Mark 14:25; Ephesians 5:19-20; Colossians 3:16-17).

After ‘they had sung a hymn’ (Mark 14:26), Peter showed that there was a great deal of ‘self’ in him (Mark 14:29). All of us can be like this – ‘they all said the same’ (Mark 14:31). We attend Communion (Mark 14:22-24), we sing hymns (Mark 14:26) – yet still the wrong attitudes persist! We ‘enjoy’ praise, prayer, and preaching – Remember: God is concerned with the whole of life, not just the ‘spiritual’ activities! Christ looked ahead to the Cross – ‘the hour’, ‘this cup’ (Mark 14:35-36). He was far removed from an ‘enjoyable atmosphere’ within which prayer is ‘easy’. Sorely tempted, He prayed, ‘not what I will but what You will’ (Mark 14:36). This was no easy road – the ‘betrayer’ was waiting for Him (Mark 14:42). It was a lonely road – ‘they all forsook Him, and fled’ (Mark 14:50). ‘The gate is narrow, the way is hard’ (Matthew 7:14). May God help us to follow Jesus.

Jesus is ‘the Christ, the Son of the Blessed’. He is ‘seated at the right hand of Power’. He is ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’ (Mark 14:61-62). He is ‘the King of the Jews’: His Kingdom is greater than Herod imagined – it is ‘not of this world’ (Mark 15:2; John 18:36). Why, then, did He remain silent when false charges were brought against Him? He was bearing our sin – That is why ‘He did not open His mouth’ (Isaiah 53:4-7; 1 Peter 2:22-24; 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He knew that He was going to the Cross – for us (John 10:11, 15, 17-18). Jesus did not deny us: His silence was a godly silence – ‘He bore the sin of many’, making ‘Himself an offering for sin’(Isaiah 53:12,10). Will we deny Him? Our silence is a guilty silence (Mark 14:66-71). May Christ’s Word, and His look of love, cause us to weep – and repent (Mark 14:72; Luke 22:61-62; 2 Corinthians 7:10).

Jesus did not ‘save Himself’. ‘He saved others’ (Mark 15:31). He sacrificed Himself for our salvation. His was the sacrifice. Ours is the salvation. He ‘put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself’ (Hebrews 9:26). Barabbas was ‘released’. Jesus was ‘crucified’ (Mark 15:15). This is the Gospel – He took my place, He died for me. He was ‘forsaken’by God (Mark 15:34). We are reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19, 21). We rejoice that Christ ignored the mocking call from ‘the chief priests’and ‘scribes’: ‘come down now from the Cross’ (Mark 15:32). He paid the full price of our salvation. For us now, there is full salvation. His suffering was complete: ‘It is finished’(John 19:30) was not a whimper of defeat. It was the declaration of victory. All that was needed – He has done for us. Now, He invites us to receive salvation: ‘Come; for all is now ready’ (Luke 14:17).

Dead and buried (Mark 15:44-46) – ‘The End’? No! There is more. An ‘Appendix’? No! A whole new beginning – For Jesus, for us! He is ‘the first fruits’ (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). The full glory is still to come (1 Corinthians 15:24). He has risen (Mark 16:6). ‘At His coming, those who belong to Christ’ will be raised – with Him and by Him – to everlasting life (1 Corinthians 15:23). This is the glory of the resurrection. It is not simply a thing of the past. It is our glorious future – we ‘will be raised imperishable’ (1 Corinthians 15:52). There is a Gospel to be preached – the Gospel of salvation (Mark 16:15-16). May God help us to preach the Gospel ‘everywhere’ – This will involve all of us, not just a few of us! May He give us the joy of seeing Him at work, confirming the message by the signs that attend it (Mark 16:20).

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The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

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Monday in Holy Week: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 12:1-11

Jesus Christ is God’s beloved Son – the Saviour sent to us by the God of love.

‘Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations’ (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 12:15-21).

These words turn our thoughts towards the Lord Jesus Christ.

At His baptism, we hear the voice of the Father – ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’ At His baptism, we see ‘the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on Him’ (Matthew 3:16-17).

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s Word of prophecy: ‘All mankind shall see the Saviour sent from God’ (Luke 3:6).

After His resurrection, we hear Jesus Himself speaking. He says, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…’ (Matthew 28:18-20).

Let us bring Christ to the nations. Let us serve the Lord in the power of the Spirit.

Never take God’s love for granted. Let us be deeply appreciative of His love.

Read about God’s ‘steadfast love’ and rejoice in Him: ‘Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens…How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! …O continue Your steadfast love to those who know You…’ (Psalm 36:5, 7, 10).

Rejoicing in the Lord’s ‘steadfast love’ is quite different from taking His love for granted.

We dare not say, “God loves me. I can do what I like.”

We must not become like the wicked – ‘there is no fear of God before his eyes’ (Psalm 36:1).

Where there is true rejoicing in God’s ‘steadfast love’, there will also be ‘the fear of the Lord’ which ‘is the beginning of wisdom’ (Psalm 111:10).

A real appreciation of God’s ‘steadfast love’ brings with it a real awareness of our own sinfulness.

Knowing how much God loves us leads us to pray, ‘Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away’ (Psalm 36:11).

Through Jesus Christ, the God of love gives to us His wonderful redemption.

God gave His promise – ‘I will make a new covenant’ (Hebrews 8:8-12; Jeremiah 31:31-34).

God has fulfilled His promise. There is now a ‘new covenant in Jesus’blood’ (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25).

The old covenant cannot even begin to compare with the new covenant. It is only a ‘shadow.’

The new covenant is the real thing. It is ‘much more excellent’. It is ‘a better covenant’ (Hebrews 8:5-6),

The old covenant is ‘outdated’ (Hebrews 8:13). It has seen its day. Now, it’s past its ‘sell by date’!

We look at the old covenant and we say, ‘There must be more than this’.

There is more – ‘much more’.

Through ‘the blood of Christ’, ‘our hearts and lives’have been ‘cleansed’. Now, we can begin ‘to serve the living God’ (Hebrews 9:14).

‘What a wonderful redemption!’- ‘eternal redemption’ (Mission Praise, 765; Hebrews 9:12)!

Through Jesus Christ, the God of love gives to us His victory over Satan.

The Pharisees are developing their wicked plan. God is fulfilling His saving purpose (John 11:49-53).

The voice of ‘common sense’is not always the voice of the Lord (John 12:4-6).

There is a higher wisdom than ‘common sense’. We are to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He leads us to put Jesus at the centre of our lives.

Jesus is not suggesting that the poor are unimportant. He is emphasising that we must not lose sight of Him.

If our concern for the poor is not truly grounded in devotion to Christ, it is not the obedience of faith (John 12:8).

The Pharisees are lying in wait for Jesus. They say, ‘The world has gone after Him’ (John 12:19). They are going after Him too – in a different way!

The crucifixion draws near. God is to be ‘glorified’in the defeat of Satan and the salvation of sinners (John 12:28, 31-32). Jesus had ‘come’ for this ‘hour’ (John 12:27).

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The Bible readings are based on the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

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Tuesday in Holy Week: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36

Knowing Christ and making Him known

‘I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob’ (Isaiah 49:26).

We are not to keep this to ourselves. God wants ‘all mankind’ to ‘know’.

 ‘Jesus, the Name to sinners dear, the Name to sinners given, it scatters all their guilty fear, it turns their hell to heaven’- This is not something to keep to ourselves.

We must make Christ known to others – ‘Oh, that the world might taste and see the riches of His grace! The arms of love that compass me, would all mankind embrace. His only righteousness I show, His saving truth proclaim: ‘tis all my business here below to cry: “Behold the Lamb!” Happy, if with my latest breath I may but gasp His Name: preach Him to all, and cry in death: “Behold, behold the Lamb!”’ (Mission Praise, 385).

‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News’ (Mark 16:15).

Keeping Christ at the centre in joyful worship and courageous witness

David is in great danger. His life is being threatened by his enemies (Psalm 70:2).

We might expect that he would be depressed. Far from it!

He is not preoccupied with his own problems. He calls on God’s people to worship the Lord with joy: ‘May all who seek You, rejoice and be glad in You! May those who love Your salvation continually say, “God is great!”’ (Psalm 70:4).

How was David able to rise above his own problems and call the Lord’s people to worship? – He knew that the Lord was his ‘Rock of refuge’, his ‘strong Fortress’ (Psalm 71:3).

Like David, we may face ‘many terrible troubles’. Let us learn, like David, to praise the Lord and look to Him to lead us in the way of victory: ‘You have done great things, O God… You will revive me again’ (Psalm 71:19-20).

With our faith centred on Christ crucified, let us give all the glory to God.

Paul preached the Gospel, ‘not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power’ (1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:4).

He preached ‘Christ crucified’ with a determination ‘to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified’ (1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:2).

This is the message of our salvation – ‘Christ crucified… Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God’ (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).

All the glory belongs to God. We have no right to steal away any of the glory for ourselves: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

Our faith is ‘not based on human wisdom but on God’s power’ (1 Corinthians 2:5). ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace’(Mission Praise, 712). Christ is our full salvation. ‘Let us rejoice and be glad’ in Him’ (1 Corinthians 1:30; Psalm 118:24).

Keep Christ at the centre: concern for the poor grounded in devotion to Christ  

The Pharisees are developing their wicked plan. God is fulfilling His saving purpose (John 11:49-53).

The voice of ‘common sense’ is not always the voice of the Lord (John 12:4-6). There is a higher wisdom than ‘common sense’. We are to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He leads us to put Jesus at the centre of our lives.

Jesus is not suggesting that the poor are unimportant. He is emphasising that we must not lose sight of Him.

If our concern for the poor is not truly grounded in devotion to Christ, it is not the obedience of faith (John 12:8).

The Pharisees are lying in wait for Jesus. They say, ‘The world has gone after Him’ (John 12:19). They are going after Him too – in a different way!

The crucifixion draws near. God is to be ‘glorified’ in the defeat of Satan and the salvation of sinners (John 12:28, 31-32).

Jesus had ‘come’ for this ‘hour’ (John 12:27).

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The Bible Readings are based on the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

——————–

Wednesday in Holy Week: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 70; Hebrews 12:1-3; John 13:21-32

Waiting on the Lord, witnessing for Him and winning others for Him

‘The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught’ (Isaiah 50:4). We are to listen to God. We are to speak for God. We cannot speak for God unless we are listening to Him. Before we can speak for God, we must speak to Him. We must pray, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:9-10). Listening to God comes before speaking for God. First, we wait on the Lord – ‘I waited patiently for the Lord’. Then, we witness for the Lord – ‘He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God’. Waiting on the Lord and witnessing for Him, we will win others for Him – ‘Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord’ (Psalm 40:1-3).

Strengthened in worship, we are equipped for witness.

David is in great danger. His life is being threatened by his enemies (Psalm 70:2). We might expect that he would be depressed. Far from it! Rather than being preoccupied with his own problems, he is calling on God’s people to worship the Lord with joy: ‘May all who seek You, rejoice and be glad in You! May those who love Your salvation continually say, “God is great!”’ (Psalm 70:4). How was David able to rise above his own problems and call the Lord’s people to worship? – He knew that the Lord was his ‘Rock of refuge’, his ‘strong Fortress’ (Psalm 71:3). Like David, we may face ‘many terrible troubles’. Let us learn, like David, to praise the Lord and look to Him to lead us in the way of victory: ‘You have done great things, O God… You will revive me again’ (Psalm 71:19-20).

Learning from others, looking to Jesus

We read about many people who trusted the Lord. Their faith was real. It changed their lives. As you read of so many people who lived ‘by faith’, let God’s Word challenge you. Bring your own weak faith to Him and ask Him to give you a stronger faith: ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ (Mark 9:24). We learn from so many different people. We read about their faith. We are inspired by their faith. We do not, however, make too much of them. We must always be ‘looking to Jesus’ (Hebrews 12:2). We must learn the lesson of the transfiguration. We look at Moses. We look at Elijah. We learn from them. There comes a point where they – together with all God’s faithful people – must step aside, leaving us to look up and see ‘Jesus only’ (Mark 9:2-8).

Looking beyond our difficult times to Christ’s glorious future

Difficult times lay ahead for Jesus. He would be betrayed by Judas Iscariot (John 13:21-30). He would be denied by Peter (John 13:36-38). For Jesus, there was His departure (John 13:31-33). It would be a difficult time for His followers. He tells them to ‘love one another’: ‘By this all men shall know that they are His disciples’ (John 13:34-35). Jesus points them beyond the difficult times. He speaks of His glorious future. He assures them that the best is yet to be. He is preparing a place in His ‘Father’s House’ for us. He will come again to take us to Himself (John 14:1-3). He is the Way to this place, the true and living way (John 14:6). Now, He reveals the Father to us (John 14:9). Now, He is working in and through us (John 14:12-14). He is preparing us for His place: ‘Lord Jesus… fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there’(Church Hymnary, 195).

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The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year A.

The same readings are suggested for Year B and Year C.

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Thursday in Holy Week: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17

Christ died for us. Let us live for Him.

Here, we focus attention on two verses which emphasize the importance of being saved by the Lord and going on to live for Him: ‘when I see the blood, I will pass over you… you must eat unleavened bread’ (Exodus 12:13, 20).

In verse 13, we are directed beyond the Passover to Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins (John 1:29; 1 John1:7).

In verse 20, we have the call to holy living.

In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Galatians 5:7-9, Paul uses ‘leaven’ as a symbol of ‘sin’, which holds us back from ‘running a good race’.

We are to live as a new creation, who feast on ‘the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth’. Forgiveness of sins and holy living belong together. We are not to rejoice in God’s forgiveness and then gloss over His call to holy living: ‘justified by faith’, we are to ‘walk in newness of life’ (Romans 5:1; 6:4).

God loves us. Let us love one another.

We celebrate the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We take note of what Paul says about the way we are to come to the Lord’s Table (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

What’s this all about? Is it about the whole thing looking good – impressive?

Paul gives us something to think about in verse 22 – ‘Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the Church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?’.

In Paul’s questions, we hear an echo of the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 1:12-20; Amos 5:21-24).

We rejoice in John 3:16 – ‘God so loved the world…’. Let’s not forget 1 John 3:16-18 – ‘let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in trust’.

Jesus says, ‘…first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift’(Matthew 5:23-24). Don’t just think about it. Act on it (James1:22-25; 2:14-17)!

Our love for God is to be a lifelong love.

‘I love the Lord… I will call on Him as long as I live’ (Psalm 116:1-2).

Our love for God is to be a lifelong life. It is to be the love of our life.

What are we to do when our love for God grows weak? We must remember His love for us – ‘Great is His love towards us. The faithfulness of the Lord endures forever’ (Psalm 117:2).

When we find it difficult to keep on loving God, we must remember how much He loves us.

When we feel like giving up on loving God, we must remember that He never gives up on loving us.

He loves us when our love for Him is strong. He loves us when our love for Him is weak.

In love, He reaches out to us. He brings us out of our weakness and into His strength. Let His strong love reach you in your weakness and give you His strength: ‘Loving Him who first loved me’ (Church Hymnary, 450).

Let the love of God change the way you live.

The Pharisees continue to exert their evil influence. ‘For fear of the Pharisees’, many remained silent, ‘loving the praise of men more than the praise of God’(John 12:42-43).

Whatever the opposition, Jesus calls us to believe in Him and confess Him (Romans 10:9). He calls us out of darkness into light (John 12:46).

If you are a believer, come out into the open. Make it known that you belong to Christ.

Do not only read God’s Word for yourself. Speak His Word to others (John 12:50).

The ‘hour’of Jesus’suffering draws near. Satan is busy. Jesus is in control (John 13:1-3). It is the ‘hour’of His love.

We are ‘washed’ in His precious blood (John 13:8; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 7:14).

What God has done for us comes before what we ought to do for others.

Jesus is our Saviour before He is our ‘Example’ (John 13:14-15). Knowing Him, let us do His will (John 13:17).

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The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

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Good Friday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25 (or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9); John 18:1-19:42

Were we there when they crucified our Lord? – Yes. He died for our sins.

In this remarkable prophecy, we see Jesus Christ, crucified for us – ‘the Lord has laid all our sins on Him’ – and risen from the dead – ‘After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life’ (Isaiah 53:6, 11).

‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ (Mission Praise, 745). We might put this question to Isaiah. In one sense, he wasn’t there. He lived long before the time of Christ. In another sense, he was there. God opened his eyes. God gave him a glimpse of what was going to happen in the future.

‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ In one sense, we weren’t there. These things happened long before we were even born. In another sense, we were there. It was our sins which Christ took with Him to the Cross. It was our sins which He left behind Him when He rose from the dead (Romans 4:25).

Jesus Christ – forsaken by God and pierced for our transgressions

Read of the Psalmist’s sufferings. Think of the Saviour, suffering for you (Psalm 22:7-8, 18; Matthew 27:39 ,43, 35).

We highlight two statements: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’, ‘They have pierced my hands and my feet’ (Psalm 22:1, 16).

Jesus Christ was ‘crucified and killed by the hands of the lawless men’ (Acts 2:23). There is, however, more to His story than this: ‘The Lord has laid all our sins on Him’ (Isaiah 53:6).

When we read of Jesus Christ, ‘pierced for our transgressions’, we see Him ‘pierced’ by men and forsaken by God (Isaiah 53:5; Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34; Matthew 27:46).

Looking on to Jesus Christ, risen, exalted and returning, we see Him still bearing the marks of His suffering – ‘the mark of the nails’, ‘a Lamb standing as though it had been slain’, ‘pierced’ (John 20:25; Revelation 5:6; 1:7).

Jesus Christ has ‘tasted death for everyone’ (Hebrews 2:9). Now, through Him, salvation is proclaimed to ‘the congregation’, to ‘the ends of the earth’ to ‘future generations’ (Psalm 22:22, 27, 30). Jesus Christ, ‘the same yesterday, today and for ever’, proclaims salvation to the great ‘congregation’, drawn from ‘every tribe and language and people and nation’ (Hebrews 13:8; 2:12; Revelation 5:9).

Looking back to Christ’s crucifixion, looking forward to His return

We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19).  We are to live as those who are awaiting the Day of the Lord’s return (Hebrews 10:25).

We look back to what Christ has done for us. We look forward to what He will do for us.

Looking back and looking forward: These are both found in Hebrews 9:28 – ‘Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him’.

We remember our Saviour. We remember what He has done for us: ‘the Son of God loved us and gave Himself for us’(Galatians 2:20).

We eat bread and drink wine, giving thanks that our Saviour went to the Cross for us – His body broken for us and His blood shed for us.

We are not only looking back. We are also looking forward: ‘As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes’ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Remember – and pray, ‘Come, Lord Jesus!’(Revelation 22:20).

As we remember our Lord Jesus Christ, we see how sinful we really are and we pray for ‘mercy’ and ‘grace’ (Hebrews 4:15-16). It is through His grace and mercy that we are able to look forward to ‘eternal salvation’ (Hebrews 5:9).

“It is finished”. The work of redemption is completed. Jesus is the risen Lord.

The story continues. Jesus is betrayed. Jesus is arrested (John 18:1-11). He stands before the Jewish authorities (John 18:12-14, 19-24).

Jesus is ‘drinking from the cup which the Father has given Him’- He drinks from the cup of our condemnation that we might drink from the cup of His salvation (John 18:11; Matthew 26:38-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Jesus’death was not only ‘expedient’. It was ‘necessary’- for our salvation (John 18:14; Luke 24:26).

Alongside the story of Jesus there is the story of Peter (John 18:15-18, 25-27). Jesus’death was not the end of His story – He rose from the dead (Luke 24:5-6; Acts 2:23-24). Peter denied the Lord three times. This was not the end of his story. For each denial, there was a new commitment (John 21:15-17). For each denial, there were, on the Day of Pentecost, 1,000 people brought to Christ (Acts 2:38, 41).

‘Barabbas was a robber’. He was released (John 18:39-40). There was ‘no crime’in Jesus. He was ‘crucified’ (John 18:38; 19:4, 6, 16).

Was Jesus no more than the innocent victim of a shameful and tragic miscarriage of justice? No! Jesus, the King of kings, chose to die.

Looking ahead to the Cross, He said, ‘For this I was born…’ (John 18:36-37). In love, He chose death on the Cross.

As truly as Barabbas, each of us can say, ‘He took my place and died for me’. In His death, Jesus did not only take the place of one sinner, Barabbas – ‘He took the place of many sinners’. He did not simply bear the punishment deserved by one sinner, Barabbas – ‘The Lord made the punishment fall on Him, the punishment all of us deserved’ (Isaiah 53:12, 6).

‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). These are not words of despair. They are words of triumph.

At an early stage in His public ministry, Jesus said, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me to finish His work’ (John 4:34). Even then, He was looking ahead to the Cross, to the completion of the work of redemption.

In one sense, ‘it is finished’- on the Cross. In another sense, there is more to be done – by the Father. The Cross is followed by the resurrection – ‘God raised Him from the dead’(Acts 2:24; Romans 10:9).

To come to the words, ‘It is finished’ is not to reach the end of the story.

Jesus was laid in the tomb (John 19:42). This was not the end of His story.

He was raised on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4)!

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The Bible Readings are taken from the |Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

——————–

Saturday in Holy Week: Job 14:1-14 (or Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24); Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16; 1 Peter 4:1-8; Matthew 27:57-66 (or John 19:38-42)

Out of darkness into light – “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

When you don’t really know what you’re talking about, it’s a case of the less said the better.

That’s how Job feels about his ‘friends’- ‘Oh that would you keep silent, and it would be your wisdom!’(Job 13:5).

They are no help to him. What does he do next? He takes his problem to the Lord. Nothing seems clear to Job. He seems to be bogged down in his own suffering.

There is, however, a glimmer of light. A question comes into his mind – ‘If a man die, shall he live again?’ (Job 14:14).

Later on, Job gives the answer of faith: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives…Even after my skin has been stripped off my body, I will see God in my own flesh’ (Job 19:25).

‘Christ has been raised from the dead…Death is swallowed up in victory…Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15:20, 54, 57).

Out of darkness into light – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.”

There are times when it seems nothing is going right for us: ‘I am the man who has seen affliction…’ (Lamentations 3:1-3).

In such times, we must remember this: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end’.

When we find ourselves in circumstances of great distress, we must learn to look beyond the things that are happening to us.

We must learn to look to the Lord and say, ‘Great is Your faithfulness’.

It will not be easy to see God at work in our lives when everything seems to be going wrong.

We must be patient as we wait for the blessing of the Lord to return to our lives.

We must put all our hope in the Lord, trusting in His precious promise: ‘The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord’ (Lamentations 3:22-26).

Out of darkness into light – the “spacious place” of God’s salvation

‘Into Thy hand, I commit my spirit’ (Psalm 31:5). These words were spoken by Christ as, in death, He gave Himself for our sins (Luke 23:46).

For Christ, there was suffering – ‘I am the scorn of all my adversaries’ (Psalm 31:11). His suffering was followed by rejoicing, the joy of the resurrection – ‘I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place’ (Psalm 31:7-8).

God answered the prayer of His Son – He brought Him into the ‘spacious place’ of the resurrection, the ‘spacious place’ which is, for us, ‘eternal salvation’ (Hebrews 5:7-9). We look to the crucified Christ and we say, ‘Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me’ (Psalm 31:21).

In the risen Christ, we are ‘strong and our hearts take courage’ (Psalm 31:24).

Out of darkness and into light – Create in me, a clean heart, O God. 

As we consider Christ who suffered for us, let us pray that we may have His ‘attitude.’ Let us commit ourslves to doing the will of God (1 Peter 4:1-2).

The Gospel was preached even to those who are now dead (1 Peter 4:6). As we read those words, let us commit ourselves to our God-given task of preaching the Gospel to those who are living. 

We believe the Gospel – ‘Christ died for our sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God’. Let’s share the Gospel – ‘Be always ready to give…a reason for the hope that is in you.’

How are we to share the Gospel? – ‘with gentleness and respect’ (1 Peter 3:18, 15). We must get the attitude right – ‘so that nothing will hinder our prayers’ (1 Peter 3:7). We need more than the ‘right’ prayers – words that sound good. We need the right attitude. The blessing will not come because our words sound good. It will only come when our attitude is right.

Our obedience to God’s will, in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is to be grounded our prayer. Our preaching and prayer are to be grounded in praise.

In all the service we offer to God, there is to be the offering of worship: ‘To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever’ (1 Peter 4:11; 5:11).

We will not learn to serve God unless we are learning to worship Him.

There is a ‘form of religion’ which ‘denies the power’ of God – ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me’ (2 Timothy 3:5; Matthew 15:8). They go through the motions – but their hearts are not in it!

We must pray that God will deliver us from this kind of thing: ‘O for a heart to praise my God! A heart from sin set free; A heart that always feels Thy blood, so freely shed for me’ (Church Hymnary, 85).

‘Religion’ is about respectability. Salvation is about renewal: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me’ (Psalm 51:10).

Out of darkness and into light – It was impossible for death to hold Christ.

The unbelieving world still denies Christ – ‘that imposter’ (Matthew 27:63) – and His resurrection – ‘fraud’ (Matthew 27:64). As believers, we must maintain our testimony: ‘He has risen from the dead’(64). The unbelievers expected a ‘fraud’. They did not expect a resurrection! For them, a resurrection was out of the question. God had a surprise in store for them! Unbelief says, ‘Resurrection? – Impossible!’. Faith says, ‘it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him’ (Acts 2:24). He has risen (Matthew 28:6) – Hallelujah!

Out of darkness into light – Love has the victory for ever.

Jesus was laid in the tomb (John  19:42).

Was this the end of His story?  - No! There was more to come – the resurrection. His story did not end there – ‘Jesus had to rise from the dead’ (John 20:9).

On the Cross, Jesus  had said, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). These are not words of despair. They are words of triumph.

At an early stage in His public ministry, Jesus said, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me to finish His work’ (John 4:34). Even then, He was looking ahead to the Cross, to the completion of the work of redemption.

In one sense, ‘it is finished’ – on the Cross. In another sense, there is more to be done – by the Father.

The Cross is followed by the resurrection – ‘God raised Him from the dead’ (Acts 2:24; Romans 10:9).

We read of Jesus’ death. We read of His burial – but His story does not end there!

This was a time of darkness: Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Saviour.   

It was also the time of waiting: Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord.

Soon, the time of triumph would come: Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o’er His foes.

The story of Jesus Christ does not end with the darkness of His burial. Beyond the darkness, there is the light of His resurrection: He arose a Victor from the dark domain, and He lives for ever with His saints to reign.

For our salvation, Jesus died ‘and was raised to life’(Romans 4:25). The light shines brightly. It is the light of God’s love.

We hear the great declaration of Christ’s resurrection: He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose! (Mission Praise, 453).

We hear of the triumph of God’s love: Love has the victory for ever!

Inspired by the great declaration of Christ’s resurrection and the triumph of God’s love, let us respond with the worship of our hearts: Who can see Your greatest gift and fail to worship You?  (Mission Praise, 86).

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The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings are suggested for Year A and Year C.

——————–

Easter Vigil: Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26; Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13; Psalm 46; Genesis 22:1-18; Psalm 16; Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21; Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18; Isaiah 55:1-11; Isaiah 12:2-6; Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6; Psalm 19; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Psalms 42 and 43; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 143; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Psalm 98; Romans 6:3-11; Psalm 114; Matthew 28:1-10

In the beginning, there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right – (a) The priority of God (Genesis 1:1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word (Genesis 1:3). God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord. (c) The priority of God’s Spirit (Genesis 1:2). All was ‘empty’, all was ‘darkness’, yet the ‘Spirit of God’ was at work, and transformation was set in motion. Here, we have God’s priorities, set out in the Bible’s first three verses – Putting God first and listening to His Word, we are to pray for the moving of God’s Spirit, ‘hovering over’ our lives to transform them. For those who make God’s priorities their own, there is a promise of great blessing (Psalm 1:1-2). It is the great blessing of knowing Jesus Christ, our Saviour, as ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23).

God speaks, and it is done (Genesis 1:3, 6-7, 11). God is pleased with what He has done (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12). This is the pattern of God’s original creation. It is to be the pattern of our life as a ‘new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God speaks to us and we say, ‘Your will be done’ (Matthew 6:10). We say, ‘let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38). God looks on such obedience, this ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16, 22-23), and He sees that it is ‘good’ (Micah 6:8). In these verses we read of the separation of the light and the darkness, the separation of the waters and the dry land, and the fruitfulness of God’s creation. There are lessons for us here. We are to ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7). We are to let the Spirit’s ‘living water’ flow in us (John 7:39-39). Walking in the light, letting the living water flow – this is the way of fruitfulness.

The Bible’s opening chapter is a great hymn of praise, emphasizing that all things have been created for the glory of God (Revelation 4:11). Nothing can be permitted to distract our attention from the Lord. He alone is worthy of worship. The creation of the ‘lights’ makes no reference to the sun and the moon. These were worshipped by neighbouring peoples. They are not gods. They are simply ‘lights’. Our worship is to be given to God alone. The waters teemed with living creatures. The land produced living creatures. Here, we have a picture of life. There is life where the living water of the Spirit is flowing freely among God’s people (Ezekiel 47:5-9). This water brings life to the land (Ezekiel 47:12). Moving with the flow of God’s Spirit, we are to pray that ‘the water of life’ will flow freely ‘for the healing of the nations’ (Revelation 22:2).

We now come to the creation of humanity, male and female. Our creation is described in a distinctive way – created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We are different from the rest of creation. We have been given dominion over ‘all the earth’ and ‘every living creature’ (Genesis 1:26, 28). We are different from God. He is the Creator. We are His creation. Created in God’s image, we have been created by Him and for Him. Though we have sinned (Genesis 3, Romans 3:23), now – in Jesus Christ – we have begun to live as a new creation (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10). The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1) and that ‘all things were created by Him and for Him’ (Colossians 1:16). This is the Saviour who is at work in us, enabling us to live as a new creation! Creation has been ‘completed’ (2:1). Salvation will be completed (Philippians 1:6)!

In the end, there will be love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘His love endures for ever’. This is the great message contained in every single verse of this Psalm. It’s a message worth repeating – over and over again! God’s love is an everlasting love – ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3). God’s love is an unfailing love – ‘My unfailing love for you will not be shaken’ (Isaiah 54:10). Let us ‘give thanks’ to God for His love (Psalm 1-3, 26). In His love, the Lord has provided for us ‘an everlasting salvation’. His ‘salvation will last for ever’ (Isaiah 45:17; 51:6). We must not be like those who refuse to love the Lord – ‘Pharaoh… great kings… mighty kings …’ (Psalm 136:15, 17-20). Those who reject God’s love will not receive ‘eternal life’. Their future will be very different – the ‘raging fire that will consume the enemies of God’ (John 3:16-18; Hebrews 10:26-27).

When you see a rainbow, remember there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

Here, we pick up on the words of Genesis 7:16 – ‘the Lord closed the door behind them’. What was going on outside of the ark is contrasted with the haven of salvation inside the ark. What was it that made the ark a place of salvation? – The Lord. What is it that makes Jesus Christ the Source of our salvation? – God has given Him the Name that is above every name, the Name of our salvation (Philippians 2:9-11; Acts 4:12). From the ark, we learn of (a) the one way of salvation – The ark had only one door. Jesus is ‘the Door’ which leads to salvation (John 10:9); (b) the eternal security of salvation – All were safe inside the ark. In Christ there is eternal security (John 10:28); (c) the absolute necessity of salvation – Outside of the ark, there was certain death. Refusal to come to Christ for salvation leads to judgment: ‘How shall we escape…?’(Hebrews 2:3).

Following the flood, we have this simple yet striking declaration: ‘the ground was dry’ (Genesis 8:13). Safe from judgment! This is the message which comes to us from the Cross: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). The judgment has fallen upon Christ. We are no longer swept away in the judgment. We can stand on solid ground: ‘On Christ the solid Rock I stand’ (Church Hymnary, 411). He is our Support in ‘the whelming flood’. God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ship’ (Genesis 8:15). We are in Christ. He is the Source of our salvation. God has brought us into Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). He does not bring us into Christ solely for our own benefit. We are sent out to be fruitful (Genesis 8:17; John 15:16). We are to ‘abide in Christ’. This is the way of fruitfulness (John 15:4-5). We are not sent out alone. Strengthened in ‘the ship’ (in Christ), we step out with Christ and for Him.

‘When you see a rainbow, remember God is love’. The rainbow reminds us of the gracious promise of God (Genesis 9:13-15). If the love of God is revealed in the rainbow, it is more fully revealed in the Cross: ‘We sing the praise of Him who died, of Him who died upon the Cross… upon the Cross we see in shining letters. ‘God is love’, He bears our sins upon the tree. He brings us mercy from above’. When we read the Old Testament stories, we must learn to see their place within the fuller Story, the Story of God’s salvation: ‘I will sing the wondrous Story of the Christ who died for me’. This is the greatest Story of all – ‘the Story of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love,… the Story of wonderful redemption, God’s remedy for sin’. ‘This is our Story. This is our Song, praising our Saviour all the day long’. This is ‘the Story to tell to the nations’ (Church Hymnary, 258, 381, 132; Mission Praise, 59, 744).

Be still and know that there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Be still, and know that I am God…Shout to God with loud songs of joy’ (Psalm 46:10; 47:2). In our worship, there is to be both quiet trust and loud praise. We read the great words: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1). God’s Word brings peace – ‘in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength’. We must not keep God’s blessing to ourselves. We must share it with joy – ‘Sing to the Lord…let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands’ (Isaiah 30:15; 42:10-12). The Lord is to be ‘exalted among the nations’. He is not only ‘our King’. He is ‘the King of all the earth’ (Psalm 46:10; 47:6-7). ‘Father (Jesus/Spirit), we love You. We worship and adore You. Glorify Your Name in all the earth’(Mission Praise, 142).

In Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

Here, we see Abraham in his relationship with the world (Genesis 21:22-34) and his relationship with the Lord (Genesis 22:1-14). Abraham deals honestly and wisely with the pagan king, Abimelech, who acknowledges Abraham’s closeness to God – ‘God is with you in all that you do’ (Genesis 21:22). We are to be honest and wise in our relationship with the world (Romans 12:17; Colossians 4:5; Ephesians 5:15; 1 Peter 2:12). Our relationship with the world is to be grounded in our relationship with God. In the testing of Abraham, we catch a glimpse of ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). Christ is the Lamb whom God will provide (Genesis 22:8). In Genesis 22:14, we read, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided’. On Calvary’s hill, Christ died to bring us to God, so that we might learn to live for Him in this world (1 Peter 3:18; 2:24).

After the renewal of God’s promise (Genesis 22:15-18), Abraham went to Beersheba (Genesis 22:19). He returned to the place where he had ‘called…on the Name of the Lord, the Everlasting God’ (21:33). This is a good ‘place’ to be, the ‘place’ of calling on the Name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. As we read of the death and burial of Sarah, we must remember this: the Lord is the Everlasting God. The death of Sarah took place in God’s time. Her death signified that her work had been done. She had mothered the child of promise. Beyond the death of Sarah, there was the continuing purpose of God. The cave at Machpelah (23:19-20) became the burial place for Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. We see the continuity of history, and we thank God for His continuing faithfulness down through the generations.

Our hope of eternal glory comes from love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore’ (Psalm 16:11). In this earthly life, there are many difficulties. For all of God’s people, there is something better still to come. We must look not only at the things which are happening now. We must look also to the glory which is yet to come. Our hope of eternal glory is based on Christ’s resurrection. David’s words (Psalm 16:8-11) are quoted by Peter in connection with ‘the resurrection of the Christ’ (Acts 2:24-33). ‘Christ has been raised from the dead…at His coming those who belong to Christ…will be raised imperishable’ (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 52). ‘The Lord is my chosen portion…Therefore my heart is glad’ (Psalm 16:5, 9). Is this your testimony? Choose Christ and be glad.

In the redemption of Israel, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

God had redeemed His people. He was with them, and He was about to reveal His saving power in a mighty way (Exodus 14:13-14). There is judgment as well as salvation (Exodus 14:30). Looking to neither the ‘right’ nor the ‘left’, we must look to the Lord (Exodus 14:21-22). Rejoicing in ‘the great work’ He has done, our faith ‘in the Lord’ grows strong (Exodus 14:31).

God has given us a song to sing. We have a song to sing. It is a song of redemption – God has redeemed His people; a song of thanksgiving – we give thanks for God’s redemption; and a song of hope – we look forward to the complete fulfilment of God’s redemption. This is not only a ‘song of God’s people’. It is also the song of Moses, a personal song. This is worship – not a mere formality, but worship which arises from the depths of Moses’ heart. Deeply moved by the grace and glory of God, Moses pours his heart out to God in worship: (i) He praises the God of grace – ‘my strength… my song… my salvation’ (Exodus 15:2). (ii) He praises the God of glory – God triumphs ‘gloriously’ (Exodus 15:1). His ‘glorious’ power is demonstrated in His ‘glorious’ deeds (Exodus 15:6, 11). (iii) Worshipping this God of grace – the redeeming God (Exodus 15:13) – and glory – the reigning God (Exodus 15:18) – , we say, ‘You are my God, and I will praise You’ (Psalm 118:28). Let us worship God – personally as well as publicly.

In the prophet’s words, we hear the Word of love, eternal love, the love of God.

The Word of God is spoken – ‘Seek the Lord while He may be found…’ (Isaiah 55:6-7). No one seems to be listening. What are we to do? We must remember God’s promise: ‘My Word will not return to Me empty’ (Isaiah 55:11). We do not see all that God is doing. He is doing much more than we realize – ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts…’ (Isaiah 55:8-9). We may be feeling very despondent – ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything’ (Luke 5:5). The Lord still comes to us with His Word of encouragement: ‘You shall go out with joy…’ (Isaiah 55:12). Before there is joy, there may be many tears. When there seems to be nothing but disappointments, we must remember the Lord’s promise: ‘Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy…’ (Psalm 126:5-6). We must not ‘judge before the time…’ (1 Corinthians 4:5).

‘I will praise You, O Lord… God is my Salvation… The Lord is my Strength and my Song…’ (Isaiah 12:1-2). May this be our personal faith – this is what the Lord means to me – and our public testimony – making Christ ‘known among the nations’, telling ‘all the world’ what the Lord has done for us (Isaiah 12: 4-5).

Be wise. Open your heart to love, eternal love, the love of God.

Hoping for ‘good luck’, some people expect good things to happen to them – all the time! God says, ‘Seek wisdom. Be ready for the hard times’. Wisdom comes from God. He speaks to us with words of wisdom (Proverbs 2:6; Proverbs 8:6-8). Wisdom is not only for ‘kings and rulers, princes and nobles’. It is for everyone who loves the Lord (Proverbs 8:15-17). Wisdom calls us to choose good rather than evil, life rather than death (Proverbs 8:13, 35-36; Hebrews 5:14; Deuteronomy 30:19). The way of wisdom is the way of happiness (Proverbs 8:32-34). Our path may not be paved with gold. Wisdom is better than ‘silver, gold and jewels’ (Proverbs 8:10-11). Christ is our Wisdom. Receiving Him, we receive wisdom. Growing in Him, we grow in wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:6). As you rejoice in Christ, remember: ‘He who wins souls is wise’ (Proverbs 11:30). Don’t keep Wisdom to yourself. Share Christ with others.

In Proverbs 9:5, there is a Gospel invitation: ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed’. We eat bread. We drink wine. We remember our Saviour (Matthew 26: 26-29). ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Proverbs 9:10). ‘This sounds so old-fashioned’- so the world tells us. ‘The fear of the Lord’- This is something we must not forget. If we do not fear the Lord, we will forget Him. If we forget Him, we are fools. What is foolishness? Is it a lack of education? No! – It is a lack of obedience. When we do not ‘honour’ God, we are ‘without sense’. ‘Claiming to be wise’, we show that we are ‘fools’. If we are wise, we will keep ‘going straight on the way’, looking always to Jesus Christ who is the true and living Way. He leads us from ‘the depths of hell’ to the heights of heaven (Proverbs 8:13-18; Romans 1:21-22; John 14:2, 6).

In creation and Scripture, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

God reveals Himself in creation and Scripture. He speaks through His created world. He speaks through His written Word. God is always speaking. He is never silent. Through His created world, God is speaking to us – every day, every night. He is showing us His glory (Psalm 19:1-2). He makes us aware of His presence. He whets our appetite for His written Word. The Scriptures lead us to Christ. Through faith in Him, we receive salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). Christ is the high-point of God’s revelation. He is the living Word (John 1:1, 14). The testimony of the Psalmist – ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul’ (7) – becomes real for us through faith in Christ – ‘I came to Jesus…My soul revived and now I live in Him’ (Church Hymnary, 212). Make it real. Come to Christ. Come alive in Him!

Through Christ, God looks upon us with love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘I will look on you with favour’ (Ezekiel 36:9). Through Christ our Saviour, God looks upon us with favour. Here are some words which will help you to rejoice in the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which is ‘greater than all my sin’, the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which ‘reaches me’. ‘Let me introduce you to a friend called Grace. Doesn’t care about your past or your many mistakes. He’ll cover your sins in a warm embrace. Let me introduce to a friend called Grace’. ‘His grace reaches lower than your worst mistake and His love will run further than you can run away’. ‘He believes in lost causes when common sense would just give up. He believes in lost causes and changes people with His love. There’s nobody too far gone, no one beyond His reach. He believes in lost causes ‘cause He believed in me’. Let Jesus be your Joy!

May your soul be lifted up by love, eternal love, the love of God.

Three times, the question is asked, ‘Why are you downcast, O my soul’. Three times, the answer is given, ‘Put your hope in God’. Three times, there is the response of faith: ‘I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God (Psalms 42:5, 11; 43:5). Often, we are filled with questions. We must bring our questions to God. We must learn to listen for His answers. The Lord is speaking to us. Are we listening? God speaks to us through His Word. Are we taking time to read His Word? He wants us to come to Him with the prayer, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:8-10). Listen to the Word of the Lord. Let His Word be your Guide: ‘Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me…’ (Psalm 43:5). ‘Deep calls to deep’ (Psalm 42:7) – Let ‘the Spirit’ show you ‘the deep things of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:10).

When the Spirit breathes upon us, we receive love, eternal love, the love of God.

It was ‘a valley of dry bones’ (Ezekiel 37:1-2). Then, the Lord changed everything – ‘I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live’ (Ezekiel 37:5). What a difference the Lord makes! ‘Breathe on me, Breath of God. Fill me with life anew’ (Church Hymnary, 103). What happens when the Spirit of the Lord breathes new life into the Church of God? – ‘The Church that seemed in slumber has now risen from its knees and dry bones are responding with the fruits of new birth’. ‘Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Let the breeze of Your presence flow that Your children here might truly know how to move in the Spirit’s flow… Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Please accomplish in us today some new work of loving grace, we pray. Unreservedly, have Your way. Holy Spirit, we welcome You’ (Mission Praise, 274, 241).

On the Lord’s pathway of victory, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

The Psalmist prays, ‘Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord’ (Psalm 143:9). He is not concerned only about his own welfare. He is concerned about the glory of God: ‘For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life’ (Psalm 143:11). How does God lead us in victory? How is He glorified in our lives? He brings to us the teaching of His Word - ‘Let the morning bring me Word of Your unfailing love’ (Psalm 143:8). He gives to us the strength of His Spirit – ‘May Your good Spirit lead me in good paths’ (Psalm 143:10). Through His Word and Spirit, God shows us His ‘unfailing love’. He enables us to say, ‘You are my God’, ‘I have put my trust in You’ and ‘I am Your servant’. He ‘shows us the way we should go’. He ‘teaches us to do His will’. He gives us victory over our ‘enemies’ (8, 10, 12).

In the story of God’s salvation, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

In Zephaniah 3, we have a story of sin – Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She has not obeyed His voice. She has not accepted correction. She has not trusted in the Lord. She has not drawn near to her God’ – and a story of salvation – ‘Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment. He has turned back your enemy… The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will renew you in His love. He will rejoice over you with singing’ (Zephaniah 3:1-2, 14-17). The story of our sin is full of sadness. The story of God’s salvation fills us with gladness – ‘Rejoice and be glad! The Redeemer has come’ (Mission Praise, 573).

Let us worship God: our response to love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘Exalt the Lord our God… Make a joyful noise to the Lord’ (Psalms 99:5, 9; 98:4, 6; 100:1). We are to worship the Lord with joy. We are to glorify God. We are to enjoy Him. In our worship, we must never forget the holiness of God: ‘He is holy!… The Lord our God is holy!’ (Psalm 99:5, 9). In our worship, we rejoice in the love of God: ‘His steadfast love endures for ever… He has done marvellous things!’ (Psalms 100:5; 98:1). The God of ‘awesome purity’ loves us with the most perfect love of all: ‘No earthly father loves like Thee…’ Let us worship Him with holy fear and heartfelt love: ‘O how I fear Thee, living God, with deepest, tenderest fears… with trembling hope and penitential tears! Yet I may love Thee too, O Lord, Almighty as Thou art, for Thou hast stooped to ask of me the love of my poor heart’ (Church Hymnary, 356).

Living as a new creation: our response to love, eternal love, the love of God.

(a) ‘We know that our old self was crucified’ (Romans 6:6) – What a great thing God has done! He has made you ‘a new creation in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). (b) ‘Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 6:11) – Believe it. This is what the Lord has done: ‘you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit… the Spirit of God dwells in you… Christ is in you… the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you… His Spirit dwells in you’ (Romans 8:9-11). (c) ‘Yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life’ (Romans 6:13) – Act upon it’. ‘Walk in newness of life’ (Romans 6:4). Live as those whom God has made new. We are ‘not under law but under grace’ (Romans 6:14). Keep your eyes fixed on the Saviour and your obedience will be Gospel obedience and not merely legal obedience.

At the Cross of Christ, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

‘The Lord is high above all nations… Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high?… Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, who turns the hard rock into springs of water’ (Psalms 113:4-5; 114:7-8). The Lord is greater than we could ever imagine. There is no greatness like the greatness of the Lord. All human greatness cannot even begin to compare with the greatness of God. His greatness is not only the greatness of His power. It is also the greatness of His love. When we sing, ‘How great Thou art’, we sing not only of His power – ‘Thy power throughout the universe displayed’. We sing also of His love – ‘And when I think that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die – I scarce can take it in, that on the Cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin…’(Mission Praise, 506).

In the resurrection of Christ, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

The resurrection declares Christ’s victory over evil, the triumph of His love. There is no need for fear: ‘He has risen’- His ‘perfect love casts out fear’ (Matthew 28:5-6; 1 John 4:18). There has to be a new beginning in faith. First, there was a new beginning ‘in fact – Christ has been raised from the dead’ (1 Corinthians 15:20). Christ has won the victory over the grave. Christ has taken the sting out of death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Between the new beginning in faith – making disciples (Matthew 28:19) – and the new beginning in fact – Christ’s resurrection – , there is worship (Matthew 28:9). The fact is not dependent on our feelings. ‘He has risen’ (Matthew 28:6-7) – the fact stands, even when many doubt and few worship (Matthew 28:17). As we worship, we are strengthened in faith, strengthened for our task. We are to invite people to come to the place where ‘they will see’ Jesus (Matthew 28:10). We are to ‘make disciples’ (Matthew 28:19). Run and tell – with great joy (Matthew 28:8)!

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The Bible Readings are taken from Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

The same readings (with the exception of the Gospel Reading) are suggested for Year A and Year C.

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Easter Day: Acts 10:34-43 (or Isaiah 25:6-9); Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (or Acts 10:34-43); John 20:1-18 (or Mark 16:1-8)

God’s Love, God’s Son, God’s Command, God’s Purpose

‘When the Holy Spirit comes on you… you will be My witnesses… to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). This great advance of the Gospel – Salvation reaches ‘the Gentiles’ (Acts 10:45; Acts 11:1, 18) – is a movement of ‘the Spirit’ (Acts 11:12). The Spirit speaks through the Word (Acts 10:44; Acts 11:15). In God’s Word, we read of (a) God’s love for the whole world (John 3:16); (b) God’s Son who died for ‘the sins of the whole world’ (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2); (c) God’s command that ‘the Good News’should be preached to ‘everyone’ (Mark 16:15); (d) God’s purpose that there should be disciples of Christ in every nation (Matthew 28:19). ‘Every person in every nation, in each succeeding generation, has the right to hear the News that Christ can save… Here am I, send me’ (Youth Praise,128). ‘Go forth and tell!’ (Mission Praise, 178).

Worship: Receiving God’s Love, Exalting God’s Son

‘O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your Name… You have done marvellous things’ (Isaiah 25:1). We remember what God has done for us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who died for us. We rejoice in Jesus Christ who rose again for us. We look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We look forward to the Day when ‘He will swallow up death for ever’. On that Day, ‘the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces’. On that Day, we will look back and say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us’. On that Day, we will ‘rejoice and be glad in His salvation’ (Isaiah 25:8-9). Here and now, let us learn to ‘trust in the Lord’. We can trust in Him ‘for ever’. He is ‘the everlasting Rock’- ‘the Rock of our salvation’ (Isaiah 26:4; Psalm 95:1).

Witness: Obeying God’s Command, Fulfilling God’s Purpose

‘The Lord is my Strength and my Song. He is my Saviour’ (Psalm 118:14). Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour gives us a song to sing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine… This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long’. Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, we sing His song with strength, committing ourselves to His service, earnestly seeking to win others for Him: ‘We’ve a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right … We’ve a song to be sung to the nations, that shall lift their hearts to the Lord…We’ve a message to give to the nations, that the Lord, who reigneth above, hath sent us His Son to save us… We’ve a Saviour to show to the nations…’ (Mission Praise, 59, 744). Don’t keep your Saviour to yourself. Share Him with others. Win others for Him.

In Our Worship, Let’s Be Resurrection People Living In Resurrection Power.

Here, we learn of Christ’s resurrection: the fact – ‘Christ has been raised from the dead’ – and the meaning – ‘the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep’ (1 Corinthians 15:20). We look back to His resurrection. We ‘remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead’ (2 Timothy 2:8). We look forward to our own resurrection. We will be ‘raised’- ‘imperishable… in glory… in power… a spiritual body’ (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Looking back to His resurrection and looking forward to our own resurrection, we are to live, here and now, in ‘the power of His resurrection’ (Philippians 3:10). We believe the fact of the resurrection. We live in the power of the resurrection. We rejoice in the hope of the resurrection. With ‘resurrection’ faith in the ‘resurrection’ God, let us live the ‘resurrection’ life as a ‘resurrection’ people!

In Our Witness, Let’s Pray That God Will Be At Work In Resurrection Power.

Dead and buried (Mark 15:44-46) – ‘The End’? No! There is more. An ‘Appendix’? No! A whole new beginning – For Jesus, for us! He is ‘the first fruits’ (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). The full glory is still to come (1 Corinthians 15:24). He has risen (Mark 16:6). ‘At His coming, those who belong to Christ’ will be raised – with Him and by Him – to everlasting life (1 Corinthians 15:23). This is the glory of the resurrection. It is not simply a thing of the past. It is our glorious future – we ‘will be raised imperishable’ (1 Corinthians 15:52). There is a Gospel to be preached – the Gospel of salvation (Mark 16:15-16). May God help us to preach the Gospel ‘everywhere’ – This will involve all of us, not just a few of us! May He give us the joy of seeing Him at work, confirming the message by the signs that attend it (Mark 16:20).

In Our Worship and Witness, Let’s Proclaim The Triumph Of Christ’s Victory.

‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). These are not words of despair. They are words of triumph. At an early stage in His public ministry, Jesus said, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me to finish His work’ (John 4:34). Even then, He was looking ahead to the Cross, to the completion of the work of redemption. In one sense, ‘it is finished’ – on the Cross. In another sense, there is more to be done – by the Father. The Cross is followed by the resurrection – ‘God raised Him from the dead’ (Acts 2:24; Romans 10:9). To come to the words, ‘It is finished’ is not to reach the end of the story. Jesus was laid in the tomb (John 19:42). Still, this was not the end of the story. Something else had to happen – ‘Jesus had to rise from the dead’ (20:9). For our salvation, Jesus died ‘and was raised to life’ (Romans 4:25).

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The Bible Readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B.

Jesus is better than any other option.  That’s the main point of the book of Hebrews.  As the author of the book continues to make his case for the superiority of Christ, he informs his readers that Jesus is greater than the angels (Hebrews 1:4-2:18).  Jesus is greater because He has a better name than the angels (1:4), and is called a son (1:5).  He must be superior to the angelic realm because they worship Him (1:6).  Futhermore, He created and will undo all things (1:10-12).  Subsequently, we would do well not to neglect the salvation available in Him (2:3).

Towards the end of his comparison, the author points out that the connection Jesus has with humanity.  He highlights that connection in six special ways: 

1. The incarnation – Jesus is God and became man (John 1:1).  “For He has not subjected to angels the world to come that we are talking about.  But one has somewhere testified:  What is man that You remember him, or the son of man that You care for him?  You made him lower than the angels  for a short time (Hebrews 2:5-7, HCSB).
2. The exaltation – God highly exalted Jesus to a position of honor and glory (cf. 1:3, 13; Philippians 2:10).  “You crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet.  For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him” (Hebrews 2:7-8, HCSB).
3. The subtitution – Jesus took our place on the cross and paid the penalty for our sin.  ”But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering in death” (Hebrews 2:9, HCSB)
4. The sanctification – Jesus lived a perfectly obediently life, and He sets us apart to live a life that honors the Father.  “For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—all things exist for Him and through Him—should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings.  For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.  That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying:  I will proclaim Your name  to My brothers; I will sing hymns to You in the congregation” (Hebrews 2:10-12, HCSB).
5. The identification – Jesus can identify with us because He was made flesh.  He knows what it is to be human.  In the ultimate expression of His humanity, His death, He destroyed the work of Satan.  ”Again, I will trust in Him.  And again, Here I am with the children God gave Me.  Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the Devil — and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it is clear that He does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring” (Hebrews 2:13-16, HCSB).
6. The propitation – Jesus’ sacrificial death paid the penalty for sin and averted the wrath of God.  “Therefore, He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested” (Hebrews 2:17-18, HCSB).

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” Heb 1:1-2

Christ — Word of God, Son of God, Creator, Messiah and Savior, King.

Ezekiel in Chapter 33 is called the Watchman, appointed by God to warn Israel. This is a serious calling with serious implications:

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.” Eze 33:7-9

God called Ezekiel for a noble, higher purpose; but required much of him, as he did of all his prophets.

Back in Chapter 24, God told Ezekiel that he would take his wife in death as a symbol of the temple in Jerusalem being destroyed, and that Ezekiel must not mourn outwardly or show signs of grief, a sign to Israel of how passive they would be in reaction to the destruction of the temple. Ezekiel was to remain silent until his mouth would be opened by a fugitive of the city, telling him of the destruction.

Chapter 33 records the fulfillment of that prophesy (vs 22), and then Ezekiel is told to expose Israel’s wickedness and selfishness once again (vss 23-29). The people of Israel again seek out Ezekiel’s to learn what God has to say, but God says:

“My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.” Eze 33: 30-32

This happens all too often today, too, among Christians… Hearing God’s word, but not living it. Sitting in church once a week, but doing nothing more to further the gospel beyond the confines of that one- or two-hour period. Knowing the truth, but denying its power.

In Chapter 34 God judges the leadership of Israel, the shepherds, holding them responsible for Israel’s habit of straying into wickedness and idolatry:

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says. I will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths and it will no longer be food for them.” Eze 34:10

Punishment by plunder and destruction, famine, plague, sword, and sending the survivors into exile seems, on the surface, a harsh punishment for Israel and Judah; but God’s faithfulness and justice is like the love of a parent for a wayward child in need of guidance and sound discipline. God’s people were living in complete defiance of the covenant they had made with him. They were misrepresenting him among the nations:

“And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ ” Eze 36:20

It was necessary to correct that perception, and strong measures were required, yet in Chapter 34, God still defends Israel against her own wicked leaders, and promises to make a new covenant with them (“You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God…. vs 31), and he speaks of renewing the desolated land and restoring Israel to it (Chs 34 and 36).

He defends Israel when the nations of Edom (Ch 35) and Gog (Ch 38) mock and scoff at Israel’s humbling.

And in the end, God promises to bring Israel and Judah back together as one nation; promising a single Shepherd, a king, to govern them forever (the Messiah) — Ch 37.

God does not judge in unjustly, and his ways are righteous, with great blessing in the end for those who repent and return to him in faithfulness.

Now, I must “sheepishly” admit that I assumed Philemon would not be filled with the richness of other books in the Bible. It’s a whopping one chapter letter from Paul to a brother in Christ, whose runaway slave has been in Paul’s part of the world for a while.

In that time, Onesimus (Philemon’s slave) has come to Christ and has been serving alongside Paul. Paul determines that it is time for Onesimus to make things right with his master and return. Onesimus is afraid because he has greatly wronged his master, so Paul writes Philemon this letter to “stand in the gap” and smooth things over for Onesimus’ return.

In the past, I have read this book as such, a simple letter from a man asking for grace and mercy for another man who has sinned.

But, isn’t this a picture of what Christ has done for us?

Paul writes:

“If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.”

Christ died for our sins on the cross, and when we return to him in repentance, accepting him as our Savior, he says of our sins, “the penalty has been charged to me.”

Philemon is ALL marked up in my Bible now, and I will refer to it often as a lesson in human forgiveness; but also a loose metaphor and, therefore, reminder of Christ’s atonement.

The reading for December 2 is Ezekiel 41-42 and Hebrews 7. I am planning a special post just on Hebrews later this week. It is a very intense book about our Lord and Savior, and I want to study it more before writing.

Christ is working in us right now. Do you feel it?

Thanksgiving has come and gone – I can’t believe it.  I was blessed to be able to spend my first Thanksgiving away from home with the Ventura family.  Matthew made a delicious dinner, and I made two decadent chocolate pecan pies.  That afternoon Matthew and I went to see A Christmas Carol in 3D, which was a fun way to end the holiday.  Now it’s time to prepare for the Christmas holiday, and I’m so excited!  Matthew and I went Christmas gift shopping for his nieces and nephews the other day, and it was so fun getting to pick out kid stuff.  And Matthew has a very special surprise for them.  I can’t wait to see their little faces light up!

In other news, I have had several donations for my ministry come in lately.  I feel so blessed to have so many people who support what the Lord is doing through my ministry with YMI.  I’d like to send out a big THANK YOU to each of you who have offered financial and prayer support for me over the last couple of months.

The Lord has been doing so much in my life recently.  Matthew’s dad, Stephen, lent me a book (Handle with Prayer by Charles Stanley) a couple of weeks ago, and it has been transforming my prayer life.  One of the subjects the book talks about is praying with authority.  Specifically, this concept has changed the way I pray about God’s provision.  In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us not to be anxious because God provides, and  Philippians 4:19-20 says that God will supply our needs.  Therefore, Ishould not pray to God asking him to provide because I know he will; instead, I should thank God for what he has promised me he will provide.  Once I started approaching the “throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16) my spirit is completely at peace and does not doubt for a minute that God will do what he has said he will do.

Another thing God has showed me just this morning was related to my thoughts.  The last couple of days I have had a “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6) unlike I have ever experienced before.  Several times I have thought to myself that all I really desire right now is to be righteous in the eyes of the Lord.  And then it hit me:

“O LORD, you have searched me and known me!  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you have discerned my thoughts from afar.” – Psalm 139:1-2 (Special thanks to Matthew who pointed me to these verses when I mentioned all of this to him.)

The Lord knows my thoughts; he knows my heart and my desires.  What an odd moment it was when this truth really sunk in.  I am overjoyed that God knows my innermost thoughts and that he’s listening to them even when I do not realize it.  Praise be to our Creator for intimately knowing his creations!

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Preacher Upchurch has given us the theme “Victorious by Faith” for the stewardship emphasis this month at Mid-Way Baptist Church.  Hebrews 11:6 says “but without Faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

Paul was writing to the Jewish Christians in the epistle, telling them that Judaism had come to and end through the fulfillment of Christ as the purpose of the Law.  In today’s society it is necessary for us to focus our lives around the promises of God.  Realizing He is our source and strength for our lives.  The world can place its trust in the dollar, or a job, or the economy or government.  But as we have all seen over the past year, placing our faith in anything but God is folly. God has an abundance of blessings he has stored up for his children if we would only ask of Him.

 As we approach this 42nd annual stewardship emphasis, MBC will offer Bible studies, testimonies and preaching outlining God’s miraculous plan of economy.  The Chest of Joash service will be held on Sunday, December 6th in one big service at 9:30am.  This service is a celebration which is designed to glorify God and His mercy, faith and provision for His children. You don’t want to miss this service as we worship the one who has given us so much in our lives here on earth.

God will use all of the above; however the most important ingredient is prayer and fasting.  Look at your calendar and mark a day to join heart and soul with the MBC family in fasting and praying.  Oh how we need the power of God on every endeavor for the Lord.  Preacher Upchurch has asked us all to join hands with him and the MBC family as we attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God!  Our prayer is for God to Bless you and yours as you faithfully serve Him!  Amen!

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NT 641 -Interpretive Assignment 3

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NT 641 -Interpretive Assignment 2

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NT 641 -Interpretive Assignment 1

Welcome back, brothers and sisters.

It is not often that we hear people talk about humility as a blessing.  Oftentimes, humility is mentioned in a negative way.  For example, I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about the “lesson of humility” in a negative vein, right, as though it was an experience that one would want to avoid?  Interestingly, the truth is that we all need to learn the lesson of humility at least once in our life, and in some cases more than once.  Why?  Beloved, humility brings us closer to the Lord.  Humility is a quality that Satan does not have.  Why?  It’s simple really.  Humility is the polar opposite of pride.

Think about it, brothers and sisters.  Pride results in people puffing themselves up.  Prideful people create an enhanced and unrealistically flattering vision of themselves.  They have to believe that they are better than others so that their elevated view of themselves is maintained.  A person filled with pride is almost impossible to teach, as their pride won’t allow them to admit that they need help to grow.  Someone filled with pride has a tendency to repeat mistakes of the past due to their unwillingness to learn from anyone other than themselves.  Even if 20 other people have made the same mistake, all to their own detriment, the prideful person will think they can do the same thing without the adverse consequences.  Why?  Because they believe that others that may have tried the same thing and failed are somehow inferior to them.  Their superiority complex will rarely allow consideration of the reality that the same limitations that apply to others also applies to them.

Humility, on the other hand, is quite different.  Humility often goes hand in hand with meekness.  A humble person sees themselves as they really are.  They are lowly in heart, not esteeming themselves any better than others.  As a matter of fact, they often esteem themselves even less than they esteem others.  The meekness found in a person that is truly humble is a key quality that results in submission to God’s will rather than their own.  A humble person is a willing student as the enormous barriers that pride throws up never enter into the equation.  A person filled with humility is not nearly as likely to repeat mistakes made previously, as they tend to learn from previous mistakes.  When they err, the humble person will acknowledge their error/shortcoming, and they will be open to understanding what they needed to do differently.

Is it possible to have a strong Christian walk in life while being an incredibly proud person?  No, it is not.  Why is that?  Well, beloved, an extremely prideful person is focused on themselves and on doing what they need to do to maintain or further enlarge the image of themselves that they are trying to project.  They esteem their own will in doing so as a more of a priority than God’s will.  A humble person subjugates their own will to God’s will, opting to seek His will before their own. 

Beloved, their are two great examples that come to mind that clearly demonstrate the difference between pride and humility.  Acting as the eternal poster boy for pride and selfishness is none other than Satan.  Think about it.  Satan always puts his own will first.  He rebelled against fulfilling God’s will due to thinking that doing so would somehow diminish his own greatness while also magnifying the truth that there is One greater than him. 

On the flip side, our champion of humility and meekness is none other than Jesus Christ.  That’s right, beloved, the greatest example of humility and meekness that we have is none other than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Was Jesus meek?  Yes, He submitted himself to His Father’s will by accepting to suffer the cross in order to fulfill God’s plan.  Jesus is the purest picture of humility that we will ever have.  Consider the following words of Jesus:

“Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” – Matthew 11:28-29 (KJV)

Here is another quote from when Jesus was praying to God the Father in the garden of Gethsemane shortly before Judas betrayed Him to the authorities.  Jesus knew the horrors He would have to suffer if He fell into the hands of the authorities, and the following quotes part of His prayer to the Father that very night:

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but thine, be done.’” – Luke 22:41-42 (KJV)

Beloved, this is the only begotten Son of God!!!  He could have called down legions of angels to deliver himself, but instead He was humble and meek enough to submit to His Father’s will.  Consider what the apostle Paul said in the following:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” – Philippians 2:5-8 (KJV)

Thank the Lord for humility!!!  Humility is truly a wonderful quality for each of us to have.  How does humility bring us closer to God?  Consider the following:

• How are we to hunger and thirst after righteousness unless we acknowledge that we are not righteous on our own? 
• Those who are meek have needed gentleness themselves.  Humility means willingly acknowledging that need. 
• If you do not recognize your own need for mercy, then how likely are you to be merciful to others?  Humility enables you to admit your sins, repent, and seek the Lord’s forgiveness.  In doing so, we receive His forgiveness and so much more:-)
• It takes humility to admit and own your mistakes.  To be willing and able to admit our own mistakes is a key ingredient to enabling us to be effect peacemakers.
• You cannot have purity of heart if you heart is full of foolish pride.
• How can we grow in our faith and walk with the Lord, unless we are honest about our need for such growth.  Humility is the acknowledgement of that need.
• To stand firm as a Christian means being willing to give all in order to serve Christ.  Christians that live for Christ undergo various forms of persecution (i.e. slander, undue criticism, false imprisonment, physical harm, emotional/mental abuse, etc.).  In order to make such a stand requires the humility of submitting to God’s will and putting Him first, at the expense of a harder existence in this world that we presently live in.

How does God view humility?  While there are many different excerpts in the bible that illustrate God’s view of humility, we will list just a few here.  Consider the following scriptures:

“By humility [and] the fear of the LORD [are] riches, and honour, and life.” – Proverbs 22:4 (KJV)

“[When] pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly [is] wisdom.” – Proverbs 11:2 (KJV)

“[He that is] despised, and hath a servant, [is] better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.” – Proverbs 12:9 (KJV)

“The fear of the LORD [is] the instruction of wisdom; and before honour [is] humility.” – Proverbs 15:33 (KJV)

“Better [it is to be] of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.” – Proverbs 16:19 (KJV)

“Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.  Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.  Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.  Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.  Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” – Matthew 5:3-11 (KJV)

Beloved, the last quote in that list is a quote from Jesus’ sermon on the Mount.  When you look at each of the statements He makes in that quote, you can see the need for humility and meekness as a central underpinning to every group He is speaking of.  I pray that all who read this message are filled with humility and draw closer to the Lord by continually seeking and submitting to His will.

If you have not yet given your life to Christ Jesus, but you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, please join me in praying the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just sincerely prayed that prayer, then you are now born-again in Jesus ChristJ  Welcome to the family!!!  You will still have many trials/problems to face in this world, but you will never again face them alone.  With the Lord God Almighty on your side, all problems just became manageableJ  I would encourage you to get to know the Lord better by spending a few minutes each day studying His word (bible), communicating with Him frequently through prayer, and by seeking other Christians to have some fellowship with.  All of these things will help you to grow spiritually in your new relationship with the Lord.  Remember, from this point forward your life should reflect who you serve, and you serve Jesus Christ as your Lord and SaviorJ  Praise God!!!

Thank you all for joining us for today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for Thursday’s message. 

As always, if you have a prayer request you would like us to join you in prayer over, please don’t hesitate to send it to us either through the “Comments” box on this page, or by emailing me directly at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com.  We will maintain your privacy.

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

“But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” Psalm 73:28

** I am hoping to have my Thoughts Post up this evening.
Be encouraged in your readings. Pray, read, listen to his words, and live his Word. **

Please pray for my friend and dear Brother in Christ, his name is Sunday. Yes, Sunday. He is one of the Dinka pastors we worked with in Abinajok, Sudan. He was arrested on a trumped up charge of starting a conflict. The problem is he was in another village at the time of the trouble. Please pray for his family and the missionaries there as they stand along side of Sunday.

“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body.” Hebrews 13:3 (RSV)

Thank you. Rev79.

Seriously, brothers and sister, God’s ban on same-sex marriage is still in effect. Furthermore, God’s ban on civil unions and homosexuality is still in effect. You see, beloved, while legislatures, judges, and other individuals may decide that it’s okay to be homosexual, God’s law remains in effect.Now, there are many that will read this and accuse me of being intolerant. They will wonder why I am so behind the times while society has shown itself very progressive and tolerant in accepting homosexuality. Here is my response. First of all, I thank the Lord God Almighty for my intolerance. Furthermore, I would rather grow in God’s timeless and lasting word rather than lose my soul to the “progressiveness” of this world. Society has indeed shown itself progressive in its ability to separate itself from God on this particular issue.

Beloved, God created a woman for Adam; not a man. You may think that’s harsh, but it is the truth. Consider the following:

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’” – Genesis 1:27-28 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, a man cannot multiply with a man, and a woman cannot multiply with a woman. Only a man and woman can multiply. Consider also:

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” – Genesis 2:24 (KJV)

Beloved, these words were not initially authored by me. The Author of these words is God himself. Though many people of this world have decided to compromise on this issue, the fact of the matter is that we are to be obedient to God in this matter, and all other matters. It is His will, not ours, that we are to commit ourselves to doing.

Whether you believe that homosexuality is genetic, or whether you believe it is a choice/lifestyle, the truth is that it is an affront to God. All sin is an affront to God. To repent of a sin, while planning on continuing to live in that sin, is not repentance at all. It’s lip service.

I remember several years ago when a battle over this issue within one of the religions caused that particular denomination to split into two separate organizations. The more liberal of the two approved of allowing homosexual ministers, while the more conservative opposed allowing homosexual ministers. I can still remember watching an interview with minister of the liberal portion of the church that thought it should be allowed. His statement was that while they believed strongly in God’s word, they also saw the need to compromise on the issue in light of the changing times.

Beloved, anyone that is willing to attempt to compromise God’s word/law/will is not serving the Lord. They are essentially trying to bend God to their own will, which is based in sin. Beloved, when we give our lives to Christ, we are to let go of our embrace of our sinful lifestyle. Our old selves are to die, as we become new creations in Christ.

Some people have gone so far as to take advantage of people’s ignorance of God’s word by claiming that God’s word does not specifically address homosexuality. Beloved, this is an absolute lie, and it is a lie sponsored by none other than Satan itself. Do you want some examples of just how specific the bible is about God’s view of homosexuality? Consider the following:

“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: It is abomination.” – Leviticus 18:22 (KJV)

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men and women working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.” – Romans 1:26-27 (KJV)

“Know ye not that unrighteousness shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (KJV)

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” – Leviticus 20:13 (KJV)

That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Did the last verse strike you as particularly harsh? It shouldn’t have. We know that the wages for all sin is death, so why would it be any different for this particular sin?

So how are we to deal with homosexuality? Are we to compromise our obedience to the Lord and say that its okay? No!!! We don’t say lying is okay. We don’t say murder is okay. We don’t say rape is okay. We don’t say homosexuality is okay!!! Purposely rejecting God’s word and will in order to satisfy your own affection for the pleasures of sin is never okay, no matter what that sin is. So here’s what we ought to do when dealing with someone who engages in homosexuality:

• Love them unconditionally, just as the Lord loves all of us unconditionally. Beloved, we are not to judge them. We are to love them with the Lord’s love. Remember that we were all lost to sin at one time in our lives.
• Share God’s word with them and encourage them to repent of their sins and to receive the deliverance that only Christ Jesus can provide.  That means living in that sin no more.
• Encourage them to separate from those things that would be likely to draw them back into homosexuality.

Beloved, I love homosexuals, murderers, liars, whores, pimps, drug dealers, and all other sinners, as I know that God does as well. We are never to pass judgment on those lost in sin. We are, however, to share the Truth with them at every opportunity so that they may see the light, repent of their sins, and be reconciled unto God.

As I’m sure you have come to know by now, it is not my style to be indirect and not speak God’s word in order to avoid offending anyone. Just know that my intention is never to offend. My intention is to always speak God’s word clearly, accurately, and consistently so that more may come to the Lord.

So in closing today, the choice is simple. Will you be tolerant of homosexuality so that we can all just get along, and because various men and woman have said its okay to do so, or will you obey the Lord God Almighty in truly living His word and protecting the sanctity of marriage? The choice is yours.

Thank you for joining us for today’s discussion. I hope you will be able to join with us for our next message.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

November 15, 2009
Hebrews 4:16 & 10:22

Exordium: Last week we looked at Christ as our Priest, our great priest, Our High Priest. At first He was a priest on earth, offering up the sacrifice of His own blood for us. Now having passed through the Heavens He continues His priestly work in Heaven, doing what priests do – praying for and caring for His church.

His work now is to bring us who are His near to God. He presides over every believer assisting Him with His pilgrimage.

Explication: Today I want us to be connected to this High Priest so as to be able to receive the help He waits to give us. He is waiting for us to take up His offer of help along the path of life.

So we look to the word of God for the way to do this. We find that in at least two places in the Book of Hebrews, chapter 4:16 and chapter 10:22, twin texts.

They do what we often see in Scripture. One verse will state the principle and another will give the details of how to actually accomplish that thing. (For example, Genesis 1:12 tells us that in the beginning the Lord made the heavens and the earth without answer all our questions about that. But when we reach Isaiah 45:18 we learn why He made it and later what He made it from.)

But the central thought of both these texts from Hebrews is that our High Priest waits to help us. We must not keep Him waiting.

1. HE HAS DONE EVERYTHING TO MAKE HIMSELF READY TO HELP US

He took human nature on Himself. Without this He could not be our sympathizing priest. As God, he could not feel our weakness, or suffer in our flesh, or taste death for us. His birth at Bethlehem means that he entered our human condition to become our priest and then he offered Himself as a sacrifice so we could be saved.

From Heaven He has given His word and Spirit, explaining His priesthood in the pages of the Bible and inviting us to understand His help and ask for it. So that His word is where we would turn as His children when needs come to us. He gives timely help – just at the right moment. He has sent His Spirit into the world who accompanies His Word and is ready to prepare us for drawing near to Him in our time of need. He gave the Old Testament priesthood and the rules of worship in order to provide a picture of what the priesthood is like, how it works and what we can learn from it.

But when the Saviour was born the priesthood of the Old Testament was done away. Now He is the priest and we are all made priests who follow him. We are made a kingdom of priests, not to offer sacrifices for sin, but offerings of praise and thanksgiving to God. So Christ has prepared Himself to be our great High Priest in order to give us the help we need in every kind of situation.

1. NOW HE CALLS US TO COME NEAR HIS THRONE, THE SEAT or CENTER of GRACE

It is called the throne of grace, because our Lord sits there, at the right hand of God the Father. It is a seat of Grace – not a throne of judgment, because the One who sits there is full of grace and ready to bestow it on all who call upon Him for it. He is able to give it abundantly above all that we ask for.

Do you need His grace? That is, the energy and power to do what you should do?

For a problem you can’t seem to solve.

For a child who won’t do right

For help with your finances

For the ache of a sorrow that won’t go away

For a temptation that seems too difficult to bear

For courage to stand for Christ among others who ridicule you for it

For illness, (inward or physical) that feels like a constant thorn in your flesh

For special duties that have been given to you

For changes in our life that you can’t seem to get used to

For all of these the High Priest waits to help you. He has gone ahead of you and blazed the trail, leaving a broken branch here, a marker there, as if to say, “I have trod that same path and you are not lost. Keep following Me.” He calls to you saying draw near to the throne of grace… I wish to help you.

In earlier days there were special places like the tabernacle and the temple where folk would go to meet God. Since Christ has come there are no special places to meet god, but he used those older places to say to us, “You are to approach God carefully and intentionally preparing yourself to enter into His presence and present your need to Him.

That’s why the Psalmist called Him, “A very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

1. SO LET US DRAW NEAR TO THAT THRONE of GRACE

Notice here that we have part in receiving this wonderful help. We are to take the first step. The Holy Spirit can prompt us, woo us, assist us even draw us, but we must do our part. We are to come to Him. We are to draw near to God.

This accords with James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

We are to come with a true heart. God tells us that He requires truth in the inward parts, which means sincerity. “They that worship God must do so in truth.” (John 4:24) We are to be real with God and tell Him what we need from Him, admitting our weakness and our great dependence on Him. We are not to be hypocrites, being one thing to other people, but within our own hearts we know that we are not what others think we are.

We are to come in full assurance of faith. That is to come believing that Jesus is our High Priest, that He is living and active on the throne of grace waiting to assist the members of His church in all their struggles as they make their way in this world toward their heavenly home. We know he waits to help us.

We come with a full confidence of being accepted. We are like Abel who believed that his sacrifice would be accepted and it was. So have a full tank of faith that he can help you and look expectantly to Him for that help.

1. LET US COME WITH THE PREPARATION HE ASKS OF US

“With our hearts sprinkled with from an evil conscience.” The human conscience itself is not evil, but it detects inner secrets: lusts, angers, bitternesses, and so is terrified and condemning. Thus it clings to the heart and soul in an evil way. That evil conscience is a “habitation of dragons” waiting to harass the soul.

The picture is of the believer asking the high priest to cleanse the conscience free of any of these evils, inner things that no one else save the person knows. The promise of God is clear for this work of God in the depths of the human heart. It comes from Ezekiel 36:25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols”

Here the Holy Spirit promises to sprinkle His clean water made strong by the virtue of the blood of Christ to cleanse your inner life from secret sins. You will remember that Christ’s blood comes to you when the Spirit regenerates you, makes you a new creature, the water of baptism signifies this, but baptism cannot be repeated. After baptism there is the continual washing of the soul of inner sins discovered daily and washed away when we ask His cleansing power.

The plea is also made that our bodies “be washed with pure water”. These are the sins of our outward, visible conduct, things people could see or hear if they were present. They are sins of the body, because parts of our bodies have done them and they are sins that defile the body, made for holiness.

They need to be washed away as we come to the throne of grace. Again the background is the way the Old Testament believers purified themselves by washing their bodies and their clothing before they came before the Lord. That is to point us to the duty of asking the Holy Spirit to cleanse away all those outward acts of word and deed that have displeased the Lord, and soiled our bodies. The cleansed conscience and the washed body are the ornaments with which we are to draw near to the throne of grace. So let us come and present our desires before our great High Priest.

These things may sound like a lot to go through to find the help we need, but this is God’s way of teaching us and preparing us for meeting Him in the heavenly places. The secret for accomplishing this is to make this preparation a way of everyday life, constantly seeking the cleansing of our inward sins that trouble our conscience and seeking daily washing away of the external, bodily sins that break our fellowship with God. When we draw near to that great throne, a strange thing happens. God will take possession of our inner being and draw us into his presence as a magnet draws metal to its bosom and holds it there.

Application: To the young: Now is the time to begin this way of life. Practice now finding the help you need with life’s decisions and struggles from our great High Priest. He is like a great treasure just waiting to be tapped for our needs. How else “shall a young man cleanse His way but by taking heed to His word.” (Psalm 119)

Older people: You may have fallen into a pattern of life that could be called a “co-existence with sin.” But now become a child again. Come to the throne of grace for help. Believe in the One who waits there for you to come.

His work is to bring us near to God. Our great and necessary work is to draw near to God so as to find help in time of our need.

Glen C. Knecht