August 6, 2006
Scripture:
Can we look at the first verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1; “In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth.” Why would I read a verse like that, when we have been thinking about the Lord’s hour on the cross? It is because before this time, there was no time, no hours. Since time began, we could wend our way through hour after important hour in scripture. But I want to think of the hour when God created Adam in his own image. Then God said that it was not good for him to be alone; so he created Eve. What an hour that was! I am sure that while God created Eve, he was thinking of the Bride He would someday give to His Son. Then there is the hour when Israel killed the Passover, a picture of the Lord’s sacrifice; what an hour that was! Finally, the Lord came; He said, “I am the light of the world.” Then he went to the cross, the Light of the world in the hour of darkness. Well might we sing, “O solemn hour, O hour alone …” There was no other hour like when the Light died and was put in a grave. And one day there will come an hour when the Lord will come to take His bride; what an hour that will be! The world will then see our relationship with Him. After that there will be the millennium and then a short period of time. Then God will destroy the world and bring everything into an eternal state, where there is no time. When you think of it, God created time so He could give his son a bride. And when He has her, He will bring us into that eternal relationship with Him. Oh, may we praise Him for all that He is and all that He’s done.
EG Hymn 351 – One door, and only one, Prayer • A few weeks ago, Nana and I went to a funeral home (it was Mrs. Emery’s mother who had died). This funeral home was in Dundas, Ontario. While I was waiting in the lobby, I noticed a few pictures on the walls, but one caught my attention. There were six smaller pictures inside one frame, and it was entitled “Doors of Dundas.” Someone had gone around and taken a picture of a number of memorable doors and had put this together. It got me thinking, I wonder what stories those doors would tell, if they could talk. Then, last night, we went to a birthday party. After dinner, we had a reading, and the chapter we read mentioned three doors. And one of these doors can talk! So let’s look at the three doors of John 10. Remember that at the tower of Babel, God divided the nations up. Then he chose one for himself: Israel. Read John 10:1–3. This door goes into the sheepfold; who are the sheep? The Jews, or Israel. The sheepfold is a picture of the law, how God kept them safe. Who is the Shepherd? Jesus; he entered the sheepfold when He was born in Bethlehem. That’s the first door. Now, vv. 4–8 have the second door. This door is the door through which Jesus leads his people out of the sheepfold. Now the next verse has the last door. This is the door of salvation, leading to Heaven. And this door is for any man, “whosoever will”; this is not just for Israel. Anyone can come to the Lord and be saved and have eternal life. Our hymn ended with an important question we can each ask ourselves: “On which side [of the door] are you?”
Hebrews 11:17–22 • Last week we looked at the test of faith Abraham had when God asked Him to offer Isaac, his son received as from the dead. Abraham was ready to go all the way and do this, but God mercifully stopped Him. In picture, it is as though Isaac was killed and Abraham got him back from the dead, in resurrection. Abraham had the faith that Isaac would not be taken from him; he told his men that both of them would “come again to you.” As the Lord’s people, we have two resurrections as well: we are resurrected at salvation; then, if we die, we are resurrected to meet the Lord in the air. Resurrection is such an amazing thing because death is God’s way of dealing with sin. Yet out of the Lord’s death, we can be resurrected and have everlasting life. In v. 19, Abraham accounted that “God was able.” How important it is for us to realize that God is able and that “what he had promised he was able also to perform.” Now in Isaac, v. 20, where is the faith? God said He loved Jacob and hated Esau, but Isaac has it the other way; at least, he loved Esau’s venison. Jacob got the blessing, but it was because of underhanded work on the part of Rebekah. Was that by faith? Later, Esau came in and found out that Isaac had already eaten. When Isaac realized what happened, he is shaken, but does not do anything to change it. God looked at that and saw the faith, though it be a faint glimmer. But through all this, Rebekah did not have the faith to let God work out his promise to give Jacob the blessing; she thought He needed her help. So it is good to know that God will see our faith even if it is as small as Isaac’s, but let us try to be a bit more like Abraham. Isaac blessed them concerning “things to come.” Those are very important things. John 16 tells us we have the Holy Spirit to tell us about things to come. Many people today want to know the future, so they go to psychics to find out. We do not need to worry about the future; God has told us what will happen in the Bible. Albert Einstein said, “God would not play dice with the universe.” He has planned everything and it will go as planned. Hymn 344 – Jesus loves the little children, Prayer